[cat]

Crescent
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Yeosang watches from across the street as Anna stumbles forward on the pavement, almost planting her face on the ground before righting herself up and muttering to herself that she does not need any more cuts for today. He shakes his head as she stumbles again after 10 metres, this time taking the fall more violently as she stops it with her hands, scratching them in the process. She fusses over her bleeding hands, and the people walking only part to avoid from running into her, ignoring her state.

She studies her hand as if taking her time to think about what to do with it. Then - as Yeosang stands at the crosswalk waiting for the light to turn green - she takes out a box of plasters and peel one off, putting it over her left palm. She takes another one, this time for the right. When she's done, she tries to stand up but gets startled when a man towers over her, looking down at her with disapproval etched on his face.

"I told you to stop being clumsy," Yeosang utters as he glances at the opened box of plasters shoved in her ped bag. It's the box he had given her, and it looks like a few has been used. "You like to make people worry."

"Baby-" she exclaims, surprised to find Yeosang near her on a Saturday morning, but quickly corrects herself as she frowns. "Yeosang, being clumsy is not something that I can change easily." She stands up, refusing help from him. "You're talking as if I can tell myself 'hey stop being clumsy' and miraculously I stop falling, getting multiple cuts and bruises. Plus I never asked for anyone to worry about me." She says it all in one breath, already picking up her bag and trying to walk the other way, moulding into the crowd around them.

"Anna-" he calls out, faltered by her response. He took it too far when he went to take the dress from her, and that was one week ago. Anna has never been this distant from him, and he realizes how bitter it is to get a taste of his own medicine. Serves you right for treating her that way.

He gives chase, weaving in and out of the crowd as he keeps on the lookout for her, him calling her name proving to be futile - either she cannot hear or she doesn't want to hear. She dives into an alley, making him a tad bit panicked as he can't locate her before finding her crouching beside a dumpster, feeding stray cats with the feed she always brings along. He lets out a low chuckle when she doesn't notice him approaching, too absorbed with the stray cats that have started to crowd around her.

She's talking to the cats, asking them to be patient as she pours more in the container. The cats rub their faces against her legs, meowing until she's laughing and her hands try to give them equal love. She falls down on the wet floor again, pushed by the horde of cats swarming, but she keeps laughing. Only when she sees that Yeosang has found her that she abruptly stops, immediately standing up and slightly scaring the cats.

"Are you stalking me?" Anna scowls before crouching again and pouring all cat food that she has left. She throws away the empty packet, dusts her hands and turns around to leave. "I'm busy, so I'd kindly like it if you stop following me and go away."

"Thank you," he suddenly says, seemingly an attempt to stop her from walking away. The chomp of the cats digging in the food fill in the silence between them, alternating with a gurgling sound as they fight over it. "I didn't have the opportunity to say it to you when you gave us the dress. Han Byul said thank you too."

"You're welcome," then after a thought, she adds, "to Han Byul. Not to you, you never said thank you even once before this. Why are you suddenly doing things that you never do?"

"It looks like I'm about to die," he passes a comment, to which she stops in her tracks and turns around.

She marches towards him, adorning an expression that depicts rage before pummelling her fists on his chest and shouting, "Stop making jokes like this, you always do and you think it's funny! You say that without batting an eye and you think that people aren't worried sick for you!"

Yeosang holds on to her wrists to stop her, and she shakes angrily in her grip as she breathes out. "I'm not joking, Anna."

She looks at him with pursed and face distorted, before she wriggles herself out of his grip and shoves him. "It's not funny."

"And I told you I'm not joking!" he replies when she skitters away from him, hugging her bag close to her chest. The cats follow their argument with their eyes before trailing her, begging for more food. When she doesn't stop walking, he continues, "I came here because I wanted to say thank you and sorry. Thank you for always providing us with your work and sorry because I always push you away."

She halts, spins on her heels and utters, "Where are you going? What is it, what is it that's making you say all of this-"

"I'm going back to Wonderland," he says simply as he takes the opportunity to come close to her, carefully arranging his steps as if he's afraid she's going to dash once he approaches. "To finish things once and for all."

"And what, make me worried again? Do you know how every... single... time..." she says every word with every step she takes to come near him, "all of you go on your missions, I get worried. But you always say, it's nothing to worry, it's nothing but I should worry for myself. How do I live with that, Kang Yeosang!"

"Don't-"

"-worry about you?" she stares, hard. "Right, I'm sorry for worrying about you and the boys. I'll stop worrying about you, and you don't have to worry about me. I don't even know why you're looking for me today; you want me to sew some shirts or jackets so that you'll be well on your way to Wonderland? If you're just going to make me angry with this, then just leave. I'd rather not see you."

He takes off his jacket before stopping her, pulling her softly before she's able to resist and tying the jacket around her waist. "You fell and your back is dirty; you don't want people to look at you all weird. You can keep it, the jacket." He looks at her once before sighing heavily, then throwing a look past her shoulder before saying, "This time I'm not joking, and I came to find you because I just thought I'd like to say goodbye properly. San, Seonghwa, Hongjoong and Han Byul too, even though you've never met her. We're leaving before tomorrow night, and I hope that you can cheer us on from where you are." He titters, "The rest might be annoying you though; there's still Wooyoung, Mingi, Jongho, Yunho and even his daughter."

"Yeosang..."

"It's nice knowing you. You might be the clumsiest person I've ever known but you're as pure as snow." He smiles, "Don't ever change, because you're doing great. Even though no one visits your shop besides me," he tugs at the jacket around her waist, "I hope that it'll change after this. Your work deserves to be recognized. If we meet again, I'll consider being one of your models," he tries to joke as he's reminded of how they first met. "But please don't go sneaking up on people and asking whether they'd like to be models for your designs."

Her pupils tremble when he mentions this, before she scoffs and lifts up her chin. "I won't. Go." Before I stop you. "I told you I'm busy." Her voice cracks as she looks up at the sky, lifting up her head so that he won't see the tears accumulating in her eyes. "Go, I don't want to tell you that again."

"Take care of yourself, and remember to eat when it's time. I can't tell you to stop being clumsy, but always watch where you're going. Remember to stock up on your plasters and always have the other boys on speed-dial in case you need someone to help. And- never stop crafting." She doesn't answer, and he points a finger to one of the pockets of his jacket. "There are two more box of plasters inside the pocket; don't use it up before I even start my journey to Wonderland."

He pats her head and brushes his thumb over the plaster on her cheek as a farewell gesture. Without delay, he walks past her and out of the alley.

Anna stays glued to the spot, her head down as the flooded tears are released, and the cats crowd around her legs as if they know she's sad. She crouches, and the cats nuzzle against her, comforting her.

"I don't have any more food for you," she manages as a cat jumps into her lap and settles there. She doesn't make any noise as she cries, like she's only letting them pour without any emotions.

It's funny how they first met because of a cat and now, their final goodbye is witnessed by the stray cats.

---

1 year ago

Anna stares wide-eyed at the state of her shop; the textiles are unrolled everywhere on the floor, shelves are knocked over and her sewing equipment are spread around like they're fallen leaves during autumn. She freezes in fear as the men wreak havoc in her shop, demanding for her to reveal where her sad excuse of a brother is. She only shakes her head, crying as she says that she doesn't know. They push her to the floor as she screams, and she receives slaps from one of them as they demand her to say where her brother is again, or she'll be on the receiving end more if they can't find him.

"I don't know where he is!" she cries out, begging for them to let her go. "I cut all contact with him 2 years ago, I don't even know he borrowed money from you. Please-" One of them chokes her as she struggles to breathe, "-leave me alone."

"Tell your brother that we'll keep looking for him even if it's until the end of the earth. He can't keep hiding, because we'll come and visit your shop every now and then as long as we don't find him." He breathes onto her face, his stale breath making her gag and her eyes to sting. "Or you'll be ours to deal with."

She nods mechanically, too scared to even say anything as he lets her go roughly, spitting near her face before they walk over her, leaving her and her shop in a mess. As soon as they leave, shaking, she goes over to the door and locks it; afraid that they'll come for her again.

She really doesn't know where her older brother is - she has not communicated with him ever since he ran away from home, saying that his life should be much more interesting than theirs back in Sunrise district. She never would have thought that his take on an 'interesting' life is to borrow hundred thousands of chromas from creditors, leaving his family to be responsible for him.

She struggles to keep her steady breathing, wincing in pain as her bruised and bleeding body hurts when she moves. She searches for the first aid kit but her mind's all over the place as she sees the state of her shop, so she decides to leave and go to the pharmacy to get some plasters. Before she steps out, she looks around to make sure that the creditors have left, and she must have sighed a little bit too loudly as she spots no one at the row of isolated shops.

She manages to buy the plasters without getting ambushed again, and decides to stay away from the shop for the time being, not wanting to be the target of her brother's creditors again. At the only recreational park they have in Light district, she takes a seat at the bench, feeling like her life is hitting a dead end multiple times, even as she tries to desperately back up and head in another direction.

She moved to Light district after getting a diploma in fashion design, with high hopes of opening her own shop. She did manage to, but with the amount of money she had scraped without having to borrow from anywhere landed her a unit at an alley which is frequented by rats more than people. It's safe to say that she never had a customer ever since she opened, and the amount of money in her account is depleting faster than she

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Magbuull5245 #1
Chapter 70: By far the best book I have read. Laughing, crying, deep thinking. Just amazing!
jeongsclown
#2
Chapter 3: LMFAO THEY'RE SO CHAOTIC I LOVE IT
Manna-chan #3
Chapter 70: This story is amazing! You are so talented, the flow of the story, the way you managed to tell about all of them without it seeming forced or weird. I love it, thank you for making me smile, cry, smile again and cry happy tears at the end. Thank you for sharing this story with us <'333
WiltedStar
#4
Chapter 1: You're such a great writer.
Jade_Flower #5
Chapter 70: Loved it!!
TaeTae_wife
#6
Chapter 70: I so love your story! It's the fist Ateez story that I read and it's WOW!
Congratulations!!!! <3
MsPinKai
#7
Chapter 70: THANK YOU FOR MAKING ME SHED HAPPY TEARS ??? this was EVERYTHING!!!! One of the best written stories & plotline ever! ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Animeakume
#8
Chapter 70: prepared my heart for a tragic ending but tHANK GOD ??? shed happy tears instead but it’s all worth it

i love this whole story so much! defs one of my go tos for rereading <3 thank you so much for this amazing story
Animeakume
#9
Chapter 57: i cracked and bawled my eyes out when yunho and byul repeated that they said back then as trainees ??? the whole “Dont you wish everything here is an illusion” “us, being here?” “No you idiot” back and forth conversation ohmyheart
MsPinKai
#10
Chapter 51: just when I was already believing that she 's not eunbi.......OH. MY. GOD.