After what seemed like a good half an hour lying on the bed, Jaebum half heartedly pulled himself up and detangled himself from Youngjae, only to be met with whines from Youngjae. "5 more minutes... Please don't ring again, alarm clock... I need my sleep..." Youngjae managed to mumble incoherently as he flipped on his other side, earning a laugh from Jaebum.

 

"Youngjae ah, its already -" Jaebum pressed his phone lying on his bedside table. "Its already 10. Wake up or the sun will bite you on your bum." Jaebum tried to lift Youngjae up, who was now rolling over to Jaebum's spot on the bed, sunlight gently shining on him. Jaebum couldn't help but smile. With the soft sunlight falling on Youngjae's sleeping figure, it really did make him look like an angel.

 

Jaebum snapped himself out of his thoughts. Looking at sleeping Youngjae like that was really creepy, he told himself. 

 

~

 

Jaebum barely managed to get Youngjae ready to go downstairs to eat breakfast, dragging a half-sleeping Youngjae down the stairs to the kitchen to eat breakfast, and making sure Youngjae didn't trip over his own feet in his sleepy state.

 

"Youngjae hyung! You're here again!" Youngjae could barely process what and who was talking to him as he was engulfed in a bone-crushing hug. Mortified, Youngjae tried to wrestle himself out of the grasp but failed, resigning to his fate and putting his full weight on the person, tail swinging limply behind him in defeat. "Aigoo, hyung, you definitely need to eat something. You're so skinny, how do you even have the strength to push Bambam off you?" Youngjae heard Yugyeom say as he exited the kitchen, the kitchen door closing with a slight slam.

 

"Yah, Bambam. He's your hyung you know." Jaebum tried detaching Bambam's hands around Youngjae, who was preventing him from escaping his grip. "msmjdjsksl." Youngjae mumbled into Bambam's shoulder, causing Yugyeom to laugh madly in the background. 

 

"Bambam." Youngjae heard Jaebum say, a layer of authority masked in it. Almost reluctantly, Bambam removed his hands around Youngjae, before ruffling Youngjae's hair again. "Hyung, you don't mind me hugging you, do you? Tell that to Jaebum hyung." Bambam pouted as he pushed some stray hairs out of Youngjae's face. Youngjae stared blankly at Bambam, still not fully awake. "Bambam likes dinosaurs? " 

 

Bambam facepalmed, with laughter of Jaebum ringing in the background.

 

~ 

 

Jaebum had to pull the plate of food away from Youngjae, who suddenly seemed much awake, to ensure he didn't choke on his breakfast. "Hey, don't eat so fast. Your breakfast won't run away." Youngjae only responded by taking the plate back and resumed eating. "Yah, hyung, Jaebum hyung is right. You shouldn't eat that fast." Yugyeom commented as he placed a cup of milk infront of Youngjae. 

 

"Ets twoo gwood. (Translation : It's too good! )"What could be heard from Youngjae was nothing more than a bunch of letters mixed together. 

 

Jaebum sighed as he watched Youngjae stuff the pieces of egg and ham down his throat before washing it down with milk. He had to go to work today though. He really hated Mondays. Luckily, being part of the Im family gave him benefits. Even though he was expected to work as hard as the other employees, he didn't have to stick to all the rules. 

 

"Youngjae ah, I need to go to work soon. If you want you can hang out with Yugyeom and Bambam, as long as they stick to their work when needed." Jaebum dusted himself off and stood up. Youngjae, still busily eating, could only nod, watching Bambam's eyes twinkling in delight at the prospect of spending the day with Youngjae. Youngjae sheepishly smiled and looked down again, focusing his attention on his nearly finished plate of food. 

 

Almost reluctantly, Jaebum got his bag off the couch and his phone off the table when his phone suddenly went off, disrupting the tranquil silence. 

 

"Hello, Im Jaebum speaking... Oh, its you , dad... Nope, I'm still at home, about to leave for - wait what? You want me - But why? Can't this wait? I-  ... Okay fine. I'll go with him. 11.30 sharp? Ok." Jaebum let out a groan as he hung up. "Who is it , hyung?" Yugyeom asked as he placed another cup of milk infront of Youngjae, who accepted it, thanking Yugyeom. 

 

"My dad wants to see Youngjae." 

 

Youngjae choked on his food and immediately grasped for his cup of milk, downing it down in a shot. Bambam patted his back as Youngjae drank another gulp, then turning back again to Jaebum. "Your dad? Why would he want to see Youngjae? Is it because of- oh." Bambam stopped short. 

 

"Why? " Youngjae managed to say, coughing once as he did so. Yugyeom sighed as he took a seat next to Bambam. "Hyung, its about the auction. He hasn't seen you yet, and you know, he wants to see who Jaebum chose ..." Youngjae was taken aback by Yugyeom's bluntness. "Right now? Now? I-" Youngjae's mouth flopped open, his eyes widening in surprise. 

 

"No, at my father's house. This house belongs to me." Jaebum said with a sigh. "Come on Youngjae, let's help you get ready." 

 

Youngjae gulped. He wasn't ready for this.

 

~

 

"Hyung, are you sure? I really don't mind wearing my own clothes, besides, yours are really expensive from the looks of it, its okay. And besides, your father might not like it..." Youngjae frowned and took a look at himself in the mirror, his tail swishing behind him. Sure, he liked Jaebum's choice of clothes, but he was still uncertain about wearing those to see Jaebum's father, particularly his father himself. Jaebum waved Youngjae off, closing the closet door in turn. "Its okay Youngjae. My father may have his own opinion, but his opinion is his, and not mine. " Jaebum shrugged. Still unsure, Youngjae could only nod timidly. "Okay, hyung."  

 

Youngjae was wearing Jaebum's plain white shirt, topped off some ripped jeans. His ears stayed hidden under a black hat as his tail moved uneasily between his legs. "Hyung," Youngjae asked as Jaebum opened the door. "Don't you need to put me on a collar before we go out of the house? Thats what the staff at the auction house said." Jaebum slowly turned around, eyebrow raised. "Is that so? But I don't think theres a real need to treat a someone like an animal, so don't worry, we won't be touching it." And with that, Jaebum flashed a smile at Youngjae.

 

Youngjae's face was tinged with pink.  He ... He didn't think of me as a hybrid or an animal? Youngjae's face heated up as he pondered over what Jaebum had said, rooted on the spot. He's the first one to ever say that to me.  A smile now dancing on his lips, Youngjae hurriedly ran over to Jaebum, returning Jaebum an eye smile of his own.

 

~

 

Youngjae felt his heart beat hard against his ribcage as he followed behind Jaebum up the stairs, holding his tail between his legs. Jaebum's father's house was truly magnificant as well, Youngjae felt powerless and small in the maze. Quickening his footsteps as Jaebum stopped in front of a door near the stairs, he gulped before looking back at Jaebum. Jaebum gave him a thumbs up and knocked on the door twice. 

 

"Come in." 

 

Biting his bottom lip hard, Youngjae watched as Jaebum cautiously swung the door open, and looked in slowly, only to see a man, smartly dressed, typing away on some computer. Holding his breath, Youngjae gingerly stepped into the room, following Jaebum's lead and closing the door softly behind him. As he did so, Jaebum went forward to  his father's work desk. "Dad?" 

 

Scampering forward, Youngjae bowed nervously at the man, who seemed oblivious to Youngjae's presence. "Hello sir, I'm Choi Youngjae. " Youngjae said, tail now curled around his leg in fear. Jaebum's father slowly looked up, and raised an eyebrow at Youngjae. "Did I even ask for your name? " 

 

Youngjae widened his eyes in shock. "No sir. Sorry." He felt his cheeks heat up in shame and stared at the floorboard. 

 

"Dad, can you please be more polite to him? At least he made the initiative to introduce himself first. Anyways, what for did you want us to come here for? " Jaebum frowned and grabbed Youngjae's shoulder, pulling Youngjae closer to him. 

 

" I wanted to speak with that hybrid." Jaebum's father replied, eyes never leaving Youngjae. Jaebum felt Youngjae stiffen at the word 'hybrid', and rubbed his shoulders soothingly. 

 

"And why do you need to speak with Youngjae?" Jaebum questioned back as he put an emphasis on Youngjae's name. 

 

"Yah. Jaebum, I'm your dad. Are you questioning my authority?" Jaebum's father snorted, letting his fingers run over the keyboard once more. Youngjae stood silently, not wanting to interfere with the father and son.

 

"Fine. But if you do anything or say any bull, I'm dragging Youngjae out of here." Jaebum exclaimed, glaring daggers at his dad before turning around to Youngjae. "Youngjae-ah, I'll wait for you outside, alright? " Youngjae could only smile weakly. 

 

As the door slammed shut behind Jaebum, Youngjae looked back down at his feet. What was he supposed to say? "So you're Youngjae? " Youngjae jumped as he heard the man speak before nodding his head timidly. "After much waiting, my son has finally gotten a hybrid of his own, and he didn't make such a bad choice after all. How much did he pay for you?" Jaebum's dad asked as he fixed his gaze on Youngjae again. Youngjae timidly replied as his tail drooped between his legs now. 

 

"What?! He spent so much ? I asked him to spend as much as he wanted, but to spend so much on you? What is wrong with him? Lets be honest, you don't even look worth that sum of money. Jaebum could have done better. " Jaebum's dad hissed as he brought a clenched fist down on the table, knocking some stacks of paper down in the process. Youngjae did not dare to look him right in the eye, only averting his sight when their eyes met. 

 

"And you're wearing his ing clothes? God, what was he thinking? Treating a ing hybrid so well, letting him wear his own well-off clothes? If I was him, I wouldn't even give you anything thats of mine to wear. What a disgrace." Jaebum's dad laughed sharply as he stood up and inched nearer to Youngjae. "Sorry sir, please don't blame Jaebum hyung- " Youngjae managed to choke out, now truly frightened by the man's mannerism and authority. Before he could finish, Youngjae felt the hat being ripped off his head without warning as Jaebum's dad extended a hand towards his head. 

 

" I see. So you're a cat hybrid. I really hate those of your kind. What can you even do? Nothing really special about you. Jaebum should really get his eyes checked." Youngjae's throat felt dry, as if he had not drank water for months, and tears had already started to form in his eyes. Was he really that worthless as a hybrid? Was he being a hybrid really that bad? 

 

Jaebum's dad turned , laughing again as he moved away from Youngjae. "And you're not even wearing a ing collar , aren't you? Didn't they teach you well at the auction house? To wear a collar be it in our outside of the house at all times? Did you even ing listen to them? " Youngjae's voice quivered as he mumbled out a soft "yes". 

 

"Then wear the ing collar! Is it that hard? Do you need someone to spoonfeed you and help you? " Jaebum's father exclaimed. " I'm telling you, Choi Youngjae. You're nothing more than a dispensable hybrid that we can just throw away. Your life? HA! Worthless. I can just buy another hybrid for Jaebum. With you, I'm afraid our family's reputation will drop. And because of who? You. Choi. Young. Jae. The ing cat hybrid who can't do anything right."

 

Youngjae snapped, retaliating in a fit of anger and injustice as tears now streamed freely down his cheeks. "I didn't want to be a hybrid! Do you think its fun being one? Letting everyone step over your head? You -" Youngjae caught his tongue and stopped short, suddenly realising what he had just done. Jaebum's father turned red, and Youngjae could almost see the steam coming out from his ears. 

 

"ing hybrids." He grumbled and ransacked his drawer before pulled out another collar from his drawer. "You see this collar?" Jaebum's dad took menancing steps to Youngjae, hand beckoning Youngjae to come closer. "This was supposed to be for Jaebum's hybrid, and here you are. So come and put this on. If you are a hybrid, ing act like one." 

 

"Please don't , I- I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to -" Youngjae stammered, taking steps back as his ears twitched nervously. 

 

BAM! 

 

Youngjae couldn't process what was going on as he felt himself being shoved behind someone. Through his tears, he could only faintly make out Jaebum. Youngjae took in a shaky breath as more tears flowed down his face, staining Jaebum's shirt that he had borrowed. His ears were flattened against his hair in shock and his tail now wrapped firmly around his leg. Shaking, Youngjae gripped Jaebum's shirt as protection as he held onto Jaebum for support.

 

"What the do you think you're doing?" Jaebum yelled, literally seeing red. He didn't mean to eavesdrop on their conversation but he was glad he did. "Why are you so concerned for him? He's just a hybrid. Like what I told him, we can just replace him easily. Why are you helping such a worthless piece of trash?"

 

Youngjae felt as though he had been stabbed in the heart a couple times, doused in fuel and lit on fire. 

 

"Thats it! We're leaving. I don't see the point of staying here listening to you your off about them. Open up your eyes, dad. They're humans. Really, I'm truly disgusted to have you as my father. I'd rather have Jinyoung's father instead. You know why? Because he doesn't act like you, abusing and looking down on them just like animals." Seething with rage, Jaebum grabbed Youngjae's arm and pulled him out of the room, the door closed with a resounding slam.

 

Youngjae let himself be dragged to the car outside the house by Jaebum. The ride home was silent, except for the occasional sniffles from Youngjae. Jaebum wished to put an arm around Youngjae and comfort him, but he didn't.

 

~

 

"Youngjae, I- I'm really sorry, I didn't mean for everything to happen. Please don't cry, it doesn't suit you." Jaebum spoke up after they had walked into the living room, Youngjae infront and Jaebum in tow. 

 

Youngjae turned, tear stains still visible on his face. He swallowed his saliva, and laughed weakly. "Its okay hyung, its not your fault." 

 

Jaebum felt his insides crumble as Youngjae flashed a forced smile at him. He wanted to go up and hug the angel infront of him, but hesitated. "I'm going up first. Don't worry about me." Youngjae mumbled before taking slow steps to the staircase. 

 

Youngjae's knees felt weak, threatening to collapse any moment. Then, he felt dizzy all of a sudden as he took a few steps up the staircase. Gripping onto the staircase for support, he hesitated to clear his mind, only to make it worse. 

 

Everything was spinning. Youngjae felt his stomach lurch as more tears started to form again. What was happening? 

 

And his knees crumbled. 

 

Youngjae felt himself fall backwards, only to be caught by a pair of arms. Looking up, he could only faintly make out Jaebum's panicked face before everything went black. 

 

"Youngjae? Youngjae! "