#his voice is so rich and unfortunately the angel dust voice really does not express that

[thefantastickatinator]

Devastating to learn that Blake Roman has the fuckin RANGE and hazbin does not take advantage of it in any way

[jungle321jungle]

Sleeping In The Woods: One

It was never in Virgil’s plan to be a camp counselor, he had never been a fan of kids.

It was never in his plan to learn to enjoy each of the boy’s company, he had never wanted to learn the truths behind their fake smiles.

It was never in his plan to get wrapped up in things he didn’t understand, he had always preferred to keep to himself.

None of it was ever his plan, but he’d do whatever he’d have to save everyone- even if it means risking himself.

Ao3

General taglist: @ashensanity @angels-and-dreams @ollyollyoxinfree @gattonero17

~~~~

One

Virgil had never been a fan of children.

They were loud, annoying, needy, and tried his patience to the point that driving off a cliff would be better than babysitting.

But when his mother had demanded that he get a job for the summer instead of: “becoming the newest piece of furniture in their home”, his father had unfortunately overheard. And of course because of truly cinematic timing, one of his coworkers had a son, Thomas, who would be working at Camp Storytime which was short a counselor.

Virgil already hated it at the sound of its name.

But upon research he had learned that due to being a camp for rich kids, the pay was very nice. So he had put on his best fake smile for that Skype interview where he had essentially lied to every question.

“Let's start easy, do you like kids?”

“Of course. Why would I be applying if I didn’t?”

The camp director had given a laugh, “So what age do you prefer?”

“I don’t really have a preference, but given I just graduated high school I’m not sure some of the older kids would really respect me.”

“Do you enjoy fairy tales? And all that goes with them? The younger kids are really into all of our themes. We have Pirate Days, and Royalty Days, and last summer we even had a Monster Day. Does that sound like something you’d be interested in?”

“Yeah, it sounds fun. What’s not to like about being a pirate? Well, other than scurvy.”

Despite getting the job, Virgil was not one hundred percent he could pull off the facade necessary to get through the summer.

But with training ending and campers arriving in a couple days, he didn’t really have a choice.

“Alright now that general training rules and protocol have been drilled into your head, it’s time to find out which cabin you’ve got and get your rosters. So you’ve got the rest of the day to move in and start prepping.”

Virgil gave a heavy swallow as the papers were passed around. For the last few nights they had all shared one cabin while the others were being prepared for campers, but now he was going to have to move elsewhere and truly begin to prepare for responsibility.

Yay.

He just hoped he was paired with one of the more competent counselors.

“Oh I got the Prince Cabin with Jon,” Thomas commented handing the stack of papers to Virgil.

Virgil glanced over Thomas’s shoulder, “Nineteen of them, you enjoy that.”

Thomas shrugged, “What do you have?”

Virgil gave a breath and finally flipped through and pulled out the assignment sheet with his name in confusion.

While it clearly said which grade and cabin was his, 4th and Wizard Cabin, it only listed five names under campers.

“Only five?” Thomas asked in surprise. “There’s really not that many Wizards this year, huh?”

“I’m by myself,” Virgil realized after a short pause as he passed the papers on.

“Well yeah, the ratio is ten to one. So you lucked out with half that.”

Virgil blinked before looking Thomas in the eye, “But I don’t know what I’m doing.”

“Fake it till you make it? But hey, if you really need help I’m in the Cabin next door.”

Virgil mumbled a thank you in reply.

Another thing Virgil had never been amazing at was decorations. And yet he had been tasked with decorating the cabin in a “wizard theme”. He wasn’t even sure he knew what that meant. So for now he guessed, and decided he was going to over use glitter, make some wands out of something, and maybe throw some glow in the dark stars up- was that too young for fourth graders?

Oh well, they would have to deal with it.

“Your stars are in the wrong places.”

Virgil’s mouth had opened and closed as the kid walked past him to sit on a bottom bunk bed. He looked at Virgil with a bored expression from behind his glasses, “This one says Dante but I want to sleep here.”

“Logan Ackroyd,” his mother chided before he held out a hand. “I apologize, you said it was Virgil, right? I’m Patricia Ackroyd, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Virgil nodded slowly before he pulled off the “Dante” sign and moved to the Logan one to switch them, silently wondering why the name sounded familiar.

“Oh you don’t have to,” his mother tried. “I’m sorry he’s being difficult.” She then sent her son a look which he stiffened at. “Usually he holds himself with a better demeanor.”

“It’s fine,” Virgil told her switching the signs. “I figured that I might get a complaint if I labeled things anyway.”

“I notice there’s only five names?”

“Only five kids apparently.”

“Interesting. Well Logan, let's get you unpacked.”

Virgil made awkward small talk as they did so before the next campers voices could be heard as they approached.

“But why can’t we be in the Prince Cabin,” groaned a small voice before an exasperated voice replied,

“That one’s for fifth graders.”

“But I don’t want to be a wizard!”

“Me neither!”

“Doesn’t matter what you want!”

The voices turned out to belong to the two twins which had been on his list. Roman and Remus Regis. Along with them were their parents- who did not look happy to be there. But then again the movie stars that they were, he guessed they didn’t really love the idea of being in a dirty forest.

“Sentor!” Their mother, Daniela Regis he recalled, cried suddenly excited going over to where Logan’s mother had been kneeling by a very small dresser (Virgil silently wondered the point of having dressers at all when each looked like they held four shirts at once). “It’s so good to meet you again.”

Senator?

Well, these were supposed to be rich kids.

Logan’s mother stood and gave a well practiced smile as she dusted off her skirt. “Hello Daniela.”

“You the counselor?”

Virgil turned away from the women to the man who had entered, movie star Michael Regis. Virgil hoped he was good at poker faces, “Yes. I’m Virgil.”

He nodded and set down the two suitcases beside the beds, “Keep them in check.”

“Got it...”

With that the man moved beside his wife to chat up senator Ackroyd.

“I’m Remus,” one the twins stated looking over to Logan. Virgil made a mental note that Remus was the one with a light patch in his hair. “This is my brother Roman. I’m gonna guess you’re Logan?”

Logan looked away from the conversation in front of him and gave a stiff nod, “Yes.” The boy said it with such finality that made it clear that he didn’t want to be spoken to, but that sentiment was apparently ignored.

“Have you ever been to a camp like this before?” Roman asked him.

“Do you like pranks?” Remus added.

“I’m gonna unpack,” was Logan’s reply as he moved to do so.

“Logan,” Mrs. Ackroyd tried, but the Regis’ were not letting up.

“Really? You know the director?”

For an actress Mrs. Regis was not very good at sounding as if she hadn’t rehearsed.

“Did you make the wands?” Roman asked appearing at Virgil's side.

“Uh yeah... I did. Why?”

The wands weren’t anything too special. He had simply taken a few cool looking sticks and cut them down with a pocket knife. And then Thomas had thought they were plain and had doodled on some mainly out of boredom.

“Ollivander said the wand chooses the person. And you chose for us.”

Virgil blinked, before he came up with a quick response, “You're not eleven yet. These are trainer wands.”

The boy seemed surprised by the response, but with that he backed off. Unfortunately Logan didn’t.

“Do we have to wear robes?”

“It’s summer so I think we can make an exception. Plus, we’re not British.”

Whatever was going to be his response was cut off by the sound of loud laughter from outside. And then moments later two women and a little boy entered. The first woman Virgil recognized as the head counselor as Delia, but the other woman looked like she should be anywhere but the middle of the woods.

She was tall, skinny, wearing a tube top and a very short skirt with tall heels. Her long dark hair was done in a fancy way and her make up was perfect too.

It just didn’t make sense. At all.

“I was coming to check in and I bumped into another one of yours,” Delia smiled. “This is Charlotte Ekans and her son Dante.”

Beside the super out of place looking woman Dante gave a smile and wave and Virgil forced himself not to stare at the boy’s half scarred face.  

“I’m Virgil,” Virgil introduced. He then motioned to an empty bunk bed, “That spot over there is yours. Since there’s only five of you guys each get a top and bottom bunk to yourselves.”

“So you’re missing one?” Delia observed. “That’s not bad. Alright I’m heading to the next Cabin.”

“Michael! How are you?” Virgil’s attention was redirected as Mrs. Ekans walked up to Mr. Regis and pulled him into a tight hug. “How long has it been?”

“Hello Charlotte,” Mrs. Regis said as she gave a tight lipped smile. “I didn’t know your son went to this camp?”

“This is his second summer,” she replied letting go of Mr. Regis to hug his wife.

She pushed away near instantly, “We should be going Michael.”

The two left then with a few parting words to the Senator- and yet none to their sons.

“How are you Patricia?” Mrs. Ekans asked heading back to Dante to help him unpack.

“I’m fine,” Mrs. Ackroyd replied. “I do thank you for clearing my space to breathe.”

“You can always count on me for anything ... you know that.”

“Can I change my sign?” Dante asked Virgil. “I like to go by Dee.”

Dammit he should’ve thought about what the kids preferred.

“We have arts and crafts tomorrow,” Virgil started. “You could make a new one?”

Dee nodded satisfied as he pulled out his bedding, “That works.” He then looked to the other three boys in the room, “I’m Dee. What’s your names?”

“I’m Roman!” Remus answered eagerly. Wait. That was Remus wasn’t it? “What happened to your face?”

Virgil sucked in a breath quickly as he took a step forward, “Roman- Remus, either lets not ask people personal questions like that, okay?”

But apparently it hadn’t bothered Dee as he leaned forward on his bed, “Take a guess.”

Remus(?) gave a large smile, “You were abducted by aliens?”

“Nope.”

“Attacked by a shark!”

“No.”

“Wouldn’t something like a car crash make more sense?” Logan interrupted. “Or just being born with it?”

“But that’s boring,” Remus complained. “Ooo! What about jumping out of a speeding car?”

“Logan we mind our own business,” his mother stated sternly.

“It’s fine,” Dee told her with a smile. “And no to the speeding car.”

“Bear attack?”

“Nope.”

“Cannibal.”

“Nope.”

“Lochness monster- no Bigfoot!”

“Still no.”

“I’m going to figure it out,” Roman(?) replied.

“You won’t,” he smiled back before he pointed to the twin who hadn’t been speaking. “So he's Roman. What’s your name again?”

“Remus, I’m the one going gray from having the stress of a younger twin.”

Roman hit his brother with a pillow in reply.

Virgil blinked as he ran the encounter over in his head. How did he know that wasn’t Roman when Remus has introduced himself as his brother?

“Alright Lo, I think you’re all set,” Mrs. Ackroyd was saying as she pulled her son into a hug. “Remember the rules?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“All of them?”

“Yes.”

“Good,” she pressed a kiss to his hair. “Love you.” She went to leave, but she hesitated at the door. “Charlotte are you perhaps free this evening?”

The other mother gave her a smile, “I have plans. But I can walk out with you? And if you’re feeling generous enough, could you give me a ride back? We were dropped off.”

“Then how were you planning to get back in the first place?”

“Who knows.”

The two women left then leaving Virgil alone with four kids.

The living nightmare was beginning.

He gave a sigh as he sat on one one of the unused beds.

The pay is great. The pay is great. The pay is great.

“So what do we do now?” Roman asked him.

Virgil cringed, “Well the plan is just for us to hang out here for the rest of the afternoon until dinner. After that is a campfire then bed. Then tomorrow we have a full day with swimming, arts and crafts, games and other things.”

“Can we go explore?” Remus asked.

Virgil shook his head, “Sorry, but no. There’s only one of me and I need to stay here in case our last camper shows up. But we can all play a game in here?”

“What kind of game?”

“Um... that depends on what you guys like.”

“Let’s play mafia!” Dee cheered after a moment.

“We need more people for that,” Logan disagreed. “Are there any board games?”

“No,” Virgil answered. “They’re in a different building.”

“Let’s play quack-a-dilly-oh-my,” Roman suggested.

With that they had gathered in a circle on the floor and begun to play- until an argument about the lyrics had arose.  

“It’s eat a marshmallow,” Logan said crossing his arms.

Remus shook his head, “No it’s your face is turning yellow!”

“It’s yellow,” Dee agreed while Roman nodded. “Right Virgil?”

Virgil shrugged, “I grew up with both.”

“See? He’s on our side.”

“That's not what he said,” Logan disagreed.

“Either way you’re outnumbered,” Roman announced. “So what does your opinion matter?”

“Everyone’s opinion matters,” Virgil tried but he didn’t think he was heard.

As the argument escalated Virgil gave a groan, thankfully he was saved by the door opening and a boy walking in beside Thomas.

“This one got a bit lost,” Thomas explained setting down the kid’s bag. “This is Patton.”

Patton gave a wide smile, “Hi! What are your names?”

While the other boys stood up to introduce themselves Virgil moved over to Thomas. “Where’s his parents?” He asked quietly.

Thomas gave a shrug, “He was just left at the entrance.”

Virgil gave an awkward nod and looked back to the boys.

“Patton, are the lyrics to quack-a-dilly-oh-my ‘eat a marshmallow’ or ‘your face is turning yellow’?” Logan asked.

Patton seemed confused by the question but he answered anyway as he put his small backpack on his bed, “It’s marshmallow- oh cool a wand!”

“See?”

“You’re still outnumbered,” Roman reminded him.

Logan gave a frown before he turned to Thomas. But Thomas was faster, “Well I need to get back to my own cabin.”

~~~~

Someway, somehow, Virgil managed to survive the afternoon. He had helped Patton set up his bed (before the twins because they hadn’t actually done more then dump stuff out) and then it had been time to take a small tour.

He showed them places around the camp, from the fields to the bathrooms, to the dining hall for dinner and a few others in between. And for a little while Virgil thought he could actually do this.

And then a scream woke him in the middle of the night.

Virgil shot up from his bed and promptly fell to the floor. He hurried out his room and into the next one hitting the light as he did. When he did he found Remus and Dee laying on the floor cackling beside Roman who was comforting a crying Patton. Meanwhile Logan gave the world a glare from where he had sat up in his bed.

“He’s fine,” Dee laughed.

“The spider is fake Patton!” Roman was trying.

“Can we reenact that?” Remus asked between gasps of laughter. “Virgil can take a video!”

“You’re all stupid,” Logan mumbled flopping back down and pulling a blanket over his head.

Virgil gave a deep breath calm down his now quick beating heart, but his fear as he did his worry was replaced by anger. “All of you, go to bed!”

“Some of us are trying!” Logan shouted back.

“It's the first night of camp,” Dee frowned. “Did you expect us to sleep?”

Virgil gave the child an annoyed glare, “I expect you to be quiet enough that I can sleep.”

“Have you ever been to camp before?”

“Get in your bed. I don't give a-” He forced himself to take a breath. “Just get in your bed and be quiet. All of you... Patton do you want water or something?”

Patton had calmed slightly and shook his head as he wiped at his eyes, “‘M okay.”

Virgil nodded and headed back to his room. “Just be quiet. No. Be silent. Understood?”

“Yes Mr. Virgil!” Remus mocked climbing into his bed.

It was going to be a long summer.

~~~~

One - Two

Welcome to yet another AU!

As with all my aus the original idea was to have happy fluff throughout because I realize I’ve done all the sides as kids except Dee. But if you can read the description that’s not where we will end up.

But welcome to the ride!

[cottonblush]

stained glass | kth (1)

❧ word count: 8,488

❧ genre: fluff, angst-ish with a happy ending

❧ notes: love when my laptop always autocorrects namjoon to bamboo when i swear i’ve hit ‘add to dictionary’ at least 600 times. anyway this is a little more serious than my other fics but i really wanted to write about this trope/au! please accept my unedited garbage! idk how many parts it’ll be split into or if there will be a spinoff or not.. we’ll just have to see

❧ warnings: mentions of underage sex, sexual harassment, and sexist behavior in the office

You can feel the dull pain in your neck and the knots starting to form in your hunched back as you type out the last few statements of your assigned report. The bright red of the Jeon Corp. logo on the top of the document casts a subtle glow upon your small, yet well decorated cubicle that was assigned to you when you first began your internship at the company.

A large palm finds its way to your shoulder, effectively startling you enough for you to release a small yelp. Moments later, a familiar voice fills your ears, "Did you get the email too?"

"Jesus, Namjoon! Don't scare me like that. And what email?"

"This one," your fellow intern/friend says as he shoves your swivel chair to the side with his hips, taking over your spot in front of your computer. He uses the mouse to navigate to the company mail application, ignoring your protests as his wide chocolate orbs comb through each message. He stops at an email titled, 'IMPORTANT: Meeting @ 2.30, ALL Interns Requested to Attend.'

Your eyes rake through the words, dread filling your senses as each registers in your brain.

"Another pointless meeting? It’s not like they ever acknowledge us anyway. We just have to sit there and take notes for the dumb higher-ups who'll probably just toss them in the trash right after," you bemoan.

"Yeah," Namjoon agrees, "but you have to admit it's better than sitting on these crappy chairs all day. They're so uncomfortable I swear they're giving me scoliosis after just a month. And besides, I'll save you a seat so we can just gossip the whole time."

Reluctantly, you concede, knowing there's nothing you'd rather be doing than picking up dirt on the snobby people several floors above you, and tell your friend to sneak you a Chocolate Chip Cliff Bar if he happens make a stop at the break room.

As Namjoon saunters back to his own cubicle in another room, you crack your knuckles and quickly type out the appropriate title for your report before sending it off. You grab your favorite stress ball from one of your shelves, a small squish toy in the shape of Rilakkuma, giving it a few squeezes while you spin around in your swivel chair. A heavy sigh leaves your mouth, the air escaping your body causing your form to deflate like an old balloon.

Your life has been quite monotonous lately, and if you're being honest with yourself, you'd like nothing more than to skip all of your tiresome college classes and set all of your office paperwork ablaze. A nice, relaxing vacation by a beach somewhere would be a nice touch.

Unfortunately, reality isn't quite so kind for you as you're snapped out of your reverie by the sound of your fellow interns shuffling out of their seats in order to head to the meeting. Picking yourself up out of your seat, you grab your company notebook and a pen just in case you're required to take notes once again.

Finding a place next to Namjoon just as promised, the corners of your lips tilt upwards in a soft smile when you hear the crinkling of a familiar wrapper coming from the man's pocket.

"That'll be a million bucks, Miss Y/n," he says, mirth lacing his voice as he offers you a smile of his own.

"Hey, my parents might be rich but since the so called daddy's girl isn't taking over the business, she's not getting any inheritance."

Namjoon blanches at your statement, "Seriously?! What are they gonna do with all that money?"

"I don't know. Probably bury it somewhere so no one can get their hands on it."

You clear throat as the meeting begins, the main source of light transitioning from the lightbulbs overhead to the large projector screen on one of the walls.

The meeting is nothing new, nothing important. You and Namjoon whisper back and forth for the first half and during the second half, you begin to daydream. When your boss announces all of the interns can take their leave, you almost jump out of your seat. You're walking alongside one of your other coworkers, a new intern named Jaehyun, when something catches your eye from the corner of your peripheral vision.

"I'll catch up, okay? Give me a second, Jae," you say as you stop in your tracks and look around to see if anyone is watching you. He does as told and offers a small wave, walking back to the dark and gloomy second floor intern cubicles.

You think the big, bold 'confidential' sprawled across the first page of the document could be a sign from above telling you to just go back to your own desk, but you can't ignore the burning curiosity rooted deep within you. Plus, whoever decided to leave a confidential document open on their computer for everyone to see is a real dumbass who probably has it coming anyway.

You take your time revealing the other parts of the document, the clicks of the scroll wheel on the mouse reverberating through your hand and doing nothing to stop the anticipation that has captured your breath.

What really takes your breath away is the contents of the document, your sockets widening and a sharp gasp passing through your lips.

"Hybrid experiments? I thought this company didn't test on hybrids. That's practically their whole catch."

The sounds of more people leaving the conference room causes you to abruptly snap upright, but not before restoring the document to how you first found it. You brush the imaginary dust off your outfit, doing your best to act natural and as not-suspicious as possible as you walk stiffly towards the staircase.

You descend the stairs with a sense of urgency, closing the door behind you quickly yet softly as to not draw any attention to yourself.

"Namjoon! Jaehyun!"

Said men raise their heads in curiosity when they see you scurrying towards them as fast as your patent pumps can carry you.

"You'll never guess what I just found," you mutter, chest heaving up and down as you pull the two of them closer by the backs of their chairs. They sit next to each other and you're about to complain about how you don't have any fun people around to keep you company when your brain reminds you that you have bigger fish to fry.

Jaehyun, being the angel he is, offers you a water bottle from his desk, and you take a considerably large gulp before returning it to him with a sheepish expression crossing your visage.

"So," you start when finally catch your breath, "Remember how I told you to go ahead? I saw this thing open on someone's computer that said confidential. And like, if you don't want me reading it, don't leave it out for me to see, right? So I checked what it was about and I found all of these results from experiments; experiments that they're doing on hybrids!"

You're practically shaking at this point, your demeanor a sharp contrast to the quiet tone you've managed to maintain.

"Maybe you're delirious from all that time in front of your computer," Jaehyun offers, trying to be the voice of reason in the situation.

On the other hand, Namjoon's curiosity has also been piqued seeing as his own girlfriend, Hana, is a hybrid herself and he knows she'd be livid if it were true.

He asks carefully, "Are you sure about this? That's a big accusation."

"I know what I saw," you say with a huff and hints of a pout tugging at your lips. "I have to get to the bottom of this. And I think I know just how to do it."

Jaehyun warns you to be careful, a pensive look crossing his face as he places a hand on your shoulder. However, deep in his eyes, you can tell he wants to know too. He wants to know if the company he's decided to dedicate a large amount of his time to is practicing such things that are completely against his moral compass.

You shrug off the hand on your shoulder and pull up a chair, explaining in hushed tones of how you're planning to dig into the matter. You happen to know the CEO personally, a family friend going back decades, and you're sure to cross paths at one of the many dinner parties you're always being forced to attend. You plan on approaching him under the guise of wanting research experience to go towards your degree as a hybrid veterinarian.

Just days after the discovery, you find yourself standing in front of the full length mirror in your apartment. A silk dress the color of the night sky adorns your figure, cutting off just a couple inches above the knee. Laying itself atop your collarbone is a delicate diamond pendant attached to a white gold chain. You give yourself a once over, fingers brushing through your hair and wiping away at a bit of smudged eyeliner.

A knock on your front door signals you to grab your clutch and get ready to leave. You swing the large door open to reveal your childhood friend, Jihyo. She looks just as dolled up as you, but unlike you, she looks quite uncomfortable in her fancy getup. Her family isn't as well off as yours so she isn't quite used to all of the glitz and glamour. She wasn't officially invited to the gathering but you begged her to come along because you dread having to sit alone in a room while all the other people your age brag about all they have.

"You look gorgeous," you say, crimson painted lips twisting into a pleasant smile. You don't allow her to deny your comment, instead linking your arm with hers and closing the door behind you.

Of course, you told Jihyo your plan as soon as you could and she is 100% on board. She's volunteered herself to be your backup in case anything goes wrong.

"You remember the plan, right?"

"Of course. You get the CEO alone and if things start to get ugly, I'll bust in and say my babysitter called telling me my cat had a stroke."

"Perfect!"

The sound of champagne glasses clinking against each other cuts through the smooth sound of the jazz band playing one of its many ambient songs. Men and women are dressed to the nines, mingling with each other through small talk that no party is likely to remember. As a waiter passes by, you pick up two glasses of liquid courage for yourself and Jihyo.

"Cheers," you mutter as you down the contents of the elegant glass in one shot and part ways with your friend in order to look for the CEO.

Like you expected, he's surrounded by many significantly younger women, unable to resist their youthful charms, yet not making any public moves due to the obvious gold band wrapped around his finger. His wife, your godmother, happens to be away on a business trip of her own.

"Mr. Jeon," you call out to the older man, making your presence known to him and his posse and at the same time trying to keep the bile from erupting from your stomach. He always liked younger women, you knew that, but never in your life did you expect to find yourself here trying to catch his attention through such a petty manner.

When Jeon Junghoon notices you, your entire figure almost shivers. In just a few seconds, it seems like he manages to take you apart with his eyes alone. His pitch black orbs flash with something cold and raw before switching to his regular amiable gaze.

"Y/n, how wonderful it is to see you! Come sit and tell me how you've been," the man says, indirectly shooing away the other ladies sitting with him on the long velvet sofa. As you take your place beside him, he wraps an arm around you and reminds you, "I told you to call me-"

"I have something to ask you about, Mr. Jeon," you cut him off concisely. Even though your parents are friends with him, it does not mean you're willing to get buddy-buddy with the man. "I really didn't mean to pry, but while I was at the office the other day, I happened to notice a document about hybrid testing."

"Oh, you must be mistaken. We don't experiment on hybrids, sweetheart," the CEO says in a sickly sweet tone.

"That's a shame, then, because I was actually about to ask if I could take part in the research. As you know, it's my dream to become a hybrid veterinarian. I could use any research opportunities I can get, whether I'm able to officially document hours or not. Oh well. It sure is unfortunate."

"Wait," Mr. Jeon calls out to you, grasping your arm with one of his clammy hands as you get up to leave. You smirk and internally rejoice as he takes the bait. "Come to my office on Monday. I'll be there to personally show you around."

He can't see it, but the face your making when he all but purrs at you is so full of disgust that Jihyo notices it from her place at the bar. She hops out of her stool and scurries over to you, missing how the bartender calls her name and holds out a glass of sparkling water.

"Y/n, we have to go! My cat just had a stroke!"

You really want to thank Jihyo for her impeccable timing, but for now, you put on your best worried expression and run towards her, encasing her in a tight hug. You enunciate, not forgetting to throw a look to Mr. Jeon over your shoulder, "Oh no! That's awful. Sorry, Mr. Jeon, but I have to go. Jihyo's had Mittens since her mom passed. He was her last gift to her."

As the two of you open the doors to the mansion that this get together is taking place in, you're met with a gust of cool wind. You hurry over to the main gates of the property, politely asking one of the guards to call you an Uber.

"Mittens, my ass," Jihyo says. "Sometimes it stuns me how easily you can come up with those stories."

You laugh heartily at that, pointing out to her, "Hey, it's not all made up. I used to have a stuffed animal named Mittens that my favorite nanny gave me."

You and Jihyo are especially giggly, whether it be from the alcohol or the fact that you fooled such an experienced man, and you can barely make it into the car that pulls up, both wobbly and struggling to walk.

The driver is a young man named Chris and he tells you that he's actually a student at the same university as you, but he's an Uber driver at nights so that he can cover the expensive cost. He's a sweet guy, offering to help you both up to your apartment, but you assure him that you can make it to the elevator.

Jihyo groans as you support each other and walk towards the towering building, "Ugh, Y/n, why'd you send him away?"

"You're telling me you wanna invite a guy over to my house? Are we all supposed to share the bed? I know it's a king size but it'll be cramped."

"Like you would even mind, Y/n. He was hot."

Stepping into the elevator and pressing the button for the seventh floor, you tell your now drowsy friend, "Well, it's too late not but maybe you'll see him around campus. Ask him out then."

Unfortunately, Jihyo is already passed out and drooling on your shoulder, so you tell yourself to remind her when she comes to.

The weekend is over in what feels like a matter of seconds. You think the time flew by due to your anticipation. Before you know it, your last class for the day is finished and you're already heading over to your division of the Jeon Corp. buildings.

You let out a shaky breath as you enter the elevator leading to the top floor. You can do nothing but stare at your shoes until you hear the familiar ding and the doors opening to reveal a private office spanning the space of an entire floor.

Much to your surprise (and chagrin), Mr. Jeon greets you just steps away from the elevator, a hand snaking around to your lower back as he guides you to his desk.

"Have a seat, my dear," he expresses with a tone that you think he thinks is appealing, but sounds to you like a beached whale. "Is there anything you want? To drink, I mean."

You honestly can't comprehend how this man possibly thinks he's the least bit attractive, but you swallow your crude opinions and force a smile on your face.

"No, I'm fine," you express, though his assistant is already placing a small glass of water in front of you.

The man in front of you explains that the lab only operates during the day and should be closing up any minute now, seeing as the minute hand on his watch is quickly approaching five o'clock. In just a few minutes, he says he'll take you down to the lab and give you a tour. In the meantime, he explains your assigned position. You simply have to collect vitals for each of the subjects and make sure each of them is in top condition, a task that seems easy enough.

The two of you head down to the underground levels a little after five. When the elevator doors open, you're greeted by the sight of an all white room. There are smaller rooms with glass walls, each containing two to three bunk beds, a water fountain, and a room you assume to be a restroom. On another side of the floor is the computer and research lab. All kinds of medical equipment is stored in cabinets that line the walls from floor to ceiling.

You insist on a quick tour so you can take the time for yourself to get acquainted with the area, and luckily enough, the CEO's phone rings at the same time, calling him in for an urgent board meeting.

As you observe the rooms where the hybrids are, you notice that most of them are quiet and reserved, almost like they've acknowledged that this is just how life will be for them. However, there are two particular hybrids that stand out to you, each in separate rooms. One is a cat hybrid, though you could probably call him a kitten since he looks so young. His eyes are wide and untrusting as he sits up straight on one of the lower bunks. Dark circles surround his chocolate colored eyes, sleep dragging his eyelids down, but fear keeping them open. You think to yourself that he must be new.

The other hybrid is an older cat hybrid, though it acts more like a dog, tail practically wagging behind him as he looks at you with curiosity through the thick glass walls.

You decide to visit the younger hybrid first, quickly typing in your newly acquired code into the keypad next to the door and watching as it slowly opens and closes once you step in.

The young kitten is extremely shy, curling in on himself when he notices you approaching. The others in the room either look on with mild curiosity or are busy sleeping.

"Hi," you greet, sitting criss-cross-applesauce on the floor as to not threaten the hybrid. "My name's Y/n. Can you tell me your name?"

"J-Jisung. Are you going to hurt me, miss?"

"No, of course not! I just want to get to know you, that's all. Can you tell me a little bit about yourself?"

"My birthday is February 5th. I'm s-sixteen years old."

"Okay, that's great, Jisung! How about some stuff that you like?"

"Um, my favorite color is green. And I like the number seven. I think it's lucky."

"That's so cool! Green's my favorite color too. And did you know I actually live on the seventh floor of my apartment building? I'd have to say this meeting was destined."

This sort of light conversation continues for a while. You try to get Jisung to come out of his metaphorical shell and he does, just a bit. By the time you're saying goodbye, he's waving at you with a small smile, tail sitting calmly on his bed.

You make it your mission to visit every single room and introduce yourself, seeing as you'll be working with the hybrids very soon. Some of them give you smiles and waves, some offer you a disinterested glance or two, and others you don’t get to introduce yourself to since they're already asleep.

Finally, you find yourself in front of the room at the very end, the room that houses the energetic cat hybrid that you first noticed.

You don't even get to say a single word before the aforementioned hybrid is bounding up to you.

"I'm Taehyung! What's your name, pretty lady?"

You don't know if it's because of the close proximity or the fact that this man has to be the most breathtaking person you've ever seen, but your cheeks begin to flush and the room starts to feel a couple degrees hotter. You can't help but notice how his ears blend in perfectly with the soft and fluffy brown hair atop his head. And the way his eyes don't just reflect the fluorescent lights above, but turn them into gleaming diamonds.

Clearing your throat, you say, "My name's Y/n. I'll be working here starting in a couple days so hopefully we'll see each other pretty often."

You want to ask how Taehyung manages to keep himself busy, seeing as the other hybrids don't seem like the types that can keep up with his boundless energy. However, it seems Taehyung has a multitude of questions of his own, ranging from how old you are and what your dreams are to how you like your eggs in the morning.

Of course, you're glad to answer all of his questions, laughing lightly when he jumps in glee after you say you like your eggs scrambled with a bunch of vegetables.

Taehyung isn't afraid to talk about his dreams either. He wants to be a photographer. He wants to see the world and all it has to offer. The way he talks about the world is with such passion and excitement that you can't help but swear to yourself that in some way, shape, or form, you will bring the world to Taehyung. His eyes that light up at almost every word you say are definitely captivating, but you find yourself drawn to his personality like a kindred spirit.

As much as you love the lighthearted conversation you're having with Taehyung, you have to bring up the real reason you came down to the lab. Carefully, cautiously, in a hushed tone, you ask what kinds of experiments are run here. What are they testing for?

The cat hybrid pulls you to his bed and sits you down before plopping down and scratching his head in deep thought. After a while, he explains that the testing only began fairly recently, so that would probably explain why people are so tight-lipped. They do all kinds of experiments such as how hybrids respond to certain drugs and products, much like animal testing. However, since Jeon Corp. has recently entered the market of hybrid products as well, they also have the hybrids try different food and treat formulas and review products in development.

All of this confirms your suspicions. You would be fine if they were just conducting an experiment to see what different hybrids like, similar to a test study or a survey (it's not uncommon as the hybrid market is rapidly growing). However, not only are they doing more harmful experiments, they also advertise to the public that they are an experiment free company.

Other hybrids start to pitch in too, offering their experiences with the researchers that poke and prod at them from time to time. What truly shocks you, though, is how they admit to it so naturally, as if that's all they've ever known.

The sinking feeling in your stomach reminds you of your true mission and you sadly have to say goodbye. Making sure no one sees, you whip out your phone and open it to the camera app. Discreetly, you swipe over to the video option and click the red record button, placing the phone by your ear so it looks like you’re on a phone call.

You try to avoid the prying eyes of the security cameras as you walk around the lab, making sure to capture each and every part. You only stop recording once you've returned to the floor you usually work at and the elevator doors close behind you.

Heaving out a large sigh, you press your eyelids closed for a moment, allowing your mind some time to take in all of the new information you just learned. Your suspicions are correct and though you feel some pride in being right, you're overcome by sadness for the poor hybrids stuck in those rooms.

"I told you it was real," you drawl out, sliding your phone across the table that you, Jaehyun, Namjoon, and Hana are sitting at. You let the couple watch the video (you already showed Jaehyun as he'd arrived first), getting up to get your drink when the Starbucks barista calls out a butchered version of your name.

You sip on your mango dragonfruit refresher quietly, allowing all the focus to be on the low quality video you captured on your phone. It's blurry and you can see strands of your hair in the corners since the phone was up against your ear, but anyone can tell that there's a lab several floors beneath the office.

"So," Hana starts, "what's next?" The furry ears nestled in her dyed red hair are twitching in anticipation.

Taking on a more serious disposition and handing the rest of your drink to Jaehyun, who's been asking to try since you got it, you explain, "First, I have to get them to trust me. Right now, they're just going to have me collect vitals, so I won't be around for the actual testing part. Hopefully, in some time and with some persuasion, I'll be able to watch. And that's where you come in, Hana. You're a journalism major, so I'm assuming you can get your hands on some pretty high quality film equipment. But for this, I'm going to need something small and portable; something that won't be easy to detect. Like one of those spy camera pens but actually decent. Don't worry, I can cover the cost on my own since I'm the one bringing you into all this.

"Jaehyun, if there's ever any trouble, I'm going to need you and your gorgeous biceps to punch a few dudes for me. If I'm lucky, it won't have to come to that. And Namjoon, well, you can just sit tight and try not to break anything. Sound good, sweetheart?"

Jaehyun tries not to laugh at that, not-so-discretely muffling a giggle and instead focusing on flexing his arms that you complimented moments ago. On the other hand, Hana is practically howling of laughter (which is to be expected since she is a Siberian Husky hybrid after all).

"Aw, Joon, don't be discouraged," she coos to her downtrodden companion. "At least you have something to do."

To be fair, Namjoon does take his job very seriously. Whenever you come in to work, you notice he seems to be walking on eggshells, but you've heard that he's yet to drop a stack of papers or break a coffee mug. You have a bet going with Jaehyun on when he'll finally lose his streak (Jaehyun thinks Namjoon won't last a week, but you have faith in the guy).

Other than that, there isn't really a change in the office. Other than the face that you now visit a top secret underground lab twice a week in which everything seems to be going surprisingly smooth.

You've started taking out small groups of hybrids, though they're only allowed out for so long, and you're only allowed to do so because you promised it will 'help with their mental health.' You already start to see a change in the hybrids. They're excited to see you now. Ears twitch and tails wag whenever you come to visit. Even the quiet recluse of a goldfish hybrid, Nayoung, offers a meek smile now and then.

On your little adventures, you take them to places you would normally go like the library and different coffee shops. But the hybrids' absolute favorite place is the park. It's quite large, so the dog hybrids have plenty of space to run, there are various species of butterflies that the cat hybrids love to chase around, and there's even a pond that Nayoung likes to dip her feet in.

There is one anomaly, though. The only thing Taehyung seems to want to do is spend time with you. You find it awfully endearing, the way he stares at you like you're the literal sun. You no longer flush under his inquisitive gaze, but you do get a little shiver every time he grabs your hand, which is pretty often.

It's another week before you get your very own employee badge that grants access to the lab, but when you do, the first thing you do is sneak Taehyung out after hours.

The two of you always talk about the things you want to see and the places you want to go. Taehyung wants to see the Aurora Borealis, but you doubt you could get him far enough north and back without anyone noticing, even with the use of your family's private jet. Instead, you settle for the ice rink. It's late September and the last place you'd likely find people is at the ice rink, but it's opening week and you can't think of a better time to visit.

Swiping your season pass against the scanner at the entrance—Jihyo made you buy one with her when the rink opened two days prior since she's a competitive skater and drags you to her practices often—you skip up to the counter where a kind older woman asks you for your shoe sizes. After telling her yours and Taehyung's, she hands you two pairs of skates.

You're quick to sit down and start putting your skates on, figure hunched over as your fingers easily maneuver the laces into the hooks. You're almost finished with your first foot when out of the corner of your eye, you notice Taehyung staring blankly at the shoes in his hands, not knowing where to start.

You giggle at this, sliding off your skate so that you can comfortably sit on the ground in front of the abashed hybrid, and reassure, "Don't worry, Taehyung! It took me weeks to learn how to tie laces on my own. You can be Cinderella and let me put on your shoes for you." That causes him to brighten up, tail upright with excitement as he nods along.

Within minutes, both of you have your shoes securely on your feet and Taehyung is wobbling all over the place, not used to balancing on thin blades. You try not to laugh at him, but offer your hand as a means to get some form of balance. Taehyung (unsurprisingly at this point) grabs your whole arm instead, form hunched over from the height difference between the two of you.

As soon as you step on the ice, the mild discomfort in your arm and the fact that you have a man significantly heavier than you using you as an anchor seem to dissipate, outshined by the gleaming sight that is Taehyung's smile.

The cat hybrid exclaims, "This is the coolest thing ever! Hey, Y/n. Do you think the person who invented ice skating decided to just tie knives to their feet and go out onto a frozen pond?"

An airy laugh escapes you as you respond, "No. I don't think that's exactly how it went down."

"Then how was ice skating invented?"

"I'm not quite sure, actually."

"Well, how do you know I'm wrong? My idea totally could've happened."

You don't respond to that, instead choosing take both of the hybrid's abnormally large hands in your own and lead him slowly into the center of the rink. When you offer to teach him how to skate properly, he jumps in excitement, momentarily forgetting his surroundings and falling flat on his butt. Another round of giggles fills the otherwise empty building as you try to help Taehyung up without falling over yourself. When you finally manage to get him upright, he's eager to learn, following each of your commands without complaint.

Within about half an hour, he's got the hang of it. At least, he can skate around the outside of the ice with one hand on the walls alone. Getting back to the walls without your help? That was a bit of a struggle.

Time flies by and as you casually glance down at the thin rose gold plated watch on your wrist. your eyes widen by a fraction. Almost three hours have passed since you arrived, meaning it's almost midnight. It's almost midnight and you have an 8 A.M. lab in the morning.

You sadly inform Taehyung that it’s time to go, and even though his lips contorting into a sad pout almost have you giving in, you exit the rink and slip off your skates, waiting for him to follow suit.

Returning both pairs of skates to the lady at the counter, you give her an extra tip for letting you stay late when closing time is at 11.

The lady flashes a jovial smile, assuring, "It's fine, dear. I remember what it felt like to be young and in love. I hope the two of you have a wonderful evening!"

You feel your cheeks heat up just a bit at her sentiment but brush it off as you drag your companion away from the rink.

Once you return the young man to the lab and make your way back to your apartment, you release a tired sigh. Yeah, you're dead tired and it may or may not affect your performance in your lab in the morning, but you can't wipe the wide grin off your face.

Fortunately for you, you have some friends in the class that are willing to cover for you—that is, after you tell them about your late night and they thoroughly question you to see if the ever so elusive Y/n finally has a man in her life.

You manage to hurry back to your apartment that's quite close to most of your classes and squeeze in a quick power nap before your afternoon lecture, waking up feeling at least a little bit more refreshed. The last thing you do before heading back to the campus is unplug your phone. About to toss it in your bag, you notice the screen light up with notifications, one of them being from Hana. Your eyes quickly scan the text that says the older girl managed to find someone with the type of equipment you're looking for and wants to meet up. You quickly type out a reply saying that anytime after your lecture ends should be fine before grabbing a granola bar and closing your apartment door behind you.

Unfortunately for you, time could not go by any slower. You can feel your eyes start to droop as you listen to your Greco-Roman history professor move on to what seems like the thousandth topic for the day. You try to do anything to stay awake, poking your cheek with the end of your pen and focusing on the sound of the spring inside slowly coiling tighter. The professor eventually wraps up the lesson by assigning a reading for the next class and mentioning that there may or not be a quiz over the material, raising her brows at all the students when they grumble in response.

You're one of the first students out the door, muttering apologies to the people you shove past. To be fair, you're not running on much and all you want to do is chug six shots of espresso.

"Hana," you call out, seeing your friend already waiting for you at one of the campus' less popular Starbucks cafés (which doesn’t mean much since it's pretty much packed).

Sitting beside the hybrid is another girl who looks to be around the same age. You wave at the two of them before taking your place in line and perusing through the drink menu.

Once you have your drink, you take a seat across from the two ladies, introducing yourself to the unfamiliar face. In return, she says her name is Soyeon and that she's also part of the journalism department.

Formalities aside, you don't hesitate to get right down to business, "Hana tells me you can get your hands on the type of camera I need. If you don't mind me asking, do you think I could do a test run? I just want everything to run smoothly and to make sure audio can be heard clearly enough."

"That's fine," Soyeon assures. "It's actually not my camera. It belongs to my friend, but he's cool with you using it. You can stop by his dorm room any day at around 3-ish since he only has morning and evening classes. Here, if you give me your phone, I can add his contact info."

You unlock your phone and place it in Soyeon's awaiting hand, watching as she quickly types in a name, number, and address into your notes app. Taking back the phone and looking over the note, your eyes widen in recognition.

The note reads, 'Chris, +**********, Room 406 Bluebell Hall.' The number looks similar enough to that of the Uber driver that picked you up a while back, so you really hope Chris is short for Christopher.

You spend the rest of the hour chatting away, each taking turns to complain about the trivial problems in life. When the sky begins to darken, the three of you say your goodbyes and head off.

"Please, Jihyo," you beg, "I need you to pick up the camera for me! I'll owe you for like forever. I really can't go today but I already promised I would."

Your best friend narrows her eyes at you, scrutinizing gaze giving you a once over as she perks an eyebrow and says, "And just why can't you go?"

"I, um… I tore my ACL."

"Do you even know what that means?"

"Duh, it means I tore my ACL."

"Ok, you tore it doing what exactly? Whenever you're not in class or at your internship, you're on your bed or a couch."

"Hey! I do stuff. I just took up competitive squirrel watching. You'd be surprised at how much parkour skill it requires."

Jihyo rolls her eyes at your incredulous behavior, agreeing exasperatedly, much to your delight.

"Make sure to get a thorough demonstration," you call out just before she slams the front door shut.

You finally let go of your fake pained expression, an evil grin overtaking your face as you rub your hands together. You jump off your bed and walk to your kitchen, pulling out a packet of ramen and boiling some water.

You've slurped on all the noodles and are taking your first sip of the cloudy soup in your bowl when your phone lights up with a call.

You swipe the button right and answer in a muffled tone, mouth still slurping down the hot liquid, "Hello?"

"I don't know whether to hit you or thank you right now," comes Jihyo's voice on the other end of the line.

"Look, I didn't actually know it was him. I mean, I did, but I wasn't sure."

"Yeah, yeah. But I didn't even get a warning. I showed up looking like a slob."

"Shut up. You're literally always cute. If that's all, I'm hanging up. The ad break is over and Beyblade is back on. See you in a bit!"

"Wait, Y/n-"

You almost feel bad for the girl, but then you remember you just possibly set her up with a really cute guy and that one of your favorite shows is on the screen in front of you. You plop your phone on the couch beside you and place the ramen bowl back in your lap, waiting for Jihyo to come back to your apartment.

When she finally shows up, she's out of breath, tiny beads of sweat appearing on her otherwise clear forehead.

"The elevator," she practically wheezes, "is broken."

You feel bad for her, you really do. So many surprises in a day can't be good for her stress levels. However, she doesn't give you a chance to speak.

She sits down next to you (you want to tell her she's sitting on your phone but you aren't given the opportunity) and asks in a way that makes the situation feel somewhat akin to an interrogation, "I was going to say before I was so rudely hung up on, how come you never told me you're seeing someone new?"

You ask what she means and she explains that when she went in to practice at the ice rink, the old lady at the counter, Younghee, asked about you and your new beau, a cute hybrid.

You’re hesitant to explain, telling your friend that Taehyung is one of the hybrids from the research lab that you get to take out.

"Are you going out that late at night with all the hybrids? C'mon, this is dangerous enough."

"I swear this isn’t some Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side situation. I just- These hybrids need to see the world, Jihyo. I take the other hybrids on adventures too. But Taehyung? I swear, if you saw his smile when he first stepped on the ice or when he learned how to skate without holding onto the walls, you'd do anything in your power to see it again. He's… something special."

"Oh my god. Do you like him, Y/n?"

"I honestly don't know. I've only known him for a little bit. But I want to get to know him more. I-Is that wrong?"

"No! God, no! I just want you to be safe, that’s all. Promise me you'll be careful from now on?"

"Pinky promise."

The two of you wrap your tiny appendages around the other's, looking into each others eyes with soft smiles adorning your faces. You spend the rest of the evening binge watching Beyblade: Metal Fusion until you can barely keep your eyes open. You're too tired to send Jihyo off and you wouldn't want her walking all the way down the stairs and going home alone at night, so you reach over to the love seat on the other side of your coffee table and grab two throw blankets. You cover her in the thicker one before turning off the TV and tucking yourself in.

The two of you sleep like babies and it shows because you wake up with more than a little pep in your step. Sure, there's a little tension in your neck since you rolled on to the floor some time during the night, but it does nothing to stop you from humming all of your favorite tunes as you heat up a griddle to make pancakes for Jihyo and yourself.

The energy carries on throughout your day and by the time you're walking into the Jeon Corp. building, you're greeting every single person you pass with a smile.

When you pass Jaehyun in the break room, he inquires, "Did something happen? You seem extra perky today."

You tell him you're like this every day and skip back to your desk, his eyes trailing after you with a curious gaze. He soon snaps out of it and goes back to stirring creamer into his cup of coffee.

Swiping your lab badge from your purse, you head toward the elevator and press the appropriate button. As the each floor passes, you get increasingly excited to see all of your new friends.

The next couple hours progress smoothly and you begin to wait for something bad to happen because you can't remember the last time you had a 100% good day. However, luck seems to be on your side and once all the employees leave, you sneak back in.

Taehyung is already waiting for you, tying up the laces on his shoes. He asks enthusiastically, "Where to this time?"

"I'm thinking of taking you to my favorite ice cream place. We can even pick up a little snack for the others!"

Your favorite hybrid instantly agrees, following behind you as you lead him back up the elevator.

You've been going to the same ice cream place, Ivan's on Main, since you were a freshman. It's small and has a quaint atmosphere, fairy lights hanging on the walls casting a soft yellow glow on the cream colored walls. It was quite a popular place over the summer, people finally taking notice of the cute way they serve shakes in mason jars or bubble tea in lightbulb jars, but the buzz has died down now that the weather has cooled.

There's a jingle of a bell as you push the heavy door open and a gust of warm air washes over, contrasting from the cool air of the night.

"Hi, Gemma," you greet the wife of the owner who's in charge of manning the register. "I'd like a plain vanilla in a chocolate covered cone and he'll have… Taehyung, what would you like?"

"I kinda wanna try the cake batter and brownie chunk mix."

"He'll have one of those in the same kind of cone. How much will it be?"

After Gemma prepares your cones and rings you up, you take a seat in your favorite spot: a worn leather booth by the large window up front. Your eyes are trained on Taehyung's figure as he merrily licks away at his cone, eyes reflecting all of the pureness, innocence, and goodness in the world. The glow of the fairy lights makes the whole setting seem like that of a movie, too perfect to be real.

Taehyung is halfway through his own icy treat when he notices you haven't even started eating yours, melted cream dribbling down the side of the cone and onto your hand. He turns his curious eyes to your face, wrinkling his nose and asking if there's something wrong.

You're deep in thought and almost don't hear the hybrid's question, but you quickly trade in your all too serious face for a happier expression.

"No, not really," you say, though your gaze seems far away. "I guess I was wondering why you're stuck in that stupid lab when you have so much potential and hope."

Taehyung stops to look down at his hands for a while before clearing his throat.

"It's not really something I like to divulge."

You immediately sit up and insist, "You don't have to tell me! Especially if it makes you uncomfortable. I'm sorry for bringing it up."

He shakes his head and says, "It's ok. I trust you, Y/n. It's just a little painful to remember. I actually had a family before this. The daughter, Yoona, and I, we had this forbidden love since her parents didn't approve of those kinds of relationships. But when I was with her, I felt like I could do anything, be anything. She made me feel whole. It was one of the happiest times in my life. But then Yoona's dad lost his job, and her mom was already a stay at home mom. They were about to get evicted when they found out about this opportunity: give your hybrid away for hybrid testing and receive a huge amount of money. I guess the temptation was too much because they signed the agreement without hesitation.

"The worst part is that on my last day with them, I told Yoona I loved her and would wait to see her again. And she laughed at me, told me she was just using me for sex and stuff like that. She told me I was naïve to believe that someone like me could ever be with someone like her."

At this point, your deep orbs are brimming with salty tears. You let out a sniffle and express, "I'm so sorry that happened to you, Taehyung. No one deserves to be treated that way."

"It's okay, it was years ago."

"Your owner was using you for sex years ago?! How old were you, Taehyung?"

"O-Oh, I think it started when I was thirteen and she was sixteen."

"Thirteen? That's crazy! You were just a kid. When I was thirteen, I thought having the biggest Silly Bandz collection was the only thing that mattered. Oh my god, our society is so dumb. If you weren't a hybrid, you could sue them."

Taehyung places a large, warm hand over yours, assuring you that it's all in the past. However, that statement only makes the feeling in your gut worse. He doesn't even seem to realize how unfairly he's been treated because he views himself that lowly. It's how he was raised to think.

Seeing you wiping tears from your cheeks, the light in your eyes slowly beginning to dim, Taehyung decides to change the subject. He asks about what Silly Bandz are and you let out a weak giggle. You tell him about how they're rubber bands in different shapes, nothing really special about them, but they were basically a form of currency back in middle school.

You end the evening with Taehyung's reassuring arm around your shoulders, steadying you as you walk back to the Jeon Corp. building. Once at his designated room, you turn to face him.

"I'm sorry, Taehyung, This was supposed to be my treat but you ended up taking care of me," you say with a pout.

"It's fine, really. I'm actually glad I could get that off my chest. You're the first person I've ever told that story."

"I'm honored you feel like you can trust me with that. I promise I'll never try to use you like they did."

Taehyung looks like he wants to add something else, words dancing on the tip of his tongue, but he settles for a 'goodnight' before shutting the door to his room.