The Beginning

Everyone knew that being born as the firstborn son meant a huge responsibility will be passed on to you. That's exactly what happened with Sangeun. Sangeun Moon greeted the world on the breezy night of August 9th in the middle of Seoul, Korea. It was extremely windy that night, the curtains wouldn't stay still and the trees would shake violently as if it was making a statement. Both his parents have been anticipating his birth since the first time his mother was confirmed pregnant close to 8 months ago. The moment he was born, his cries were loud and clear, erupting the entire space in the operation room. With a vampire father and a human mother, he became the first dhampir of the family.

Sangeun was nowhere near complicated, in fact he was the opposite of how naughty a child should've been. Growing up, he was a rather simple kid, but displayed promising traits like any other prodigal child would have. A few years later, he received a few more siblings, a younger brother and sister. He was raised up in a strict household, his father always reprimanding him of his responsibilities as the eldest son. All the scoldings he received was for his own good, his mother told him. The lonely nights in his room were filled with sorrowful tears and hiccups from the young dhampir, the place he locked himself in whenever he had to give up for the sake of his younger siblings. Sangeun was like any other child who would've gotten upset if they were asked to give up their toys for others, so his mother only consoled him by using the only way she knew was viable; bribing him with sweets.

When his youngest brother was born, he was only the mere age of 7 years old, and due to their parents being work oriented people who was often busy with their own schedules, he took the reins to raise them up. The soft-spoken young dhampir had since then, made it his responsibility to nurture and care for them. Some would think that since he had all the love and attention few years prior to his younger siblings’ birth, Eun would be deprived of all of that and discarded once he's no longer the only child. But no, it was once again, the exact opposite of it. Had it been up to his younger siblings’ opinions, they would say that Eun was showered with the most love during his elementary years, that travelled with him until he finished his high school. But they also knew the burden of being the eldest – Eun was constantly pressured by his parents to do well, if not the best. Not a day passes by where the dhampir didn't think about his responsibilities and what it entailed.

Sangeun being Sangeun would never show his struggles to anyone, not even to his baby brothers and sister, so everything was pent up inside him. Of course, he had to smile and laugh it off. He’s the golden child; the jewel of the family. Spending his years being raised as a dhampir, he was accustomed to their traditions and training, and had equipped them since a child. There were times when Eun would rather spend his time training at the dojo rather than to study, but the thought only flashed a once over.

On his 18th birthday, when the weapon claiming ceremony took place, he halted on his steps momentarily, stopping in front of what would then be his weapon he would forever feel connected with; a double-edged short sword. The intricacy of the steel and hilt successfully entranced Eun, who spent the next 10 minutes just staring into the sinister blade as it glowed a turquoise color. It wasn't too heavy or light, it fit perfectly in his grip like it was made for him. By the time he reached near adulthood, the dhampir had so many expectations placed on him, it was beginning to sound unreal to him yet he never spoke against it. He vowed to never allow his siblings to suffer the same thing he went through, prompting the dhampir to follow his parents’ wishes and dreams. The obedient dhampir graduated high school with outstanding marks, more than enough to secure him a spot in one of the top three universities in Korea.

However, he chose to enlist in the military first to complete every mandatory service before furthering his tertiary education. His parents were slightly weirded out by the sudden request to be enlisting so early, but couldn't find it in their heart to say no to him. Eun has always had his way around words, so to see his parents agreeing wasn't a surprise, especially when it's supposed to bring them pride. Serving in the Marine Corps for 21 months in his enlistment, he came out later as a conscripted Sergeant. The physical training was very strenuous but for a dhampir, given that he was already used to the training, it was bearable, though he was careful not to let that slip up for the sake of keeping his supernatural identity hidden from prying eyes. Once he finished his services, he Eun was offered a placement in Seoul National University, to which he accepted and his road to become a lawyer started from there.

He finished his degree on political science before slowly advancing to their law school after passing the admission test. During his time in the law school, he didn't go back home frequently, always finding himself cooped up in his room, a plethora of law and socio economics books forming a fortress around him; who often fell asleep on the study desk. His parents would visit him every month, and each time Eun found himself contemplating to see them or not due to the immense pressure he received. Nonetheless, again and again, he couldn't find the strength or will to deny his parents, the duty of being an obedient son slowly showing itself to be somewhat a curse to the dhampir. Though his visits were no longer colloquial, it didn't stop him from communicating with his younger siblings, namely his youngest brother, Jaesung.

The latter had sometimes felt discouraged by the way their society and family acts, so the elder would spare his time to lend him a shoulder, or rather, an ear, to hear about all his daily troubles. Their bond as brothers grew gradually as the years pass by. Things were looking up, life was easier, and he passed the bar exam as soon as he acquired his J.D. after his graduation. Unlike his two younger brother and sister, Sangeun was more open-minded about everything else, which aided him in understanding just how conservative their community could be. Jae helped him see that better. The younger male would also often become the topic of argument and disagreements with their parents.

Neither his siblings and parents approved of Jae's choice to pursue literature, but Eun did. He didn't want his baby brother to feel constricted and pressured to do things he didn't wish to do for the rest of his life, much like he has been doing since his childhood days. It was enough that he got the heavier weight of the scale, because he viewed himself as the eldest brother who should take the burden for the sake of his younger siblings. It was only by luck that Eun enjoyed studying law halfway into his studies, and with the exuberant and creative mind of Jae, he knew the younger dhampir wouldn't trade it for anything else and there was no need for any issues within their family. So he did what he thought was right.

Shortly after Jae finished his enlistment, Eun persuaded his parents to give their consent to Jae who wished to pursue his dream course outside of Korea. One day he got a call from Jae saying he's going to travel to Evermore to start his studies there, which resulted a smile on his face. He even took a day off from work to bid his farewell to Jae at the airport. Just when he thought things would turn for the better, it didn't. Jae's departure to pursue his dreams resulted in a backlash for Eun, who was then prompted by his parents to marry after successfully establishing his own position as a well sought out lawyer in Korea. Dilemmas started to flood back and Eun once again found himself struggling between his own desires and hopes that would no doubt, be clashing with his parents'.

The quick-witted dhampir was able to evade the particular topic for a while, up until his mother fell sick and Eun felt obligated to follow their wishes once again. Putting himself in the shoes of the golden child, a consensus regarding the marital matter was reached and not long after, an engagement was already planned between him and a diamond cartel heiress. Things went as civilly as possible but that was about it, there was no real connection between the pair.

Many months later, he received a new client who's based in Evermore, the city his youngest brother has been gushing about. After countless attempts of persuading his parents, they finally allowed him to go, with a condition that he should try to bring his baby brother back home. Eun had no intentions of doing that to his precious brother but what they don't know wouldn't hurt them, right? And so, he began embarking on his journey to the eternal city, in hopes to bask in what would be left of his bachelor life and perhaps, to find some closure in his choices.