Chapter 190: 38a

Chapter 190: 38a

The first place they went to was Sydney, one of Australia's largest cities.

Not only did it have Bondi Beach, the Sydney Harbour Bridge and other famous things, but there was also access to see the various unique Australian wildlife and a lot of shopping. Jia Hyson and Mr Garth both know each other well. They would do a few touristy things for the sake of being tourists, but generally, they both weren't necessarily very interested in the historical culture of things.

So other than the group tour of Sydney Harbour Bridge, they simply went wild by themselves and just did whatever they felt was a little fun.

As for money, it really wasn't a problem. Both were extremely rich; as a beloved member of the esteemed Rong family, Alaric was given the modest amount of eighty million US dollars to spend on his year-long trip.

Mr Garth was even more exaggerated. After all, he was an adult vampire with his own assets that have grown for hundreds of years. While he wasn't considered one of the richest vampires in the coven, he was at least above average, and when this above average is compared to normal humans there was simply no comparison ah. The combined number in the various bank accounts he had was enough to start a small-scale war, fund it, and then rebuild all the damage of the aftermath, with even enough extra to construct some sort of theme park to help introduce tourism.

Therefore the pair were in the most enviable position of every working man and woman, holding absolutely no psychological burden in regards to spending and enjoyment.

Wanton and free, they even changed hotels every week and reviewed them with Jia Hyson's blog, bombarding everyone with enough luxury to dazzle the eyes. Not to mention that they even dared to show off Mr Garth, albeit with a mask, introducing the fans to Jasmine's part-time cameraman and full-time boyfriend. It could be said that the fans of Jasmine suffered numerous points of damage.

Fortunately, except for a few crazy boyfriends and girlfriend fans, most sensible viewers didn't care too much about this. Social media was not at the stage where the attachment toward online celebrities was very serious, and Jia Hyson had already made it fairly clear for a while now that he was seeing someone. Therefore the majority overall showed a supportive attitude, and there were even some comments admiring the boyfriend's good-looking body.

Of course, Jia Hyson, who saw these comments puffed up with pride. It turns out that not just reading his own compliments felt good but also his boyfriend's ah! Hehe such a good body, striking eyes, handsome jawline- and it was all his. (, w ,,)

Wah, a compliment to Darrian really felt like a compliment to his ability to keep such a treasure by his side, which, in conclusion, was just a compliment to himself, ah!

Feeling both sincere, vain joy and a bit of possessiveness toward his lover, Jia Hyson couldn't help but look at the other with heated eyes. It could be said that the couple that night was especially full of spring happiness.

Mr Garth, looking at water army companies* the next morning: Hehe, last night was so good it's not bad to make sure to experience a few more :)

*water armies are people (usually in a group) that you can hire to sway public opinion or use fake accounts for comments and likes. Essentially he wants to buy more people to praise him when he wants a more *ahem* steamier night.

With their relationship known both to the public and the covens, there was little to no pressure on their heads, allowing the couple to enjoy their vacation freely.

Jia Hyson greatly enjoyed the beauty of the Royal Botanic Gardens, the pair spent a few days casually strolling hand in hand, slowly exploring and taking photos of beautiful flora in various garden areas and gorgeous nature exhibitions. With a permit, they could also do a lot of photo shoots there as well; however, other than a few more serious shootings, Jia Hyson had insisted that his blog was just a hobby and shouldn't invade too much into their time together.

When he heard this, Mr Garth merely quirked his lips and leaned down to kiss the other's forehead, "Brat, we have all the time in the world. Don't worry, if we take a day to take photos, then we just come back another day to do more." He chuckles and ruffles Jia Hyson's head, making the younger vampire playfully bat the other's hand away in mock displeasure.

Seeing the other's cute little pout, Mr Garth goes and kisses the other's pursed lips with a smile, "You're really too cute. The main thing is to be happy. And if you are happy going here for an entire month straight, I am also happy."

Jia Hyson was a bit lost at the moment. After all, he still had a very human mindset in some things. When one goes on an overseas holiday, usually, most people take a few weeks, and there's generally a pressure to complete as much as you can during that time. Visit the tourist locations, see the culture, observe the wildlife and famous natural areas, eat the local food, and so on. Then there were the very specific things one may want to do like take a certain tour, check out a historical bookstore, shop for specialities, visit a very famous food store they've seen online in short, many vacations for people were fun, but at the same time a little stressful and rushed.

Maybe they can have the time to revisit a few shops or delicious food places but rarely would people generally be able to agree to something like revisiting the same monument three days in a row. Jia Hyson also felt that way. Even when he was rich and felt he had all the time in the world, he really didn't have that sort of enthusiastic idleness to do such a thing, especially if he went overseas. There was no way, maybe if he was there for a month, maybe he'll revisit a few times, but at the very least, he'll feel uncomfortable if he didn't tick off the things he had already planned to do there first.

Thinking about it, their current style was really too casual. However Jia Hyson smiles; however, he really likes it ah.

Not only did they have a year, but as vampires, they had lived longer than most humans would ever hope to have. There was really no need to rush, no need to stress; just take it a day at a time with the main point of enjoying yourself. Maybe people will want to cram as much as they want to do in a year, but vampires will only say time passes so quickly it's better to remember the current state of the places you enjoy as much as you can. Who knows if, in a decade or so would, it be the same?

Therefore the mindset they have is inherently different; instead of rushing to experience every new thing, they will stroll slowly and cherish the things they find to their liking before reluctantly leaving.

Jia Hyson's adaptability was strong, and this was really not a difficult change to take in. So after this reassurance, he really let himself go. He liked the natural beauty of the gardens both for his own aesthetic and spiritual enjoyment and as a backdrop for photos. Mr Garth had even had the foresight to apply for a permit to do larger-scale photoshoots and paid a lot of money to enjoy the gardens after hours.

Sometimes Jia Hyson crossdressed; sometimes, he simply wore his usual casual clothes. Either way, the pair were equally as sticky to each other, no matter the external appearance. Like a normal pair of lovers, they wandered around, took photos, learned some new things, and if they were tired or hungry, they would sit and have a picnic somewhere with a good view over the Opera House and Sydney Harbor Bridge. During that time they tried a few Australian classics like the simple but fun fairy bread, fizzy spiders* and meat pies, to the more unique kangaroo meat, emu pie and green ant chocolates**.

*not real spiders, lmao; it's like root beer float but with different types of soda (usually coca cola or Kirk creaming soda with two scoops of vanilla ice cream on top)

**I've had all of these kek. Green ants provide a strong citrusy flavour. Emu is a bit tough, tbh which is why it's nicer in a pie. Kangaroo, I've had in burger and pie personally, I find beef better lmao, but it's interesting to have the experience.

They even did a behind-the-scenes tour at the glasshouse and a sunset spotlight tour where a guide would help them spot the more nocturnal unique Australian wildlife attracted by the biodiverse vegetation. Of course, it was more like hiring a personal guide than a tour as they spent enough money to just enjoy the tour by themselves, without any outsiders. Given they had directly bought their way into VIP status, the tour guide had essentially become their personal guide and treated them very well.

The staff had provided their most skilled guide to lead them. The guide was nicknamed Ghostie Jay for his ability to sneak around the gardens like a ghost.

*Shout out to happy reader @GhostieJay ()

While it wasn't a particularly amazing trait anywhere else, for things like the sunset tour, which requires the ability to get close to wildlife, coupled with his friendly and knowledgeable personality, it was enough to make him extremely popular. As for the nickname being what it was well, it was more attractive to shy children to have a fun name to be called upon sometimes, and between Ghostie Jay, Flower Dancer Jay, Hunter Jay and D*sney Prince Jay, the young man decisively chose the first option.

Ghostie Jay was quite flattered at being picked to guide these two big shots. Seeing the couple's good-looking appearances and even more good-looking tipping skills, he was determined to find all the best things to show for them! However, quickly, he found himself doubting life.

After all, these bosses were really too skilled at finding animals!

Guide Ghostie Jay: Did these men make it rich as poachers? How can their eyes be so good??

As vampires, Alaric and Mr Garth's eyesight in general was greatly enhanced, and at night, of course, it could be considered quite exceptional. In terms of just that strength alone, they could find a lot more animals much faster than the human guide, almost making the poor young man want to cry with no tears.

However, even if they could find animals, from the birds snuggled in the trees, the little native mice and snakes in the bushes playing hardcore hide and seek, and the insects scattered everywhere on the vegetation- that didn't mean they understood what each creature was. Therefore the role of guide was still very indispensable for the couple.

If one looked at a distance during the tour, one wouldn't be able to stop their sigh in admiration at the sight of two attractive people clinging together under the setting sun, surrounded by greenery and blooming flowers. Both showed large smiles, pointing at various things, chatting and were generally full of enthusiasm and affection.

However, if you go within hearing distance

"What's that?"

"Jay, what is this little guy?"

"Ah, look at that bird, what's that?"

"This bug looks interesting, what's that?"

"What's that?"

"Ohhh, what's the guy next to that?"

"What about that?"

"Wait, so is that what was that from before?"

"But what about this?"

"Oh, what's that?"

Guide Ghostie Jay: '' At this rate, I should rename myself into Encyclopedia Jay instead.

After they played around in the gardens- enough to send their guide to tears, either from stress or gratefulness for the three thousand dollar tip given before they left- the couple decided to look toward the museums and galleries that Sydney had to offer.

The Art Gallery of New South W*les was huge, with many exhibitions and works to enjoy. And The Muse*m of Contemporary Art was also a gorgeous place to visit as well. Of course, while both Jia Hyson and Mr Garth had seen a lot and had some interest in art, they were simply not cultured enough to properly admire the depths of it all.

Other than those that appealed to their aesthetics and those art that they couldn't help but praise for creativity, a lot of time was spent joking and casually critiquing the works.

There was no way, who made them such shallow people ah? They can only be sorry to the artist for their own incapability of extracting the desired understanding of the symbolic metaphors behind their works. They even made a game guessing the meaning behind the more abstract works for fun.

However, even though they weren't as good as some of the more artistic souls out there, they were certainly richer. Some people bought trinkets like keychains and plushies for their friends after coming back from their holiday, Jia Hyson and Mr Garth directly purchased any pieces of art on the wall that caught their fancy or felt suited their friends and family.

It could be said that many of the young and budding artists who had the honour of placing their art in the museum at the time were extremely happy that week.

While the art galleries were interesting, what really caught the pair's interest and fascination was Sydney's P*werhouse Museum. One could loosely describe it as a science museum, but it was truly diverse in its content, from touching on topics of decorative arts to space technology and steam engines to environmental science.

While Jia Hyson had a creative heart, he was also a man who enjoyed biological sciences a lot. Whether it was dissections, watching creatures consume other living things, or watching the reactions of living things under experimentation, he liked it a lot ah. And the information produced from the observations of nature was colourful and wondrously fantastical while still retaining a sense of logic to explain the reasons for things existing. Therefore he was quite fond of the EcoLogic exhibition in the museum.

Conversely, Mr Garth was no better than a child there. For the more historical themes like the steam engine and old planes, he was a little interested, but he had already lived through that sort of era and thus knew bits and pieces already. Other than taking time to tell Jia Hyson a few stories, there was not too much enthusiasm there.

It was only when the more modern scientific exhibits came around did the man, who looked like a gruff, handsome man that could be in his thirties, smiled brightly with bright eyes full of awe.

The technological age has ushered a burst of new inventions like a fire that finally had enough tinder. It exploded, and many things were brought by humans into the world, and many theories were finally realised.

Vampires have integrated into society, but like humans, the longer they live, the more apathetic they can be about various things around them. Simply put, whether as humans or vampires, the excitable, awed curiosity of a child was a fleeting thing for most individuals. The world is so vast it's impossible to learn every new discovery that happens, and over time as people's interests develop, things outside that focus will slowly be ignored in favour of topics that are often encountered naturally or related to one's personal hobbies. In a way, if a child is like a sponge, when they grow up, they can only be a funnel.

But despite that, it doesn't mean they couldn't be once again awed when faced with information previously beyond their realm of understanding or outside their comfort zones. And the beauty of science museums was not only did they provide this information in common laymen's terms, but it was also very interactive in order to elicit enthusiasm from the people walking in.

Of course, the general target audience was children, but that didn't stop two rather immature vampires from happily playing with the offered interactive exhibits and games on hand.

However, it was still a bit embarrassing to push out the children, so

The first time Jia Hyson found out, though, was about four days into the trip. They were sitting in a popular local seafood dining place, and Jia Hyson had spent more than a few minutes with furrowed brows as he tried to determine what things were on the menu. It's true he could've asked Bebe for help, but one, it would raise too many expectations for his rather shameful level of understanding of the Korean language, and two, Bebe, that bitch, refused on account of it being a learning process it didn't want to interfere with and that also it was quite funny.

Seeing the pretty waitress with dark blue hair still waiting for them patiently, Jia Hyson felt a bit embarrassed under her patient gaze. As he struggled out with a few clumsy words, Mr Garth, who had been idly biting the straw of his banana-flavoured milk that he had grown quite fond of drinking, suddenly chuckled. Touching Jia Hyson's hand comfortingly, he looks up to the waitress with a crooked smile and casually speaks in fluent Korean, "We will have the sundae gukbap, galchi jorim, kodari jorim and two beef miyeokguk*, please. Also, a pot of barley tea, and uh, let's see, what is this?"

*pork blood sausage soup + rice, braised belt fish stew, a savoury braised dish made with semi-dried pollock fish and radish, seaweed soup generally made with beef

"Hotteok, it's a type of crispy, chewy pancake with cinnamon syrup and chopped walnut filling." The waitress replies with only a flash of surprise in her eyes at the older vampire's fluency. However, her momentary startlement was nothing compared to the shock on Jia Hyson's face. "It is very delicious if you like sweet things."

"How many in one serve? Are they quite big?"

The waitress made a circle the size of a tennis ball with her hands, "About this big, and we serve four at a time."

Mr Garth nodded in satisfaction, "Very good, we'll take one hotteok too, please. My friend will be quite happy with it."

"Your friend" The waitress hesitated as she glanced at the stunned young man's face, which was full of doubting life, "He-?"

The older vampire chuckles again, warmth and tender amusement in his eyes, "He's still learning the language, so I thought it would be best to take the opportunity for him to try himself." The waitress can't help but feel a little flustered at such a doting appearance from the gruff yet ruggedly handsome man; the gap between soft and rough was an indescribable appeal, an addicting gap moe that one can't help but makes one heart beat a little faster.

It's a pity it wasn't directed at herself, but looking back and forth between the two men, the waitress' cheeks flushed redder, and she clenches her notebook and pen tighter in excitement.

Waitress: 'This was pretty good too!' (,,,,)

When the young lady finally left, Jia Hyson leaned over with narrowed eyes. "You know Korean?? Why didn't you tell me?"

Mr Garth smiles and reaches out to boot his boyfriend's nose, which scrunches up cutely under his touch. "You didn't ask." He teases with his deep, rough voice.

With a smile that didn't reach his slanted eyes, Jia Hyson, through gritted teeth, hisses out, "You could've said something, though. I was struggling through this entire time."

"And it was incredibly adorable of you." The older vampire props his chin up with one hand while the other idly plays with the straw of his drink. Because there was a stricter smoking policy in this country, Mr Garth had been abstaining from his habit. Surprisingly it was not too hard with his lover at his side that could alleviate the worst symptoms of headaches, plus he didn't use his powers too much these days anyway. The only thing was his mouth constantly felt empty and irritated as a result of withdrawal.

Giving Jia Hyson a playful wink, he picks up his banana milk to pass over in offering to his pouting younger boyfriend. "Forgive me~?" He drawled teasingly, despite the words of apology; his expression was arrogant and sexy, confident he would be forgiven easily despite being so annoying. So sexy and yet, so slappable. It was one of Jia Hyson's favourite expressions.

Jia Hyson glared at Mr Garth before grabbing the milk and drinking it all in a small act of rebellion. "Four days." He declared after downing the sweet liquid. Unlike other places, the banana milk in Korea was really good, light and sweet, and the banana flavour was strong but not strong enough to be off-putting. It was a delicate balance that had been pulled off well.

"Hmm?" Mr Garth tilts his head with a bit of confusion.

"You fooled me for four days." Jia Hyson explains while wiping his mouth with the side of his hand, "In exchange for four nights, you answer to me." He sneers, blue eyes haughty and full of all sorts of dominating and humiliating promises. With a dark, lidded gaze, Jia Hyson sticks out his tongue and licks the sticky, sweet pale residue off his hand in one smooth and pointed motion, full of lustful insinuation.

Mr Garth: '' I may have made a slight miscalculation.

To be honest, even if he promised four nights, it was really four days and nights. Jia Hyson was a very petty person, after all. And when the older vampire flushes and trembles while crying so prettily and pathetically well, it wasn't his fault that he couldn't control himself ah. ( )

Other than wandering around and enjoying the sights and tastes that Seoul's streets had to offer, of course, one was to visit various famous places. The Gyeongbokgung Palace, one of the largest and arguably the most magnificent of the five great palaces constructed during the Joseon dynasty, was an iconic attraction that the pair chose to go to the moment that Mr Garth's waist had recovered from heh.

The Gyeongbokgung Palace was not only full of cultural and historical appeal, with its beautiful and striking architecture of about three hundred buildings within its complex. It was also due to its encouragement to share its history through a diverse array of ancient artefacts in the National Palace Museum of Korea and the National Folk Museum of Korea located on the palace grounds, and historical reenactments of the Changing of the Royal Guard and the Patrol Ritual.

What was very interesting as well was, to further encourage people to immerse themselves in the cultural heritage of the country, visitors would be able to enter for free as long as they wore hanbok*.

*traditional Korean clothing.

Jia Hyson and Mr Garth had known about this perk since they decided to go to Seoul, it was admittedly one of the biggest things that had attracted Jia Hyson to wanting to visit the palace despite not holding a particularly strong cultural appreciation for historical places. Mr Garth was also similar in that aspect, but seeing how eager Jia Hyson had been, he, in turn, felt a sense of eager anticipation for visiting as well.

The older vampire had even suggested the idea of planning each other's hanboks for the occasion.

"Isn't that a bit troublesome?" Jia Hyson had asked at the time with some surprise.

It was true the main reason he was particularly attentive to the Gyeongbokgung Palace was the idea he could appreciate another culture's dresses and that those dresses were flowy and simple structural beauty that not only gave a sense of elegance with every movement but also made it much easier to hide the fact he was a man dressed as a woman. But in the end, it was just the simple and genuine interest of wearing a hanbok; there was not that much thought into it. He didn't expect the older vampire would think up something like choosing each other's outfits.

Mr Garth had merely floated the smaller vampire into his arms and hugged him tightly, "Of course it is, you brat." He had laughed before kissing him squarely on the mouth, "But the idea that you're wearing the clothes I carefully designed and picked out for you is worth that trouble."

Such a romantic. How could anyone have the heart to deny him?

Jia Hyson had decided that even if Mr Garth gave him a hanbok brimming with the steel straight man's aesthetic of bright, garish pink with hello kitty's patterned all over, he would still wear it with a smile.

To make the reveal more exciting, they had even booked different hotels the night before, passing each other their respective clothing in a sizeable present box before they temporarily separated.

However, after so many weeks of being so sticky together, Jia Hyson felt a little uncomfortable, a bit unused to being without the older vampire's presence, even for only a night. It was only thanks to Bebe, who distracted him with various banter that helped ease the slight anxiety that thrummed in his body.

But at the same time, no amount of sarcastic quips from his witty system could stop him from constantly glancing at the present box by his bedside.

Bebe: "You know what you remind Bebe of right now?"

Jia Hyson: "What?"

Bebe: "Those brides before their wedding night."

Jia Hyson: ''

Bebe: ".Hey, why are you blushing."

Jia Hyson: ( )

Bebe: '....' Peh! This is animal abuse! Hurting this single dog! Sickening!

It could be said that Jia Hyson had woken up the next day at an almost embarrassingly early time. Pulling out his make-up box to ready himself, he carefully opened the box his lover had given him and pulled out the different pieces of clothing.

For women, the hanbok's simplest structure generally consisted of the jeogori (top) and chima (skirt). For men, it was the jeogori and baji (pants). Then there would also be added layers on top, such as the men's short coat known as a baeja. The design of these traditional clothes usually was flowy, with delicate curves and sharp angles, producing a soft and elegant aesthetic that was in line with traditional Korean aesthetics.

Putting the clothing on, Jia Hyson stared into the full-length mirror and couldn't help but feel a bit shy. It was a white jeogori with navy ribbons and a matching navy chima. The chima was filled with golden mugunghwa* flowers stitched delicately in the skirt, blooming brightly in contrast to the demure, dark blue fabric, and shimmered lightly with every movement.

*Rose of Sharon, Korea's national flower.

Traditional hanbok usually had vibrant hues that correspond to the yin-yang theory of the five elements*, but the hanbok Mr Garth had given him was a bit more subdued. Nonetheless, even if it didn't match tradition, it completely matched with Jia Hyson's tastes.

*white (metal), red (fire), blue (wood), black (water) and yellow (earth)

Simple, elegant and gorgeous. Restrained but with a hint of flamboyant playfulness.

It wasn't Alaric's preference. But it was his own. Just his.

Jia Hyson isn't sure why, but he suddenly felt a bit like he wanted to cry a little.

...

..

Little Theatre:

Bebe: As a single dog, there is no place for me

..

.

Authors Note:

I've got my kaomoji backkkk (..) I was told by one of my server members @sillyfox that the WN team has allowed kaomojis againnn (if it's false you'll see this story banned and I'll probs just move at that point cuz no way I can clear all the kaomoji here ahahaha ( `))

I think you've all noticed the shoutouts~ ghostie Jay, hex, and, in next chapter, arashi~ they are people in my discord who have won the happy reader tag, which is a special tag that gives the user a few perks. Eg they get more weight when voting for story stuff and they can get unexpected benefits like this chapter :D.

Hahaha unfortunately even as happy readers it seems the three can't escape the fate of being part of the working class in their shoutouts XD

You can't get this tag with money or anything it's gotta be won which makes it even more exciting and exclusive kek. Speaking of winning things, it was my birthday on Saturday and the server is doing a large scale banquet competition ,,0w0,, let's all wish the cuties in the server good luck~

Also, because of my slowness (I was on holiday for two weeks, and uh, the rest of the un-updated times... well it was my birthday on Saturday so yall obligated to forgib me right kek UwU) I have chosen to halve this chap (it's 7.3k words long orz) into two parts instead ah. Sorry and hope ya'll have enjoyed the first half of this holiday chapter~