LE POV

I sighed as I walked out from the company where I work as a music producer. Everywhere I went, people avoided me like the plague. I don't mind. This is something that happens every day, something almost all predator Hybrids, and sometimes even the prey Hybrids, are used to.

That's right. I'm a Hybrid. Specifically, I'm a fox Hybrid. A few years ago, before I was born, there was an infection which caused some infants to be born with animal traits. I was one of those infants. In the whole of South Korea, only Seoul legally allowed Hybrids to stay, and so we co-exist with the humans here. Not in peace, but not so much in violence either. We simply live and work together. That's all. Nothing more. Nothing less.

My parents, 2 humans, were happy about my birth, regardless of my Hybrid status, and loved me as much as my human younger brother. For us Hybrids, we are different in terms of how many animal traits we were born with. I was born with a set of fox ears on top of my head, and a soft bushy tail. I also have fangs, though I don't have a snout, and my nails, which I take good care of, tend to grow a little sharp like claws. Although, there have been times when my parents said I have pretty fox like features even without my physical fox appendages. To be honest, I'm kinda proud of that.

Some of the people I know are Hybrids. Likewise, I have friends who are human too. The company I work at is actually quite open minded, and makes sure to hire both Hybrids and Humans, treating both races equally, ensuring that no race is above the other, and both races work together as one. Shinsadong Tiger Oppa, one of the producers in my company whom I often work with, is unsurprisingly, a Tiger Hybrid. Shinsadong Oppa is one of those Hybrids who are more animal than human. He's almost literally a Tiger walking on 2 legs, except that his skeletal structure is still that of a human.

Heeyeon, a friend who's a model, is a Coyote Hybrid. Like me, she's only born with Coyote ears on her head and a swishy tail. No snout, no whiskers. Same thing with Jeonghwa, a friend who's an actress. She's a Deer Hybrid, and she has a set of deer ears and horns on her head. She also has a little tiny lump of a tail. Hyelin, another friend who's a singer in my company, is a Meerkat Hybrid. She actually kinda looks like one too. She has a long striped tail, and a bit of a snout.

Speaking of which, I'm actually on my way to meet them for lunch at a nearby cafe now. Humans whispered and muttered to one another as I walked past. My ears flicked as I picked up on parts of their conversations. They were afraid of me. But it's not uncommon. Humans fear the unknown. Yet at the same time, they are fascinated by what they see.

I think I belong to the latter group, because as I turned the corner, I saw it. Or rather, I saw her. Standing there in all her grace and beauty, her elegant wings, neatly folded behind her, seemingly sparkling under the sunlight. I was fascinated by the sight I saw.

An Angel.

SOLJI POV

I let out another sigh as I walked through the streets. I should probably stop sighing so much. That was already the 10th sigh in the past hour. But what can I do? Everyone kept staring at me. I know I should probably be used to it, but that doesn't mean I like it. Why are they even staring so much?

Yes, I may be a Hybrid, an Owl Hybrid in fact, but all I have is a pair of wings growing out from my back. Without my wings, I just look like any other human! So why do they stare at me? Why do they mutter under their breath around me? I just don't understand.

My parents are human. Both of them. But they've never treated me any different from my older brother, who's human too. Why can't everyone treat me like they would to another human? Why can't they see me for who I am, not what I am? But that is just one of the two types of unwanted attention I often get. The other type of unwanted attention I get often is...

"Wanna hang out tonight, babe? I can make it a memorable night for you." ...this. I tried to hide the disgust on my face at the lewd comment as I hurried away, pretending that I didn't hear anything.

I sighed again as I turned the corner, only to be stopped in my tracks by a human man and his Hyena Hybrid friend. They closed in on me, cutting off any means of escape.

"Hey, babe, didn't you hear us just now? Why don't you spend some time with us?" I learnt Hapkido before, but in that moment, my mind blanked out on that fact. A flurry of thoughts flew through my mind. This was a human, attempting to flirt with a Hybrid. Why? Humans are usually scared of Hybrids. Did his Hybrid friend give him the confidence to do so? Hyenas are just mean by nature. Was the Hyena Hybrid doing this because it's just his nature? Would it be wrong to assume that all Hyena Hybrids are bad? Why do they do something like this? What do they get out of it? Did they think their feelings will be reciprocated this way? Or are they just doing this to satisfy their pleasure, like an actual animal? Just then, as the two of them began to approach me, I heard a female's voice speak from behind me.

"How about no, and I suggest you Back. Off."

Her husky voice, complete with an almost snarl, sent chills up my spine as I turned around to face my saviour, and simply froze. I felt my breath hitch as I watched the way the sun rays seemed to bounce off her hair and fur, making them shimmer. Her soft bushy tail flared behind her in barely contained anger, and her ears flickered ever so slightly in annoyance, both features enhancing her beauty. Her graceful fox-like features also added to the cool charismatic aura she carried with her. Her eyes were sharp and seemed to glare straight into their souls, an alluring charm.

She was fascinating, yet at the same time, the mere sight of her filled me with fear. She was a beast, but one who did not deserve that savage title. In fact, rather than a beast, there was a better word to describe her. And right now, only one word came to mind.

A Beauty.

NORMAL POV

"F-Fine! Who'd want freaks like you anyway!" They yelled as they ran off with their tail(s) between their legs, clearly intimidated by the vixen. Solji looked down at that, and LE noticed immediately.

"Hey, are you ok? They didn't hurt you, did they?" Whatever bit of fear Solji had when she first saw the Fox Hybrid disappeared the instant the last trace of anger vanished from her face and she found herself peering into bright eyes filled with genuine concern. Solji kept her gaze downcast as she sighed.

"They're right, you know. I am a freak." She spoke quietly as LE shook her head.

"Ignore them, you're not a freak. They're just being hypocrites." Solji looked up at her curiously, making LE roll her eyes. "One of them is also a Hybrid, remember?" At that, Solji cracked a smile.

"That's true." However, as quickly as it came, the smile dropped immediately as Solji sighed again. "Why can't they just leave me alone?" She muttered under her breath. LE, having heard her, frowned at her words.

"Does this happen often?" She asked.

"More often than I'd like." Solji admitted softly. As if on cue, another man, a Mouse Hybrid, walked past with a wolf whistle, only to quickly cower under the cold glare LE shot him, instantly scampering away in a manner fitting of his animal half. Seeing Solji's dejected look, LE took her hand.

"Come with me. I'll keep those kind of people away from you. I'm about to go meet some of my friends for tea, and I'm sure they won’t mind one more Hybrid joining in." Solji allowed LE to lead her by the hand, looking up at the Hybrid curiously.

"Why are you doing this for me? For a stranger?" LE paused, looking back at her.

"What's your name?"

"H-Heo Solji." Solji replied nervously, taken aback by the sudden question. "Why?"

"I'm Ahn Hyojin. Nice to meet you." LE grinned at her. "There. Now we aren't strangers anymore. We're friends, so I'm helping out a friend."

"That's..." Solji couldn't help the grin that grew on her face, matching LE's grin. "You can't just become friends with a stranger just by knowing their name."

"Watch me." LE stuck her tongue out at her playfully. Solji giggled at that, and LE paused to look back at her with a soft smile on her face. "Well, anyway, stranger or not, you look like you need a bit of cheering up. A smile suits you more." Solji took a moment to process LE's words before the edges of her lips curled up into a teasing smirk.

"Why, how charming. Are you flirting with me now, Miss Vixen-whom-I-just-met?" LE raised an eyebrow, her smile growing into a smirk as well.

"Might I remind you that we are now friends, Miss Heo Solji?"

"Ah, but perhaps I should remind you as well that you can't just become friends with a stranger just by exchanging names, Miss Ahn Hyojin?" Solji countered. LE simply chuckled.

"Well, if we can't be friends, I don't mind being a couple." Whether it was a joke or not, she didn't even need a moment to think about it. Without a moment's hesitation (literally), Solji gave her calm reply.

"With you? Neither do I." The words rolled off her tongue so easily. As soon as the words made their way out of , a warm pair of lips pressed itself against hers. She didn't pull away. There wasn't a need to. It just felt so...right. And as sudden as it came, the warmth faded as the owner of the soft lips pulled away, leaving a thin trail of saliva still connecting them. LE her lips, eyes gleaming.

"You can't change your mind now. I've already sealed the deal, my witty Angel." Shaking off the surprise from her first kiss being stolen so swiftly, Solji could only shake her head with a smile before she connected their lips in another kiss.

"And so it shall be then, my cunning Beauty."