#ot7 ff

Who Will Pay the Rent?

9:24 a.m. 1st September, 2015

“Just a few more minutes left.” Yoongi sighs heavily, “you could have easily saved the bother to come here, today.”

“What happened?” I ask, taking the empty seat beside him. “I thought you said that we’re winning today. What’s up with that long face?”

“It seemed like that at the first half.” Yoongi nods towards the field, “as you can see, the tables took a 180 degree turn.”

Honestly, I don’t understand a thing about basketball. It is better to just take Yoongi’s words as they are. I ask him the important question now, “how much do you owe them?”

Yoongi intentionally avoids eye contact and keeps looking at the match without a reply. I notice that he is sweating like crazy. I understand now that it is not just about the game.

“Don’t tell me you have to sell a kidney to pay them.” I jokingly say to which he doesn’t budge. I grow agitated. “Yoongi! C’mon, tell me what it is?”

He sighs and says, “It’s just worth my rent, that’s all.”

“Your rent?” I ask, “like for the month?”

Yoongi nods and stays silent. We both remain silent for the rest of the game. I wish I could offer to help him. It is most likely that he will not accept anything directly from me. I, on the other hand, am not in a place to help him either.

My phone vibrates in my pocket and I quickly take a look at Jimin’s message saying he’s going inside the exam hall right now. I write a small “good luck” reply and put my phone back inside the pocket.

Yoongi starts to stand up from his seat, “Let’s get out of here! It’s not like anything can change in the last few minutes.”

I nod and follow him out of the stadium. He asks me if I want something to eat to which I shake my head.

“Noona!” Yoongi says, “Stop worrying about me. It’s not like I’m going bankrupt or something. It’s just some stupid amount of money, that’s all.”

“So,” I start hesitantly, “who will pay the rent?”

“I’ll manage that somehow, Noona. I always do.”

Yoongi’s the one among us who’s the most desperate to make a lot of money. That’s why he goes into these betting games and all. I once heard from Jin that he had found Yoongi starving himself because he lost all his money on some games and Jin had helped him that one time even though Yoongi refused to be helped. I don’t really approve of his ways but who am I to stop him? I did not raise him. I don’t even understand his ways of thinking.

I still feel like I should advise him to stop this nonsense and try something else. Something permanent. He is a genius and I know he will be able to figure something out if he wants. But I also feel like today is not the time to lecture him on life. Not when he’s already so stressed about it.

I decide to head to my next destination. I am not going to leave Yoongi in this state. So, I ask him, “If you don’t have to be anywhere, will you come with me?”

“I can manage some time. Where will you take me, Noona?”

“We’re going to meet Jimin.”

Jimin’s exam will be finished at around 11 a.m. So, Yoongi and I wait for him outside the hall where there seems to be a huge crowd of the guardians of the other students. I mentally pray that Jimin will be able to outsmart them on his test today.

“I never understand Jimin’s appeal for education.” Yoongi says.

“I think it’s the same one as yours.” I offer an explanation, “Come to think of it. At the end of the day you both want to win at life. By elevating your status. Either with education or with money.”

“You know what, Noona?”

“What?”

“I hate it so much that you’re always right!” There is a faint line of smile on his face as he says the last sentence.

“Yoongi” I suddenly feel an urge to talk to him seriously. Yoongi barely talks about his real issues.

“Noona?”

“I’m asking this because I’m really worried about you, okay?”

Yoongi frowns, “I think I know what you’re going to say. I’m sorry for making you feel that way. I really am. I’m sorry, Noona!”

“Oh no, dear!” I quickly add, “You don’t have to apologize. I understand that you’re going through tough times.”

“Noona!” Yoongi looks at a distance as he speaks, “Do you remember ma’s face? Like, not the one as we see in her pictures. The face of her when she was sick. That face she had before she could finally rest after years of pain she went through.”

I don’t know why Yoongi is suddenly bringing this topic. Is he really missing ma all of a sudden or just trying to change the topic? Yoongi glances at me for a second and I can see his eyes glistening.

“If only I had the money, I would have taken a bus from school to come to see you.” Yoongi sniffs, “he wouldn’t let me go no matter how much I begged him to. Said it was a ‘waste of good money seeing some sick people’. I don’t think I can ever move on from the fact that I never saw ma and pa again after I left that house.”

“Yoongi!” I can barely make myself audible.

Yoongi never talked about the times he spent with our uncle who took him in when ma fell sick. Yoongi was only four at that time and he was the only one who never came to visit us occasionally during the five years when ma and pa were still alive. When I used to ask pa about it, he would always say that Yoongi was too busy with his school. I only got to see him first at their funeral. Only after Yoongi left uncle’s place for good when he was finally eighteen, we started meeting almost regularly.

“I’m sorry, Noona, I turned up this way.” Yoongi looks at me, his eyes bloodshot, “I didn’t really have an opportunity to be any better than this. Of course, I won’t use this as an excuse. I’m all grown up now and I’m trying to be more responsible. I swear, Noona, you will be proud of me like all the rest of our brothers one day. I will make that happen.”

“But I am proud of you!” I say, “I am proud of how strong you are. I am proud that after all those shits you went through, you still grew up to be such a kind and sweet soul.”

“Thank you, Noona! But you don’t really have to cheer me up.” Yoongi shrugs his shoulders, “I know me.”

“And I know you too.” I slowly move towards him and pull him into a hug, “I see you, Yoongi. I see you!” I slowly pat him on his back as I can sense him fighting the urge to hug me back.

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My Masterlist

Prologue:

I always wonder when Ma said that she wanted a big family the day Pa had asked her to marry him, if she had really meant it like a family of ten people. But one thing was clear. Pa took her words to his heart and fulfilled her dream without compromise.

The struggle of being the elder sister of seven messy and chaotic brothers can be something impossible to even imagine. Especially if you are growing up in a household where both your parents are too sweet to ever scold their children.

I wish I could be that person who can easily punish her younger siblings when they misbehave. But alas! God had other plans. He made sure that my seven precious brothers were treated kindly by my parents to the point of being spoiled.

Now don’t get the wrong idea. My brothers are not all spoiled brats. In fact, most of them grew up to be gentlemen. At least, in front of the people that matters. But when they are home together with no one to supervise them, they are the biggest crackheads to ever exist.

Even if they give me headaches that are almost similar to that of the migraine pain my best friend suffers from (I said ‘almost’ because no pain compares to her evil migraine, trust me!) the moment I look into their eyes, I can’t bring myself to be mean. I think they have somehow mastered the art of creating the most innocent puppy eyes that melts my heart within seconds.

I think I am giving you the wrong idea all along. It's actually because I can’t express my frustration with my naughty angels in real life. So, it is making me pour out all the complaints here in texts all at once. Maybe it's time for a proper chronological introduction of them. And I will not make you wait any longer.

Kim Seok Jin:

The eldest and the handsomest, as he likes to be called, is none other than our Kim Seok Jin. “Just call me Jin. It sounds cool.” as our prince had once said. So, it had been maintained by everyone without a word. After all, he’s the hyung of the pack.

Three years younger than me, acts like the maknae more than the maknae does himself, Jin never fails to crack a joke at every family event. His sense of humor is unlike any other. No one would agree that his dad jokes are ever really funny. But you would never catch them not laughing even whenever Jin made one of his lamest jokes. My personal belief is that the mystery lies within Jin’s own laughing sound.

Kim Yoon Gi:

The only one who dares not to laugh, when the others are ready to roll on the ground, is our second eldest hyung, Yoongi. He even managed to come into this world as early as possible after Jin so that only nine months is their age difference.

My grandma used to tell a touching story of how my mother had lost her beloved cat during her pregnancy when she carried Yoongi. That’s how he ended up getting her cat’s name. Yoongi lives up to his name too. He looks like a cat, acts like a cat and I feel that he even thinks like a cat.

Kim Ho Seok:

Oldest by only seven minutes among the first set of twins mother gave birth to, Hoseok is the sunshine of our family. His bright spirit and reckless laugh puts everyone at ease. It is as if he had taken the responsibility of always keeping the good vibes in the family.

However, his angry side is just as scary. Nobody wants to deal with an angry Hoseok. Nobody! Not Jin, not me, not even Ma and Pa.

Kim Nam Joon:

Hoseok’s twin Namjoon is the brain of the team. Who said that it is always the middle child who gets ignored all the time? Namjoon proves every single one of them wrong. It is always Namjoon who comes to the conversation first whenever a relative of ours asks about us.

With all that demeanor like an older child, both physically and mentally, Namjoon still has a very childish side of him. That child is the God of destruction who breaks everything it touches. These contradictory qualities had earned him his nickname, ‘Giant-baby’.

Kim Ji Min:

The second set of twins produced Jimin as the oldest. Jimin, the comforter. Jimin, the lovely. And definitely Jimin, the flirt.

If cringe could be a person, he would be Jimin. He never shies away from his emotions. “Did I mention that I love you?” is something you would often hear him say. Even though others pretend to throw up at his words of affirmations, they have to agree that they can’t help liking it secretly.

Kim Taehyung:

Jimin’s soulmate, born with a face of a Greek God, Kim Taehyung runs the fashion industry in our home. “That lipstick doesn’t suit your eye makeup” , “The shoes made your whole fit cheap”, “Try to wear that and everyone will think you’re going through a breakup.” Taehyung doesn’t care to point them out.

Taehyung lives in his own world. Not in his mind exactly. I think it is an invisible world that coexists with ours. Because most of the time, we question his behavior and sometimes his sanity too.

Kim Jungkook:

The golden maknae, also the only one having a two years age difference with his closest elder hyung, is our bunny boy Jungkook. At first sight, everyone would think he’s the high school heartthrob. But once you get to know him, you’ll know how shy he is in front of strangers.

Whatever shyness he has in him, he uses them all outside our home. Because inside it’s always, “Party! Party! Yeah!” And that party is always him alone in his room doing karaoke till it's 3 in the morning. But who’s to scold him for that?

The reason behind each of their varying personalities, I believe, is because we grew up in different households as children. Is it even surprising? Do you think it is really possible for two people to take care of eight kids without help? The answer to this question may be a little complicated.

But my parents were determined to raise their kids by themselves so that none of them ever feels left out. And they did it too, for almost 8 years. But Ma fell ill right after giving birth to Jungkook. And Pa was having some financial crisis at the same time. As it has been said 'Bad things come in threes', Jungkook was born with some complications.

So, Pa had to focus on him and him alone. It was still hard for Pa to do it without Ma by his side. That's when I decided to take charge of taking care of the youngest while Pa looked after Ma and his business. I know I was only 8 years old at the time, but our situation had forced me to be more mature than that.

After some discussions on our wellbeing and the family's economic condition, Ma and Pa decided to keep Jungkook and me only. They told me that it was only for the time being and that they would bring everyone together as soon as they could.

Poor Jimin and Taehyung had no idea when they were sent to live with Granma and Granpa. I learned later that little Tae had continually cried for days and Jimin had grown too quiet for a two year old.

Namjoon and Hoseok were sent to stay with Ma's elder sister, her husband and her little daughter who was just about the age of the twins. As far as the report went, I'm positive that among all my brothers they got to stay a little happier away from home.

The one who suffered the most was probably Yoongi. Being too innocent for this world, Pa had failed to recognise how cruel his brother's behavior could sometimes get. Maybe growing up with an emotionally unavailable adult made Yoongi the most outwardly cold. Mind you that I said 'outwardly' because I'm sure if you can see through his heart, you will find something quite the opposite.

Jin stayed with Pa's sister who had been raising kids her whole life. All of her kids were older than Jin. So I guess it's easier to understand why Jin acts like a maknae all the time.

The idea of bringing them home 'as soon as possible' remained an idea. Because by the time Pa had somehow managed to get into a reliable position with his business, Ma was gone. And Pa had no other choice but to follow her.

Since it would be impossible for a 13 year old to be taking care of her 5 year old brother on her own, Granma decided to take us to her as well. So, we were reunited with Tae and Jimin in her house.

One by one, my little brothers turned 18 and built their own life. Even though I am now a full grown 25 year old woman I still couldn't leave my granma's house. And it is because I couldn't give up on being a parent to the youngest who has still not crossed the line of 18.

"Just wait for one more year and I'll grow up and thrive in this world." Jungkook says that quite a lot lately. Even though it might sound a little selfish, I wish my Jungkookie never grew up. So that I could keep him all to myself like I had been doing for the past 17 years of my life.

But there is a bright side of them finally turning 18. One by one the hyung line among my brothers started to get in touch with me more and more frequently. Finally, after years of separation, I truly feel like I'm getting to be that older sister that I had to be. And I'm happy that they are allowing me to be just that.

You might get a little confused as to why I had complained about them in the beginning of this story as if they were little kids I have to look after when I didn't even get to live with them for that long. Let me get you out of this confusion. It's because now that I finally get to be close enough once again, I realized one very important fact that applies to them all. My brothers haven't really grown up.

Next >

Not Really the Best Dancer:

06:45 a.m. 1st September, 2015

I still have more than an hour before Hobi’s aka Hoseok’s dance starts. So, I decided to take a shower and apply some light makeup that would suit all the occasions I am to participate in. I had taken a day off work today. Because, I’m about to meet my seven little brothers, that too, at different times in one single day.

I make a mental note of my schedule and get out of my house (Sorry, it’s actually my granma's house) 10 minutes prior to Hobi’s dance. He is going to participate in the finale of the dance competition he had been practicing for for the last three years. Though a little nervous, I’m pretty positive he is going to win. I mean, why not? He’s the best dancer I have ever seen.

“Come here!” Hobi waves his hand while talking to me on the phone. I go straight to him pushing the crowd ahead of me.

“You should have hurried, Noona!” Hobi says with a pout, “I have to go change. The show’s starting.”

“Alright!” I tell him, “Go on, then. I’ll be cheering you on from the crowd. Are you nervous?”

“Nah!” Hobi dismisses the question with a slight wave of his hand and by putting a bright smile on his face, “Why would I be? I’ve got you.”

I take his hands in mine, clearly noticing the sweaty palms, “Fighting!”

“Fighting!” with a little shake of the hands he disappears inside the dressing room.

Lisa starts her performance with a loud applause from the crowd. I had watched some of the previous dance performances of others in the videos Hoseok brought home for me to see. But I don’t remember watching any of her. Watching her perform live in front of me makes me a little nervous. She has one of the best body controls. And it is definitely something to worry about.

The next participant gets as much cheers from the crowd as her previous competitor. Her name’s Ryujin and I had seen her collaborating with Hobi before. I liked that dance so much at the time. Now, I’m not really sure I’m liking her moves. Of course, she can dance. And that is exactly my problem.

Finally, Hoseok takes the stage as ‘J-Hope’ and the crowd bursts into loud screams from the enthusiasts. All my anxieties take some rest. But as soon as he starts to move along the beat, I feel like I’m holding my breath. As if that would ensure his perfect performance.

Everything goes smoothly until at a point Hoseok rips off his shirt; earning more screams from the audience. I’m shocked at the revelation. Is it a mistake? I mean, Hoseok would never do that. Once he had told me himself that he doesn’t like showing much skin. It’s the choreography that matters more to him.

But it seems like I’m the only one who’s confused. Others around me seem to be enjoying the dance along with that little distraction that he made. However, I gather myself just before the end so that I don’t forget to cheer and clap the loudest for my little Hobi.

There’s a thirty minute break before they announce the winner of the long one month competition. I check my phone and gasp.

Three missed calls from Yoongi.

I check the time. It’s already 8:48 a.m. Yoongi’s game starts at 8:30 a.m. I was supposed to be with him now. I look out for Hobi.

“You did great!” I compliment him hurriedly.

“Thanks but…” Hobi frowns.

“What’s the matter?” I take a closer look at his sweaty face.

“It’s just that” Hobi continues, “I feel like I made a mistake.”

My phone rings before I could tell him anything. It’s Yoongi again.

“Umm…” I hesitate before speaking, “I still believe you’re going to win. Hobi… Please don’t mind but… I really have to be somewhere now.”

“What?” Hobi looks up, “No way! Wait for the announcement at least. Please, Noona! You promised!”

“I promised I will watch you perform. And I did that. Besides, you didn’t mention the results will take that long to be announced. I have to meet Yoongi. Apparently he has an important match too.”

Hobi scoffs, “As if he’s the one playing.”

I can sense the anger rising within him. First of all, he’s upset about some mistakes that he made. Now that I’ve mentioned Yoongi, he’s definitely pissed. Hoseok never liked the fact that Yoongi bets money on basketball matches. According to him, “It’s a waste of money if you lose. And a waste of character if you win.”

“You can go if you want.” Hobi says finally, “It’s not even a huge deal.”

I know he doesn’t mean that. It is in fact a huge deal for him. My common sense tells me it is better to deal with an angry Yoongi than with an angry Hoseok.

I smile and pull him into a hug. He’s surprised by my sudden action. “What’re you doing?”

“Don’t worry!” I say, “Noona will stay so that you win.”

“Oh yeah!” Hobi hugs me back, “Then, I’ll definitely win.”

“I’ll be there as soon as it ends.” I yell at Yoongi through my phone because of the loud audience around me.

“Yeah, take your time.” Yoongi says bitterly, “Looks like Hoba is in need of some luck more than I do today. ‘Cause we’re already winning.” Then, he cuts the line.

I don’t have the time to think about his last remark. The three participants walk to the stage and the crowd cheers louder, as if it is even possible. I cheer for Hobi too, mentally praying to God that my little brother gets the fruit that he’s been nurturing for so long.

With some dramatic speeches and hearts beating up to our throats, the result is finally revealed. And J-Hope is not the winner.

Looks like Ryujin outdid the others this time and she is as shocked as I am to find it out. Both Lisa and Hobi are clapping with bright smiles on their faces. They are both bowing to Ryujin, who in turn is bowing to them. The flower bouquet is presented to her and the rest of the celebration goes on in blur.

I went backstage to meet Hobi. But I only see two girls hugging and complimenting each other. Hobi is nowhere to be seen. I look through the dressing room and he’s not there.

I decide to peek at the boy’s bathroom to check and I sigh in relief. Hobi is bending towards the basin, his hands covering the face while the faucet runs beneath.

“Hobi!” I call him softly.

“Please, Noona!” His voice cracks as he tries to speak, “Just give me some time. I promise I’ll be okay. Just some time is all I need.”

Contemplating on why it is hard for me to believe that he is crying out of failure, I find that it is because I had never experienced Hoseok openly displaying sadness before. He was always the ray of sunshine, the restless butterfly or the sweet smelling flower of our family. As if it is what’s expected of him.

Even right now, in such a vulnerable state of mind, he doesn’t seem to be trusting me enough to have confided in me. Instead, he’s willing to go through a breakdown all alone until he’s ready to smile brightly again.

I am dumbfounded. I feel like I need to tell him something, comfort him and let him know that he’s not here alone. I want to make him feel that it's okay to fail. That he’s still loved and that’s what should matter the most.

My phone rings in my pocket once again and Hoseok looks up from the sink. With teary red eyes he says, “It must be Yoongi Hyung. Don’t make him wait any longer. Just go. I’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure?” I ask, confused.

“I guess,” he sniffs, “I accept my defeat. Maybe, I’m not really the best dancer that you used to think I am.”

< Previous || Next >

My Masterlist

The year 1021:

“When will it take place?” Namjoon asked his friend who came to visit him on his cell.

“Tomorrow, during the sunset.” His angel friend replied.

Namjoon slowly nodded. He couldn’t see her face properly due to the lack of light inside the cell. After all, there were no windows. It’s just the fire outside which casted a little light through the door.

“There is still time.” The angel came near him, “You only have to make an official apology. They will let it slide this time.”

“Did the Guardian angel ordered you to say that?” Namjoon asked rather boldly.

The angel cleared her throat, “Yes, she did. But I would have asked you to do the same.”

Namjoon let out a chuckle, “Really? You, of all people?”

“Namjoon,” she came to sit beside him and held his hands, which felt surprisingly cold against her warm skin, “Please, do this for my sake. I can’t bear to lose you.”

Namjoon caressed the back of her hands, “Don’t worry, it will be less hard for you all. They are going to erase all of me from your memories. You will not even remember who I was.”

“Do you think I want that?”

“It wouldn’t matter anyway.”

“But you will remember everything, won’t you? How will you live without us, without all of this?”

Namjoon kept silent. He tried to swallow down the growing lump in his throat. There was nothing he could do about the punishment. It was inevitable, unless he decided to step away from what he strongly believed. It was something impossible for him to do. He was a man, slave of his conscience.

The angel stood up and walked slowly towards the door. She stopped there and glanced back. At that moment, Namjoon desperately wanted to confess his love to her. He thought, “she wouldn’t remember me anyway.”

“Do you have anything left to tell me?” she asked.

Namjoon said, “I love you.”

The angel gave a painful laughter and nodded her head, “I know. I always did.”

Present day:

The sound of the heavy rain seemed to have muted the surrounding. A man in a rather large cloak was walking along the side of the street. The hood was covering most of his face. He kept glancing back every now and then as if he was afraid someone might follow him.

He bumped into someone as he took a turn. “Sorry!” he mumbled.

“Have you gone blind?” the person said, his voice irritated, “Look, what you have done?”

It was only that some parts of his shirt got wet with the rain as his umbrella fell down. It would have been no big deal to an ordinary man. But he was no ordinary man. He was Kim Seokjin, son of the most beautiful being to ever exist, the goddess of love, Aphrodite.

“Sorry,” the man in the cloak said once again and hurried towards his destination. But Seokjin grabbed him by his hand.

“Where do you think you are going, young man? I’m not finished with you yet.”

“Sir,” the cloak man called, “Don’t block my path. I can’t deal with you now. I have an urgent work at hand.”

“What if I do block your path?”

“You might regret it.”

“Make me!” Seokjin scoffed.

Then the cloak man did something unexpected. He took out a small bottle filled with some purple liquid from under his cloak and threw its content at Seokjin’s face.

“What the…” before he could finish his sentence the cloak man jerked away from him and started to walk.

“Hey!” he called as his vision started to get blurry, “What did you do to me?” He was completely in the dark by the time he finished his question.

“Don’t worry, sir!” the cloak man yelled back at him, “It’ll only last for a day.”

The year 1021:

Namjoon appeared before the anticipated crowd. His punishment was finally going to be announced and executed. He felt relieved. After days of being tormented and forced to step back from the decision he had made, it felt like a peaceful moment to be finally discharged, even if that meant he was to be banished to the earth.

All the heavenly figures looked at him, some with curiosity in their eyes, some with hatred and despise, while some with grief, even some with pride and admiration. It occurred to him then, why the devil was the first to be casted away from the heaven. There were more fallen angels after him that nobody knew of or simply didn’t care about.

Namjoon stood straight in front of the Guardian angel. His posture showed that he wasn’t afraid. He was ready to accept the punishment for declining the Gods’ order. The only thing that bothered him was losing his wings. The wings, which he was born with. The pain was equivalent to someone losing their arms or legs, perhaps even more

“Kim Namjoon,” The Guardian called, “You were one of the best angels we had. How did it come to this?”

Namjoon remained silent. He kept pondering over the word, ‘were’.

“We will ask you once again.” The Guardian further said, “Do you accept your mistake and apologize to the whole angel community and the Gods and the Goddesses above?”

“I do apologize to the whole community for not being able to be a better leader. For if I was, I’m sure they would have followed me to the path I chose for myself. But alas! Not a single angel accepted my proposal.”

Hearing this, the crowd broke into a loud protest. The Guardian angel gestured them to remain quiet. Then, she added, with a loud and clear voice, “If it is so, we are afraid you will be banished from the heaven and send to the earth down below."

“I accept my punishment gladly.” Namjoon said, his voice sharp.

The Guardian sighed. There was a hint of pain visible on her face. “Do you have any last wish to make?” she finally asked.

“I wish to keep my wings. This is the only request I make to the majesty. And if your majesty refuses, I would make no protest neither any more requests.”

Another shout broke out from the crowd. Someone yelled, “Wings are the sign of angels. How can you wish to keep it, you devil?”

“Silence.” The guardian rose from her seat. The crowd grew silent once again.

She turned to Namjoon and declared, “Kim Namjoon, I officially give you the permission to keep your wings. But there is a condition. Once on earth, your wings will bear the color pitch black as a mark of disgrace.”

Namjoon bowed his head with his white wings opened wide. He had accepted the condition.

Present day:

The man in the cloak proceeded to his basement. He had found everything he needed, every answer to his questions. What was left to be done was building up his courage to finally do the task.

“Well, well,” someone spoke up from behind him, “if it isn’t the wizard in disguise.”

Before the man could move, he was pulled back by a rope. He sat down on a chair with a thump and the intruder immediately tied him up in a flash. He recognized the stranger at once. It was no other than Kim Seokjin.

“Who are you?” he asked, “How did you find me?”

“Wait!” Seokjin held up a hand in front of him, “I think it’s my turn to ask you questions.”

“You’re underestimating my power, whoever you are.” The man said it like a threat.

Seokjin started to laugh, “You sound a lot more confident than in the state you are in.”

When he was about to say something more Seokjin held up his hand once again and said, “First, hear me out. This is not just an ordinary rope. It’s called the rope of Hestia. I believe you’ve heard about it.”

The man nodded and said as a matter of fact, “I see.” he seemed to think for a while. Then, he added, “Since you’ve recovered from my spell sooner than any ordinary man and carrying one of the most important items of a Goddess, you are definitely no mortal. Now tell me what you are? A God? Perhaps a Demigod?”

“You’re quick, I see.” Seokjin said, impressed.

The man scoffed at this remark, “How did you get hold of that rope?”

Seokjin thought for a moment, “Let’s say, Hestia was really impressed by me.”

“Let’s say, you actually stole it.”

“Whatever, it doesn’t matter now. Since you’re unable to tell any lie, I ask you to reveal your true identity at once.”

The man sighed and answered, “My name’s Min Yoongi. I am 24 years of age. I am a wizard by profession…”

“Wait, what?” Seokjin interrupted him, “You’re a year younger than me? No way, you look like a father of two already.” He started to laugh again.

Yoongi was getting really annoyed by his jokes, “Can we please get to the point? What do you want from me?”

“The truth.” Seokjin replied flatly, “I know you’re up to something. Tell me what it is.”

Yoongi replied, “I’m trying to summon up an angel.”

Both of them gasped at once; Seokjin, for the shocking revelation and Yoongi, to have found out that the rope of Hestia actually worked on him.

Present day:

Namjoon sat by the corner in a bench. It was his usual place. He loved it here because it was peaceful and somewhat relaxing. The children could be seen playing at a distance, their chattering could be heard.

Someone came to sit beside him, “If you don’t mind, may I sit in here?”

Namjoon nodded his head in affirmation. The lady tried to make a small conversation. But since Namjoon didn’t sound very enthusiastic in his replies, she didn’t continue any further.

Namjoon had no other option but to follow this rule he had made for his safety in this dangerous world. If anyone found out about his true identity, he would get caught. Then, Gods knew what would be his final fate.

A Frisbee was thrown at his direction. A kid was gesturing him to throw it back to them. Namjoon stood up and walked towards it to pick it up.

Suddenly, his head started to spin. First, it seemed like his surroundings were vibrating. As he looked towards the ground, he felt it to be shaking rather violently.

Namjoon panicked. “What’s happening to me?” he thought.

He started to lose his sight as everything started to get blurry. The lady asking him if he was okay sounded very distant to him. Then, something exploded in his head.

“Ugh,” he growled in pain. The back of his shirt was torn. The large black wings, which was by then invisible to the mortal eyes, appeared in his back.

The children started to cry and scream in fear. The lady started to take a few steps back, “What is this thing?” she yelled, “Oh my God! Someone call the emergency.”

Then, his knees gave up and he fell to the ground. But what was expected to be a grassland, turned out to be a hard floor beneath him. His head started to feel normal again and the visions slowly came back to him. He knew by his surrounding that he was at a very different place now. He could hear a conversation before him distinctively.

“Does it look like an angel to you?” someone asked.

“Well, I don’t know.” Another replied in annoyance, “You are the one who’s supposed to have seen angels in real life.”

“And I did.” The first one said, “But trust me, never in my life had I seen an angel with black wings, fully dressed in black from his head to toe.”

Sweet Sorry - Kim Namjoon

My already messy apartment now looked messier than ever. As I looked at my tired boyfriend on the couch, I regretted to have agreed to his plan of decorating my place for the Christmas.

“Ugh” Namjoon groaned, “my back hurts so much.”

“Don’t forget that it was all your idea.” I reminded him.

Namjoon shook his head, “I didn’t think your place was such a trash.”

“Well, you can’t blame me.” I shrugged my shoulders, “At least, I warned you.”

I sat down beside him and put my head on his lap. I could feel that my body ached too. Namjoon started to play with my hair. It was one of his favorite things to do.

I looked up at him, “Or we could stop if you want.”

“No, darling!” Namjoon smiled, “Like I had promised, we’re going to make this place look like a heaven.”

And we were back at work; dusting and cleaning the floors, walls, ceilings, windows, arranging the misplaced items, collecting the dirty laundry from different corners of the house, putting the books back to the shelves etc.

A short break. Then, we started to work on the decorations. It was my first time decorating a house for Christmas and my excitement was too much. We made the bed with white and red bed sheets, put different flowers and wreaths all around the place and hung special items on the wall.

Finally, it was time for the best thing among all, decorating the Christmas tree. We put on the fairy lights around it, hung little gingerbread men and other cute items on it and lastly, we needed to put the biggest star on top of it.

“It’s too high. I can’t reach it.” I said, “And also, I don’t have a ladder.”

“But you have me.” Namjoon said with a smile.

I thought he meant to do the job himself as he was much taller than me. But instead, he lifted me up, holding me firmly by my waist. His cheesiness was making me blush. I still managed to set the star in the perfect place.

Taking a look around the place, I was really satisfied with the result. My place had turned to a whole different one. It looked like a heaven indeed. But as soon as my eyes rested on the tree, I frowned.

“Something’s missing.” I said.

Namjoon looked at it’s direction, “What?”

“Of course,” I gasped, “the glass baubles.” I facepalmed myself to have forgotten about my favorite piece of decoration. I looked at Namjoon, “Could you please bring it for me? It’s in my closet.”

Namjoon went straight to the bedroom. As he was returning with the box full of red and white glass baubles on his hands with a smile that showed his dimples, I remembered just how much I loved him.

But the next thing he did was tripping and falling to the floor along with the box full of red and white glass baubles. The smile that had grown on my face earlier disappeared within a second as I heard the glasses being shattered inside. I remembered just how much I hated his clumsiness sometimes.

“I’m so...” Namjoon began but I cut him off.

“Don’t speak.” I said boldly. “It’s done anyway.”

I raged out of the living room and sat down on my bed. I realized I was very exhausted by all the works I had done this evening and I just wanted to sleep. I tried to clear my head. I didn’t want to think of the disaster that just happened.

I could hear Namjoon cleaning up the mess outside. It sort of broke my heart. Minutes later, he peaked into my room. I still couldn’t bring myself to say anything. He came to sit beside me and said, “I’m sorry.”

“I know.” I answered.

He placed a soft kiss on my cheek and said again, “I’m sorry.” It was one of my favorite things that he did. I still didn’t budge.

He kissed me once again and said, “I’m really sorry, darling.” He was whining like a little child at this point. And I couldn’t help but laugh. Namjoon’s worried face beamed with relief.

“Alright!” I said, “I think we can go one Christmas without glass baubles.”

Grandma’s Special Recipe - Kim Seokjin

I was weeping for the past few minutes as the nostalgia of my childhood hit really hard. Earlier I had found an old diary of my grandma while cleaning the house. There weren’t much personal but more like important business stuffs written on it.

But among them, I had found my grandma’s recipe for making the famous gingerbread house we used to make every Christmas. Reading that reminded me of my late grandma and our memories together. I couldn’t help but cry at the sudden overwhelming feeling in my heart.

My fiancé, Jin, came back from work at that time. As soon as he saw me he called, “Jagi!” I quickly wiped away the tears and tried to smile at him. I didn’t mean for him to see me like that.

He held me in his arms and asked, “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah!” I sniffed, “I’m fine.”

“What is it, jagi?” He looked at me again, trying to read my face. Then he suddenly gasped, “Oh my God!”

I looked up at him in confusion. He beamed with sudden joy and asked the dumbest possible question, “Are we going to have a baby? Are you pregnant?”

“What? NO!” I was shocked at his stupidity, “It’s just that I found my grandma’s diary and it reminded me of her.”

Jin just replied with an “Oh!”

I went back to my bed and held up the page of the recipe for him to see. He took the diary from me and checked it. The recipe was cut out from an old newspaper and there were hand written notes of my grandma everywhere, making changes where she had thought was necessary.

Jin let out a chuckle and said, “Jagi, this sounds like a lot of fun. We should try it this Christmas.”

I was so glad to hear that. “Really?”  I asked, “Do you think you can do that?”

“Of course!” Jin said with confidence, “Though I won’t say it will be exactly like your grandma’s one. But I will do my best.”

Even though I wasn’t very good at baking, I still tried to help Jin in every possible way. I bought the groceries myself and prepared all the necessary utensils needed for the procedure. I also promised Jin that I would do the dishes once everything was done.

Jin started to work, yelling me orders in between. But my mood was too good to be ruined by his little insults. I worked rather enthusiastically. I stirred the mixture on the stove, batted the dough, cut the little doors and windows, even helped Jin with the icing.

After hours of much works, it was done. The house had been decorated perfectly. It looked almost like my grandma’s. I clicked a picture before cutting the gingerbread house. At first bite, the smell instantly reminded me of older times, though the taste wasn’t exactly the same.

“What do you think?” Jin asked curiously.

“It’s great.” I nodded, “Thank you so much for doing this.” I wrapped my hands around his neck. “Tell me what can I offer you in return?”

“You know exactly what I want.” Jin smirked at me.

I gasped, “You mean, a baby?”

Jin gave me a warm smile and spoke, “Nope. I want you to do the dishes, instead.”

Peppermint Love - Min Yoongi

“So tell me, why am I finding it out just now and that too, from Hoba?” I could hear Yoongi from the other side of the phone call. His voice suggested that he was really annoyed.

Basically what happened was this; Yoongi was delaying his Christmas plan, which was to be with his family, because I had no one for my Christmas celebration this year. Since, it was our first Christmas after getting together, Yoongi wasn’t very happy leaving me alone. But I had forced him to go because his family had been planning for a special party and it wouldn’t look nice if their youngest son was absent there.

But the worst happened. I fell sick the day before Christmas. It was a seasonal sickness for me but still pretty bad, as always, to handle. The fever and the blocked nose wasn’t making me feel very Christmas in my lonely hours. Still, I didn’t want to spoil Yoongi’s mood. So naturally, I kept my mouth shut.

“I thought I could trust Hobi for once.” I said, equally annoyed.

Yoongi sighed. “Is it too bad?” his voice was soft now.

“No!” It was definitely a lie since I could feel that a headache was also added to my list of discomforts.

“You shouldn’t have forced me to come to this party.” Yoongi said, “I would rather be with you.” Before I could say anything he already hung up.

As the hours ticked by I realized how terribly lonely I felt. Yoongi was in a whole different city and my own family was at the opposite side of the continent. I was also hungry but wasn't in a shape to make anything for myself. So, I called the Pizza place near my house and ordered my favorite one, the pepperoni.

The bell rang. I had to get up from the bed and slowly head towards the door. My whole body ached even at the slightest effort. But behind the door, I didn’t meet the delivery guy but my boyfriend instead.

“Yoongi?” I was surprised.

He shook his head in mere annoyance and hold up the huge bags he was carrying on both of his hands. “Let me put this things down first.”

He went straight to the dining room and put the bags on the table. I still couldn’t believe it. Yoongi had driven more than a hundred kilometers road on the Christmas Eve and he left his family to be with me instead.

Yoongi turned to me and said. “Let’s eat the food before it gets cold.”

That was when I hugged him right away. Yoongi let out a sigh and a few seconds later, he embraced me into his arms.

I was overwhelmed by his presence in my lonely state. I took in the warmth and his familiar soothing scent. The smell of his perfume mixed with the after-shave was intoxicating.

I finally let go and informed, “But I’ve already ordered Pizza.”

Yoongi smiled, “A little more food during Christmas won’t hurt.”

The table was set and the hot food served. We ate and talked and laughed and cried out of too much laughter. It was such a merry time that I almost forgot I was sick.

But my fever rose at the end of the night and I was curled up in my bed, shivering. Yoongi touched my forehead to detect the amount of heat and frowned. Then, he went to the kitchen to prepare something special.

Peppermint tea, something I never quite liked. But as I had a cold and the tea was warm, I accepted it rather gratefully. A soft ‘thank you’ left my mouth as I took the cup from his hands. Yoongi sat beside me and watched quietly as I sipped my tea. I wondered what I had ever done to deserve this.

Wrapped - Jung Hoseok

Shopping for all of them who were coming to our Christmas party was exhausting. But the worse was wrapping them in gift papers by ourselves. Since it was our first Christmas together after we had moved in together, my boyfriend Hoseok wanted it to be a special one. And hand-wrapped gifts sounded special indeed.

“Do you have any idea how long we’ve been doing this, Hobi?” I asked, a little annoyance in my voice.

“C’mon, goldie!” Hoseok said in the cutest tone, “Don’t talk like that. We should be doing this with joy.”

“Joy, my foot.” I muttered.

“Uh-uh.” Hobi did another cute sound effect while moving his index finger side to side, indicating I shouldn’t have said that.

I didn’t respond. Instead, I walked out of the living room to my bedroom. I waited for a moment to see if Hobi followed me. When I was sure he had gone back to work, I did what I had been planning the whole evening to do.

I hid Hobi’s Christmas gift, a fancy watch, which I had bought secretly from the shop today, in his closet. So that, next morning he would find them himself while I’d be fast asleep.

Then, I went back to work along with my hard working boyfriend. We finished them all by midnight and arranged them neatly under the Christmas tree. Wishing each other merry Christmas and kissing goodbye, we went to bed.

“Holly Molly!” Hobi exclaimed in the morning and I woke up with a start. “What did my little bumble bee bought without me knowing, huh?”

I sat on the bed and smiled, “Check it yourself, my little sunflower.”

Hobi opened up the present, giggling like a little child. His eyes were shining when he saw what was inside.

“Did you like it?” I asked.

Hobi beamed at me and said, “What are you talking about? It’s fabulous.”

Everyone was busy searching for their gift and opening them. There was a lot of chaos among our family and friends. Watching them liking what we had got them, made me feel like it was all worth it.

“Hey!” Taehyung called me, “Here’s one addressed to you too.”

“For me?” I asked. At first, I was a little confused. But then, I realized that Hobi had planned to hid my gift among all the others. I took the small box from Taehyung.

Hobi hugged me before I could open it and whispered in my ears, “Merry Christmas, honey!” Inside the box was a ring. My head stopped working for a while. Looking back at Hobi, I almost teared up.

He was on his knees.

Sexy, Cutie, Lovely - Park Jimin

Christmas this year was full of snow. And there was no way we could step out of our house in this weather. So, Jimin and I had planed for a movie marathon night. Being the movie freak as I was, the job of selecting the best movies came to me.

You could imagine how pissed I was when Jimin started to act uninterested through the second movie. At first, he tried talking in between scenes. When I refused to join his unfitting conversation, he started to complain about how all the movies I chose were so boring, even though it was ‘Home Alone’ which we were watching at that time.

“You can go and sleep.” I said, “I’m gonna finish my boring marathon alone tonight. And I’m perfectly happy to do away with you.”

“What?” Jimin pretended to look cute while being shocked, “you’re abandoning me for these movies?” I gave a stiff nod and he started to whine and threw a tantrum like a child.

“Acting cute will take you nowhere, Park Jimin.” I stated flatly.

He put his head on my lap and said with a smirk, “But it took me to your heart.”

“Stop being a cringe and move out of the way.” I pushed his head.

After minutes of doing puppy eyes and pouty faces, when I still didn’t budge, Jimin walked away from me. But he was back within a minute wearing his night gown which I had commented he looked sexy in ages ago.

“What does it suppose to mean?” I raised one of my eyebrows.

“It means,” Jimin threw himself on the couch next to me dramatically and said, “I’m getting ready for bed.” The last word, he said in a whisper, clearly indicating the obvious.

I scoffed in reply and kept my eyes fixed on the TV. Jimin moved on the couch in a certain way to get closer and carefully snaked his hands around my waist. I knew what he was capable of doing to me. But I refused to give in.

I slapped his hand and said, “Stop bothering me.”

Jimin took away his hands, a frown growing on his forehead. Then, he walked away stomping his feet, muttering “Stop this! Stop that!” I almost laughed out loud.

After half an hour of watching the movie alone, I realized it was indeed boring. No offense to my all time favorite ‘Home Alone’ but I was missing Jimin beside me. I sighed and turned off the TV.

Jimin was already fast asleep. He looked like an angel in this innocent state of unconsciousness. I could look at him for the whole night and still wouldn’t get bored. I smiled to myself.

“My lovely Jiminie!”

You’re My Boy - Kim Taehyung

Apparently, five layers of clothes weren’t enough to keep you comfortable on a snowy night out on the street. I wasn’t foolish enough to have come out into the open at this time either. But unfortunately I had a boyfriend who was extremely stubborn. I knew, I wouldn’t be able to lift his mood up the whole Christmas if I didn’t come out to play with him in the snow just now.

So, here I was, struggling to throw a single snow ball at my childish boyfriend, who had been continuously throwing enough of them at me by which I could have built a huge snowman.

“Please!” I begged him as another ball hit my shoulder, “Stop it already. I’m so tired.”

Taehyung came running at me with a smile on his face. “You’re not fun to play with.” he tried to mock me.

“I know!” I huffed out, “Can we do something else? Something fun?”

Taehyung thought for a moment. Just before I could offer him to play a nice game of monopoly inside our warm room, he yelled in excitement, “Let’s make a snowman!”

“What?” I asked in disbelieve, “No way!”

But Taehyung always had his way. So, we were rather doing what he had suggested instead of what I had thought of even if mine was a rational decision anyone would have agreed upon.

Building a snowman was harder than it looked. I remembered to have done it when I was just a kid. Those times, I always had my sisters and parents to help me. The shapes were never right. Taehyung wasn’t satisfied with them at all and we had to rebuild it from the base every time.

Finally, we managed to make the perfectly symmetrical balls, the upper one half the size of it’s base. Taehyung nodded his approval and I sighed in relief. I was grateful that Taehyung let me do the most interesting works; putting the buttons, eyes, mouth and the carrot for a nose. I finished the final task perfectly and looked back at my boyfriend.

And there it was. The boxy smile. When my eyes stopped at his perfectly wide grinning face, I felt like the time had slowed down. The snow was falling rather dramatically. My surrounding suddenly looked more romantic than it did even a few minutes ago.

Taehyung looked at me and tilted his head in confusion. “Baby?” he called, “Why are you staring at me like that?”

I suddenly realized what I was doing. I chuckled and shook my head to let out those romantic thoughts away. I decided that the romance could wait. Instead, I let his inner child enjoy this rare moment for now.

First Mistletoe Kiss - Jeon Jungkook

Finally, the party was over and all the boring people left the house. When I had done my share of cleaning up, my mother allowed me to go to bed. I picked up my phone as soon as I reached my room and locked the door.

“Oh shit!” I swore. Five missed calls and a text! And all of them were from the same person; Jeon Jungkook.

Jungkook was my neighbor and I had known him for a year. I had liked him since day one. Little did I know that he had liked me as well until last week when he had asked me to be his girlfriend. Naturally, I said yes. But over the week, I got to know the Jungkook behind those doe eyes and bunny smile. He was quite stubborn and possessive in nature.

Five missed calls on Christmas Eve from him could mean disaster. I hastily checked the text.

“I don’t want to be that clingy boyfriend asking for attention when you’re having fun. So, I’m texting you instead. Merry Christmas.”

I got the tone of the message. Jungkook had a habit of always ending a text with calling me love. But he hadn’t done that here. Especially when it was supposed to be a merry Christmas text. That was not a good sign.

Since I had a pretty strict family, the fact that I had a boyfriend before I graduated high school was a secret. So, I checked whether my parents had already gone to bed or not before calling Jungkook right away.

“Wow!” I heard Jungkook speak, “You remembered me!”

“I’m so sorry. kookie!” I pleaded in a half whisper. “There were so many people. And you know my mother. She doesn’t allow phones in front of the guests.”

Jungkook remained silent for a while. Then he spoke again, “I wanna meet.”

“What?” I raised my voice unexpectedly, “You mean, now?”

“Yes!” Jungkook said, “Don’t you dare say no! I’m not going to bed without seeing you.”

I thought for a moment. Everyone was tired as hell. There was no way my mother would come to check on me at this time. I decided I would take this risk. “C’mon!” I told myself, “It’s Christmas!”

“Love?” Jungkook called.

“Meet me at the store.” I said, “And don’t forget to buy me Cheetos.”

Jungkook was waiting with a packet of Cheetos by the store door. A big smile spread across his face when he saw me. I gave him a quick hug and started complaining about how bored I was during the whole party and how much I had thought of him.

Jungkook kept on smiling and feeding me the Cheetos in between as I was too busy ranting about my misery. I stopped when I realized that Jungkook hadn’t spoken at all.

“Don’t keep staring at me like that.” I said.

Jungkook chuckled and said, “I can spend a whole lifetime hearing you talk.”

“That was cringey!” I said as I felt heat rushing to my cheeks.

“Look!” Jungkook pointed up to a mistletoe hanging above the store door. “It’s not every Christmas you get to stand under the mistletoe with your boyfriend by your side.”

I knew exactly what he meant. I was rather doubting if it was a coincidence at this point. The thought of Jungkook wanting a kiss from me sent a shiver down my spine. I looked down in embarrassment.

“Wait a minute!” Jungkook said, “Haven’t you ever kissed under a mistletoe before?”

“Actually,” I mumbled, “I’ve never kissed anyone before.”

A visible shocking expression spread on Jungkook’s face. When recovered, he cleared his throat, “Let me be your first, then.”

Carefully, he closed the distance between us. Then, he cupped my face on his hands and asked, “May I?”

When I nodded my ‘yes’, he gently kissed my lips. He let go and whispered softly, “Merry Christmas, love.”

They had escaped to the wood, made fire to keep themselves warm and hunted down animals to prepare for supper. Hoseok was lying on the ground, his head rested on Yoongi’s lap. Namjoon and Seokjin sat silently with them. The other ‘Bulletproof’ boys were spending time with the escaped prisoners. There were two vampires, a werewolf, three demigods, two elves and a satyr.

Taehyung was found to be alright and not badly hurt. He had recognized the werewolf from when he was a prisoner himself and they started a conversation. Jungkook talked with the vampires to learn about his servants; those who had been caught. He found out that they had been killed during the experiments. Jimin stayed quiet the whole time.

Meanwhile, Yoongi kept muttering a spell in an attempt to heal his unconscious friend of the wound that had been left on his back. But it didn’t seem to be working properly. Namjoon came closer and Yoongi noticed the tears on his cheeks.

Namjoon gently wiped them away with his hand and placed it on Hoseok’s back. Light sparkled through Hoseok’s wound for a moment. Then, it healed completely. Yoongi gasped in shock.

“I almost forgot,” Yoongi said, “You were an angel once.”

Namjoon nodded but remained silent. It was a common knowledge that an angel’s tears can heal any wound. Yoongi being an educated wizard, should have known that.

Seokjin stood up and announced, “I think, this is the time I part. I had caused enough trouble to you all. I know I’ve done something terrible and it’s beyond forgiveness. But if you can, please forget my mistakes and remember only the good parts of our journey together. Do this for the old time’s sake.”

“But you can’t just go away that easily.” Namjoon said boldly.

Seokjin was taken aback. Namjoon never sounded this serious before. Not even at the worst time possible.

Namjoon stood in front of him, arms crossed, and said, “Did you forget the iconic ‘Once you Jim-in, you can’t Jim-out’ line?”

Yoongi let out a small laugh. Seokjin couldn’t believe it. Namjoon was not mad at him. In fact, he was making jokes. He was even okay with him being on the team.

The golden trio had come towards them. Hearing Seokjin wanting to leave, Jungkook whined, "Hyung, you can’t leave us like that.”

“Especially, not after saving us like a hero.” Jimin said, while hanging a hand on Jungkook’s shoulder. “We are not gonna let you be the main character of the story.”

Yoongi pleaded, “Just let us know the truth. When did you go against us exactly? Don’t say it was since the beginning.”

Seokjin shook his head. Tears were threatening to come out of his eyes at the surprisingly kind reactions from the others. But he told them the truth anyway.

He told them, how he was once a normal boy living with his Goddess mother and mortal father. Until one day, Aphrodite decided to take him away to the Mount Olympus. Being a kid, he always wondered what the reason could be. He was sure of one thing; his mother was indifferent to him. She never showed love or affection towards him.

As he grew up, the longing for his father, who once used to love the boy so much, became stronger. Then, one day, Seokjin decided to escape Mount Olympus with the help of some other Gods. By his own wits, he was able to come down to the earth. He had been searching for his father since then.

“But then, I met Yoongi.” Seokjin said, “When I heard about his plan of bringing down the OHA, I decided to stay with the team in hope of finding my father. But I swear, I didn’t know he was the CEO of this fucked up institution. I don’t know what got into me when I agreed to help him. I believed him to be a good man. I never imagined he could be so cruel.”

“Everyone believes their father is a good man.” Taehyung sighed.

Suddenly, one of the elves came to interrupt them, “Don’t you think it would be wiser to leave the wood and go to a safe place?”

They exchanged some worried looks. Even though the OHA facility was being destroyed, all thanks to Seokjin’s explosion, they couldn’t be sure if their enemies were really gone or not. They couldn’t go back to their abandoned building and risk being attacked.

The elf continued, “I know a place. It’s the safest of places for beings like us. We should go to the ‘ARMY’.”

“ARMY?” The ‘Bulletproof’ boys asked in union.

Aid and Refuge for Mortals by Youths, in short ARMY, was a secret society formed by young people who believed in equality among humans and other intelligent beings. The members of this organization called themselves ARMY too. Being less in number and power, they ran their rescue missions of saving the non-humans from the OHA secretly. And these secret missions were the reason behind the OHA’s failures at the recent times.

The elf knew their hideout very well. He was on his way to seek help from them when he was caught by the wizards almost a year ago. Now, he led his rescuers and the fellow prisoners to the only safe place there was on earth.

There were minutes of confusion among the ARMY seeing a large number of non-humans gathering outside. Soon after Namjoon explained the situation clearly, the ARMY let themselves in.

They were then taken to the leader of the organization. Her name was Linha. Despite her tall figure and intimidating face, she was quite friendly and kind. She welcomed them with overwhelming joy and learned about each of them individually. Her eyes got teary as she learned how they had managed to escape the OHA and exploded their laboratories before coming to them.

“You did the impossible.” Linha exclaimed. It was her usual way of talking. “I can’t believe you did something in such a short time which we had been planning for so long.”

“All thanks to Seokjin.” Namjoon said, “He did almost everything.”

“Yeah,” Seokjin scoffed at himself, still not over the guilt he was feeling for betraying his friends, “after ruining our original plan completely.”

There were so many ARMY and other non-humans inside the pretty huge hideout. The ‘Bulletproof’ boys almost couldn’t believe the fact that so many humans were on their side and they were willing to fight for their freedom. They had spent most of their lives being afraid of the humans that accepting them as their friends was something they found difficult.

They learned that there were more humans out there on earth who believed in the equality too but couldn’t voice out their opinion in fear of the OHA. Some of them were even helping the ARMY with whatever they could offer, ranging from shelter for some beings to providing medical supports.

In order to celebrate the official downfall of the OHA, they arranged a huge feast for themselves along with the new comers. Everyone ate and drank to the fullest. The music was turned on and they danced and sang out their hearts.

Then, Linha made a great announcement, “From now on, we won’t hide anymore. We will declare our victory over the OHA. We will reveal it to the whole world that from today, we all live in unity. Humans, vampires, werewolves, elves, satyrs, centaurs, demigods,” she glanced at Hoseok for a while and added, “angels and many more. We all live in harmony and without fear.”

They all cried out with full of enthusiasm. But suddenly there was a blast. It made their whole ceiling crash. When they looked up, they could make out a figure with huge wings flying down towards them.

“What happened to the others?” Kim Joon-Hwi inquired about his guards and wizards.

“They’re all dead, sir.” The Master of shadow informed.

The Master was the only one to have escaped the OHA facility after the explosion. He, then, went straight to Kim Joon-Hwi, who had already made his escape after getting his most desired thing, an angel’s wings.

“Are you telling me that you have lost the Gumiho?” Kim Joon-Hwi asked, his tone deep and serious. When the Master looked down without replying, Kim Joon-Hwi let out a terrible laugh, “How will I survive after attaching the wings on myself if I failed to kill the Gumiho?”

The real reason for his desperation for the Gumiho was that, a Gumiho was the most powerful being to exist on earth. And if he had to attach the angel wings on himself in order to be as powerful as the Gods, he needed to kill someone powerful first.

“Sir,” The master spoke, “I think we should wait. I promise to find that Gumiho as soon as I can.”

“No!” Kim Joon-Hwi said rather calmly this time, “I have waited long enough.” The Master was about to interrupt but he held his hand up to silence him, “You have done enough all these years. In fact, it’s the result of your research that I am now going to be the most powerful.”

He went closer and rested his hand on the Master’s shoulder. The Master bowed in gratitude for the appreciation. But the next moment, he felt a sharp pain on his back. He fell to the ground with a loud groan when he realized that he had been stabbed.

“You think I didn’t know who killed the last Gumiho on our laboratory?” Kim Joon-Hwi stated to the dying man before him. “I know why you had joined the company in the first place. You wanted power.” Then, he laughed manically and added, “Killing a powerful wizard like you will serve my purpose.”

The Master of Shadow struggled to say his last words, “Yoongi. Was. Right.”

But Kim Joon-Hwi didn’t pay any heed to it. He kneeled down to whisper, “Goodbye to you! From now on, you can rest all you want.”

Kim Joon-Hwi looked deadly with the wings on his back. The veins on his body had popped up within his skin. His eyes were red and they glowed when he shouted or showed any excitement. The wind he created by flapping his wings can overthrow Jimin’s old hut in a second.

“Father?” Seokjin whispered in disbelief.

“Everyone, grab your weapons!” Linha shouted her instructions at others. Then, they all were busy getting hold onto a weapon they could find.

“Fools!” Kim Joon-Hwi screamed, “I am inevitable now. Accept me as your new God if you don’t wish to die.”

Seokjin tried to step forward to speak to him. But Yoongi held him back and said, “Not now! He’s more dangerous than ever before.”

“But…” Seokjin was interrupted by a sudden explosion. An Army had thrown a bomb at the monster. But he soon came out of the smoke, laughing gigantically, proving his statement earlier.

The ARMY knew that it was too late. There was no way they could win against this monster. But they were not going to give up. They would rather die fighting. And with that mindset, they jumped.

No explosion, bullets or arrows could penetrate his skin. On the other hand, the ARMYs and the supernaturals were badly hurt. Some of them were already dead. Seokjin looked around the miseries. His heart clenched inside when he noticed one of his friend taking a flight to fight his monstrous father face to face.

“Namjoon!” Seokjin called to stop him.

“Why don’t you fight someone your equal, instead?” Namjoon yelled at Kim Joon-Hwi, who was pointing at a satyr with a gun on his hand.

He looked back at Namjoon and snarled at him, “Did you just compared me with yourself, you pathetic devil?”

“Why?” Namjoon smirked, “Are you scared?”

Without a delay, Kim Joon-Hwi launched himself on him and they flew away from the sight of the rest.

“No!” Seokjin screamed, “Namjoon, please come back.”

But they were nowhere to be seen. All around, the only sounds were of the burning and wailing of the injured. Everyone got busy helping out the wounded. Some of them were even grateful that the monster had spared them some time. Some were mourning for the death of their closed ones.

Hoseok collected the ‘Bulletproof’ boys from the crowd one by one and made sure none of them were hurt. They reached Seokjin last. Taehyung called, “Thank God, you’re here.”

“Where’s Namjoon?” Jimin asked. But Seokjin didn’t answer. Jungkook and Taehyung gasped as they realized Namjoon was the one who had driven away that monster.

Suddenly, Jimin sat on the ground. All of their attentions shot to him. “I think… I see something.” He said. He shut his eyes closed tightly, his brows furrowed.

Yoongi went closer to sit beside him, “Is it a vision?”

Jimin nodded violently and said, “He’s dead. Kim Joon-Hwi’s dead. And…” He stopped for a while. He looked as if he were concentrating on a scene with his eyes closed.

“Who killed him?” Yoongi asked. Everyone paid more attention.

“I can see wings.”

“An angel?” Yoongi asked in disbelief, glancing at Hoseok for a while.

Jimin opened his eyes abruptly and gasped, “Namjoon.” He declared, “Namjoon’s the angel who was supposed to bring the demise of the OHA.”

Namjoon stood at the entrance door, Hoseok’s formal wings hanging on his hands. He looked exhausted, which was rarely visible on his face. Jungkook ran to hug him without a delay.

Namjoon spoke to the others after Jungkook released him, “Kim Joon-Hwi’s dead. We have nothing to fear anymore.”

Everyone cheered and shouted in excitement. Some of them patted Namjoon on his back and thanked him. After minutes of celebrating the good news, everyone went back to their business; fixing the aftermath of the short but terrible battle.

The dawn had broken. Seokjin sat at the edge of the lake and gazed at the rising sun. Namjoon came to sit beside him. Seokjin glanced at him and looked back at the sun again. He said, “You’re the true hero. You’ve saved everyone.”

“I’m sorry for your loss.” Namjoon said in a low voice.

Seokjin let out a fake laugh and said, “Don’t apologize. You did the right thing. If I had done it earlier, Hoseok still would have his wings. Not to mention how many people could have been saved.”

“Do you want to know what happened exactly?” Namjoon hesitantly asked.

“Surprisingly, yes!” Seokjin turned to face him, “I’m still stupid enough to care to know how my father died.”

Namjoon nodded understandingly and said, “I gave him a chance to save himself, you know, for your sake. But he said, he would rather die than live with the pity of a devil.” Namjoon let out a painful laughter.

A tear escaped Seokjin’s eyes as he spoke, “He would definitely choose his pride over me. And I’m not even surprised. After all, it wasn’t the first time.”

“I’m sorry you couldn’t have the happily ever after with your family.” Namjoon said.

The other ‘Bulletproof’ boys joined the couple. They sat down quietly and enjoyed the sun rise. At a point, Taehyung asked Seokjin, “Are you going back to your mother now?”

Seokjin didn’t reply. Instead, he asked Hoseok, “Why aren’t you going back to the heaven?”

Hoseok shrugged and said, “There’s nothing to go back to. I’ve already found my true family here on earth.” He rested his head on Yoongi’s shoulder.

Seokjin looked back at Taehyung and smiled. “Exactly.” He whispered, which brought out the best box smile on Taehyung’s face.

“I want to say something.” Jungkook mumbled, “I don’t know if I can ever say this if not today.”

Everyone looked up at him as he slowly rose up to stand. He continued with a heavy voice, “As far as I can remember, I was just a vampire with thirst for blood only. I didn’t have a family or even friends. The only thing I cared about was surviving. I never knew how much I was missing out on life until… Until I met Jimin and Taehyung. They took me in as their own. Then, you guys showed up. I learned what it is to actually live and not just survive. I am eternally grateful to you for that.” He paused for a moment before adding, “I… I love you, guys.”

They looked at him in admiration. They had never heard Jungkook opening up about his feelings to them at any time throughout their times together. Hearing him speaking such words melted their hearts.

Jimin went straight to hug him, “I’m glad I’ve found you that night.” Taehyung joined from behind. Hoseok stood up and said, “Guys, my eyes are sweating. Help!” before going for the hug too. Yoongi tailed him from behind as well. Namjoon gestured Seokjin to join the group hug. Seokjin smiled and did as he was asked to.

Finally, it was Namjoon to join them last. As he did, he slowly spread out his huge black wings to shelter the members on the inside.

Note: Thank you to everyone for sticking with me till the end. Thank you for taking your precious time to read my story. Thank you for all the little feedbacks you had left. It means a lot to me. By the way, it was my first proper series. I finished it in a hurry due to an upcoming exam. And I am a little disappointed coz it didn’t come out as I’ve expected. But I hope to improve my writings in the future.

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“Hmm…” Hoseok said thoughtfully, “So, you want me to help you bring the OHA down. Is that right?”

“Yes!” Yoongi said, wishing desperately that this angel was not as stupid and useless as it appeared to be.

“What’s in here for me?” he asked.

“Huh?” Yoongi was shocked. He had never gave it a thought that the angel might ask for a reward in return. “Well, why would you ask for anything anyway? You are literally bringing down a system that is hunting your kind and many others for 5 years.”

“Oh, I see…” Hoseok turned to Namjoon, “What do you think? Should I abandon my duty to do this guy’s job here?”

“I think, working with this guy will take you closer to your own mission.” Namjoon answered.

Yoongi interrupted, “Actually my name’s Min Yoongi. I would very much appreciate it if you call me by that name.”

“Seriously?” this time, Seokjin sounded annoyed with Yoongi, “Namjoon literally said Hoseok is here on earth for a mission and what you’re worried about is what they are calling you?”

“I accept.” Hoseok said.

“Really?” Yoongi asked hopefully, “You’re going to do this?”

“Yes!”

“Even if there’s too much danger involved?”

“Yes!” Hoseok nodded, looking quite happy for someone joining a suicide mission.

“I think,” Namjoon said, “my work here is done. Good luck to you guys, on your way to bring down the most influential and powerful organization on earth.”

“I don’t think I’m feeling very confident at his words of encouragement. Does anyone else feel like me?” Seokjin looked around.

Hoseok raised his hand while Yoongi said to Namjoon, “No, stay!”

Namjoon raised an eyebrow, “excuse me?”

“Please,” Yoongi pleaded, “Trust me, I have a plan. The more we are in number, the more it is likely to succeed.”

“Yeah, Namjoon-ah.” Hoseok stood up and suddenly started to talk with an authority. “I think friends should stand together at times like this.”

“I didn’t know an angel could be a friend with the devil.” Seokjin mocked.

“Well, it can happen, you see.” Hoseok replied, “Don’t you know, having mutual enemies make people friends? So, we’re all basically friends here.”

“We are?” Seokjin asked in a rather surprised tone.

Hoseok reassured, “We are!”

Jimin and Taehyung took Jungkook to the little hut they called their home. It was out of town, in the middle of the woods. Jungkook noticed that though the hut was not very big, it was very neat and clean, looking like a pleasant place for a family. He remembered how messy his mansion got after all of his servants were being caught by the OHA.

“So, this is a little home I had built for myself.” Jimin announced, looking very proud about it, “I’ve been living here all alone until Taehyung joined me.”

“Yeah,” Taehyung said, a smile never leaving his face, “There’s only two beds. The two of you can take one each. I am happy to squeeze in with any one of you.”

“Thanks.” Jungkook said, “But I don’t sleep.”

“Oh,” Taehyung was taken aback, “I almost forgot that you’re a vampire. Don’t be offended, little friend. I sometimes forget that I’m a werewolf too.”

“Don’t go around calling him ‘little’, Tae.” Jimin said, “He’s been alive for over a century, I believe.”

“Really?” Taehyung asked, “How old are you exactly?”

“Umm…” Jungkook thought for a while, “I don’t know for sure. I can remember being living, umm… being an undead since the 17th century.”

“Don’t you remember your life as a human?” Jimin asked.

Jungkook shook his head. He didn’t remember what his true identity was, who his parents were, how he was as a boy. He didn’t remember what it felt like to be a human with hunger and fatigue. All he remembered was his everlasting thirst for blood.

Jimin kept silent. He felt sorry for Jungkook, who didn’t have any friends or family and who had been surviving all alone for a long time. Jimin knew the feeling of loneliness all too well. That’s why, he had made a promise to himself to keep Taehyung safe. Now, he felt the same responsibility towards Jungkook as well.

“Whatever, it is.” Taehyung broke the silence, “Since, you’re the last one to join the pack, you’re our little one from now on.”

Jungkook tilted his head in affirmation. He didn’t mind being taken care of as a little one.

“Aww…” Taehyung pouted, “Isn’t he so cute?” which made Jimin laugh.

OHA had been keeping a watch at the hut of the new formed trio. It wouldn’t be very clever to attack them right away. The guards and the wizards were waiting for the right time.

Catching a nine tailed fox was not too easy. Because they were swift in their movements and can keep up with a long fight. They can manipulate the weather to go against their enemies. The only thing worse than fighting a Gumiho was fighting a Gumiho along with a vampire and a werewolf.

It was an order from Kim Joon-Hwi, himself. There was no option of losing the Gumiho. It had to be caught. Even if it caused them the lives of the other two species. Because, the Gumiho was the real target.

So, the enemies were patient. They were waiting…

Yoongi had bought all of them to his place to stay. He needed time to explain his plan. But that was not the real reason for this invitation. Yoongi couldn’t bring himself to trust them just yet. They had agreed to join him on a suicide mission so easily, which made Yoongi suspicious. But he didn’t know that each of them had a good reason to have done it.

“Your place is a so small,” Seokjin commented, “that it’s making me claustrophobic.”

“As if you’ve gotten a better place.” Yoongi muttered. It wasn’t easy for beings like them to stay at a nice place among nice people without being noticed. In fact, it was more dangerous than staying out in the street. Because nobody really cared about homeless people.

“You’re right!” Seokjin said, hearing his remark, “Earth has some really shitty places. I miss home.”

“Where is it?” Hoseok asked enthusiastically.

“At the mount Olympus, of course.” He said with pride, “Mother would keep me at the best place possible. After all, I’m her only child.”

“How are you so sure about that?” Yoongi muttered under his breath again.

“What was that?” Seokjin asked, with a frown clearly visible on his forehead.

“I asked, what are you doing here on earth then? Especially at this time?” Yoongi asked, “Doesn’t Aphrodite know how dangerous the earth was for her only son?”

“That’s none of your business.” Seokjin went straight to the only bedroom available. But Yoongi didn’t complain. He was really satisfied to have pissed Seokjin off.

Namjoon looked around the whole apartment, if it could be called one, to make sure there weren’t anyone spying them from outside a window or something. He also looked around at stuffs Yoongi used to practice wizardry. Judging by those and all the old books lying around, Namjoon believed Yoongi had been practicing them since he was very young.

“Don’t worry about me.” Hoseok said to Yoongi, “I’m used to sleeping on the floor since I came to the earth. At least, I’m glad I don’t have to hide my wings here. So that I can be curled up inside them while I sleep.”

Hoseok was smiling. Yoongi’s heart suddenly felt heavy. He thought how innocent the angel was that he could stay positive even at times like this. Hoseok reminded him of someone he used to know. Someone who had called him his friend. Someone who was now dead and for this, Yoongi was to blame.

Taehyung woke up from a sudden loud noise, “Jiminie!” he called out loud.

“It’s okay!” Jimin confirmed, “It’s just a plate.”

Jungkook immediately started to apologize, “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to…”

Jimin cut him out, “You need to stop apologizing for every minor inconvenience.”

Taehyung stood up, rubbing his eyes. “What’s for breakfast?” he asked.

“I’m still trying to figure that out.” Jimin said, “We’re out of meat. We need to go to the supermarket.”

“Maybe the woods would be better.” Taehyung suggested, “We need to find something for Jungkook as well.”

“It’s alright!” Jungkook assured them, “I can go without blood for a week without any hassle.”

All of a sudden, there was a gunshot nearby. This time, they were all alert at once. “Did you hear that?” Taehyung asked.

“Boys,” Jimin commanded, “stay inside. I’ll go check.” Another gunshot.

“I’m coming with you.” Taehyung said while Jungkook nodded.

Before Jimin could say anything, the noises started to grow as if there was a battle going on outside. The trio waited inside, trying to figure out just what was going on.

“I can smell Humans.” Jungkook sat down on a chair, his voice shaking, “They had followed me here. They are going to take me away.”

Jimin went to stand beside him, carefully caressing his head, “Don’t worry, dear. They can’t harm you. Not on my watch!”

Eventually everything was quiet again. Still they didn’t dare to move just then. After what seemed like hours of waiting in fear of something might going wrong, their front door sprang open, causing them to jump in fright. The four strangers stood outside.

“So tell me,” The one wearing a cloak with a hood on stepped inside, “which one of you is the Gumiho?”

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