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Life for most isn’t easy.
It’s the unpredictability, the chaos waiting in the shadows, that makes living an adventure. The most optimistic of people find joy in the trials life will throw at them, while the more pessimistic think something or someone is out to get them.
Jisung is neither optimistic or pessimistic. He thinks of himself as somewhere in the middle. Life certainly hasn’t been easy for him, the difficulties starting from the second he was born. After all, if it’s hard for humans, living is even harder for a cat hybrid.
However, Jisung would not change the course his life has taken. He’s been hurt a thousand times over, but the hurt has led him to the biggest happiness he thinks he could find. From moments where Jisung could peak his head above the sofa and catch a glimpse of whatever his owner was watching on the TV, he’s developed a love for adventure.
A floating house with balloons, or as a superhero fighting crime, he’s wanted to do it all. But none of those movies could’ve prepared him for the turn his life would take.
His own personal adventure.
Though it’s hard, Jisung thinks being a show hybrid isn’t all bad. Hybrid shows have proven to be fun, even if the pressure of winning sometimes gets to him. Plus, Jisung learns a lot every time he attends a new show.
The shiny blue ribbon always entices him as well, and Jisung wishes to just once be the winner and take it home with him. It’s all Seojoon- his “owner” wants after all, and Jisung has heard too often how he’s a disappointment for coming home without one. He used to win those ribbons a lot as a kitten, a fact quite known in the show cat hybrid world. It’s not every day someone walks in with a York Cat hybrid, considering the rarity of his breed.
Jisung is used to walking into a room and hearing people whispering about him. He doesn’t blame them, because Jisung knows he doesn’t look like the rest. Compared to his peers, Jisung is different. Where they are a variety of orange, black, or white colored hair and tail, Jisung is none of them.
His hair and tail are a deep chocolate color. And compared to the green of the other cat hybrid’s eyes, Jisung’s are golden yellow. His tail is full and fluffy, an attribute he is especially proud of. So Jisung is a rarity amongst the other show cats, and he doesn’t mind them talking about it.
This also means that Jisung was born to be a show cat. He was born at a cat hybrid adoption agency that provides for humans who are interested in show cats. When Jisung was just a kitten, he was adopted out quickly, the process expedited due to the buyer's request. Jisung was sent home with the man well before other hybrids leave the home. Jisung doesn’t remember any of this, but he’s been told about it.
He’s heard even more stories about how he was a champion. Seojoon seems to think if he tells Jisung over again that he was a winner in the youth shows, that he’ll be a winner again in the adult age shows.
The blue ribbons lining the living room from those days seem to mock Jisung every time he comes home from another show.
Those old ribbons are all engraved with his owner's full name- Kim Seojoon. They’re how he learned his owner's name too, since the man refused to tell Jisung. He only wanted to be referred to as “owner.”
Still, Jisung hasn’t won a blue ribbon no matter how much Seojoon or himself wants it. He worries that he’ll lose again today. Of course it’s not one of the most prestigious shows he’s done, it’s a small local one. But Jisung knows he’s expected to win it easily, and it has him especially nervous.
He’s distracted from his worries when Seojoon walks into the room. There’s another person behind him, and Jisung tries to catch a glimpse of him. He’s purposefully hidden though, and Seojoon is calling for his attention.
“Hey! Listen to me!” The man snaps. Jisung nods his head rapidly.
Seojoon takes a step to the side, and the man behind him is finally revealed. Jisung waits patiently for the explanation of who he is, and why he’s here.
Seojoon doesn’t make him wait long.
“This is Kim Seoho, my brother. He will be the one taking you to the show today. You would’ve had a professional escorting you, but a losey hybrid like you has caused them all to run for the hills.” It’s said so offhandedly, like it’s an indisputable truth.
Jisung would ask why he couldn’t take him, but he’s been told many times that Seojoon doesn’t like to go. His owner has never personally attended a show Jisung was competing in, calling it “a waste of his time.”
Jisung eyes up Seoho, and gulps nervously. There’s a glint in his eye that puts him off, and Jisung feels himself wanting to get away. Instead, he’s shoved forward by Seojoon until he’s right under the other man’s nose.
Seoho resembles his owner more obviously up close. If he was this close before, he might’ve guessed it before he was told.
“Don’t talk to me unless spoken to, cat,” the man sneers, crossing his arms over his chest.
Minutes later Jisung is forced into Seoho’s car, and they’re out the door to the hybrid show. It’s an uncomfortable ride since he’s not allowed to talk, but they make it in peace.
When they arrive he yanks Jisung out of the car. A bag is hiked on his shoulder, and he starts to pull stuff out of it. Jisung stares sadly as he sees a collar and leash combo come out of the bag. They’re familiar to him, but Jisung hates having to wear them.
The collar is buckled onto him, and it’s almost done too tight. The leash is hooked a moment after. He hates the leash the most, as it makes him feel smaller and less human than he is. He lets Seoho lead him inside and backstage, where he is then forced down into a folding chair. Once Jisung is sitting, the leash is tied to a chair, which Seoho sits down in. His back faces Jisung, leaving him to his own devices.
He stays put for a moment, waiting for instructions from Seoho, but they never come.
The man appears to be engrossed in a game on his phone, completely oblivious to Jisung.
With the lack of eyes on him, Jisung gets an idea. This is the first time he’s never been watched like a hawk backstage, and if he’s quiet he can sneak away. He wants to see the other side to these things for once, so Jisung moves slowly. First, he undoes the collar and the leash goes with it. He drops the leash quietly to the ground, making sure it doesn’t clang and alert the man to what he’s doing. Then, Jisung takes his chance.
He runs.
Far enough away from the backstage area, Jisung slows his pace down to a calm walk and he roams around the venue. He’s in awe of every little new thing he sees, shocked at what he’s been missing this whole time. Jisung only ever sees the backstage area, and then the floor of the show room. He’s seen the stands full of people, and sometimes the bathroom. But he’s never seen the hallways lined with food and drink stalls. He’s never seen the carts selling stuffed animals that resemble the cat breeds gathered. But most of all Jisung has never seen the people mingling so happily.
Backstage everyone is too tense, refusing to communicate with each other because they’re just competition. Jisung has tried to talk to the other hybrids before, and he received many scoldings from his chaperone and his owner alike.
“You’re giving away our strategy,” they would hiss at him. Jisung is still unclear what part of “hi!” gives away anything.
Seoho isn’t here though, and neither is his owner. Right now, Jisung is left to explore on his own, and do what he wants. And what he chooses to do, is to approach the friendliest looking hybrid Jisung thinks he’s ever seen in his life.
He’s a cat hybrid like himself, with some pretty freckles dotting his cheeks. His hair is orange, his ears sticking up from the top of his head. Jisung is proud he can recognize the breed, an orange tabby cat. The hybrid’s breed makes Jisung more confident in going over there to talk, knowing that it’s unlikely he’ll be snubbed by him.
“Hello!” He’s bouncing in place, near vibrating in excitement. He can’t believe he’s doing this! The hybrid he’s just walked up to is smiling at him, looking just as excited as Jisung himself feels.
“Hi! I’m Felix, what’s your name?” Jisung gasps as a hand is shoved into his face. He’s never been asked for a handshake before! He grabs Felix’s hand, aggressively shaking it, causing the tabby hybrid to giggle.
“My name is Jisung! Are you in the show too? Your hair is so pretty.” Jisung stares at Felix’s bright orange hair in wonder. Could he get hair like that?
“No silly! I’m here with my owner to watch,” Felix points behind them where a boy with soft brown hair is seen buying one of those stuffed animals Jisung saw earlier. They watch as the boy is handed the animal, and then he makes his way over to where Jisung and Felix are.
“Here you go Lix,” the boy says when he’s near enough. He hands over the plushie, which the hybrid grabs ahold of happily. The boy notices Jisung then, soft dimples indenting his cheeks. Jisung wants to poke them.
“Oh Felix who’s this?”
“Channie hyung, this is Jisung. Jisung, this is Channie hyung, my boyfriend!” Felix latches onto Chan’s arm, placing a quick kiss on his cheek.
To Chan’s credit, he looks embarrassed. There’s also a hint of pain on his face, and Felix seems to pick up on it.
“Oops, I’m sorry hyung!” He releases his grip on the human’s arm, rubbing at the spot where his fingers were previously holding. There’s an apologetic frown on Felix’s face, and Jisung feels sorry for him. Accidentally hurting someone with his nails is one of his biggest fears.
Chan doesn’t react badly though. Instead a sweet cooing noise comes out his mouth, and a hand is brought up to the top of Felix’s head. He pets the hybrid’s ears gently, getting a satisfied purr out of the tabby.
“It’s okay kitty, I know you didn’t do it on purpose. You just get too happy don’t you? My affectionate boy.” Felix answers with another purr.
Those pets look nice, and Jisung wants to ask Chan to pet him too. He’s about to do it, but that’s when the worst happens. Jisung gets caught by Seoho.
“Jisung,” the sharp, angry voice of Seoho echoes in the hall, and Jisung’s shoulders tense immediately. Chan and Felix share a worried look, but Jisung doesn’t catch it, too busy trying to disappear from sight willfully. It doesn’t work, and Seoho is standing in front him in no time, an angry look on his face.
The leash and collar combo are clenched tightly in his fist. Jisung feels humiliation swallow him whole when Seoho puts the collar back on him. A harsh tug at the leash has Jisung stumbling forcefully to his side, and a pitiful meow escapes him.
He turns to look at Chan and Felix again, wishing that he had just a little more time to talk before he was discovered. He was so close to making his first friend! Chan’s eyes are locked on the collar around his throat, a dark look in his eyes as he stares. Felix looks a little pale, but otherwise is keeping a neutral face.
Seoho starts to yell.
“What do you think you’re doing out here! We have a show to win, there is no time to waste out here amongst the dirt! Look at you, you’re not even close to winner material, you’ll be lucky if you get tenth place like this.” Jisung’s ears flatten against his head in shame, and a hand comes up to pull at his too tight collar.
“Excuse me,” Chan speaks up. “Don’t you think you’re being too harsh on him? There’s still a couple hours before the show begins.”
Jisung can’t believe that Chan is sticking up for him against his handler, especially with only knowing him for a short while. The look on his face is fierce, a kind of angry he’s sure the man isn’t used to experiencing if the shock on Felix’s face is to be believed.
“This has nothing to do with you, and I advise you stay out of it,” Seoho dismisses Chan. The human’s face darkens even more, if possible but Chan doesn’t speak again.
“We’re going now, and you can bet Seojoon is going to hear about this.” Another tug at the leash, and Jisung is forced to watch as he leaves Felix and Chan behind.
He’s backstage again before he can fathom what just happened. Being forced back into the chair flares up Jisung’s own anger, and he tries to glare holes into Seoho’s back.
Seoho has to let him go eventually, so that Jisung can get himself ready for the show. Usually, the person accompanying him helps Jisung get ready by brushing him and clipping his nails. He does it all by himself today though, since Seoho is content to pretend he doesn’t exist as he laughs into his phone.
The show starts and Jisung enters the main room with the other hybrids flanking him. He scans the crowd, looking for two specific faces which he finds rather quickly. Chan and Felix are cheering him on from the stands, moving all around and yelling. It makes him feel more confident than ever, and it shows in his performance. He doesn’t win the first prize, but that doesn’t matter to him. Second place feels pretty great too.
Two feels like his lucky number. He found two people, Felix and Chan, and they became like friends to him. Then, he won a second place ribbon, the highest he’s scored since he aged out of the youth section.
Even the scolding he gets from Seojoon later can’t take away his good spirits. He hides away his second place ribbon, the bright red of the fabric a pleasant reminder of the whole day that he doesn’t want to lose.
Jisung ends up being grateful later for his hidden spot, when his owner gets angrier about his loss and digs around the home. His yells of fury make it apparent he intends to throw the ribbon away, but he never gets to.
Jisung gets to keep the memory of Felix and Chan, and Seojoon can’t do anything about it.
Many more shows later, and subsequent failures to win first prize, is when the beginning of the end starts. Seojoon has never been overly fond of him. Jisung has never known love in it’s true form; Seojoon only ever showed kindness to him when Jisung was still in the youth shows and pulling out blue ribbons and award money easily.
Seojoon is out of the house for now, Jisung isn’t sure where he goes during the day. It’s unclear when he’ll be back, but Jisung decides to take the risk anyway, and sneaks into the man’s bedroom. The bedroom is the only place in the house with a mirror, after the one in the bathroom was taken out.
“You’re so ugly, too disgusting for a mirror. The minute your face appears, the mirror will crack.” Those words were snarled at Jisung as he and his owner watched the movers take the mirror down and out.
Now, standing just to the side and out of view of the bedroom mirror, he can feel his hands shaking. Jisung is worried that the mirror will actually crack just like Seojoon has said, falling apart due to his horrid appearance. His ugliness is why the judges have stopped picking him for first prize.
He swallows thickly, and takes that final step into the sight of the mirror. He winces, closing his eyes against the reflecting surface. Maybe if he doesn’t look, the mirror won’t crack, and he won’t risk upsetting Seojoon. Jisung knows he didn’t come here to just close his eyes and not look though. He pushes through, and manages to crack his eyes open.
What he sees causes him to open his eyes more, shocked at the sight of himself.
Jisung hardly recognizes himself. His brown hair is shaggy, falling into his eyes and looking messy atop his head. The fur covering his ears and the hair surrounding them is matted, and Jisung winces at the pain touching them brings. Jisung is known to have a baby face, his bright eyes combining with his chubby cheeks the winning factor that keeps him looking younger than he is. However, his cheeks have lost their chubbiness, leaving him looking thinner than ever.
He turns around to catch sight of his tail, and almost tears up. It’s the only thing about himself that still looks like him. It’s still got it’s thickness and appears slightly fluffy. When Jisung runs his fingers through it, they don’t get caught in knots and mats.
It becomes overwhelming to stare into the mirror, and Jisung runs away back to the living room. He holds himself back from crying, and pulls out the ribbon from his hiding place. Jisung traces the gold number two written on the ribbon, letting the repetitive motion calm him down. He imagines that if his friends were here, they would tell him he’s still pretty. Jisung sighs, and puts the ribbon away again.
At night, when Seojoon gets in from his long day out of the house, Jisung asks if he could help him clean up. It doesn’t go as well as he was hoping.
“Are you kidding?! Taking care of an ugly hybrid like yourself is a waste of work! When I paid for you, I was told I wouldn’t have to brush a single hair! You’re high maintenance and for no good reason. A disappointment,” he finishes with a scoff.
“I c-can do it myself,” he offers instead. Jisung would prefer to do it himself anyway, considering any time he’s gotten help before was painful. He doesn’t know where all the stuff like brushes is kept though. Jisung is beginning to realize how little he really knows about the place where he lives, it’s distressing.
He’s not paid an answer, as Seojoon only rolls his eyes at him and leaves the room. Jisung gives up for now, and plans to try again another day. He lays down on the sheet spread on the floor for him, and tries to relax.
The breaking point comes not long after the mirror incident.
It’s the first time in a while Seojoon has allowed Jisung to eat with him at the dinner table. He was allowed a chair and a plate full of food too, so long as he does all the cleaning up. It’s the most kindness he’s received lately, so even knowing the man is having a dinner party tomorrow and Jisung will have to do all the cleaning, he jumps at the opportunity.
They eat in silence, and it’s nice. Jisung feels full for once, and enjoys the disappearance of the usual emptiness in his stomach. He thinks it’s all going well, and that’s the problem. Jisung gets too comfortable.
They’ve finished their meal, and it’s time for Jisung to start cleaning up. He stands from the table, and walks to the other side to gather Seojoon’s dirty dishes. It’s as he’s pulling them off the table that it happens.
Jisung’s nails are long and outgrown, and he’s nicked himself plenty of times because of it. Accidentally scratching himself was never an issue, because Jisung doesn’t care. It’s painful only for a few seconds, then he would move on and grab a bandaid from the cabinet. But when he’s pulling the dishes into his arms, Jisung doesn’t scratch himself, no.
He scratches Seojoon instead.
“What the fuck?!”
Jisung flinches hard, the scraping of the dining room chair grating against the tile. Seojoon is already rounding on him, causing Jisung to step backwards until he’s slamming into the kitchen counter. A chain reaction happens next.
The sharp corner of the counter sends an even sharper pain through his back, and the pain has him jumping away from the counter again. And when he stumbles, the dishes clatter out of his grip and shatter against the floor. Jisung can still feel the pain in his back, but he can’t focus on it because Seojoon is turning near purple before his eyes, the anger palpable in the air.
“You bitch! First, you fucking cut me, and now you break my plates? This is the respect I get for feeding you, huh?!” His chest is heaving, burning hatred in his eyes as he stares at Jisung. The hybrid gulps, unable to say a word in reply, his tongue glued to the roof of his mouth. He’s so scared.
“Can’t even answer when you’re spoken too, I see. What, cat got your tongue? You are the most useless hybrid I’ve ever met, and I have given you too many second chances,” Seojoon reaches for him then, his hand squeezing Jisung’s arm tightly. Jisung whimpers, his ears completely flat to his head at this point due to his endless fear.
Once he’s squeezed hard enough to leave a bruise, Seojoon scoffs and drops Jisung’s arm. There’s a look across Seojoon’s face that Jisung has never seen before. It’s a mix of what Jisung thinks is anger, and resolution.
A sense of brooding settles over him, and comes to fruition in the next moment. Because then, Seojoon is saying the one thing that has the ability to freeze Jisung’s entire heart over.
“I’ve had enough of this. Get out.”
Jisung’s lips tremble as he tries to ask, “w-what do you mean?”
Seojoon snarls at him, appearing only a few seconds away from charging after Jisung again. “It’s simple! I said Get. Out. And don’t you ever dare to come back.”
“But I don’t- I have nowhere else to live. Where would I g-go?” There’s a tightness clawing at Jisung’s chest, causing his breathing to pick up. He can’t breathe.
“Don’t know, and I don’t care. If you don’t get out of my house within the next two seconds, I’ll throw you out myself.” It’s a threat, one that he knows Seojoon will follow through on.
Jisung scrambles out of the kitchen, and heads for his secret spot. He can hear Seojoon chasing after him, and he’s yelling too. Jisung can’t distinguish what he’s saying, too busy gathering all his things as his heart races in his chest. He knows he has to leave, but he can’t without his things.
He can’t leave without his ribbon.
Jisung digs through all the trinkets he’s stored here throughout his life. He doesn’t have much, so it’s quick to gather them all up. Most importantly he has his ribbon, and then Jisung is rushing out of the spot. He wonders how it was never discovered by Seojoon before, considering the location being rather obvious. The hall closet isn’t as big as the bedroom closet after all.
The hall closet is hardly ever used though, and it’s the sole reason Jisung chose the space as his safety spot. He just barely makes it out of the house, the insults Seojoon is still yelling becoming quieter the further he gets away. Jisung knows the other wanted him gone, but some part of him worries about being chased after, and so he doesn’t stop running.
And then, only when he’s so far away from the house that he doesn’t know where he is, he stops. He bends over to catch his breath, and once he’s able to he straightens to survey his surroundings.
Jisung didn’t leave the house much until today, only leaving to go to hybrid shows and the likes. He’s been to tens of different tailors all over Seoul just to get an outfit completely right, but Jisung has never been in this place before. He’s standing just outside of a clothing store, and far beyond himself is even more stores.
The people surrounding him on the sidewalk are all dressed to the nines, clearly having an affinity for fashion. It makes him feel out of place with his graphic t-shirt and cargo shorts combo. After a body slams into his shoulder and sends him flying forward, Jisung decides it’s time to keep moving.
With no direction, he continues to walk. His hope is that eventually he’ll stumble upon familiar territory, and be able to figure out what to do from there. It’s a long while of walking around though, and Jisung is starting to lose hope. The sun is close to setting, and he fears he won’t find a place to sleep before it’s completely dark.
It’s unclear for how long he’s walked, but suddenly Jisung isn’t surrounded by clothing stores and fast food places. Somehow, he’s ended up in a park, with benches and sprawling playground equipment. Jisung is sure this park is bustling with families during the daytime, but as it’s currently after dark, it’s abandoned.
He sits himself down on one of the many benches lining the sidewalk, and stares forward. Jisung still can’t believe he was kicked out so easily, and essentially homeless now. It all happened so fast, he barely had time to react. But now that he sits here thinking about it, all of his repressed emotions from earlier come to the surface.
Jisung doesn’t even try to stop the tears from falling.
His arms wrap around himself, trying to keep some warmth in as a cool breeze blows past him. It’s summer, but everyone knows it’s cooler during the night. Jisung wishes for a jacket then, but it’s one of the items he forgot to snag before he left.
For now he’ll be fine, but Jisung dares not to think about when the winter comes. It’s scary, as it’s only the beginning of July, to think that he could still be homeless come December. Jisung decides to brush it off though, because sleep is pulling at his eyelids. Endless walking has tired him out far more than he realized, and even with the uncomfortableness of the park bench, Jisung finds sleep easy.
“Hey! You can’t stay here, wake up.”
Those are the first words Jisung hears upon waking up the next morning. Through his half opened eyes, the blurry form of a person standing in front of him appears. Only after rubbing the sleep from his eyes does Jisung catch sight of the uniform.
“O-officer,” Jisung stutters. He rights himself into a sitting position, and tries to pat down his hair. He’s never seen or interacted with a police officer before, and Jisung is scared. He thinks to himself that police are more intimidating in real life than on TV, as he looks at the one currently hovering over him.
“You can’t sleep here kid, this is a public park,” the officer states.
“Oh…” Jisung doesn’t know how to reply back. Less than twenty-four hours since he was first kicked out, and he’s already being booted a second time. He glances around the park, and catches some kids with their parents staring at him. Jisung hunches his shoulders, and averts his gaze back to the officer.
“I...understand. I’ll be going.” He doesn’t know where he’ll go, but Jisung just wants to get away from the officer.
“Since you’re cooperating, I’ll let you off with a warning.” The officer lowers his sunglasses so that he can make eye contact with Jisung. The hybrid nods his head, and he’s about to scram out of there, but he’s stopped.
“Look,” the officer sighs, stepping in front of Jisung. He stretches his arm out, and Jisung flinches instinctively. However, his hand stops just in front of Jisung’s line of vision, never once touching him. Jisung peaks at what is in the man’s hand, and notices it’s a business card.
“You seem rather lost kid, so take this card. It has the location of a place that’s supposed to help your kind,” his eyes flit to the top of Jisung’s head where his ears are sticking out. Jisung feels them twitch under the attention.
“Thank you officer.” Jisung gets a polite nod in response, and then the officer is walking away from him.
Jisung glances down at the card still in his hand, thumbing over the paper gently. Inked on the business card is the name and location of a homeless shelter for hybrids, and underneath is a phone number. Jisung decides to head out to find the shelter, and leaves the park.
Jisung’s feet are killing him. He’s done far too much walking in the past two days, and he can feel the blisters that have formed. The worst part is that Jisung isn’t even close to getting to sit down again.
The hybrid shelter turns out to be a bust. He arrives rather easily after asking some of the more friendly looking people along the sidewalks how to get there. Jisung feels relieved when he walks into the shelter.
He’s greeted by a nice woman sitting at a desk. She’s a hybrid like himself, but instead of cat ears atop her head there’s a set of bunny ears. A wired phone is pressed against her ear, and she holds up a single finger to him. Jisung realizes she’s asking him to give her a moment, so he waits patiently while she talks on the phone.
It’s not too long after that she hangs up, and addresses Jisung.
“Hello, I’m Jisoo! What can I help you with?” She gives him a charming smile. For the first time in a while Jisung feels cared about.
“I’m...Jisung. An officer gave me the card of this place, he said you could h-help me?” He loses all confidence by the end. Embarrassed at his awkward stutter, Jisung shifts in his place. Jisoo doesn’t make fun of him for it though, she just continues to smile at him.
“I’m sure we can help, we offer a lot here! Which part of our program are you interested in?”
“I-um. I need a place to sleep.” It seems like he said the wrong thing, because for the first time since he walked in, Jisoo's smile falls.
Her face contorts into a pitying look, and Jisung learns why in the next second. “I’m so sorry Jisung, but we’re all out of available beds. Is there anything else I can do to help you though?”
Jisung can tell she really is sorry, but that doesn’t help his situation. It seems he can’t catch a break lately, and he feels tears of frustration build behind his eyes. He can’t even muster up the energy to reply to Jisoo verbally, so he shakes his head no instead.
Jisung turns away, and begins to speed walk out of the shelter. As the door is closing behind him, he can hear a “have a nice day!” yelled out behind him.
With no other place to go, Jisung heads back to the park.
Jisung manages to avoid any more run-ins with the police, and still be able to sleep on the bench. He has no way of telling time, but Jisung wakes up several times throughout the night due to the discomfort of well- sleeping on a bench. So when he wakes up, and the sun looks ready to rise, Jisung doesn’t go back to sleep.
If he’s awake before anyone arrives at the park, then no one can report him.
His newest problem though, is how hot it is.
Seoul is in the middle of a heatwave, and it’s a lot harder to be outside so often. Jisung has managed to withstand it mostly, but today is particularly rough. There’s not a spot of shade around for him to camp under, and he feels too sluggish from the heat to go find a store to loiter in. Jisung can feel his skin burning where it’s exposed to the sun.
Sweat is rolling down from his forehead, and he can’t suppress a whine as he wipes it from his face and eyes. He feels even more grubby than he has been, the dirt of being homeless for days mingling with his sweat. Jisung can feel himself starting to get light headed, and starts to fan himself in a last ditch effort to cool down.
Jisung thinks the heat exhaustion is how he misses a person sitting down next to him. He doesn’t really register the other’s presence until an ice cold water bottle is shoved into his hand. He jolts at the coldness, and just manages to not drop the bottle. Jisung stares at the condensation dripping off the bottle, before he looks to see where it came from.
Sitting directly next to him is a man, and Jisung would guess they’re close in age. The stranger isn’t a hybrid like himself, made obvious by the quick glance Jisung does at his wrist. Some hybrids don’t have ears nestled in their hair like Jisung, or tails. But all hybrids are marked with a unique code, and that code can be found tattooed on their right wrist.
Jisung glances down at his own mark, and reads the blocked lettering for what must be the millionth time. CAT914 is as familiar to him as his own name. He only stops his musing over the mark when a throat clearing sound rouses him, and Jisung glances at the man again.
“Are you okay?” The stranger talks for the first time. Jisung blinks at him while his brain processes the message, slowed down by the fatigue that’s blanketing his mind.
“I’m okay,” he responds eventually. The stranger nods, although he doesn’t look too convinced of Jisung’s answer.
Jisung catches the strangers eyes flit down to his hands, which is as good a reminder as any of the water bottle in his hand.
“Oh,” Jisung says before he can stop himself. It’s obviously not been opened yet, so he doesn’t see the harm in actually drinking from it. Jisung cracks the bottle open, and tips the water into his mouth, swallowing it down immediately. It brings relief to his sore throat, and Jisung realizes for the first time how thirsty he really was. Before he could only focus on the overwhelming heat, but the water has given him a sort of clarity again.
With the clarity though, Jisung is aware of how awful he truly feels. There’s a headache brewing in his temples, which Jisung tries to sooth by pressing the water bottle to his face. His throat is still dry and painful, and worst of all Jisung can feel the contents in his stomach sloshing around uncomfortably.
“Whoa, hey,” slightly panicked, the stranger draws Jisung’s attention back to him.
“You’re looking a little green. I think we need to get you out of this heat. Come on,” the stranger stands from the bench, and motions Jisung to follow him. The prospect of getting out of the heat is too good to ignore, so Jisung pushes himself up from the bench too.
He’s led away from the park, until they find a suitable place to sit and cool down. That place turns out to be some sort of coffee place, and the instant blast of air conditioner when you walk in the door feels like heaven to Jisung. The stranger picks a table for them, and a waiter comes over once they’re seated.
They’re left alone again once the man has placed an order. Jisung shifts uncomfortably at the silence, wondering what to do. He hasn’t been in many social situations, due to Seojoon keeping him in the house if he wasn’t in a show. He’s just about to break the silence himself, but the stranger beats him to it.
“I just realized I never introduced myself.” An awkward laugh bursts out before the stranger continues, “my name is Hyunjin.”
Jisung might not have had many opportunities to socialize, but he’s not clueless. He introduces himself back, and from there they are able to keep a comfortable conversation going. Jisung isn’t sure how long he talks with Hyunjin, but it must be longer than it feels. He can see the sun setting right through the doors of the cafe, and the A/C has gone from refreshingly cool to downright freezing.
Still, he doesn’t want to stop talking to the other. Hyunjin brought up The Avengers, and Jisung has always wanted to see the movie franchise. When he told Hyunjin how he wants to see them but hasn’t been able to, the man admitted to it being a guilty pleasure of his. He’s in the middle of telling Jisung about some character- it’s hard to keep track of who when Jisung has only seen half of the first movie while waiting backstage for another hybrid show to start- and they’re suddenly interrupted.
There’s a light tap to their table, and Jisung notices the waiter from earlier standing before them. They both quiet down, and the waiter gives them a sheepish look.
“Sorry to interrupt, but we’re closing now.”
It shouldn’t come as a shock, but somehow it still does. Jisung notices it’s completely dark now, and a pout takes over his face. He doesn’t want this day to end, it's the happiest he’s been since the day he met Felix and Chan. Jisung glances at Hyunjin discreetly to see if the other is feeling the same, but he can’t tell all that well.
He notices the other beginning to stand though, and he hurries to follow. Hyunjin gives their waiter a small apologetic smile.
“Sorry for staying so late. This cafe is so lovely we lost track of time,” Hyunjin apologizes. Their waiter waves it off, telling the two there's nothing wrong with staying until closing. Jisung stares in awe at Hyunjin, impressed by his clear ability to charm anyone he meets. He’s only known the human for half a day, but he can tell Hyunjin is a genuinely good person.
Jisung feels even more warmth for the other when he sees him leave a tip at their table for the waiter. They leave the cafe, and it’s like a hole starts to form in Jisung’s stomach. He wonders if it’s from being hungry, but Hyunjin bought him a slice of cheesecake while at the cafe. It can’t be from hunger then, so he wonders what else it could mean.
“You’re really fun to hang out with, Jisung.”
It’s an unexpected compliment, and Jisung can’t stop a shy smile from spreading across his face.
“You are too, Hyunjin.” Jisung regrets how quietly he spoke then, Hyunjin might not have even heard him! He can be way louder than that, he’s been trained in how to project his voice!
And yet, despite Jisung’s worries Hyunjin seems to have heard him perfectly. His eyes are shining in a way Jisung has never seen in a human before, and he finds it only enhances how pretty Hyunjin is.
“Will I see you again?” Hyunjin’s voice is hopeful, stopping Jisung dead in his tracks. Hyunjin wants to see him again? Jisung knew he liked the human and would want to hang out again, but the idea of Hyunjin enjoying his company too seems outrageous. If there’s one thing he’s good at, Jisung is sure it’s driving people away.
“You know where to find me if you want to,” he leaves it at that, and Hyunjin gives him a curious look.
“The park?” Hyunjin laughs, clearly taking it as a joke. After a brief hesitation, Jisung joins him in laughing.
“Yep, home sweet home,” he jokes. Hyunjin’s face kind of falls, but he pulls out of it quickly.
“This is it then.” Jisung nods in agreement, shuffling from foot to foot in front of the cafe.
“Goodbye Hyunjin,” he whispers. Hyunjin gives him a short wave, and then he becomes nothing but a retreating figure.
Jisung hunches his shoulders, but starts his own journey back. He zones out during the walk, his eyes focused on his feet. It’s only been a few minutes, but he misses Hyunjin a lot already. Jisung is quick to become attached to people who are kind to him, an instinct from his cat side that he’s never been able to shake. The ribbon that burns through his pocket is a token to his quick attachments. Even so, Jisung feels there’s something different about Hyunjin.
Due to his lack of attention to where he’s going, Jisung accidentally kicks something in front of him. The surprise of his foot kicking something, combined with the loud noise that follows causes Jisung to jump in fear.
He slaps a hand over his heart, feeling it beat rapidly in his chest from the scare. Jisung almost gets scared a second time though, when someone speaks to him.
“That nearly gave me a heart attack.”
Jisung freezes at that voice, goosebumps raising on his arms. He slowly looks up from the ground, and makes eye contact just in time to see Hyunjin’s reaction.
The human’s eyes are wide with shock, and his jaw is unhinged. Jisung is just as surprised to see him, and he can do nothing but stutter.
“I-I’m, uh,” he can’t get a word out.
“Jisung? What are you doing? Do you live this way too?” There’s a slight tilt to Hyunjin’s head, which contributes to the innocence in his question.
“No,” Jisung moans disparagingly. He’s beyond embarrassed, he’s just accidentally stalked this boy! He-, he followed him from behind like some creep! Or even worse, he followed him like a clingy house cat.
Jisung can’t stop it when he starts to cry.
“I’m so sorry!” He sobs, taking a couple steps back away from Hyunjin. More and more shame pours heavy into him, adding to his upset state. His tears are stinging his eyes, and his breaths have become shaky. This is the most humiliated he’s ever felt!
“I-I didn’t mean to follow you! I wasn’t paying a-attention, and I just missed you already! Stupid hybrid instincts!” Jisung wraps his arms around his middle, trying to protect himself from the onslaught of insults he sure is coming.
“Oh…” Is all Hyunjin says. Jisung has his eyes closed, and refuses to open them to look at him.
“It’s okay that you followed me Jisung, I’m not mad.”
Jisung peeks an eye open. Hyunjin is giving off a soothing vibe, not an ounce of the anger or annoyance he was expecting. He opens the other eye, and then changes his stance altogether. A few stray tears are still falling, but Jisung has calmed down significantly.
Hyunjin takes a cautionary step closer to Jisung, and when the hybrid doesn't immediately scatter he takes another. Hyunjin stops once there’s only a few paces between them. Jisung turns his face away, glancing at the scenery around them, anywhere except Hyunjin.
They’re right by an alley, and above the entrance to it is a hanging neon sign. Most of the stores lining the street are closed, but a few convenience stores remain open, boasting their 24 hour operations.
Jisung notices then, while he was avoiding Hyunjin’s gaze, the other boy somehow got closer. Right in front of his eyes, Jisung watches as Hyunjin’s hand reaches out for his own. Then, their fingers are tangling together, and hang loosely between them.
“Since we’re more than halfway to my apartment...you wanna come over?” Hyunjin swings their hands between them.
Jisung shakes his head no, trying to pull his hand back but Hyunjin won’t let him.
“Oh no, I couldn’t. It’s getting late, you probably want to sleep-“
“So stay the night! You can have my bed, I’ll sleep on the couch. There’s enough room,” Hyunjin’s voice is desperate, and his grip on Jisung’s hand is almost bruising.
“Hyunjin, I can’t take your bed. You just met me today, do you really want a stranger in your home?” He tries to knock some sense into the other.
“For some reason, you don’t feel like a stranger. I’m not scared of you Jisung, so please. Please stay?”
Maybe it’s the fact Jisung didn’t want to leave him. Maybe it’s the idea of not having to sleep on a park bench for one night. Maybe it’s how sincere Hyunjin is. Or maybe Jisung is just being selfish and it’s all of those things and more.
Either way, there was no way Jisung could say no another time. Not when all he really wanted to do is say yes.
“Okay. I’ll stay.”
Jisung did mean to leave the next morning, honest! The bed had been so warm and inviting though, that Jisung could barely pull himself out of it. He did eventually manage to escape the comfort of the bed sheets and blankets.
Hyunjin wasn’t home, but there was a note on the counter that said he went to work. The note included giving Jisung permission to take a shower and borrow some of his clothes, and to chill until he got home later.
Jisung took advantage of the extended kindness, even though he felt horrible doing so. Showering was difficult, because Jisung was so dirty from spending three days homeless that it took hours of washing. By the time he was done the shower had run out of hot water.
He luckily got all the mats out of his hair, and discovered an ugly bruise on his lower back. It made the severe amount of discomfort and pain he felt on that bench make sense.
Jisung found a fully stocked fridge, and was able to eat a real meal for once. Hyunjin’s clothes were much more comfortable than his shorts and shirt combo too, Jisung has never known the softness of sweatpants before.
After getting dressed and eating, Jisung still couldn’t bring himself to leave. He was borrowing Hyunjin’s clothes! He couldn’t just take them back to the park with him! No, he had to at least wait until his own clothes were clean again, which would be whenever Hyunjin got home. Jisung can’t figure out that washing machine for the life of him.
And when Hyunjin came home, they had dinner together. Jisung confirmed to Hyunjin that he didn’t have a place to live, and gave minimal details about why. It seems to have made a mark on Hyunjin, because the other is interrupting him in his storytelling.
“Please don’t go back there! You can stay with me. I-I don’t have an extra bed, but we can figure that out. Be my roommate?”
Jisung’s found a new home.
Jisung smiles to himself as he hikes up the stairs to his and Hyunjin’s apartment. It’s been two months of living with the other boy, and it’s been pure bliss. Jisung has been enjoying the freedom, and even doing mundane errands like going to the grocery store is fun for him.
As he finishes the last flight of stairs, Jisung shifts his bags from one hand to another. With the bags secured in his other hand, Jisung fishes around in his pockets for his key for the apartment. While Jisung is digging for his key, a person piled high with boxes trudges past him.
Jisung is intrigued, and follows them up onto the next floor. To his surprise, the person with all the boxes doesn’t head for another staircase, but instead for the vacant apartment across from his and Hyunjin’s.
He lights up, realizing for the first time that they’re getting a new neighbor. Jisung is friendly with all their current neighbors, as a hybrid living in a mostly human occupied apartment complex. Jisung doesn’t brag often, but he’s the definite favorite of Mrs. Song who lives in 5c. She bakes him extra cookies that Hyunjin tries to steal for days!
Wanting to be friendly and hopefully make a good impression on his new neighbors, Jisung puts his bags down and waves excitedly at them.
“Hello!” He calls out. Standing across from him is a young woman and what appears to be a boyfriend or husband to her. She’s in the doorway while her boyfriend brings the boxes inside, but they both freeze at Jisung’s greeting.
There’s a short pause before he gets a response.
“Hello…” is all the woman says. Jisung notices her gaze landing straight on his ears. They twitch under the sudden attention, which makes him giggle to himself.
The woman’s face turns into a frown when she sees his eyes though. Jisung almost frowns himself, becoming self conscious over what could’ve bothered the lady. Her boyfriend seems disturbed too, and pulls her into his body.
“You live alone?” The man asks. Jisung is starting to become on edge, but tries not to show his unease.
“No...I live with my friend. You’ll probably meet him later too!” Jisung tries to lighten the atmosphere, but it doesn’t seem to work. Silence fills the hallway, and he decides it’s time he goes inside.
“Well, it was nice meeting you! You’ll like living here, I promise! This floor is mostly composed of quiet people, so it doesn’t get too loud.” Jisung sends one last smile, before inserting his key and turning it in the lock. He picks up all his groceries, and then he’s closing the door behind him, finally in the sanctuary of the apartment again.
He doesn’t think about the interaction again, too busy doing other things. Jisung puts the groceries away first, and then decides to just relax. He sinks into the couch for a while, and watches the tv, but gets bored of that rather quickly. Jisung gets up again, and roams around the living room.
Something shiny catches his attention, and he walks over to it immediately. Jisung’s eyes widen, and his ears perk up due to his excitement. The shiny thing turns out to be a novelty snowglobe. Inside the snowglobe is a miniature version of a castle, and Jisung is fascinated. He shakes it gently, and laughs to himself at the falling fake snow.
Then, as he’s watching the snow fall down onto the castle again, a loud knocking starts. Jisung jumps at the sound, heart rate rabbiting in his chest. And what happens next appears to happen in slow motion.
One moment Jisung is laughing at the snowglobe, and the next he’s jumping out of his skin. And because of his jump, Jisung loses his grip on the snowglobe. He tries to catch it, but the object misses his hands, and then it’s hitting the floor and shattering.
Fake snow and a liquid spill out of the snowglobe. Jisung watches in horror as the base of the globe shatters at the impact. All sound seems muffled, and all Jisung can focus on is the broken globe. The only part that is still intact is the castle. He feels panic rising in his chest, and it only increases more when he regains his hearing.
“Hwang Hyunjin, this is the police! Open up!”
The police? Jisung can’t fathom why the police would be here. He runs to the door, and looks out the peephole to confirm. Sure enough, there’s a police officer standing in front of the door, his badge catching the light where it’s pinned to his shirt.
Jisung backs away from the door, his eyes glazing over when it hits him. The cops aren’t here for Hyunjin.
They’re here for him.
He should’ve known he wouldn’t be able to keep this perfect life. Hyunjin is kind, but there is always a limit to kindness. Surely Jisung hasn’t been pulling his weight, letting Hyunjin take care of him. He’s been taking advantage of the older.
Was Hyunjin the one who called the police? Yes, Jisung is sure he was. He doesn’t blame the other, if it was his older owner or himself, Jisung knows he would’ve done the same. No one wants to house a freeloader like himself for long after all.
“I know you’re in there. I heard a crash. Open the door!” The pounding on the door hasn’t ceased, and the officer is still demanding the door be opened.
Hyunjin has told Jisung to never open the door for strangers though, and he doesn’t know what to do. Would the older be mad at Jisung if he opened for the officer outside?
It’s a stupid question, because Jisung already knows he would be angry. He’ll yell at Jisung, telling him he’s useless and dumb for not following orders. Hyunjin will notice the broken snowglobe after, and Jisung will have to face even more disappointment.
He starts to pace the floor, his mind imagining more and more scenarios. When Hyunjin comes home, he’ll see the officer outside. Hyunjin will probably open the door for him, and then he’ll hand Jisung over. The police officer and Hyunjin will laugh together over a cup of coffee, while Jisung stands off to the side ready to be taken to jail.
As suddenly as it started, the knocking stops. Footsteps sound outside the door, presumably walking away. And then Jisung hears keys jingling in the keyhole, igniting a deeper fear in him.
Hyunjin is home.
Jisung can’t take his eyes away from the door, freezing where he stands. His hands are shaking, and the door is swinging open. At first, Jisung can only see Hyunjin’s side profile. Hyunjin is looking back behind him, seeming lost in thought. Jisung’s breath catches in his throat, because he can see the frown etched on Hyunjin’s face.
Hyunjin is walking inside then, a smile on his face when he sees Jisung. Jisung doesn’t register the smile though, too overwhelmed. He feels cold all over, like a bucket of ice water was dumped on his head.
Jisung crashes before Hyunjin can say a word.
“I’m sorry! Please don’t send me away,” Jisung sobs.
Hyunjin is surprised by the outburst, but Jisung can’t stop.
“I’ll be better I promise! I won’t break anything ever again! Please don’t give me t-to the officer.”
Jisung barely gets the last word out through his crying. He can’t breathe, his tears are clogging his throat, and choking him. All other pleas get caught, the words refusing to form. Jisung feels like he’s drowning.
Jisung can feel his chest shaking as he claws at his throat, desperate to just get one deep breath. His vision is blurred, and he’s unable to focus. The coldness from before is spreading, and it’s making his hands clammy.
“-Sung. Jisung!” Suddenly a pair of arms are wrapping around him, and pulling him into a warm chest. Hyunjin’s smell hits him instantly, and Jisung goes ridged in his hold. He doesn’t pull away, because he craves the touch, but is terrified at the same time.
Hyunjin is a comfort, but Jisung knows he shouldn’t allow himself this comfort. He tries to fight it, but Hyunjin keeps breaking through his own thoughts with more soothing ones.
“Jisung, you’re going to be okay. I need you to breathe with me, please. Follow my breathing.”
Jisung tries, the shakiness in his lungs resulting in a shaky breath out.
“Good job. You’re doing so well. Deep breath in,” Hyunjin says, demonstrating right after. Jisung breathes in deep.
“Now let it out.” He lets it go.
Following Hyunjin’s instructions does help, but his tears don’t stop. Jisung shakes in Hyunjin’s hold, and he knows he’s getting the other’s work shirt wet.
“ I’m so-rry. Mess,” he cries.
“Shhh, there’s no mess. You don’t have to apologize.”
“The globe-“ he wheezes, trying to pull out of Hyunjin’s hold again.
“We’re not worrying about that right now, kitty. You’re gonna work yourself up again, just relax with me yeah?”
Jisung sighs, nodding his head into Hyunjin’s chest. He falls limp finally, absorbing the safety and heat Hyunjin’s body gives him. It’s then that Jisung notices they’re in a heap on the floor, and he doesn’t know how they ended up there. It’s a hazy memory, but he thinks Hyunjin might’ve lowered them to the ground when his knees began to buckle.
Hyunjin continues to have him breathe with him for a little longer, before they just sit in silence. An itch starts to form under his skin though. Jisung needs Hyunjin closer, being in his arms isn’t enough to quell his fears.
“Hyunjin,” his voice is raw from his violent sobbing before, but he catches the others attention easily.
“Yes kitty, what is it?”
“Closer,” is all he can say. Hyunjin doesn’t seem to get it, frown lines denting his forehead.
“I don’t think I can get closer to you,” Hyunjin sounds doubtful. Jisung shakes his head, digging his fingers into Hyunjin’s arms. Thankfully he just cut his nails recently, so the blunt tips don’t hurt the other.
“Closer, please,” he cries quietly.
Jisung picks his face up from Hyunjin’s chest, looking the other in the eyes with his own bloodshot ones. He leans forward, all the way until his cheek is squished against Hyunjin’s. Jisung rubs his cheek against Hyunjin’s, sighing contently. He repeats the motion on Hyunjin’s other cheek, and then he places a kiss on his face.
Hyunjin is smiling softly, and repeats Jisung’s actions back to him. Still, Jisung wants to be closer.
Jisung leans in to kiss him.
His lips land on Hyunjin’s gently, and Hyunjin gasps in surprise. Jisung just stays there, letting their lips touch but neither of them moving. Hyunjin pulls away before Jisung is ready.
“Jisung, kitty, I don’t think we should be doing that right now. You were just really upset.”
“Please,” Jisung begs. “Just want you close. Don’t leave me,” his breath hitches. Hyunjin is going to leave him, isn’t he?
Noticing the beginning of Jisung spiraling again, Hyunjin leans back in. Jisung hums happily into the kiss, and real calm comes over him. They don’t take the kiss any further, content to keep it slow and gentle.
Hyunjin sometimes pulls away to give Jisung kisses elsewhere. He kisses the tip of his nose, his cheeks, his eyelids. Jisung blushes and giggles shyly.
Eventually, Jisung feels well enough to get off the floor. Hyunjin has him sit down while he cleans up the snowglobe, and brushes off his apologies over it.
“It was a crappy souvenir an old coworker gave me. I’m really not upset about it, so don’t feel guilty about it kitty.”
They do easy, fun things the rest of the day. Hyunjin pulls out an old monopoly board game. Jisung buys park place and the boardwalk, and Hyunjin lands on them at every turn. He insists he’s doing it on purpose, but Jisung doesn’t believe him.
It’s a fun time, although Jisung can still feel the anxiety and fear of earlier lingering in the back of his mind. He doesn’t let it consume him again though.
He has a game to win!
Jisung and Hyunjin talk about the situation the next day. He doesn’t want to, but Jisung knows it’s necessary.
“Get dressed! We’re going out for breakfast!” Hyunjin throws his arms out, and flails them.
“Oh my god! We’re going out for breakfast!” Jisung copies Hyunjin’s arm movements, laughing at the pout he gets from the other.
“Don’t mock me!” he whines.
“Aw, I’m sorry,” Jisung plants a kiss on Hyunjin’s cheek in apology.
Hyunjin turns away from him, but Jisung sees his blush anyway.
Hyunjin ends up taking him to the cafe they went to the first time they met. He buys him chocolate milk and a slice of cheesecake. It’s nice, and Jisung feels at peace here.
Since it’s early in the morning, the cafe is quiet. It’s a good place to talk, and Jisung suspects Hyunjin brought him here knowing how the environment would affect him. He sighs, leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes.
“Can you tell me what happened yesterday? I don’t think I understand,” Hyunjin’s voice is gentle, but there’s a shakiness added to it.
Jisung shuts his eyes tighter. He really doesn’t want to do this, but Hyunjin deserves some sort of explanation.
“I don’t really know what happened either. It was a good day, and then it wasn’t.” Jisung opens his eyes again, and looks down at the table. His cheesecake is in front of him now, and Jisung picks up the fork to take a bite.
When he finishes chewing he tries again.
“I guess for this to make sense I should start from the beginning.”
Jisung tells Hyunjin about his past, clueing him in on parts he purposefully held back before. He explains about Seojoon, and the pressure to be perfect. To be the best. Jisung tells him about his run-in with a cop when he was homeless, he tells Hyunjin everything. Stubborn tears cling to his eyes, but Jisung doesn’t let them fall this time.
“Then- then yesterday happened. I was watching tv, but got bored. And something shiny caught my eye- the snowglobe. While I was playing with it, a loud sound scared me. Then someone was yelling through the door, they said they were the cops.” Jisung balls his hands into fists.
“I b-broke the snowglobe. And, well you were there for the rest.”
For the first time, Jisung takes a look at Hyunjin. Hyunjin is looking right at Jisung, his gaze full of sympathy. When it’s clear Jisung isn’t going to talk anymore, Hyunjin reaches across the table and grabs one of his hands.
“You’ve had such a hard time, haven’t you kitty? I’m so sorry,” Hyunjin brings Jisung’s hand up to his face, and places a kiss on the back of it. His lips linger, causing him to flush.
“You have every right to be scared, Jisung. But you’re not alone anymore, you know? I’m here for you, we’ll keep each other safe. I’ll never kick you out like that.”
Jisung is speechless. It’s unbelievable that Jisung could have someone like Hyunjin on his side. He’s always been alone, it’s hard to fathom that he doesn’t have to be anymore.
“Never? Y-you’re not gonna get tired of me?” He has to make sure.
“Never. You’re my kitty now,” Hyunjin grins.
Jisung giggles, squeezing Hyunjin’s hand tightly in his own, “and you’re my human.”
They go home after that, never letting go of the other’s hand. Hyunjin explained to him before they left that they still have to face the police, but Jisung isn’t as scared anymore.
Jisung prepares himself for the possibility of an officer outside the apartment again, but no one is there when they get back. Not even the new neighbors are outside.
He frowns to himself. Jisung is ready to face them today! He wants to get it over with.
“Where are they?” He questions aloud as Hyunjin pulls him into the apartment.
“Who?” Hyunjin asks, pulling Jisung into a hug. He flings them onto the couch, snuggling Jisung into his chest.
“The cops,” Jisung whines, trying to get Hyunjin to look him in the eyes. Hyunjin has relaxed fully into the couch, humming with his eyes closed.
“I don’t know. Do you want them to come?” Hyunjin’s hands start running through Jisung’s hair, parting it and massaging his scalp. Jisung doesn’t bother to stop himself from purring, leaning into the touch.
“Yeah. I’m ready! I can face them today, I swear!” Jisung tries to jump up from the couch to prove his point, but Hyunjin doesn’t let him.
“How do you have so much energy right now? We went out so early, lay down, let’s take a cat nap.” Hyunjin snorts at himself. Jisung just scoffs.
They’re interrupted by a knocking on the door. This time Jisung manages to escape Hyunjin’s arms, and he bolts for the front door. Steeling himself, he looks through the peephole. A shiny badge, uniform, blank face.
They’re back.
“Hello, it’s SPD. I’ve come with a warrant. I’m just here to talk,” is called through the door. Jisung lets out a breath, and puts his hand on the knob. A turn, and a pull, the door is open.
“H-how can we help you, officer?” Jisung steps back, motioning for the man to enter once he’s shown the warrant. The officer nods at him, and steps into their home. Jisung feels his fear return to him when the officer catches sight of Hyunjin and his hand immediately reaches for his handcuffs.
“Hello officer. What seems to be the problem?” Hyunjin doesn’t move, and gives a polite smile.
To Jisung’s relief the officer drops his hand away from the handcuffs.
“I’m Officer Jung of the Hybrid Protections unit with the Seoul Police Department. We received a call yesterday about an illegal hybrid living here,” the officer states his business.
Jisung and Hyunjin are both confused. Illegal? What part about Jisung is illegal?
“I’m sorry officer, but I don’t understand. As you can see a hybrid does live here, but he’s not illegal?”
“The person who called said that the hybrid living here is of a rare breed, only accosted through illegal adoptions. May I see your adoption paperwork?”
Jisung’s blood runs cold. All of his paperwork was left behind at his old owner’s house when he was kicked out. There’s nothing to show.
“Officer,” Hyunjin keeps his voice level, not showing if he’s as worried as Jisung is. “I’m sorry, but I don’t have any paperwork. If you’d like to sit down, Jisung and I would be happy to fill you in on why.”
Jisung thinks Hyunjin is very brave. The officer doesn’t seem inclined to agree, but he takes a seat at the table regardless. Jisung and Hyunjin join him at the table immediately.
“I’m going to need to get separate statements from you both.”
“Of course officer,” Hyunjin agrees. The police officer gives him a look, and Jisung catches the smallest sign of irritation on Hyunjin’s face. It wouldn’t be noticeable to anyone else, but Jisung has come to know Hyunjin well enough to see it. The subtle clenching of his teeth, the small frown tugging at his lips.
“Jisung, would you like to go first?”
Jisung is confused about suddenly being addressed, but he agrees easily. Hyunjin leaves the room, and the officer starts to question him.
Jisung answers every question, giving as much detail as he can recall. He tells his whole story, and the officer jots it all down on a notepad.
“Okay, you can send your friend in next,” the officer tells him, not even looking up at Jisung.
“Um, right. Okay, I’ll go get Hyunjin,” his voice is small. Jisung thinks the officer might not have even heard him.
He sits on his and Hyunjin’s shared bed, playing with his fingers as he anxiously waits for the other to be done. He hopes that the officer believes them, Jisung doesn’t know what he would do if Hyunjin got arrested. Or if they took him away after all.
Just as his thoughts begin to spiral, the bedroom door opens. Hyunjin’s head appears in the doorway, scanning the room for Jisung.
“You can come out now kitty,” he says.
Jisung sprints off the bed, and runs into Hyunjin’s arms. He gives the other a quick hug, before dashing back into the kitchen where the officer is.
After they all gather in the kitchen again, does the officer tell them what’s going to happen next.
“Both your statements matched up. Under the assumption you’re telling the truth, an investigation will be opened surrounding Kim Seojoon. He will be investigated for hybrid neglect and endangerment.” The officer pauses, letting the information sink in.
“We will be in touch about this situation. You will need to testify should this go to court. In the meantime, Mr. Hwang you must officially adopt Jisung.” The officer gathers his things, and stands from the table. Officer Jung extends his hand to both of them, giving them a quick handshake.
“Thank you both for your corporation.”
With that he’s gone.
Jisung feels like he’s buzzing as he watches Hyunjin sign the last paper. The sound of pen scratching is music to his ears, he’s never felt so happy.
“Congratulations on your adoption,” Jisoo says. She looks genuinely happy for Jisung, and it’s like his heart is bursting through his chest.
After the fateful day where Jisung informed the Hybrid police about his old owner, they managed to track the man down. Apparently Seojoon got wind that the cops were after him, and tried to run. He missed the mark though, and was taken into custody.
All of the necessary paperwork regarding Jisung- his birth certificate, the adoption paperwork, health records, etc.- were all found. They were handed over to Jisung and Hyunjin, and the two were left to finalize the process of Hyunjin taking him in. Jisung has yet to have to testify against his old owner in court, but he’s prepared for the day to come.
The two were looking online for a place to get the adoption in place, when Jisung remembered the place he was recommended while homeless. Luckily, they were able to find the number of the hybrid services and shelter online, since Jisung’s business card is long gone.
Jisoo picked up on the first ring, and Jisung became ecstatic when she confirmed they do adoptions. They rushed over to the shelter, and started the process.
Now that it’s done, Jisung can’t believe it. He officially belongs to Hyunjin. It’s a relief like no other, because now no one can take him away. He and Hyunjin get to be together forever.
“Thank you for helping us with the process Jisoo,” Hyunjin says.
“It is my job,” Jisoo waves them off. Jisung thanks her one last time, before they’re leaving the shelter together.
“You know this doesn’t change anything right? Just cause legally it says I adopted you, doesn’t mean I own you now. You still get to be your own person,” Hyunjin rambles, worried about Jisung misunderstanding him.
Jisung has to swallow down the massive love for Hyunjin that is clogging his throat just to reassure him.
“Hyunjin, I know you’re not like that.”
Hyunjin visibly deflates, and even goes as far as to mime wiping sweat off his forehead.
“Instead of me being your owner, and you being my hybrid, how about we...try being boyfriends instead?” Hyunjin’s voice falters at the end, as if he’s scared of Jisung rejecting him.
Jisung couldn’t reject him even if he wanted to.
“Yes! Yes I’d like that,” he clears his throat, trying to not appear so eager.
Hyunjin doesn’t say anything about it, but the smirk on his face does. They walk in silence for a moment, choosing to window shop as they pass different store fronts.
“Hey, do you wanna celebrate the adoption? I have some friends I could invite, they’ve been dying to meet you,” Hyunjin brings it up randomly.
Jisung loves the idea, and he tells him as much, “I love that idea! Yes let’s have a party, oh! Will there be cheesecake?”
Hyunjin laughs, “there will be cheesecake if you want there to be cheesecake.”
“I want there to be!”
“Let’s go get supplies then, shall we?”
They end up buying a party kit at Jisung’s insistence. It comes with hats, noise makers, and a table cloth that’s too small for their table. They buy some food too, including Jisung’s requested cheesecake.
After a quick set up Hyunjin’s friends start arriving. Seungmin and Changbin arrive first, who Hyunjin introduces to him as his friends from college. Then it’s Minho and Jeongin, Hyunjin’s childhood neighbors who are also brothers.
And then the last guests are arriving. The bell rings and Jisung rushes to answer it, leaving Hyunjin alone in the living room to entertain his friends. Jisung flings the door open excitedly, only to let out a loud shriek.
“Oh my god!”
“Jisung?!” Hyunjin comes running into the room worriedly at the boy’s shriek, just to be confused by the sight he sees.
Jisung is in the middle of a big hug, and he’s close to tears. He pulls away from the hug, wiping his eyes real quick before he looks back at the two.
“Felix, Chan, I thought I’d never see you again,” he sniffs.
“You guys know each other?” Hyunjin is confused. Jisung never mentioned the two before.
Jisung nods his head, not tearing his eyes off the two lest they disappear again, “Felix was my first friend. I met him when I snuck away at a hybrid show. Chan stuck up for me against Seohun, remember I told you about him?”
Suddenly realizing they’re all still standing in the doorway, Jisung ushers them all in.
The rest of the party goes great. At one point while reminiscing, Jisung runs to the bedroom to grab something. He comes back with his second place ribbon, the bright red color long since faded, and shows it off to Chan and Felix. He tells them how it’s always reminded him of the two, and the comfort it brought him during his darkest times.
He gets extra cuddles from the two in that moment. By the time everybody leaves Jisung has made a new friend in all of them. He and Hyunjin wave goodbye to all their guests before closing and locking the door for the night. Neither of them feels like cleaning up the mess leftover, preferring to save it for tomorrow instead.
They’re in bed now, and Jisung is drawing shapes on Hyunjin’s chest when he suddenly remembers something.
“I have a present for you,” he says softly.
“Jisung, you didn’t have to do that. I should be the one giving you presents,” Hyunjin pouts. Jisung leans up to kiss away Hyunjin’s pout, giving him a quick peck. He gets up then, and rummages in the closet for where he kept his present.
Closets will always be his favorite hiding space.
Jisung gets back on the bed, and grins down at Hyunjin where he now hovers over him. He shoves the present in Hyunjin’s hand, and starts demanding he open it.
“Come on, open it! I wanna see your reaction,” Jisung whines, annoyed that Hyunjin is still not tearing into the wrapping paper.
“Hmm..give me a kiss first and then I’ll open it,” Hyunjin grins evilly.
With a roll of his eyes Jisung gives Hyunjin another kiss, pulling back before it can get too heated.
“Now open it!”
“Alright, you’re so impatient,” Hyunjin teases.
He rips the present open, getting through the paper easily as it's so small. Once the paper is off he opens the tiny box, and Hyunjin pulls out the present. He gasps as he holds it up.
“It’s a snowglobe,” Hyunjin says. He turns the snowglobe all around, admiring the small trinket.
“It’s to replace the one I broke,” Jisung starts. He lays down comfortably in the bed, pointing to the center of the globe where a little statue is set. “It’s a brown cat playing with a ball of yarn! Do you like it?”
Hyunjin doesn’t answer with words.
Jisung is being swept away in a kiss before he knows it. It’s a slow, open-mouthed kiss. The kind where you can feel the love the other person is putting into it, where it’s obvious how much you’re treasured. Jisung can feel his and Hyunjin’s hearts beating in time with each other, completely lost in the kiss of his life.
Jisung is neither optimistic or pessimistic. He thinks of himself as somewhere in the middle, an even ground between the two. Life has certainly not been easy on him, but Jisung thinks it’s those hardships that lead him to where he is now.
A pessimist would see those hardships as permanent. Jisung knew those feelings would pass, and they did. An optimist would see his current life, and think it’s the path of always being happy.
Jisung knows happiness won’t always be around the corner for him and Hyunjin. They’ll have to work at making their own happiness. But it’s this balance of being pessimistic and optimistic that Jisung surmises makes the best and most lasting happiness.
As the lights go out, and Hyunjin’s breathing slows down, Jisung thinks about how out of control his life has been. It’s a whirlwind of strange circumstances.
He wouldn’t change a minute of it.