Chapter Text
Was this heaven?
Did he hear her correctly?
He had barely done anything, and she wanted to adopt him. Jimin blinked twice at her, frozen in place. The tip of his tail was the only part he moved as it flicked from side to side. His heart felt like it was going to burst out of his chest. One aspect of him was relieved to hear that he was finally leaving this place, but one small part felt terrified. That part of him whispering ‘what if’s’ in his ear. He didn’t listen to those, she smelled trustworthy, and if she were to have done something, she wouldn’t be asking to adopt him. If she were not trustworthy, she would have kept walking passed his cage, but she had stopped.
Jimin could feel that it was the right decision when he gently nodded at the woman in front of him, a small smile appearing when she beamed with her big, bright smile. Soo-Young heard a sigh from outside the gate, Hye-Jin. It would seem the last thing the girl wanted to do was paperwork; Soo-Young smiled bigger at the thought.
“Come with me then.” Hye-Jin then walked off, not waiting for anything.
Soo-Young presumed she was returning to the reception area, she hoped. She rose and motioned for Jimin to do the same, quickly realising how tall he was next to her.
“Do you have everything, Jimin-ssi?”
The hybrid nodded before his eyes widened; he turned to the bed and grabbed his tattered brush, his hands gripping it tightly to his chest. Then, with one final nod, they left the cage, with Jimin trailing closely behind her.
“I don’t know what has happened in the past, I don’t know who hurt you, but no one will hurt you anymore.”
Soo-Young spoke over her shoulder to Jimin, voice low and out of earshot from Hye-Jin. The hybrid behind her wanted to believe her, but the voice in his ear reminded him of his past. Shaking the thoughts away, he knew he shouldn’t treat her like his previous owners. He was sure that no two people could be the same if her calming scent were anything to go by.
They reached the reception and found Hye-Jin behind the counter, waiting for them. Soo-Young could hear her eyes roll, and she was sure that with Jimin’s sharp hearing, he could hear the puff of breath leaving Hye-Jin’s mouth as she sighed.
“Stick by me, and you’ll be fine.”
Soo-Young felt Jimin step closer towards her as they approached the counter. Once reaching the desk, Soo-Young found a form and pen on top. At least she’s prepared, Soo-Young thought.
“Fill that out and sign at the bottom.”
Soo-Young scoffed slightly as the girl didn’t bother looking at the pair, returning to filing her nails. Then, turning to the form placed in front of her, Soo-Young filled in the adoption form. She was as calm as possible, happy she was saving a hybrid from this place. Glad that she is fabricating a plan to save more as she’s writing. Jimin, on the other hand, is still waiting for something to happen, but he doesn't know what. He kept fidgeting as he stood behind his new owner, looking around the reception area he had only seen once when he was brought here. His ears were flat on his head, bottom lip between his teeth, hands twisting around the brush and tail swaying nervously against his legs as Hye-Jin gave him a look over Soo-Young’s shoulder through her eyelashes.
“All signed.”
Soo-Young’s happy tone caused Jimin’s focus to shift to her; leaning over her shoulder, he watched as Hye-Jin sharply pressed a stamp down on the page, declaring ownership. Jimin was in his own little world now, with little pictures of his new future filling his mind. He jumped when he heard the door announce a new arrival, ears alert, eyes wide and tail like a feather buster. It took him a few seconds to realise that he had grabbed Soo-Young’s arm. Looking up, he found her already looking at him. Concern filled her eyes, but she was not angry for getting scared a second time. Instead, she gently placed her other hand over one of Jimin’s and rubbed that soft skin in comfort.
“He’s all yours,” Hye-Jin monotoned, hoping they would get out of her hair, internally groaning when Soo-Young turned to the hybrid.
“Jimin, did you want to have a look at the tags before we leave?”
Jimin answered her with a slight nod, following as she pulled him to where the tags were. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much stock left, a few collars and bracelets. Soo-Young made a note to visit a hybrid shop once Jimin had settled down.
“See one you like?” Soo-Young questioned before lowering her voice, “just pick one, and we’ll go shopping for a better one in a few days. How does that sound?”
Jimin offered her a small smile, his tail swaying happily behind him before focusing on the few options. Even though there were only four options, Jimin still felt overwhelmed. Finally, he opted for a bracelet, not yet ready for collars. He held the bracelet in his hands, presenting it to Soo-Young.
“This one, please.”
Soo-Young nodded at the hybrid with a smile. Then, taking the bracelet from him, she returned to the desk, her cat following close behind.
“Add the bracelet to the bill, please.”
Soo-Young took too much pride in making the girl work harder than she was used to, but it will only worsen when her plan is set in motion.
It did not take too much longer to pay and be on their merry way. Soo-Young started to walk away, stopping when she was halfway out the door, causing Jimin to bump into her, mumbling a sorry as Soo-Young turned back to Hye-Jin.
“Before we leave, I just want to say,” Hye-Jin looked up from her nails, catching Soo-Young’s stern gaze, “I have a friend who works for Hybrid Welfare, you’ll be getting a visit from him in the next few days, and he won’t be happy. Good day.”
Soo-Young didn’t leave room for an answer from Hye-Jin as she spun on her heel, her hair following the path before swishing over her chest and stepping out the door with Jimin in tow.
Hye-Jin watched the two leave, shock written on her before composing herself, sitting back down on the chair, yet again tending to her nails, thinking it was an empty threat.
Soo-Young sighed contently as she heard the door shut behind them, looking up towards the sky, feeling relief filling her body. She could not wait to tell Namjoon about the state of this place and have something done about it.
“Would you like to go straight home, or would you like to get some food first?”
Not expecting such a question, Jimin blinked at her. No one had asked what he wanted to do before, and it was scary but, in a way, refreshing. Of course, he would like to see his new home, but he can’t deny the rumbling in his belly any longer.
“Food, please,” Jimin answered softly, rubbing his tummy.
Jimin jumped at the feeling of her hand grabbing his and tugging him along with her. However, he recovered quickly once they’d fallen into a steady tempo, with Soo-Young leading the way.
“What do you feel like?”
“Anything.”
“I know a great noodle place that I think you’ll enjoy.”
It seemed like she was reading his mind, he had been craving noodles for what felt like years, and it possibly was years since he had tasted pasta. He can barely remember the last time he had noodles. His previous owner had thought that noodles and pasta were too fattening. She had wanted to keep him thin and lean to showcase him in front of her friends. Her prized hybrid. Jimin felt his chest tighten, his stomach feeling queasy as memories of what she had made him do forced him to do filled his mind.
“They do really good ramyun here. Would you like some, Jimin?
Jimin was brought back to reality at the soft sound of his new owner’s voice, the memories of his past fading as he took in his surroundings. Mouth-watering smells of food filled Jimin’s lungs with every inhale as he realised they had stopped in front of what he assumed was the noodle place. Jimin blinked at her before nodding, feeling his tummy growling again.
“Are you going to be okay to go in?”
Jimin gave her a nod with a soft yes. Soo-Young uttered a ‘let’s go’, and the pair headed inside.
The cafe smelled of different aromas from the range of dishes they served, and a few customers occupied seats and booths. They had come at the slow hour, the perfect hour. The less noise and commotion, the better. The last thing Soo-Young wanted for Jimin was to panic.
“Hi, what can I get you?”
Soo-Young turned her attention to the young girl behind the counter. A bright smile lit up her face, her tone genuine.
“Two tonkotsu ramen, please.”
The two sat in silence, well as much silence eating ramen can offer. The sound of their slurping made their silence more apparent. Soo-Young asked Jimin small questions between mouthfuls, only to receive smaller answers from the hybrid.
“How long were you at the shelter, Jimin-ssi?”
Jimin looked at Soo-Young from his small bowl of noodles with wide eyes and noodles hanging from his mouth. Soo-Young thought the sight was adorable, but she kept quiet. Jimin held up two fingers in place of speaking around the ramyeon.
“You’ve been there for two years?” Soo-Young was shocked, to say the least; no wonder the boy felt so skinny under his sweater. Jimin nodded slightly before casting his gaze back to his noodles.
After their noodles disappeared into their stomachs, the pair headed home. Jimin felt full yet satisfied, and he had not had a decent meal like that for as long as he could remember. Now, he was on his way to a brand new home. He does not know what awaits him there but hopes it will be better than his old home. Yet, a tiny part of him worries it is going to be the same. His tail nervously swayed behind him as he played with his new bracelet.
The walk was quicker than Jimin had expected. He stood in front of a tall building; he hoped the building was not all hers. He would get lost if it was. The pair entered the building. Jimin scrunched his face at the smell of citrus-scented disinfectant. His sensitive nose twitched before he sneezed.
“I’m not a fan of the smell either,” Soo-Young smiled.
Jimin’s eyes widened; how did she know it was the citrus that caused him to sneeze?
“I tried speaking to the cleaners and the owner to change to more hybrid friendly products, but they have never listened to me.”
Every time Soo-Young spoke, Jimin became more curious about her, many questions floated around his head, but he chose not to voice them. At least not yet. Jimin watched as Soo-Young entered a boxed room with weird metal doors before she gestured for her to follow.
“My flat is on the fourth floor, so we need to go up using the elevator.”
He had heard of those, but his owner never used them, claiming they were lazy people and opted to use the stairs instead so Jimin would stay perfect. Timidly, Jimin entered the elevator, and the large doors closed. The hybrid’s heart sank as the elevator bounced as it moved up. Jimin clutched to Soo-Young as the lift made noises that Jimin did not like.
“It’s okay, Jimin-ssi,” her voice was soft, calming, in his ears as she rubbed his arm, but how much his hands were shaking had her questioning, “have you been in an elevator before?”
“Mistress didn’t like them,” Jimin’s voice was small as he subconsciously sought out her scent, “always took the stairs.”
Soo-Young’s chest tightened at Jimin’s few but significant words. Not allowed to eat and only allowed to take the stairs. What an awful owner, and just to keep him scarcely thin. It made Soo-Young sick. Soo-Young was brought back to reality at the sound of Jimin softly sniffling. Turning around, she held his hands as he refused to look at her, scared she would punish him for not using the stairs.
“It’s alright, Jimin-ssi. It’ll be over very soon. Don’t cry.”
Jimin was happy to be on solid flooring after exiting the awful lift. They ventured passed a few doors with numbers on them before they stopped at a door with ‘13’ on the door. The hybrid’s breath hitched at the shiny numbers staring at him. His birthdate. Is this a bad sign or just a coincidence?
"Welcome to your new home."