When she returns to the restaurant the three days later, her boss is extremely furious. He keeps on screaming obscenities and swears words to her that the people in the restaurant are turning their heads to look at the commotion that’s going on. He only stops because Taemin is there with her and he gives her boss a feeling that he’s someone not to be messed with. “What are you doing here anyway?” he yells, though there’s a slight of fear in his voice.

“I’m here to ask whether you’ve fired me or not,” Seulgi says coolly.

Her boss scoffs, “Of course I have! What kind of dumb keeps someone who left the kitchen in such mess and disappears for two weeks?!”

Seulgi opens for a comeback but Taemin is faster. “Well, good. Then, we are done? Let’s go,” he puts his arm around her waist and leads her out of the restaurant. They are walking along the pavement road when they hear the boss is yelling at her back. “What a son of b---. Who does he thinks he is anyway,” Taemin snaps. She giggles quietly. “Fine, laugh. I don’t understand how you can stand him for more than a year. All those times I’ve been watching…” he shakes his head.

She laughs. “Well, he paid me so much I can’t back out.”

Seulgi’s heart lifts a little due to the fact that she and Taemin can joke around together and laugh without her losing her temper at him. She’s not mad at him, she’s just upset that he should’ve introduce himself the moment he found her. The thought of having him following her around from her home to her work and to her college makes her furious. But again, maybe she’ll run away as soon as she learns that he’s a werewolf.

They stop by the park and sit on bench. It’s a very warm and nice day. Taemin has gone to buy ice cream for them, leaving her alone. She watches everyone that’s having good time at the park. There are a group of foreigners taking pictures and selfies, some kids running up and about the road. Everyone is so happy and delighted. They’re having the time of themselves.

“What are you daydreaming about?” says someone to her right, making her jump. It’s Taemin. Upon seeing him laughing in triumph, she hits him as hard as she could, though to no avail. He then hands her an ice cream, still laughing. She chooses to eat in silence, completely ignoring him. She should’ve just keep on hating him.

“I’m sorry, Seulgi,” he says but there’s still tone of amusement in his voice.

“Whatever,” she replies indignantly.

They both have finished their ice creams, still none of them make any move or talk. They sit in silence, the only sound is the chatter of happiness from the park’s visitors.

Seulgi’s almost get on her feet but decline the intention when Taemin suddenly speaks, “When was the last time you healed someone before me?”

She turns her head to him for a while before turning back to the front. She thinks for a moment. She’s expected him or the Choi’s to ask her this. “About… 10 years ago? When I was 12, I think?”

“Who was it?”

She frowns, remembering the person she’s healed makes her regret about it over and over again. “Just… she’s my friend or some sort. I fell on her and she’s bleeding, so I did my best to heal her. But… I regretted it so much for doing so.”

“Why?”

“Because instead of thanks, I got being called a freak and then beaten up by some man I barely know and locked up in the basement.”

Taemin moves closer to her and stares at her, “Why did he do that?” his voice is full of worries.

“Well, I don’t really know. All I know I was being taken away from mum and dad, he beat the hell out of me and threw down to the basement,” she explains. Every word and memory is causing pain to her. She really wants him to drop this topic but he doesn’t seem to think of giving up.

“Werewolf?” he asks.

She shakes her head. “No, I don’t think he’s a werewolf. He just locked me down there for days. I thought I was going to die there.”

“So, that’s why you’re suffering from claustrophobe? And the reason you hate basement?”

“Duh… I was locked in a very dark and small basement. It’s weird, basement is supposed to be big but his was too small. But I guess since I was in a very dark space, I thought it was small and cramped.”

Taemin puts his hand on her shoulder and gives it a gentle squeeze. “I’m sorry,” he says.

“You should. I’ve forgotten about it for years,” she jokes but Taemin doesn’t get it.

“But how did you get away?”

She scrunches her eyebrows, trying to remember the details, how she got out. “I think my parents made a police report. It took them a week or two to track down his house. When they finally did, they found me, barely alive in the basement.” She quivers slightly. Taemin, who takes this one as she being terrified of remembering the past, puts his arm around her and leans her against himself. She wants to tell to back off but she feels comfortable somehow in his arm.

“He must be insane to be doing that to you,” he says quietly.

“Yeah, apparently he was. Dad made sure he was sentenced to death. I don’t know what happens to him, but I’m sure he’s dead.”

They are quiet for a minute or two, trying to sink in the story. Seulgi then detached herself from Taemin. “Taemin, I’ve been meaning to ask you,” she starts. Taemin raises his eyebrows, “What is it?”

She wriggles her thumbs, “How old are you?”

Taemin blinks at her for quite some time before break into laughter. Seulgi scowls at him. “How old do you think I am?”

“Well, because werewolves are mostly immortal and very ancient, over 80 years old?” Taemin laughs even louder, causing some people to stop turn their heads towards the two. Seulgi hit him in the chest, embarrassed.

“Nah, I’m 26,” he says after he’s calmed down some time later.

Though she’s kind of upset, she finds this as shocking as ever. “You’re 4 years older than I am? So you’re… born or …?”

“Born actually. My parents are both werewolves, so yeah…” he says quietly.

Seulgi nods. She wants to ask him more but it seems like he doesn’t want to talk about, she drops it off. Somewhere in herself tells her she should continue just like he does to her but she couldn’t do it. Maybe later, when he’s ready to tell her.

They have just crossed the threshold of the clinic when Gwiboon says to Taemin he’s received a letter. He frowns, he’d be more understanding if it’s an official letter but it isn’t. Who would send him a letter when smartphones exist? Gwiboon and Seulgi snigger. ‘Cute,’ Seulgi says. ‘The last time I received a letter was from my teacher, asking why I didn’t come to school and why did I fail my exams.’ He brushes the two women off and went upstairs. When he closes the door to the stairs, he could hear the women laughing. He shakes his head.

He settles down on the couch and tears off the envelope. There’s a small piece of paper, more like a post it note inside of the envelope.

Same time, same place. – J, it reads.

J.

Could it be?

He gives the note a look of displeasure. What does he wants from him, anyway? Shouldn’t he be gone somewhere far away from here? Has the man got his balls altogether to return back here?

Taemin gets on his feet. He makes a beeline to the bathroom and flushes down the note. The only way to find out is to meet the guy. It’s been so long anyway.