𓏲ּ𝄢

"It's decided," a low resonant voice echoed throughout the room, pulling you from your thoughts and back to the front of the class. Taehyung stood as Class President next to the Class Vice President, a kind-looking girl whose posture showed polish and elegance. He drew a pink flower with chalk on the board. "For the festival, our class is going to operate a rice ball stand. With that settled, I'd like to hear everyone's thoughts on the kinds of fillings we should use."

An idea popped into your head and you raised your hand. You stood up. "What if we tried tricolor rice balls?" you asked. "So that in every rice ball, people get three different fillings to try. A bargain!" You clasped your hands together with a smile.

"That's cute," Taehyung agreed with a nod of his head. "I like it."

"Seriously?" a voice scoffed from across the room. You moved your head in its direction, finding the voice belonged to one of the members of the Prince Taehyung Club. Everyone gasped at her outburst. "We totally need to ditch that idea, Taehyung!"

"Yeah," the friend next to her nodded her head. "What if she suggests a tuna, kelp, and pickled plum combo?"

"Oh my gosh, that would be so disgusting!" the first girl laughed.

The two of them laughed together before Haewon walked over, a metal rod in her hand. You questioned where she even got it but chased after her as she stuck it on their desk. The girls screamed in shock.

"Nowhere near as disgusting as your personalities, morons," the blonde said harshly. You tried to calm her down waving your hands with a hesitant smile to let her know that the girls' outbursts did no damage to you at all.

"What kind of psycho brings a steel pipe to school?!" one of the girls screamed.

"I say we should do rice ball battles," a certain orange-haired boy's voice pierced through the ruckus. Everyone lifted their head towards him.

"Battles?"

"Yeah, brutal head-to-head matches," Jimin nodded as he hit his fist into his palm. "First to pin their opponent wins." He stood up with his fist clenched in front of him. "Weapons are allowed, and customers have to duke it out for their rice balls, and the only rule is no killing."

"Hard pass," the entire classroom stated in unison.

"I'm trying to contribute here!" Jimin shouted. "You jerks could at least think about it!"

"That's one idea," the Class Vice President chuckled hesitantly.

"What if some of the rice balls are actually duds?" Taehyung thought aloud. He had his hand on his chin. "We could make a deal where you buy three and then choose a fourth one for free. Only some of the choices are simply... empty."

"Sounds great!" the class agreed unanimously.

Jimin slammed his hands down on his desk. "You shoot me down, but accept his dumb idea?" He sat down in his seat heavily, an annoyed expression on his face.

"Sorry, Ji-Ji," the boy who sat in front of him said, "yours was way too weird."

"Don't pout about it, Ji-Ji," his other friend teased with a hand on the boy's head.

Jimin gritted his teeth, and you could see comical orange cat ears on his head. "Don't call me Ji-Ji!" he erupted.

"Don't be mad, Ji-Ji," the boy continued to tease.

"Look, cats!"

You turned your head and watched as small kittens climbed on top of Jimin. All of them had different fur patterns and colors.

"When'd they get in here?"

"How cute!"

Jimin shivered in anger, his hair slightly spiked up. He stood up abruptly which caused the kittens to fall on him, slamming his palms on his desk. "That's it! I'm outta here!"

The kittens climbed on top of him once more as he rushed out of the classroom. His friends called out after him, questioning why the cats were attracted to him. You held a hand to your chest, worry filling you. Jimin seemed stressed and you could see it.

Chaewoo rose from her seat. "Very strange," she commented.

You felt your spine align perfectly as she said that, frozen as a squeak squeezed out of you.

"Yeah, don't worry," Haewon assured as she held the metal rod on her shoulder. "You're still the strangest person at this school." She sighed and turned to the door Jimin exited from. "That guy's got a seriously hot temper. Doesn't take much. He's the total opposite of our prince."

You stared at the door, feeling a tug in your heart. You wanted to go after him, to see that he was okay. Your feet moved. "I'm... going to check up on him, okay?" You turned to your friends.

Haewon nodded. "Let us know if you need any help dragging him back to class."

You chuckled before you went on your way. You walked the hallways, racking your brain for where the orange-haired boy would be. An idea lit up in your brain like a bulb and you picked up the pace.

Once outside the school, you climbed the ladder to the roof. You carefully placed your feet on each step, afraid to fall and injure yourself badly. That would be an expensive mistake, you thought to yourself.

You reached the roof in no time and caught sight of the boy you were looking for. Jimin lay on his back, arms behind his head as he looked up towards the sky. Kittens sprawled across him as well. "I thought I'd find you up here!" you smiled.

Jimin jumped at the sound of your voice, sitting up straight and facing towards you.

You climbed onto the roof properly. "You really like being up on high places, don't you?" you amused yourself with a chuckle. A black kitten walked up to you with a meow and you smiled down at them. "Oh, hello there, kitty." You picked them up and nuzzled your face into theirs. "They're adorable! Little angels." You held the kitten down in your arms as you faced Jimin. "I guess it's not surprising cats like you so much."

"It's not like I encourage them," he said. "They show up on their own. It happens to all of us with our animals. We can't stop 'em."

"Aw," you smiled at the statement, "that way you'll never be lonely."

Jimin's face hardened as he turned to you. "It's not a good thing!" He bit his tongue and held back, closing his eyes. "So, why are you here?"

"I was worried, so I came to check on you," you replied truthfully. "Don't you want to help out with the Culture Festival project?"

Jimin turned his face away from you. Your smile fell at his action. "You don't need me," he stated. "Everything'll go fine as long as Taehyung's there." Your mouth opened into a small 'O'. "He's always been so smart, and capable, and good with people. Everybody automatically respects his talents. They trust him." He lowered his head to his chest slightly. "I'm the one who started martial arts first, you know. And now he's better at it than I am."

A memory entered his brain as he spoke aloud.

"I knew it," a woman said close by to where Jimin and Taehyung were by the small pond in the Sohma estate. "Rat children are always special, aren't they?"

"Indeed," another woman agreed. "A pity the same can't be said of the Cat."

"It pisses me off," Jimin continued. "I can't magically make myself more like him. But I would if I could." You heard the yearning in his voice. To be appreciated, everyone wanted to feel that. You knew wanted to feel that. It was a human feeling, one that Jimin was immersed in at the moment.

You felt for him.

🍙

"Let's play Rich Man-Poor Man," you said as you, Haewon, Chaewoo, and a friend of Jimin's surrounded Jimin's desk.

Jimin had his head in his hand, pointed toward the window he sat next to. "No. Go and bother Taehyung. I don't want to play."

"I would, but Kim-Ssi's not around right now," you informed him. You held up the box of cards to him.

"Bummer," Haewon sighed. "I was looking forward to playing you. You're so stupid and incompetent, I figured you'd make for easy pickings. Way to ruin my fun. Thanks a lot. Running away from a fight like you're some scared little boy, it's pathetic."

You could see tic marks spawn on Jimin's head as Haewon insulted him. He slammed a hand down on his desk and you silently wondered how long the desk would last before it broke from his hands. He stood up with a grunt. "Okay, you're on!" he said. Haewon smirked and faced him. "But I'm not gonna dry your eyes when you lose, got it, Gangster Girl?"

"Whoever comes in last has to do everyone else's cleaning duty," Haewon challenged.

Chaewoo held her face in her hands with closed eyes, swaying to a rhythm. "Cozy," she said. "It's such an inviting maelstrom of waves."

Haewon and Jimin continued to bicker as you turned your head away. "That's strange," you wondered aloud. "I wonder why Kim-Ssi's not back yet."

Not far from the classroom, Taehyung stood in the library. A fellow student had poured her heart out to him, and the silver-haired boy was giving his reply.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "But I'm just not interested in dating anybody right now. It's not you, really. I'm just trying—"

"No!" the girl interrupted his explanation. She covered her ears. "Stop it! I don't wanna hear this!" She jumped forward, her arms outstretched to him. "Taehyung!"

Taehyung stopped his before she could embrace him. He held her face in his hands, causing her cheeks to flush with heat. "I, um, didn't mean..."

She lowered her head in his hold. "You're really nice, Taehyung, but you don't let anyone in, do you?"

The boy gasped at her words.

"Everybody says it!" She jumped back from his hold, holding her hands in fists as she shouted at him. "Taehyung's different from regular people. An ordinary girl would never be enough for someone like him." She ran away, tears escaping her eyes as sobs escaped her lips.

Taehyung watched as she left, his eyebrows lowered.

🍙

"Revolution!" Jimin shouted as he placed down his card.

"What kinda under-handed trick was that, you sneak?" Haewon fumed as she stomped her heel against the desk.

"The kind that's allowed in the rules!" the orange-haired boy argued.

"Revolution turns the strong cards weak, so I don't know which to play next," you said.

Chaewoo turned around dramatically. "I do," she stated as she held up her cards. "Revolution Reversal."

"Not cool!" Jimin shouted.

"She really got ya, Carrot Top," Haewon teased the boy.

"Nice work, Chaewoo," Jeonghan said as he rested his arm on the angered boy's head. You caught his name when Jimin shouted at him for something, and you noted he was very handsome.

"Not lookin' good for Ji-Ji," Jisoo teased along with his friend. You chuckled at their comments. Jeonghan and Jisoo had been good friends before Jimin joined their duo. They were a handsome duo, often confessed to by students every once in a while. They didn't care much for the attention.

Jimin shoved Jeonghan's arm off his head. "Shut it!" he yelled at the boy. "We're just getting started here."

Taehyung paused at the classroom door, his hand frozen at the handle to slide it open. He looked into the classroom, seeing you laugh with your friends and Jimin. "You're really nice, Taehyung, but you don't let anyone in, do you?" The words echoed in his brain as his hand dropped back down to his side.

🍙

"Rich Man-Poor Man?" Taehyung questioned. "I know the rules. I've never played it, though."

You had given Taehyung a rundown of what he missed during the class break after school ended. "Yoon-ah just taught me so I don't know too much about it either," you smiled at him, your hands clasped above your chest. "You should play with us next time!"

"So, it looks like he ended up the poor man this time around," Taehyung commented as he turned to look at Jimin, who had been mopping the classroom this whole time.

Jimin held an annoyed expression as he continued with the chores.

You walked up to the orange-haired boy hesitantly, your hands on your chest. "Um. I really don't mind helping," you told him.

"No, I've got it," Jimin said sternly. "A loss is a loss." He turned around determinedly with his fist out. "I'm gonna win the next game, though!" He pointed a finger at Taehyung. "And that includes beating you!"

"Don't you ever get tired of your empty threats?" Taehyung asked.

Jimin stepped forward. "No, because winning against you is my ultimate goal in life!"

You whipped your head between the two, your mouth opened to say something to calm the situation.

"Hearing that over and over's my ultimate annoyance in life."

"Your condescending, high-and-mighty attitude really pisses me off!"

"Your inability to comprehend complex thoughts pisses me off."

You sweat-dropped at their argument, your hands up to de-escalate if needed. And they're fighting again. Sure, they're the Cat and the Rat, but I don't think that's enough to explain why they're always at each other's throats. Now that I think about it... You thought about Jimin, and how he always shouts at Taehyung "I'm gonna win. I'll beat you and become a full-fledged member of the Sohma clan." You brought your hands to your cheeks. I didn't realize it at the time, but was Jimin saying that if he could beat Kim-Ssi, he'd finally be included in the zodiac? If he was... the Cat would join the other animals and they'd become 13! That would be wonderful!

Your eyes lit up at the fact before being brought to reality, Jimin still shouting in Taehyung's face.

Still, the fighting's no good.

"Um, Jimin," you reached out to the boy cautiously.

"I'm comin' for you!" The orange-haired boy yelled as he charged at the silver-haired boy. "Get ready, rodent!"

Taehyung kicked the boy in his chin, sending him flying up. Jimin crashed back down on the desks that were neatly stacked before slipping off and dropping to the ground with a heavy thud.

The silver-haired boy turned away from him. "Just looking at you... makes me sick," he stated. Then he walked away, leaving through the open doors.

"Kim-Ssi, wait," you called out to him.

"Damn it." You turned your head over to the injured boy. He held a hand up to his head. "Why can't I ever win?"

"Are you alright?" you asked as you stepped forward. You held your hands in worried fists above your chest. "You didn't bite your tongue or anything—"

"It's not my first fight!" Jimin shouted. You closed your eyes and stepped back at his outburst. "Get out of here already."

You dropped your hands down, furrowing your eyebrows sadly with a frown. The orange-haired boy looked up at you, examining the sad expression on your face.

He brought a hand out to you. "Uh, I mean..." He clenched his fist and closed his eyes, stuttering out a collected explanation. "It's just that... I keep losing to him, and I hate it."

You let out a small gasp at his words. He had been truthful and outward with his emotions, and you noticed how much he struggled to even express them.

"Never mind, okay?" he said. "You should head home." He stood up and continued his cleaning. You watched him with your mouth slightly agape, in awe of him. "You've got work today, right?" He began to mop but then paused, rubbing at his chin and massaging his jaw. "He was a lot rougher on me than usual. Guess he's in a bad mood."

That caused you to frown even more.

🍙

You promised yourself that you would work diligently to clean thoroughly when you walked into your job's building. You did just that, helping a few of your coworkers with their tasks as well. The older ladies always thanked you and handed out whatever candy they had in their pockets.

You changed into your school uniform in the changing rooms, your muscles aching from the work you had done. "Bye! Have a good night!" you smiled at your colleagues as you waved to them goodbye. They reciprocated with a smile and a wave of their own.

You walked down the dark hallway, your thoughts being the only thing making a sound. Despite it being in your head, of course.

Your face held a worried expression as you thought. Kim-Ssi's so polite. And he's always considerate of other people. You rounded the corner and walked down the stairs. But maybe he can only be that way if he bottles up all of his own feelings. Until...

You missed a step, causing you to flail your arms before you tumbled down. You landed at the bottom of the stairs. You sat up and scrunched your face. "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow," you whispered, not wanting to be a bother. Your books were scattered across the floor, your school bag having been flung when you fell.

You sighed. "Guess I shouldn't think so hard when I'm going downstairs."

The sound of laughter shocked you out of your bubble. You looked up and spotted a person sitting on the couches in front of you.

"Oh, hello there," you smiled, your cheeks heating up from embarrassment. They must have watched you tumble down the stairs...

The person hopped up from the couch and walked over to you.

It's so late in the day, you thought to yourself. I'm surprised someone's here.

The person stopped in front of you and you examined what they wore. It seemed luxurious, a nice-looking coat for the upcoming weather, and expensive-looking sunglasses. They leaned down to you. They looked at your satchel, your notebooks hanging out with your name written upon it.

"Oh," they said as they read out your name. "'Y/N'?"

"Huh?" you sputtered.

"You're Bae Y/N?" they questioned enthusiastically as they leaned down to you more.

"Yes, that's me, but how do you know—?"

"Sieh da! Welch ein gluck!"

They shouted in a foreign language as they took off their sunglasses. You froze in shock, having no idea what was just said to you. Huh? What language is that?

"Schon dich-kennenzulernen," they continued. They held their arms out wide. With them in clear view, you could see them properly. Their hair was black, and they had masculine features, which caused you to conclude that they were a boy. He was shorter than you were, and definitely at least a year younger. He had large expressive eyes, which almost seemed to resemble boba pearls.

Still, you smiled hesitantly and shook your hands at him. "I'm sorry, but I don't understand."

The boy just smiled and leaned down to place a peck on your cheek. You gasped and your cheeks flushed.

"Sehr hubsch!" he exclaimed.

Your mind went fuzzy at the interaction, your head spinning slightly. "Uh. Okay! I mean, that was..." You chuckled nervously. Then you came back to your senses, picking up your belongings quickly. "Sorry, but I've gotta go now!"

You ran out of the building, and while you ran you dropped a poster from within your bag. The poster for the Culture Festival. The boy held it up in his hand, intrigued.

"What's this?" he asked. His eyes widened when he saw what it stated.

You stopped outside the building, catching your breath on the sidewalk. You held onto the railing, gripping it tight. The interaction between you and the boy was short and sweet, too sweet for you. Your face heated up.

You heard footsteps from right beside you. "Bae-Ssi," a deep voice said, "you seem flustered."

You gasped and stuttered out an explanation, a funny expression on your face. "Huh?! Oh, there was just a stranger, and I, um..."

"Stranger?" the silver-haired boy asked.

"Bae-Ssi?" you questioned once you recognized Taehyung. He smiled at you.

"Scare you?" he asked. "I'm sorry."

"I wasn't expecting to see you," you said, holding your hands to your chest. "Are you here to walk me home?"

"Mm-hm," the boy hummed. "You shouldn't be out this late on your own."

You smiled at him, your cheeks heating up once more. "Thank you for thinking about me. You and Jimin are always so kind."

Taehyung looked taken aback by the statement. Then he moved his gaze downward to the side. He turned. "Well, then, shall we?" he asked before he began walking down the street.

"Please!" you called out. He paused and turned around to you. "Wait just a second!" You ran up to him. "I wanted... Well, I wanted to tell you that if there's anything that's been bothering you, I'm happy to listen." He gasped silently. "It's like how telling somebody your bad dreams makes them not so scary. I thought, if you get comfortable sharing your burdens with me, then maybe they wouldn't—"

Your sentence was cut short as a drunk man approached you, shoving you into Taehyung harshly. "All right, kiddos, it's gettin' late. Quit flirtin' and go home already."

The man and his equally drunk friend did not turn around once. Not to see Taehyung enveloped in blue smoke and appear out of it as a gray rat.

You kneeled and frowned deeply as the loud train passed nearby. "I meant it about wanting to help," you reassured. "Only now it looks like I've gone and made everything worse, like I always do."

You helped gather his clothes in your arms as well as your own satchel before setting out to walk. The streets were mostly empty. Nightlife in the city was quiet on the weekdays such as these, so Taehyung didn't worry about being spotted. So therefore you did not worry either.

You walked along the Han River bridge, with only a few cars driving by.

"Back when I lived at home," you perked up as Taehyung spoke, his rat form walking next to you on his hind legs, "it felt like I was in a cage, with the main family and Nagyung always watching. I longed to have a normal life. To be surrounded by normal people. That's why I applied to a co-ed high school and left home... But I was deluding myself. I haven't really managed to leave the cage. I'm still living in a Sohma house, and I still have no idea how to interact with normal people. I think I'm subconsciously keeping my distance so nobody will get too close. But... Jimin is different."

In Taehyung's mind, he could see Jimin with Jeonghan and Jisoo. They were close, laughing, and he was distant from that. From having friends. From being close to someone.

"People are drawn to him. And he may be anxious at first, but once he's used to them, he relaxes. He's always been like that. Even if he can't be one of the 12, he knows how to get along with regular people."

Taehyung looks down at his hands, pausing. You paused along with him, listening intently.

"That's better, if you ask me. I wish I could be like that, more than anything. It's why he gets on my nerves. When I see him trying so desperately to join the same Sohmas I wanna escape, I can't help but think, 'What's wrong with me?'"

His voice sounded so disappointed, so dejected, so full of sorrow. You turned to him. "Nothing's wrong with you," you said in a gentle voice. He looked up at you. "Plenty of people out there are drawn to you, too." You knelt to his level. "Girls at our school really like you. They think you're a kind person."

Taehyung's face pointed downward, his eyebrows up in sorrow. "I'm only being kind because I want them to like me," he said. He walked forward once more and your eyes followed him. "Same as a child handing out candy because he wants the other kids to play with him. I'm nice for my own benefit." He paused and looked up. "Maybe I'm a phony."

The corner of your eyebrows furrowed upward, your eyes saddened as you looked at the boy in his rat form. I think I'm starting to understand what the problem is, you thought. Jimin is jealous of Kim-Ssi, and Kim-Ssi is jealous of Jimin. That's why they resent each other so much. I guess it makes sense. But as far as I'm concerned, they're both really great in their own way. So why...?

You stood up and walked over to Taehyung. "I wish you and Jimin could—"

A comically strong storm rained down on you, and just then Taehyung transformed back into his human form. You yelled and turned around quickly, handing his clothes behind you.

"Just wonderful," Taehyung sighed.

🍙

Namjoon served himself Soju as he listened to the news. He had a helping of your prepared meals sitting in front of him.

"An unexpected typhoon will bring high winds and heavy rain through tomorrow morning..."

"We're home," Taehyung announced as he entered the living room. You followed not far behind him, wrapped in a towel. The silver-haired boy was also wrapped in a tower himself. "Is that the weather?" he asked as he spotted the news.

"It's getting ugly out there," Namjoon nodded. "They're saying it's an unexpected typhoon."

"It is really coming down," you noted.

Taehyung walked through the living room to the outside sliding doors. The outer measure doors were closed as well to keep the outside hallway protected.

"Uh!" Namjoon shouted. "You're dripping everywhere!"

Taehyung walked determinedly through the house, grabbing a large blue tarp by the door and heading outside. You followed behind him, discarding your towel as he did as well.

You followed behind him. "Kim-Ssi!" you shouted after him. The boy paused and turned around. He watched as you walked cautiously down the hill, your hands out in front of you in case you fell.

"Bae-Ssi!" Taehyung shouted. "It's dangerous out here!"

"This is nothing!" you assured him, holding your hands into fists now. "When the last typhoon came through, I spent the night outside my tent holding—" You yelped and slipped on a particularly smooth rock. A hand caught you before you could hit the mud.

"You okay?" he asked, concern laced in his voice.

"I'm fine, sorry," you replied sheepishly. "But, Kim-Ssi, what're you doing out here?"

"This way," he said, resorting to not responding to your question but to show you. He walked forward and you tagged along as he held onto your wrist.

"I don't understand. Where are we going?"

He stopped in front of a large garden. You gasped at the size of it.

"Wow, it's a farm!" you gasped.

"I'd say more of a vegetable garden, actually," the silver-haired boy stated.

"How cool! Did you plant it all yourself?"

"Mhm." He turned his face towards you. "The secret base I mentioned."

"That's so heroic!" you smiled in admiration. "Risking life and limb to protect your base from the typhoon. Please allow me to join you in your noble fight!"

The two of you lifted the tarp over the garden, a determined smile now plastered on your face. Taehyung stared at you in awe, his mouth agape.

"You're a truly kind person," he told you.

You gasped and let go of the tarp, holding your hands up to your flushed cheeks. "Oh, gosh. You're kidding, right? I mean, nobody's ever said anything like that to me before." The tarp started to fly away and you yelped. You grabbed onto it again and held it back down. "Well, maybe it's sort of like what you were talking about earlier: A phony kindness to make it seem like I'm a good person."

"No, in your case, I think it comes naturally," he said, amused by your actions. He began to pin the tarp down.

"You know," you spoke up, "my mom once told me that it was always better to believe instead of doubt. She said human beings aren't born with kindness. That's something that only comes to us later. All we have at first are desires. For things like food and shelter. Basically, just survival instincts. She said kindness is our hearts growing inside us. Growing like people—at different rates, in different ways. And... that's why one person's kindness might look different from another's. So..."

You looked down at the tarp longingly. You missed your mother so. You could hear her voice speak to you in your mind in times like these. The moment was blurry now in your memory, but you could still hear it clear as day.

"It's simple to understand desire," she said in front of your father's gravestone, "because it's something everyone has from birth." The two of you stood there. You were younger, barely four years old as you listened to her intently. "But each person's kindness is pretty much handmade by them, so it's easy for others to misunderstand it, or assume that it's phony. But, Y/N..."

"It was exciting to think there were different shapes of kindness in the world, like round ones or pointy ones. None quite the same. This may sound strange, but your kindness reminds me of a candle. It lights up." You smiled at him and he stared at you. "When it does, I can't help but smile at the warmth it gives off. There's nothing phony about it. That was probably a pretty strange analogy, I bet."

"No, not at all," Taehyung assured. "Actually, I'm kind of ashamed. I shouldn't have unloaded all of that on you."

"I'm glad you did," you told him. "The more you tell me about your life and feelings, the better friends we can become. It makes me so happy you felt like you could let me in." You looked down. "Oh. I guess that was pretty rude."

"No," Taehyung brought his hands up. "I wasn't thinking that, I promise."

The tarp flew away again, and you caught it once more. Taehyung walked around to help set it down.

"I'll be quiet now and continue my mission to protect the base!" you said intensely. Taehyung looked to the side with a far-off look in his eyes.

"But, Y/N," your mother continued in your memory. "... I want you to believe in people. She knelt to your height. "Doubting is easy. Anybody can do that. You be the kind of girl who can have faith in others. One day, I know... that will help someone."

You smiled to yourself. You always know, Mama.

The storm died down and you and Taehyung finished holding down the tarp while the typhoon went on.

"We defended it to the end!" You lifted your arms in the air as you cheered.

"At the low cost of getting half-drowned," Taehyung commented. He removed the tarp carefully.

"Are there any vegetables ready to harvest?" you asked.

"Well, the chives might be," the silver-haired boy said as he lowered to the ground to check on the plants.

"Chives?" you questioned. You turned around and placed a finger on your chin. "Chives, chives."

"Bae-Ssi."

"Huh?"

"I'll play Rich Man-Poor Man next time," he promised as he picked the chives out of the soil.

"That's wonderful!" you smiled. "Although, if you're not interested, you don't have to."

"Mhm. It's just, everyone else was so outgoing. I didn't feel comfortable." Your face fell at his remark, feeling saddened. "But I'll work on that." He stood up, his back faced toward you. "It may take me a while, but I want to learn how to interact with people."

Your smile returned and you clenched your fist in happiness in front of you. "It'll be so fun! Lee-ah is great. Yoon-ah, too. I'm super proud to call them my friends. Plus, I'll bet you'll be good at it. And I know they'll love the chance to defeat a strong opponent."

Taehyung smiled as he turned to you, the sun shining behind him. You saw him differently, especially in the lighting he was in now. His smile seemed brighter and his face softened more than it had ever before. "I'll win. Just wait."

Oh wow. I think that's the first time I've seen his true smile, you thought as Taehyung walked past you.

"We'll have to take hot baths when we get home or we'll catch a cold," he stated.

Someday, maybe he'll even smile like that at school, the thought made you smile as you clasped your hands together in front of your chest. I can't imagine how popular he'd be then.

🍙

You couldn't sleep, so you got to work in the kitchen preparing rice balls for the future Culture Festival using the chives from Taehyung's garden. You had made a couple of dozen when Jimin walked into the kitchen with a towel over his head.

"The hell's goin' on here?" he exclaimed. "Plannin' to start a rice ball business?"

"Oh, good morning, Jimin," you greeted. "I'm experimenting to get ready for the Culture Festival. You're out of bed early, as usual, huh?"

He walked around the table, closer to you. "It's not early. It's normal. So were you out at the garden with Taehyung all night long?"

You spooned rice from the rice cooker into your hand, burning yourself in the process. "Ow, ow, ow, that's really hot!" you whispered. You turned to Jimin to respond, shaping the rice ball in your hands. "Yeah. We needed to defend the vegetables from the typhoon."

Jimin picked up a rice ball from your dozens.

"I'm particularly proud of that one," you told him. "You'll have to tell me what you think."

Jimin took a bite and his face immediately scrunched up in repulsion. He hurried over to the sink and poured himself a glass of water to chug down. You placed the rice ball down and turned to him, neatly folding your hands in front of you.

Jimin sighed as he clutched the sink. "What are these?!"

"Rice balls made with chives," you replied softly. "So you don't like them, then?" You didn't take it to heart. Not everyone had the same palate as the next person, it was all a matter of preference.

"No way! I freakin' hate chives!" Jimin shouted. He turned off the faucet and moved to the rice cooker. "What's wrong with sticking to something normal, like salmon or octopus filling? I'll just make my own." He scooped up some rice and placed it in his hand, perfectly kneading the rice into a ball.

You watched with your mouth agape, in awe of how he formed the ball. "Wow! That's so amazing!" You clasped your hands in front of you.

"Huh?" Jimin questioned.

"The way you shaped that rice ball! You're great! Really!"

Jimin moved his head to the side, a faint blush on his cheeks as he held a nonchalant expression. "It's not a big deal. I had to make my own food while I was training. But just 'cause I can make it doesn't mean it'll taste good."

"It's still impressive," you stated. "If someone was working hard training to make rice balls, I think they would be very jealous of how good you are at it."

Jimin hummed in shock. He walked over to the living room to sit at the table. "Rice ball training isn't something people do. Where do you even get these ideas?" He grabbed the remote and turned the TV on.

You stared at him as he ate. But that doesn't change the fact that it's great, you thought. Why doesn't he realize?

You gasped at the realization. "I think I know," you spoke aloud. "Maybe you can't see it 'cause it's on your back."

Jimin grunted in confusion, turning to look at you. "Huh?"

"Just think, if a person is a rice ball, and what's great about that person is a pickled plum, the problem is, the plum's on their back, where they can't see! Maybe everyone in the world is walking around with plums on their backs. All different kinds. No two of them are exactly alike. But since they can't see their backs, they can't see the plums that make them unique. They think they don't have anything special—that they're just plain white rice. Even though that's not true at all. Even though they really do have a plum of their own."

You tightened your arms to yourself as you spoke your thoughts out loud. You closed your eyes.

"Maybe that's the reason we get jealous. 'Cause when it comes to plums, other people's are a lot easier to see. So trust me when I say, I can see it. Plain as day. You have a plum right there on your back."

You walked over to the orange-haired boy, kneeling and crouching forward.

"Sure, Kim-Ssi is great, but the thing is, so are you."

"Uh!" Jimin exclaimed. He turned away from you, his cheeks heating up. He looked down at the floor with his shoulders tense. "Okay, seriously! Where do you get these ideas? And why did you have to pick plums of all things for your stupid analogy?"

You gasped. "I'm sorry, you're right!" You waved your hands around. "Maybe I should've used salmon instead!"

A loud piercing noise came from the kitchen. You stood up to turn off the stove. "Whoops. The kettle." The noise died down and no longer attacked your ears.

"Hey," Jimin called out. You turned around to him with a small "Huh?" He faced away from you, his shoulders still tense. "You've got one, too, on your back." His voice was gentler than before, softer on purpose than naturally. "You know, a plum," he said as he faced you. "I can see it."

You smiled and rushed over to him, a hand over your heart. "I do? Really? Are you sure?"

"Yeah," he replied nonchalantly, turning away now. "It's only a little one, though. A really, really, really little one."

"Little ones are delicious," you smiled.

Taehyung walked into the kitchen, looking between you and Jimin. "You're up already?"

"Oh!" you exclaimed as you noticed the silver-haired boy walk in. "Actually, I never went to bed."

"Are you kidding?" Taehyung asked, shocked. "You didn't get any sleep at all?"

You smiled at him and clasped your hands together in front of you. "Nope! With all the exciting things to think about, my brain wouldn't turn off."

He turned around to the dining table in the kitchen. "What's this?"

"Rice balls with chives," you replied. "Jimin says he doesn't like chives, though."

"Yeah, because they're inedible," the orange-haired boy chimed in.

Taehyung walked over to the table and grabbed a rice ball, walking over to Jimin and grabbing him by the nose before shoving the rice ball into his mouth.

"Ah!" Jimin yelled.

"Eat it," Taehyung ordered.

You gasped worriedly.

Is it a lost cause? you thought to yourself. Will they hate each other forever? I can't help but think, if they could each understand the other's good points, maybe they could get along.

You imagined it.

Jimin and Taehyung would clasp hands at the beach, the Sun setting behind them.

"You know, I've really misunderstood you," the silver-haired boy would say. "I'm sorry."

"Right back at ya," Jimin would say. "Sorry, man." They would hold hands. "We should cherish our friendship! Let's never fight again, 'kay?"

"Yeah!"

You cringed at your delusion. Somehow, that's not any better.

The doorbell rang and distracted you from your thoughts. "Coming!" you announced and you rushed to the door. You opened it, finding that there was no one behind it. You turned your head around to catch a glimpse of someone.

"Excuse me."

You heard a faint voice in the distance and you swiveled your head in that direction. "Hello?"

A girl with short brown hair peeked out from behind the closest tree to the door. "Um." Her cheeks were dusted in blush as she held a hand to her chin. "I'm sorry to bother you, but is it true?" She lifted her head.

"That Jimin is here?"

You flailed your arms around before the black dog took a signature stamp to stamp the package. The deliveryman chuckled.

"Aren't you a smart little poochie?" he cooed at the animal. The man then turned to you and placed the package in your outstretched hands. You had no time to react as you stood frozen in shock. The deliveryman took off quickly. "Thanks a lot, ma'am. Have a good day!"

You plopped to the ground heavily with an exasperated sigh.

Once the man was gone, the orange cat arched its back in front of the black dog. "Ugh!" the voice of a boy sounded from the feline, and you turned your head in the direction of the three animals. "We could've covered if you jerks hadn't transformed, too!"

"You're the one who screwed up first, stupid Cat," the voice of Taehyung came from the gray rat that sat upon the black dog's head. The dog simply lay on the concrete that bordered the outside of the house.

There was a whole other level of disbelief you were experiencing at that moment when words fell from the animals' mouths. And they can talk, too? you thought with a bewildered look plastered across your face.

The black dog sat up and barked between the back-and-forth of the Cat and the Rat. He sighed a humanistic sigh as the orange cat hissed. "We can either tell her the truth or make a story she won't believe anyway," he spoke with the voice of Namjoon. He turned his head in your direction. "As you can see, I'm the Dog, Taehyung is the Rat, and Park Jimin over here is the Cat. We're all possessed by animal spirits."

The orange cat now identified as the previous orange-haired human boy named Jimin sat down with a humph.

"Ten others distantly related to us are similarly possessed by the different zodiac animals," Namjoon continued his explanation. You listened with a slow nod of your head, your eyes intently on him. "It's been this way for generations. Unfortunately, it doesn't give us any especially cool powers to speak of. Pretty much all we can do is communicate with our respective animals, and we transform when our bodies are weakened or when hugged by someone of the opposite sex. We automatically turn human again after a while."

On time, orange, blue, and green smoke surrounded them and they were back in their human forms—

"Completely naked, I'm afraid."

You turned around with a shriek, covering your face with your hands with your eyes shut tightly.

🍙

Namjoon adjusted his Hanbok as Taehyung flattened his shirt down next to him. You sat at the table in the living room, your eyes trained on your hands that rested in your lap. Jimin sat in the hallway that led to the outside, his back towards the rest of the room.

"Sorry about that," the eldest male said. "I know it must've come as quite a shock to you. Now, then, are you feeling a bit calmer?"

You nodded. "I think so, but it's kind of a lot to take in." Your eyes lit up once you remembered. Of course! you thought. That must be why Kim-Ssi shoved away that girl who tried to hug him.

Namjoon sat at the table across from you. "I have to say, that was a pretty pathetic showing, Jimin. I mean, you are a trained martial artist. Shouldn't it be a little harder for a girl to sneak up on you?" You moved your head to look behind you, and you could see how the orange-haired boy shook in rage at what the black-haired man was saying. "You really have eyes for no one but Taehyung, don't you?"

Jimin turned around furiously. "Don't make it sound like that!" he shouted with cheeks red from anger. "It's not my fault! You're the ones who let a girl into this house!" He pointed a finger at you and your heartbeat quickened as you gave out a scared gasp at his outburst. "Why is she even here?!"

"Calm yourself," Taehyung warned with a placid tone. "You have absolutely no say in who we allow to come in the house. You're an outsider."

That seemed to add more fuel to the fire as Jimin grunted and got to his feet. "Shut up!" he shouted and punched the table, effectively breaking it in half as both ends poked up.

One of the ends grazed your forehead, having sat too close to the danger zone.

"Oh crap," Jimin said when his eyes caught the scene.

Namjoon had his hands on the ground to propel himself upwards and Taehyung had his hands outstretched to you once the table dropped to the ground.

"Is that blood?" Namjoon questioned. Sure enough, blood poured from the small wound now on your forehead.

You gasped quietly and moved your arms around in the air. "Huh? I'm bleeding?!"

"Oh, dear, we should get a bandage on that immediately," the black-haired man informed the other two.

Jimin held an alarmed expression on his face before Taehyung wiped it off with a slap from the back of his hand. The slap sent the orange-haired boy backwards a few steps.

"I knew you were a moron, but I didn't think you were this stupid," Taehyung stated. He unbuttoned a small portion of his shirt for extra room. "Out of respect for the sheer depth of your idiocy, I'll do you a favor and fight you for real." Jimin's glare hardened. "So... please try not to bore me." He brought his hand up in a proper fighting position.

"Give it all you've got, you little girly boy!" Jimin shouted as he went to strike the silver-haired boy with a kick. Taehyung dodged.

The two of them continued at it while Namjoon returned with a first aid kit. Your eyes glanced over the two boys with worry, and your hands brought up just in case someone requested help from an injury. "Are they...?"

Namjoon held up tweezers with a cotton swab dipped in hydrogen peroxide. He lightly dapped the wound as he cleaned away any bacteria or possible infection. He gently took your chin between his thumb and forefinger to maneuver your head around. "Oh, this is normal. Get them in a room together and they're bound to go off. You know, like fire and gasoline."

"Um, okay, but shouldn't we try to stop them?" you asked.

"Let them spar," Namjoon answered. He took a bandaid from the kit and lifted your hair out of your face, placing it on the scratch. "Taehyung will win." You watched as Taehyung gracefully dodged all of Jimin's moves. "Like he always does."

With one kick, Taehyung sent Jimin flying through the screen doors and into the pond outside.

"Just as I feared," Taehyung said nonchalantly. Your jaw dropped as you watched Jimin plop into the water. "You were a bore."

"Wow," you blurted. "He went flying."

"It's like the two of you are trying to trash my house," Namjoon sighed in defeat.

Taehyung crouched down next to you, eyes steadily studying your face. Your heartbeat raced as you stared into his blue eyes. "How badly are you hurt?" he asked, concern laced in the question.

You waved both your hands at him. "Oh, I'm totally fine, really," you assured him. "Don't worry, it was just a bump." Your eyes glanced at the pond just outside. "But is he okay?"

"Probably," Taehyung replied. Just as he said that, Jimin resurfaced from the water and held onto the rocks that surrounded the pond. He gasped heavily and panted against the rocks. "Yes, I'm sure he'll be fine. There, you see?"

You returned your attention to Taehyung after you assessed that the orange-haired boy was alive and well. He still had his head in the direction of the pond, giving you a perfect look at his even more perfect side profile.

I never imagined that the boy known as "The Prince" would be so tough, you thought. When he's at school, he's so... School!!

You gasped and stood up abruptly. "Oh my gosh, I have to hurry or I'll be late to class!" You bowed repeatedly to Namjoon and Taehyung, who both sat on the floor still. "I'm sorry for running off like this, but it's important to me to go to school every day, I hope you understand."

Namjoon smiled softly at you. "Yes, you did promise your late mother," he said. "Don't apologize. Though, I should let you know, I will have to report that you witnessed our transformation to Nagyung, the Family Head."

Taehyung stood and walked past you, emotion void from his face. You hadn't had a chance to see before you bowed to Namjoon once more.

"'Family Head'?" you repeated aloud. "Wow, that sounds important. 'Kay, I understand." You nodded your head in acknowledgment. "I guess I should go change my clothes now."

"Of course," Namjoon agreed with a nod of his head.

You walked through the hallway to the upstairs, quick to get ready.

Once you were out of earshot, Taehyung spoke as he held a hand on his shoulder. "That explains why you were so quick to tell our secret." Namjoon hummed and looked in his direction. "She'll have her memories altered. Like those others did before."

Namjoon directed his gaze down to the grass in the lawn, still holding a soft smile. "No, this is much different. Back then, there were so many people involved that we didn't have a choice."

Taehyung's eyes were hardened. "I should get going, too," he said and walked along the hallway. "Hey, stupid Cat, you'd better fix the roof in her room," he directed to the orange-haired boy who still sat in the pond.

"Jimin, look after the place, will you?" Namjoon asked. He got on his feet, eyes still on the younger boy in his front yard. "Don't you dare think about running off again while I'm gone either. Apologize to Y/N whenever you see her, too."

With that, every person had left for the places that needed them.

🍙

"Y/N," Haewon called out as the bell chimed. "It's not like you to be late," Haewon continued as she and Chaewoo reached your desk. "You oversleep?"

You made it to class a few seconds late, usual for you as you'd always make sure to be in class at least half an hour before the school day began. You placed your satchel bag underneath your desk as you sat down. A lot circled in your brain, thoughts clouding up your mind, causing you to lose track of time.

"Huh? Oh. That's right." You smiled up at your two friends.

"So you admit that you're super lazy," a voice from the classroom doors echoed. You turned your head in the direction, finding two girls from the day before who had harassed you about Taehyung. "You should've stayed at home and gotten more beauty rest."

Chaewoo turned and the two girls jumped up in shock, exiting the classroom immediately. She followed behind them, a dark cloud looming over her head.

Haewon rubbed her temples. "The prince was late, too, so they're extra on edge," she explained to you. "And suspicious."

You felt sweat build up on your forehead. I definitely can't tell them I stayed at his house.

Chaewoo walked back into the classroom as Haewon continued to comment on her peers' behaviors, "What a buncha airheads. Must be nice to be so dumb."

Taehyung watched their interactions with one another from where he stood at the front of the classroom. His gaze never faltered from you.

🍙

You walked down the hallway and made your way to the bottom floor of the school, humming a gentle tune as the sun began to set outside the windows. The heat from the Sun beat down on you despite it being the late afternoon.

"Bae-Ssi?"

Taehyung's voice paused you in your tracks. You turned your head in its direction, finding an open classroom door.

"Is that you, Kim-Ssi?" you asked as you stepped inside.

Taehyung leaned against the classroom wall, his eyes cast downward. "What did you tell your friends?" he asked. "Our secret, is it safe?"

"I-I didn't tell them anything," you assured. "Oh no! Were you worried that I would go and blab to everybody?" You rushed over to him, your fist clenched over your chest. You could not imagine gossiping about such an important secret, especially about people who were so kind to you. "I promise, you don't have to worry about me. My mom always told me that only bad people spill secrets that have been entrusted to them."

"No, I'm concerned—"

Taehyung could not get a word out as you continued to reassure your loyalty to him. "Look, I'll swear you an oath. We could even seal it with fire or blood if you wanted to!" You held your hand out to him with a determined look in your eyes.

"No, listen."

"Mama apparently used to do stuff like that all the—"

"That's not the issue here," Taehyung stated. He walked up to you, towering over you and making you back up against the wall. He landed a hand next to your head. "I'm sorry, but even though you're doing your best not to tell, we might end up erasing your memories." His jaw tightened ever so slightly as a quiet gasp escaped you. "Well, not literally. It's more like a strong form of hypnotism..."

His eyes stayed downcast. "A long time ago, the truth about me came out, just like it did this morning. I was playing around with some friends and a girl hugged me. It was a giant mess. And in the end, everyone who saw it happen had their memories suppressed."

The memory surged back into his brain, replaying like it did many sleepless nights.

"Nagyung, am I really so strange that I have to hide who I am?" Young Taehyung stood before the Family Head, separated by a Shoji, his small fists tucked into his sides. He held a soft expression on his face, one filled with a hint of sorrow and worry.

"Yes," Nagyung replied. "You are. A person turning into a rat is obviously something no one would understand. People would be sickened by your existence, and they'd begin to avoid you at all costs. You would be utterly alone. Is that what you want?"

"Are you okay?" your voice delivered Taehyung far from that distance past. You had watched as he slouched forward, his eyes having a faraway look.

Taehyung released his hand from next to your head and moved away from you. "I'm sorry. But I can't go against whatever Nagyung says is right for us. No matter what's decided, I must go along with it." He grunted quietly and walked past you to the other side of the classroom. "That's just... how it is."

Confused, you reached out for Taehyung, clutching the back of his uniform. "Wait. Hold on, I—" You tripped over your feet, falling into the taller boy's back.

Blue smoke engulfed you as he transformed into a small gray rat. You put yourself into a corner against the wall, placing your forehead against it with your fists up. You sat on your knees as you faced your self-inflicted punishment.

"I'm so sorry," you apologized. "It was an accident, I swear! I-I'd never do that on purpose!"

"It's okay," Taehyung assured as his rat self sat along his clothing. "Just as long as no one saw."

You turned to him. "What I wanted to say was... I appreciate you being concerned about me." Taehyung moved his head towards you. You smiled at him. "It makes me happy. So, thanks. And I get what you said. This is an important secret I accidentally found out. Something that would have a huge effect on you. So please, I want you to do whatever will make you and your family feel the safest. Sure, the idea of forgetting does make me sad, but if that's what I have to do, I'll grin and bear it. I do have one thing to ask you. If I forget you, please befriend me again."

Taehyung transformed into his human form with a puff of blue smoke and you closed your eyes quickly with a gasp. The silver-haired boy put on his clothes immediately as you put yourself back in a corner.

"The amount of time we stay as animals varies," Taehyung explained as he shrugged on his button-up shirt. "There we go. All done."

You turned around, your eyes catching Taehyung standing up. "Oh," you said. You smiled as you noticed his wonky-placed tie. "Your tie is crooked."

"I'm not great when it comes to that," Taehyung said.

You simply stood up and held up your hands to adjust it. "No sweat," you smiled. "It's lucky for you, I'm here to help."

Taehyung stared at you with wide eyes, mouth slightly agape. Words that Nagyung told him repeated in his mind. "People would be sickened by your existence. You would be utterly alone."

"Bae-Ssi," he spoke up. You looked at him. "You don't feel... sickened?"

"Oh, no," you smiled with a shake of your head. Your hands still worked on his tie. "I'm all better."

"Huh?" Taehyung raised his eyebrows. "No, that isn't what I meant."

You had misheard "sickened" as "sick" and replied according to the nasty headache you had the previous night.

Regardless, you hummed as you finished up his tie.

"Shall we go?" he asked.

You nodded. "Yeah. Good idea."

The two of you gathered your belongings and headed out.

"Thanks for that," Taehyung said.

"No problem," you replied enthusiastically. "I've got a knack for neckties."

🍙

When you entered your new room in the Sohma-owned Kim House, Jimin had been up on a ladder. He dropped down and dusted off his hands. He had covered up the hole in the ceiling with a blue tarp and duct tape, and he seemingly swept away any debris from his crash landing.

"Call a pro to really fix it," he said sternly. His back was faced towards you. "For now, you just need to keep the rain out, right?"

You stood frozen for a moment before you bowed to him. "Oh. Thank you."

"H-Hey!" the orange-haired boy shouted.

You jumped at his loud voice. "Y-Yes?" you replied.

Jimin gripped the roll of duct tape in his hand tightly, his hand shaking while doing so. "I, uh, can get kind of a one-track mind when I'm upset," he said through gritted teeth. "So, about this morning... I wanted to say I'm so—"

"Taehyung, Y/N, I'm home!"

Namjoon announced himself and Jimin groaned loudly. You moved in the direction of the man's voice, outside your room.

"Is that clumsy kitten who lost another fight still here?" the older black-haired male continued.

Jimin pushed past you, taking the ladder with him in tow. "Forget it, dammit."

"No, please, wait!" you called out to him. You closed the door behind you as you walked out, tipping over one of your bags with a slam, an old blue hat falling out. "What were you saying?"

All four of you gathered downstairs in the living room as Namjoon informed that he had gotten a conclusion from the Family Head. You sat at the table on the floor as Namjoon rid himself of his coat, Taehyung standing behind him and Jimin sitting in the hallway outside listening in.

"It's good news," Namjoon said. "Y/N is allowed to live with us. So long as she continues to keep our secret."

You kept your hands in your lap with your eyebrows knitted in thought. "Does that mean I won't be punished?"

"As long as you stay quiet, you won't have done anything wrong," Namjoon told you.

"I will!" you smiled at them. You clenched your hands together in joy. Thank goodness! you thought. I get to keep my memories.

"To be honest, that plan almost sounds too good to be true," Taehyung commented as he crossed his arms. "Like you two might be scheming and mixing Bae-Ssi in some plot or other." He glared at his older cousin.

"Oh, come on," Namjoon smiled at him hesitantly, sweat building on his forehead. "Would I do that?"

The moment of that afternoon when he entered the Sohma estate flashed in his mind.

"I'll trust this 'Y/N' person, for the time being," Nagyung had said as a bird landed upon their outstretched finger. "This might be a good opportunity... for Taehyung and Jimin, as well as me."

Namjoon nervously laughed until your voice piped up.

"Excuse me," you said as you stood beside both Namjoon and Taehyung. Your hands were folded in front of your legs. "Um, it's probably a little late to be saying this, but I'm so glad I've gotten to meet you." You bowed deeply to them.

"The feeling's mutual," Namjoon responded.

Taehyung held a bewildered look on his face before red dusted his cheeks. He looked away from you as he replied, "Um, yes. I do agree."

You walked over to the outside hallway, leaning down to the sulking orange-haired boy. "And it's a pleasure to meet you, too. Uh, Jimin."

Jimin turned around angrily. "You can leave me outta this! I've got nothing to do—Uh!" Taehyung kicked him away immediately, back into the pond. Your mouth was agape at the scene. "What the hell was that for?!"

"Go away," Taehyung ordered. "Outsider."

You simply smiled at the two of them as they proceeded to bicker.

Well, I guess that's that. I'll be staying with the Kim Family for now.

🍙

"This is amazing," was the first thing to fall from Taehyung's lips when we entered the kitchen area. He had his eyes wide as he was impressed by your work. "I can't believe you managed to clean up such a disgusting kitchen."

"Well, I gave it my best," you smiled at him. You had been in the Kim House for a day now and had gotten a lot done.

Taehyung had his jaw dropped as he picked up an item from the counter. "I didn't even know that Namjoon owned a rice cooker."

"Yeah, I had to excavate it," you told him, flexing your bicep muscle to him.

You had also cooked a meal for everyone, placing it on the table in the living room. It seemed to be the most popular place in the whole house to eat food, despite there being a kitchen table.

Nonetheless, Taehyung brought his chopsticks to his mouth to take a bite of your food. You clenched your hands on the sides of the table, worry eating at your brain.

"How does it taste?" you asked. "I hope all the flavors are coming through."

"Delicious," Taehyung replied. "I haven't had a meal like this in a while."

Your smile lit up. "Oh, wonderful!" Knowing that your food was appreciated made your heart flutter.

"Where is Namjoon?" Taehyung questioned aloud. You paused your chopsticks in the air. "He and that stupid Cat have been gone for quite a long time."

Your eyebrows raised as you noticed that, yes, Namjoon and Jimin had been out for a while. You cleaned once they exited the house, and began making dinner as soon as the clock showed it was close to evening. You remembered that even Taehyung had left you alone in the house. "And you went out for a little bit earlier, too, didn't you?"

"Yeah," Taehyung responded. "To my secret base in the backyard."

"What? A secret base?" Your eyes lit up, your smile widening as you held your chopsticks tighter in your hand. "Is it like some private fortress?" Your thoughts ran rampant, wondering what the secret base would consist of. Maybe a secret cannon? A chimney? Definitely a secret door. Maybe barred windows? It had to have a secret toilet.

"Eh, it's probably not as interesting as you imagine," Taehyung said. He smiled. "But I can show it to you sometime if you'd like."

You gasped. "Wait, seriously?" You clasped your hands together and closed your eyes, rambling. "That's so exciting! I saw one once when I was a kid, but no girls were allowed inside—"

"Shut up!"

There came Jimin's voice as he aggressively opened the sliding doors. You paused your daydreaming and turned to face the doors, noticing that Namjoon was right behind the orange-haired boy.

"Will you listen to me for one second, Jimin?" Namjoon sighed exasperatedly.

Jimin stomped into the house with his shoes still on, your eyes watching him. Namjoon followed closely behind.

"I'm so pissed," Jimin said. Indeed, his face was hardened with anger. "Is this what makes you happy? Manipulating innocent people like me?"

You held your hands out, your mouth expelling noises as they walked in circles around the living room table.

"Slow down!" Namjoon said. "Sure, I'm enjoying this thoroughly... but it is what's best for you."

"Welcome home," you got out weakly. "Would you two like something to eat, maybe?"

Jimin turned his head sharply to you. "Hell no!"

You flinched at his words.

"Don't take your anger out on her," Namjoon ordered as he took his shoes off. "And no shoes inside." Jimin stomped away.

"Says the man who did laps around the room in his," Taehyung commented.

"How nice. Is that food for us?" Namjoon ignored Taehyung's comment as he eyed the food on the table.

You didn't reply as your eyes stayed fixated on Jimin's path out of the living room until he disappeared from view. "'Scuse me," you said. "Why's he upset?"

Namjoon removed his suit coat from his body and sat down at the table. He sighed. "It's his nature. Also, I might have tricked him into taking a school transfer exam." He loosened his tie.

You served Namjoon his bowl of rice and placed it in front of him. "A transfer?" you questioned.

"Yep, it's official and everything," the black-haired man said. "Tomorrow, our Jimin will be walking the same school hallways as the two of you." He smiled as he picked up his chopsticks and rice to his mouth. "Thanks for the food—"

"You're done," Taehyung stood above Namjoon, his aura menacing. The temperature in the room seemed to drop a few degrees as you shivered and wrapped your arms around yourself. "Put that down and get out."

"I knew you'd be mad," Namjoon acknowledged. "Here's the thing: This is good for him." He placed his chopsticks down as he spoke, resting his head in his hand as his elbow was on the table. "He should be going to the boys' school near his place, but he hasn't shown up to class in over four months now. Apparently, he's been training in the mountains."

"Why training?" you asked. Taehyung returned to his spot.

"All that he wants is to beat Taehyung in a real fight. They've been rivals ever since they were kids."

Your eyes glanced over at Taehyung. "He's an idiot," the silver-haired boy said. He stood up from his seat. "Thanks for the food," he added before he left the room.

"O-Of course," you said.

I wonder why Jimin wants to beat up Kim-Ssi so bad, you thought. Maybe he resents the fact that he was tricked. You thought back to the story your mother used to tell you about. Just like the Cat in the old zodiac story.

You cleaned the table once Namjoon left, your thoughts still swimming. But I get the feeling it's not my place to ask. At least, not right now. Especially since I'm pretty sure that Jimin doesn't like me in the slightest. Just my luck. I finally get to meet the zodiac Cat and everything goes wrong.

You bring your hand to your chest, a frown overtaking your features. You wanted him to feel welcomed. If not in the original feast, then here. In this house. In your heart.

🍙

"Where is he?"

"Look, over there. The boy with the orange hair!"

"Think it's his natural color?"

"He's super cute!"

"So, you're related to Kim-Ssi?"

"I bet you're crazy close, huh?"

"Tell us everything!"

Those were all words spoken by female classmates as they surrounded Jimin the next day at school. You, Haewon, and Chaewoo watched the scene unfold in front of you. His shoulders were extremely tense as his eyes wandered everywhere but the girls in front of him.

"He's terrified," you stated as Chaewoo helped fix up your hair from the uncalled-for lingering humidity. Her hair products were always on standby for you, knowing that your hair needed extra delicate care and attention.

"Hey, Taehyung," a student called out to the silver-haired boy who entered the classroom. You turned at the mention of your close classmate. "I hear that the newbie's related to you. Why haven't you introduced us already?"

The boy sighed and turned to the student who spoke to him. "Sorry, Sunbae. It's true that we are distantly related, but I've never spoken to him before." You noticed the way his face darkened, his tone dropping, and a strange smile on his face. You questioned his reaction and response.

"I'm diggin' his carrot top," Haewon commented as she kept looking at the new student. You turned to him as well, noticing a girl kneeling at his desk. "Maybe 'cause it kinda reminds me of the blazing hair your mom used to have, Y/N."

"Yeah," you nodded as Chaewoo still worked on your hair. You stared harder at Jimin, specifically his hair. It reminded you of the nights your mother would stay up just to dye her roots, crying because she wanted her hair that color naturally. You smiled softly at the memories. "Now that you say that, I see it."

"I feel them," Chaewoo paused her work on your hair. "His strong waves are exactly the same as Kim Taehyung's. They're odd. What am I sensing? It's almost as if the waves aren't human."

Your face froze as your friend spoke. Whoa, you thought. Chae's Wave Report is totally spot on.

Jimin stood up abruptly from his seat and it caught your attention. He walked away steadily from the crowd around his desk.

"Something wrong?" a girl asked.

"Hey," another girl said. She stood up and walked after him. "Where are you going? We were ta—" She grabbed his arm.

Jimin quickly grabbed the hand she placed on him and threw her to the ground, locking her arm in a self-defense position.

"Ow, that hurts! Let go of me!" she shouted.

"Oh my gosh! What is your issue?"

"Get your hands off of her!"

Jimin held an exasperated expression on his face before he let her go and opened a window. He climbed onto the ledge. "Everybody leave me alone!" He jumped from the building.

Everyone screamed in fear as they watched him fall. However, he fell perfectly on his feet. Then he proceeded to run away.

"Looks like he'll be fun to have in class," Haewon smirked.

All you could do was have your jaw drop.

🍙

Jimin panted heavily as he found a quiet place at the edge of the school campus, hidden from girls and shaded from the sun.

"Hey."

His silence was gone as Taehyung walked up to the boy, his arms crossed.

"Would you try thinking before you cause a big scene like that?" he asked sternly.

"Why do you go here?" Jimin questioned. "This place is crawling with girls. You're insane."

Taehyung faced away from him. "It's better than being forced to go to the all-boys' school Nagyung picked. I want at least one foot outside of the Sohma cage. I can't understand why you want to be inside it so badly."

Jimin glared at him and growled. He stood up quickly just as you rounded the corner to the alleyway. "Of course you don't! You'd never understand! I'm gonna win! I'll beat you and become a full-fledged member of the Sohma clan!" He charged at him. "I won't let them ostracize me anymore, you hear me?"

Jimin held onto Taehyung's collar, about to attack him. You gasped and rushed towards them.

"Please don't!" you shouted with a hand outstretched. Then you tripped over a rock and crashed into the orange-haired boy, wrapping your arms around him as you braced for impact. In orange smoke, he transformed into an orange car.

It was obvious that he was angry, even in his cat form. You sat on your knees, hands touching the ground with a terrified look on your face.

"I'm-I'm so sorry," you apologized. "But you shouldn't! If you fight at school, you-you could get in trouble, or—"

"Will you shut up already?!" Jimin shouted as he turned to look at you. His fangs protruded as he snarled. "This isn't any of your business! What's your deal anyway?! Stop causing problems and get out of here!"

Despite Taehyung ordering the cat-boy, "That's enough." he proceeded.

You froze up and started to move far away from the cat. Your expression made Jimin pause his outburst. You stood up and walked away. "Maximum... anger," you whispered to yourself. "He already hated me, and this made things even worse."

Jimin's tail dropped as you watched you leave.

"You really are a hopeless fool," Taehyung told him before he walked off by himself.

Jimin sat with his head down low. "Aren't you gonna kick me?"

Taehyung paused for a moment. "Sometimes not getting kicked hurts more." Then he walked away.

Jimin stared at his bracelet. The one with red and white that he'd wear in his human form. His ears flattened on his head.

🍙

"Your very first day and you skipped class?" Namjoon asked Jimin. The orange-haired boy lay out in the hallway, directly in the Sun's rays as it set across the horizon.

"Listen," the boy responded, "I wanna leave this house."

"It's only your third night here," the older man reminded. "Think of it as training. That'll help you tough it out."

There was silence for a moment. Jimin was on his side, an arm tucked under his head as he let his whole body weight heavily against the floor. "I always end up saying mean things to her," he admitted after a beat. "Every time."

Namjoon closed the newspaper he was reading. "Wait, who? Oh. You must mean Y/N."

"I can't do this, okay?" the orange-haired boy said. He sounded tired, his voice void of a fight like it usually would. Empty, hurt, regretful. "I'm not cut out for living so close to other people." He curled into himself more.

"Nah, it's just that you don't have much experience yet," the black-haired man teased. He opened his newspaper back up. "Think of it this way: You can break a table in half with one punch, we're well aware of that, but you're also capable of stopping that punch right before it lands." Jimin rolled to his opposite side to look at him. "That's because you've trained. And getting along with people takes practice, too. If you interact with strangers, you might hurt them, or you might end up hurt by them. But that's how you learn, about other people and about yourself. If you don't do that, you'll never be capable of connecting. So keep training and resist the urge to run away. Then, one day, when you meet a girl who says she loves you, you'll be able to treasure her completely."

Jimin had his eyes wide as Namjoon spoke, but as soon as he brought up the idea of a girl loving him, he rolled back onto his side. "Like such a girl exists," he scoffed.

"And what will you do if she does?"

"That's a pretty easy question. I'll start out by asking her if she's crazy."

"Is that so?"

Taehyung opened the door to the living room area through the kitchen. "I'm home," he announced.

"But where's Y/N?" Namjoon asked once he noticed your absence. "Still at school?"

"At work," Taehyung responded. "She won't be done until late, so I'm thinking of walking her home."

"Yeah," Namjoon nodded. "That's a smart idea. Perverts sometimes creep around here."

🍙

You sighed as you walked the path back into the Sohma estate. Exhaustion ached your bones as your mind was heavily burdened with swirling thoughts.

"Stop causing problems and get out of here!" You frowned at the words Jimin spoke to you, which you repeated in your brain.

You sighed once more. "When I said I'd quit being the Dog and become a Cat instead, I really meant it with all my heart," you whispered into the forest. "I can't believe the real Cat spirit hates me."

"Just be you, Y/N." You could hear your mother speak to you.

You clenched your fist and looked up at the sky determinedly. "I know I should be, Mama. This won't bring me down."

The crunch of gravel behind you had your shoulders tense up. The forest surrounding you was dark and the Moon was your only source of light.

You quietly gasped as you stood frozen in fear, your eyes wide and your jaw dropped. Don't tell me... Is this... some creepy forest pervert?

The footsteps increased, sounding closer to you. As soon as you heard the footsteps right behind you, you clutched your bag and swung it.

Your jaw dropped as you found the mystery person to be Jimin. He was unmoved by your attack, unscathed, but his eyes were wide in shock. He turned around quickly, his back facing you.

"Oh," you gasped as you brought your hand to your face. "Oh, no." You held your hand out to him as you stuttered out an apology. "Sorry, I was just doing practice swings! Lucky running into you out here! Are you going for a walk?" You swung your arms around as you attempted to make small talk with him. Your heart sank, slowly falling to your stomach, thinking of how much the orange-haired boy must resent you now.

"Cut it out," he said, his voice gentler than the times he spoke to you before. "So, you hit me. Whatever. Just drop it."

You brought your hands to your sides. "Okay. Uh, Jimin?"

"Yeah, what?" Jimin asked, harsh but not as harsh. Softer.

"I was just saying your name," you told him.

He turned around to you abruptly. "Well, it sounded like you were calling me!" he shouted.

You were quick to clutch your satchel to your chest, startled by his strong voice. "Sorry!" you squeaked out.

Jimin's face dropped once he looked at you. He softened his tightened fist and brought a hand to his face. He covered his eyes as he spoke. "No, it's fine. You can say my name without needing something. And I know you don't mean to cause any problems for us. And if I piss you off, you can go ahead and hit me, I don't care."

You brought your bag down and placed a hand on your chin. Am I reading this wrong, or is he trying to apologize? Is that why he's out here? To find me?

You looked at his reddened cheeks, from embarrassment you concluded. It must have taken a lot out of him to apologize, and yet he did.

"Hey, Jimin," you called out. The boy looked over at you and you bowed deeply. "I'm sorry I hurt you." You lifted your head to him. "But the honest truth is, I thought you were a pervert, that's why I swung my bag at you!" You felt your cheeks flush with heat once you admitted that.

Jimin brought an arm up in front of him, a flabbergasted look on his face. "Me? A pervert?"

You stepped forward to him. "I actually really like you!"

With that Jimin was taken aback.

"I have always loved the zodiac Cat!" you continued your confession with a determined look.

Jimin sputtered. "Uh."

"I'm serious," you said as you moved closer. "I even wanted to be born the Year of the Cat." You closed your eyes and shook your head. "I'm confusing you." You looked back at the big in front of you. "What I mean is, I want us to be friends!"

Jimin stared at you with an astonished look, hearing Namjoon in the back of his mind. "What'll you do if she does exist? A girl who says she loves you." He scoffed and waved a hand at you. "Ugh. Nothin's good about the Year of the Cat, okay?" Then he walked off, his cheeks still red.

You stood and watched him as he walked off.

I think... I might be starting to understand him, just a little bit. He can be awkward sometimes, yes, but I think he has a gentle heart. He knows what it feels like to be sorry. And he's an honest person.

You smiled to yourself, a small laugh falling past your lips. Jimin was an interesting character, one you felt would never have a boring day with.

Once you got back home, you cooked up a hot meal for the members of the house. Quick and easy, as the work day you had earlier was somewhat more treacherous than the day before. Japchae with pork belly, thinly cut carrots and cucumber, kimchi, small bowls of miso soup, soft eggs, crushed up seaweed, and bowls of rice.

"Why, Jimin," Namjoon spoke up at dinner, "you lecherous little deviant!"

Jimin slammed his hands on the table and leaned over it. Rage burned in his eyes. "What gives you the right to call me that?!"

"You know, Y/N," Namjoon directed to you and you turned to him, "he personally offered to walk you back from work so you'd get home safe and sound."

Jimin clutched his chopsticks in his hand as he turned to you. "That was a one-time thing; it won't happen again," he told you sternly.

"Okay," you nodded at the orange-haired boy. He sat back down in his seat and took a bite of his japchae. "But I'm glad you're here. It's really nice to see you eating a proper meal with us. So how is it? Up to your standards?"

Jimin gasped at your question. You wanted to know what he thought about the food? You cared about his thoughts? You cared about what he thought?

He looked in front of him, where Taehyung sat across the table. He glared as he found the silver-haired boy already looking at him. "What do you want?" he growled at him.

"Nothing," Taehyung replied nonchalantly.

"You were looking at me."

"You're in front of me."

"Sure, like you'd gimme that look for no reason!"

You frowned. "Is the food that bad?" you asked.

Jimin slammed down on the table and looked at you. "It is!"

Your heart felt stabbed by his comment, but you thought positively. "Then I'll try harder next time," you nodded.

Taehyung simply sighed at the Cat's behavior.

"I mean," Jimin stuttered. "Uh, no." His cheeks were red as he gritted his teeth and looked away.

As you can see, Mama, you said to your mother's photo later that night, a warm feeling washing over you as you tucked her into her shelf next to your grand new bed Namjoon had bought the previous day, we patched things up. And I have a feeling the days ahead will be fun!

— 𝕹AME   𓈒   Bae Y/N

— 𝕬GE   𓈒   16

— 𝕯ATE OF BIRTH   𓈒 00.00.0000

— 𝕹AME   𓈒   Park Jimin

— 𝕬GE   𓈒   16

— 𝕯ATE OF BIRTH   𓈒 10.13.0000

— 𝖅ODIAC 𝕾IGN   𓈒   Cat

— 𝕹AME   𓈒   Kim Taehyung

— 𝕬GE   𓈒   16

— 𝕯ATE OF BIRTH   𓈒 12.30.0000

— 𝖅ODIAC 𝕾IGN   𓈒   Rat

— 𝕹AME   𓈒   Kim Namjoon

— 𝕬GE   𓈒   21

— 𝕯ATE OF BIRTH   𓈒 09.12.0000

— 𝖅ODIAC 𝕾IGN   𓈒   Dog

— 𝕹AME   𓈒   Yoon Haewon

— 𝕬GE   𓈒   18

— 𝕯ATE OF BIRTH   𓈒 02.25.0000

— 𝕹AME   𓈒   Lee Chaewoo

— 𝕬GE   𓈒   16

— 𝕯ATE OF BIRTH   𓈒 03.04.0000

🍙

You held your hand out towards the sky as the Sun beat its strong heat waves down on you. "Wow!"

You took a breath through your nose to take it all in. The earthy scent mixed with the distant smell of fresh water from a nearby stream.

"Usually the days start to cool off in mid-September, but it looks like we're in for another hot one!" You hummed before running into the little tent you got in the middle of the forest. You knelt to see all the contents of everything you owned in it.

Your eyes gazed at the picture of your mother, her beautiful short ginger blondish hair and wide smile accompanied by her childish pose with a peace sign.

You smiled. "All right, you look after my things while I'm gone... 'kay, Mama?" You took one last second before zipping up your tent fully and grabbing your school satchel. You got up and began to run off in the direction of your school. "Goodbye! I'll see you after school!"

You walked the trail up the hill which was on your path to your school, passing over rivers with fallen trees and stepping over fallen branches. You decided to check the time and brought out your pocket watch.

"I still have plenty of time before I need to get to class, so I think I'll explore the area a little bit," you spoke to yourself, giggling and climbing up the hills.

Eventually, it became tiring. But it was worth it to get to the top as the sight of the city filled your eyes and you felt like you had been sucked into a painting.

The breeze flew through your hair and cooled your legs down from the harsh walk, and a contented sigh escaped your lips as you closed your eyes.

*Ding ding*

You opened your eyes as you heard the sound of bells chiming close by.

"That's so pretty," you breathed out as your feet began moving.

You followed the sound, letting your ears guide you.

You stumbled upon a house that looked quite traditional, the structure holding an old Korean-style exterior. You opened your mouth in a small oval, a discovery!

You tiptoed closer to the open area of the house, where there lay a few scrolls and small clay animals. "How cute!" you beamed as you looked at all the creations. You saw a snake, a dog, and a rat.

So cute!

There were twelve in total, and every one of them was specially chosen for the Chinese Zodiac lineup. Oh, how you loved the story.

“Hello."

A voice pulled you out of your thoughts and you stood up straight immediately, your eyes growing wide with shock and your lips sealed tight.

A tall man stood before you in a home-styled hanbok, with black hair, brown eyes with plumped lips, and monolid eyes. He had thin eyebrows, soft cheeks, and a strong jawline.

He must be the owner of this house!

You internally squeaked as you felt your cheeks heat up.

"This is a surprise," the man continued as his eyes widened. "We don't get a lot of young girls wandering around here."

You quickly bowed up and down while saying your proper greetings. "Uh, good morning, sir! I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have been looking around without permission!"

"It's fine," the man assured, walking over to where you stood. "I just wouldn't imagine that a teenager like yourself would find this place interesting."

With that, you shook your hands at him in disagreement. "No, I really do though!" You smiled at him before diverting your eyes back to the clay animals. "Especially these Zodiac figurines you've got. Adorable."

"Yes," the man said. "They're a favorite of mine, too, actually."

Your heart raced quickly as you turned back to the man. "Really?! I love learning about them and their qualities, it's so unique and interesting!" You lowered your head towards the figures as you noticed something else. "Except, it looks like another set without the Cat," you smiled sadly.

"The Cat?" the man questioned. "Oh right. I see." He smiled softly at you. "You're thinking about the old Zodiac folktale, aren't you?"

You nodded at him and closed your eyes. "Uh huh!" You looked up at the bell that led you to this home. "My mom would tell it over and over when I was little."

The bell chimed as memories flooded back to you in your brain.

The bell chimed at the top of the window in your and your mother's old apartment. The wind blew softly through the open window and on your curtains to fan you and your mother as you two lay on the ground.

"Once upon a time," your mother started, and you listened intently to her story. "God made an invitation to the animals. God said, 'I'm having a banquet tomorrow and all of you are invited to come.'

"But the Rat was mischievous and loved to play pranks. He lied to his neighbor, the Cat, telling him the banquet was actually the day after tomorrow.

"On the day of the banquet, the Rat rode on the Ox's back, then leapt easily down to arrive first at their destination. After him came the Ox, the Tiger, and the rest of the animals, and they all feasted merrily until dawn. All of them, that is, except the Cat."

Tears welled up in your eyes and dripped down the sides of your face as you imagined how sad the Cat must have felt being left alone. He must have felt betrayed that not even his friends told him the correct date. He must have felt so alone.

Your mother moved so she could see your face, her long ginger hair falling perfectly like the curtain that flowed in the wind. "Sarangi, why the heck are you crying?"

"The poor Cat!" You bawled as you kept your eyes on your mother's beautiful face. "How sad!" You stood up from your bed and moved towards the open window, clenched your fist, and looked up at the bright moon.

"Okay! That's it! From now on, I'm a Cat, not a Dog!"

The memory faded as you ended the story with a soft smile on your face. The man had also followed your eye movements to the bell as it calmed down.

"Ahh," the man said knowingly, resting his head on his chin and he sat crisscross on the ground of his home. "If he heard that little story, I wonder how he'd feel."

"Um, pardon?" You tilted your head to the side in confusion with a small giggle.

"So, then," the black-haired man stated as he attempted to switch the conversation, "Year of the Dog?" he asked before moving back with a closed-eyed smile. "That makes me feel so much closer to you already. After all, I'm a Do—"

Suddenly, a satchel contacted the top of his harshly which interrupted his sentence. You gasped and froze as you saw who had done the damage.

A boy your age with silver hair and matching blue eyes had done the damage. You noticed his school uniform was identical to yours as he nonchalantly stated, "Will you at least try to control your baser urges?"

You couldn't quite understand what he meant by that, causing you to tilt your head once more. But you shook your head at it.

Looking more at the boy, you knew him from somewhere... his striking almond eyes, high nose bridge, and full lips looked so familiar. . .

"Bae-Ssi," the silver-haired boy turned to you as he started, his voice hitting low notes, "hello. I hope my cousin here hasn't frightened you too badly."

Of course, I know him! This is Kim Taehyung, we're in the same school year!

"Wait, Kim-Ssi?" you blurted out. "Why are you here?" You paused as you remembered you hadn't bowed to your elder. "I mean, good morning!" You brought your hands to your knees and moved your torso down at a ninety-degree angle.

"That really hurt! What do you have in there, a dictionary or something?" the black-haired elder male complained to his cousin.

The boy just carelessly placed his school bag on his back. "Two dictionaries, actually." His eyes then diverted to you, and he smiled. "Uh. Morning."

"What's this? You two know each other?" the man questioned as his eyes moved between you and the silver-haired boy.

"Bae-Ssi and I are in the same class," Taehyung responded.

You took this opportunity to bow to both of them and greet yourself. "I'm Bae Y/N! It's nice to meet you!"

"Same here," the black-haired man agreed. "My name's Kim Namjoon. Taehyung's my little cousin."

"What brings you to our house this morning?" Taehyung asked with his eyebrows softly raised.

You panicked internally as your eyes grew wide. "Um. I live around here, that's all." Hopefully, they wouldn't question it. I did just trespass on their property, which sits on a rather large hill.

"Around here?" Namjoon wondered. "Really?"

"You do?" Taehyung asked.

Sweat began pouring down your forehead as their questions were getting to you. You put up your hands defensively and started waving them around. "Well, I'll just be going!" You quickly ran to their house property exit.

"Bae-Ssi?"

You stopped in your tracks and turned around to him. "Yes?"

"You're headed to school?" Taehyung asked although you knew he knew the answer. "Why don't we walk together?"

Your smile lit up. "That's a great idea! Thanks!" You waved him over and walked over, beginning your trek to the school.

🍙

As you entered the school with Kim Taehyung, you felt the glares of his fangirls beating in the back of your head. You touched your hair like it was burning up.

"Alright, Bae-Ssi, I will see you again later," Taehyung held up his hand in a goodbye as you walked your separate ways.

"Bye!" You waved back to him with a smile.

As he walked away, a group of four girls came up to you, walking forward and backing you up into a corner.

"All right, Bae-Ssi!" the first girl exclaimed, her eyes striking as his blueish hair flowed behind her. "Explain!"

You put your hands up as the inner corners of your eyebrows raised to show that you were no threat.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"I'm... sorry?" It came out as a question. You weren't too sure why they would ask you. It could have been a coincidence that you two walked in at the same time.

The girl grumbled as her eyebrows furrowed, her hands on her hip. She moves back and places her hand on her chest, her chin high and poised. "Don't you know me? You should. I'm Prince Taehyung's representative! Kim Jisoo!"

"Oh, uh," you stuttered in confusion. "Prince Taehyung?"

"Club core principles!" Jisoo exclaimed.

"Never misappropriate Prince Taehyung's personal effects!" One of the girls with a green bow supporting her hair got close to your face as she shouted the rules.

"Never enter Prince Taehyung's home without permission!" Another girl with twin pigtails got next to the girl, getting close to your face.

You brought your hands down as you were pushed against the window.

You jumped as the last girl rushed up to you to shout the rules at you. "Never speak to Prince Taehyung without someone else present!"

They all humped away and left the representative in the middle. "Do you understand?" she asked, her hands on her hips. "We in the 'Prince Taehyung Club' are dedicated to worshiping the prince who graced our school with his presence." She began walking towards you, her hands up as she explained.

She pointed a finger at you and you picked up your hands close to your face in a defensive position.

"Bae-Ssi! You have publicly disregarded the regulations we painstakingly crafted for his protection! Now, we expect an extremely thorough explanation why you entered the school with Taehyung today! Speak!"

Jisoo slapped her finger back down again.

"I swear, it was a coincidence, that's all," you smiled at her.

Kim Taehyung. . . He's only a first-year, and he's pretty quiet, but thanks to his good looks he's already like the prince of our school.

"If that were a good enough excuse, we wouldn't need the club, now would we?" Jisoo accused. "But here we are!"

All the girls began to ridicule you, shout how your excuse was pathetic, and stomped at you. You closed your eyes to all the overwhelming noises and movements, your heart beating fast in your chest.

"I'm sorry I didn't know!" You got out, holding your hands to your chest.

"Hey, don't pick a fight over something stupid just 'cause your ego got bruised."

A familiar voice spoke up, low and intimidating. The four girls stopped their chaos and stood back away from the owner of the voice. You opened your eyes to find your two good friends, Yoon Haewon and Lee Chaewoo standing intimidatingly.

Jisoo and the girls backed away as she pointed an accusing finger at her. "Like you're one to talk! You delinquents think that making threats solves everything!"

"I'll use my waves," Chaewoo said in a deep voice, her eyes piercing at the girls. "So play nice." Her eyes seemed electrifying, and that caused all the girls to scream and run away.

You ignored them and turned to your friends with a smile. "Thank you so much," you told them. "Really. You saved me."

Haewon, who stood at 5'10, walked over to you and held you in a hug around your shoulders, holding you close as Chaewoo's electrifying eyes still glared at the girls running away.

"You poor thing, cornered by those mean girls," Haewon cooed as she rubbed her head against yours. "Hey, don't actually do the wave thing, Lee," she directed towards Chaewoo.

🍙

You held the chopsticks in your right hand and the soup ladle in your left as you stirred the perfectly made stew in the pot. At that moment, you were in a home economics class with Haewon and Chaewoo. The three of you were tasked with making yourselves lunch, which was super easy for you. You told your friends to sit down and relax and to leave it to you.

"I gotta admit, it is kinda weird you coming to school with the Prince like that," Haewon commented.

"Yeah, I was so nervous," you admitted, closing your eyes as muscle memory took over your hands. "Kim-Ssi is almost too beautiful," you sighed.

"You know," Chaewoo began, which made you open your eyes as you and Haewon looked at her, "There's something about his waves that I find rather strange." She held the flat part of a large kitchen knife up to her eyes.

"Another installment of Chaewoo's Wave Report," Haewon mused.

You put the stew's mixture into a small cup and brought it to your lips, tasting it. Once satisfied, you brought it down.

"Strange in what way?" you questioned, rather curious.

Chaewoo sheathed the knife. "That's the thing. I'm not quite sure."

All your eyes moved towards the boy you had been talking about, in the opposite corner of yours as he made his food. His hands moved quickly as he chopped up his vegetables.

"He does kinda give off a mysterious vibe," Haewon agreed. "I heard a second-year confessed her love to him a while back and went in for a hug. He sent her flying. Scared the heck out of her."

You could only imagine how that went down. Taehyung pushing the girl away dramatically, and then skedaddling away in a ballerina manner. You let out a light giggle at the sight in your mind.

You stopped your fantasy and came back to your senses. "Really? I didn't know about that." You looked down with a frown. "I wonder why."

"All right, you three," Teacher A stated as she walked up to your table. "Your hands should be moving, not your mouths." She looked down and gasped in shock that your food had been set up perfectly for the three of you. "You're done?"

"Yeah, it's not like it's rocket science," Haewon retorted.

"Don't you talk to me like that when I know full well Bae-Ssi did all the work!" Teacher A pointed a finger at the blonde-haired girl.

Chaewoo opened the rice cooker, the steam of the already-done rice rising. "The rice is done now, too."

"Ugh, fine!" The teacher moved away with her hands on her hips. This is what your mother would say, she stood corrected.

As the teacher walked away, you all started sitting in your seats.

"Anyways, Y/N, Chaewoo and I are going shopping after school today," Haewon said as she sat down. "You wanna come?"

Your lips turned downwards. "Sorry, I would, but I have to work," you told her with a small smile, sadly having to reject her offer.

"Man, you got a raw deal," she said with her arms crossed. "Having to work yourself half to death 'cause you promised to pay your own tuition." You kept a smile on your face.

"Still, you work almost daily," Chaewoo commented. "That's kind of a lot just for tuition, don't you think so?" You turned to look at her as your mouth formed a small 'O'.

Chaewoo passed over a bowl of rice to Haewon as you waited to answer her question.

"Oh, I'd like to live by myself after I graduate and housing can be expensive," you explained. "So that means I have to start saving up now!" You brought two of your fists up with determination.

"I don't wanna get all weepy so start eating and build up your strength," Haewon's voice wavered as her lips moved in a squiggly line.

You giggled at her. "Yes ma'am."

"You're offering like you're the one who cooked the food," Chaewoo mused, moving to hand you a bowl. You reached out to grab it.

"For now though, you're still staying at your grandpa's place, aren't you?" Haewon asked and you froze up, moving terrified towards the blonde.

"Yeah!" you said unconfidently.

"The old geezer had better be feeding you well, at least," Haewon said as you took a bite of your rice shakily. "And not squeezing all your wages out of you, either."

You laughed nervously at her.

"Exceptional," Chaewoo smiled as she ate.

I can't tell her about my living situation. If Haewon knew I was living in a tent in the middle of nowhere, she might drive her motorcycle straight into my grandfather's house and start demanding answers.

🍙

You rushed down the stairs and turned a corner to the lockers at the front of the school. There, you spotted a boy. The sunset outside highlighted his figure, but you could still see the shine of his silver hair.

"Kim-Ssi!" you exclaimed, not knowing you would see him here. "Thank you for this morning!"

The boy turned to you with a soft smile on his face. "It's quite all right. I should be apologizing for Namjoon."

You chuckled. "Oh no, not at all!" you told him, going to your locker to grab your stuff. You started to walk out the doors as Taehyung followed you. "He's a very nice person."

You kept a distance between you as you walked to the same area.

"And he even let me look at his cute Zodiac figurines!" you added.

"That's right. I believe you were saying something about being a Cat?"

"Yeah," you rubbed my head, embarrassed. "I was kind of a strange little kid. Sorry."

"Hmmm. . ." Taehyung hummed. "The Cat is an idiot."

You were taken aback by his statement. "Huh?"

"Stubborn, too."

"Hm?" You tilted your head although he couldn't see you. You opened your eyes wide as you awaited his explanation.

"Did you know the Zodiac animals actually began as part of a system for telling time? They were first used as clock divisions. Later, yin and yang and elemental relationships were folded in, and they became fortune-telling tools."

You hummed to let him know you were still listening intently.

"The truth is, the math never left any room for the Cat to begin with. . . But honestly, I think that's for the best, anyway. I mean, being allowed to join the Zodiac? What's so great about that? Better to be alone..."

You felt confused as you listened to his explanations, but still, you wanted to hear him out. Even if you disagreed with him, he still had the right to say what he believed in.

"Stupid Cat," he grumbled.

"Sorry, but I don't really understand," you said. "Are you trying to say you hate cats?"

Taehyung suddenly stopped and turned around to lock eyes with you. You stopped too, with a gasp. You kept eye contact, his blue unnatural-looking eyes boring into yours. It stayed this way as a leaf fell on your forehead.

The beep of your alarm brought you back to reality and you reached for it in your pocket, checking the time. "Oh no, I'm sorry," you apologized, running past him. "I have to hurry up and get to work!"

"Bae-Ssi?" Taehyung called out.

You stopped your rush and turned around, "Uh, yes?"

Taehyung walked forward, coming closer to you. You felt your heartbeat in your chest. He raised his hand and raised it above your eye level, and plucked the leaf that fell on your forehead.

"There hasn't been much color in your face today," Taehyung noticed. "And it's still so hot." You brought your hand up to your forehead. "You should be careful not to push yourself too hard."

Then he walked past you, and you watched him as he left.

🍙

When I was three years old, my dad got sick and died.

After that, Mama worked super hard to support us. And I helped out whenever I could.

You sat at the table in your living room, a calculator and a paybook next to you. You had been doing math for your and your mother's living expenses.

Your mother then crashed down on you, pulling you into a tight hug. "Sweet Sarangi! Your mama is hungry for sukiyaki today!"

With that, you quickly prepared the meal for your amazing mother.

"Sukiyaki!" she exclaimed happily, her hands and arms up in the air.

Mama was always there to protect me. She was so strong. So cheerful. I never thought someone like her. . .

You could hear the tires screech in your head as the car hit her. You could see the blood covering the street. The blood of your mother.

. . . Would die in an accident like that, so suddenly.

Everyone argued about who should take me in. But in the end, my grandpa was the one to do it.

"Dinner's ready, Grandpa," you said as you walked around the house behind the said man.

He was living on a pension now and I didn't want to be a burden, so I promised him I would pay my own tuition and living expenses.

"Also, I'm Y/N," you said. Your grandfather had forgotten who you were, calling you by your mother's name as his bad memory was getting to him.

That all happened in May.

"Joohyun dear, my daughter and her family are going to be moving in here," your grandfather said as you sat at a table across from each other in his house. "But first I'm having some renovations, so I plan to stay with them for a bit. I supposed we could both live at their place until the construction is finished, but it's just so small."

Your hands shakily held the cup of tea you had in front of you.

"If you have a good friend you can stay with instead, that might be more comfortable for you," he added.

I thought about it. Haewon lived in a tiny apartment. And the Lees are a family of five. There's no way I could stay with them for months, so. . .

You stood up abruptly, your fists in the air with determination. "That's fine, Grandpa!"

After all, I'm going to live alone eventually, anyway. This is a chance for me to see if I'm up to the challenge!

Even if the only place I can afford to live in is a tent that I bought on sale!

Even if typhoons like the one a few days ago threaten to blow me away!

You went straight back to work, wiping the glass of the windows thoroughly. "I'll never give up! No matter how small and flimsy, anywhere can be home once you get used to it."

You went to sweeping the floor, then mopping it, and then drying it, doing it quickly and thoroughly. Nothing can be done without a little bit of work!

"Our jobs have gotten so much easier since they hired the new girl," a coworker commented as she sat down with her coworker friend, teacup in hand.

"Yeah, no kidding," the other lady added.

Once you had finished with work, you let out a sigh with your hands on your knees. "Whew—That was a lot of work today!" You stood up straight, stretching with a smile.

You walked into the changing rooms, going into an unoccupied one and stripping yourself of your work uniform. Today had been long and eventful. And it doesn't end there. Even though the sun had already set, you still had homework to do.

You put on your school uniform and began to head out. "Bye, Misses! I hope you have a good rest of your night!" You waved at your older lady coworkers and they waved back, saying their goodbyes as well.

You walked down the sidewalk of the city, the trek feeling as long as it felt like you would never get to your destination. Your head began to pound against your skull, and you closed your eyes to suppress the pain. It hurt a lot, and you felt so tired.

I still have to walk!

You slouched and found it easier to walk this way, and so you did.

You listened to the sounds of the crickets as you walked by them, their chirping was a signal that you were close to home. You tripped, taking a couple of steps before you stumbled upon your tent.

"Ahh, home sweet home!" You smiled, crawling into the small tent, and looking at your mother's picture. "Hey, Mama, I'm finally back!" You put your stuff down and sighed when you saw your schoolwork unfinished. "I'm so sleepy, but I still have some homework to finish before tomorrow."

You sat up and turned on the flashlight at the top of the tent. You put it there like a chandelier, some sort of light for the nights that blanketed the area around you.

You sat down heavily. "I'm feeling a little lightheaded," you commented aloud as your head began to spin. Determined yet tired, you grabbed your towel from your small drawer and crawled out of the tent. "I'll wash my face. That should wake me up."

Two shadows clouded above you and you lifted your head with a confused hum. The two Kims you encountered earlier stood just outside your tent, equally confused expressions taking over their faces. You gasped, embarrassed, as Namjoon laughed, clutching his stomach and pointing at you.

"It isn't that funny," Taehyung scolded the older man, a ticked-off tone in his voice. "Here, Bae-Ssi, come with us back to our house." He crouched down to you, eyes scanning your face as you stood up quickly. The movement made your head shake and the headache you had increased tenfold.

Nonetheless, the three of you walked to the comfy estate and sat around the table in the living room. Namjoon's shoulders trembled with silent laughter as you rapidly explained your situation to them before another word could be uttered from the two.

"I thought something was strange," Taehyung nodded after you spoke. You held your hands in your lap in tight fists as you closed your eyes, awaiting punishment for your trespassing. "The Sohmas own all the land in this area."

Your lip quivered. "Um, would it be okay if... if I lived there a little longer?" you asked. "I'll leave as soon as the renovations are over, I swear." You trembled in fear, afraid to lose what was becoming normal to you. You had to be strong for whatever got in your way, but your grasp seemed to slip no matter how hard you tried to hold on. "Please, I don't have a lot of extra money, but I'll pay."

Namjoon lifted his head, his laughter now ceased as he held a concerned expression. "That's a dangerous spot," he warned. Taehyung looked at him unimpressed, commenting "Oh you're done laughing now" under his breath. "The cliffs aren't too stable, and there are creeps around. Not to mention, a young girl can't spend months living alone in a tent."

You stood up enthusiastically, your fist held up in determination. "No, it's all right!" you assured. "I'm even used to the slugs!" The two men groaned in disgust at that. "I promise, I've got the strength and willpower to see this through! So please, just let me—"

The fast motion caused your head to spin, and slowly you dropped to the floor. Taehyung stood up quickly, shouting "Bae-Ssi!" He rushed over to you and lifted his hand to your forehead. "She's got a fever," he told his older cousin.

Namjoon nodded and stood up as well. "I'll go grab some ice to help cool her down a little." He opened the screen doors to another room, one that had things piled up high to the ceiling, obviously not cleaned in a while. "Though, getting to it could take a while."

Through your daze, you could see how dirty it was. "It's the Toxic Jungle."

"Nice analogy," Namjoon nodded. He hardened his stare as he listened closely to something in the distant, a howl from a wolf. He lifted his hand to his chin. "What did I just tell you? Part of a cliff has crumbled."

"What?" you asked. "It did? But how can you tell?"

Namjoon smirked. "Oh, I like to call it my animal instinct."

Taehyung stood up and walked over to the TV stand, grabbing a bag from a drawer. "Enough joking," he said. "Do you know exactly what part of the cliff collapsed?"

"How awful," you whispered. "Surely it was nowhere near my tent, though!" you added to the two, a positive smile on your face.

"Surely not," Namjoon copied the same smile.

The two of you laughed, although not wholeheartedly as the situation could become grim once discovered.

"Well?" Taehyung said. "Where is it, then?"

The three of you walked in the direction of your tent as you silently prayed it would be in pristine condition when you got there. However, your prayers were not answered as your tent was swallowed by the hillside that collapsed upon it. You stood in shock, staring at what had been your whole life within it.

Your whole life... Mama!

"Wait a sec!" you gasped. "Mama's picture is still inside!" You ran to the dirt that suffocated your mother, desperate hands grasping fistfuls of dirt and removing it slowly.

Taehyung was quick at your side. "Bae-Ssi! You need to calm down."

You ignored his words and kept grasping at the dirt. "But she's still in there!" Fatigue took over, vision blurred with tears, your head pounded with a headache, and your hands stopped moving. "She's trapped. I have to get her out. She-She can't breathe!"

Namjoon placed a hand on top of your own. You turned to him with a small jump. "Why don't we come back in the morning when there's more light? What if something happened to you? I doubt your mom would want you to get hurt, right?"

You agreed, and soon you were tucked into a comfortable futon in the living room of the Kims' house. Your headache kept you in a daze, unable to stay conscious. Yet, you spoke when Namjoon entered the house.

"I'm sorry," you whispered. The weight of being a burden again was heavy. You lay sick in a house of caring people, but the feeling of being a nuisance had you spilling out apologies. "It looks like I've lost my home again."

"That must be tough," Namjoon empathized. He kneeled next to where you lay, intently listening.

"No," you said. "I mean, I wish it hadn't happened, but I've been through worse."

"Even worse than this? Like what?"

"Like missing the chance to say 'See you when you get back'."

Memories of that day filled your mind. You remembered that day. It haunted you like a dark shadow in the corner of rooms. Always present. Never inching, just staying.

"It was the morning the day my mom died. I'd stayed up almost all night studying for a quiz. She was leaving for work, but I couldn't wake up. That's the only morning I didn't say it. I always said it, except for that one time. Lately, I've been thinking about quitting school and getting a job instead. But... Mama told me: 'I only made it as far as first year, you know. But I always wished I'd gotten to try the 'high school girl' thing. So you go out there and have those experiences I didn't get to have'."

Your eyes filled with tears at the memory of your mother.

"She was the best mom, and I didn't say goodbye. That morning... I didn't even open my eyes to watch her leave. I'm an idiot. Making a bad grade... Getting a job... Those things aren't what should've mattered. Mama was. The least I can do now is graduate from high school, like she wanted me to. I have to make that dream come true. I can't just lie here and do nothing because of some fever."

The grip you had on the comforter loosened as you slipped away into your subconscious. Your eyebrows softened as your breathing evened. Softly taken away to dreams that seemed better than reality.

Namjoon sat in the air of your words.

"Surprising," Taehyung spoke once he noticed you had gone to sleep. He held the pack of ice in his arms, his eyes pointed downwards in thought. Namjoon lifted his head towards him. "She's so cheerful and upbeat at school. Always. I wouldn't have guessed she'd been through so much. It's amazing."

"Amazing?" Namjoon questioned. "How so?"

"Well, take me and the Sohmas," the silver-haired boy began. "I thought I'd broken free of them, but I haven't really. Or I would've bought a tent like Bae-Ssi and gone off to some place where they couldn't find me. I'm realizing that I'm spoiled."

Namjoon softly smiled at his cousin. "It's actually pretty rude, you know. Calling her suffering 'amazing'."

Taehyung walked past Namjoon, handing him the ice pack as he was directed towards the sliding doors to the outside. "True," he agreed. "Can you take things from here?"

"Don't tell me you're planning to go dig up the landslide," Namjoon said in disbelief. "That's a lot to manage alone. Want me to come along?"

"Alone?" Taehyung smirked. "I'll have plenty of help. Don't worry about me."

The sliding doors opened and large hoards of rats covered the outside, chittering and squeaking amongst themselves.

"See you when you get back," Namjoon nodded at his younger cousin.

🍙

"Y/N," your mother called out. You lay your head in her lap, embracing in her warmth with your eyelids shut. "Y/N. You've got a fever again. You don't have to burn yourself out helping with the housework, you know. Just be you, Y/N, and live life at your own pace. Eventually, you'll catch up."

Your vision changed in your dream. You could see a boy. The boy who helped you once when you were younger. His blue hat covered your vision before you could get a glimpse of him. Your tears from fear had blocked him as well.

The dreams were soft and airy. Your mother comforted you in your dreams a lot. As though she knew exactly what you needed from beyond the world of the living.

The light from the sun touched your eyes and they opened slowly. Your head rested upon the ice pack, moved under you by Namjoon sometime during the night. Words fell from your lips as reality set into your vision. "I miss you."

You missed your mother when you woke up, for when you dreamed it was the only time you didn't have to. You missed her until you slept.

With the memory, you sat up abruptly. "I don't have time to sleep! I have to dig Mama out!" You jumped up to your feet and opened the sliding doors to the outside.

"Good morning," Taehyung called out as he walked towards the house. You jumped slightly at his voice. He held a small smile on his face as he approached you. "Are you feeling better?"

You waved your hands around. "Oh. I, um, yes. I mean, good morning!"

Taehyung held out the framed picture of your mother. Her smile was ever as cheerful and her young energy radiated from it. "Here, your photo."

You took the frame with a surprised expression on your face. You studied the picture as you held it in your hands. Then you brought it close to your chest.

"I think I got all the rest of your things, too, but could you check and see?" Taehyung placed bags on the outside hallway floor, filled with your belongings.

You gasped in shock. "No way! You mean you moved all that dirt by yourself? But—"

"No, of course not," the silver-haired boy said. "I couldn't."

"But... then how?" you asked. You were impressed and so grateful for his actions, but you couldn't wrap your head around how he could have possibly removed all that dirt from your tent.

"I can't tell you," he said. He picked up the bags and walked along the hallway. "Well, I'll just bring your things upstairs." He paused to turn and look at you. "I know the house is a mess, but we do have a spare room on the second floor. You can stay here until the renovations at your grandfather's are done."

You gasped loudly, astounded. "Ah! I couldn't do that!"

"The bedroom doors all have locks on them," Taehyung informed.

You shook your head furiously. "No, that's not what I meant at all!"

Namjoon walked into the hallway, having heard the conversation. "Do you enjoy doing chores? Housework?" he shoved his face in hers as he questioned her. "You know, like cooking and cleaning."

"Uh, yeah," you nodded albeit hesitantly. "I mean, it's kind of calming."

Namjoon kept his stern eyes on her for a moment longer before smiling widely. "Wonderful! Welcome home!" He walked down the hallway. "Your room's not aired out, so you should open a window, and I'll get you a copy of the house key, too."

The overwhelming feeling of being cared for made your cheeks heat up and your thoughts fire rapidly. "I can't!" you protested. "If I moved in here, I'd only be a burden on you!"

"Bae-Ssi, we don't consider it a burden, so please just accept," Taehyung encouraged. "Besides, where else do you have to go?"

You chuckled weakly at that, holding your mother's picture closer. Then you shook your head. You caught up to Taehyung's pace as he walked through the house to the room you would be living in. "Okay, but please, if I'm going to impose on you by living here, at least I should know if there are any special rules to follow."

"There are none," Taehyung smiled as he turned to you once more. Your eyes locked, and you were drowning in his blue eyes. "You should just be you, Bae-Ssi, and live your life at your own pace. It's that simple."

You could hear the repetition from your mother. Just be you, Y/N. Like from the memory in the dream you had the pleasure of experiencing once again.

The light around Taehyung shifted, and you could see it now. His silver hair, his blue eyes, and his tanned skin that was adorned with perfectly placed moles.

Kim-Ssi... He really is a mystery.

You stayed at the bottom of the stairs, lost in your thoughts, while the two men walked up the stairs.

"Are you sure about this?" Namjoon questioned as he was halfway up the stairs. "She is a girl."

"You wait until now to ask?" Taehyung sighed. "It'll be fine, just as long as she doesn't hug me."

They both walked through the hallway and entered the room. You continued the walk up the stairs after a shake of your head, ridding yourself of deep thoughts.

"Like I thought, it is a little stuffy in here," the older man huffed. "Taehyung, open a window."

You peered into the room, words muffled in your brain as Namjoon and Taehyung worked around. The black-haired man walked by, saying he would grab something and you nodded in acknowledgment.

You paused for a moment and looked around in the hallway. Wait. Where are Kim-Ssi's parents? The thought entered your mind. Do they live somewhere else, maybe?

Your thoughts were put on pause as a loud crash came from the room, the ceiling crumbling down. You gasped, appalled and confused as you held onto your mother's picture tightly.

As the smoke cleared, a boy with bright orange hair popped out. He stretched out his shoulder as his back was turned towards you. His attention was on Taehyung in front of him.

"Yo," he said. "Are you ready for a beating, Rat-boy? Let's do this."

Taehyung leaned against the open windowsill, nonchalant and unimpressed. "Honestly. Why don't you just accept it already? You're too weak to take me."

"Think so, huh?" the orange-haired boy said. "Well, too bad for you I'm not the same fighter I was before!" He charged for Taehyung, his fist up. "I'll show you!"

You gasped and rushed forward. Your hand was up, thinking of a way to stop him. "Wait! I'm sure we can settle this without—" You tripped over a fallen ceiling board and were sent straight into the back of the orange-haired boy. Your arms latched around him to brace for impact.

The boy screamed and an orange smoke surrounded you two.

"Hey, Taehyung," Namjoon poked his head in the room, "was that Jimin's voice I heard?"

Taehyung held a hand against his forehead in annoyance.

You lifted your head from the ground and began apologizing profusely. "I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" From your arms, your hands picked up... an orange cat? The orange-haired boy's clothes lay on the floor as you picked the cat up from the pile.

"Yeah, that's him," Namjoon nodded.

"He was a boy," you whispered to yourself with a shocked expression.

"Stupid jerk," Taehyung whispered under his breath angrily. He walked around where Namjoon stood.

You kept your eye on the cat in your hands, arms outstretched so he could see you as well. The cat seemed to wear an angered expression. "And now he's a cat." You shook the cat gently in your hands. "I landed on him wrong and somehow turned him into a cat."

Namjoon held an embarrassed smile on his face as you rambled on about how it was your fault the boy somehow turned into a cat. "Well, this is awkward. So here's the thing," he began his explanation.

You stood up with the cat now in your arms. "We have to hurry!" You went to run out of the room until a piece of a board fell onto your head, knocking you unconscious for a bit and causing you to fall into the two boys in front of you.

Blue and green smoke surrounded you and out came a dog and a rat within the clothing of Namjoon and Taehyung.

Confusion littered your expression as the animals in front of you held embarrassed ones.