Seulgi gapes at the both of them as though they are joking. She laughs, nervously. No, they must be lying. “You guys are lying. Werewolves are supposed to –” “Extinct, so do Healers, Seulgi,” Gwiboon finishes for her. This woman has the tendency to cut people’s words. It’s almost annoying.

Yes, they are – the werewolves and Healers – are supposed to extinct. But Seulgi is – supposedly – the very last Healer to exist, but werewolves…

“They never had gone, werewolves. The rumours about them extinct are made by themselves to avoid the hunters. But hunters aren’t as stupid as the werewolves thinks. And we – mostly Taemin – believes that there might be still some Healers out there.” Minho as though can read her mind, explains to her. He frowns slightly, his fists clench tightly on his laps.

This is a lot for Seulgi to take in. “But Healers…” she lost for words. She eyes them helplessly.

Gwiboon sighs. “Do you ever wonder why was Taemin doing at the back of the place you work at?” Seulgi closes her eyes. She doesn’t give this a thought as she was too shocked last night and she didn’t know he’s a werewolf. But now it makes sense. Werewolves always seek for Healers for their own benefits, her mother once told her when she’s discovered her ability.

Usually the werewolves – especially for the Alpha, they have lots of mess to deal with so they’re most likely to get injured the most than the rest. Although werewolves can heal their own wounds, but when being attacked by the hunters and by werewolves from other pack, the wounds can take years to be healed. So that’s why they need Healers in their packs, for them to get healed instantly.

Coming back to Taemin, he must be there to take her away since he’s found the – what to be believed – the last Healer. But what, who had attacked him? “He’s there to take me away, didn’t he?” Seulgi asks through clenched teeth.

“No, of course not. In fact, he was there all along with you for a very long time,” says Minho.

At this, Seulgi stands up abruptly from her seat that sends the chair to topple backwards, the other two get on their feet as well. “So, he’s been stalking me for a very long time then? To make sure I really am a Healer?!” she shouts. Her shouting causes the unconscious man to stir. Panic, the couple take her out of the room.

“Seulgi, listen. Taemin is not stalking you or anything but he’s protecting you,” says Minho.

She scoffs. “Protecting me? From what? The werewolves’ packs?”

“Apparently yes but you’ll have to wait until he wakes up because it’s his right to explain to you everything,” Gwiboon answers.

Seulgi paces up and down the room with a hand on her forehead. “Why can’t you tell me then? Who knows when he’ll wake up,” she snaps.

“We would like to but we can’t. All we ever being told to do was keeping you here with us. You can’t go anywhere considering that other werewolves have found you now.”

The youngest of the three fight the urge to cry. She doesn’t want to be kept locked up. For how long is she going to wait?

The couple go back upstairs, leaving blank Seulgi alone in the basement. It’s very quiet. The only sound that can be heard is her breathing. She can’t seem to stop shaking the longer she sits there in the very bright white room. As wide as the basement is, she feels suffocates, as though the walls are shrinking closer to her. She puts her trembling hands to her clenched eyes. Calm down, Seulgi. You’re going to be okay. Breathe in and out. Tears and sweats mixed together. She sobs softly. You’re okay, you’re okay, you’re okay.

She takes her hands away from her eyes and search for her phone in her bag. She takes out her earphones as well, she puts the earbuds in her ears and connects the cord on the phone. She then plays her music as loud as she could and soon she drifts off to sleep.

She was playing with her friends in the playground. They went from crossing the monkey bars, to down the wavy slides, to the merry-go-round. They played hide-and-seek, chase-and-tag game and plays in the sandy box. They were having the happiest time of their lives as the summer holidays just started. They didn’t have school and homework to care about. They’re the rule of their own world now. No one was there to tell them what they should and should not be doing.

Seulgi was chasing her friends for their third round to chase-and-tag game. It’s her turn now. She’s very much close to her friend, if she had a longer hand, she’ll be able to tag her friend and she’ll be the one to chase. Until for whatever reason, she jumped and fell on her friend’s body that sent both of them to the ground. Lucky for Seulgi to fall on her friend but unlucky for her friend to fall face first on the dirt.

“I’m sorry!” she gasped upon her friend who was crying like mad. She got off her friend’s and helped her to sit. Their other friends had crowded them then. “I’m sorry, Hae Mi! I didn’t mean to hurt you. Come let me check for injuries,” she checked her friend’s body for any signs of injuries. There were a few scratches on her legs and hands. But there was blood dripping for her lips. Frightened, she grabbed her friend’s wet with tears face. She closed her eyes shut and focused.

Five minutes later, she opened her eyes in hope to find her friend smiling at her as she had stopped crying but only to have the girl looking at her with such horror as though she’s seeing a ghost. The kids that’s been crowding the two of them seemed to have stepped away. “W- what? What’s wrong?” she asked innocently.

Her friend however, pushed Seulgi’s hands away from her and got on her feet. “You’re a freak! What did you just do to me! Don’t come near me anymore!”

Horror-struck, the next thing she knew her parents came to her and dragged her away from the playground. And someone she didn’t know had taken her away from her parents not too long after they got home. The man beaten her up and pushed her down to the basement, a very dark and damp basement. She pounded on the door asking to be freed from the darkness. She cried out for help. She didn’t want to sit in the dark, she didn’t want to sit in the very suffocating room. She wanted to go home. She wanted her parents.

“No, please no! Please let me out! I’m sorry!”

“Wake up. Seulgi! Wake up!”

A hand shakes her awake from sleep. She opens her eyes at once and meets with a face of a man. A man once she sees is very weak and sick. She then looks around and realizes she’s fall from the couch and is on the floor. The man helps her up back to the couch. She’s breathing rather rapidly from her nose and mouth as if there will be no oxygen left for her. She can hear her heart hammering in her ears and she kind of feel dizzy because of it. She wipes her sweats from her head with the sleeves of her shirt.

“You’re okay?” Taemin asks. Seulgi glances at him fleetingly before turning back to stare at the space in front of her. She nods her head curtly. “I’m… fine…”

He stands up and goes to the table in the middle of the room. He pours some water in a glass and hands it to her. She takes it and gulps down the water at once. She tries her best to avoid his gaze, who eyes peer on her very intensely. She glares at the door on her opposite. If she set off right now, she’ll be able to run. Surely they don’t lock the door?

“I know you want to leave but my better advice is that you stay here for the time being,” as if he reads her mind, he says. He turns and leans back against the backrest, his head rests on top of it, and he stares on the white ceiling.

“Why, why can’t I leave?” she snaps, and gets on her feet, glaring at him. “Why must I stuck in here with a werewolf who most likely going to take me away!”

Taemin, however, chuckles. “Calm down, girl. Sit down and let me explain to you.”

Reluctantly, she chooses to sit on the floor, away from him. He grins at her, “Okay, then. If that what makes you comfortable.” He straightens up and starts, “I’m a cast away werewolf. They kicked me out from the pack –”

“Why?” Seulgi cuts.

“Because I don’t agree with them kidnapping the Healers for their own goods,” – Seulgi rolls her eyes. “Yeah, right,” she mutters – “Yes, it’s true. If I did, you wouldn’t be here now… or ever. I’ve been following you for years now.”

“So, you admit that you’re a stalker?”

Taemin guffaws, “No! I’m not stalking you. I’m merely protecting you from the other werewolves.”

Seulgi looks at him, she doesn’t believe him. She’s not going to. He’s the kind that you can’t trust.

“Look, I know you don’t trust me but I’m not lying. Last night was the proof of it.” He pointed out his bandaged shoulder. “A werewolf found you, he was trying to get into the restaurant. But if it wasn’t me, you’d be taken away from here now. Who knows what pack you have to deal with.”

“So, you’re telling me you’re attacked by that werewolf, because of me?” asks Seulgi.

“Uh, yes?” he answers as though saying one plus one equals to two.

Seulgi stands up and starts to pace around the basement. Hands on her hips. This could be a lie. He could be lying. There’s no way… Then she faces him. She tries to master the nastiest glare she could to him. Meanwhile, Taemin looks at him with no interest. Why would he come to her aid, protecting her? Just because he doesn’t like his kind’s tradition? That’s very ridiculous. Shaking her head, she paces up and down again. This is so absurd, outrageous. Turning, she has her back to him. “How did you find me, anyway?” she asks.

“Easy, isn’t it? Healers have their own certain of scent. Even if you tried to cover it with very expensive perfume.” Seulgi could hear the amusement in his tone. She fight the urge to turn and straggle him.

True, half of the money she has, she spends it on perfumes. She thinks it could cover her scent. I guess, our scent is very natural and can’t be hid, then. She sits back on the floor, back is still to the man. “Why do you guys want to keep me in here then?”

“We hope they can’t smell you when you’re deep in the ground,” he says. Seulgi scoffs. Right… very smart.

“Fine, whatever,” Seulgi says finally after a long silence. “But, just for your information, I might go insane if you keep me too long in here. I assumed you’ve seen how I was trashing, just now?”

“Don’t worry, we’re not going to keep you here for too long. You’ll see the sunlight very soon.”