Another Piece of the Puzzle
HowlA/N: I would like to apologize for the typo at the end of the last chapter. To all of those who saw it before I edited it, there is no character named Kaemi. I made a mistake when writing the Author’s note and got confused with one of my other fics. Now, onto the story ^^
Jinri paced her room, waiting for the moment Taemin would just pop up and take her to lunch. She had been awake since 5AM, unable to sleep knowing that she would be told more about her parents.
She seemed to be I a perpetual state of fear since being brought into the world of the Ulrica, and she couldn’t say that she was entirely unhappy about it. Sure it was frustrating not knowing about pretty much anything, and sure, she had the fate of the Korean Peninsula on her shoulder. But she had also met the Pack of Twelve, Taemin and discovered more about her family. It was a double-edged sword.
“Jinri!”
She spun around just as she heard a little pop, and Taemin appeared in the doorway. She let out a small sigh of relief, and gave him a tired smile.
“Hey Taemin,” she greeted. “Sorry for such a short notice, but thanks for agreeing to meet.” Taemin gave her a big smile and shook his head.
“Not a problem at all,” he reassured. “We should go; don’t want to be late. Ah, but first, let one of your puppies know that your leaving.”
“They aren’t puppies,” Jinri said, but giggled despite her self. “And they certainly aren’t mine.” The image of Luhan’s face flashed before her minds eye, before she shook the thought away. No time for that now. She hurried across the hall to Kris’s room, hoping he or Tao would be there. Just her luck, Tao answered, looking like he’d only just rolled out of bed.
“Oh, hey, Noona,” he croaked, his voice heavy with sleep. “What’s up?”
“I’m going out with Taemin now,” she told him, suppressing the urge to fix his bed hair. “I’ve left a note and texted the others incase, but I wanted to tell at least one person face to face.”
“Ah, okay. Have fun,” he said before turning and shuffling back to his bed, not even bothering to close the door. Shaking her head, she did so for him, and flitted back to her room, where Taemin was fiddling with his phone.
“Ready?” he asked. She nodded and he took her hand. She didn’t think she would even get used to that uncomfortable squeezing sensation as they popped from place to place. It was just unnatural.
They landed once again in a non-descript alley and from there blended seamlessly into the bustling crowd of the streets. Taemin led her to a different restaurant than before, this one looking a little more traditional. She felt underdressed, but he told her not to worry; he came here all the time dressed any which way. She soon found out why.
As soon as they entered, an woman who looked to be in her mid-40’s appeared from the kitchen. She took one look at her new visitors and a big smile broke over her face. She hurried over and pulled Taemin into a big hug.
“Aigoo, our little Taemin has brought home a girl!” The old woman cooed. Taemin blushed, and wiggled himself out of her grip. “And a pretty one, too. Hello dear!”
“Hello, Ahjumma,” Jinri greeted, feeling awkward and amused at the same time.
“Umma, you don’t have to embarrass me like this every single time I bring someone in here,” Taemin sighed, running a hand through his hair. The woman, his mother, frowned and flicked his forehead.
“I’ll be as embarrassing as I want,” she huffed. Then she turned her bright smile on Jinri once more. “He may be a council member and all important, but he was my son before that. Please forgive his foolishness. Please call me Auntie, Jinri. I’m happy to have you here.” At this, Jinri had to laugh. The woman looked so happy and cute, Jinri could tell Taemin took after his mother. She wondered how the woman knew her name, but figured that it wasn’t a secret that in a few days, she would be an official Tamer.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Auntie.” Jinri bowed and then followed the slightly peeved Taemin through a door and to a private dining room.
“Sorry about her, she can be a bit much,” Taemin said, with a roll of his eyes. “Anyway, this is my parents restaurant. It’s closed until 1PM, which is why it’s so empty now.”
“Ah I see,” Jinri nodded. Then something occurred to her. “I know this is probably rude, but I’m really curious. If you’re really in your 90’s, then how old is your mother? I mean, she doesn’t look a day over 45!”
“She’s almost 200,” he told her, grinning at her stunned reaction. “She’s pretty young for a mother; at least, compared to some of the other pure blooded wolves. It’s different for mixed bloods and Tamers.”
“Um, okay, I guess,” she replied. She took a deep breath before looking him dead in the eye. “I want to know what you know about my family.” Taemin gave her a sympathetic smile.
“Ah, I knew this would come up sooner or later,” he sighed. “What would you like to know?”
“How about we start with the fact that Kris Wu – or should I say Li Jiaheng – and I are siblings.”
This seemed to catch Taemin off guard, and his eyes darkened dangerously.
“What do you mean, you and Kris are siblings?” he asked slowly, as if testing her. “The Council was indeed aware that you had a sibling, but for it to be one of your Pack members? How did you come to this conclusion?” Jinri was both confused and angry. Did he really not know or was
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