= Chapter V =

 Special Furends

Don't need no butterflies when you give me the whole damn zoo

The door closed killing all the light and Hyejin’s panicked face made Jinki turn on the switch, light bathing the room again.

“Wow. How did you know?” She asked pointing at the switch and Jinki rubbed his neck trying to find a way out of that mess. He needed to be more careful if he wanted to keep hiding his secret from her.

“Intuition I guess.” He changed the topic quickly “You don’t like the dark?”

“No. Ever since I was little. It’s silly right?”  She took off her shoes and he did the same.

It wasn’t silly at all; he liked that vulnerable side of her as much as he liked her strong one. That’s why humans were so interesting. They had so many flaws and qualities, they weren’t boring.

“Everyone is afraid of something and it’s never too late to get over it.” Look at him acting all almighty when he was so scared to go back home and face his father and all the responsibilities that came with being a tiger.

Jinki’s eyes fell on the sink where a pile of dishes were waiting to be washed. He simply didn’t have time that day to do it yet.

Hyejin’s eyes followed his gaze and she grinned awkwardly placing herself in front of his line of vision. Trying to hide her laziness from him which was pointless since he knew it better than anyone.

That was also one of her charming points, one that he had to learn to live with and she could improve.

“Sorry for the mess!” She said twirling her finger in her hair which made him purse his lips smitten with her. “I didn’t have time to clean my place today and I didn’t know I would bring anyone home…not that I do it often.” She mumbled the last part and then grinned at him, showing him a set of beautiful white teeth.

“It’s ok. It’s your place, it’s genuinely you, no lies.”

That was the best thing about it all. She never tried to be someone else in front of him and he hoped it stayed like that. If only he could do the same with to her…

“What do you mean?” She titled her head.

“Nothing.” He looked around the room pretending to be seeing it for the first time and his eyes were back on her again.

It was the first time he saw her as a human inside the apartment and it made it seem different in his eyes. It was so much smaller now as if she and her smile, her curious eyes and her scent filled the whole place to the extent that it also invaded where he was, penetrating his heart.

“Want to drink something?” Hyejin asked turning to open her fridge but Jinki was quicker and turned her back to him their eyes meeting again. He tasted the change in her, the familiar mess of feelings that he learned to savor.

“Aren’t we having ?” Maybe he was acting like a mess but he never wanted something as much as he wanted that: a simple night with her in his arms. For now it was enough for him.

Hyejin stumbled in her feet and fell back against the wall behind her. “W-what?”

Her confusion made him raise an eyebrow “You didn’t invite me in for ?”

“You said you wanted to talk with me before.” She remarked and Jinki moved his lips in a pout before he mimicked what he did outside placing a hand in the wall beside her.

Hyejin swallowed nervously and he leaned forward like a predator cornering its pray. “I also said I would kiss you.” He was inches from her lips now, dangerously close and she couldn’t take her eyes away from them, wishing to feel its softness against hers again. “We talked and now…”

And now it was time to kiss. She closed her eyes immediately and curled her hands into fists waiting for it, for the action and the effect it had on her body. It wasn’t like anything she experienced before.

She almost smiled when his lips touched hers and even though the only touch of his body on hers was through his lips she felt warm all over as if he was hugging her.

It was a shorter kiss than the one they shared outside and she didn’t dare to open her eyes hoping that he would kiss her a second time.

He didn’t.

“Next I…” Jinki caressed her shoulder and when she opened her eyes he had one finger hooked on the strap of her dress and was pulling it down her shoulder “I’m taking off your clothes. You are all wet.”

Even though his words were innocent, his actions and his gaze on her weren’t.

Hyejin didn’t say anything still watching him. Apparently, to a normal man she looked perfectly fine but Jinki could smell it, he could hear it, he could taste it. She was nervous, very nervous and he hesitated a little as if waiting for her to say something.

She did after a while but not what he expected.

“I’m not that kind of woman.”

“What kind?” He brushed his lips on her shoulder, pulling the strap down so he could kiss underneath.

Hyejin her lips and instinctively tilted her head slightly so it was easier for him to kiss her.

She couldn’t move much, stuck between the wall of her room and Jinki’s body. Her heart was thumping so loudly inside her chest she was afraid he could hear - well he could but she truly didn’t know.

He peeked at her as if he was reading her mind and Hyejin tried to calm down. She wasn’t scared of him, of that man she didn’t even know where he lived exactly and if he was lying about being a doctor and his family. No, it wasn’t fright, it was excitement. He was unpredictable, new, thrilling. He was electrifying since every time he touched or kissed her she felt as if he was lighting up all of her. No wonder she always felt so warm around him.

Since she didn’t say anything else he kissed her neck, a small kiss that made her whole body vibrate with desire.

Hyejin wasn’t the only one vibrating. If Jinki was a cat he would be purring, because that close proximity, her scent and all the kissing he was doing with her, and the energy he received from her aroused self was making his battery charge like crazy.

Jinki smelled her neck, breathing in her feminine scent and the one that came from her blood. It was so tempting; all of her, her essence, her life, who she was and meant to him. It was all too delicious and for a little while he almost lost his control.

“I don’t sleep with men.” Hyejin mumbled and he blinked his eyes confused until he realized that she was answering to his question.

Weird that everything she said seemed to be delayed now and he frowned cutely, smiling after he realized the reason.

She was melting, breathing hard trying to calm herself.  He made her lose control.

Good! She had the same effect on him. Why should he be the only one suffering?!

“Wait…” His smile faded and he pushed back so he could look at her face “You are not attracted to men?”

“No!” She moved a hand on the wall behind her “I mean that I don’t…”

Her voice failed her and Jinki watched her for a while trying to read her expression since reading the taste of her energy was hard.

“You said you had a lot of experience.” He could remember all the times she bragged about her dating experience, how many blind dates she went to.

Hyejin bit her lower lip nervously and Jinki took his hand away from the wall and moved back knowing what she would say next. He knew her that well.

“I lied.” He rolled his eyes and she hugged herself which made him look back at her.

She seemed almost sorry for it, for not having experience since he was sure she wasn’t about her lie. It was how she protected herself. It’s easier to create a new you in your mind than actually change your real one.

“I mean. I did go to a lot of blind dates and guys often say I’m cute and beautiful but…”

“There isn’t any progress?!” He scoffed at her and Hyejin pushed him away upset. She walked to the other side of the room as if she was trying to run away, which was hard in such a small apartment.

“Don’t be mad, I’m not making fun of you. I’m just surprised.” Surprised that he actually fell for that.

“I was always the one with no boyfriend in high school and college which is weird since I was always popular.”

“That’s good to know…I mean the popularity thing.” He rubbed his earlobe trying to stop teasing her but it was too tempting.

She looked cute pouting and sulking with every word he said.

“I often had guys confessing to me but we never dated. They said they were afraid of my popularity.”

“You probably scared them away with your temper!” The way she glared at him just proved his point and made him laugh so he had to cover his mouth with his hand.

“Don’t laugh at me!” She panicked a little, the barriers around her falling with her insecurity and she tried to push him back to the entrance door. “GO HOME! IDIOT!”

He didn’t intend to go anywhere. That was his home even if she didn’t know it. Not because he was her cat but because he belonged by her side as a human, as a man.

Teasing Hyejin was fun but loving her was way better.

He turned around and she barely managed to push him anyway because he held her by her waist and pushed her as if she was a paper doll against the wall again. The impact made her held her breath just before he kissed her passionately.

She didn’t even try to fight it and her eyes closed immediately her arms wrapping around his neck while he moved his lips demanding against hers.

It’s true what they say. Fighting makes things more arousing. Or maybe he made everything more arousing.

He broke the kiss after a while letting her catch her breath and caressed her cheek instead, admiring the way she blinked her eyes slowly, focusing on him for as long as they were open, only on him.

“How many boyfriends did you truly have?”

Hyejin could try to lie but it wouldn’t work, she was sure of it. It was as if he could read her as a book. The state of her mind didn’t let her say much more than the simple truth anyway.

“Two.”

“How many did you kiss?”

“Two.”

Cute. She was the kind of girl that liked commitment. Made sense since she was so hurt before. She couldn’t bear to let herself fall for someone that wasn’t supposed to stay.

He was probably the only exception. The only man touching and kissing her without the boyfriend title attached to him. He wanted to change that. He would change it.

“Not bad.” He laughed and she once tried to push him away but she wasn’t even trying hard at this point.

Her hands on his chest and the way it felt under her fingers made her swallow hard and he didn’t say anything watching her actions for a while, how she moved her fingers slightly exploring him over his clothes.

“How many did you have with?” Her movements stopped and she raised her eyes from his chest to his.

It was probably two, he assumed. He couldn’t see her having with anyone else but a boyfriend.

“I don’t want to answer that question.” She shook her head slowly and he moved a few strands of wet hair away from her face “I don’t have to answer.”

“Ok. I’ll guess!”

“No! No guessing!” She moved her eyes to their feet so close to each other noticing for the first time how he had cute green socks with small white dots.

“Two?”

She didn’t want to answer but he pulled her chin up with his fingers making her face his eyes again, his bright small eyes; and once she noticed she was opening and a storm of words came out.

“My boyfriend in high school wanted to sleep with me but I wasn’t ready so I told him and we broke up after a few months.”

“One then?”

“My boyfriend in college wanted to go study aboard so he studied like crazy, spent a long time away and when he came back we broke up.”

“No one?” Jinki’s eyes widened and she placed her hands on his chest again immediately regretting it because it was taking her concentration away.

“I did make out a lot with my college boyfriend. Like a lot…steamy hot making out.”

Jinki didn’t say anything and instead kissed her lips. It was a sweet short kiss different from the previous ones and yet it made her heart flutter, small butterflies and probably all kinds of animals run around in pure ecstasy inside her stomach. She could build a whole zoo there with the way he made her feel.

“We did a lot of things.” She said as soon as their lips parted “We almost did it several times.”

He softly pulled her away from the wall and then placed a hand on her back. She looked up at him in expectation and he softly pushed her with him in the direction of the bedroom.

“We only didn’t seal the deal because he was busy and…”

“Hyejin be quiet.”

He turned off the light of the room and made her enter the bedroom. However she tried to turn on the light as soon as she entered but he grabbed her hand.

“Trust me.”

“The light…” she cried softly, trembling a little against his hand and arm and he frowned wondering how she could be so afraid. She seemed terrified. “It’s dark.”

“I’m here. I won’t let anything or anyone hurt you.”

It seemed like a quote out of a drama and yet she relaxed feeling his touch on her back, seeing his body beside her. “I’m here.” He repeated pushing her next to the bed. She moved stumbling a little and then he the moon lamp.

She sighed of relief and he caressed her hair. It was still humid and she probably should dry it. Her skin was hot though, he touched her cheek with a finger confirming it. She wasn’t cold at all.

“This light is enough.” Jinki said caressing her cheek while she looked at the lamp lost in thought “If you want to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night that is enough.”

She swallowed and looked at him again wondering why he seemed to know so much about her and why she felt so safe and comfortable around him.

“I wonder where my cat went.” She said just when he leaned forward and kissed her again. He caressed her shoulder pulling the strap of her dress down. “He-I…I thought he was here. He sleeps a lot.”

He didn’t!

“You do like that cat very much, don’t you?” Jinki asked.

“I do.” Another kiss and she was becoming more and more breathless. “I mean I didn’t want him at first but now…”

He smiled caressing her arms down to her wrists that he messaged making her weak on her knees.

HOW?!

“It makes you relax.” He explained sounding a lot like a doctor.“ Sometimes we don’t know how much we need something or someone until we get it. How much we are starving for something until we taste it.” His eyes fell on her lips again and she was sure he was talking about her.

His words made her dizzy and that wrist massage wasn’t working much anymore.

He kissed her again releasing her wrists and grabbing her hands in his instead. They were big and strong and it did things to her body to think about those hands and fingers touching her under her clothes.

What was wrong with her? She was never like that…so thirsty, so needy.

They kissed for a while with no rush and she didn’t dare to open her eyes, holding onto his sweater while he cupped her face, his fingers moving softly on her neck, feeling her pulse under them. It aroused him as much as her scent and he couldn’t help but let part of his tiger side come out.  He wasn’t pushing her into the bed, or showing any sign to ask more of her than that so slowly she relaxed, the kissing becoming something almost natural. He felt the change and slide his hands down her back pushing her closer to him, so close that her body was against his.

Jinki moved his feet pushing her back towards her bed and she resisted a little which made him break the kiss.

His questioning eyes were on hers and Hyejin tried to say something coherent. “What are you doing?”

“What?” He was being very obvious about what he was doing “Am I doing something wrong?”

“No…yes. I knew you only wanted That.” She tried to master an angry voice but her expression of daze and red lips didn’t match it.

“Should I stop kissing you then?” He smiled cockily eyeing her hands grabbing him, and for a few seconds he believed that she would take them away but she didn’t.

“Only a little longer.” She whispered facing his chest instead of his eyes.

“Hum. Are you sure?” He was teasing her but her necessity was bigger than her pride.

Hyejin closed her eyes and raised her head parting her lips. “Yes.”

He kissed her again but this time he pushed her softly into the bed, making her sit over it. He kneeled over her and pushed her further down so she would lay over it and he could do the same over her.

The kissing intensity increased and she lost all her self-control, caressing his back and hair. She didn’t lie when she said she made out a lot with her college boyfriend but there was never that thirst like the one she was felting at the moment. There was an ache between her legs that seemed to increase with every move of his lips against hers.

Worse.

His hand moved down her side to her legs that he caressed  before he slided it under her dress.

Hyejin moaned against his lips which made him part his lips from hers and watch her instead. Her eyes was half closed, her lips parted and she seemed like the Hyejin only his cat self seemed to know, the one he met briefly on the day she cried in his arms.

He massaged her inner thigh and then touched her between her legs tentatively, which made her arch her body. She was so warm and the silky material of her – that he probably saw in the laundry basket before – the outlines of what he could feel beneath it and her reaction to his caresses made him almost combust.

Jinki closed his eyes and smelled the air, her woman scent was making his body react in a very arousing way. She was getting wetter, it was getting too intense and he was getting hard.

“I-I…” her voice interrupted his thoughts and he stopped what he was doing and placed his hand on her hip instead listening to her.

Her eyes darted away from him “I’m a little…”

“Scared?” He asked placing his hand on the mattress on the bed beside her so he could raise his body from over hers, the distance giving him a chance to focus.

“We know each other. “she explained finally looking at him “But it’s not like we are in a relationship.”

“Because you don’t want to.”

“Right…I don’t know you that well. You can be lying to me too…about who you are, about being a doctor...”

He sat on the bed beside her but she didn’t move still looking at him as if she was trying to be sure that she was doing the right thing.

“You are right!” He agreed and she seemed to regret what she said now already, which made him cover his smile with his hand. “But I am a doctor.”

He didn’t deny lying though.

Hyejin was right. Even though he knew her better than she thought she didn’t know him. She didn’t know who he truly was and it wasn’t fair for Hyejin if he slept with her, if he took advantage of her, eating her emotions, loving her…She needed to accept him for what he was before they could have a real relationship.

Sleeping with her without telling her what she was getting herself into would make her mad once she found out. He couldn’t hurt her.

“Better stop.”

“Really?” her high voice of regret made him lean over again and she closed her eyes immediately waiting for a kiss.

He smiled tracing her lips with his fingers, his feelings threatening to make his heart explode.

It needed to be love or otherwise he couldn’t explain what he felt.

When Jinki was younger he remembered asking his mother if gods could have relationships with humans and she told him how many tried. Some stories were tragic but a few went well. He questioned himself about the reasons that made a god fall for a human. How could such a special being fall for one with so many flaws? His mother told him that there was beauty in flaws too, sometimes more than the ones that existed in perfection. Then she caressed his hair and moved her hand down his back. Later he realized that she was also probably talking about his fur.

And now, when he looked at that imperfect girl under him, a scared, needy, hurt woman that tried to attack everyone and had a stupid crush on a man that she probably didn’t know as well as she thought, he couldn’t help but think that no one was as perfect and beautiful as she was.

“You are stunning Hyejin.”

She fluttered her eyes open smitten with his words and he rubbed his nose against hers like Onew, her cat did and then kissed her lips softly.

“It’s ok.” Jinki said. “I won’t do anything to you. Not tonight. There is time.”

She swallowed nervously not denying his words “Are you going home?”

“No.” He was already home, in that bed that was also his. “Want me to stay?”

She didn’t answer immediately and he knew that one of her flaws was going to reveal itself very soon.

“I didn’t say I wanted you to stay.”

He chuckled “But you aren’t throwing me out either.”

“You can stay.” She muttered under her breath looking to her side.

“What?” He grabbed her chin and made her face him again “I didn’t hear you.”

“You can stay a little longer.” She gave in. It was too much pressure with his body aligned with hers on the bed, his gaze on her, fingers touching her skin “and kiss me a little more.”

“Hum. I can touch you?”

“Yes.”

“What? I can’t hear you!” he sang teasingly and she pulled him by his sweater on top of her again, this time initiating the kiss.

He raised his body with his hands and moved over her, fitting in the middle of her legs while he kissed her. The move was a mistake because she whimpered under him, probably feeling his hard on against her body.

“Sorry.” he pulled away trying not to laugh with the way she was looking at him, as if she needed him to save her from a lake again, this time one filled with lava and not water.

Jinki kneeled on the bed “Go change your wet clothes since we aren’t taking them off.” Besides he needed time to cool down his body.

Hyejin sat slowly on the bed too silent which was so not like her.

“Change in the bathroom. I’ll be here waiting. I won’t turn off the light. I won’t go.”

She did as he said, opening her closet to take off some dried clothes. She barely looked at what she was taking and then peeked at him before leaving the bedroom.

He saw the light of the living room turning on and she disappeared in it.

Jinki laid over her pillow and experienced a mix of satisfaction with frustration.

He wasn’t having with her. He couldn’t but he was going to sleep by her side, kiss her and hold her.

They could go slow, he would show her that he was trustworthy and respected her and she would get to know and love him. Then when the right time came he would tell her about being a god and she would understand why he lied. It would work out.

Hyejin was quick to come back with her hair a little curly and messy because she must have dried it with a towel quickly, wearing a pink t-shirt and black shorts and white socks.

“You look like you fell inside your closet.”

She frowned with his comment and he rubbed his head on the pillow “But like I said, even like that with no makeup and random clothes you look beautiful.”

She frowned even more realizing that she was wrong before when she said he would never see her with no makeup.

Jinki patted the place by his side on the bed and she slowly joined him. He wasn’t slow at all kissing her again, in fact as soon as her head touched the pillow beside his he leaned over and kissed her, his hand settling on her side, caressing her over the t-shirt, which was better than what she was wearing before because he could feel her curves under it.

Hyejin wrapped her arms around his neck and let herself go.

She wasn’t doing anything wrong.

Minho was a liar.

Every man she met in her life were liars. Even her father was one.

Until now Jinki seemed to be the only one that was always honest with her, the only one she met every time she needed a word of affection, a hug or a kiss.

That was the only reason she was making out with him - her necessity of affection.

The way her heart was thumping inside her chest, how she wished he would go against what he decided before and move his hands between her legs again while he kissed her, had nothing to do with love.

She was only needy of a special friend.

Hyejin couldn’t tear her eyes away from Jinki’s sleeping face.

It was her first time waking up beside a man, in his arms, so close that she could feel his breathing on her face, his warm body touching hers. She couldn’t even imagine how it would feel like if they were . Instead he was fully dressed and she was still wearing the clothes she changed into, the previous night.

That night and that awful moment when she found out about Minho’s fiancée seemed to have happened days ago.

She could only recall the way Jinki hugged her in his arms, how he kissed her lips a million times, so many that it felt natural to kiss him, that she pictured herself actually being his lover. Her heart wouldn’t stop thumping inside her chest and she caressed his back and chest over his clothes too many times to count, tangling her fingers in his hair while he kissed her neck. He seemed to like that as much as smelling her. He did it several times, breathing in her neck as if he was a vampire from those romantic mangas she sometimes read.

More than once he moved away from her, hiding under the covers as if he was trying to calm down and she took those times to admire his profile. Those moments of hiatus didn’t last long and soon he would be back on her, kissing her softly with no rush.

She wasn’t sure when they went to sleep. It was something that happened naturally, their kisses lowered in frequency and his hand on her back stopped all together. She remembered snuggling closer to his chest and soon after she was sleeping.

Hyejin moved her fingers on the sheet under her and smiled admiring his nose and his plump lips and the small beauty mark on his chin. He had one behind his ear too. She saw it the previous night and somehow that small secret made her feel close to him.

She closed her eyes inhaling his scent, remembering how she felt so safe the previous night in his arms, as safe as she never have in years. How she was sure that darkness could fall upon her and she wouldn’t be afraid anymore. It was insane thinking like that and for a little while a twinge of fright hit her.

Lee Jinki. Pediatrician. Has a younger brother. Likes chicken. Likes Hyejin. Has a small beauty mark behind his ear.

She blushed repeating that to herself in her head. He wasn’t a complete stranger. He wouldn’t leave her. She closed her eyes tight.

Her father promised he would never leave her and look what happened.

Hyejin pulled Jinki’s arm from above her and sat on the bed abruptly looking at him.

He moaned beside her, turning in the bed staying with his tummy up and she bit her lower lip in fear.

What was she doing?! Letting herself get attached to someone again?! Someone that seemed to always be hiding something from her.

Worse! She almost gave herself to him. If he didn’t stop she would have. She knew deep inside her heart that she would.

Hyejin suddenly got angry remembering how sweet he was to her, how he said he would wait, that they would have time to do it later.

The conceited idiot!

Her feelings of tenderness when she woke up gave way to feelings of anger, her defence system kicking in and Hyejin curled her hands into fists before she pushed Jinki’s body, that was surprisingly heavy - away from her bed.

He rolled in the bed giggling and muttering something about not liking tuna and then fell on the floor.

He complained once his body hit the floor of her bedroom and Hyejin kneeled suddenly realizing what she has done and regretting it since she was worried with him.

“Jinki?”

He didn’t open his eyes. Instead he placed his knees on the floor and stretched his arms in front of him in a weird angle as if he was a cat.

Hyejin widened her eyes surprised with what she was seeing and he his lips and looked at her with a silly smile on his face.

Her stunned expression made his smile fade and he looked at his hands quickly taking them off from the floor as if he was surprised to see them there.

“. I forgot I turned.” He muttered to himself.

“What?”

He quickly stood up seeming still a little confused and sat beside her in bed, grinning at her like a love fool.

The worse thing was that she knew what he felt because she also wanted to grin like that.

“Ah I’m so full of energy!” He said raising his arm showing her his muscles which made Hyejin embarrassed because she couldn’t stop thinking about the way he held her the whole night.

He wasn’t lying either. After all that kissing, he satiated his hunger with her feelings to the point that he felt as if he ate a banquet. Sadly even if his god side was satiated his human one wasn’t. He wanted more of her.

“I have so much energy and all thanks to your kisses.” His voice changed from a goofy tone to a husky one and Hyejin swallowed hard when his lips touched hers, his eyes closing just before he titled his head slightly kissing her softly.

Why was he like that?! Sometimes so gentle, kissing her as if he was afraid to hurt her, others so intense pushing her against the wall and kissing her hungrily as if he was starving for her.

She didn’t close her eyes kissing him back, looking with half open eyes at his closed eyes. His words echoed in her head.

“Sometimes we don’t know how much we need something or someone until we get it. How much we are starving for something until we taste it.”

He was right. That idiot Jinki seemed to be right and her thirst was growing inside her again, and only because of one stupid good morning kiss.

He parted and offered her one of his boyish smiles that usually either annoyed her or made her lose all her will to scold him.

It was the second option this time.

“AH!” He stretched again raising his arms over his head like a proper human does “Want me to make breakfast? Almost time for work!”

“What?” He knew her working hours too?! That somehow made her angry. How could he know so much about her when she knew so little about him?

An angry Hyejin followed after Jinki to the kitchen and before he could open her fridge and act as if he truly lived there she pushed him away.

“Get out!”

“What? I just woke up?” He asked blinking his sleepy eyes and she bit her lower lip and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

“I didn’t think you would truly sleep here. You were supposed to stay only a little longer.”

“And yet you didn’t kick me out and slept in my arms.” He teased stepping back because she raised her hands to push him away.

Jinki giggled amused. Even though the mean Hyejin was back it was still part of her and knowing that he had that effect to mess up her feelings wasn’t a bad thing.

“Get out of my apartment!” She went to open the door and Jinki watched her from behind the table, safely away from her reach.

“Why are you being like this sweetheart?” He could see her lips twist with anger “We slept together!”

“Exactly! Slept!” She stumped her feet like a little girl. “Doesn’t mean we are going to marry or live together or anything. Leave!”

“Marriage Hyejin? Already thinking about that? First we should date! Do you want me that badly?”

“NO!” She walked to him and he let himself be caught by that frustrated Hyejin that pushed him outside.

“Wait!” He stuck his feet on the doorway not letting her close it and she cried.

“Go please. I still need to search for my cat. He was sick and didn’t come home to sleep.”

Jinki’s teasing smile faded and he took his feet away. She was worried with Onew, she was worried with him.

He smiled gently “He is fine Hyejin, he isn't sick, don’t worry!”

“How do you even know that? You have no heart!”

“What?”

She closed the door on his face and Jinki sighed. If someone had a heart it was him. His heart was the solo reason he had an awful miserable life right now. If he wasn’t so keen on following his heart he would be back with the clan, ruling it and married with a woman, an easier one than Hyejin.

His eyes fell on his feet, on his bare socks and Jinki knocked on Hyejin’s door again.

“Go away! I need to get ready for work. I’m late.”

She was always late, what was the use of worrying about it?!

He knocked again, making a funny rhythm with it.

She opened the door with a frown and was going to scold him when he pointed at his socks.

“I need my shoes.”

“Wait!” She closed the door and after a few seconds opened again and pushed the shoes against his chest. Before she could close the door again he grabbed her hand that was still holding the shoes and pulled her to him.

Hyejin widened her eyes but she had no time to pull away because his lips kissed hers. This time she closed her eyes and her defenses that weren’t able to prevent that gesture of love weren’t able to make her stop it either.

Once Hyejin was truly wishing he wouldn’t stop kissing her Jinki released her.

“Have a good day!” he grinned cutely poking her nose and then left, putting his shoes on while he walked.

Hyejin watched him go down the stairs without giving her a glance back and then she hid inside her apartment.

She was once again alone and yet she didn’t feel alone at all.

There was a different scent inside her room, his smell, the same one that was on her bed sheets seemed to be all around her.

She smelled her clothes and closed her eyes, that weird feeling in the pit of her stomach attacking her again.

Was she falling for that idiot?!

It wasn’t possible. She only felt lonely.

Hyejin was in the middle of trying to convince herself while she prepared for work when a meow from the door of her bedroom startled her.

“Onew!” She quickly grabbed the cat and looked at him.

He seemed ok; actually he seemed happy, her hands as if he was a dog.

“I was worried with you. You were sick the other night.” She cupped his head and looked at his eyes “Are you feeling better? Why didn’t you come last night? Are you afraid of Jinki?”

The cat didn’t answer of course and she hugged him kissing his head. “Don’t be afraid of him. He is an idiot but he is nice.”

He was more than nice. At least that’s what a part of her believed. But often people aren’t what they seem.

Onew meowed again, his eyes moving to the alarm clock on Hyejin’s bedside table, and she almost let the cat fall when she realized what time it was.

She was late.

Again.

The sun was shining brightly illuminating her path as if everything was shining just for her, flowers seemed to be more colorful that morning and even birds were singing on the trees above her on the path to the palace.

Hyejin smiled admiring the nature around her feeling as if she was walking over a path of flower petals.  She was very happy and nothing seemed to shake her happiness away.

Hyejin reached the gates of the palace from where the staff entered and her gaze fell on a couple passing by. He was holding her hand and whispering something in her ear that made the woman giggle.

Hyejin smiled too touching her neck on the place Jinki kissed her the previous night, remembering how she giggled and melted under his touch and kisses.

“Hyejin?” Her smile faded along with her happy mood and she turned to see Minho coming out from the parking lot.

He was still wearing the suit he normally wore but something was different about him, there were big bags under his eyes. He seemed extremely tired or worried with something.

“After work,” he said approaching her “can we meet and talk? There is something I need to tell you and I need to explain what happened yesterday.”

She didn’t say anything. Part of her wanted to say no, accuse him for being like every other man but deep down the other part of her knew that he was her prince and something in that story was not as clear as it seemed.

“Yesterday.” He added “Did you arrive home safely?”

“Yes. Jinki accompanied me.” She wasn’t sure why she said it but Minho paled slightly.

“I see.”

“I’ll meet you later.” Hyejin answered before he crossed the gate.

Even a murderer had a chance to defend himself why wouldn’t Minho have any?

Jinki stopped in front of the hair salon.

He needed a haircut and that was the place he always went to get it. The owner was part of the clan and many members frequented it.

Jinki was going to enter when one woman came out from it. The door closing behind her made the air move and he inhaled a very familiar scent that made him step back carefully, his eyes on the big window of the salon from where he could see several hairdressers busy working on the clients.

One of the clients turned to the window too, her eyes on him.

His mother smelled him. How couldn’t a mother not recognize the scent of her baby, of her cub?

Jinki was a grown up man but for her he would always be her baby.

Jinki bit the inside of his cheek nervously, fighting the need to touch his mother, be hugged by her.

She stood up from the chair, making the towel that was around her neck fall to the floor, the hairdresser behind her grabbed it for her but she wasn’t paying attention.

Jinki’s mother walked to the window slowly and Jinki stepped back again which made her stop.

She was also partly animal and she knew what that meant. When an animal retreated he was scared.

Jinki didn’t want it, he was avoiding being close to her.

Instead his mother walked to the window and placed her hand over the glass which made Jinki’s eyes get wet.

She remembered it.

When he was little, in his first weeks of daycare Jinki would run to the window of his class room and do that, waiting for the time his mother would place her hand over his, only the glass separating them. He would smile brightly at his mother and then go back to play with the other kids. It was something he stopped doing after a while but did later with Taemin, on the first day Taemin went to daycare and was crying scared of the other kids.

Jinki passed by his room and did that too, which stopped being needed after a few days when Taemin was no longer scared and Jinki could see him playing when he passed by the window.

Jinki’s eyes moved to the hand of his mother there waiting for him.
It looked so warm and he missed it, but once he placed his hand on the glass it was cold.

She smiled at him with teary eyes mouthing “I miss you.”

He missed her too but he was cutting ties with the clan and that meant cutting ties with her also.

“I’m sorry.” He answered back. If only he could be the person, the leader she always saw in him.

“I’m sorry too.”

He shook his head. No, it wasn’t her fault. He was the one that couldn’t live up to the expectations that fell over him.

Bye.

He slowly took his hand away and waved at her before walking down the street without looking back. He needed to find another place to get his hair cut.

Jinki moved his feet cutely on the ground, admiring the branches of the tree above him. The bird that lived there had three eggs and they all cracked by now and little birds were in the nest waiting for their mother to bring them food.

That was the kind of thing that humans would never notice. They passed under the tree every day and yet none even looked up or noticed the three new beings chirping over their heads.

He did. He was partly cat after all.

Jinki ran his fingers through his hair, proud with his new cut. He didn’t get cut much because Hyejin seemed to like his hair like that – she tangled her fingers in his hair a lot while they made out, which was y and he also liked.

He couldn’t wait to see her again; he even dressed up nicely with a red sweater over his black jeans and was waiting impatiently for her, outside the gate from where she would leave work.

He saw her. She was wearing the blouse he gave her which made him grin like a love sick fool but she wasn’t alone. Minho was beside her and his expression darkened. Jinki hoped that now that she had a bad impression of Minho she would give up on him but apparently she didn’t.

Minho was glancing at her seeming a little nervous and Jinki frowned.

“Hey!” Jinki stepped in front of the couple once they left the gate which made Hyejin blush deeply. He knew what she was thinking, what she was remembering. The last time they met they slept in the same bed after a steamy making out session.

“I came to pick you up.” Jinki eyes darted to Minho fiercely and Hyejin moved her fingers nervously on the strap of her purse noticing the new haircut and then the different light in Jinki’s eyes. There was something dangerous about Jinki. He seemed to be surprising her more and more lately. The y teasing man from yesterday and the dangerous fierce one from today didn’t match much with the cute bubbly one she knew.

As she suspected, she knew nothing about him.

Hyejin was going to ask Jinki to go home – it wasn’t as if they were dating – when Minho spoke.

“Are you two dating?”

Hyejin looked at him in panic. That was a big misunderstanding and she needed to explain but Minho was looking at her seeming…jealous.

She opened and closed wondering if she could use that misunderstanding in her advantage but then her eyes fell on Jinki.

It wasn’t fair to use him like that.

“No. We are friends.” She was saying the truth. Even though they shared some caresses it didn’t mean that they were in a relationship.

Small wrinkles showed up between Jinki’s eyes and he sent her a betrayed look that she tried to avoid by looking at Minho again.

“We are the weirdest friends ever.” Jinki remarked and she felt her neck and cheeks getting hotter. He wasn’t going to reveal that they make out the night before right?!

Hyejin stared at Jinki trying to read his intentions and kick him if he opened his mouth to say something unnecessary but he didn’t. He simply looked at her with his small bunny eyes as if she bought something for dinner that wasn’t chicken.

“I will go with Minho right now.” She said trying to not move her eyes away from his although she was losing her braveness slowly “We have something to talk about. So…” She softly pushed Minho so they would walk away “See you another day.”

Jinki didn’t move and eyed the couple while they walked away “OK then!” He said out loud behind them “I will meet my fiancée then!”

That made Hyejin froze and she looked back at him which made Minho do it too.

Jinki smiled knowing he won. Hyejin seemed worried and he blinked an eye at her.

“The fiancée I supposedly don’t have!” Hyejin was a little confused with that but she realized what he meant when Jinki’s gaze shifted to Minho. “Have fun together!”

Was he teasing Minho with that comment?! Apparently he was and it worked because Minho seemed a little embarrassed.

“You told him?”

Hyejin observed Jinki that was walking away now, probably upset with her which made her a little worried.

“I-I tell him a lot of things. We are friends.” She explained.

“Good ones then, since he waits for you after work.”

“We live together…” She choked on her words “I mean we live close. Different houses. Different streets.” And yet they slept together the night before.

“I see.” Minho sighed noisily as if he was tired and then smiled at her softly “Shall we go then?”

Minho moved on the seat closer to Hyejin. She glanced at him but kept drinking the bubble tea from her straw that he paid for. Minho wasn’t even drinking anything so she was being spoiled by him and she didn’t mind.

“That blouse you are wearing is similar to the one I gave to my mother.”

Hyejin nodded her head “It’s the same. Jinki gave it to me.”

“Oh you are truly close.”

“We are friends.” They were. He was a special friend to her.

Minho changed subject finally mentioning the reason they were together. “I owe you an apology because Jung-Hee, the girl you met yesterday, was very rude to you.”

“I wish I could understand why she was rude to me.” Hyejin mumbled biting her straw.

“She didn’t lie. She is indeed my fiancée.”

That wasn’t what Hyejin wanted to hear and it was noticeable in her expression. She hoped that he would say that it was all a big misunderstanding and she was only a crazy girl that dated him once and had mental problems and called herself his fiancée. And the sweetest Minho was helping her out of pity. Hyejin read a book like that once, about a ceo that started a ual relationship with his secretary and had a crazy ex-girlfriend that made his life miserable.

That didn’t seem to be the case unfortunately.

“But I didn’t lie also. I don’t have a girlfriend or a fiancée.”

“I’m confused.” She said uncertain and Minho moved on the seat placing his arm behind her over the bench.

They were never that close for a long time and Hyejin‘s heart reacted immediately as soon as she realized it.

To the others watching them they looked like a couple.

“It’s an arranged marriage. I barely know her, well she is the daughter of my father’s best friend but besides seeing her when she was a kid I don’t know her that much. A few days ago she asked me out saying she had something important to tell me. That was probably when you saw me with her. I thought she wanted help with something related to our families but then she told me about our parents’ decision. I had no idea. Who still gets married like that without knowing?! It’s not like we are inside a drama or a fairytale.” He frowned speaking quicker and Hyejin melted on the bench. He looked so vulnerable and in so much pain. He was truly a prince. “I asked my parents and apparently it’s true. It’s all related to money and connections. But Hyejin…” He looked at her gently “I’m not marrying her. I’m not.”

She swallowed hard seeing something different in his eyes, a tenderness that wasn’t there before.,. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Because I don’t want you to get the wrong idea about me. I don’t want you to think I’m a liar. I’m not that kind of person.”

Still why didn’t he want her to have a wrong image of him? Why care about it?

“I like you Hyejin.” Minho confessed and she was afraid she was reading too much into his words, her heart stopping for a minute “You are a very special friend to me.”

A friend.

Not good.

But special…

Wasn’t that what Jinki was to her also?

What made them different from the other friends she had?! Why call, them special?

Hyejin was utterly confused.

Hyejin was cleaning the house.

The main reason why she was doing it was: first because she was confused about what happened with Minho earlier that night; second because she was bored wondering what Jinki was doing – he didn’t answer her text, even though she praised his hair, probably upset with her; and third maybe she truly needed to wash the floor.

Onew watched Hyejin from the corner of his eyes upset with her. She didn’t say much once she arrived from work and he didn’t react enthusiastically to it either which made her think that he was still sick; she even gave him more chicken that night.

Also he didn’t do any of the cleaning while she was away with Minho as a form of revenge.

Hyejin soaked the mop in the water of the bucket and then passed it on the floor while the radio played on the background.

“Not feeling any better?” She asked turning to the pillow below the kitchen table where Onew was resting lying on his side, his big full tummy showing. She might have given him too much food and he probably ate too much chicken for that body. It was terrible to have the appetite of a man and live inside the body of a cat.

He looked away from her and Hyejin sulked.

The radio was playing Hello Kitty from Avril Lavigne a song she never paid much attention to but the choreo stuck to her while she washed the floor and she found herself singing to it.

Onew heard the sound of her feet on the floor and opened his eyes peeking at her.

Hyejin was dancing and he watched her amused. She wasn’t a kpop idol, far from that, but she wasn’t bad either. She danced the waltz very well and remembering it made Jinki feel sad again. He wanted to take her out to dance again but she seemed to enjoy Minho’s company more than his.

Hyejin moved her hands in the air and then crouched in front of Jinki singing to him.

She probably read the change in his eyes because she panted recovering from her improvised dance and caressed the cat’s head.

“Hello kitty!”

She sat on the floor in front of Onew, on the part she didn’t wash yet and crossed her arms over her knees.

“I’m so confused Onew.”

He raised his ears listening to her. That was what he was waiting for. He needed to know what happened with Minho and she probably wouldn’t tell him in his human form.

“Minho told me that his fiancée is from an arranged marriage he doesn’t want to go through with. He says he has no feelings for her at all.”

Onew placed his head over his paws thinking. Minho wasn’t much different from him after all. He also had a fiancée waiting for him if he returned to the clan. He also needed to meet his parent’s expectations.

“His father wants him to marry her. Apparently they are going through some economic problems in the company and his father wants him to marry the daughter of his best friend and possible investor. It’s really sad. Feels like a story out of a drama.”

She sighed eyeing the bucket with dirty water and Onew sighed too in his cat form. So that’s what troubled her. Her prince was indeed a prince in trouble and she wanted to save him.

Onew’s brown shining eyes moved away from Hyejin and she caressed the fur on his back ignoring the pain he felt inside his heart and how her tender caresses made it even worse.

“I’m so confused because yesterday…” The mention of yesterday made Onew look at her immediately “yesterday I was so sure Minho was a liar and…” Her cheeks become a little pinkish and Onew smiled internally. “I almost had with Jinki, the idiot. Do you remember him?”

Of course he did. Onew blinked his eyes slowly and his lips. Hyejin seemed to accept that as a yes and scratched him behind his ears.

“It’s incredible how I went from having no one interested in me to two possible candidates.” She pursed her lips in thought. Minho was supposed to be a liar and she was supposed to move on and maybe get to know Jinki better but…

It was all a mess.

Since Onew’s big cat eyes were not moving from her Hyejin felt like she had to explain. “Don’t think badly of me. I’m still a . It was a moment of weakness. Jinki is only my friend.”

Yes that was what he was. She felt safe around him because he was like a friend to her, maybe the friend she never really had and that’s why he was special. She needed to be nicer to him because even though he was an idiot he was also sweet to her.

Onew stood up from his pillow and quickly ran to Hyejin’s bathroom.

“Hey Onew where are you going?”

He swiftly jumped to the window and left, leaving her alone.

“Why is he acting so weird?!”

Friend?!

Jinki turned back to a human and took a blanket out of his bag that was hiding on the rooftop inside an old cabinet hidden.

Friend?!

He kept mumbling to himself before he sat wrapping his body on the blanket shivering with the cold.

Jinki was hurt with Hyejin to the point that he didn’t even want to look at her.

He stayed there for a while thinking, the frown on his face softening slowly while he analyzed what she said.

Hyejin was confused. She said she was very confused because Minho was supposed to be an and she was supposed to forget him and maybe…maybe be with him. Jinki groaned. Why was Minho a good guy?! Damn it! It made everything so much more complicated.

He sulked hiding his face behind the blanket thinking.

Her heart wavered.

Slowly, little by little he was entering her heart as if he was some kind of virus that was infecting each one of her cells.

Wasn’t he a cursed god after all?! He could be a virus, a deep curse striking her life, a good kind of virus.

Jinki grinned with his medicine - fate related analogy. Like any deadly virus he would infect her to the point that once she noticed it would be too late. She would need a doctor to cure her and he was simultaneous the virus and the medicine able to cure her.  Minho wouldn’t be able to win against him. The love they shared would be so great that no prince could defeat it.

Jinki grinned under the blanket and turned back to cat form.

All those changes took a lot of energy but his batteries were full thanks to the wonderful night he had with her.

He jumped down the building and joined her downstairs.

She smiled at him still cleaning the floor and Onew sat watching her.

Unknowingly to both that virus already spread beyond no point of return.

“I was worried you wouldn’t go out to drink with me.” Hyejin said after a while.

She didn’t expect to see him waiting for her when she left work but he was as if nothing happened, as if he didn’t ignore her the day before and she didn’t hurt him by ditching him for Minho.

They didn’t spoke about it the whole night, not even when they were drinking and talking about nonsense – he learned that she spent a long time at the hospital when she was a little girl due to an accident and she learned that he could open a bottle with a spoon.

Now, returning back home, walking side by side, after drinking enough to wave their morals she was finally talking about it.

He smiled knowing that Hyejin was once again letting her defences come down long enough for him to enter the tower where she hid from everyone.

“Who would listen to you whine about how unfair the world is?”

“But it is unfair that she ended up with the other guy in the end!” Hyejin remarked and Jinki chuckled.

He didn’t even watch that drama and she spent more than half an hour telling him the whole story.

“It’s a drama and he was the main character.”

“Who decided that he had to be the main character?” She asked making a cute sound with her tongue “The other guy was better to her.”

“Why? Was he cuter?”

“Both were very hot.”

He laughed.

“But that’s not the point. He was her friend; he was beside her while she recovered from a broken heart.”

“Really?”

The tone of his voice and the way he was looking at her made Hyejin nervous.

“So he was her friend.”

She frowned at Jinki not liking the way he was talking.

“Yes he was and often friends are only friends.”

“But sometimes, some friends become special and much more.” He elbowed her cutely and she increased the distance between them.

“I take back what I said. She better end up with the main guy.”

“HEY!” He complained following after her, speaking close to her face which bothered her “Why is there always one main guy? Why can’t there be two or three and then the girl can choose freely?”

“That’s not a bad idea actually.” Hyejin agreed. “Like an otome game.”

“A what?”

She shook her phone in front of him. “A dating game. One of those where there is one girl and several guys with whom she can end up with.”

Jinki blinked his eyes “You play those kind of games?” He didn’t remember seeing her play any game.

“Please…of course not. I’m always busy at home I have to clean and study.”

He laughed at her covering his mouth and Hyejin looked at him clueless.

“As if, your place is a mess.” He realized too late that he was once again forgetting about his secret.

“Just because it was a little messy the other day doesn’t mean it is always like that.” She sulked even though he was right. It wasn’t her fault that she was lazy.

As if he read her mind Jinki pouted his lips shaking his head negatively.

“WHAT?”

“You have a big disease Hyejin, listen to me.” He grabbed her by her shoulders and turned her to him. “Don’t be scared. I’m your doctor.”

“You treat kids.”

“Shush!” The urgency in his voice and the serious expression made Hyejin swallow nervously. What was he talking about?!

“What do you mean I have a disease?”

“You have a chronical disease. I’m not sure how we will cure it but you can always try therapy.”

“Ok this is ridiculous, let go of me.” She shook her shoulders but he didn’t let go, squeezing them.

“Hyejin...I’m sorry to tell you this but…”

She waited in expectation and slowly his serious expression turned to goofiness “You are lazy!”

She released herself pushing him away and even though he was making fun of her she didn’t scold him, instead she laughed.

“You are such an idiot!”

That change in her attitude made him chuckle, finding her reaction the cutest thing.

“And you, you are beautiful when you smile like that. Even more beautiful.”

His loving words only made her smile even more and he stick to her, walking side by side, their arms touching each other, his fingers brushing against hers. A little longer and he would be able to held her hand without being kicked, he was sure of it.

“I am beautiful.” She said to herself glancing at him. “You say that a lot. You are only trying to flirt with me!”

“Of course.” He admitted, rubbing the back of his fingers on hers. “When I want something I go for it with no regrets, and I want you.”

His words made something inside her click, like it did in that night they slept together and he was able to intertwine his fingers with hers. They weren’t exactly holding hands but that was the closest to it.

“You told me, remember? You make your own fate. If I want to be the main guy in the drama or fairytale I’ll fight for it.”

“I should do that too.” She said eyeing the ground in front of her.

“You should.” He grew bolder and risked grabbing her hand but as soon as he moved his fingers she took her hand away.

They walked in silence after that, lost in their thoughts until he stopped staying behind. Hyejin turned around to face him with questioning eyes.

“Why are you grinning?”

Jinki raised a finger and slide it in the air showing her where they were standing.

“Kissing spot.”

Hyejin was so distracted thinking about Minho and Jinki and that weird love triangle that made no sense and that she seemed to be in, that she completely forgot to run away from it.

Jinki stepped closer to her and waited patiently for a retreat from her but it didn’t happen.

Hyejin didn’t move an inch watching him. Was she expecting it? Did she want him to kiss her?

Jinki tilted his head observing her reaction and before he could say anything she closed her eyes which made the corner of his lips raise.

She wanted it. She wanted him to kiss her…he raised an eyebrow suddenly having second thoughts about that.

Was it a trick?! Was she going to kick him or slap him once he tried to kiss her?!

“Jinki?” Hyejin asked still with her eyes closed and he saw her cheeks become a little reddish. She blushed so easily, maybe because her skin was so pale. Her blood smelled delicious too…he couldn’t help but smell it from where he was.

Hyejin fluttered her eyes open but before she had time to say anything he leaned forward and kissed her. He could have been more eager and kiss her passionately like the last time she kissed him in that spot but he preferred to play safe.

She didn’t kick him when she broke the kiss nor punched him. Instead she looked at him with bright eyes, reading his expression.

He swallowed hard, forgetting all about the mix of scents in the air and instead grabbed her hand like he wanted since they left the restaurant where they were drinking.

She didn’t pull it away observing the way he caressed her fingers and then her wrist gently like he did the other night.

She wasn’t sure if he was right and that truly worked calming someone down but she didn’t care, she truly liked the way his fingers felt tracing the sensitive skin of her wrist. He liked it too, he could feel her pulse under his thumb, the precious blood, her life and sweetness running inside her in her veins that he could trace and feel without having to look at her arm.

“Can I sleep at your place tonight?”

He was the first one to ask it but both had a feeling that the desire was mutual.

“I can’t have with you.” Hyejin said breaking away from his hold, feeling her skin burning under his fingers. ”There is someone I like.” For whatever reason she had a tinge of doubt inside her heart and she wasn’t sure about whom she was talking about anymore.

Jinki raised his fingers that were on her wrist before to his head that he scratched in a nervous gesture as if he was hiding something.

“I can’t have with you either. We decided to wait.”

Of course. He did say that before.

“I didn’t decide to wait for anything. Not with you.” She had to throw that at him and Jinki’s shoulders slumped as if she was taking away all hope from him. However Hyejin felt as sad as he felt and it troubled her.

“But you can come with me.” a flicker of hope light up inside him and illuminated her eyes too. “We can talk and you can meet my cat.”

He giggled with her answer “You said the same the other night and we end up making out in your bed.”

“Well this time I mean it.”

Jinki was thinking. If she was truly in love with Minho, if she wanted to save herself for him then why did she let him kiss her? Why was she so eager to extend the time they had together? Why was she looking at him so differently from the way she did before?

The virus was spreading faster than he thought. He did promise her that one day he would be inside her in such a depth that she wouldn’t be able to expel him from her heart.

“Let’s meet your cat.”

“It’s weird that he isn’t here.” Hyejin said eying the window of the bathroom hoping to see Onew show up from it. “He is always here. Second time you visit and he isn’t.”

“Maybe he doesn’t like me.” Jinki said eating another piece of chocopie, the only thing she had to eat at home. She truly needed to go grocery shopping. He wasn’t kidding when he said she was lazy.

Hyejin had a weird feeling about it but grabbed another chocopie from the floor where they were sitting – a clean floor this time - and ate it, throwing the empty package to the pile beside her before placing her arms on the floor lazily.

He watched her feeling content because she was just being herself. She could act sweet around Minho but she was never herself when she was with him. Jinki was special. He had the raw and cruel Hyejin beside him.

Now that he put it down like that it didn’t sound good.

He was frowning thinking about it when Hyejin made him a question.

“How much experience do you have?”

He smirked realizing immediately what she was asking about. “You mean ?”

“I mean relationship wise. Aish why are men always erts?!”

He placed the rest of the chocopie inside his mouth and ate with his cheeks full before he spoke. The whole thing made Hyejin compare him with a cute pet like always.

“I dated a lot. Well…Date is a bit…”He didn’t really date much. He often changed his mind and found a new girlfriend. “Let’s just say I have a lot of ual experience.”

That didn’t seem to please Hyejin that looked at him with disdain, clearly judging him.

“It’s not what you think!” He shook his hands trying to explain. He wasn’t an . He simply needed to feed and was one of the easiest ways to trigger a big source of emotional and physical energy. An was like an electric shock of energy and not to mention the body fluids. It might seem a little disgusting but that was what he needed to survive. Of course he wouldn’t feed only that way. When he worked at the hospital he also used some of the blood to drink, but he often felt bad for doing so and that was one of the reasons he volunteered so much. If he was stealing from the others he had to give it back somehow.

“Then what is it?”

She would never understand who he was. In a way gods weren’t much different from the monsters and beasts that fairytales talk about. Many ancestors of his were involved in gruesome stories.  Killing, , taking things by force was often something that gods did. They felt superior; they were supposedly superior than humans which solo purpose of existence was to serve them.  

Drinking blood, taking a woman even if she was unwilling, that was something his great grandparents would do. But things changed. Earthly gods started to become more human, maybe because some took human wives or husbands, the blood becoming more and more diluted.

However not everyone was like Jinki. Not everyone tried to have a normal life, to give back what they had to steal. Some drops of blood could be a simple shot of energy to a god like him but for a human it was precious, the difference between life and death.

“Women are often attracted to me.” His god powers might have some fault in it too, since the powerful a god felt the highest their attraction would be for a human. But that wasn’t all. Jinki knew many members of his clan that weren’t called attractive by women. His looks played a big role in it too. “I’ve dated a lot of y attractive women.” Even though it seemed conceited it was true and Hyejin didn’t contest the veracity of it.

“y?”

“Yes. Beautiful and y” he repeated picking up the last piece of chocopie. However Hyejin grabbed it too looking ferociously at him.

Was chocopie that important to her?

No.

He was. She was jealous.

“Last piece is mine.” Jinki said seductively as if he was talking about something else and she tried to push him away, holding his arm with one hand and the chocopie with the other.

“Go eat chocopie with one of the y attractive girls you dated and leave this one for me.”

“We can share.” He suggested “A y attractive girl would have held it with and let me bit the other end.”

He moved his eyebrows suggestively as a joke and she placed her hand on his face pushing him back.

“THANK GOD I'M NOT Y OR ATTRACTIVE THEN BECAUSE I’M NOT SHARING MY CHOCOPIE WITH YOU!”

Jinki laughed at her answer and instead of releasing the small package of chocopie that was starting to crumble with the hold of their hands on it, he placed an arm around her waist.

She yelped and released the chocopie. Since she stopped pulling on her side he lost his balance and fall backwards pulling her with him.

Hyejin fall over Jinki squishing the chocopie between them with their bodies.

She swallowed hard since they were in a very familiar position.  

“You can have it.” Jinki said with a low voice that wasn’t helping.

“I don’t think anyone can eat it anymore.” It was completely ruined and Jinki laughed placing the poor package on the floor beside them.

Hyejin felt his chest vibrate under her and that familiar weird ache inside her heart threatened to ruin all the self-control she managed to have the whole night.

She slowly pulled away from him and sat on the floor again. He did the same awkwardness settling in, both wanting terribly to kiss each other, both trying to avoid it.

Jinki was the first one to move and actually do something. He collected all the empty packages and stuffed them inside the card box of chocopie.

He was going to stand up but Hyejin pushed him back down. She was watching his profile all the time he was cleaning, admiring him like in the morning she woke up beside him.

No wonder so many girls wanted to be with him. He was so handsome and adorable when he wasn’t being a tease and an idiot. He was y too and he kissed so well. She only kissed two men in her life but none was able to make her body light up with desire like he did.

He had an easy smile that sometimes made cute dimples show up, his eyes were so bright most of the time, his eyebrows seemed to have a life of their own and she loved the shape of his ears and how his hair felt under her fingers. And that was only his face. There was also his beautiful neck and the rest of his body that he barely could hide under his clothes.

Jinki tried to stand up again but once again she pushed him down. This time she didn’t do only that and kissed him on the corner of his lips.

It was a sweet small kiss but was enough to reveal her desires.

She wanted it. She wanted him to stay the night again. Even if they couldn’t have they could sleep in each other’s arms.

Jinki swallowed hard knowing what staying beside her meant.

That first night sleeping with her as a human, he had a hard time controlling himself. For several times he had to stop kissing and touching her, trying to ignore the he had, the need he felt inside him, both as a human and a god. He wanted to have with her, to enter her, to bit her and her, to kiss her and whisper sweet words to her. It was all so overwhelming that he almost revealed his cover to her.
It was dangerous and yet he wanted it.

Since he wasn’t moving Hyejin kissed him again this time fully on his lips, closing her eyes shut and printing so many feelings into it that Jinki felt as if his battery was reaching 100%.

She pulled away watching him waiting for his reaction to that kiss, waiting for it to be different from the previous one and she wasn’t wrong.

Jinki stood up pulling her with him and then cupped her face kissing her.

She hummed against his lips making him lose all his control and he wrapped an arm around her, pulling her with him to the bedroom where both fell over the bed, rolling and kissing passionately.

They moved for a while trying to satisfy that hunger that was new to both of them. Yes he knew what hunger was.

Once, tired of his life as a thief of emotions, Jinki tried to stop eating as a god. It didn't work. The hunger was too much. He couldn't forget how lifeless he felt and how he had to give up on it if he didn’t want to die. But that hunger was different. It came from another place inside him.

Jinki caressed her cheeks with his hands and pulled her away from his lips just enough to be able to look at her.

Hyejin was eyeing him with desire, her body over his, her hair falling around her face and on him.

She was hungry too. They both were, a human type of hunger.

She was falling in love with him. He was almost sure of it or she wouldn’t be feeling the same hunger he was feeling.

Hyejin was panting and he rolled on the bed holding her so he could stay on top and kiss her again. She wrapped her arms around his neck kissing him back insistently. It was as if they couldn’t get enough of it, as if they didn’t need any air to breathe, only each other's touch.

That was extremely dangerous and soon Jinki would need to pull himself away from her. His body was already reacting to hers, to her s that he could under her clothes, to the vale between her legs that he wanted to explore with his fingers but didn’t dare to, afraid to lose the remaining control he had.

Jinki wasn’t sure for how long they make out but it was for sure shorter than last time but way more intense. He was the one who had to stop it.

Hyejin’s skin was so hot under his fingers and when he noticed he had one hand under her sweater and was groping her s over her bra. She didn’t stop him, on the contrary she was the one who had her hands under his clothes caressing the muscles of his back and chest as if she was claiming him as her territory.

He didn’t mind, he liked it, the way she possessively touched him, how she nibbled at his lower lip when he d her s a little more eagerly, how she never seemed to want to stop kissing him.

They had to, when Jinki hugged her against his chest, caressing her back trying to make her aroused body relax against his. It was hard to do so because he was…well…hard.

She could feel it against her thighs but said nothing staying so still that soon she fell asleep.

It took him a while to calm down his body and make his go away but he did eventually when he closed his eyes and thought about boring awful things he hated like some of the clan’s older members that he despised and one of his old memories of moments when he felt like he didn't belong anywhere or was a curse.

Now that he wasn’t a slave of his desires Jinki could look at her and worship Hyejin’s beauty even with all the flaws she had.

Her nose wasn’t perfect, she had a pimple on her forehead – she would kill him if he mentioned it – and her cheeks where a little chubby. She wasn’t a goddess but he loved her much more like that.

His mother was right. There is a special beauty in what is imperfect. The little flaws made her unique, special, as if she was sent from the skies only for him.

He raised his hand and she moved in her sleep so he slowly moved her hair away from her face so he could see her better.

They were in such a rush making out, that they didn’t even turn on the light of the moon lamp and the only light came from the lamp in the living room. It was enough for him to see her in the dark - he was partially a tiger - but she would probably freak out if she woke up.

Jinki couldn't stop grinning. She was sleeping in his arms, so close to him that he could feel her body pressed against his.

That was like a dream come through and Jinki tried to close his eyes and sleep. But closing them when he was able to be so close to her seemed like such a waste.

While she was asleep he could admire her beauty as long as he wanted without her scolding him or trying to run away from him.

Hyejin hugged him tighter as if she was having a bad dream and Jinki caressed her back softly.

He wasn’t going to sleep, at least not for a while.

He wasn't working anyway and Jinki was already called a lazy cat by her so he could simply sleep the next day all day. For now he would fill his eyes with her all he wanted.

Her breathing was rhythmic and peaceful but everything changed in a split of a second.

Her hand gripped his shirt on his back and her face twisted in pain.

She was truly having a nightmare and Jinki frowned worried wondering what was hunting her dreams.

She moved her legs against his which probably meant that she was running. Her breathing accelerated and her heart matched that change. She was running and by the way her face was twisting she was scared of whatever was coming after her.

He didn't let go of her even though her legs hit his and she moved on the bed, hitting him with her fist.

Whatever was haunting her dreams it wouldn’t follow her into real world, but if it did, he would be protecting her.

Hyejin moved her hands to her face releasing him completely and ran her fingers on her face with so much agony and force that Jinki had to grab her hands afraid she would hurt herself.

“Hyejin wake up!”

Her eyes opened almost immediately and he saw how they widened when she looked at him.

Blue shining almost inhuman eyes were on her, the same ones she saw on the day she tried to catch the ghost at the palace.

It came for her. After all those years she was sure that that evil creature came for her. Whatever it was she knew deep down that the beast was after her and finally found her and was so close that she had nowhere to run.

A loud scream of fright shook Jinki and she pushed him away from over her with all of her strength before she tried to leave the bed.

Darkness was all around her and she felt as if she was back to that closet, the sound of nails scratching the door for hours wich made her cover her ears and shut her eyes closed, screams of terror coming from her lips without her even noticing.

“Hyejin?” He held her by her shoulders while she cried trying to push him away. “It’s me.”

“The eyes…” She cried “The blues eyes of the ghost…it’s a monster…he came to hurt me.”

.

It was him. It was his stupid body reacting to the amount of energy he gained from their make out section. It was betraying him.

Jinki blinked his eyes a few times and released her trying to control his body, breathing slowly, calling his humanity to take control. If he concentrated he was able to be back to normal. Lately that was happening too much, he probably needed to spend some hours as a tiger to see if that went away.

“Hyejin? It's only me, Jinki.”

He was no monster and he definitely wouldn’t hurt her.

She opened her eyes with fear and seemed to relax which made him thank the gods since his eyes were probably back to normal.

“He was here.” She mumbled moving her eyes around the room searching for signs of that beast’s presence. “The monster was here.”

No, the only one there with her was him.

Distressed Jinki the moon lamp and she seemed to relax almost immediately when she could see him bathed in light, his worried eyes on her.

Hyejin pressed herself against his chest like a scared little girl and he hugged her protectively.

He was the one who made her react like that, who made her heart once again pound crazily, but this time for the wrong reasons. He scared her to death and only with his eyes. Jinki couldn't even imagine what would happen once she saw him turn into a cat and worse, a tiger.

“He isn't here right? It's only us?!” She asked with closed eyes inhaling his familiar scent, feeling safe again and he felt her relax against him.

She trusted him. She trusted Lee Jinki the human. Even though her heartbeat was going back to normal, his wasn't and he hugged her tighter.

“No. There is no monster here, only me.”

How he wished he wasn’t lying to her.

This was faster than it was suposed to.

Im sorry if you are waiting for MAI or CEL. Im working on it ok?! I believe i will post both this weekend.

Anyway, this is a diferent chapter of TF2 and closer to what will become of it from now on. Yup, things will get hot...

I told you Minho was a nice guy...u.u well...

Also we will know more about Jinki slowly and how this whole god thing works.

And the next chapter is already drafted so you probably wont have to wait longer.

Thanks to my beta reader and Tiger Jinki number one fan. She is the reason I updated this fic so soon.