2035

Huff, Huff, Huff...

"CATCH HIM!!"

I ran and ran while swiftly taking a quick peek behind me and found a horde of black suited men chasing me.

I turned to a narrow alleyway and ran more, hoping that they'd lose me.

"Don’t lose him!"

I am losing several men, but some were still chasing me.

I tried to fool them by turning right and left at every corner until I'm left with two men.

I am faced with two alleyway turns and I turned right swiftly.

Unfortunately I turned to a dead end, I crouched down and hid in the corner, between a stack of boxes.

I prayed, hoping they weren’t going to find me.

"Kim, You take the right side! I’ll take the other! We must find him!” I heard one of the guys says.

I hear footsteps approaching and they stop right at my hiding spot.

My heart started beating erratically and I shut my eyes, hopefully he won’t check between the boxes.

"Ha! Found you!"

But luck was not on my side and he found me.

He then grabbed my wrist and handcuffed me, he proceeded to drag me to his associates.

No! No! No! I can't go back there! I try to struggle from his grip and cause the handcuffs to rattle.

"Little Pest! Don’t you struggle or I'll stun you!"

I didn't heed his words and struggled more.

"It’s your mistake!"

He takes out his stun gun and stuns me.

Pain is all I feel.

"Try struggling now! You filthy thing."

There's no strength left in me as I let him drag me forcefully.

His grip tightened on my wrists and...

Suddenly, out of something within me snaps.

Junhyung's POV

I closed my laptop and grab my workbag.

'Finally! I've finished my workload ' I thought as I lock my office.

Most of the employees have already gone home by now, I meet a few of the late night workers and say farewell to them.

I enter the elevator and press the button, I practically run to my car and swiftly drive home.

As soon as I'm at my apartment I drop my bag on the couch and check on Hyungnim’s condition, phew~ he's asleep.

Then I walk into the bedroom and drop myself on the bed.

I glance at my digital clock on the nightstand, checking the time.

12 : 30, I groaned.

I place my phone on the nightstand and set an alarm for 5 am.

'Great, just great. I don't even have 5 hours of sleep. Better start now then.'

I close my eyes and just when I'm about to enter dreamland...

"Naega aniya~ Jeongmal aniya geu aen naega aniya~"

My phone rings loudly and I don't need to see the caller ID anymore as that ringtone already tells me who is calling.

"Yah! Yoon Dujun! I'm extremely tired, sleep deprived and annoyed beyond your imagination! Somebody better be dead or I'll kill you!"

"Hahaha, nobody died. But Junhyung, I need you to come here right now. Hurry."

I heard him say the last sentence in a serious tone and I know it's something extremely important if Dujun says it like that.

"Damn it! Give me 5 minutes."

I arrived at Dujun's house/clinic as promised.

"Jun! Hurry up!"

Yoseob, Dujun's lover and also a Hybrid said as he dragged me in.

We enter the emergency room and I see Dujun standing over a Hybrid with an oxygen mask who’s lying on the hospital bed with an IV connected to him.

"Dujun, who is that? What kind of Hybrid is that? Could it be?!"

"Yes, a Rabbit Hybrid and that's why I asked for your help. You can examine him, he's fast asleep."

I stepped closer to the bed to see more clearly.

He was wearing one of the clinic’s hospital gowns, Yoseob must have helped him in them.

And without a doubt he is indeed a rabbit hybrid, he has short dark greyish black coloured hair, tail and ears.

Besides the striking colouring, he has a quite slender body and I think he's the same age and height as Seobie.

But what really captured my attention was his beauty, which was more remarkable up close, even when he's asleep and with the poor lightning.

'Yah! What am I thinking!! Focus Junhyung! It's not the time to be fawning over a sleeping person!!'

Ok. So back to reality, the main question is how? The only hybrids that are known to live are the domestic cat, dog and mouse kind.

'I wonder...'

"So Junhyung?"

"He's stable, you did the right treatment and he'll be fine in the morning."

"Glad to know. By the way do you have any information about this guy?"

"Well, as you know in the past the scientists, including me, tried to create as many varieties of Hybrids as possible. Including the Rabbit, but unfortunately only the 3 known kinds have survived. The rest couldn't and some became half monster-like. Jintaek-hyung, the head scientist, did succeed in creating the first perfect rabbit hybrid, but he died because like the rabbits he needed a partner and the other died or wasn't perfect. And he was also very sensitive to his surroundings and he died of depression. Therefore there haven’t been any since then. Anyway, where did you find this one?"

"Actually Yoseobie found him in an alleyway near the clinic and he dragged him here. I was extremely shocked and thought that he was dead. But thank god I was wrong and he’s still alive."

"Look at baby Seobie, he’s a hero now!"

I cooed in his direction, wanting to compliment him but I don’t want to boost his already sky-high ego.

“Hey! Is that a compliment or an insult?!”

I smirked and although it seems that he’s a little bit mad, but he still gives me his cute signature smile.

"Seobie, It's pretty late. It's past your bedtime already, don't worry we'll guard your friend, okay?"

Dujun told him and although he looked unsure to leave, he trusted Dujun and myself so he headed towards the door.

"Be sure to protect him Junnies! He is pretty weak and I’m worried about him..."

"Sure, sure now go to bed! Thank heaven you have the chance to rest!"

I said playfully and he stuck his tongue out at me before blowing kisses to Dujun and running outside..

"You little-"

"Yah! Don't curse at my Seobie, he didn't mean it. And lower your voice, we have someone else here you know."

"Hmph, speak for yourself. Anyway what's with ' we ', as much as I want to stay I still have my own damn work you know!"

"Just call Hyunseung to bring Woonie to replace you at work  tomorrow, I really need you on this Jun."

"...Okay, I know it's really important. I'll call him but I'm sure that he'll give me hell and you owe me!"

"Thank you! Now go call him outside, he'll definitely yell at you."

I glared at him and he just gives me a thumbs up while pushing me outside.

I took my phone from my pocket and called Hyunseung, my boss and close friend.

"Ya!! Yong Junhyung! Who calls at this ungodly hour?! Somebody better be dead!"

Yup I already expected loud yelling to come my way and not surprisingly it’s like a déjà vu.

"No one’s dead Hyunseung, I'm calling to tell you that I can't come to work tomorrow because Dujun and Yoseob found a rare Hybrid and want me to help them take care of him."

"What?!"

"Stop yelling please, I don't want to go deaf!"

"Haha, my bad. Sure I'll ask him to take care of it, I'm sure he won't mind and we'll stop by tomorrow to check on you guys."

"Thanks a lot Hyunseung-ah, and give Dongwoon my gratitude, okay?"

"Sure, tell Dujun and Seobie I said hi. And most importantly, don't disturb my beauty sleep again!"

He yelled at the phone before ending it.

I chuckled to myself as I went inside and Dujun give me a quiet hi.

"So what did he say?"

"He gave an ok, though you owe me an a favour and definitely an ear examination! God, that guy sure can yell. Also they'll visit us tomorrow. Oh, and he said hi to you and Seobie."

"Ahahaha, that's Jang Hyunseung for you. Anyhow, I'm glad that everything worked out well."

"Yeah, so anyway...who'll takes the first watch?"

"I will, you can sleep on that couch."

"Why can't I sleep in one of your guestrooms?"

"You see... Seobie said that he was being chased."

Dujun said as he pointed to the hybrid patient.

"And for that we need to be extra cautious. If you sleep on the couch, it’ll be safer and easier to wake you up if anything happens."

"...Well, can't argue with that then."

I literally drag myself to the couch and fall  asleep just as quickly after checking the rabbit hybrid one last time.

"...Jun, Junhyung! Yah! It's your turn to watch!"

Dujun, half-shouted and half-whispered as he slapped my face for a couple of times until I woke up and drowsily threatened to punch him .

"Move your lazy , I need my rest, watch him now 'kay? I'm sleepy."

He pushed me off the couch before climbing onto it, falling fast asleep.

I checked the wall clock and it showed 4am as I walked sleepily to the chair beside the hybrid and looked at him closely.

Curiously I touched his ears and them gently, feeling the soft and warm fur against my hand.

'He looks so innocent and vulnearable, somehow he reminds me of a baby. And clearly he's far from being a bad person.'

I reach for one of his hands and hold it.

"You have pretty soft skin for a boy."

I was brought back to reality by a sudden but hard squeeze and I realize that this sleeping friend here seems to be having a nightmare as he struggles in his sleep while mouthing 'help' and ‘no, no don’t hurt me, please’.

Without thinking ahead, I immediately his hair and back gently while whispering,

"It’s okay, It's okay. It's safe here, no one will hurt you. Everything's okay..."

I repeat it several times and I can feel him stop struggling and calmly going to sleep again, but he doesn't release my hands so I let him hold it.

'Strange... Why did I act like this? Somehow this feels a bit nostalgic...'

'Aish... What am I saying! It must be my sleep deprived brain imagining things again!!'

'Anyway... It's nice... to see that peaceful face again.'

I smile at him, wondering more what his eyes look like when they're open, they must be pretty as the person himself.

I cannot withstand the sleep lullaby that keeps on calling out to me, I lay my head on the empty side of the bed and without further thought I fall into a deep slumber.