A wolf should never ignore its instincts.

It’s a cold night in December. The night is dark with no stars peeking out of the folds of the black sky, except for the brightness of the moon that casts shadows onto the trees down below. Small flakes of snow flutter down from the sky, covering the area in a dusting of white.

There are small houses that blend in with the trees, a border between nature and human development. Between the trees of the forest, two men watch one house. A light is on on the upper floor, second window. The rest of the house is dark.

A figure moves behind the curtains, walking back and forth before sitting down. One man tracks the person’s movement as he grows impatient.

“What time is it?” He can feel the beast under his skin rustle, ready to break free and carry out his leader’s commands.

“Almost seven.” The other replies, stilling under the falling snow.

“Are they all home?” He strains his neck, trying to see through the darkness for the headlights of a greatly anticipated car.

“Only the girl. We have to wait.”

The first man growls at the lack of action. He wants to get it over with, not sit in the snow like a fool.

Just then, a car’s headlights penetrate the darkness of the night, scattering the shadows of the trees and the road it’s going down. The two men retreat behind the trees, becoming obscured by the greenery.

Both men’s eyes glow red.

A middle aged couple gets out of the car, chattering along the way until they enter the house, safe from the dangers the forest holds.

“When do we move?’

“Give them some time. Let them cherish their last moments of oblivion.”

<> <> <> <> <> <>

“Impulses of the brain are sent through the nervous system, activating each individual neuron. In the neuron, the dendrites connect to each other, and are able to pass the signal along. Different substances cause different reactions, such as the effects of dopamine. Drugs are not only an addiction to patients, but it is considered a disease. Their nervous system becomes adapted to the large amount of intake of the said drug, and once it is exposed to the bloodstream, the patient will experience extreme pain from withdrawal without the amount they had previously been taking,” Ae Sook reads out into her room.

It’s almost 7 now, and so far she’s been studying for a total of 6 hours. She hasn’t stopped for lunch, and even though she’s starving, she doesn’t want to waste time to go and make a meal that might cost her on her oral presentation tomorrow.

Ae Sook decides to wait for her mom to come home; it should be another 15 minutes.

She picks up her book from her desk and begins to walk around the room to get the blood circulation in her legs flowing again. As she starts to read another paragraph, a noise from her bed draws her attention. Her phone’s screen is alight with the words “Da Bin <3” scrolling along it as it pictures her normally beautiful friend making the derpiest face possible.

Sighing, she picks up the phone. She’s already gotten 5 calls from Da Bin, and even though her friend probably knows what happened, she always insists on calling to check up.

It’s not like Ae Sook wants to ignore Da Bin, but it’s just that right now is time for science, not emotions.

She goes to put her phone back on the bed, but she catches a glimpse of Da Bin’s picture again. Staring at her friend, guilt begins to eat her up.

It’s not like Da Bin is getting it any easier than she is. She has expectations put on her, demands to be satisfied, and because of them, she can’t be herself in public most times. On top of that, she helps Ae Sook every time that she gets abused by people at campus. So the next time Da Bin’s picture pops up with a renewed call, Ae Sook picks up.

“You stupid girl! Why the hell did you go AWOL on me? What did Sae Ryun do this time?” Da Bin bombards from across the line. Before Ae Sook can garner a breath to talk, Da Bin proceeds on her rant. “Oh ho, that boy is so going to get it at the next gala, just watch. His step-mom is a huge fan of my line, so I wonder how she would like it to not get any first picks? She should be teaching her son some f***ing manners instead of going around and bragging about her f*-“

“Da Bin!” Ae Sook breaks her friend off. “What happened to my sweet, humble friend? Aren’t I supposed to be the one with the trashcan mouth?”

“No, you’re always beating up those rich kids for me, now I have to take a turn at Sae Ryun. It’s only fair. So lemme at him!” She screams on the other end of the line. Along with it, there are cheers and chatters that echo into the receiver.

Suspicious at the noise in the background, Ae Sook asks, “Kid, where are you exactly?”

“Oh, me? At a party. My parents are hosting some sort of gathering and I got placed here for decoration purposes. And look at my luck, Sae Ryun’s here.”

“Wait, by next gala did you mean-“

“Yep, I meant tonight. Don’t worry about it, I’ll get this straightened out by tomorrow.”

“Da Bin-ah…”

“I said don’t worry, didn’t I? But forget about that, I called to see where you were.”

Ae Sook pauses for a second. Of course her friend knows where she is.

As if she was reading Ae Sook’s thoughts, Da Bin responds lightly. “Don’t overwork yourself, okay? At least get 8 hours of sleep tonight. You won’t be able to function if you don’t, and since you’ve already been studying so long, go take a nap.”

“Ne, omma,” Ae Sook replies sarcastically.

“You brat, you’re the one whose older than me. I should be calling you ajhumma.”

Her voice breaks off before mumbling ensues on the other end with Da Bin’s annoyed, “Okay! Okay! I got it. Jeez.”

“Hey, Ae Sook, sorry, I have to go. My mom wants me to present my line or whatever. I’ll call you later, ok? Remember what I said!”

“Don’t forget to study too!” Ae Sook manages