“UNNIE!”

Sowon watched as her mom walked in with a basket full of her nukos.

“Mom?”

The moment her mother placed the basket on the bedside table, they hopped out and ran over to Sowon who could barely lift her head high enough to see them.

“Um, kids I can’t look down very well, could you stay on the bedside table, so I can see you guys?”

“But Unnie I want to hug you.”

Yerin’s hand shot to , crud, did she say that out loud.

Sowon smiled, “I don’t think I’ll be able to hug back Yerinnie.”

Once all her kids were on the food tray that her mom had pulled up. Sowon’s mom helped prop her up on some pillows, so she could sit up some more.

“Unnie who’s that?”

Sowon looked at her side where Yuju was looking.

“Oh, this kid’s name is SinB. I saved her.”

Umji stared, slightly annoyed that it was this nuko’s fault for getting her unnie hurt.

“What did she do that needed saving?”

Sowon hummed, she noticed the little twitch of Umji’s eyebrows that indicated her annoyance.

“She was being chased by bad guys.”

Then Sowon realized that when she looked down at SinB, she had her eyes closed.

“SinB?”

“Hm?”

“Why are you pretending to be asleep?”

“I’m not pretending to be asleep, I’m just closing my eyes.”

Sowon huffed, was she hiding her eyes?

“You can open them; my kids are not mean nukos.”

“But-“

“Open them Bi.”

“Okay.”

Opening one eye first, she recognized the nuko from the picture. Opening her other eye, the nukos gasped.

“Woah, you have one blue eye!”

SinB’s abnormal highlights in her hair already made her look special, but with one brown eye and one blue, she was out of the ordinary.

Sowon noticed Yerin fidgeting on the table.

“Yerinnie? What’s wrong?”

“Uh, it’s nothing.”

“Go ahead and say it, whatever it is.”

Yerin stepped forwards towards the edge closest to SinB.

“I think you’re pretty.”

Sowon grinned as SinB and Yerin stared at each other.

“And what do you say SinB yah?”

“Th-thanks.”

Yerin scurried back to her spot, behind Yuju, near the opposite end of the table.

“Sojung-ah, are you in pain? Do you want me to do anything?”

“Mom, I’m fine, if they give me more painkillers, I’ll probably sleep for a whole day.”

“I’m fine with letting you rest for a whole day.”

“Mom! No, I want to be awake.”

She laughed with her mom, cringing as her ribs screamed their protests.

“Ow, ok ok no more laughing.”

Her mother sighed before holding her good hand. She had broken her left elbow and fractured her right arm, but her hands were still okay, albeit scratched terribly.

“Dear, you need to stop being so reckless.”

“I know, but after seeing her run in the street the first time I couldn’t leave her out there, besides I was pushed.”

Her mother sighed, she had been told that witnesses said that her daughter had been shoved but she had jumped into the traffic on her own to catch the nuko.

Brushing her daughter’s hair, she sighed.

“Sojung-ah, I’ll be able to take care of your nukos until you get better so hurry and get better quickly.”

“I’ll do my best.”

“Good.”

Kissing her daughter’s forehead, she left to talk with the doctors to fill out forms and medicine fees.

“So, where are you from SinB?”

“Me? I’d rather not say.”

Yuju hummed, swinging her legs sat on the edge of the table, her tail swishing behind her.

“Where are you planning on going?”

“I don’t know.”

Sowon just watched, she really wanted to pet Yerin’s hair to calm her down, but her arms were being restricted in their slings. If only they weren’t in the slings and on the table instead. Maybe when her mom came back she could ask.

“Yerin ah come here.”

She wiggled her fingers from the sling. Yerin tentatively stepped closer to her fingers that were suspended in the air. She watched as Sowon tried to reach her but failed.

Reaching up, Yerin held Sowon’s index finger. She could only reach the first digit of her finger, but it was enough. Sowon smiled as Yerin’s stiff tail slowly relaxed.

Umji shuffled her feet for a second before moving to the edge of the table to get down. Hopping off the table onto Sowon’s bed, she carefully made her way to Sowon’s shoulder. Settling on Sowon’s left shoulder, Umji nuzzled under Sowon’s ear.

“Haha, that tickles Yewon ah!”

Umji just responded by purring and stayed there pressed into Sowon’s neck.

“Unnie you made me worry for a very long time.”

“Sorry, baby. I couldn’t make phone calls with these arms.”

“I know.”

Sowon felt Umji’s small hands press against her neck, rubbing softly. Was she kneading at her neck?

“Yewon ah?”

“Hm?”

Umji had one cat ear pressed to Sowon’s nec k, calmly listening to her heartbeat and the vibrations when Sowon spoke.

“Are you comfy there?”

“Mm.”

Her tail wrapped around Sowon’s ear, tickling it.

“Okay.”

They sat in a comfortable silence, SinB tucked against Sowon’s side, Umji on Sowon’s shoulder, Yerin against Sowon’s fingers, and Eunha and Yuju on the table.

“Unnie you can’t ever get hurt like this again okay?”

“I’ll try not to.”

“Promise.”

“I promise.”

Sowon’s mother walked in, holding some fruits and snacks.

“Come now, gather around for snacks.”

Sowon smiled as she watched her mother cut the apple slices into little bunnies and as Yerin tried to stuff the little cookies into her cheeks.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Everyone, we need to go back to the apartment now, visiting hours are ending.”

The nukos whined as Sowon’s mother gathered them in the basket.

“Hey!”

SinB swatted at the hands and hopped back out, settling on the side table again.

“SinB you don’t want to go see me home?”

“Why would I go see your home? You’re not my owner.”

“You can be a guest for one day okay? If you don’t want to that’s okay too.”

Once again, Sowon wasn’t really looking to keeping SinB but she had made the mistake of giving the odd eyed nuko a name, it wasn’t going to be easy to part.

“I mean I guess I could go with.”

“SinB, you. Do you like me? Would you mind it if I asked you to become mine?”

SinB stared at her with wide eyes.

“Sojung ah, are you sure about keeping this one? I know you’ve been in a money pinch.”

“Mom, I think I can handle it.”

“If you say so. If you ever run into trouble remember to tell me first.”

“I got it mom.”

==================

SinB being the silent cuddly girl she is~