IV

                Taemin has successfully ignored Jonghyun.

                The number sending the deluge of text messages to his phone has been blocked. The e-mails have been marked as spam. The letters – well, Taemin hasn’t come up with a way to stop the letters from coming, but he has taken great pleasure in burning them with the stovetop, and he considers that to be close enough. Jonghyun will not, under any circumstances, get Taemin to join his band of supernatural delinquents or what have you. No. It will not happen.

                Taemin only goes out during the middle of the day. Jonghyun dresses much too well to be an unemployed vagabond, so Taemin assumes that he has some sort of job. It’s probably an unacceptable, unethical job, but a job nonetheless. Jobs tend to happen in the middle of the day, and seeing how many times Taemin has run into Jonghyun during the nighttime, he only goes out when he thinks Jonghyun is in some sort of office doing... something.

                Taemin waits until two in the afternoon to step out of his apartment, and when he does, there are papers scattered all over the hall, all of them prints of the same pictures he has been trying so desperately to avoid. He runs back into his home and presses his back against the door, breathing heavily.

                He can’t do this.

                -

                Kai opens the door, and he is shirtless. “What the heck are you doing? It’s like, five in the morning. Who’s awake at five in the morning?”

                “I just wanted you to know that I changed my number.”

                Kai looks incredulous, and pasues in pulling his t-shirt over his head. “What?”

                “Jonghyun won’t leave me alone. I’ve been trying, but…” Taemin trails off, this hopeless look in his eyes.

                “We should report him to the police. We can get him on a cyberstalking charge or something like that. Go to bed. No, let me go to bed. I’m tired.” Kai turns to leave, but Taemin sticks his foot in the door.

              “You know that won’t work. They won’t be able to catch him.”

              “Taemin, I’m only half-awake right now,” Kai says, as if that explains everything. Taemin gives him an exasperated look before inviting himself into Kai’s apartment. He plops down on the couch, and Kai walks in the direction of the bedroom. “Goodnight.” 

              “Get back here!” Taemin yells, grabbing onto Kai’s shirt as the latter walks in place, feebly trying to escape. Kai eventually gives up and curls up on the floor.

                “It’ll be okay,” Kai mumbles into the carpet. Taemin stands up and begins to nudge him with his foot.

                “Kai,” he whines. “I need you to help me. I’m losing my mind, for real this time.”

                “It wasn’t real all the other times?”

                Taemin snorts. “You know what? I’ll show you. Where’s your laptop?”

                “In the bedroom, where I should be.” Taemin steps over Kai and walks off to get the laptop. When he returns, he plops down on the couch, opens up the computer, and is met by the login screen.

                “What’s your password?”

                “Kimkaaaaaa,” Kai says.

                “You’re so weird.”

                “Shut up. You’re the one invading my home.” Kai curls up into a smaller ball. Taemin doesn’t respond, choosing to go to his e-mail instead. Once it is opened, he places the laptop on the floor by Kai’s face, and the hunter reluctantly looks at the screen.

                There are at least a hundred spam e-mails from Kim Jonghyun from the past three hours. Kai scrolls down the page to see an endless stream of them, all with the same subject. Slowly, he opens one, and a rather gruesome image of Taemin’s first transformation appears on the screen. There are about fifteen more pictures, all from that night, before a single line of text appears:

                Look at what you really are.

                “This is worth a lot more than a cyberstalking charge,” Kai says gravely, now fully awake. He examines the address. It looks like someone pounded the keyboard to come up with it. It won’t be easy to track. It’s not like Jonghyun to overlook that. He wouldn’t put on a show haphazardly.

                “Who is this guy, anyway?” Taemin asks, looking away. He doesn’t have the heart to face the images again. Not yet.

                “Recruiter for the second largest underground monster gang in Seoul.”

                Kai says it so flippantly that Taemin can’t help but give him an incredulous look. “And you never thought to tell me that?”

                “Didn’t want to freak you out.”

                “This is freaking me out more, now!” Taemin practically squeaks. “I thought he just went on joyrides or something on full moon nights, but he’s in an actual criminal organization? Why were you letting me talk to him?”

                 “There was nothing I could do about it!” Kai argues. “He never talked to you when I was around, and I wasn’t about to stalk you to find him. Plus, I can’t shoot him if he’s not in monster mode.”

                 “Yes, you can!”

                 “No, I can’t.” Kai takes a deep breath before saying, “Okay, I shoot monsters all the time, but only when they’re in monster mode because that’s the only time it’s legal. I can know Kim Jonghyun is a monster all day. I can know that he’s part of a huge criminal network. I can’t do anything about it unless I catch him in the act, and I haven’t gotten to yet. But now that I know he’s doing this to you, we can catch him. The next full moon’s only in a week, right?” Kai looks over to find Taemin’s eyes glossed over.

                Taemin dreads the full moon with every fiber of his being. He’s only so scared of what he will do, because he knows that Kai will not let him hurt anyone and D.O will probably end up tranquilizing him again. What he is scared of is changing itself. He’s scared of the thought of looking anything like the thing that nearly killed his best friend. Taemin can still feel the car being lifted up. He can still see Jinki’s crushed form and the blood, oh, so much blood–

                He begins to whimper, but he doesn’t hear it. All he hears is his own screaming as the ambulances arrive, and he’s living the scene all over again.

                Suddenly, in the midst of his screaming, he hears another scream, and then his body is shaking. He wrenches his eyes open to find that Kai has been shaking him, and Taemin blinks. He had forgotten where he is.

                “You weren’t kidding,” Kai whispers, his eyes roaming over Taemin’s face. “This is really bad.”

                Taemin looks away, ashamed to have had Kai see him break down like that. It’s not the first time something like this has happened. Taemin doubts it will be the last, either. “I don’t think I ever told you why I started hunting.”

                “No, you never did.”

                Taemin swallows the lump in his throat and sighs. “I think it’s time for you to know.”

                -

                A week later, Taemin is sitting on the floor of the hunter’s storage garage, picking at a white bandage he had placed on his arm to keep himself from picking at his scabs. His monster makes him itch so uncontrollably that he scratched his arms until streaks of red ran down them and Kai had to force him to wear the bandages.

                In the morning, he had eaten, and immediately after that, he had thrown up. His dread kept him from trying to eat anything else, and he has been hungry all day. At this point, as Taemin looks outside and sees the sunset grow darker and darker, he has grown quiet, trying to reconcile himself to his fate.

                It’s not working.

                “Do you really think I can’t do anything about it?”

                Kai looks up from the crate of supplies he is counting. He notices the sunset, too, and makes a mental note to get Taemin out very soon. For the first time in years, Kai will not be hunting this full moon. He will be watching Taemin. “Don’t worry. I’ll be with you the whole night. And Tao will be around if things get out hand.”

                “I don’t want to change,” Taemin mumbles, unwrapping one of the bandages and examining his scabs. His body wants to pick at them. His mind must refuse. “I saw the pictures. And you’ve seen it. You know what I turn in to.”

                Kai clenches his jaw. “I know.”

                “Moonrise is soon.”

                “I know.” Kai walks over to Taemin and carefully rewraps the bandage. “Come on, let’s get you out of here,” Kai mumbles, trying to figure where exactly he can contain a monster for the night. He’s never had to think about this before.

                “Anybody home?” someone asks, knocking on the garage door. The door is thrown open, and Taemin begins to shake furiously in Kai’s arms.

                “That voice,” Taemin whispers, grabbing onto Kai’s shirt. He slowly crumples to the floor, clamping his hands over his ears. Kai sighs and turns around slowly.

                “You’ve really messed him up, you know,” he says, giving Taemin a regretful look.

                Jonghyun shrugs. “It’s his fault. He should have come to terms with what he is a long time ago. I was just trying to help him.”

                “Just because he’s transforming, it doesn’t mean he has to–”

                “He’s a monster, Kai. You need to come to terms with that, too,” Jonghyun says coolly. The usual mirth that dances in his eyes has disappeared entirely. “The sooner we all face the facts, the sooner we’ll be able to move on.”

                “Like I said,” Kai grunts out, quickly losing his patience. “That doesn’t mean anything. I’m half-wolf–”

                “I know. I can smell it.”

                “Don’t interrupt me.” Jonghyun smirks as he watches Kai clench his fists.

                “I’ve finally gotten a rise out of the world’s calmest hunter,” Jonghyun muses. “Funny. From what I heard about you from my colleagues, I was really beginning to think that nothing could get to you.”

                “I will not hesitate to kill you.”

                “I won’t either. You’re unarmed. Who do you think would win in a fight right now, mutt?” Jonghyun shoves his hands in his pockets. “I thought you were just unnaturally strong, but if your powers are like mine, they won’t work on just any day. They only work during the full moon, which won’t rise for half an hour. I can beat you before then.”

                Kai slowly looks down at Taemin before angrily running a hand through his hair and pulling Jonghyun away by the collar. “Look,” Kai says, shoving Jonghyun up against the wall once they are outside the garage. “I know who you are. I know what you do. I can tell you, monster or not, Taemin is nothing like you.” When Jonghyun looks unconvinced, Kai sighs and continues, “About a year ago, he got into a really bad accident on a full moon night. His best friend nearly died and is hospitalized for it still. Now, Taemin turns into a leopard, the same sort of monster that caused the accident.” Jonghyun’s eyes, for the first time, grow wide with realization. “Can you imagine how much it’s hurting him to look like the thing that almost killed his best friend?” Kai hisses. “With you sending him pictures and reminding him every day, it’s no wonder he’d fall apart at the sight of you.”

                “I didn’t know,” Jonghyun mumbles, turning away.

                “Of course, you didn’t.”

                “Look,” Jonghyun says. “I wasn’t trying to make him like… that. Okay? Whatever I did wasn’t intentional. I didn’t know anything about his little friend, and I didn’t know he had problems like that.”

                “You say that like it justifies things,” Kai says with a groan. “Pick on someone else, okay? Why are you even interested in him?”

                “I know talent when I see it.” Jonghyun smiles – an actual smile, not one of his smirks – and Kai is a bit alarmed. “Have you seen him? His beast is amazing. You’ve seen it; I know you must have. Most people turn into something between animal and human, but he turns completely, like me. Do you know how rare we are?” Kai clenches his jaw. He knows. “Lee Taemin is amazing, and he’s trying to run from the thing that makes him so great.” Jonghyun shakes his head. “It’s insane.”

                “There’s a lot about Taemin that makes him great. More than just his beast form,” Kai says gravely. “You never saw that.”

                “I saw it,” Jonghyun says quietly. He pauses for a moment, tense silence lingering in the air. “I’ll back off, but I want you to leave my people alone for a while,” Jonghyun says, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

                Kai frowns. “How is that fair?”

                “I’m leaving your friend alone. You need to leave me alone.”

                Kai knows it isn’t an even deal, and the idea of ignoring an entire criminal organization makes his skin crawl. He still agrees.

                “Look at you!” Jonghyun says cheekily. “I never thought that you of all hunters would be willing to side with the enemy.”

                “I’m willing to side with the enemy for a bit if it gets you to stop.” Jonghyun smirks. “Now, get out of here,” Kai says, walking into the garage. His mind is all over the place – how on earth is he supposed to calm Taemin down now? He sighs as he looks for Taemin, who is now nowhere to be seen. His footsteps are the only sound he hears for several seconds, until the noise of panting reaches his ears. Kai ducks behind one of the trucks to find Taemin looking at a gun with the most thoughtful of gazes. One of the storage crates has been wrenched open, and Kai wonders how he didn’t hear this happening from outside.

“He’s going to be the death of me,” Kai groans before running towards his friend. “Put the gun down, Taemin,” Kai says in the calmest voice he can muster. “Everything is going to be alright. Put the gun down, now.”

                “That’s right.” Kai snaps his head up only to watch Jonghyun saunter into the garage. What on earth is he doing back here? He should have left after finding out what he did. “Put it down,” Jonghyun orders more forcefully. “Don’t do anything stupid.” Kai glares at Jonghyun, who wordlessly stares back.

                Kai bites back a growl. He has no time to get rid of Jonghyun. “Taemin,” he says, stepping closer until he realizes, with a start, that Taemin is crying.

                “I don’t want to do this anymore,” he sobs, lowering the gun from his head. “I don’t want to hurt anybody. I don’t want to become like him!” Taemin’s sobs have turned to screams, as he points the gun at Jonghyun. “You,” he hisses. “It all started with you.”

                As much as Kai wouldn’t mind seeing Jonghyun dead, especially after making that deal, he knows he shouldn’t let Taemin shoot him. He makes a move to stop Taemin, but is halted by Jonghyun’s voice. “What are you talking about?” Jonghyun says, as if he is speaking to a child.

                “If it weren’t for you, I never would’ve changed. I could’ve controlled it and I–”

                “You what?”

                “I wouldn’t be this monster! I hate you. I hate you and I hate me and I hate this I–” Taemin lets out a strange, broken-sounding scream, throws the gun to the floor, and starts frantically pulling at his skin. He pulls up his sleeves, rips off his bandages, and scratches hysterically. It isn’t much of a problem until the familiar cracking sound begins, and claws are pulling instead of fingers. Kai’s eyes widen and he rushes to Taemin, trying to pull his arm away from himself.

                “Taemin, stop!” The beast is literally ripping itself apart. Blood runs down its arms as the transformation grows faster and faster.

                In a flash, Jonghyun transforms and leaps onto Taemin, trying to stop him from hurting himself. But Taemin’s rage is uncontrollable, and soon he’s lashing out at Jonghyun as well. Kai watches as they lunge at each other, crashing into and destroying millions of won’s worth of equipment, as he waits patiently for his strength to come. Once it does, he runs into the fray, throwing Jonghyun back several feet, only to have to immediately dodge a blow from Taemin. Kai practically dances on the battlefield, evading Taemin’s monster’s frantic attacks. This keeps him from noticing Jonghyun until the beast shoves him out of the way, and he can only watch helplessly as Jonghyun sends Taemin flying into a wall. Taemin hits the ground, bleeding from his head.

                Kai races over to where Taemin lies as Jonghyun watches from afar. Kai surveys the wounds, finds them to be rather severe, and runs toward where he’s stashed first aid supplies. He has almost reached the correct crate when Jonghyun roars, causing Kai to whip around just in time to see Taemin’s beast lunging at him.

                Kai falls to the ground and raises his arms up in order to try and protect himself from the blow he assumes is coming; but just as the monster raises its claws in the air, something pricks it in the side, and both Kai and Jonghyun let out breaths they hadn’t realized they were holding.

                -

                Suho’s team are doing their very best, and their best is pretty good. They arrived at the scene quickly and got the unconscious Taemin in a specialized ambulance after strapping him down to a gurney. Now, they are trying to get to the clinic as quickly as possible, preferably before Taemin wakes up and tries to harm himself – or anyone else, for that matter – again.

                Kai has been anxiously standing over the gurney since the first aid was completed. He’s been asked to step away six times, but the people at Suho’s clinic know Kai well enough to know that if he hasn’t listened yet, he won’t listen if they say it a seventh time, and Kai gets to stay where he is.

“You’re going to be alright,” Kai says. He’s never held the hand – or paw, maybe – of a beast. He’s never seen his mother change, and he’s never touched Tao in his beast form. Kai doesn’t really know how to comfort people, either, but he the battered and bloody paw again and again with the hope of providing some sort of solace to his sleeping friend.