Back to 3^rd person POV

Sunlight flitted through the curtains that fluttered in the gentle morning breeze. Harim slept soundlessly throughout the night, not even tossing it turning once. 

Harim's eyes fluttered open Slowly. Harim stretched in bed, joints cracking from staying still for too long. She grabbed her phone to check the time.

7 am.

She went to the bathroom and took a shower, changing into a hoodie and shorts. She unlocked the top drawer with the key and pulled out the case she kept with the stalk. She headed to the second floor and knocked on Suho’s door.

No response.

Assuming that he was still sleeping; she made her wards the living room and sat down on the sofa before opening the case and taking the stalk out. She plucked out the petal that she had found on the kitchen counter yesterday before blowing on it.

Harim’s POV

A man appeared with fluffy black hair and strong prominent features bowed at me. 

"At your service, master." His calming voice pleased my ears. 

"Just Harim, please. " I smiled. 

"But-"

"What’s your name?” I asked him, unwavering. 

"I don’t have a name, you have- “He said, flustered.

Great, at least he shows emotions. It should be easier to crack him than Suho.

"Can you cook? " I asked hopefully.

Please say yes.

"Yes?" He said, wide-eyed at my non-stop questions.

"That's great! Can you cook breakfast for the three of us?" I clasped my hands together, happy that I don’t have to eat instant noodles for breakfast as well.

"Sure. Who is the three of us referring to?” He asked.

“You, me and her.” Suho appeared from the front door, drying his hair with a towel.

“Good morning, Suho! Where did you go?” I chirped, waving at him.

“Morning, I went for a morning swim.” He smiled and came to a stop next to me. He put his hand on my head and ruffled my hair.

The boy in front of us had his mouth agape.

“Y-you, hyung*, you,” He stuttered, pointing his finger at Suho shakily.

“It’s been a while,” Suho hugged the boy tightly.

“Hyung, that’s not the point, what are you doing? Are you out of your mind?” The boy whispered furiously in Suho’s ear.

“What? How about you introduce yourself to Harim.” Suho said, flashing a smile with a teasing glint in his eyes.

“Hyung, you really are out of your mind,” The boy shook his head, backing away from Suho. He glanced at me and bowed deeply. “I apologize for both of our actions, master. Please have mercy on us.”

“Okay! I will have mercy by punishing you to cook breakfast with me and Suho to dry his hair and get ready for breakfast!” I said merrily, pushing Suho towards the stairs, grabbing the boy by his hand, and pulling him to the kitchen.

“Yes ma’am.” Suho saluted, walking off to the room.

The boy stared blankly at me, following me to the kitchen.

I took an apron and put it on him, tying it at the back for him. I tied my apron and opened the fridge.

“Chef, what’s on the menu today? Order me around as you please, I can’t cook very well but I prepare ingredients well.” I asked, rummaging through the fridge.

“Master, you can take a seat, I can cook by myself.” He said.

“Come on, cooking together is more fun than doing it alone,” I whined, pulling at his arm and swinging it from side to side.

I have practiced this move on my brother hundreds of times, and it works every time. Of course, that is only because my brother dotes on me, but I am sure it will work with this soft-hearted person in front of me. Just from his face, I can tell that he is a gentle person.

“Uh, okay. What do you want to eat” He asked, rubbing the back of his neck, tips of his ears reddening.

I let go of him and took eggs out of the fridge. I spotted the bread sitting on the countertop and took sausages out as well.

“Toast, scrambled eggs, and sausages? I think I bought tomatoes yesterday.” I put them on the counter and dug the fridge for tomatoes.

The boy sprang into action, washing the pans and oiling them. I cracked the eggs into a bowl and beat them till they were well mixed and passed the bowl to him before placing a plate next to him. I made little slits on the sausages so that they would cook well and placed them on a plate for him.

I washed and sliced the tomatoes into thin slices and arranged them nicely on a plate. I went back to the fridge and found a head of iceberg lettuce. I washed pieces of the lettuce and broke them into smaller pieces, adding all of them into a bowl. I looked at the tomatoes and threw them inside the bowl. I didn’t buy cherry tomatoes so normal ones would have to do. I washed an onion and sliced it as well, throwing it inside the bowl. I took out avocados from the fridge and dug the seeds out, slicing them and adding them to the mix.

I set aside the remaining avocados and put bread into the toaster. Once the bread was toasted, I spread the remaining avocado on top. I took three plates and set them on the table. I place two slices of toast on each plate. I drizzled olive oil on the salad as a finishing touch and mixed them lightly. I scooped the salad and distributed it on each plate.

Engrossed in making the food, I forgot about the boy next to me.

“Erm, master? I thought you said you can’t cook?” a soft voice asked.

I turned around and looked at the boy holding a plate of sausages and scrambled eggs. I took the plate from him and divided them into the plates, with two sausages each. Now that’s what I call a meal. I smiled proudly.

“I didn’t cook, I just made avocado toast and salad. Nothing hard about that, you did all the hard work.” I patted him on the shoulder.

The boy silently stared at me. I stared back. We stared at each other for a while until Suho walked in and stared at us.

“Am I interrupting your staring competition?” Suho asked.

“Nope, let’s eat.” I blinked, taking the utensils and passing them to Suho and the boy.

Suho took the utensils and stabbed the sausage, eating.

“Glad to see that your cooking skills never got rusty, “ Suho patted the boy on his .

The poor boy looked shell-shocked.

“Hyung. Are you really, okay? Did you knock your head somewhere?” He asked seriously, eyebrows knitting together.

Suho just laughed, glancing at me. I smiled back, and walked to the boy, taking off his apron along with mine, I hung them on the hook on the wall and grabbed his shoulders, pressing him down to sit on the chair. I used the fork to stab the sausage on his plate and raised it to his mouth, prodding at it. I call this the Suho method. He took a bite, glancing at my face. Satisfied, I grabbed his hand and placed the fork in it before going to my seat and eating. Suho shook his head in amusement, taking another bite.

He chewed slowly, eyes fixed on me.

“So, are you ready to tell me your name now?” I asked.

“How did you make Suho Hyung tell you, his name?” He questioned.

I nudged Suho beside me, signaling him to talk.

“She, uh used some pretty crude words.” Suho cleared his throat as he looked away from me.

“I knew it, all receivers are the same.” The boy deadpanned, light seeming to seep out of his eyes.

“I would say the same things to you. You are in the same situation as Suho and it is a fact, so why can’t I say it.” I shrugged, biting into a piece of toast.

He sighed quietly. “Go ahead then, master, do what receivers do best. Tell me what you said to Suho Hyung.” He said stoically, gripping his fork tightly.

Suho trembled in his seat, trying to stifle his laugh. The boy glanced at Suho, jaw clenched tightly.

“Uh, okay. If you want.” I placed my fork down and looked into the boy’s eyes.

“My dearest Ivise. I wasn’t pregnant with you for nine months and you did not pop out of my so please do not expect me to name you.” I said nicely, folding my arms on the table.

His face flushed red immediately, and he started coughing uncontrollably. Suho could not hold it in any longer and burst out laughing, holding his stomach. I grabbed a bottle of water and opened it for the boy who gulped the water down like it was his lifeline. I waited for him to calm down as I waited for his answer.

“My name is Do Kyung Soo.” He said.

“Nice to meet you, Kyung Soo, My name is Jeon Harim. I look forward to being friends with you!” I put my hand out for him to shake.

Kyung Soo’s POV

I put my hand in hers, shaking it. She is by far the weirdest receiver I have ever met.

I thought back to the events earlier. I felt the familiar pull when I was being summoned.

"At your service, master," I said.

"Just Harim, please. " A soft and pleasant voice filled my ears.

It is a female receiver? That is a first for me. What a ridiculous thing she just said anyway.

"But-" I started.

"What’s your name?” She asked me.

"I don’t have a name, you have- “I said, flustered.

Why is she asking so many questions and not letting me reply?

"Can you cook? " She asked.

"Yes?" I said, wide-eyed at her non-stop questions.

This is the third question within the first minute of meeting her.

"That's great! Can you cook breakfast for the three of us?" She clasped her hands together, staring at me

"Sure. Who are the three of us referring to?” I asked.

There are two more receivers in the house?

“You, me and her.” Suho Hyung appeared from the front door, drying his hair with a towel.

“Good morning, Suho! Where did you go?” She chirped, waving at him.

“Morning, I went for a morning swim.” Hyung smiled and came to a stop next to her. He put his hand on her head and ruffled her hair.

My mouth dropped open. I have not seen Suho Hyung in years and he is already trying to get himself killed. What does he think he is doing, is he tired of living? I should stop him even if the receiver punishes us.

“Y-you, hyung, you,” I stuttered, pointing a finger at Suho shakily.

I am scared. I am very scared but I will not leave my brother to die.

“It’s been a while,” Hyung hugged me tightly.

How I have missed his embrace, but this is not the time for me to feel happy. I need to stop him as soon as possible.

“Hyung, that’s not the point, what are you doing? Are you out of your mind?” I whispered furiously in Suho Hyung’s ear, hoping that the receiver could not hear us.

“What? How about you introduce yourself to Harim.” Suho Hyung said, flashing a smile with a teasing glint in his eyes.

“Hyung, you really are out of your mind,” I shook my head, backing away from Suho. I glanced at the receiver and bowed deeply. “I apologize for both of our actions, master. Please have mercy on us.”

“Okay! I will have mercy by punishing you to cook breakfast with me and Suho to dry his hair and get ready for breakfast!” She said merrily, pushing Suho towards the stairs and grabbing me by my hand, pulling me to the kitchen.

“Yes ma’am.” Suho Hyung saluted, walking off to the room.

I stared blankly at her, following her to the kitchen.

She took an apron and tied it at the back for me. She tied her apron and opened the fridge.

“Chef, what’s on the menu today? Order me around as you please, I can’t cook very well but I prepare ingredients well.” She asked, rummaging through the fridge.

I see this receiver is out of her mind as well. Why is she acting like that?

“Master, you can take a seat, I can cook by myself,” I said.

I am not going to try anything stupid. Unlike Suho Hyung, I value my life.

“Come on, cooking together is more fun than doing it alone.” She whined, pulling at my arm and swinging it from side to side.

Wow. This is new. I never thought that I would think that my receiver would be cute. My previous receivers were all men.

“Uh, okay. What do you want to eat” I asked, rubbing the back of his neck, the tips of my ears reddening.

How do I react?

“Toast, scrambled eggs, and sausages? I think I bought tomatoes yesterday.” She put the ingredients on the counter and opened the fridge again.

I sprang into action, washing the pans and oiling them. She cracked the eggs into a bowl, beat them till they were well mixed, and passed the bowl to me before placing a plate next to me. She made little slits on the sausages and placed them on a plate for me.

Engrossed in making the food, she did not pay attention to me as she made avocado toast and salad spontaneously. She said she can’t cook.

“Erm, master? I thought you said you can’t cook?” I asked her softly.

I held a plate of sausages and scrambled eggs and was about to put it on the table when she took the plate from me and divided them onto the plates, with two sausages each. She has already plated the food she made. She is speedy and is a whizz in the kitchen and she says she can’t cook. Maybe she will change her mind if she ever meets Kai.

“I didn’t cook, I just made avocado toast and salad. Nothing hard about that, you did all the hard work.” She patted me on the shoulder.

I silently stared at her. She stared back. We stared at each other for a while until Suho Hyung walked in and stared at us.

“Am I interrupting your staring competition?” He asked.

“Nope, let’s eat.” She blinked, taking the utensils, and passing them to me and Suho.

Suho Hyung took the utensils and stabbed the sausage, eating. By now, I am fully convinced that Hyung is crazy. Did she ask him to act that way? No way, which receiver would treat protectors like us normally?

“Glad to see that your cooking skills never got rusty, “ Suho patted me on my .

“Hyung. Are you really, okay? Did you knock your head somewhere?” I asked seriously, eyebrows knitting together.

There was no explanation for his behaviour.

Suho Hyung just laughed, glancing at her. She smiled back, and walked to me, taking off my apron along with hers, and hung them on the hook on the wall.

 She grabbed my shoulders, pressing me down to sit on the chair. She used the fork to stab the sausage on my plate and raised it to my mouth, prodding at it. I took a bite, glancing at her face. Then, she grabbed my hand and placed the fork in it before going to her seat and eating.

I chewed slowly, eyes fixed on her. Why would she care if I ate or not? She is not punishing Suho Hyung for eating before her? She gave us a lot of food; she didn’t starve us.

“So, are you ready to tell me your name now?” She asked.

“How did you make Suho Hyung tell you, his name?” I questioned.

The Suho Hyung I knew was a rational and level-headed guy. To protect our younger brothers, he and the other Hyungs are the ones who would do everything the receivers asked and receive punishment on our behalf. She nudged Suho Hyung beside her.

“She, uh used some pretty crude words.” Suho Hyung cleared his throat as he looked away.

“I knew it, all receivers are the same.” I deadpanned.

Any hope I had was crushed. She was the same as everyone else. I guess we are not even worth her thinking of a name to name us. Is she the type that likes to hurl insults at our faces?

“I would say the same things to you. You are in the same situation as Suho and it's a fact, so why can’t I say it.” She shrugged, biting into a piece of toast.

So, she is…what was I ever hoping for?

I sighed quietly. “Go ahead then, master, do what receivers do best. Tell me what you said to Suho Hyung.” I said stoically, gripping my fork tightly.

Suho Hyung trembled in his seat, shaking from fear. I glanced at Suho, jaw clenched tightly. What could she have said to make Hyung so scared? I hope she didn’t hurt him in any way.

“Uh, okay. If you want.” She placed her fork down and looked into my eyes.

“My dearest Ivise. I wasn’t pregnant with you for nine months and you did not pop out of my so please do not expect me to name you.” She said nicely, folding her arms on the table.

My face flushed red immediately, and I started coughing uncontrollably. Suho Hyung burst out laughing, holding his stomach. She grabbed a bottle of water and opened it for me and I chugged the water down to calm myself down.

What did she just say? So that was the crude words Hyung was referring to.

“My name is Do Kyung Soo.” I said. I thought about what she said and she made sense.

“Nice to meet you, Kyung Soo, My name is Jeon Harim. I look forward to being friends with you!” She put her hand out for me to shake.

I am going to have a blast having her as my receiver, that’s for sure.

Harim’s POV

Kyung Soo’s lips curled into a small smile and continued eating. After breakfast, Suho volunteered to watch the dishes and I pulled Kyung Soo to the front lawn with me.

"Kyung Soo," I called his name, letting it roll off my tongue.

"Yes?” He replied.

"Can you show me your powers? I am new to this world so I don’t know how to give orders about powers or anything so please kindly enlighten me.” I said.

He looked around and fixated his gaze on a flowerpot next to the front door. It currently has a tiny seedling growing out of it. He touched the leaves of the seedling and it immediately sprouted into a blood-red rose. I reached out to touch it and I got pricked, just like how I first found my stalk.

“Miss, are you okay?” He asked, looking at my finger.

“Calling me Miss sounds a little distant, don’t you think?” I the blood away from the tip of my finger.

“Give me some time to adjust. I promise it will not take too long.” He said sincerely, smiling at me.

“Take your time, as long as you don’t call me master.” I grinned at him, touching the rose petals.

“So, your power is over plants?” I asked.

“No. It's over nature. Like just now, I can interact with nature such as the soil, plants, trees, vines, and roots.” He explained, and vines shot up from the ground and intertwined with my legs, keeping me in place.

“Oh, wow!” I pulled at the vines. They are sturdy. The vines disappeared, freeing me. 

Kyung Soo smiled without a word. It seems that he still has his doubts about me. I sat on the bench that Suho and I sat on yesterday and patted the seat next to me. He sat down next to me and stared into the distance. 

“I know you don’t trust me yet. I cannot fathom the amount of hardships and torture you went through before me but I promise that those will not happen with me. If you get hurt, I am getting hurt together. If I slap you, I will slap myself back harder.” I told him earnestly, hoping to convey my message.

He stared at me; distrust written all over his face. I sighed. Here goes nothing. I raised my hand, slapping him gently in the face. His face barely even tilted to the side when he turned back to look at me. I raised my hand and slapped myself across the face as hard as I could, my head snapping to the side with my hair sprawled across my face.

Wow, I am stronger than I thought. That stung.

A cool hand grabbed my wrist.

“What are you doing? I thought Suho Hyung was crazy, but you were the crazier one.” He spluttered frantically, taking my face in his hand, and turning it to the right side where I slapped myself.

Kyung Soo’s POV

“I know you don’t trust me yet. I cannot fathom the amount of hardships and torture you went through before me but I promise that those will not happen with me. If you get hurt, I am getting hurt together. If I slap you, I will slap myself back harder.” She told me firmly. 

It is not that I don't want to trust her, it is just that my trust has been taken advantage of when I decided to trust the wrong people in the past. I don't want to be hurt anymore

She sighed and raised her hand, slapping me gently in the face. My face barely even tilted to the side when I turned back to look at her.

Is that what she called a slap? It felt like she brushed a feather across my face. 

She raised her hand and slapped herself across the face, her head snapping to the side with her hair sprawled across her face.

What the actual did she just do? Did she just seriously slap herself? 

Her right cheek was red from her slap, and a slight imprint of her hand could be seen on her face. . I pulled her up from the bench by the wrist and scrambled through the front door.

, I hope her face doesn't bruise. If only Lay Hyung or Xiumin Hyung was here... 

“Hyung! Suho hyung!” I called out for him, hoping that he could help.

Suho Hyung looked up from the book he was reading in the living room. He glanced at us, and his eyes widened.

“What happened?” He clenched his jaw. “Did you slap her?”

“I slapped myself to prove my point. That’s it. Don’t blame the innocent.” Harim said, crossing her arms.  

Sighing, Suho Hyung went to the fridge and grabbed an ice pack, pressing it to her cheek.

Stunned, I just stood there, holding her wrist. Did Hyung just- 

“Sorry, Kyung Soo, I didn’t think she would be stupid enough to slap herself.” Suho Hyung rubbed his temples, apologizing to me.

“I didn’t think so too,” I said, quietly.

I glanced at the girl wincing in pain next to me.

“I believe you, Harim. Please don’t do that again before you leave a bruise on yourself.” I grabbed the ice pack from her, compressing her face for her.

“Since you think that me being different from other receivers is ridiculous, I just had to prove you wrong using ridiculous methods as well. “She said, smiling.

“See! You are calling me by my name!” She said excitedly, swinging her arm that I was holding.

Suho Hyung and I sighed collectively. We have a crazy receiver on our hands.

____

Lux's dictionary 

Korean:

*Hyung: how a younger male addresses a close older male friend, or how they address their older brothers and older male cousins.

____

A/N 

So my previous OC, Jaeyoung was a whiny lil who honestly kinda acts like a pick-me girl, quirky and one of the boys...so I decided to make my new OC Harim, someone who is doted on by her family and a crazy person cause why not. How many of you will slap yourself to prove your point? 

- lux