Hybrid should wear a collar as a symbol of its devotion

Yuta has always been considered a class recluse and weirdo. The boy wore body-covering clothes, turtlenecks up to his neck or scarves, even when it was summer. His head was always covered by a colorful headscarf or cap so that no one in the class even knew what color his hair was. Nakamoto hasn't had any friends since he moved to Korea. He came here when a rich family bought him from a Hybrid's Orphan Home in Japan. It was there that the boy spent most of his childhood after his family abandoned him.

The Japanese boy was one of the seven children who were born into his family. However, he was the only one born as a hybrid. It met with such disappointment of his parents that they finally decided to give him to the orphanage. Nakamoto was five at the time and he still remembered how he begged his mother not to leave him in an unknown place. The boy spent all his childhood there and only when he was fifteen years old a rich family from Korea decided to buy him. He came to Seoul without knowing the language, which made him unable to communicate with the foster family. All household duties fell on his shoulders, and when he made the slightest mistake, he was severely punished for it.

At the age of sixteen, Yuta exceptionally went to high school, thanks to the connections his family had. He was quiet, modest and introverted, which deterred potential friends from him.

One evening, when the boy returned home, he was awaited by bad news. It was time for him to be marked, so since then an ugly and heavy collar hung around his neck, which proved that the boy is a hybrid, someone less important than people. The shame and bitterness he felt when he looked at himself in the mirror made the Japanese decide to hide it at all costs. It was a hard job because hiding the tail and ears was difficult enough, and the thick collar was noticeable from far away. Because of his attitude, people avoided him like the plague, but now that he was completely standing out by his outfit, they began to whisper behind him and in every possible way.

In the spring, when the Japanese were seventeen, a new student moved to his class. He was slim with black short hair and an unreadable expression. He introduced himself to the class as Lee Taeyong and, unfortunately, took a seat next to Yuta on the desk, because only this one was free. It was obvious that Nakamoto was sitting alone. He also solved all group tasks or projects individually, because no one wanted to do it with him. So it was normal to feel the anxiety that arose in Yuta when a new student sat down next to him. However, everything returned to normal after a few days. Yuta was alone again because Taeyong turned out to be a very friendly guy, so everyone wanted to have him, at least for a moment. It was not that the Japanese were disappointed because he didn't expect anything, but some part of him wanted the charming young man to pay him a little attention.

It was the end of May when Yuta understood the hopelessness of his situation. Looking at Taeyong from afar led him to have a crush on him. Don't get him wrong, Lee was charming, he was laughing all the time and Yuta wanted nothing more than to make friends with him.

The sound of a bell announcing the beginning of the next lesson snapped him out of his thoughts. Yuta pulled out books to the subject he hated - the Korean language. No matter how hard he tried, he always got low grades, due to bad grammar, pronunciation or lack of understanding. The whole class at least twice a week could make fun of how Yuta confronts Korean and collects waves of criticism from his teacher. Today, it wasn't going to be any different. The professor ordered the students to open the textbook on the poem and asked Yuta to read. The boy swallowed nervously, and his hands began to sweat. He struggled to the next lines, which the teacher corrected now and then. He stopped right at the very end when he heard a malicious laugh and comment that it was a shame not to be able to read fluently, being almost an adult.

The Japanese's lower lip quivered and tears welled up in his eyes. When the teacher insisted to finally finish the text, Yuta was ready to get up and run to the bathroom to plunge into despair. Suddenly he felt a gentle touch on his cold hand and a melodious voice reached his ears motivating him not to give up. Nakamoto swallowed and finished the text, then immediately received harsh criticism because of the unnecessary waste of lesson time. However, nothing mattered to Yuta because he still could feel that Taeyong was holding his hand.

"Great job." He whispered in his ear and as if nothing had happened and went back to writing notes, but still without letting go of the Japanese's hand. They continued like that to the end of the lesson until the hybrid slipped its hand out, but his colleague noticed it.

"If you want, I can help you with Korean, and in return, you can teach me Japanese." Lee smiled at him broadly.

"H-how do you know I speak Japanese." Nakamoto looked at him suspiciously and tried to read thoughts from his colleague's face.

"I would recognize this accent everywhere, plus people told me." Hearing the answer, the Japanese shuddered at the thought of what more they are telling about him.

"I don't know if that's a good idea." Yuta answered uncerta