twelfth chapter is up! I know this has been anticipated, so it's been given a few days early! c;

by the way, notice Sungjong in this picture? How he kind of isn't looking at the screen/away? Mhm... c: c:

Please enjoy~ ! -throws bucket of happiness- ♥

I finally arrived back in my bedroom. I fell onto my bed, closing my eyes for a few seconds.

"OMO!" I heard someone cry out. "Sungjong! LEE SUNGJONG, GET UP!"

I opened my eyes, standing up. They all turned into real humans, their tails disappearing, their wings vanished, real human ears in exchange for their furry ones.

And Sungjong, he was on the floor. His eyes were closed and they looked almost bruised. His face was pale, and his hands, cold.

"Sungjong!" I cried. I ran to him as L tried to lift the unconscious boy onto his arm.

"He must have used up all of his magic... to get all seven of us here." Sungyeol's eyes were sad.

"Here, I can heal him!" Woohyun volunteered, grinning. Suddenly, his smile turned into a frown. "Wait... we're... human now, right?"

They all nodded in response. Woohyun hit the wall roughly with his fist as he clenched his teeth, frustrated.

"Sungjong oppa..." I called to him.

He was the first Inspirian I met, the one who brought himself here, the one who brought me to Inspiria. I remember him telling me that his wishes were still flawed. From the first day I officially met him, and up to this point, he had grown so much.

I stared as his unconscious face. Babo, why didn't you tell me this was going to happen?

I looked at L. "Here, put him on my bed."

L and I carried Sungjong to the mattress and I went to the washroom to get a warm towel. I placed it on his forehead and covered him in blankets, hoping to warm his hands... and hopefully, his heart.

★               ★               ★

We all sat in a circle, thinking about what we would tell my parents when they got home.

"We could say... we're your cousins." Dongwoo suggested.

"Don't you think they'd know if we were?" Hoya said.

"But like... distant cousins!" Dongwoo explained back to his twin.

"How about neighbours?" L asked.

"From around the neighbourhood." Sungkyu added.

Suddenly, the door opened.

"____-ah!" My mom called. She looked around the room. Believe me, it's okay for your mom to be shocked when she sees six guys sitting with you. While another is lying in your bed. Yep.

She looked at the boys. "We're... home."

"U... Umma!" I looked from the guys to her as I stood up. "When did... when did you get home?" I ruffled my hair nervously.

"Just now." Her eyes were fixed on the mysterious boys. "Who are our guests?"

"These are my... my friends. From... from elementary school! I met them while I was out." I smiled at her, hoping she'd buy it.

"Ah, really?" My mom looked more relieved. She smiled, greeting them. "Annyeonghaseyo."

They all stood up, bowing back. "Annyeonghaseyo~"

"And... that boy... he's your friend too?" She pointed to Sungjong awkwardly.

I chuckled. "Yes. He's um... sick."

My mom blinked a couple of times. "Oh. Okay. Well, ____, if you need me, I'll be downstairs, okay?"

"Arasseo, umma."

She closed the door and left.

The guys exhaled. "Phew, that was close."

"Okay so from now on, we're your elementary school friends?" Woohyun asked.

"Yep." I nodded.

"Alright!" He smiled. "Wait... what's school?"

★               ★               ★

I gave the guys a guide on being human 101, teaching them everything they needed to know.

"And this, this is a house. It's like the one back in Inspiria, but it's bigger and digitally enhanced." I said as Hoya poked the TV screen. "This is my bedroom."

"Hey ____ ! Can we have a tour of your house?" Dongwoo asked. "To see what a human lives like?"

"Sure!" I responded.

I brought them downstairs. "These are my parents' room and the study room. I'll show you guys how to use a computer later."

The boys nodded as I showed them around. But Sungkyu oppa seemed to just curl up slightly. It looked like he felt really uncomfortable for some reason.

We went to the main floor. "The kitchen is where you cook food and eat, living room is where you can sit down and talk to everyone."

"Uh, ____... I have a question." Sungkyu suddenly asked.

"Mhm?"

"Are we in Incheon?" He asked.

"Yeah! Oppa, how did you know?"

"Oh, I just... I remember Incheon looked like this." He pointed out the window, giving me a small smile.

I nodded slowly, smiling back. Sungkyu oppa was acting so strange.

After the house tour, we went back up to my bedroom.

"Wow, I didn't know a house had a lot of rooms. Ours in Inspiria didn't even have this many." Woohyun said.

"That's because things are different here, hyung." L said.

Dongwoo's stomach growled. He looked at his belly, putting his hand on it. "I'm hungry."

"Me too." Sungyeol said.

"I'll bring you guys out to eat! It'll give you a chance to practice spending money, too. Let's go!"

∞