Chapter 2

Introducing the Lee Family

"Yuri, please go wake your brothers up for me."

A beautiful twenty year old woman looked up from her book, soft tendrils of black hair falling over her shoulder. She smiled at her mother and nodded, cramming a sticky-note into the book to save her spot before proceeding upstairs. She took no detours as she went straight for the door at the end of the hall, opening it to find a large and tidy room with nothing but a king-sized bed and a study desk inside. A lump was balled up in the center of the bed, and as Yuri approached it, it twitched; she smiled and pounced on the moving lump.

The person beneath her let out a high-pitched shrill scream, squirming under her weight; she laughed and got up, pulling the covers off to reveal her older brother.

Kim Jonghyun – who, like his younger brother Kibum, took their mother's last name – glared at his one and only younger sister, who rolled her eyes playfully. He was just as gorgeous as anyone else in the family; soft brown hair, gentle brown eyes, and a flawless complexion. He had the muscular build that drove girls wild, as well as the charm and personality.

Yuri grabbed his hands and pulled, trying unsuccessfully to get her brother out of bed. "Come on, Jjong! We have to go to school!"

Jonghyun growled. "I don't want to." he pouted childishly. Yuri rolled her eyes and let go, watching as he fell back into bed.

"Umma told me to wake you up, so get up! I'm going to go wake up Key and Taemin, and when I come back, you'd better be ready!" she threatened, wagging her finger at her older brother. He waved her off as she left.

The door directly to her right had a pink nameplate with stars around it that read in big block curly letters, 'KEY'. She went in right away, finding her younger brother combing his hair at his vanity.

"Morning, Noona," he greeted, styling his bangs. Kim Kibum, or Key, as everyone called him, took more from their father's side rather than their mother's. He had a gentler face that his older brother, but the same brown hair and eyes. His build wasn't as tough, but rather, he was a more huggable being.

Yuri gave him a hug from behind. "Good morning, Key. Breakfast is downstairs, Umma made our favorite."

Key smiled. "Thanks, Yul. I'll be down in a minute."

Yuri nodded, leaving. The last brother, their baby Maknae, was in the room right next to hers. She went in to find him sitting on his bed, singing.

"To dareul sarangeul hal sudo itdago nan midosoneunde

Gaseum ane noneun naginchorom jiul suga obso

Otoke…" (A/N: the lyrics are to Taemin's part in the song 'Romantic')

She gave him gentle applause and he turned to her alarmed. When he realized it was just his sister, he smiled.

"Morning, Yuri Noona!" he chirped cheerfully. She skipped over to him and gave his hair a good ruffle before sitting beside him.

"Aigoo, baby Tae is such an amazing singer," she cooed. Taemin blushed and pushed her away, embarrassed.

"I'm not as good as Noona or Hyungs," he mumbled.

Lee Taemin was the baby of the family; everyone couldn't help but love him. He had a special charm to him, especially in the way he smiled; his smiles could melt your heart. He had unnatural blonde hair and brown eyes, and he looked adorable no matter what he did. Taemin never speaks outside of their beach-side mansion, but when he sings, even the birds would stop to listen.

"Nonsense, Tae-baby. You sing just as good as we do," Yuri murmured, giving him a hug. He returned it wholeheartedly.

"Now, Umma's downstairs. She made breakfast," she told him. He brightened at the mention of food and was off. Yuri smiled and shook her head as she returned to Jonghyun's room, finding her favorite brother in a sleepy stupor, trying to button up his shirt. Yuri giggled.

"Come on, Jjong. We have to go," she coaxed as he buttoned up the last button. He grumbled in response but allowed his sister to pull him downstairs.

Yuri took her seat at the dining table, welcoming the giant plate of bacon, ham, and diced tuna. She ate slowly and enjoyed each bite, unlike her brothers; they were scarfing down everything, and she was pretty sure Taemin was on his second plate already. She rolled her eyes as their father wobbled down the stairs, slipping on the last step and falling to his butt.

"Gah, Onew. Come on," their Umma, Kim Taeyeon, said in a rush, picking her husband up and helping him to the table. He smiled apologetically.

Taeyeon rolled her eyes playfully before confiscating Taemin's plate and setting it in front of their Appa. Taemin began to protest, but one look from his Umma and he was off upstairs. Taeyeon sighed before turning to her remaining children and her husband.

"Have you told him yet?" she asked in a whisper. Everyone shook their heads. Yuri sighed.

"Why can't we tell him, Umma?" she asked. Taeyeon shook her head.

"He just learned how to speak, Yul. We can't tell him until he starts talking to others, or else he might go into shock and lose his beautiful voice again."

He should still know he's a Siren, Yuri thought hopelessly. She finished her food and placed her plate in the kitchen, heading back upstairs to brush her hair.

She studied herself as she sat in front of the mirror, gently running the brush through her silky smooth black hair. Her eyes were glowing today under the light makeup she brushed on her cheeks, and her complexion was perfect – as it always was. She smiled slightly and shook her hair out.

Right on time, Key stepped into her room, curling iron in hand; everyday, Key put her hair up, making sure that she looked absolutely adorable at school. She smiled as he approached.

"So what kind of hairstyle are we going for today?" he asked, before checking her outfit. "Maybe a little side pony, with a few loose curls. And clip your bands back."

She nodded mindlessly as he began; weaving the brush through her hair, gently pulling it up and into the perfect up-do. Without really realizing it, Yuri began to hum to herself; Key joined in, and they smiled to each other.

A few seconds later, her hair was finished; she smile as she stared at the perfection in the mirror before hugging her brother again.

"Ok, I'm pretty sure Jonghyun Hyung is waiting for us, so we'd better go," he commented, checking his watch. She nodded before grabbing her things and following him out the door.

"Bye Umma! Bye Appa!" she called before slamming the door shut and running to the small car waiting for her.

"I hate school. Why does it start so early?" Jonghyun groaned, taking his anger out on the road. He sped off onto the road, going far over the speed limit.

"You're the one who decided to sign up for morning classes," Key pointed out, reading a fashion magazine in the front seat.

"Why didn't you talk me out of it?"

"How was I supposed to know you'd regret it later? I can't see the future!"

"Jonghyun Hyung, you wanted to have more time after school to goof around instead of sleep in all morning. You told me," Taemin quipped. Jonghyun quieted for a moment before sighing.

"Damn. I did say that," he grumbled before pulling into the school's parking lot and speeding to a nice spot close to the main gates. He nearly killed a poor girl and ultimately stole the space from a freshman, but they didn't really care. Yuri and Taemin's voices shut off, while Jonghyun put on a pair of sunglasses. Key immediately hopped out and waved to a group of people, joining them. Taemin quietly went after his brother.

"Hey Yul, want to take the long way to class? We're early anyway," Jonghyun asked, smirking. Yuri knew exactly what he was planning to do, but knew she couldn't do or say anything to stop him; with a resigned sigh, she nodded and followed him out.

The people in their path parted to let them pass; they all stopped to admire their unnatural beauty. Jonghyun smiled cockily and started to whistle; Yuri watched in disgust as girls around them began to swoon, falling under his hypnotic spell. She elbowed her brother harshly and gave him a look, but he only started to whistle louder. More girls began to squeal and sigh as he passed; thy finally stopped in front of a small sophomore with a heart-shaped face.

"Sorry, honey, but it's over between us," Jonghyun said briskly as soon as he stopped in front of her. The girl's smile fell and she stared at him.

"Yeah, that's right, I'm breaking up with you. It's over," Jonghyun repeated, turning on his heel. Yuri bowed apologetically to the girl – who had just started to break down in tears – before punching her brother's shoulder.

"You're such an ass!" she whispered. Jonghyun smiled and threw an arm over her shoulder, hugging his little sister.

"I know, but you love me."

"Only because You're my favorite brother, but that can change," she hissed back, but she let him lead her to class. "Why do you abuse our power?"

"Well, I've been given a gift. Might as well share it with the world, right?" he answered cockily, winking at a girl nearby. Her whole face turned red.

"But you're hurting so many people," Yuri whispered back.

Jonghyun frowned, his expression darkening. "If they can't handle the beauty of my voice, then they shouldn't be listening."

Yuri shook her head in disdain. Jonghyun's thought process was a little bit different from her brothers and herself. He believed that humans only fell under the hypnosis because they wanted to listen, wanted to die. He was waiting for the day when a girl would refuse him; and as such, he would court every girl he could see, and when they bored him, he dumped them. Every day he would sing his songs in the hallway and draw in a new victim. To Yuri, it was a terrible sin; their powers weren't supposed to be used like that.

However, the look on Jonghyun's face told her not to argue. "Ok, ok. I guess you're right."

Jonghyun smiled and gave her shoulder a tight squeeze. "That's my baby Yul. Come on, let's get ready to learn." He sneered. She laughed.

Meanwhile, on the other side of campus, Key was sitting in the school's cafeteria with Taemin and a few of his human friends. He watched in mild irritation as his best friend ordered practically everything on the menu, talking animatedly with the waiter who was obviously flirting with her. The mere thought made his blood boil.

"Ok, Sooyoung, seriously. That's enough," Nicole said gently, sending a look to her partner. "You don't want to get fat."

"Shut up, Nicole. I have a high metabolism. It won't stick," the other girl said brightly, turning away from the waiter. Key smirked victoriously as he walked away, dejected. He turned back to his two friends, in a noticeably happier mood.

Nicole was one of Key's closer friends. She was a bit of a diva, much like himself, with short brown hair and questioning brown eyes. She acted like a princess most of the time, but overall, she was a pleasant person to be around. Of course, that was before she started to flirt with him. Then it just started to get weird.

Sooyoung was Key's best friend and neighbor. She knew all of his secrets (except his biggest one, of course) and practically became joined at his hip; not that Key minded. She was a very happy-go-lucky type of person with a violent streak and a weakness for food. For a human, she was pretty beautiful; with long dark brown hair and warm brown eyes, a tall, stick-like figure and a clear complexion. Key had started to like her during freshman year; his infatuation never properly died.

Taemin made a very quiet cough that only Key could hear; he turned to his brother and allowed him to lean into his ear to whisper something.

"Why are they fighting?" Taemin asked in a quiet voice. Key shrugged.

"I don't know. I zoned out," he replied, turning his attention back to his female friends. Sooyoung turned to him, slamming her hands down on the table.

"KEY! Tell Nicole that I am most definitely not a fatty!" she whined, jerking a finger at her female friend, glaring menacingly at her. Nicole rolled her eyes and sat back, exasperated.

"I never said you were fat, Soo! I just said that you will get fat if you continue those eating habits – "

"Well excuse me for not wanting to eat that rabbit food." Sooyoung glowered at the salad Nicole was picking at.

When did the food get here?Key thought to himself as Taemin took a sip of his banana milk quietly. Sooyoung shoveled a giant bite of cheesecake into her mouth, chewing it roughly in Nicole's face. He chuckled; how were these two friends?

"Sooyoung, that is disgusting!" Nicole screeched, pushing the taller girl away. She swallowed the large bite and laughed victoriously.

"I am not fat, nor will I ever get fat! Admit it!" she shouted.

"God, Sooyoung, Nicole! I don't get you two!" Key shouted at last, chuckling. "Sooyoung, everyone knows you eat like a pig but don't gain weight. But Nicole is right, and you shouldn't push your limits."

Sooyoung pouted and stuck her tongue out at him; Nicole smiled triumphantly and raised her hand for a high-five. He gladly gave her one.

"You're supposed to be on my side, Key. I feel so betrayed," Sooyoung grumbled, taking another bite from her cheesecake.

Key rolled his eyes. "As your best friend, it's my duty to never be on your side."

Nicole laughed at the two and soon Sooyoung joined in. Key released a chuckle of his own. He most certainly couldn't understand his siblings and their fear of human friendship – why wouldn't they make friends with humans? They were such entertaining creatures! Even Taemin seemed to agree; he was smiling from ear to ear, trying hard to hold back his laughter.

"TAEMIN!"

Taemin looked up in alarm and silently groaned before burrowing into Key's shoulder. It was those two again; those two girls that tried so desperately hard to get him to talk. Why couldn't they understand that he didn't want to? That because he had just recently gained his voice, he was afraid of what people would think when they heard it? That maybe people would single him out from the family as the only Lee sibling without a perfect voice? He knew something weird happened to people when his siblings sang; did the same thing happen when he did?

"Taemin, oh my gosh, we finally found you! Come on, class is about to start!" one of them shouted, literally pulling Key out of his seat to grab Taemin's arm. As he was being pulled away, he sent a desperate look towards his brother; he only smiled and gave him a thumbs up.

"Jeez, Tae. I thought you were punctual on time," the taller girl on his right mumbled. The one pulling him nodded vigorously.

"Yeah, Taemin. Class is going to start in five minutes, what were you thinking?" she said, wrapping her arm around his tighter and quickening her pace.

"I mean, I know you love your brother and all –" the tall one started.

"But I think attending class is more important –" the dragger continued.

"Then family right now." The tall on finished. They both giggled as they pulled him into their classroom and into a seat sandwiched between the two.

Taemin felt like crying; these two, although their company was nice, were ruthless. Yoona and Sulli; best friends since birth, they were practically twins. They thought alike, moved alike, even looked alike. On the first day of school, when they learned that Taemin couldn't speak, they made it their goal in life to help him find his voice. Of course, there were times when they were pleasant and could carry a nice conversation – written on paper, for him – but most of the time, they were just pure evil.

He sighed dejectedly and retrieved a notebook and pen from his messenger bag, hell bent on ignoring the two girls and focusing on the lesson; but naturally, Yoona and Sulli wouldn't have it.

Yoona poked Taemin's shoulder. "Have you found your voice yet?"

When he shook his head, Sulli continued. "Have you been trying?"

He shook his head again, gritting his teeth. It wasn't that he hated them, he just hated their constant questioning; how he wished that he could just scream at them and tell them that he didn't want anyone to hear his voice. But that would be defeating the purpose.

"Come on, Taemin, you have to at least try!" Yoona whispered.

Taemin quickly jotted down a small sentence and passed his notebook to her; so much for taking notes on the lesson.

"What's is say, Yoonie?" Sulli whispered excitedly. Yoona passed the notebook to her.

"Didn't you just say that class was more important than friends or family? Why aren't you two paying attention?" Sulli read out loud. She shared a look with Yoona and they both burst into quiet giggles.

"We said class was more important than family, not friends. I mean, we are your friends, right, Tae?" Sulli asked.

Taemin looked between the two, who were both giving him desperate puppy-dog pouts. He sighed before nodding dejectedly. Yes, they were his friends. Annoying friends, but friends none the less.

"Yeah!" they both whisper shouted, high-fiving over his head. Taemin sighed. It was going to be a long lesson.

Jonghyun leaned back in his chair, bored out of his mind. He didn't have the slightest clue what class he was even in at the moment, let alone what the professor was going on about. Yuri was vigorously taking notes down next to him, so to entertain himself, he stared at the girl next to him until she grew so flustered she began to twitch. He chuckled to himself and began to hum; a soft gentle tune that didn't carry very far, but managed to grasp every female's attention, even Yuri's. Yuri however, unlike all the gaping, sighing girls, looked irritated.

"Why don't you try to pay attention for once?" she whisper hissed, rolling her eyes. Jonghyun shrugged.

"What class are we in?" he asked her. She gave him a look. "No, seriously. What class are we in?"

"Jonghyun!" she scolded, smacking him. He winced away from her. "We're in calculus, stupid!"

Oh. No wonder he wasn't paying attention.

Heeding his sister's words, he stopped humming and actually tried to make sense of the lesson; but after five minutes of complete nonsense, he grew bored again. His mind hatched an idea; his professor was female, was she not? Of course, he was going to get in major trouble with Yuri, but his boredom was going to kill him. Smirking devilishly, he opened his mouth and began to sing; not a quiet tone, but loud enough to resonate throughout the room. He chose a soft, gentle love ballad and watched in glee as the Professor slowly broke off from her train of thought and stopped talking all together. The girls in the room all looked to him and sighed heavenly. The few guys in the room looked around in confusion, becoming fixated on Jonghyun.

Yuri –as expected – was livid. She glowered at him with all the anger she could muster and slapped him hard across the face, ending his song. He turned to her and grinned as the teacher came to her senses and tried unsuccessfully to take control of the lesson again.

"Kim Jonghyun, you are an asshole!" Yuri shouted, loud enough for everyone to hear. They all turned to the siblings in shock and confusion, most of the girls still a little delusional. Yuri blushed deeply and sat down, making sure to elbow Jonghyun harshly in the ribs.

The siblings pretended that nothing had happened, and soon, order came back to the classroom as the professor cleared her head and continued her lesson. Jonghyun chuckled under his breath every few seconds, and Yuri continued to glare and ignore him. When the lesson finally ended, she packed her things in steely silence and brushed by him.

Jonghyun, hurt, quickly gave chase, carelessly throwing his things into his messenger bag and grabbing her hand. She turned and glared at him.

"I'm sorry, Yul!" he cried, pouting. Yuri turned away with a humph, pulling away from her brother. Jonghyun frowned and ran up to her again, hugging her from behind. The people in the crowded hallway watched greedily.

"Yuri, I'm so, so,so sorry. I'll never do it again, I promise! Please forgive me!" he whined. Yuri squirmed in his grasp, but eventually gave in and gently pried his fingers away from her.

"Fine, fine, fine! Jjong, I forgive you. But I'm holding you to that promise to never do it again!" she allowed, and Jonghyun grinned, throwing an arm over her shoulder.

"Yay! I love you, Yul-baby!" he cooed, pinching her cheek. Yuri jerked away.

This was why Jonghyun loved his sister. She was his favorite out his younger siblings, and he didn't know what he'd do without her. Yuri was quick to forgive, and always stuck to his argument. She kept him under control and helped him maintain a somewhat level-headed attitude towards life, despite his playboy ways. There was also the fact that Yuri was the only girl that could truly reject his advances.

"Here's my stop. I'll see you at lunch, ok Jjong?" Yuri sighed, unwrapping herself from his hold. She gave him a pointed look, warning him not sing again. He nodded and held his hands up in surrender.

"I'll see you at lunch, Yul," he agreed. She waved and proceeded alone into her anatomy class.

Jonghyun made a promise to never sing in class again; but who said he was going to class?

Jonghyun had lived 75 of his human years underwater, and 125 above; meaning that he had gone through college more times than he could count. He didn't need to take classes anymore; he knew everything there was to offer in the human world, and sitting in a class listening to a lecture he'd heard countless times before was unbearable. He waltzed right by the classroom he was supposed to be heading into and went for the school's garden, a hotspot for a lot of young girls on campus. Along the way, he hummed to himself in a cheerful way.

Unfortunately, his plans were ruined when he found the garden completely empty; he figured that all the girls were in their classes, especially because the day was so nice. Cursing his luck, he decided to go searching for a different place that was populated by girls, but was stopped by a singing voice.

"Noonan nomu yehpuh

Geu geunyuhreul boneun naneun michyuh

Ha hajiman ijehn jichyuh

Replay, replay, replay…"

"Key?"

His brother turned around, wide eyed and alarmed, but relaxed when he saw Jonghyun. "Hey, Jjong. Ditching class again?"

Jonghyun sat down on the bench next to him, grinning. The girls could wait. "Like I'm the only one."

Key grinned. "Well, when you've been in college for hundred years, it gets kind of boring."

Jonghyun rolled his eyes. "I know. I die inside whenever I come to school."

"You know we have to keep it up. For Taemin's sake. He's the only reason why we can't go back to the ocean."

"I know that." Jonghyun grumbled. He loved Taemin to bits, but everything would have been much easier if they could just return to sea; ever since he was born, they devoted themselves to life on land. Taemin's muteness was unnatural for a Siren, half-human or not. He just wasn't half-siren without his voice. It took him a hundred years, but when he finally found his voice, Jonghyun thought their lives would take a turn for the better. But then their mother told them to continue as normal, until Taemin opened up. Jonghyun had patience, but after a hundred and twenty-five years, it was running a little thin.

"We can't let him find out. It would crush him." Key mused. He looked out at the flowers if the garden. "we've even built it into his mind that he's an aqua phobic."

"I know."

"Just hold on a bit longer, ok? Taemin will be one of us soon."

Jonghyun sighed again. "I know."

Key was probably the most patient with Taemin in the family. While Jonghyun, Yuri, and their parents tried to coax Taemin to speak, Key told him that he could take his time, and was gentle and nice towards their youngest sibling. He read to him, taught him how to write, and stuck by his side throughout his many years of college. Key was the one who told Taemin that he wasn't fully human – that he was something more, and because Key told him in his gentle, nurturing way, Taemin accepted it wholeheartedly and asked no questions. Key was always trying to get Taemin to open up more as well; he was the one who enlisted Yoona and Sulli's help, and though the process was slow, Taemin was getting better.

"How is your master plan coming along?" Jonghyun asked.

"The one with Sulli and Yoona? I'm pretty sure it's coming along great. Taemin described them to me as friends the other day," Key said, smiling. "And I've been bringing Sooyoung along whenever he sticks with me. He hasn't spoken much to Soo yet, but he'll speak soon. I can feel it."

"Which reminds me, how's your human crush on Sooyoung?" Jonghyun said offhandedly. Key's smile immediately fell and a blush stained his cheeks.

"It's fine. Don't tease me again, Jonghyun. You wouldn't understand, since you have more Siren blood than I do," he hissed. Jonghyun laughed, giving his little brother a noogie.

"I'm just messing with you, Key. You know that."

Key smiled and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I know. Aren't you late for girl hunting?"

Jonghyun smirked and patted Key's head, lifting himself off of the bench and smiling. "Yes, I am; thank you for reminding me, Key."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm going to stay here for a while."

"See you."

Jonghyun left his brother alone in the garden again and a few seconds later, Key's siren song filled the garden; despite having more human blood than he did, Key was still half-siren. His gentle tone was so beautiful only a Siren could make it.

Jonghyun chuckled and set his sights on more girl hot-spots. The roof, the home-economics classroom, the auditorium; the roof seemed like a god place to go, since Yuri wouldn't look for him up there, and girls liked the feel of the breeze. He pulled his sunglasses on and shoved his hands into his pockets, making his way through the main building and up the stairs. After three flights, he finally came to the door to the roof; smiling as he pushed it open, he prepared to unleash a soft and hypnotic love ballad that was sure to send girls under.

Only to find the tune choking him as he came face to face with a beautiful brunette singing a tender lullaby.

Ok, I lied. This chapter was also a little boring, but I wanted to show the bond the siblings had with each other. and I'll bet anyone can guess who the beautiful brunette is. :P