Chapter Text
It's been years, and Heeseung still hasn't gotten used to this.
It was nearly 1 a.m. when he got the call. Heeseung had already been exhausted by working throughout the day and he was extremely relieved to finally get some shut-eye. But then, he was woken up again by the sound of his phone ringing. Heeseung knew better than to just ignore it.
The local authorities informed him that they had finally raided a building that had been stealing and reselling hybrids to unsuitable owners for months and months. Heeseung had gotten reports of it from people who'd heard about it, and he'd been trying his best to free all of them.
The man on the phone told him to reach the building as soon as he could as they needed an expert on the scene. Heseung had shrugged on a jacket, slipped on a pair of shoes, and ran downstairs to wake up Sunghoon too.
And now, standing outside the building, he can only brace himself before going in. "Stay here, okay?," he tells Sunghoon. "I'll see what we're dealing with tonight first."
Sunghoon nods, alert and on guard. His black ears stand up straight like his tail as he surveys his surroundings with quick glances. "Got it."
Heeseung quickly steps inside the building. There's officers all around the place and some are escorting the accused men out. Heeseung sees the officer who called him and steps over to him.
The man tells him that most of the hybrids were unfortunately sold or relocated by the men as soon as they heard the building was going to be raided. But he assures Heeseung that they'll find them soon. A few who were rescued are being sent back to the facilities they were stolen from.
"All of them?," asks Heeseung.
"We found one in the the ringleader's office, which is strange because the rest of them were upstairs in the rooms. We couldn't find out which facility he's from. So we were hoping you could take him in at your center for the time being, Mr. Lee."
Heeseung nods. That's his job after all. "Of course, officer. Where is he?"
The man shows him the way to office, so Heeseung briskly walks to it, already feeling anxious. He tells everyone that he should go in alone as to not scare the hybrid, so they agree.
Heeseung opens the door and steps inside, closing it behind him slowly. He runs his eyes over the space, but doesn't see anything. There's another door to the left which he finds strange, but he doesn't hesitate to open it.
Inside, he finds a small room with a few chairs, a desk, a television, a bed and some leftover food. It looks like a room where the men hung out very often. Right on top of the desk, Heeseung finds what he came for; a cramped cage containing a stolen cat hybrid.
With hushed footsteps, he walks over to it. He has to bend down a little to peer into the cage. Immediately, his heart twists at the sight. The hybrid seems to be asleep, as all the noise from outside couldn't have reached inside the hidden room. He has almost all of his face hidden behind his arms in what can only be described as a defensive sleeping position. He's curled up into a ball in the small space, having no room to move his legs.
Heeseung can only see his black hair, white cat ears and an equally white and fluffy tail curled around his thigh. He's only wearing a thin sweater and a pair of shorts, the clothes not nearly enough to keep him warm in such a cold month.
The cage isn't locked, which means it was recently opened just before the building was raided. As quietly as he can, Heeseung reaches forward to open it. The creaky noise makes the hybrid's right ear twitch. Heeseung winces when the creaking only gets louder the more he opens the cage.
It's almost fully opened when the hyrbid's half-closed eyes peek out from behind his arms. As soon as they land on Heeseung, they widen and he backs up as much as the cage allows him to.
"Hey, hey, it's okay," Heeseung says as gently as he can as he raises his hands up.
The hybrid hisses at him from behind his arms, but it's a weak and quiet sound that only makes Heeseung even more sad for him. The hybrid's chest rises and falls with quick breaths, giving away how alarmed and frightened he is.
"It's okay," Heeseung repeats, extending his hand for the hybrid to smell. "I'm not here to hurt you, I promise."
Extremely cautious and unnerved, the hyrbid keeps looking at Heeseung's hand for a moment with his big, deep blue eyes, emitting another hiss when his hand gets too close. Heeseung wonders what he's gone through to be this wary and scared of strangers.
"Don't worry," Heeseung assures calmly, keeping his voice down. "It's alright. I won't hurt you."
Finally, the hybrid begins to raise his head from behind his arms, revealing round cheeks, pink lips and pale skin. And now Heeseung can see why he's in here instead of the upstair rooms like the other hybrids. He's absolutely beyond ethereal.
The hyrbid leans forward a little to sniff Heeseung's hand. His cold nose ghosts over his knuckles for a moment before he looks up at him and back away again. His posture relaxes a little, his ears stand straight instead of being folded back over his head, and he doesn't hide his face again. All good signs.
"You can calm down now. You're going to be okay," Heeseung says with a smile he hopes is comforting for him.
The hybrid remains quiet as he keeps staring at Heeseung with his shiny eyes. He still looks unsure and unsettled, but not as scared as before. Heeseung's scent was unthreatening to him, making him a little less wary of him.
"This place hasn't been treating you well, right? You must have gone through a lot. But it's gonna be okay now that I've found you. What do you say? Wanna get out of here with me?," he asks, bending down even more to be at eye level with the hyrbid.
He nibbles on his bottom lip, his tail curling tighter around his thigh in thought.
"You'll be safe with me. I promise. Let me help you. You can trust me," Heeseung says. "It's a cold but pretty night out. Don't you wanna see for yourself?," He backs away to give him space if he wants to get out.
The hyrbid's eyes snap up to him again at the mention of going outside. After a few seconds, he nods his head timidly.
Slowly, he crawls out of the cage. "I'll carry you out, okay? Is that fine?," Heeseung asks softly. It'll be better if he doesn't see so many people outside. It'll freak him out and make him even more anxious than he already is.
The hyrbid meets his gaze for a second and nods again. Gently, Heeseung hooks an arm under his knees and puts the other behind his back to lift him up. The hybrid sucks in a sharp breath and fists his hands in Heeseung's jacket tightly. His tail quickly wraps around his leg again.
"I'll explain everything when we get out of here," he tells him. "Keep your eyes closed until I tell you to open them."
The hybrid lets out a quivering breath and clenches his eyes shut as he leans his forehead against Heeseung's chest. The action makes Heeseung's heart ache. He must be immensely distressed and unsure of what's to come, but he's still choosing to trust him.
Heeseung can feel him shake in his arms as he carries him out to the lobby. As soon as all the noise outside reaches his ears, he tenses up immediately but keeps his eyes shut.
"Got him. I'll take him to the center. He's gonna be okay," Heeseung tells the officer when he sees him outside.
"Ask him which facility he's from when he feels a little better, alright? He must be really shaken up right now. Poor thing," he says with a tsk as he looks at the hybrid who's clinging onto Heeseung tightly.
Heeseung tells him he will and walks out of the building briskly. He lets out a breath once they're outside. "You can open your eyes now," he says, looking down at the hyrbid.
He slowly opens up his eyes and tilts his head up. A soft gasp leaves him when he gazes at the sky filled with distantly twinkling stars. His big blue eyes glimmer brightly, wide and amazed.
Heeseung smiles, looking up at the sky too. "Pretty, right?," he asks, making the hyrbid nod.
"What do we have here?"
Heeseung looks to the side, seeing Sunghoon walk up to them with a smile. He bends down to meet the surprised hybrid's gaze. "Hi there."
"We'll be taking him in for now, Hoon," Heeseung says. "This is Sunghoon. You can trust him," he tells the tensed up hybrid.
Sunghoon extends his hand, letting him sniff it. He does, but he looks more interested in Sunghoon's ears and sharp canines as he looks up at him. Sunghoon, being hyrbid himself, is great at keeping their rescues calm and relaxed. He's a tall, strong and effortlessly charming doberman hybrid who helps Heeseung at the center in various ways that a human can't.
"Nice to meet you, kitty. I hope we can get along well," Sunghoon says, giving his cheek a quick pat that makes him jump a little.
"We'll be heading to my center. It's not too far away from here. I'll tell you all about it when we get there," Heeseung says as he carries the hybrid to his car to usher him in the backseat. He takes off his jacket to drape it over his shoulders. "Everything's going to be okay. I promise."
The hybrid keeps looking at him with his shiny eyes as he closes the door and stands outside to talk to Sunghoon for a minute.
"Wow," Sunghoon breathes out.
"I know, right?," Heeseung agrees, sighing heavily.
"How long do you think he's been here?," Sunghoon asks, glancing back at the hybrid who's now fiddling with Heeseung's jacket.
"Months, probably," Heeseung answers. "They were waiting for the highest bid they could get. I mean just look at him, Hoon. He's so different from other cat hybrids. He must've been trained to be sold for millions."
"You're right, hyung. I can't imagine how they managed to steal him," Sunghoon says, shaking his head. "He looks so sad and scared. I hope he'll settle in well."
"Let's head back to the center," Heeseung says. "He needs to calm down and rest first."
"Sure, hyung," Sunghoon agrees.
They try to make the hyrbid talk all the way to the center, but he doesn't say anything or even let out a sound. He only looks out the window, gazing at the shops, buildings, streetlights, billboards and signs they pass by.
Most cat hybrids are not like this. Heeseung has been working with them for years to know they're immediately curious about their surroundings and the people they meet. They touch, poke and smell everything they see and usually talk his ears off when they first meet him.
But this one's completely quiet, listless and full of apprehension. He's not even moving anything else other than his head to gaze out the window. His fingers occasionally brush over Heeseung's jacket, but that's it. It's like he doesn't want to do anything wrong or draw any attention to himself.
Heeseung knows it's going to be hard to make him come out of his shell, but he's sure he can help him. It's what he does best.
After a few more minutes of driving, they finally reach the center. Heeseung gets out of the car and opens the door for the hyrbid. He startles at the sound and looks up at him with those same wide, anxious eyes.
"Come on. Let's get you inside," he says as he hauls the hybrid up in his arms again, making him emit a mostly muted gasp.
"You're gonna like it here, kitty," Sunghoon says cheerily as he unlocks the main door and pushes it open. "You'll feel at home in no time."
Heeseung hums in agreement as he carries him inside. Sunghoon turns only a few lights on. They don't want to disturb or wake up anyone else at this hour. It'll be total chaos if they find out there's a newcomer here right now.
The hybrid looks around warily. There's the reception desk, a few chairs and couches, and the rooms to the left and Heeseung's office to the right. His nose twitches as he looks towards the multiple rooms, probably picking up on everyone's scents.
"I'm gonna take you upstairs to my room," Heeseung tells him. "You can meet everyone tomorrow." He looks at Sunghoon and smiles gratefully. He's always such a big help on nights like these. "You should go rest now, Hoon. I'll take it from here. You did very well today. Thank you." If his hands weren't full, he would've given him a well-deserved pet on the head.
Sunghoon smiles, happy at the praise. "See you tomorrow then, kitty," he says to the hybrid before walking over to his own room.
"Everyone here is just as nice as Sunghoon," Heeseung tells the hybrid as he takes him upstairs. "You can trust us. You'll be safe here."
He reaches the room and opens the door, carrying the hyrbid inside. He runs his gaze around briskly, taking everything in. The new sights, smells and small sounds must be a lot to process right now, but he's doing quite well, surprisingly enough.
"I'm gonna put you down now, okay?," Heeseung says, making him look up at him again. He waits until he nods once before he lets him down. "You can go take a warm shower and after that, you can maybe eat something and go to sleep."
He'd already put some warm clothes in the bathroom before leaving. They don't have any scents on them to help the hybrid scent them himself. Heeseung shows him where the bathroom is, so he nods again and scuttles inside, closing and locking the door behind him.
After a few minutes, he hears the shower running, so he lets out a heavy breath and throws himself on the bed after taking his shoes off. All his previous exhaustion has left him, making way for nervousness and a new kind of stress.
Heeseung doesn't know how long it'll take to make him trust him and open up to him. He'll try his best to be patient and understanding, but the sooner the hybrid trusts him, the sooner he can help him.
He was definitely stolen from a facility that sells only the most well-trained and exclusive hyrbrids that are supposed to be the perfect companions for humans, personalized to be exactly what their owners want them to be like. It seems like this hybrid was already being trained to belong to a specific buyer. Seeing how beautiful and unique he is, he was definitely going to be sold at a price Heeseung can't even fathom.
He isn't completely against such facilities, as they're way better than average breeders, brothel runners or just straight up bad owners. Facilities have expert and highly trained caretakers whose sole purpose is to look after hybrids in every way. Still, the thought of it all makes Heeseung's skin crawl sometimes. They don't exactly see hyrbids as living breathing creatures with personalities and interests of their own. They simply train them to be what their buyers want. It just seems really exploitative to Heeseung.
After about half an hour, he hears the bathroom door unlock. The hybrid slowly walks out without looking at Heeseung who has to bite back a smile at the sight. Because of his lithe frame, the clothes are a bit big on him, making him look even more small. His ears, hair and tail are damp so he so keeps shaking them to get the water out.
He pads over to Heeseung and hands him his jacket, only glancing at him for a second.
Heeseung takes it with a smile and puts it aside. "Feeling better?," he asks. The hybrid only flicks his tail before tucking it between his legs, meaning he's still anxious. "Would you like to eat something?," he questions gently.
He thinks over it for only a second before he shakes his head. Heeseung knows a hungry hybrid when he sees one, but he doesn't push him. He might not be able to stomach anything right now.
"That's okay," Heeseung says easily. "You can just try and get some sleep. It's been a long night, huh?" He gets up and unfolds the covers, waiting for the hyrbid to sit down. Hesitant and jittery, he takes a seat and slowly hauls his legs up. No matter how nervous he is, the idea of a warm place to sleep is just too tempting to ignore.
As soon as he sits down, Heeseung buries him under the heavy covers, making his eyes widen a bit. "See? Isn't that nice? It's way too cold tonight. I should get the heating in here checked out," Heeseung muses out loud to fill the silence as it seems to somewhat ease the hybrid. "These days, staying in bed is way better than anything else the world outside has to offer."
The hybrid timidly scoots back against the pillows. His ears, which had been straight and alert, slowly bend forward a little in a relaxed manner.
"Do you want me to stay with you or would you like to be alone? I'll be totally okay with whatever makes you feel more comfortable," Heeseung says, adjusting the covers around the hyrbid's legs.
He doesn't take long to think Heeseung's question over. He shakes his head again, glancing at Heeseung briefly.
"You want me to stay?," Heeseung asks, earning an almost shy nod from him. "Then I'll stay," he says with a soft smile. He sits across him and crosses his legs. The hybrid looks fairly calm now, but an occasional shudder still courses through his body.
"All of this must be lot to take in right now, isn't it?," Heeseung asks, keeping his voice low and soft. "But you don't have to be scared. For now, just relax and get some rest. You're gonna need it. This place isn't this quiet in the morning," he tells him with a chuckle.
He just nods apprehensively, but seems to be listening to Heeseung attentively as his ears are pointed forward towards him. The keep flicking every few seconds as they're still damp and must be feeling heavy. They're white as snow and look ridiculously soft and fluffy. All Heeseung wants to do is give them a scratch and pet his head to oblivion, but they have a long way to go before he can start testing the waters. Sunghoon is way better in the physical touch department anyway.
"We can you give you a proper tour and introduction tomorrow. You can say hi to everyone else yourself if you want to. I'm sure they'll be very excited to see someone new here. Especially Jake. He goes completely nuts for cat hybrids. He's a golden retriever hybrid, so you can pretty much guess what he's like," Heeseung says with a fond smile.
He can already imagine Jake losing his mind as soon as he sees the hyrbid's fluffy ears and tail. Needless to say, he's the friendliest and well, noisiest dog hybrid at the center. He could be a little too much for the already on edge hybrid, but he could also be the one to make him open up sooner.
The hybrid nods again, looking sleepier and sleepier by the second. Whenever his eyes begin fluttering shut, he quickly opens them up again to look at Heeseung as he talks.
"But you should stick close to Sunghoon first. He'll help you adjust well. He takes care of everyone around here even better than me. We have different volunteers and helpers over everyday, so you'll see a lot of new faces and meet a lot of new people very often. But if you ever feel too overwhelmed, you can come here, go to Sunghoon's room or just stay in my office. We'll never force you or push you to be comfortable with something you're not while you're here. Everyone has a say in everything," Heeseung explains, making the hybrid's eyes shine in wonder. He looks much more calm now as he's close to sleeping. He burrows further down in the covers, looking at Heeseung imploringly to hear more of what he has to say.
"Oh, and there's a big outdoor area too. But it's a pretty noisy place as everyone prefers it over their rooms. Do you like being outside too?," Heeseung asks. The hybrid thinks for a moment before he shakes his head, albeit unsurely, like can't make up his mind.
Heeseung laughs softly. "I can understand. I'd much rather stay in and play video games. But I'm usually really busy, so it's not something I get to do very often. Maybe we can play together someday."
The hybrid nods sleepily, nearly asleep now. Heeseung keeps talking about whatever comes to his mind until he's sure he's sleeping. He scoots forward and tugs the cover up to his shoulders.
Cat hybrids don't usually feel safe sleeping around someone they just met, so he must be extremely exhausted to have fallen asleep without intending too. That must be why he wanted Heeseung to keep talking to him, but it seemed to have had the opposite effect.
Heeseung is sure he's going to remain asleep til late in the morning, so he leaves the room to go downstairs to his office to begin writing his case file. That's when he realizes he doesn't even know his name or age.
Heeseung sighs and runs a hand over his face tiredly before resting his head down on the desk. Perhaps the hardest part of his job is dealing with the emotional aspect of it. Seeing hybrids still be treated so cruelly almost every single day really takes a toll on him.
All he can do is hope the hybrid feels better soon. He seems to be such a shy, gentle and sweet cat, just quietly going along with what Heeseung is saying like he doesn't even have the energy to do anything else.
It's extremely sad, but it also gives him a little hope that he'll begin trusting him soon.
-
Heeseung wakes up to a finger tapping his nose.
He wrinkles it up nose and brushes his hand against it, his eyes still closed. It stops for a moment, before the finger returns again, tapping his nose more incessantly.
Heeseung groans, wondering why his bed feels so hard all the sudden. "Ten more minutes, Jake," he sighs.
"Heeseung-hyung, you fell asleep in your office again," says a bright voice with a brighter giggle.
Heeseung gets up and blearily looks around, seeing that he's indeed in his office. There's a blank case file in front of him. Jake, who'd so nicely woken him up is sitting right on his desk and looking at him with his usual happy smile.
"Jeez," Heeseung breathes out, running a hand through his hair. "I really need to get it together, don't I?"
Jake laughs again, looking as active and hyper as ever. "Sunghoon told me to come get you. He saw you earlier in the morning too, but he let you sleep in. But he says you need to eat your breakfast now. I already ate mine. It was so good. I love bacon. What are you gonna eat, hyung? Can I join you?," he rambles, leaning closer to Heeseung until their noses almost touch.
"Let me wake up first," Heeseung says through a laugh as he stretches his arms. "I had a rough night."
Jake's smile immediately turns into a frown. "What? Why? What happened?"
"I'll tell you later. But you have to promise to listen to me well, alright?"
Jake nods quickly, looking determined and attentive. "I will, hyung," he says. "Also, I can smell someone new. Do we have a new hybrid? Is it a cat? It is, isn't it? Can I see? Where is—"
"You'll meet him soon," Heeseung assures as he gets up and begins leading Jake out. Outside, everyone's already awake and doing their own thing. Some hyrbids are still eating breakfast while some are already outside playing or napping. "I think he's still asleep. I'll go check up on him, okay? Then I'll see if he feels like meeting everyone right now. You'll have to be very careful with him. He might still be ready overwhelmed and stressed out."
Jake makes a sympathetic sound. "Oh no. Is he okay?"
"He will be," Heeseung says with a smile, petting Jake's head gently. He tells him to go back to what he was doing before he begins making his way upstairs.
It's nearly 11 in the morning but he thinks the hybrid is still asleep. He reaches the room and quietly opens the door. Sure enough, he's still buried under the covers and fast asleep. He has his face hidden behind his arms again, but it's mostly visible. He looks really cozy and warm, so Heeseung lets him be.
He pulls out a fresh change of clothes from his closet and goes over to the bathroom to shower. He sees that the hybrid had left the clothes he was wearing when he found him on the counter. They're folded neatly and sitting in the corner. Heeseung can't help but smile as the sight is oddly cute and endearing.
After he's done showering and getting dressed, he walk out of the bathroom, seeing the hybrid still asleep. It's only when Heeseung's moving stuff around on the dresser to find his watch that he hears him shuffling around.
Heeseung looks over his shoulder, seeing him stretch his limbs languidly with his eyes squeezed shut. His ears give a little twitch in Heeseung's direction before he squints open his eyes.
"Good morning," Heeseung says with a smile, watching him look around in mild confusion. "Did you sleep well?"
The hybrid looks at him, seemingly remembering everything. His puzzled expression relaxes, now turning a little abashed as he slowly sits up. He nods, glancing at Heeseung briefly.
"That's good. I hope you're feeling a little bit better now," he says as he finally finds his watch as fastens it around his wrist. "Go wash up quickly, okay? Then we can go downstairs and have breakfast together. Sunghoon never eats without me, so he must be waiting too."
The hybrid nods again and gets out of the bed. He pauses briefly when he looks at the door. His ears twitch again as he hears all the unfamiliar voices coming from downstairs. He begins walking towards the bathroom, but stops. Then he comes back to Heeseung, quickly bows in greeting and heads to the bathroom again. Heeseung laughs under his breath and shakes his head.
When they begin heading downstairs together, all the noise make the hybrid's steps hesitate. Heeseung looks at him and smiles gently. "Don't worry. You don't have to meet everyone right away," he says. "Let's eat first and think about everything else later."
He nods and sticks close to Heeseung as he leads him to the kitchen where they see Sunghoon.
"Oh, finally," he sighs. "I thought you'd show up at dinner," he says.
"And I'm surprised you woke up so early after last night," Heeseung says, sitting the hybrid down at the table gently.
"You know how Jake is, hyung. He was in my room at eight to wake me up," Sunghoon tells him as he helps him set the table. "Morning, kitty," he greets with a smile. "You feeling alright?"
The hybrid nods once, looking slightly alarmed at the food that just keeps coming and coming. Heeseung doesn't know what he likes, so he just puts a bit of everything on the table to give him all the options.
"Eat up well," Heeseung says as he's and Sunghoon sit down at the table too. "Then you can decide if you wanna go outside or back to mine or Sunghoon's room."
The hybrid nods again. He keeps looking down at the food silently before he hesitantly reaches forward to pick up the bowlful of berries and begins nibbling on them slowly.
Heeseung holds back a sigh of relief and begins eating too. "I totally forgot to introduce myself last night," he says with a smile. "I'm Lee Heeseung, and I'm twenty-two years old. I own and run this hybrid care center with Sunghoon. It's been almost five whole years since I started this job. We rescue hybrids from brothels or neglectful and unfit owners and take care of them until they can go back to their facilities or be taken in by new owners."
"Tell him about how you found me, hyung," Sunghoon requests eagerly, his tail tapping Heeseung's arm softly.
"Hoon was my first rescue," Heeseung tells the hybrid who's listening to him attentively with wide, eager eyes. "I rescued him from breeders when I was only fifteen years old. We've been friends ever since. I couldn't have done all this without him," he says, scratching Sunghoon behind his ears softly and making his tail wag happily. "You can count on him for anything."
Sunghoon preens and nods. "Just come to me whenever you need anything. I'm always here to help."
The hybrid looks at him and nods, picking out and eating all the raspberries from the bowl. "Can you tell us your name?," he asks the hybrid.
He looks down silently for a moment. Quietly, he mumbles, "Jungwon."
"That's a pretty name. It really suits you," he says with a smile. The hybrid's voice is soft and sweet, making him wish he can hear more of it. "How old are you?"
"Nineteen," he answers. After finishing all the raspberries, he begins separating the blueberries next.
"That's cool. You'll fit right in. Most hybrids here are around that age. In fact, you're older than almost half of them," Sunghoon says brightly.
"Right," Heeseung agrees. "I really think you'll like it here, Jungwon. This was just a small place when we first started it. But slowly, we managed to build it to be bigger and better. Like I said, you won't be forced to do anything you don't to here. If there's something that's bothering you, or if there's something you want to share with us, you can do so freely. You can talk to me, Hoon or any other hybrid you want to befriend."
Jungwon nods sheepishly. "Okay," he says shortly.
"I wish I could spend more time with you today, but I have somewhere to be," Heeseung says, standing up.
"Where are you going?," Sunghoon asks curiously, leaning into Heeseung's hand when he strokes his head lovingly.
"Home," Heeseung answers. "Take care of everything for me, okay? I'll try to be back soon."
Sunghoon nods with a smile, earning another soft pet. "Okay, hyung. See you later then."
"I hope you have a good day, Jungwon," Heeseung says, smiling at the hybrid who's looking at him expectantly for some reason. "Remember, don't feel pressured to do anything you don't feel comfortable with. Stay with Hoon or go back upstairs to my room if you want to rest."
Jungwon nods, deflating a little when Heeseung just smiles again and leaves the kitchen.
"He's always so busy," Sunghoon tells Jungwon, watching him looking at the door through which Heeseung just left. "He works really hard, so he has very little time to visit his family. I think he'll spend the day with them."
Jungwon lets out a tiny hum, continuing to eat the berries slowly. Sunghoon looks at him with a smile. He's seen a lot of cat hybrids before, but there's something so different about him. He wishes he would talk more, but knows that he needs more time to feel comfortable enough. "When you're done eating, we can go out and introduce you to everyone. Does that sound alright?"
Jungwon looks at him for a moment before he nods, much to his surprise. "Yes," he answers.
"I'm guessing Heeseung-hyung already told you about Jake," Sunghoon says. Jungwon nods again. "He's the first hybrid we introduce our rescues to. He's always the most curious out of everyone else. It's practically impossible to keep anyone hidden from him. Just don't let him convince you to sneak out. Or you'll get into big trouble with Heeseung-hyung. You don't want that, do you?"
Jungwon quickly shakes his head, his shiny eyes widening a little. "Good," Sunghoon says. "Only a few hybrids besides me can go outside. It's not exactly safe, you know that, right?"
Jungwon looks down sullenly, seemingly done with eating. The bowl is empty when Sunghoon sees it.
"Would you like anything else?," Sunghoon asks. Jungwon only looks at the water, so Sunghoon pours him a glass which he finishes too. "Everyone eats lunch around one, but you can just tell me when you feel hungry. Okay?"
"Okay," Jungwon mumbles, making Sunghoon smile again. He didn't know a voice could sound so cute.
"Let's go out then," he says as he stands up. He thinks about offering Jungwon his hand, but decides against, not wanting to overwhelm him. Starting with small touches would be better.
Slowly, Jungwon stands up too and follows him outside to the outdoor area. It's a wide space with plenty of room for everyone. As soon as Sunghoon steps out, all eyes fall on him and Jungwon.
"Hoon, hey!," Jake calls out, waving his hand. He runs over to him and his eyes immediately go comically wide when they land on Jungwon who's now trying to hide behind Sunghoon. "Kitty!," he squeals, garnering everyone's attention too and making them run over to Sunghoon as well with eager eyes.
"Everyone, this is Jungwon. He's gonna be living here with us now. Be really gentle with him, okay? He's very quiet and shy so don't be too loud or crazy around him and scare him off," Sunghoon states clearly, making everyone nod except Jake who's trying to catch a peek at Jungwon from behind Sunghoon. Sunghoon glances back at him and smiles encouragingly. "Go on. Say hi," he says, putting a soft hand on his back.
Jungwon hesitantly steps out from behind Sunghoon and bows his head. "Hi," he says shortly, avoiding everyone's eyes.
Jake nearly screams again. "Hi, Jungwon! I'm Jake. It's really nice to meet you! I love your ears and your tail and your eyes and your nose. You're so pretty!," he rambles, his tail swishing behind him at a speed faster than light. "Do you have claws? Can I see?"
Jungwon shakes his head sadly and his ears droop down, making Sunghoon frown. It must be the doing of the men who stole him. They must've cut them in case Jungwon decided to use them.
"Oh," Jake says, looking a little confused. "Do you have sharp teeth like me?" Jungwon shakes his head. "Well..can you hiss? Or growl?"
Jungwon thinks it over before he slowly shakes his head again. "I don't want to," he mumbles.
"Um..can you meow then?," asks Jake.
Jungwon is silent for a moment before he lets out the tiniest little mew. Sunghoon's sure his heart melts.
Jake coos loudly and proceeds to tackle Jungwon to the ground, making everyone else join in too. Jungwon lets out a startled squeak, flailing helplessly to escape. Jake excitedly sniffs at Jungwon's neck and behind his ears, making him squeeze his eyes shut with a quiet, distressed whine.
"Woah, woah! That's a little too much now. I told you to be gentle," Sunghoon tsks. He bends down and helps Jungwon up. He's breathing heavily and his ears have folded down against his head defensively.
"Sorry," Jake laughs, not sounding sorry at all. "Come on, Jungwon! I'll show you around." He takes Jungwon's hand and begins pulling him his way. He looks back at Sunghoon with wide, panicked eyes as Jake happily leads him away.
Sunghoon just smiles amusedly and lets them be. Jake may be a bit too much for Jungwon to handle, but being with him could also be good for him. If Heeseung was here right now, he would've told Jake to leave Jungwon alone, but Sunghoon knows interactions like these are necessary for hybrids as closed up as Jungwon. If he keeps avoiding everyone, he'll take even longer to open up and talk more.
Deciding that Jake will take it from here, Sunghoon goes back to his room to get some well-needed sleep. He doesn't need to worry about oversleeping. Jake will most definitely wake him up at lunchtime.
-
"So, what do think, Jungwon? It's a nice place, isn't it?," Jake asks as they reach the entrance of the center. The idea of leaving the doors always been extremely tempting to him, but he resists the urge.
Jungwon nods, looking kind of weary and out of breath for some reason. Well, maybe because Jake tackled him out of nowhere everytime he did something cute or said even a single word. He's just so adorable to Jake, he literally can't help it.
Jungwon is extremely quiet and reserved, just like Sunghoon told him. But he has the most expressive eyes Jake as ever seen, which make it easy for him to tell what he's thinking right away.
"I'm sure you'll love it here, even if it can get a little bit boring sometimes," Jake says. "Heeseung-hyung said I'll be able to leave when he finds the right owner for me. I've been waiting for months. I really, really like living here, but being able to go out would be fun too."
Jungwon hums quietly but pensively.
"It'd be so nice to have someone you'll be able to live with and love forever. And get loved in return. Heeseung-hyung said we have to be compatible with each other, otherwise we won't be able to adjust well. It's the reason so many hybrids are sent here. They get sold to the wrong owners who don't treat them well," Jake tells him, thinking about the house he came from. It's not something he wants to talk about too much so he smiles and changes the topic.
"Anyways, it's time for lunch," he says, tugging Jungwon over to Sunghoon's room. "Let's go and wake Hoon up. The volunteers will be here soon too."
"Volunteers?," Jungwon repeats, stumbling behind him.
"Heeseung-hyung doesn't keep any permanent staff here. He says he can't trust anybody too much. So he only accepts daily helpers and volunteers to come and lend him and Sunghoon a hand. We get to meet so many new people everyday! But..it doesn't really seem like your thing, right?," Jake asks.
As expected, Jungwon shakes his head. "Right."
"Hey, speaking of lunch, what do you like to eat, Jungwon?," Jake asks curiously.
Jungwon remains silent for a moment as he thinks. "Everything?," says diffidently.
Jake laughs brightly. "I totally get that."
They reach Sunghoon's room and Jake opens the door without any hesitation and throws himself of Sunghoon's bed. "Lunchtime!," he yells at the top of his lungs, making Jungwon jump.
Sunghoon groans, blindly petting Jake's head. "Alright, alright," he breathes out. He tries to sit up, but Jake just begins hugging him instead when he sees how warm he feels. "Won't you let me get up first?"
"Oh!," Jake exclaims, letting him go. "Come on! I need to find him what Jungwon likes the most," he says, pulling on Sunghoon's arm to make him get up.
Sunghoon yawns and stretches, letting Jake pull him out of bed. He looks at Jungwon who's still standing in the doorway and smiles sleepily. "Hey, kitty. Having a good day so far?," he asks. Jungwon nods, following him and Jake out.
"I gave him a tour of the entire center. And I told him about the volunteers. But I don't think he'll like being around so many people. So can we eat in the kitchen? Or in my room?," Jake asks, his tail wagging slowly in anticipation.
"Sure, I don't see why not," Sunghoon says easily, making Jake grin and hug him again.
"Thank you!," he says happily, dragging an already worn-out Jungwon to the kitchen before he can even process what's going on.
In the kitchen, Jake begins pulling everything out of the fridge to dump it on the counter, making Jungwon's eyes widen in surprise.
"Heeseung-hyung told me to try a bit of everything when it was my first day here. I'd only ever eaten meat before, so I didn't even know what anything else tasted like. I still like meat the most, but I also really like rice, bread and cake," Jake tells Jungwon.
Jake begins with giving Jungwon a few more berries to ease him in when he tells him that's what he had for breakfast. Jungwon eats the raspberries first, then the blueberries, strawberries, and lastly the cranberries. For the rest of the fruit, Jungwon only likes grapes and the cherries. He looks mildly interested in the mango yogurt, but Jake doesn't think he should give him any dairy stuff without asking Heeseung or Sunghoon. So far, Jungwon likes bread with strawberry jam, cherry tomatoes, carrots, blueberry muffins, and surprisingly, lettuce leaves.
It's when Jake makes him try meat that Jungwon really gets interested. His tail gives a few excited swishes behind him when Jake puts it all in front of him. He likes pork, he loves beef, he's scarfs down the chicken and he doesn't even seem to chew the tuna before he practically inhales it.
"Hey, I was wondering..what happened to your claws?," Jake wonders out loud when Jungwon's finished eating. "Don't get me wrong! You're really pretty without them too! I was just curious about why you don't have them."
Jungwon doesn't meet his inquisitive gaze. He looks kinda sad all of a sudden, making Jake regret asking. It must be something he doesn't want to share with anyone yet.
Before Jungwon can answer, Sunghoon walks in, making them turn their heads. He pauses when he sees the absolute mess they've made on the counter. He sighs and crosses his arms. "Jake?," he voices.
Jake grins sheepishly. "Yes?," he squeaks.
Sunghoon should make him clean up like Heeseung would, but he doesn't feel like being too stern today. "Go eat your lunch outside, okay? I think Jungwon needs a little break now."
Jake lets out a sad sound but nods and gets up to leave the kitchen. "Alright," he mumbles. "Can I see him later?"
"Of course," Sunghoon says and pats his head when he walks past him. Jake waves at Jungwon with and impish smile before leaving.
Sunghoon tsks and shakes his head as he walks up to the counter to begin cleaning up. "What am I gonna do with him? He's such a troublemaker," he says. "Did you eat already?," he asks.
Jungwon nods and attempts to help him, but it's more of just him picking up and eating things that smell good to him. Sunghoon smiles and lets him. In a way, he's cleaning up too.
"What were you two talking about?," Sunghoon asks, putting back some things in the fridge. Jungwon shrugs, nibbling on the few lettuce leaves left. "I'm assuming Jake did most of the talking then," he chuckles. "He seems really happy and cheerful all the time, but he's had a pretty rough past."
Jungwon looks up at him, his eyes gleaming with curiosity.
"He was from a normal facility, nothing too big or high-end. But he got sold at a pretty young age. Then he got resold by humans multiple times. He's never known what a normal, stable life is like. We found him almost ten months ago. His owners were pretty neglectful and obviously didn't know how to take care of him. So we took him in. He was actually really quiet when he first came here. But he opened up almost immediately in only two days," Sunghoon tells Jungwon who's listening to him with wide eyes, his head titled to the side a little.
"Everyone has stuff they can never forget or get over. Even me. But we can still try and make the most out of our lives despite our pasts. I don't know what you went through, but I can assure you that you're going to be okay now that you're here," he says with a smile.
Jungwon averts his gaze and remains silent, but Sunghoon can see that he really understands what he's trying to tell him.
Sunghoon finishes up with cleaning and lets out a conclusive sound. "There," he says. "I'm sure Jake tired you out. Do you wanna take a nap?"
Jungwon looks at him with a faint frown. "What about you?," he asks in his soft voice.
"I'll eat later, don't worry. I'm not really hungry. I'll get you settled in my room, then I'll go help out the volunteers. I'll eat after that," Sunghoon says. "Let's go."
Jungwon trails after Sunghoon out the kitchen. When all the noises from outside reach his sensitive ears, he sticks close to him, almost glued to his back. It's endearing to know that he has already began to trust him and sees him as someone who can protect him and keep him safe. But Sunghoon also hopes he can stop being so scared and hesitant to make some more friends.
"Here we are," Sunghoon announces as they enter his room. He leads Jungwon inside and closes the door so it's quieter. He would've taken him upstairs to Heeseung's room, but he feels more comfortable keeping him close to himself for now.
Sunghoon is the only hybrid who gets his own room, as he works here as well. It's a well established fact that he's an authoritative figure at the center.
As soon as he has Jungwon settled in his bed, the hybrid's eyes start getting droopy. "You can sleep here for as long as you want," Sunghoon tells him. "I'll be right outside if you need me. Okay, kitty?"
Jungwon nods, but he looks like he wants to say something. He gazes at Sunghoon with his gleaming eyes, as if waiting for him to understand what he means.
"Do you want me to stay?," Sunghoon asks, surprised.
Jungwon is nodding before he has even finished his question. Sunghoon has to be outside to make sure everything's going well with the volunteers. But making sure Jungwon isn't uneasy or feeling unsafe is also his responsibility that Heeseung entrusted him with.
"Sure. Whatever you want," Sunghoon says with a smile. He walks up to bed and gets in beside Jungwon, making his eyes widen a little. He keeps his distance, but he also stays close enough to let the hybrid know that physical closeness isn't always a threat.
Sunghoon props his elbow up on the pillow and leans his hand against his fist as he turns on his side to face Jungwon. He really is a sight for sore eyes. If his irresistibly fluffy ears weren't cute enough, his glistening blue eyes and soft looking cheeks just top it all of, making him adorable yet immensely pretty at the same time. Sunghoon's sure he's going to be very popular among volunteers and also potential owners once he's ready to come out of his shell.
Their proximity makes Jungwon visibly nervous but he gets eased in surprisingly quickly.
"So, what do you think, kitty? Could you settle in well here?," Sunghoon asks, keeping his voice soft.
Jungwon nods once, albeit unsurely. Which is fine, considering this is just his first day. Most hyrbids take at least three or five days to get fully comfortable. Jungwon seems like he won't take any less than a whole month.
"It's pretty overwhelming, right? But don't worry. You can take your time. No need to rush or push yourself if you don't want to," Sunghoon says gently.
Jungwon nods again. He curls up and puts his arms under his head, cozying up.
"You know, when Heeseung-hyung first took me in, I was just as scared and quiet as you are. In fact, I was even kinda aggressive and violent at times," Sunghoon tells him, recalling the first few days he spent with Heeseung. "I didn't know if I could really trust him. I thought he'd hurt me too. But I soon realized that he only wanted to help me. He gave me my space, and made sure I knew he was someone I could trust. He's a really good person, Jungwon. I know you must be wary of humans, but Heeseung-hyung is different. He'll do anything he can to keep you safe and happy. You can trust him and talk to him about anything that's on your mind."
Jungwon listens to him silently, taking in every word.
"He should be back by six, I think. You can sleep til then if you want. He'll be here when you wake up."
Jungwon hums, closing his eyes. Sunghoon thinks about reaching forward to stroke a hand between his ears, or maybe give him a brief pet, but he doesn't know if he'll be okay with that. So he decides not to. Maybe it's best to wait until Jungwon seeks out physical touch himself. That way, Sunghoon will know if it's something he's open to.
Soon enough, Jungwon begins dozing off, so Sunghoon quietly leaves the room and closes the door behind him. Already, he can tell that Jungwon is slowly but surely making a room in his heart.
-
As soon as Heeseung takes a step inside the center, he's greeted by at least twenty excited hybrids.
He doesn't even know whose head he's petting and whose ears he's scratching as he walks in with a fond laugh.
Eventually, he manages to give everyone the attention they demand and goes to find Sunghoon. But as soon as he takes a step in the direction of his room, an all too familiar squeal reaches his ears and he's being tackled to the ground before he can brace himself.
"Hyung, you're finally back!," Jake yells, hugging him tight enough to knock the breath out of his lungs.
"Yup, I'm here," Heeseung chokes out, patting Jake's back. "You're squeezing my ribs, Jake."
Jake just giggles and lets him go after giving him one last tight hug. "Where were you? Why didn't you tell me you were leaving? Oh! I met the cat hybrid you told me about! I gave him a tour and then I made him try everything in the kitchen. I haven't seen him since then 'cause Hoon said he's sleeping. But I think we're friends already," Jake rambles in one breath, his brown eyes sparkling and his tail swishing rapidly.
Heeseung chuckles and stands up, pulling Jake up with him. "Is that so? I'm glad to hear that." He tells Jake he'll bring Jungwon out soon, then he goes to Sunghoon's room to look for him.
He enters the room and sees both Sunghoon and Jungwon asleep on the bed. Jungwon doesn't stir, but Sunghoon soon wakes up when he picks up on Heeseung's scent.
"Long day?," Heeseung laughs softly, walking over to him to stroke a hand over his head.
Sunghoon groans and sits up to lean his head against Heeseung, seeking more pets. "It always is where you aren't around, hyung. I just came in here to nap after lunch when the volunteers left. I guess I just..dozed off."
"Don't worry about it, Hoon," Heeseung says easily. After all, looking after over fifty hybrids alone isn't an easy job. "How's he been?," Heeseung asks, referring to Jungwon.
"He spent most of his time with Jake. Ate well too. He's been asleep since then. I think he gets tired really quickly, hyung," Sunghoon tells him.
"Send him to my room when he wakes up, alright? I'll need to talk to him," Heeseung says.
If Heeseung's being honest, he'd been thinking of nothing but Jungwon the entire day. Today was supposed to be a nice, relaxing day with his friends and family, but he was too stressed out to enjoy himself.
He really doesn't know what Jungwon's life has been like. The officers who called him yesterday say nothing related to Jungwon was found in the entire building. He was thinking about giving Jungwon more time to open up to him, but the immense concern he feels won't let him relax.
Heeseung reaches his room and changes his clothes. He cleans up a little to pass the time, but doesn't have to wait long. After about half an hour, he sees Jungwon standing in the doorway when he turns around.
"Oh, hey. Come on in," Heeseung says with a welcoming smile.
Jungwon steps in and just stands there for a moment before Heeseung tells him to sit down. "Did you have a nice day?," Heeseung asks as he shuffles through the drawers on the nightstand to find something he forgot to give Jungwon sooner.
Jungwon nods, watching him with his big, beady eyes. "You?," he asks hesitantly.
Heeseung smiles again. "I had a pretty good day too. Thank you for asking." From the drawer, he takes out a green and blue wristband with a few numbers and the name of his center on it. He hands it to Jungwon. "Here. It's yours."
Jungwon looks at it blankly before titling his head questioningly. Heeseung chuckles at the effortlessly cute action. He takes it from the hybrid to slide it on his wrist. "It's just a formality at this point. This place gets pretty crowded at times, so it's hard to keep up with everyone. This just makes stuff a little easier for volunteers and the people who come here as potential owners," he explains.
Jungwon blinks, looking down at it intently. "Oh, okay."
"Listen, Jungwon," Heeseung begins as he sits down across him. "I know you've heard this from me and Sunghoon too many times already, but you really are safe here. There's no need to be scared of anything or anyone now. We'll take care of you."
"But," Heeseung adds, "In order to help you, I need you to tell me everything that happened before I brought you here. You can just answer my questions with a yes or a no for now. Does that sound okay?"
Jungwon nods once and scoots a little closer to him.
"You don't have to answer stuff you don't want to," Heeseung says. "But just know that you'll have to tell me someday soon."
Jungwon nods again, his tail swishing slowly before he puts it in his lap. "I'll tell you," he says.
"Okay, let's start then," Heeseung says with a smile. "Do you remember which facility you were stolen from?," he asks.
Jungwon's eyes widen a little as he nods quickly. "Pryme," he answers. He pulls up the sleeve of his sweater to show Heeseung his upper arm.
Heeseung leans forward to look at the logo of the company on Jungwon's skin. He makes a surprised sound. "Really?," he asks. Pryme Hybrids is known for being the most exclusive and high-end hybrid facility, where only the best bespoke and perfectly trained hybrids are found. "Isn't the security system really tight there? How could they let someone in?"
Jungwon's ears droop down a little as he rolls down his sleeve again. He keeps rubbing his upper arm where the logo is. "It was..one of my trainers. He was bribed by the guys at the building you found me in," he tells him, the most he's said since yesterday.
"Oh..I see," Heeseung hums. Slowly, he reaches forward to lower Jungwon's hand when he keeps scratching his arm. "I guess even places like Pryme aren't all perfect as they seem. How long were you at the building?"
"Not too long," Jungwon answers, shaking his head. "Just a couple months..I think."
"Can you tell me a bit about your time at Pryme before everything happened? Only if you want to, of course," Heeseung says, trying to sound as non-intrusive as he can to not make Jungwon close up again. This is the most he's heard him speak and he wants to keep it that way in order to get as much information as he can from him.
Jungwon nods. "I was almost ready to go home with the person I was being trained for. I was..really happy. I don't know why it had to be me," he says sullenly. "All the trainers there were really nice to me, I had a lot of friends and I was excited to finally meet the person who chose me out of all the other hybrids. But then.." He trails off, looking down at his hands.
Heeseung feels the sudden urge to reach forward and comfort him in some way. Maybe pet his head, squeeze his hand or scratch his ears. But he doesn't. The last thing he wants to do is make him even a little bit uncomfortable now that he's finally easing in.
"You'd never met that person?," Heeseung asks.
"No," Jungwon answers. "I was supposed to, in a day or two. But I'd heard about him. They said he was some celebrity, an idol, I think. It's been so long since then..he must've picked out someone else by now."
That's most definitely the case, Heeseung thinks, but doesn't voice his thoughts lest he worsen Jungwon's already sad state. "Don't worry about that, Jungwon. I'll make sure you find an even better owner no matter what. Everyone will be all over you once they see how pretty you are. Even I've never seen someone like you before."
Jungwon raises his head and meets his eyes for just a few seconds before looking away again, his cheeks turning pink at the sudden praise.
"I bet you want your claws back too, right?," Heeseung asks, noticing the way Jungwon keeps fiddling with his fingers.
Jungwon nods eagerly. "I do. It..really hurt when they cut them off. And they had to do it every other week."
Heeseung takes this as the chance to gently take his hand. Whoever cut them sure was rough about it as some of his skin is also littered with small cuts. Jungwon tenses up at the touch but doesn't pull away. "Some supplements will do the trick just fine," he says with a smile, making Jungwon's ears perk up.
That's all Heeseung sought out to know for now. So he smiles again and lets his hand go. "Thank you for telling me everything, Jungwon. I mean it. It must've been hard for you."
"Thank you too..Heeseung-hyung. I promise I'll be good here," Jungwon says, looking at him with his glimmering blue eyes.
His words make Heeseung laugh fondly. "I know you will," he says. He stands up and stretches his arms with a sigh. "Enough sad stuff. Let's go do something fun," he suggests. "You remember those video games I mentioned yesterday?"
"Yes," answers Jungwon, his tail swishing slowly behind him.
"Let's go downstairs and play some. Jake will go absolutely crazy," Heeseung says with a laugh.
Jungwon nods and stands up, leaving the room to go downstairs with him. "I've never played any before. They barely let us play games or watch tv back at the facility," he tells him, sticking close to his back like he did in the morning.
"Really? What did you do for fun there?," Heeseung asks.
"Most of my day was spend with the trainers. But I liked to read and play with my friends when I had the time. I'm really fast and athletic, hyung," he says excitedly.
Just as Heeseung thought, Jungwon is quick to open up to him now that he has talked to him properly. But that also means he'll get attached to him only at first. And it'll be hard for him to connect like this with anyone else.
"I'm sure you are," Heeseung says. "But I'm gonna have to see that to really believe you."
Jungwon looks up at him, and Heeseung can physically feel his heart do a thing when he sees that he has the sweetest, tiniest, cutest smile on.
Downstairs, Heeseung tells Sunghoon to gather everyone around for a surprise game night. It doesn't take long for the common room to fill up with excited, chattering hybrids.
Jake immediately spots Jungwon and is quick to tug him away from Heeseung, rambling something about how much he missed him. Heeseung can see Jungwon visibly tense up and his tail wrapping around his thigh. He looks at Heeseung in alarm, clearly wanting to stay with him.
Heeseung has to steel himself and not go after him. It's important for Jungwon to interact with someone else other than him, and Heeseung trusts Jake to take care of him well.
"So, how did it go?," asks Sunghoon later when everyone's settled in and doing their own thing.
"It went well," Heeseung answers, watching Jungwon and Jake glued to the tv. Jake seems to be teaching Jungwon how to play and the latter seems fully engrossed. Heeseung can see him say a few words here and there.
He tells Sunghoon everything Jungwon told him. "I don't think Pryme will take him back," Heeseung admits with a sigh.
"Yeah," Sunghoon breathes out. "It sucks, but you're right. It's not like there's anything wrong with him, but I bet the guy he was trained for has forgotten about him."
"How can people move on so quickly?," Heeseung wonders out loud. He sees Jungwon turn his head, his eyes searching for Heeseung. Heeseung meets his eyes and smiles, raising his hand in a wave. Jungwon seems like he wants to rush over to him, but Jake wastes no time in regaining his attention when he sees him looking away from him.
"It looks like he already likes you," he says with a grin when he observes the small exchange.
"I don't want him to get close to me only," Heeseung says, shaking his head. "It'll make it hard for him to leave when eventually he has to."
"You're right. But he really needs you right now," Sunghoon says. Then, he smiles impishly and nudges Heeseung's arm with a wink. "He's really cute, huh? Would it really be a bad thing?"
Heeseung makes an indignant sound and narrows his eyes. "Just what are you trying to suggest, Hoon? That's never gonna happen."
"I'm just saying, hyung," Sunghoon says, laughing. "You do have a type, I've noticed."
Heeseung rolls his eyes. "I do not."
Sunghoon just laughs again and walks away to join Jake and Jungwon.
Heeseung leans against the wall and watches them, wondering how his life just suddenly turned ten times more stressful.