Chapter 14

"THREE?!"

Her members' shocked reaction was expected by Jihyo. After all, she made the same reaction when Tiffany told her that three members in her group are having the higher chance of turning into a berserk Anihuman. She sighed, further burrowing herself into the couch. The Anihumans are now currently at Yongsun's house.

The oldest keeper is having an overtime today, and she had made herself clear that she won't be home until ten. The Anihumans are having the house to themselves. Knowing that, Jihyo immediately called her members to have a meeting after Tiffany's sudden visit.

"Did Tiffany-sunbaenim told you who?" Nayeon carefully asks. She rests her palm on Jihyo's knee, rubbing her softly.

Jihyo shook her head. "No, she didn't. She just told us to be careful and to keep an eye on each other, for now."

The atmosphere grew tense. Tiffany's vague statement didn't help. How are they supposed to 'keep an eye for each other' if they don't even know who needs to be watched closer than the other?

"I think," Jeongyeon speaks up. "She deliberately didn't tell so we shoulder the same burden, the same awareness. If she told who is who, doesn't that will the suspected ones getting even more stressed? That's not good and in fact, that would only make them more in risk of turning into one."

"I agree with Jeongyeon-unnie," Tzuyu chirped. "After all, those are just speculation, right? Until now, there are no definite symptoms of a berserk Anihuman transformation. Just play it cool. Hope for the best but be prepared for the worst."

The other eight nodded. Sana turned to Jihyo. "Okay, then, that's settled. Anything else she told you, Ji?"

The red-haired girl thinks for a while, recalling and sorting out her conversation with Tiffany a few hours ago. She finally speaks after a while. "Aside from that, she told me that the examination will be held tomorrow afternoon. Sooyoung-unnie will come at 2.30 pm and we're expected to assemble at 3 pm sharp."

"Wow, that's fast," Momo mumbled. "You'd thought they'll give us more time to prepare."

"Yeah, and by the way, 'unnie'? Ji, are you sure you just called Sooyoung-sunbaenim as 'unnie'?" Nayeon inquires.

"Oh, that, too. Tiffany-unnie asked us to call them 'unnie' because they're uncomfortable to be called 'sunbaenim'," Jihyo cocked her head to Mina. "She said that Hyoyeon had said this earlier to Mina. Did she?"

The penguin nodded in confirmation. "Yes. I've called her that for a few times but I don't know whether to expand this to the other sunbaenims. Or to tell you. So if Tiffany-sun... unnie asked us to do so, let's just comply to their request."

"Sure enough," Dahyun slumped to the couch. "Is it all, Jihyo-unnie?"

The bat-girl fell silent for a few moments. "It's... I'm a bit bothered by this, but Tiffany-unnie said that we shouldn't tell our unnie that we're having the exam tomorrow."

Dahyun quirks her eyebrows at that, a gesture followed by the other seven Anihumans. "Why is that?"

Jihyo shook her head. "I don't know. She didn't explain further. That was the last thing she said before she left."

"Strange," Chaeyoung rubbed her chin. "But you made sure that they won't take another part in this exam, right?"

"Well, she said they won't. But just to be prepared, don't expect too much on her words," Jihyo sighed. "Well, I guess. That's all. It's nearly nightfall, you guys should head home and prepare for tomorrow."

After bidding her members goodbye, Jihyo flopped down on her bed in exhaustion. She recalled her meeting with Tiffany earlier. She's still a bit ashamed that she couldn't answer Tiffany's first question even until the ruler left.

What would you do if one of your members turned out to be a berserk Anihuman?

Jihyo grunted. She didn't tell her members that Tiffany gave her that question. Aside from the non-existent answer, Jihyo didn't want her members to be stressed. The possibility of becoming a berserk Anihuman is severe enough, they didn't need to think of what would they do if one of them actually turned into one.

"Jihyo?" Mina peeked from the door, frowning when she found her teammate's laying face down on the bed. "You okay?"

"Fine, just overthinking things."

Dahyun copied Mina's action, peeking into their shared room under the penguin's taller frame. "You should stop that. You'll be old faster if you overthink. Like Chewy."

"Don't compare me to that Yoda. She's 50 mentally."

"And you're 45. Not that much different," Dahyun said before flopping beside Jihyo. She laid her arms on top of the older girl, much to Jihyo's dismay. "C'mon. You can tell us. I'll listen while Mina-unnie will think of the way out."

"Yeah, whatever, Dubu," Jihyo rolled her eyes, pulling the younger girl into a headlock. "I'm only thinking about the exam tomorrow. What would our exam be?"

"Well, one thing I know is that they'll evaluate if we're good enough to become an adult Anihuman," Mina said softly, sitting on her single bed near the closet. "What do you think our ranks and forms will be?"

"JIHYO WOULD BE THOMAS!!"

Dahyun's loud exclamation earned her a smack from Jihyo. She didn't mind, though, because the hamster hollered in laughter to the point of nearly falling down from the bed. She only stopped when Jihyo pulled her by the collar and effectively choking her.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm just kidding!" the younger girl shrieked, trying to keep Jihyo from straight up murdering her.

Dahyun coughed. "On a more serious note, though. Ji, I think you will be a Special."

"And you," she points to Mina. "Will be a Special too."

Mina tilted her head. "I doubt that. You know I'm actually really weak in our fight training, right?"

"Yeah, but you're smart. That made up for the weakness," Dahyun nodded her head, more to herself than to Mina. "I think at least one of us will be a Common. I mean, even Sunny-sun... Sunny-unnie is a Common, right? Maybe I will be a Common and that will make me special between all the Specials."

"You wished," Jihyo sneered.

The youngest of the three pouted. "It's not wrong to have a wish. You gloomy people should have a wish, too!"

"Do you think any of us will be a Legend?" Mina muses out loud.

Jihyo joined her thinking. "Probably Tzuyu. She's a genius and a very strong Anihuman."

"Or Nayeon-unnie. Behind all those fake maknae facades, she's hella wise," Dahyun proposed. "She'll be that kind of a sage if she's truly a Legend."

Jihyo and Mina agreed silently. A few moments of silence as the three of them fell deep into their own thought. Dahyun's the first to break the tranquility by clearing . "Well, we still won't know for sure, though. Hell, even if Mina-unnie's been a penguin all her life, there's more possibility of you growing up into a giraffe rather than a.. let's say, an emperor penguin?"

"True that," Jihyo nodded. "Let's not speculate else we'll be stressed. You said it yourself Dubu, we'll grow older faster if we overthink. We should rest and be prepared."

Mina smiled. "You guys should sleep earlier, you've been working all day. I'll wait for Yongsun-unnie to come home first."

"Okie dokie, Minari!"

###

The next day, as promised by Tiffany, Sooyoung showed up at the human world at 2.30 o'clock. She idly strolls around the city park, wasting half an hour eating ice creams and other snacks while listening to the sound of nature. The short-haired woman was just enjoying her food when an ensemble of young Anihumans approached her.

"Hi," Sooyoung lifts her head from the food on her lap, greeting her dongsaengs. "I was just about to go to Yongsun-sshi's house. Guess you girls are faster than me, ne?"

Nayeon smiled. "We felt your presence since half an hour ago. It took us fifteen minutes to assemble and another fifteen minutes to pinpoint your location."

Sooyoung whistled. "Fifteen minutes? That's impressive for a juvenile Anihuman! Well, then. Without further ado, you girls ready?"

"We're not allowed to say no, right?" Jeongyeon teased.

The older Anihuman laughed. "Nope! You're not. Okay, let's go!"

In a split second, the scenery of the city park blurred. Just like their first visit, the environment changed into the grand interior of the Soshi team's castle. Sooyoung bowed curtly, grinning and made way to the other six Soshi members standing near the throne.

"Welcome back to our region, young ones."

As usual, Tiffany's sitting gracefully on her throne, eyes alert as she welcomed the younger Anihumans.

"I'm sure Jihyo had told you about today's examination, no?" she asked, smiling warmly. "Have you girls prepare yourself?"

"Yes, we have, unnie," Jihyo bowed. Tiffany's smile grew wider as she noticed Jihyo's way of addressing her.

"Good! Well, before the examination start, I'll explain a few things regarding the second test. According to your faces, you must have at least an idea of what the examination will be, ne?" Tiffany asked again in which the younger girls answered by nodding.

"Perfect! That would mean that I don't have to explain too much," she giggled, hiding her smile behind her arm. "So, I've nudged this topic when I chatted with Jihyo yesterday. Our second examination will be our way as ruler to judge if you're ready to become an adult Anihuman, and in extension, a ruler, or not. This second exam won't be as physically demanding as the last exam, but this exam will certainly test your mental ability."

The ruler leaned herself to the throne. "Being a ruler is not simply by becoming strong enough. You're also needed to be smart, to be wise, and to be reliable to the people around you. Moreover, you need a stable mentality to prevent yourself in acting by emotions. This inner power also helps in preventing yourself to become a berserk Anihuman."

She closes her eyes, exhaling heavily. "Though, regretfully, we've realized that no Anihuman is completely free from the possibility of becoming a berserker. And I've told Jihyo beforehand, which I'm sure she'd relayed to you, that there are three people here that have the higher chance of being a berserker. I've chosen not to tell you the names because everything is simply a 'possibility'. For you to make it or break it is fully up to you."

When Tiffany fell silent, Sunny took a step forward. "The goal of this examination is for the nine of you to prove your mentality to us. The exam itself is really easy. You just need to prove to us if you're able to do a necessary evil to obtain a certain goal."

At Sunny's words, the younger Anihumans were all taken aback.

"Excuse me, may I ask something?" Chaeyoung raised her hand. "A necessary evil?"

"Yeah, a necessary evil," Sunny chuckled. "Oh, wait. I think I chose the most questionable word there are. What I meant, is whether you're brave enough to make a sacrifice in exchange of something greater."

"One example is," Yoona suddenly butted in while grinning. "You wanted to buy a bag you desperately need, but you don't have enough money. So you have to give up your daily snacks to be able to save up and buy the bag. That's such a hard decision, no?"

Seohyun rolled her eyes. "Of course it's hard for you. All you think about is food."

"I'm not a shiksin for nothing, Seobaby," Yoona teased, poking the younger woman playfully. "Oh, no, seriously, that's just an example. This examination just took this whole 'sacrificing things' into a new level."

Hyoyeon snickered. "You sound like a lame emcee saying things like that."

"Oh, shut up! I'm just trying to build the suspense here!"

"There's no need to build a 'suspense', Yoong," Tiffany giggled. "It's not like this exam will be hard. You girls hear me? Just make the right decision and you'll pass with flying color. You understand?"

"Yes, unnie," the younger Anihumans all answered in a chorus.

Tiffany clapped her hand. "Perfect! So now, hear me closely. To pass the test, I just need you to do one, easy peasy thing."

Jihyo and friends unconsciously tilted their head in a precise formation. Hyoyeon almost snorted.

"Kill your keepers. And you'll be granted the chance to continue to the next exam."

Silence.

Someone blinked.

A crow cawed in the distance.

"Eh?" Momo's the first to open . "I'm sorry I think I'm having trouble with my ears. Care to elaborate?"

"Do I need to repeat myself?" Tiffany asks, smiling her not-so-warm-now smile. "Kill your keepers, and you'll pass. Easy, right?"

"NO!" Jihyo shouted. Her eyes staring straight to Tiffany in a challenging manner. "Are you out of your mind? Killing our keepers? Yongsun-unnie?!"

Tiffany nod. "Of course. Who else? I'm not your keeper so you shouldn't kill me," she said while giggling.

"You're crazy if you think we'll do that," Tzuyu spat.

"I'll never hurt Yongsun-unnie, let alone killing her," Dahyun followed, eyes flared in anger.

Mina and Nayeon were silent, but both of them are balling their fists.

"You psychopathic Anihuman," Sana murmured darkly.

"Whaaat??" Tiffany put her hand on her heart. "You hurt me, Sana-ah. I'm not a psychopath."

"What kinda person would kill their keeper unless they're a psycho, huh?!" Jeongyeon exclaimed loudly, teeth bared in a snarl. "You crazy bastards! Not in a million years I would hurt Byulyi-unnie!"

"Oh, really?" Sooyoung smiled cockily. "But this is your only way to pass the test, right, Fany-ah? Don't you want to become a perfect, adult Anihuman, eh, girls?"

"I would rather die than laying a hurting hand on Hyejin-unnie," Chaeyoung growled.

Seohyun raised her eyebrows. "You think so? What about you, Hirai?"

All attention instantly focused on Momo. The raccoon girl was standing still, face blank. She lifts her head stiffly when she heard Seohyun addressing her.

"The transformation to a perfect Anihuman will heal your every wound," Seohyun said calmly. She even dared to send a smile to the girl. "Aren't you're tired of being crippled? Having your freedom robbed away from you because of these scars? Isn't your own life matter more than that human's life? Am I right, Hirai-san?"

When Momo failed to answer right away, Jeongyeon strode to her keeper-mate and pulled her collar roughly. "Hirai Momo I swear to God if you even considering to hurt Byulyi-unnie–"

"You better let me go before I wreck my on you."

Momo glowered. Her different colored eyes are cold, devoid of any emotions. Her healthy arm pried Jeongyeon's fist from her collar. She then turned, staring straight at Seohyun. "And you, . So very low of you to address my disability like that. I'm proud to wear these scars. It's a prove that I'm a noble person, unlike any of you who stoop low to mock a person's inadequacy to sate your own twisted desires. I'm leaving. And if any of you think that I would have even half the heart to murder my own sister, cross my heart that you'll be the one I chase down for the rest of my life."

With that, the raccoon her heels and walked away. The other younger Anihumans followed her. Nayeon was the last, as she bowed deeply to the Soshi team.

"If this is what it takes to become a ruler, we as a group have decided that we would rather fail," she spoke quietly. "Thank you for your guidance up until now."

"Why, aren't you're so polite," Tiffany smirked. "Trust me. You'll come back to us. You need your adult status. We'll give you three days to fulfill the job."

Nayeon stood up straight. "Goodbye."

As the nine younger Anihumans disappeared into the gate made by Momo, Tiffany rested her chin on her palm. "Aren't they're so very interesting."

Seohyun stepped closer to her leader, "You think they'll return, unnie?"

"Of course, it's not like we don't go through this test, long time ago," Tiffany her lip. "They'll understand that it was –quoting Sunny– a necessary evil."

"And they'll return back to us before they even realize it," Sooyoung chimed in, munching on her snack lazily. "We just have to be patient, and wait."

Hyoyeon grinned. "Yeah, sure."

"Besides, it's not like it would take them long."

To be continued...