Minjoo wasn’t sure what ended their bickering, but the moment she had shaken off from her thoughts, both Hitomi and Chaewon were looking at her with a worried expression on their face.

 

Chaewon was more vocal on her concern, by asking her quite straightforwardly if she didn't feel good. Hitomi was more tsundere of them, only relaying her concern by a soft tug on her sleeve and soft sweet scent that made wonders with her senses.

 

Immensely calmed down, Minjoo leaned on the brick railings, looking more relaxed than what she supposed. “I’m okay,” Minjoo managed to answer, giving the two her best smile. “I just remembered a weird incident months ago. It’s a bit vague now, but it’s really impossible to forget.”

 

“Ooohhh, an incident?” Chaewon grinned wolfishly. The older Alpha then leaned forward with her hands on her hips. “Do tell, do tell.” She drawled out, her eyes showed nothing but mischief and… ersion.

 

The younger Alpha had to roll her eyes. “It’s nothing scandalous,” Minjoo insisted, already knowing Chaewon’s erse mind coming to play with that grin visible on her lips. “Nothing,” she stressed out when Chaewon’s grin only widened.

 

The short-haired girl snorted pompously, straightening her back to put her usual sneer on her face. “I’ll be the judge of that,” she said.

 

Minjoo rolled her eyes. Again.

 

“Okay,” she said. Minjoo opened again, about to begin her tale before her gaze shifted to Hitomi, who was shivering beside her. It wasn’t too visible, but usually, when Hitomi was oddly silent, she was cold. Or furious.

 

But since there wasn’t any bluish glow on her eyes, Minjoo concluded it was the former. Or at least, it brushed the border between the former and the latter. “Let’s talk inside,” the Alpha suggested, smiling over to the Omega. “Hitomi is cold.”

 

The only Omega moaned exaggeratedly, taking the nearly fell empty glass that was put carelessly on the stone railings rather aggressively, then stomped away inside while muttering, “Finally! Someone aware of my presence!” that was voiced purposefully loud enough for Chaewon and Minjoo to hear.

 

Minjoo stared at Chaewon with judgemental eyes.

 

Chaewon glared at her. “Don’t pin all the blame on me,” she said.

 

“Let’s just get inside,” Minjoo suggested with a sigh.

 

The older Alpha nodded her head, agreeing. “Aye, can’t make our princess waiting.”

 

Again, Chaewon received another Look. It was more severe than the previous look. Almost had danger on it. “What?”

 

“My princess,” Minjoo intoned, looking jealous and possessive as her eyes stared straight through Chaewon. Her voice was already deep, but now it sounded ridiculously low and growl-like Chaewon had to raise an eyebrow for that. “My princess,” the possessive Alpha reiterated, eyes narrowing and glowing a faint red.

 

Burning sharp, woody, scent immediately attacked Chaewon’s nose, almost making the older Alpha all choked up if she didn’t respond with her cool-toned scent quick enough.

 

“Alphas,” she managed, rolling her eyes. Her eyes glowed a bit red, too. She patted Minjoo’s shoulder, squeezing it firmly until Minjoo flinched. “You can go all furious furry on other people, little wolfy; but you can’t to me. Not now.” She looked sideways, then shook her head as she released Minjoo from her grip. Minjoo immediately grabbed her bruised shoulder, rubbing it as Chaewon retreated back to the living room.

 

“What was that?”

 

“...I think I know, but I’m not sure.” Her Wolf unexpectedly responded, sounding confused and a tad scared. “Why don’t you just entertain her for now?”

 

“I’ll do just that,” Minjoo muttered to herself, then proceeded to step inside the warmth to the living room. “I’ll do just that.”

 

The living room wasn’t abandoned. Instead, it was still lively with Yujin and Yuri playing another round of dance battle, and Nako was still hyped up on cheering her younger sister.

 

Minjoo now truly understood why they were called Demons by Hyewon. It was 3 AM and the three were still bouncing with energy. If it wasn’t because of the demonic energy, what else? Conspiracies, conspiracies…

 

She wasn’t sleepy, too; being a college student warranted sleepless nights most of the time, so she was used to it. Besides, she could catch up some sleep during the ride.

 

She turned to the sitting area, where Hitomi was comfortably sitting, cuddling her living room plush with her attention transfixed to the battling duo. Chaewon was nowhere to be found, and Minjoo thought she saw Chaewon went straight ahead to the kitchen area. Probably fetching some drink, most likely alcohol.

 

“Hey you,” Minjoo greeted Hitomi, beaming her a smile in hopes to turn the flat line of her lips to a wonderful curve of a smile she liked so much. 

 

Hitomi’s response was a rather cutting look on her eyes and a scathing, “Hey, to one of the two people who forgot about me.” A pause. “Or is it one of the many?” She added, her voice dropping to a whisper.

 

At this time, Minjoo was glad she had better hearing now that her senses weren't dulled by the drug. “You’re never forgotten!” Minjoo responded quite strongly to that one, almost rage-rut at the downtrodden look on Hitomi’s face. “At least, not me!”

 

Hitomi eyed her, surprise written on her face. “I know, I only messed with you,” she said, looking away immediately. She patted the space beside her. “Sit here.”

 

Minjoo obliged, and almost immediately, Hitomi wheeled her body around and put her legs on top of Minjoo’s legs, then pulled the Alpha closer to her with her legs. Minjoo lost her balance and Hitomi did too and landed on the couch on her back.

 

Minjoo had her arms support her weight, with them leaning on the sides of Hitomi’s torso.

 

There was a tense silence as they stared at each other's eyes. Hitomi didn’t expect Minjoo to lose her balance and Minjoo didn’t expect the sudden close proximity would make her head dizzy, filled with thoughts of leaning forward and drown herself in Hitomi’s scent.

 

“I left for two minutes and you two are already getting it on?” Chaewon shook her head. The couple immediately returned to their original position, but they weren’t as quick as the Demons’, who quickly snapped their head around the moment Chaewon released a very scandalized gasp. 

 

“Teenagers and their hormones!” Chaewon rattled on, huffing as she sat down on a separate couch and relaxed her legs on top of the coffee table. She rubbed her forehead, looking like she was facing the nastiest headache she had ever experienced. “The audacity they have, showing off their lovey-doveyness in front of this miserable bachelorette!”

 

“Stop being so dramatic!” Hitomi complained as Chaewon sipped her drink with a shaky hand. “We're young adults—And what did you take from my cabinet, this time?!”

 

The smile on Chaewon’s lips was relaxed. “My leftover from last time, don’t worry!”

 

Hitomi narrowed her eyes dangerously. “I threw it away already, unnie,” she glowered.

 

It didn't affect Chaewon the slightest. The Alpha only rolled her shoulders carelessly, then almost too carelessly admitted that: “Then I opened another bottle with the same brand.”

 

“Unnie!” Hitomi screeched, once again taking the Demons’ attention back from their battle. Yujin’s loud curse as she missed a movement wasn’t left unheard. “It’s a gift from Majorca!”

 

Minjoo looked back and forth from Hitomi and Chaewon. She wondered when was the right time to start her tale...

 

Chaewon waved her off. “Comiendo moscas!” she said, in a very thick Korean accent. She wasn’t sure what it meant but she was positive Hitomi didn’t know that either. “Bah! You can always ask Yuna to send you another! Everyone knows she’s got a soft spot on you.”

 

“Hello? She’s the friend of your friend and one of your friends, too!” Hitomi growled. “You can ask her yourself instead of raiding my liquor cabinet every time I invite you here!”

 

Minjoo hung her head low, palming her forehead. 

 

"When..."

 

Minjoo was ignored.

 

Chaewon took off her feet from the table, planting them hard and firm against the carpeted floor. “Maybe if you didn’t make your cabinet so visible to my eyes then I wouldn’t raid it every time you invite me here!”

 

“You’re being ridiculous!”

 

“Will you let me tell my story or not?” Minjoo harshly interrupted, glaring at both Chaewon and Hitomi. Her harsh, scorching scent burst out angrily, attacking Chaewon's and Hitomi's nose without any discrimination.

 

“Oh, um.” Finally, Chaewon deigned to look at her after a brief coughing. She looked a bit embarrassed getting caught of guard like that. “Carry on, furry.”

 

Hitomi made a face. She recovered quicker than Chaewon. “Furry?” She repeated, looking sick. “Why is she suddenly a furry?”

 

“She went all Wolf after I called you ‘our princess’,” Chaewon explained before Minjoo could stop her. “Apparently, you’re her princess and hers alone and I shouldn’t call you my princess.” She paused to sip her drink, ignoring the sour look Minjoo sent her way. “Seriously, if Hitomi is my sister, I’d knock your teeth out immediately for claiming my sister without my permission.” Her minty scent flared out in warning as she added with a growl, “You can make her uncomfortable and I won’t like that. But unfortunately yet fortunately for you, Hitomi is totally in lo-”

 

“So will you begin the story, Minjoo?”

 

“Oh. Yes, yes.” Minjoo cleared . “It actually happened a little before, um, you know Tomi, that?”

 

“That what?”

 

Minjoo coughed. “Alley.”

 

“Oh.” Hitomi rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “Around November until early December, then?”

 

“Yeah, you can say that.”

 

“What’s this about the alley?” Chaewon asked them, but was ignored. “What alley? What dangerous you both get into?”

 

The two mimed zipping their mouth.

 

“Fine, don’t answer me!” Chaewon huffed, looking a bit hurt. Yet, another sip on her drink quickly flushed away her irritation because she beamed at Minjoo. “Carry on!”

 

Minjoo took a deep breath before starting her tale. 

 

“I was working at Uncle's restaurant, you see. I was the only one at that time when a woman walked in…”

 

--

 

It happened in late November.

 

Minjoo was minding her own business, doing her own work as the only employee of this scarcely visited restaurant. It was one of those days where customers were severely lacking as there was a blizzard outside and it happened that the cram schools were closed that day.

 

It left Minjoo with nothing but herself, and nothing to do.

 

She spent her day cleaning and cleaning that day, even though there was nothing to be cleaned. But her Uncle was insistent on keeping the restaurant open, at least until its usual closing time. Who knows, there was someone crazy enough to go outside and buy something?

 

Minjoo was cynical, of course. Who would be crazy enough to do that?

 

Until she saw a silhouette of a figure, crawling its way closer to the restaurant, and shoved the glass door open with a scream of, “Warmth!”

 

The figure was a woman, but dressed like a man. She immediately closed the door and greeted Minjoo warmly, as the employee was too stunned to believe someone was crazy enough to go outside to greet her first.

 

As the restaurant was warm, the woman quickly shed her coat, hanging it on the rack near the door before shuffling toward the counter, eager to order something.

 

Minjoo immediately ran behind the counter and rolled out her usual greeting of, “What would you like to order?”

 

The woman grinned before listing off her orders, with a brief tale every time she listed an item. Like her brother really liked this, or she preferred eating chicken meat than duck meat, saying she fought often for this particular set of meals with her best friend…

 

Minjoo listened with a smile on her face.

 

Usually, it was out of politeness; a means for a customer to feel welcomed. But it was different. She couldn’t help but smile as this woman talked to her. Something about the woman warmed her.

 

The woman only left her alone when she left to prepare her orders.

 

“Here are your orders,” Minjoo said, placing the steaming chicken on the woman’s table. 

 

She was playing with her phone at that time, and was a bit startled when Minjoo came to her table unannounced. “Thank you,” she said, smiling as she glanced up. “You don’t mind me hanging around here for some time, do you? It’s a little chilly out there.”

 

Minjoo smiled. Chilly was an understatement.

 

“Of course,” the Alpha answered, nodding. “Take all the time you need. We close at midnight, anyway.”

 

The woman grinned. “Thank you! By the way, I’m Yena. And you are?” She offered her hand.

 

Minjoo didn’t hesitate before clasping the woman’s cold hand with her own in a firm yet warm handshake. She subtly breathed in deeply, trying to identify this friendly woman’s rank by her scent.

 

When she didn’t find any pheromones that tickled her nose, Minjoo answered.

 

“Minjoo.”

 

-

 

Yena spent her time there playing with her phone and her switch after she was finished with her meals, sometimes asking Minjoo if she wanted to give the console game a shot after hearing that Minjoo enjoyed playing console games. Minjoo, of course, always refused; claiming since she couldn't afford anything but her necessities, she held herself back from touching any console games. She was afraid of being addicted to it.

 

Yena laughed her off but told her that she understood her concern, yet she kept saying once or twice wouldn’t hurt with a low volume. Minjoo decided to ignore the contradiction.

 

She was there for a long time, until it was nearly closing time for the restaurant.

 

She was the only customer for the day, even after the blizzard had subsided after dusk.

 

Minjoo reluctantly relayed the news, saying that it was closing time and Yena should leave.

 

Yena only let out a little, “Ah,’ and an apology before packing her things. But then she stopped and turned to Minjoo.

 

“Do you mind if I order something, again?”

 

The Alpha shrugged. It wasn’t a problem. The money was welcomed.

 

She beamed at her, happily ordering the same thing but with a note to wrap it.

 

It didn’t take a long time for Minjoo to prepare her order and nothing exciting happened throughout the preparation.

 

Well, until she went over to Yena’s table to deliver the chicken.

 

Yena was curiously staring at her. Her stare was intense and had a little bit of fear in it.

 

Minjoo opened to ask if there was something wrong, but Yena beat her to it.

 

“Can you see ghosts, Minjoo-sshi?”

 

Minjoo clamped shut.

 

She couldn’t, but she believed in ghosts. She never saw them before, but it didn’t stop her from believing.

 

“I can’t,” she answered with wide, questioning, eyes. “What is this about ghosts, Yena-sshi?”

 

Yena shook her head. She hastily scrambled to stand. “Er, nevermind that. I’m sorry if this made you uncomfortable.”

 

But Minjoo was quick to block her from her path. “Yena-sshi, please answer me," she pleaded, putting her best pitiful expression to lure out Yena's guilt.

 

The older woman gave up almost immediately. “There was something like a ghost following you,” Yena answered truthfully, glancing up and around Minjoo. “A spirit, maybe. Like a giant wolf, with red eyes! It doesn’t show itself now but it came up randomly and I thought it’s your guardian or something.”

 

Minjoo nodded her head slowly. A wolf would mean… Her Wolf? It could be. Her Wolf often appears and disappears at random intervals. “Then why do you ask if I can see ghosts?” she queried, frowning.

 

“Because with that creature following you,” Yena pointed, jabbed her finger at a direction—which when Minjoo glanced on it, there was nothing on it, but she could feel her Wolf’s presence in her mind, “you should have been able to at least see a glimpse of ghosts everywhere!” 

 

Yena sounded frustrated.

 

“I thought I finally found someone like me.”

 

--

 

“This Yena can see ghosts?”

 

“I think so, yeah.” Minjoo nodded. “Or spirits. I don’t really know. She’s weird. She stormed out just like that.”

 

“That’s strangely like Yena I know,” Chaewon muttered, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. She took her phone out from her pocket and began scrolling her social media while muttering to herself. “I think she told me she could see ghosts when she was younger, but I’m not sure. She’s taking her Master's degree in your uni, actually. And here she is! Is this the same Yena?”

 

Minjoo only needed a glance to identify the woman in the picture. “Yes,” she said quickly.

 

It wasn’t because she had an excellent memory, not really. But it was because her Wolf suddenly surfaced and growled out that yes, Chaewon’s Yena and the Strange Yena were one and the same.

 

“How are you so sure?”

 

Her Wolf growled again. “That Omega has a guardian. Like you. Like myself.” 

 

“Omega?” Her Wolf nodded. “Yena is an Omega? Are you sure? I couldn’t smell her scent, why is she an Omega?”

 

“Several reasons, child.” Her Wolf told her with another growl. “But truly, she will break her legs if she continues her life just the way she is doing now,” it told her, sounding oddly worried before disappearing again.

 

Chaewon got up, stretching her limbs after tucking her phone safely back to her pocket. “It’s been fun, guys. What do you know? It’s 4 AM already. The gates are already open, right Hitoma?”

 

Hitomi nodded. She leaned to Minjoo as a yawn escaped her lips. “Supposedly.”

 

Chaewon downed the remnants of her drink (that wasn’t much) in one go before beaming her a grin. “I guess I’ll just go down to find out. Maybe bribe the securities if it’s not open yet!” She turned to the still energetic trio talking animatedly in front of the TV. “Yujin-ah! Bukhee-ya! Yuri-ya! Do you want to come and get some chicken?”

 

The Demons immediately stopped what they were doing and chorused a loud, synchronized, “YES!”

 

The four left immediately after that after yelling out their final “Happy Birthday!” to Minjoo.

 

Minjoo turned to Hitomi the moment the door closed, an expression of horror on her face.

 

“Wait, why are you letting Chaewon unnie drive under influence?!” Minjoo asked, horrified. “Hii, she’s going to get herself killed! Herself and the Demons!”

 

“Ddaengz,” the Omega tiredly corrected, annoyed. “And she won’t be driving, okay?” Hitomi huffed, smacking Minjoo’s hands that reached up to grab her own hair, pulling it in frustration. “She has a driver downstairs. But if he went home already, Nako can drive and so is Yuri.”

 

“...Nako can drive?”

 

“Shockingly.”

 

“...She can reach the pedals?”

 

Hitomi cocked an eyebrow up. “If she heard you...” Hitomi purposefully let the threat hang, knowing well it still affected Minjoo the same.

 

Lo and behold, Minjoo swallowed and nodded like a child. Nako, as tiny as she was, was a very scary woman. She liked to think it was because of her size that led her to become an angry tiny monstrosity.

 

“I understand,” she said, her voice strangely shaky. She swiftly her heels, dragging her legs accordingly to trail behind Hitomi as the Omega made her way back to the spacious and terribly messy living room.

 

They spent the remaining hours sleeping on the large couch as the two bedrooms were all occupied.

 

Their sleep, or nap, since it was only two hours long at maximum, was perhaps wasn’t as satisfying nor invigorating as usual night sleep; but they couldn’t help but feel very comfortable and happy the moment they woke up in each other's arms. Tired? Yes, it was a given. Annoyed with the short nap they had? Not really, not when they woke up like this.

 

With only two months of knowing each other could lead to this level of development, Hitomi idly wondered, if both of them were truly destined for each other? 

 

And with the confidence Hitomi had gathered over the two months of being together, Hitomi could say that: 

 

Yes, most likely.