A/N: Hiya~ Forgot to wish you guys a happy new year earlier, so... Happy New Year! :)

Korean, Cantonese

Suddenly, the doorbell rings.

I fiddle with my phone, bringing up the feed from the camera above our front door. "It's the kids from before and what looks like the rest of iKON." Pressing the button on my ribcage, I wince and exhale as I feel the familiar constricting band around my chest.

In the few strides to the door, I configure my face and become Shin Minho again. Rabbit hastily shuts the boxes he was unpacking.

"Annyeonghaseyo, hyung," Bobby greets as you open the door. "This fingerprint scanner is really cool. Was it already here earlier? I didn't notice it."

"Nope, I just installed it," I answer. "Come on in. Hyuk, iKON's here," I call.

"Just installed it? But it's only been a few minutes…" Chanwoo trails off.

"Annyeonghaseyo," Rabbit-Hyuk greets.

"Nice to meet you all. I'm Shin Minho. This is Minhyuk, my twin. We're 22." I usher them in to sit on the couch.

"Annyeonghaseyo," iKon choruses, then goes around introducing themselves. I memorize their names and faces.

"I'm really glad to meet you all. I'm not too familiar with the music scene here, but I've watched some of your survival shows on Youtube and you guys are really talented," I tell them, leaving out the fact that I've only just spent a few minutes looking up the group. The only show I've watched is SMTM3. "Sorry that we don't really have anything for housewarming. We only just moved here from the US this morning."

"That's fine," B.I. reassures me. "We're just dropping by, anyway. We got back from the practice room about an hour ago."

Rabbit-Hyuk hovers awkwardly. He's always been the shy one in Zodiac, although I'm the real maknae.

"Yah, Hyuk, come here," I order, fed up with his hovering. "You're making us all uncomfortable."

"I need to unpack," he says feebly, trying to slink away.

iKON members stare as I stand up on the couch and jump lightly off onto Rabbit-Hyuk's back, holding on just with my legs.

He just grunts. "Yah, get off," he complains, hitting my legs.

I pinch the back of his neck. "Not until you sit down and have a proper conversation with these nice neighbors of ours, Hyukie."

"Araso," he yelps painfully. Victorious, I point at the couch.

Due to my sociable persona, the iKON boys and I bond very well. They give us their phone numbers and promise to come find us at some later time or date to show us around. They even offer to ask around about job opportunities for us.

"Araso," I agree. "When we get our SIM cards we'll text you our numbers. Annyeong~"

Groaning, I release the contraption around my chest and in an enormous breath. "I hate this thing," I complain. "And oppa, you really need to learn how to socialize."

"Well, if you insist on going out in public, you have to deal with the precautions." Rabbit has started unpacking again. "As for socializing, I've never understood how you're so good at it, even though you never had a chance to make friends."

I flinch internally and smile innocently. "I'm just a great actress."

"Are you going to sleep for a bit?"

"I don't think so. The sooner we get this place set up, the safer I'll feel." I grab a pane of glass and carry it over to the window. "Should I take out this window?"

Rabbit shakes his head. "It'll draw too much attention. Just install it over the top." He grabs a bunch of wires and heads deeper into the flat. "I'll be inside if you need me."

"Araso."

***

Four hours later, as morning dawns, the place is a fortress. I've added more safety mechanisms to the front door, including facial recognition and optical scanners. The windows are double-layered, with military-issue bulletproof one-way glass backing up each original pane. Even with state-of-the-art military scopes, snipers wouldn't be able to see inside.

After setting up his room, covering two walls with screens and blinking lights and speakers and dials and dashboards, etc., Rabbit connected to the feeds of all the security cameras in the building, including those in the elevator. He's bugged the phone lines of all the residents in the building, and traced the numbers of all the cellphones in the building. After hacking into the database containing resident files, he reports, "Nothing out of the ordinary. I'm going to sleep."

"Yah! You said we could go shopping!" I pounce on him. "Oppa," I whine, hanging on tightly. "We need to get food, too!"

"No. It's 7 am. Go by yourself," he groans, walking into his bedroom with me on his back. He stares at the unfurnished bed. "Ah, . I forgot to get actual household stuff. I guess we have to go-"

"Yes!" I shout gleefully, jumping off his back and running to my closet. Donning a long black wig, a more form-fitting shirt, and leggings, I take a second to adjust my appearance in the mirror before towing Rabbit-Hyuk out.

***

J-Hope's POV:

I sit down on the park bench, sighing deeply as I take in the sight of the bare trees around me. Russet, golden, and yellow leaves lay scattered on the ground. It's still early. Nobody has come out to pile them up yet.

Autumn is my favorite season. I used to hate it, how the leaves would fall off trees, leaving them bare and stark. That changed 11 years ago, when Jinhee arrived in my life. Those two years I spent with her changed me so much. So much that, even eight years later, I still can't forget her.

Jinhee used to annoy the hell out of me, when I first met her. It pissed me off, the way she seemed to know absolutely everything, the way she was always so composed. After a while, though, and after my father's talk, I realized that she had no childhood. She never knew when her mother would have one of her lapses in sanity, so she always had to be mature. She spent more time at my house, I think, than she ever did at her own. Only at my house did she seem to let go a little, with the encouragement of my parents and me.

We were learning about seasons in school.

Per usual, I was working on my homework as Jinhee did hers, which she always finished in minutes anyway.

"What's your favorite season, oppa?" she asked me, reading my worksheet upside-down.

"Summer, because there's no school," I remember answering immediately. "I hate school. What about you, Genie-yah?"

"I like autumn," she told me solemnly. "And I like school."

"But why? When autumn comes, all the trees and plants start losing their leaves. It's ugly."

"I like autumn because of just that reason. Don't you think, when the leaves fall, it's like the trees are unmasked? You can see every scar, every wound," she explained seriously.

I remember being quite dubious. "Why do you like school, then?"

"I like school because it's not home," she'd answered quietly. "And because I get to learn, and see you."

My phone rings and I'm jerked out of my memory.

"Yeobosayo? Eo, Jimin-ah."

"Hyung, where are you? Namjoon hyung just went out to see Jackson, but we're all awake now so we're going to go find them. You want to come?"

"Sure. I'll meet you there."

Hanging up, I sit back and watch the falling leaves for just a moment more. Genie-yah, how are you? Will I ever see you again?

***

Qilin's POV:

I end up delaying us, gushing over my revamped Mercedes. It looks like a slightly older model. However, inside, it's all but average. Its engine is in fact that of a Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, and the body is made of disguised military-grade steel. Best of all, Rabbit has stripped down the interior and built in a bunch of toys for me, including my personal favorite, a gadget that interferes with radio waves. A blaring radio is great for distracting cops from speeding cars. Finally, the seat covers are made of stain-resistant material, so I don't have to worry about getting unsightly bloodstains in my beautiful new car.

About half an hour later, Rabbit-Hyuk gets sick of waiting and calls out nonchalantly, "Did I mention that I have a bike for you that you only get if you behave?"

A moment later, I'm driving, despite Rabbit-Hyuk's protests that the car is Minho's, not mine. I'm Minho, I tell him, and I give permission for my darling dongseng, Minhee, to drive my car. He shuts up, then.

In Cheongdam-dong, we split up. He heads off to find food, bed sheets, and other necessities, while I pilfer a couple of credit cards from him and dash off to the clothing stores.

It's been years since I've been allowed to wear anything remotely feminine. It was all because of one night.

It was a year after I was taken in by Zodiac. I was only twelve, and not so tall for my age. Money was tight back then, so my brothers were perpetually busy. They didn't know how to care for a girl my age, anyway. Thus, I was often alone, left to my own devices. My favorite part of the day was always around 2 am, when everyone came home and had the daily meeting. I would cook for them, satisfied just being able to listen to them talk.

I had spent the afternoon after school at the Central Library, like I usually did. AIS had a uniform policy, so I was wearing a blouse and skirt.

I was on the MTR, the subway, back home, when a man entered and started watching me. When I got off at my station, he followed at a fixed distance behind, continually staring.

I know now that what I felt then was fear, but if I had recognized it, I wouldn't have survived. As it was, I walked casually, pretending not to notice as he gradually closed the distance between us. From time to time, I glanced up, hoping to glimpse Monkey prowling on the rooftops.

When the man got within five meters of me, I surreptitiously turned the volume all the way down on my phone and called Rabbit's number. I then dropped it in my bag and turned around.

"Hello, I was just wondering if you knew where the nearest bus station is," the man asked, eyes darting around as he walked ever closer.

"Is that why you've been following me?" I asked clearly, voice carrying.

Biting off a curse, the man lunged and clapped a hand over my mouth. "Don't struggle. I have a knife."

Rabbit later told me, somberly, how he froze and didn't know what to do for a minute. I can't blame him, even now. Back then, he was only fifteen. True, at fifteen I was already a full-fledged member of the gang, but I've always been an old soul.

He dragged me into a nearby alleyway.

I stayed limp, but I made sure I kept my bag, and the phone inside, with me at all times. It saved my life, and I knew it would save my life, so I hung onto it even as I was dragged into an abandoned building, as I screwed my eyes shut, trying to ignore the rough hands roaming over my body.

It seemed like forever until Tiger came.

That was when I really understood why Tiger was so respected by everyone, though he isn't the oldest, or the best fighter. It's because we know that he will fight with everything he has to protect his people. I saw that side of Tiger in action that day.

The attack was on me, but it triggered a consequence a thousand times worse than it would have if it had been aimed at Tiger himself.

To be honest, the man never stood a chance. I didn't see it, but I heard the impact of Tiger's fist on the side of his head, knocking the man's weight off my body. in a steadying breath and dashing the tears from my eyes, I held my torn school uniform closed and stared long and hard at his mangled form, even as Tiger bundled me up from where I lay, hugging me tightly to his body and telling me not to look.

I don't think my brothers ever forgave themselves for allowing me to roam the city alone, for not making sure I was protected at all times. That night, Rabbit stayed awake and developed the communications system that we still use today. That earpiece produced no end of problems for me, later on, but it kept me out of trouble, too.

For some reason, after that day, rapists started turning themselves into the police station, telling wild stories of masked assailants threatening death if they didn't confess to their crimes. My brothers started taking turns going out at night, making sure to check on me before turning in for bed. I started learning about consequence, retribution, and vengeance. I vowed to become a Zodiac member who could protect her family, instead of only being protected. I guess you could say I lost my innocence.

Because of that incident, Dragon pulled me out of AIS and gave me a new identity as a boy. I named myself Jackson and began to shadow my brothers, a different one every day, learning constantly. Whether they spent time at the martial arts gym or in the hideout, honing their skills, I would watch and follow along. Sometimes, when they had operations to carry out, I was left in the Central Library, where I would study assorted subjects for hours on end until they picked me up.

At fourteen, I was more than decent in every martial arts discipline they practiced, and skilled in every area they were. I had also learned how to control my facial features and disguise myself completely.

At fifteen, I could beat anyone in a fight and could compete with my brothers in any skill they chose, barring contests of strength.

From fifteen onwards, I began to develop my own set of skills, and my identity in the underground, by finding ways to sneak past my brothers every night.

Finally, when a year later, I acted for the first time as the consequence. They named me Qilin, citing the legends about the mythical beast's punishment of evil and protection of good. I was sixteen.

Smiling slightly, I wander through racks and racks of flounces, sequins and lace, feeling out of place in my black, light-swallowing attire. There's no way I would wear anything so feminine, but it's nice knowing that I have the option, now. I giggle as I imagine kicking a knife fighter in the face while trying to keep my underwear from showing. This really won't do.

Walking out of the store, I hesitate upon catching sight of the stunning cocktail dress in the display window. Sleek and sophisticated, it beckons me.

As Shin Minhee, a fragile girl who doesn't fight, you don't have to be practical, I convince myself. Making up my mind, I start buying the costumes for the parts Rabbit and I have to play.

An hour later, loaded with clothes for each member of the Shin family, I find a secluded, empty café. It looks unwelcoming, but that's just how I like it. After getting myself an iced Americano, I find a place to sit. I make myself comfortable in the booth, somewhat glad that I gave into my survival instincts and mainly bought clothes allowing freedom of movement.

"Let's get a drink," someone says, entering.

Heedless, I text Rabbit, telling him I'm done shopping.  

"Jackson-ah," someone else calls.

I freeze.