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~Kim HyunA~

Hyuna crouches behind the bushes and trees along the forest line, looking down into the valley that had been ruined by the placement of big, gray buildings, complete with factories and smog. People ruin everything.

The golden meadow deepens to a red and then a dirty brown the closer it reaches the city. Even the blue sky with white, puffy clouds seems to lighten in shade as they hover just over the tops of the skyscrapers. The sky reflects into the clear water below, giving it a soothing blue appearance before it changes to a green glow as it winds through the town.

Hyuna watches as cars speed around the streets below, people hurry home from work, children play on the sidewalks, and the light posts turn on for the evening. She can’t see much perched on top of the hillside, looking down, but she can guess that the town has a decent sized population. Finding a convenience store should be easy, and there they would have everything that Hyuna and BoHoJa need…maybe even some extra meat for BoHo. The only problems were getting in and out fast enough as to not attract too much attention, and that Hyuna would have enough funds to get supplies…the latter being the most difficult part. Worst comes to worst, Hyuna would have to find a safe location to shift and then find a crafty way to carry everything back out to the forest trees and mountain air, where BoHoJa would be waiting for her.

The giant wolf lies on his stomach by her side, staring down at the city more intensely than she is. He almost seems as if he’s about to army crawl through the tall cattails of the meadow, but Hyuna places her hand on the small of his back and smiles at him when he stops his panting and looks up to her with his soft, brown eyes.

“I’m going alone,” she states. The dog holds her stare. She reaches down and picks up the wooden carving of a whistle that hangs around her neck, acting as an emergency signal in case she needed her companion.

She turns her gaze back down to the busy town of Chinju, South Korea. The evening provided the best opportunity to go because the stores would be still open but most people would be at home for dinner, and the darkness of night would fall just in time in case Hyuna needed its cover.

She eases to her feet and takes a deep breath, trying to calm her heartbeat down. She closes her eyes to concentrate, taking a slow breath in of the fresh air of the forests and then letting a slow breath out of her anxiety.

“I’ll be back by nightfall, either way.” She promises BoHoJa with a pat on the head. She glances down to him and forces a smile on her face, but the dog still seems to hold concern in his eyes.

Hyuna makes herself look away and focuses in on the city and the necessities that lie before her.

She fills her lungs with one more breath of air, and then makes a dart for the meadow, floating easily through the cattails and shrubs. BoHoJa leaves the forest side a single stride after her. Hyuna’s muscles pull and strain as her nerves turn into adrenaline and energy. Her body pushes her forward, leaving the fear far behind. Hyuna’s legs move so swiftly that the sound of her swooshing through the meadow blends in with the light breeze that tumbles towards the city. If she were to choose something that could count as a hobby or a love in her life, it would be to run, to feel free, to be part of the wind.

BoHoJa tramples beside her, just as fast when she ran with only two legs and he with four. His tongue lolls out the side of his mouth as he focuses ahead. With their pace, they reach the end of the meadow sooner than either were comfortable with. Hyuna crouches by the edge again, panting as BoHoJa stands by her side. She looks to her friend and nods, “This is when I go alone,” she grabs onto the necklace around her neck, “Stick around just in case.” The dog pulls his tongue in and almost seems to nod in response. Hyuna slowly rises to a stand and brushes off the seeds and dust of the meadow from her dark clothes as she makes her way towards civilization. BoHoJa watches her go, and gradually forces himself back into the cover of the meadow. He’ll watch from a safe distance, far enough away to avoid being seen, but always watching.

Hyuna finds controlling her breathing more difficult when walking through the city streets than when sprinting through the meadow. She had slipped on her tennis shoes before leaving, as to blend in with society better, but with her black t-shirt, faded, ripped denim shorts, and quick pace, people still glance her way. A couple girls walking arm in arm sneer at her as they pass by; Hyuna tucks her head down into her chest to avoid their eye contact. A few guys laughing as they come out of a store on the corner of the street stop their talking to stare at her as she passes by. Some of them punch each other in the arm and whisper something with a smirk as she continues on her way. She rolls her eyes but looks across the street to avoid looking directly at them. She stops when she notices a small convenience store across the street, lights still on inside. She pulls her backpack off her shoulders and grips it in her hands as she thinks. Her heart beat picks up pace with the anxiety that she receives from knowing that she’ll have to actually talk with at least one person in the store in order to get what she needs. She looks back over her shoulder to see the group of guys laughing and staring at her, waiting for her next move. Her nerves finally get the better of her as one guy calls out to her and makes a step in her direction, and she pushes herself forward and skips through the street to avoid oncoming cars and makes her way into the shop.

~ Yong JunHyung ~

The city of Chinju, South Korea was as busy as usual as JunHyung walked out of the warn down building on the west side of the Nam River. People were busy bustling to their homes for dinner after a long day’s work. JunHyung, himself, felt the fatigue that came along with working. He had been called into the shop to help move an ahjumma’s boxes from one apartment to a new one on the other side of town. Even with the help of a couple of his fellow workers, JunHyung still feels the tension in his arms and abdominals from the heaving and lifting of the day. He sighs as he rubs the back of his neck and makes his way towards the bus stop. He chooses a seat at the back of the bus by a window so that he can look out and watch the busy city life pass him by. Getting used to the crowded streets and noise had taken awhile, but JunHyung smiles to himself at the idea that he had managed to adapt pretty well. He finally managed to get a small place of his own, and although it wasn’t the best quality or in the best location, it was still a start for him. He had a pretty steady job at a moving business in town during most of the time on weekdays, and a comfortable music project with BiRain’s starting company during his free time.

JunHyung rests his head against the window as he thinks of the hyung that had taken him in. Rain had found JunHyung in the streets one night, cold, tired, and wet, and had opened up his home to him in trust. JunHyung repaid him by helping Rain work on his music projects, something that JunHyung found he had a decent ability and passion for. BiRain was just an average guy in the city of Chinju, who bought an old building and turned it into a recording studio for aspiring artists. He seemed to have a compassionate heart for troubled teens and offered them training and labels at his company, much like how he practically adopted JunHyung for the last year as an apprentice. Now, JunHyung looked up to BiRain as a mentor…and as a friend. BiRain was probably the only one that JunHyung could rely on and count as an actual friend to him, another positive step on merging with the society of Chinju.

The bus pulls to a stop at the corner of a street just a couple blocks away from JunHyung’s new apartment. He quickly jumps up and tags his bus card on his way out, joining other busy people on the streets as they go on their way home. No one seems to care for him much; everyone is too busy with his or her own lives. JunHyung looks down the street towards the forests just outside of the city, the soft colors of the evening night coming down to touch the top of the mountaintops. Then JunHyung turns his attention to the other direction, where his apartment hides within an old alleyway just down the road. He sighs and starts to make his way home when he catches sight of the convenience store still open across the road. Deciding that it’s been a while since he did any type of grocery shopping, the idea of having some food to make at his new apartment seems appealing to him.

JunHyung waves to cars as he quickly heads across the street and into the store. A quick ring of the alarm attached to the doors signal his entrance to the small shop. The place almost seems to be closing up except for a single girl standing at the counter, counting out some change as the old man at the cash register taps his fingers in impatience. JunHyung hurries to gather up some ramyun packs, Choco pies, a quart of milk, bag of rice, and some eggs. Seems good enough, he thinks to himself as he brings his groceries to the counter, grabbing a couple bottles of beer on the way. He stops short at the sight of the same girl still standing at the counter, sorting out some coins and paper bills on the counter. She keeps her head down as she quietly counts out different amounts. She stumbles over some of her words and then shakes her head, and begins again. The old man behind the counter sighs and rolls his eyes as he places his hands on the counter top and leans forward in clear aggravation.

JunHyung steps closer to the small girl and looks her up and down. She wears black converse shoes with white laces that have been dirtied to a brown from mud and dust. The white trims along the bottom of the shoes even have grass stains along them. Her legs are skinny and have a nice white color, and are quite muscular, the same as her arms. She has on short, frayed shorts and a plain black t-shirt with a warn-out bag on her back. Her hair reaches the ends of her shoulder blades and seems blacker than the darkest part of the night.

“Miss!” the old man’s gruff voice breaks JunHyung’s thoughts and causes him to jump a bit, “Could you hurry up and make your choice? Isn’t it obvious that you can’t afford everything you’ve picked out? Hurry and choose what you’re going to buy so I can close my shop!”

Although he can’t see her face, JunHyung notices from the tension in her body that the girl must have been frightened by the man’s outburst. She slowly glances over her shoulder, and her eyes widen at the sight of JunHyung standing behind her. She must feel embarrassed, JunHyung reasons, as he quickly looks off to the side as to make her feel like he wasn’t paying attention so that she won’t feel so self-conscious.

“Umm…” the girl quietly croaks as she moves some of the coins around on the counter and reaches for a bottle of shampoo.

JunHyung stands up on the balls of his feet to see what it is she’s trying to buy. Shampoo, a couple water bottles, some snacks, rice, and some meat. She can’t afford that? JunHyung raises an eyebrow as he looks at her figure again. She can’t be that young, but you’d think that her parents would send her out with more money for groceries. He peers around the side to try to sneak a look at her face, but when she notices, she quickly glances the other way and gathers all the change on the counter into her hands. Maybe she’s not that young, trying to buy something on her own for the first time.

“I’m sorry,” the girl squeaks as she quickly scoops up all of her money and turns on her heels, making a quick exit for the door.

“Hey, come back here and clean up your mess! Little trouble maker!” The cashier scolds her as the glass door shuts behind her exit. JunHyung watches as she stands for a moment and looks about the street before turning right and heading out of sight. “Kids these days…” the man shakes his head as he puts her stuff behind the counter.

JunHyung smiles and places his things on the counter for the man to ring up. He quickly pays for the items and places them into a bag and hurries outside. He looks down to the right, but the strange girl has disappeared into the night. The street lamps and the lights streaming out of Chaelin’s Bakery Shop offer the most light now. JunHyung turns back towards his own apartment and sighs as he makes his way home, pulling out a beer on the way.

~ Kim HyunA ~

Hyuna hurried out of the store and down the street as fast as she could. She groans and grinds her teeth as she presses her hands to her forehead in aggravation.

“I can’t believe this!” she growls to herself as she quickly walks down the street, “Why did that boy have to come in?!” Hyuna’s plan had been to stall the storeowner long enough to swoop everything on the counter into her bag and run out with it. She had realized early on upon entering the store that she wouldn’t have enough money for what she needed. She had reasoned that she would just have to take a small load of what she absolutely needed and make a run for it, leaving for the shelter of the mountains that very night. It would have been enough to hold off until we reach the next town, if it hadn’t been for that nosey guy!

With the added attention of the boy standing in line behind her, Hyuna knew that she wouldn’t have gotten out of the store with all of her stuff.

She sighs as she stops in the light of a store along the street. The sky was darkening, and the boys across the street were still standing in the doorways, laughing and joking around. Once they caught sight of her again, she became the object of their teasing and taunting.

In order to avoid the rascals, Hyuna ducks into the open Bakery Store, the door ringing some bells in the top to announce her entrance. The shop seems empty except for a woman who pokes her head up from behind the counter. She seems to be in her late twenties, with her long, wavy hair dyed blonde and pulled up into a messy bun with a white bandana tied around the top. She has white powder smeared along her cheeks and bright eyes. She looks to Hyuna and stands up, wiping the back of her hand across her forehead, leaving more streaks of the white dust.

“I’m sorry, but I’m about ready to close up.” She says with an apologetic smile.

“Oh, umm,” Hyuna didn’t expect anyone to talk to her; she quickly looks for some sort of an escape as she turns and bumps into a set of shelves along the wall by the door. The sound of the clinging dishes echoes within the tiny shop.
“Oh, easy there!” The girl laughs as comes out from behind the counter and hurries to Hyuna’s side in order to balance the wobbly shelving. “These old things are loose, never could get my father to fix them up.” Hyuna backs away, avoiding the touch of the other girl’s shoulder near her own. Once the girl gets the shelves in order, she turns back to Hyuna with a smile, “What can I get ya?” she asks.

“Oh…I thought you were closed?” Hyuna answers quietly as she backs up against the door.

The girl laughs and shrugs as she walks back to the counter. “I think I could get ya something quick, sweetie.”

“Well…” Hyuna walks cautiously up to the counter, looking at all the pastries and delicacies in the cases. Bread, cupcakes, cinnamon rolls, miniature cakes, and more. Everything was covered in colored frostings and sprinkles, each looking to have been hand made that very morning. “A loaf of bread?”

The girl looks at Hyuna for a single moment before cracking a smile and nodding. She bends down to get the bread out and wraps it up in paper and a places it in a bag. “It would have been better this morning when I baked it,” she says as she works, “But I’m sure it’ll be almost as good now. Maybe if you warmed it up when you get home or something.” She shrugs as she rings it up in the cash register.

Hyuna digs into the pockets of her shorts and dumps out the coins and few bills on the counter as she holds onto the bread. She begins to count the coins again as the girl chuckles and wipes down the counter. “Why don’t I get you a nice cup of hot chocolate?” the girl offers, “We just got a new machine and I’ve been dying to use it.” She starts to go to the back hall, still calling over her shoulder, “But the thing is, nobody buys hot chocolate in the summer time. But my ice cream and milkshakes sell like crazy!”

Hyuna suddenly starts to feel hot as her heart picks up pace and her hands feel sweaty. She looks at the money to see that she would have enough for bread, but not enough for a drink too. But if she makes me a drink, I have to pay for it right? Hyuna thinks in panic. Her heart thuds in her ears, drowning out the on-going conversation that the girl is having with her as she mixes the hot chocolate together. What do I do? Hyuna opens to get more air. She glances around the small shop, trying to get her mind to work right. Too many thoughts are running through her head. What if I can’t pay? What if I can’t control myself? What if I shift? suddenly feels dry and Hyuna can’t stand it any longer. She turns and makes a break for the door, bread in hand but all the money left on the counter.
“Hey!” The girl shouts at the sight of Hyuna making a run for it.

Hyuna glances over her shoulder just as she nears the door, not realizing that someone else is opening it at the same time. She barrels into a man, firm in the chest, and bounces off, sending her flying into the shelves of decorative dishes. The shelving collapses with Hyuna mingled in the mess. Plates shatter across the floor, the bread goes soaring through the air before landing on the other side of the store, and Hyuna is left lying in the middle of the disaster.

“What do you think you’re doing?” The girl cries as she runs out from the counter.

Hyuna groans as she tries to pick herself up, her hands digging into the shattered glass. She tries again to make her way out of the door, but the man who had entered grabs onto her hands and turns her around, pulling her back into his chest. “Whoa,” he grunts as he restrains her fighting, “What’s going on here?”

“Wouldn’t I like to know!” The girl thunders as she stomps over to Hyuna and the man. “What? You thought you would come in here and try and take something just like that? And now look! You’ve wrecked my family’s hand crafted china! The floors are scratched! The shelves are ruined! What am I supposed to do?” the girl’s voice cracks on the last sentence as she crouches down and begins to gather the pieces of pottery, wiping at her tears with her white powdered hands.

“Now, now, CL, I’m sure we can figure this out.” The man’s low voice rumbles out of his throat. “Isn’t that right, girl?” he asks as he gives Hyuna a single shake of the arms.

“Let go of me,” Hyuna grunts as she snakes her hand up to the whistle around her neck. If I could only bring it up to my mouth…

“My family’s dishes…their store…” the girl sobs on the floor.

For some unknown reason, Hyuna actually feels a slight sensation of remorse for the woman who had shown such kindness only minutes before.

“It’ll be alright, Chaelin,” the man voices again, “We’ll get this all sorted out.”
“Let go of me.” Hyuna says again, this time with more volume.

“Not till you explain yourself, miss!”

Chaelin looks up from the floor, showing more hurt than anger in her eyes. “What were you thinking?” she asks quietly.

“I…I…” Hyuna fumbles over her words, searching for a possible reason to explain what she had been thinking. She glances away from the girl’s sorrowful eyes to avoid feeling bad for her. “Let go of me!” she shrieks as tears begin to form in her own eyes and her heart starts to thud faster. She’s almost sure the man can feel it against him. What if I can’t control myself?

This time, the man releases her and she stumbles back, her feet crunching on the glass. She stands back to take a look at her captor, a tall man who seems to be in his mid thirties. He has a sharp jawline, short, cropped brown hair, and stern eyes. He wears a white t-shirt and a pair of jeans with sneakers; casual. The skin along his jaw seems rougher, as if he needs to shave but the hairs weren’t long enough just yet.

The man looks to Hyuna and then around the shop, probably assessing the damage. He looks down to the girl on the ground and then back to Hyuna again. He sighs and closes his eyes, pressing his fingertips into the back of his lids as if he had a headache. After a quiet moment, he claps his hands together and looks up.
“Okay, looks to me as if we’ve got a bit of a misunderstanding here.”
“We can see that, Rain.” The girl says as she stands up, wiping away her tears. Now her anger starts to show more than her sadness.

“Well, I’m just thinking. I don’t know what this girl here was up to, but from the looks of it when I was coming in, she seemed pretty terrified.”
“All thieves do when they get caught.” The girl jabs as her eyes bear into Hyuna’s.

“Now, Chaelin, let’s not be name calling.” The man says calmly. He glances to Hyuna with eyes that almost seem to understand her…or at least want to. “I guess you could say that I’m part at fault for the dishes, I didn’t mean to knock her off her feet like that.”
“Oh, no you don’t, BiRain,” Chaelin wags a finger at the man, “Don’t try to tell me this is all your fault and let this girl get away with it!”

“That’s not exactly what I had in mind,” the man says as he looks to Hyuna again.

Hyuna waits for another moment to make a run for it, but something seems to be keeping her here. As if magnets are planted in her shoes and the floor is made out of steel. The man closes one eye and reopens it quickly, and then looks to Chaelin. Hyuna raises an eyebrow. What was that? …A wink?

“Chaelin, dear, can I talk to you for a quick moment in private?” he asks as he reaches for the girl’s arm and coasts her away a couple of steps.
“What’s gotten into you, BiRain?” she whines as she fumbles under his grip.
The two talk in quieted whispers, occasionally glancing back to Hyuna. The girl shakes her head and seems to say no multiple times, but the man keeps nodding and talking quickly. The girl shoots Hyuna a glare and the man glances over his shoulder with a slight smile. Hyuna inches back towards the door.

“Now, don’t be running off just yet,” Rain calls as they make their way back over, “I’m faster than I look,” he smirks.

Is he joking with me? Hyuna thinks to herself, but he does look pretty fast.

“I think we’ve come up with a solution.” BiRain smiles, placing his hands into the back pockets of his jeans.
Chaelin stands her ground in front of Hyuna, not exactly looking happy anymore.

“Uhm, what solution?” Hyuna finds herself asking in a small voice, surprised by the sound of it herself.

Before anyone can answer, BiRain pulls a phone out of his back pocket and points it at Hyuna, a clicking sound echoing in the quiet space.
“What was that?” Hyuna shrieks with wide eyes, “Did you just take a picture of me?” she quickly grasps for the phone, but BiRain pulls it back out of her reach.

“Now, now,” he chuckles.

“That’s right!” Chaelin answers Hyuna’s question in a loud voice, “And we’ll send that picture of you straight to the cops!”
Hyuna’s heart feels as if it might burst out of her chest. She grabs onto her whistle again as she stumbles backwards a couple of steps.

“Yup!” BiRain smiles at her reaction of terror, “I know a few people and I can pull a few strings. In fact, I could get this here picture of you posted all over Korea! There wouldn’t be a single town that wouldn’t recognize you. Hell, I bet I could get it to a couple other countries as well!” he laughs.

Hyuna’s eyes pool with tears as she takes another step back, feeling as if she has been punched in the gut. This man has just mentioned each of her fears. Everyone would know her. She would be wanted. People would search for her. No place would be safe.

“But here’s the thing,” Rain speaks up again, “I have a proposition for you.” Now, both Hyuna and Chaelin look to BiRain. Hyuna looks at him with fear, and Chaelin looks to him with doubt. “I have talked dear CL here into offering you a job. You see, she’s been managing this place almost by herself for the last year! In fact, her last worker just quit a month ago! So, I’ve suggested that you stay on board here and pay back for the dishes and damage by doing a little labor. Seem fair enough?”

The atmosphere becomes quiet as everyone thinks over BiRain’s words. Work?! Hyuna’s mind screams at her. Stay here?! She squeezes her eyebrows together and looks down at the dishes, feeling utterly helpless. Can he really send that picture? Will I really have no place to be safe? I could live in the forests...but forever?

“Either stay here for say…a week or so and work off the damage you’ve done,” Hyuna looks up to him as he wags the cell phone back and forth, “Or make a run for it now and we won’t chase you until tomorrow morning…with the rest of the police force.” He smirks in victory.

Hyuna’s mouth opens but no words come out. Instead, it’s Chaelin that speaks up.
“BiRain, I’m not too sure about this.” She looks Hyuna up and down in speculation.

“I’ve already figured it out, CL,” BiRain explains, “She’ll work a week, or however long until you decide things are fair, and then we will all move on with our lives. I’ll be around to make sure she’s doing her job. She won’t be anymore trouble to you, you’ll see.”

Is he sticking up for me now? Hyuna looks to the man with frustration, but he only smiles at her, almost seeming playful.

“Be here bright and early tomorrow morning, okay?” Rain tells her.

Hyuna looks down and then gives a subtle nod, feeling as if she really has no other choice.

“Great!” Rain claps his hands together, “Then eight-o-clock it is!” he smiles widely.

Chaelin turns on her heels and stomps towards the back of the store. “Make it seven.”

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~LC~

Okay chapter one is up! I'm writing in order to improve my writing skill so HONEST feedback would be greatly apprecieated! Thanks guys!! More updates coming!