Chapter Eighteen #2
I sit beside Eunho at the massive dining table, trying not to fidget as servants glide around us, laying out steaming dishes. The table stretches long enough to accommodate all twelve siblings plus Eunho's parents, yet somehow feels intimate despite its size.
The conversation flows easily, siblings chiming in with questions about my favorite places to travel, my friends at Halfblood Hall, even asking to see my social media posts.
There's none of the subtle probing about my background or veiled comments about bloodlines that I endured with Dohwan's family.
As the meal progresses, the formal atmosphere dissolves. Eunbin and Eunchae argue playfully over the last dumpling while Eunsang dramatically reenacts a story about Eunho's childhood mishaps, complete with sound effects. Their laughter is infectious, and I find myself relaxing into the warm chaos.
“I bet I could take you,” Eunho's brother, Eunwoo, suddenly announces, flexing his arm at me from across the table. “Halfblood or not.”
“Oh really?” I arch an eyebrow, unable to resist the challenge in his grin.
Before I know it, the dining table has been cleared except for a small space between us. Eunwoo's sleeve is rolled up when he plants his elbow, waggling his eyebrows at me.
“Don't hurt him too badly,” Eunho whispers in my ear as I take position.
I grasp Eunwoo's hand, and immediately the competition is on. His strength is impressive, but I've got something to prove. As our hands hover at the midpoint, I let a small flame dance across my knuckles. Eunwoo yelps in surprise, his hand slamming down onto the table as sparks fly.
“That's cheating!” he protests, but he's laughing.
“No rules against using our gifts,” I say with a smirk.
“My turn!” Another brother, Eunki, shoulders Eunwoo aside. “And I won't be distracted by a few sparks.”
Three matches later, the tablecloth is singed in multiple places and there's a distinct smell of burnt hair in the air.
Instead of being upset, Eunho's parents are doubled over laughing as their children continue to challenge me one after another, each loss accompanied by increasingly dramatic bursts of flame.
After the meal, the dinner party moves into the family room.
It's like something out of a luxury resort—all gleaming wood and plush furnishings spread across what must be half a football field of space.
My eyes catch on the massive stone fireplace dominating one wall, then drift to the professional-grade pool table, gaming systems, and what looks like every entertainment option imaginable.
Eunho's siblings scatter, each finding their preferred perch. Some sprawl across couches while others gravitate toward the games. Eunho guides me toward the pool table where three of his brothers are already racking balls.
“Ready to show them how it's done?” He hands me a cue with a wink.
We team up against Eunki and Eunwoo, who talk a big game until I sink three balls in my first turn. Their shocked faces make me grin as I circle the table looking for my next shot.
“Where did you learn to play like that?” Eunki demands after I clear another two balls.
“Lots of practice in dive bars.” I shrug, chalking my cue. “You'd be surprised how many drunk humans will bet good money against a small female.”
After thoroughly crushing them at pool, we migrate to a massive round table where Eunho's father and several siblings are setting up for poker. My stomach drops when I see them pulling out actual gemstones for betting—rubies, garnets, and fire opals that catch the light.
“I don't have any—” I start to protest, but Eunbin waves me off.
“Just bet whatever you have in your pockets!”
Sheepishly, I dig into my pocket and pull out several lumps of coal—my emergency stash of treats for Soot. I expect them to laugh at my meager offering, but instead their eyes light up with delight.
“Oh, those are perfect!” Eunji claps her hands. “Much more interesting than boring old gems.”
“I want to win the coal!” Eunchae declares, pushing her pile of rubies aside.
Soon, we're all betting exclusively with my coal pieces, the gems forgotten as the competition heats up. Eunho's father proves to be a shark, his face impossible to read as he systematically cleans us out. But it's the fight over the last piece that nearly does me in.
Eunwoo and Eunki both reach for it at the same time, their hands colliding over the coal. They freeze, eyes locked in a silent standoff.
“I won it fair and square,” Eunki growls.
“Your hand wasn't even close to the pot!” Eunwoo protests.
Before I know it, they're on their feet, shoving each other like cubs fighting over the last scrap of meat. I collapse against Eunho's shoulder, wheezing with laughter as they wrestle dramatically across the carpet.
“Boys,” Eunho's father sighs, but his eyes sparkle with amusement as he watches his sons tussle.
The family migrates to the sprawling sectional, everyone jostling for prime spots.
I find myself tucked against Eunho's side, his arm falling naturally around my shoulders as Eunji bounces up to take the first turn.
The warmth of his body seeps into mine, and I sink deeper into his embrace without thinking.
“Ready?” Eunji grins, pulling a slip of paper from the bowl. Her face lights up as she reads it, and she immediately drops into a crouch.
“Oh! Oh! A frog!” Eunchae shouts before Eunji even moves.
“You have to let her act it out first!” Eunbin protests.
Eunji starts hopping around, her hands pressed together in prayer position while making exaggerated swimming motions.
“A mermaid doing jumping jacks!”
“A priest at the gym!”
The suggestions get more and more ridiculous as Eunji's movements become increasingly frantic. I feel Eunho's chest rumble with suppressed laughter against my back.
“Time's up!” Eunwoo announces gleefully.
“It was a water sprite blessing a river!” Eunji throws her hands up in exasperation.
The room erupts in arguments about whether that was even possible to guess, voices overlapping as everyone talks at once. I'm still giggling at the chaos when Elder Kang rises gracefully from her seat.
“My turn,” she announces, selecting her paper with elegant fingers.
My jaw drops as she immediately begins strutting around the coffee table, arms spread wide like wings. Her sophisticated demeanor vanishes as she flaps and prances, making pecking motions with her head. The sight of such a dignified elder acting like a bird sends me into silent fits of laughter.
“A chicken!”
“A swan!”
“Some kind of duck?”
Elder Kang shakes her head vigorously, her long hair whipping around as she continues her bird impression. She spins in a circle, her expensive gown swirling, then throws her head back and lets out an ear-piercing “SQUAWK!”
“A pterodactyl!” Eunchae yells confidently.
I lose it completely, dissolving into helpless giggles against Eunho's chest. He's not doing much better, his whole body shaking with laughter as tears stream down his face.
“It was a phoenix!” Elder Kang huffs, smoothing her hair back into place with as much dignity as she can muster.
Looking up through my tears of mirth, I catch Eunho's eye.
His face is flushed with joy, brown eyes sparkling as he grins down at me.
Something warm and tender unfurls in my chest at the sight.
In this moment, surrounded by the cheerful chaos of his family, wrapped in the security of his embrace, I feel it—that sense of finally, finally belonging somewhere.
The games continue late into the night, but exhaustion starts to creep in. My limbs feel heavy as I sink deeper into Eunho's side, struggling to keep my eyes open. The warmth of his body and the gentle rumble of his laughter when his siblings bicker isn't helping my drowsiness.
I try to stifle a yawn behind my hand, but Elder Kang catches it. Her eyes soften as she looks between me and Eunho.
“Eunho, darling, why don't you show Gawon to your room? She looks about done for the night.”
“No!” Eunchae protests, bouncing up from her spot on the floor. “We haven't even started the good games yet!”
“Hush now.” Elder Kang waves off the chorus of complaints from her children. “There will be plenty of time for more games another night.”
Eunho's hand finds mine as he helps me to my feet. I dip into a small bow, warmth flooding my chest at their disappointed faces.
“Thank you all for such a wonderful evening.”
“Goodnight, little fire starter!”
“Sleep well!”
“Don't let the bed fairies bite!”
Their boisterous goodnights echo off the walls, making me giggle as Eunho rolls his eyes and tugs me toward the stairs. His fingers stay twined with mine as we climb to the second floor, turning down a long hallway lined with heavy oak doors.
I pause, noticing the carved names on each door we pass.
Eunji. Eunbin. Eunchae. Each sibling's name etched with care into the wood of their personal space.
When we reach Eunho's door, his name sprawls across it in bold letters.
Something about this small detail makes my throat tight—the way this massive house still feels like a real home, how each child's presence is celebrated and marked.
No one raised in this kind of love could turn out cruel or false. The realization settles warm in my chest as I follow Eunho into his room.
“Make yourself at home.” He gestures to the spacious bedroom draped in various shades of red.
I wander the perimeter, taking in every detail.
Sports trophies line one shelf next to what appears to be an extensive rock collection.
A stack of car magazines teeters precariously on his desk.
But it's the photos that draw me in—hundreds of them covering the walls, tucked into frames, bursting from albums. Every single one features his family or friends, all genuine smiles and captured moments of joy.