Grandma and Su Ji went to see Mrs Choi that evening. Su Ji's stomach twisted unpleasantly when she saw the bandages around the old lady's arms, and she knew there were so many more bandages that she couldn't see, around her body. Her face had a deep gash across the left side, and by some luck, it had narrowly avoided her eye.

"Ah, you both came?" she said. Her voice was a bit too low-pitched, a bit too calm for someone who had been nearly killed in their own house.

"Are you sure you should be living alone?" Grandma frowned, and they stepped inside.

"I won't be," said Mrs Choi. "My sister Aera, and Jimin are staying with me."

Jimin?!

Su Ji tried to control her expression, but Mrs Choi noticed – she glanced at her quickly and then avoided her eyes.

How could Jimin stay here? How could Mrs Choi bear to have him here after what he had done to her? Su Ji couldn't understand, and felt a surge of anger towards Mrs Choi – she wasn't telling anyone about Jimin, so, in a way, she was shielding him. Well, he was her son after all...

The place had been tidied up, Su Ji remarked – all the books were put away neatly in shelves or in boxes.

"That's good," said Grandma. "I had been planning to come over frequently if you were alone."

"No need, but thank you." Mrs Choi slowly lowered herself onto one of the armchairs, wincing. Grandma helped her, and she nodded in thanks. "I'm afraid I'm not a very good hostess, am I? There is nothing to eat in this house – Aera is buying groceries with Jimin, the shop was closed yesterday beause the owner is sick."

"Would you like me get you something to eat?" asked Grandma.

"Ah, thank you, but I ate before I got discharged."

Grandma nodded, and took a seat. Just as Su Ji was wondering whether she could go now – the place gave her a bad feeling – the door opened and a middle-aged woman entered, carrying a large bag. Jimin was close behind her, and when Su Ji saw him, she decided not to go – no way was she going to leave Grandma here. Yoongi and Namjoon were watching, though, so she wasn't too worried. If Jimin tried something they would be in here right away.

Jimin excused himself quickly and went upstairs, and Su Ji went to the kitchen to help Aera put away groceries.

"Thank you," said Aera. There was something cautious about her tone.

"You're welcome," said Su Ji, opening the fridge and putting the vegetables inside.

"It must have been a shock," said Su Ji, after a few minutes of silence. "I mean, there were quite a few attacks, and one of them was your sister..."

"Oh god, it was...." Aera nodded, her forehead creasing into lines of worry. "And to think that my Jimin was in here when it happened...." She shuddered. "I'm so grateful nothing happened to him."

Was she acting? Su Ji couldn't tell. But she must be – how could she live so long with Jimin and not know what he was?

"He was terrified," she continued. "He's lost so much weight, and he can't sleep, and living in this house is stressing him out more. Mi Ho – my sister – is so stubborn, she refuses to leave this house!" Aera sighed. "I'm sorry, I don't know why I'm telling you all this..."

"You must be very stressed," said Su Ji gently – that, she was sure, was not an act. "It's all right – things will settle down, eventually."

Aera nodded. "Yes... yes, you're right... everything will be ok." It sounded as though she were saying it to convince herself.

****

Hoseok stood in front of Aanchal's house – he could see the light coming from the windows, and knew the family must all be together right now. He couldn't stand to wait until the next day to see her, so he had caught the bus to come here. He pressed on Aanchal's number, and she replied after ten rings. "Hobie?"

"Come outside," he said.

"Huh? Are you here?"

"Yeah, so come."

"Did you read my letter?"

"That's why I'm here."

"Hold on." She cut the connection and after just ten seconds, Hoseok could see a girl with long hair burst out the door and fly down the path. She stood, panting, in front of him. "Did you see it?"

He nodded. "I did...."

"And?"

"I'm just..." All the things he had been planning on saying, all the things he wanted to say... they disappeared. He couldn't find them anymore.

"I meant every single word in it," she said.

"I know."

She smiled, her dimples appearing. "I'm glad... for a while, I worried how you would react to it, I-"

Hoseok leaned in and kissed her dimples. He couldn't help it – perhaps what he failed to express in words, he could express in another way.

"Thank you," he said, and kissed her dimples again before resting his forehead against hers.

"You remember that part of the letter clearly, don't you?" she whispered teasingly.

He nodded and brushed his nose against hers. "Yes, and about how my nose nuzzles into your cheek. I remember every single word you wrote – I remember how you thanked me just for being me."

"I meant it," she whispered, all hints of teasing gone. "There is not one little thing I would change about you, Hobie. Thank you for being you."

Thank you for being you.

Thank you for being you.

Thank you for being you.

Her words repeated in his mind, over and over again, like a beautiful song on replay.

Thank you for being you.

Not I wish you were different. I wish you weren't you. I wish you were more like someone else.

Hoseok felt his eyes sting and the back of his nose start to fizz – no, he couldn't cry! This was such a happy time, this was perhaps the most beautiful day of his entire life.

A finger gently wiped away the tear that glistened in the corner of his eye, just before it spilled.

"I love you," he said.

She parted her lips to say something, but instead, she changed her mind and brought her face to meet his. They had kissed thousands of times before, yet this one felt different. Hoseok couldn't quite put his finger on it, but it was defintely different, and in a good way.

It felt more... more intimate, for some reason...

Thank you for being you, Aanchal, he said wordlessly. If she could accept him for who he was, then he didn't want to be someone else that wasn't him – he was ok with being him. No, he was more than ok being him – he had flaws, but like she said, didn't everyone? He had extreme difficulties, but sometimes when one path is barred for you, it is merely pointing you to another path – the right path for you.

Hoseok's path did not lie in academics, it lied in something else. He didn't know what, yet, but when the time came, he would find it. He would find it and it would lead him towards the right kind of happiness for him.

There is not a single person in this world who is not good at something, there is not a single person in this world who is worthless or useless. You might not be able to see it right now, but one day you will. You have all been born a human, and every single one of you is worthy.

Sometimes, people have to be shown that they are worth loving. Aanchal showed Hoseok that he was worth loving, and he, in turn, was showing her the same.

****

Yoongi had the evening watch – after the tutor group, he would take Namjoon's place and return to Su Ji around midnight. Namjoon stayed with Su Ji until then, and they sat in the living room, studying. Su Ji thought her head would burst with all the information that was being stuffed into it, but the exams were coming closer and closer. That single assessment would determine their future – depending on their marks, they would be able to go to a good college and get a good job. It was crucial to get good grades.

Yoongi studied at school and at Hoseok's house. Sometimes, he even studied when he was on watch – Jimin didn't do anything besides go to school and come home, he stayed shut up in his room all day. Yoongi could smell him there all the time.

"This is frustrating," said Namjoon, after a week had gone by. "Do you think Jimin knows we're on to him?"

"Maybe," said Yoongi. "But the good thing is, there haven't been any more attacks, but that might be because he knows he's being watched."

Another week went by. Then another. Hoseok and Yoongi were talking now – they sat next to each other since Namjoon wasn't there anymore, and actually passed each other snacks. They even started joking and ganged up to tease Su Ji and Aanchal more than once. Namjoon's absence had caused a bit of worry, though – Aanchal kept wondering whether it was because he had felt too uncomfortable with them after the teasing, and though she asked Su Ji countless times and received the answer that he was too busy to come now, she didn't feel fully reassured, somehow.

That week was when Namjoon wondered whether their suspicions of Jimin were right – Jimin seemed perfectly human. He got along well with his friends, especially with Jin and V. He sought social company, whereas most wolves shunned human company.

There was another reason why Namjoon was so determi