"I'm a Protector," said Namjoon. "I kill wolves."
"So, what are you, a vampire then?" scoffed Su Ji. "Yeah, since we have a werewolf already, you must be the vampire."
"You are so cliche," he said. "It's quite pathetic to be honest. What is this, Twilight?"

"I don't know!" she yelled. "Just yesterday I didn't think werewoles existed then BAM! It bit me! So why can't you be a vampire? You kill wolves and you... you're so pale and you're always so cold and-"
"First off," cut in Namjoon. "It's wolf, not werewolf. He can transform any time he wants to, and those silly human stories about werewolves are complete fiction. And I am not a vampire."
"I'm guessing you're not human though," she said recklessly. "So, what kind of... mythical creature are you?"
He gave a wry smile. "I'm afraid you don't want to know that."
"I do." She nodded frantically. "I do want to know. Hell, I got bitten by a wolf so – wait!" she cried, struck by a very disturbing thought. "I won't turn into a wolf right? Because I got bitten by one! So will I?"
"That bite means something else," said Namjoon. "And no, you will stay human."
"Oh, thank God," said Su Ji. "But wait, we were talking about what you are – I bet you're a vampire but-"
"There is no exact name for what I am," interrupted Namjoon. "I... Creatures like me are simply known as Protectors."
"But you can't be a human, like, c'mon!"

"No, we are not really human... "
Su Ji took two wide steps away from him. "But you look like one... are you some kind of zombie or something?"
Namjoon rolled his eyes, trying not to show that he felt insulted. "Do I look like a zombie to you? This body I have now, is merely my host -it isn't me. I am not connected to it."
"Why are your hands always so cold?" she asked.

"I cannot feel the cold," he said softly. "And I cannot feel warmth. In fact, I cannot feel anything. Just... emptiness."

"What about emotions?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Anger... sadness... fear... frustration... I can feel those."
"What about happiness?"

The corner of his mouth lifted. "We do not feel emotions like that."
Su Ji's mouth fell open. "But... then how come you can feel all the negative emotions? How come you can't feel the positive ones? It's not fair!"
"That's just the way things are!" he said sharply.

"Are you sure there isn't a name for what you are?"
"Yes. I'm sure. Now let's get out of here."

"So you're here to pootect everyone from Yoongi?" she asked. "Cool! How do you do that? Do you have these special weapons or something? And what do you do to the wolves, though?"
"Su Ji," he said. "I kill them."
"You... kill people?" she whispered, her stomach dropping. Suddenly this did not soound so good after all...

"They are not people, remember that. They are animals. Trust me, the world is better off without them."
"Are there many wolves?" asked Su Ji.

"No. They've been dying out for... the last century or so."
"Why?"
"They were being eliminated – they got too out of hand and it just wasn't safe to have them around."
"So... you killed them all?"
He nodded, avoiding her eye. "They are almost extinct, yes."
"Then..." she whispered, her heart growing heavier. "Yoongi is all alone."

****

Hoseok had gotten tutoring before. It had never ended well. His parents had not told any of them that he had learning disabilities and they grew frustrated with him, insulting him and making him even more anxious. "You idiot, what goes into that brain of yours, huh? Your head isn't there for decoration!" Then, they would storm out, before 'politely explaining' to his parents that he needed special attention.

Special attention... what did that even mean? Was it attention given to people who weren't like others? Why would anyone call it special though? Special made him think of something – or someone – he liked a lot. It made him think of the cakes his mother used to bake him for his birthday – come to think of it, she hadn't baked him a cake for years now...

"Jung Hosoek!" His mother cried from the bottom of the stairs. "Come down now! Aanchal is here!"

Swallowing nervoulsy, Hoseok got up and went downstairs.

A girl was sitting in one of the armchairs, chatting animatedly with his mother, who laughed. She spotted him standing in the corner and smiled. It lit up her entire face – it lit up the entire room. It was just so genuine, there wasn't a trace of fakeness in it and he counted three dimples. He had never seen curly hair before – was it natural? It looked natural.. it fell about her face in soft ringlets.

"Hello!" she said. Her voice was bright and cheerful. She stood up and held out her hand to him. "I'm Aanchal! I'm here to tutor you – but you must already know that, right? Anyway, we're the same age so let's speak comfortably."

He nodded and shook her hand. "I'm Hoseok – but you can call me J-Hope! I'm your eternal hope!"

She laughed and he felt like the funniest person in the world.

"Shall we get started?" she said.

"Sure, my room is upstairs."
Aanchal said goodbye to Mrs Jung and followed Hoseok up the stairs.

"Whoa, nice room!" she said, when they stepped inside.

"Um, thanks?" he said. Was it a nice room?

"Oh, and your desk is neat!" she said, flopping down on the wheelie chair and spinning around. "And I love thses chairs!"
"I love them too!" cried Hoseok.

She stopped spinning and grinned. "Get another chair and let's get started."

Hoseok brought over the other chair, and Aanchal pulled out a notebook and flipped it open to a blank page.

"First of all," she said. "We'll make a plan for you. Show me your syllabus and help me out, ok? I can't make the plan all by m