On the twenty-third day, they eat together. 

Before then, Joohyun had taken her meals alone in her room. Only once did she venture out to eat with the others. She doesn’t want to admit it, but seeing them like that—so human yet so startlingly not at the same time—made her chest pound with something dark and heavy. 

“You get used to it,” Seungwan had told her kindly, after Joohyun had subconsciously flinched at the brush of Sooyoung’s feathers along her arm. The flames where Seungwan’s hands should have been burned dimly, and Joohyun could only smile tightly as Sooyoung offered her a sincere apology, feathers quite literally rumpled. 

“Of course,” Joohyun said, then turned her eyes towards her food, never looking up again even as the conversation continued around her. If she didn’t look up then she could keep pretending the voices were still entirely human and nothing else, and maybe that heaviness that was bleeding a little too closely into guilt would go away as well. 

She couldn’t help that she was human any more than they could that they weren’t, Joohyun tries to reason away. Why should she feel guilty for a burden that isn’t hers to bear? Even still, she takes her meals alone in her room from then on anyway, if only to escape them for a little while longer.

But on the twenty-third day, Joohyun wants company, and she is determined to find it in the only other occupant of the house that can actually sit with her for a proper meal.

So when that routine knock comes on her door at exactly 6pm, and she hears the soft, hesitant call of Seulgi telling her that dinner is prepared, Joohyun doesn’t ignore it like she usually does. Instead, she slides open the door in a move that startles them both. 

Joohyun has only looked at Seulgi twice before. 

The first time was a disaster—Joohyun frightened into tears at the sight of such a menacing looking monster stepping out of the shadows of the hallway. Joohyun had been warned, of course, about what she might find in this place, but she was stubborn and thought it was all exaggeration. Seeing Seulgi in person, though, Joohyun realized that, if anything, what she’d been told was an underestimation. 

So, she’d run. She’d run and she hadn’t looked back and wondered, not for the first time, what she’d gotten herself into. 

The second time had been softer, glancing out of her window into the yard and watching as Seulgi trekked her way around the small garden. Joohyun followed her as she stopped, carefully touching a large paw to the blossoming petal of a budding flower. The petal had fallen at the intrusion, and Seulgi had sat there for a long minute after, her large, hulking shoulders hunched in a way that made her look devastatingly human. And Joohyun had looked away then, angry with herself for almost feeling sympathy for something so cursed. She never looked out the window anymore.

This time, though, Joohyun is prepared. She doesn't gasp in surprise or need shuddering breaths to steel herself at the sight of the literal beast. She is prepared, and yet still, she falters for reasons unrelated to fear. 

Seulgi has gentle eyes. Joohyun notices this first and not the thick horns that protrude from the top of her head. She has gentle eyes but they widen in shock when they set on Joohyun, and Seulgi is the one who steps back in alarm, like somehow Joohyun is the scary one between the two of them. 

It’s this that makes Joohyun cross her arms in offense, glaring at the sight of such a supposedly scary monster cowering back in fear in front of a small, human girl.

"Well," Joohyun finally says when the silence has stretched long enough, and Seulgi still hasn’t made any effort to move, "are we going to eat in the dining room, or did you want to have dinner here in the middle of the hallway?"

Seulgi’s mouth falls open, long pointy fangs showing themselves for the first time. Joohyun doesn't bat an eye at them, focusing instead on the different emotions warring across Seulgi’s face.

"You," she starts, voice surprisingly soft compared to her rough appearance, "you want to eat with me?" 

Joohyun raises a brow, shrugs. "Yes, isn't that obvious?" 

Seulgi seems to physically light up before she catches herself. Her paws fiddle in front of her, claws not quite as sharp as Joohyun remembers them being. Her shoulders draw inward as she lowers her head bashfully, and it's such a strange sight, really, to see someone appear so small despite being anything but. 

"You don't have to," Seulgi tells her quietly. "I can have your food brought to your room as usual, or leave you to eat with the others if you'd prefer."

But Joohyun's already shaking her head, walking down towards the dining room with barely a gesture for Seulgi to follow. 

"I've been here for twenty-three days, and I barely see you," she says matter-of-factly, like this is a choice Seulgi had made and not one that Joohyun forced. From behind her, Joohyun can hear Seulgi’s clumsy footsteps as she rushes to follow behind Joohyun's brisk pace, and she almost smiles. "I live and work in your home, and I don’t even know anything about you. I think you can spare one meal with me, can’t you?"

"Of course!" Seulgi responds enthusiastically, and Joohyun bites back a smirk, feeling strangely endeared.

As she's crossing the threshold into the dining room, Seulgi coughs once. Joohyun turns back and finds her lingering in the doorway, one giant paw grasped awkwardly against the wall in a move that feels so human Joohyun can almost see the girl that Seulgi used to be. 

"Um," Seulgi begins hesitantly. She tries for a smile, but it gets lost somewhere between her fangs. Perhaps, if this were a few days ago, Joohyun might have thought it scary. Instead, she sees it for the peace offering that it is. "Thank you for inviting me to eat with you." 

"Seulgi," Joohyun bites back a laugh, “this is your home. Technically, you invited me.”

“Still.” Seulgi ducks her head, and Joohyun thinks if she were a proper human, Seulgi's skin would be blooming red in the beginnings of a blush.

Together they sit and they eat, and the craving for company Joohyun had finally feels satiated, even though neither talk much. There is no aching guilt that wounds itself around Joohyun's heart when she looks at Seulgi, just a deep seated curiosity at how she always seems to find Seulgi staring back. 

Between the horns and the fangs, the kindness in Seulgi's eyes never dims, and soon Joohyun stops noticing anything else on Seulgi's face entirely. All of Seulgi’s attention lies solely on Joohyun despite Joohyun's hesitant responses to Seulgi’s tentative questions, but still Seulgi doesn't falter, eyes practically shining as they drink Joohyun in like the idea of Joohyun sitting opposite her is so far fetched, it's still hard to fathom even now. 

It's only later after Seulgi has walked Joohyun back to her room, and Joohyun sits by the window with a book across her lap, that she realizes Seulgi had stared so longingly at Joohyun during their meal, she hadn't touched her food at all. 

The air is still biting despite the beginning of spring. Joohyun suppresses a shiver, pulling her scarf further up her neck so that she can nose into the soft wool. Behind her, Seulgi’s feet stomp heavily into the dirt, a rhythmic thud, thud, thud that Joohyun counts as she trails her fingertips along slowly budding leaves. Seulgi only uses a light blanket, wrapped around her shoulders like a shawl, to fend off the cold. A normal jacket wouldn’t fit, Joohyun supposes, but regardless, Seulgi seems unbothered any time Joohyun turns around to periodically check on her. 

Originally, Joohyun took her walks along the property alone. It was an opportunity to clear her head and sort through some of the muddled thoughts that constantly seem to swim around her mind these days. But Seulgi must have spotted her from her room one day because the next time Joohyun had stepped outside, Seulgi had already been standing on the lower steps waiting for her. 

“It’s not safe to walk out here alone,” she’d said, and Joohyun had scoffed because as far she was aware they were the only house for miles. 

Nonetheless, Joohyun did little to stop Seulgi from joining her, and now she’s come to expect it. If anything, she’s grown to appreciate the comforting presence that always lingers just a little bit behind—never intruding but always there. Seulgi’s even a halfway decent conversationalist, all things considered. 

“Oh, look! Some of the flowers are beginning to bloom!” Joohyun announces, pointing towards the azalea bush along the pathway. Specks of pink invade the green foliage, and carefully Joohyun tilts one of the blossoming flowers towards her nose to smell. “Hmm, these have a nice scent. Come see!”

Seulgi remains where she is, though, paws twiddling in front of her like they usually do—a sign Joohyun’s come to understand as nervousness. 

“That’s all right, I can smell it from here. I agree, it’s very nice.” 

Joohyun frowns at her. “I’m sure your nose is more sensitive than mine, but I guarantee you it’ll smell better up close.”

But Seulgi is steadfast, shaking her head shortly. 

“No, really. I’m fine where I am,” she insists, staring down resolutely at her feet in the dirt. Joohyun’s about to protest again, but then in a voice nearly as quiet as a whisper, Seulgi adds, “I—I don’t want to hurt the flowers.”

And, oh, Joohyun realizes. She remembers that moment from so long ago, when she watched Seulgi touch that blooming flower from her bedroom window, how easily the petal had fallen even with Seulgi’s gentleness. Seulgi is large and menacing and everything to be feared, and Seulgi doesn’t want to hurt the flowers. 

Joohyun softens instantly in understanding, her usual stubbornness making way for kindness instead. 

“You won’t hurt the flowers, Seulgi. Here.” She holds her palm out for Seulgi to take, and Seulgi stares down at it in wonder, hesitating. She gestures towards Seulgi in playful impatience. “Come on, we don’t have all day.”

Dutifully, Seulgi scurries to Joohyun’s side, laying her paw over Joohyun’s hand with the kind of care Joohyun can’t say she’s ever quite experienced before. Her paw dwarfs Joohyun’s hand entirely, and it’s warm—much warmer than Joohyun would have expected. The fur around it is softer, too, and Joohyun admires the feeling against her skin briefly as she carefully guides Seulgi towards the flower. 

“See,” Joohyun says, letting Seulgi trace a gentle claw along the bottom of a petal. It barely moves, and Joohyun could swear she almost sees it open even further under Seulgi’s caress. “You’re not hurting it at all.”

Seulgi’s smile is small, but Joohyun knows it’s there by the imperceptible way her fangs seem to lift. Seulgi moves slightly closer, leaning down to sniff before turning towards Joohyun beaming. 

“It smells better from here, right?” Joohyun asks, grinning in spite of herself. 

Seulgi nods vigorously, the fur around her ears shaking. 

“It really does!”

Joohyun can’t help it, she laughs. Fondness was never an emotion Joohyun thought she’d feel towards the lady of the house, but there’s no other way to describe the lightness Joohyun feels at the sight of such a scary beast falling victim to the pleasantries of sniffing flowers. 

“Come on, then,” Joohyun demands, pulling Seulgi along by the paw she has yet to let go of. “There are more flowers around here we can smell.”

She loops her arm with Seulgi’s, fingers burying themselves in the coarse fur of Seulgi’s forearm. She can feel the muscle beneath her fingertips tense immediately, and Joohyun rolls her eyes, not in the mood for anymore of Seulgi’s cautiousness. 

“You can’t keep walking behind me like a dog,” Joohyun tells her with a scoff. “It makes for bad company.”

Seulgi frowns at the implication before nodding as if to file away the information for later. 

“If you’re sure,” Seulgi murmurs, letting Joohyun tug them forward.

Joohyun only tightens her hold around Seulgi, letting some of Seulgi’s heat seep into her palm. It’s far too cold around them to let go of her now, Joohyun reasons. And who is she to deny the warmth of someone freely offering? 

Joohyun may be cold at times, but she’s only human, and, underneath it all, she’s sure Seulgi is too. 

“You have so many,” Joohyun comments, scanning over the record collection carefully, finding more unfamiliar names than familiar. Joohyun’s never even heard music be played in this house in all the time she’s been here. Such a vast collection almost feels like a waste. “I’m not even sure I recognize half of these names.” 

Joohyun pulls one out at random, looking at the swirling cover art interestedly. It’s for some classical composer Joohyun doesn’t recognize, and she raises a curious brow in Seulgi’s direction. Seulgi simply shrugs from where she’s leaning against a corner table. 

“I like music,” Seulgi says, coming to her side to peek at the record in Joohyun’s hands. She towers over Joohyun easily, and Joohyun can practically feel the heat radiating from her body. She shivers pleasantly.

“And yet the only music I ever hear is from the birds in the morning.”

Seulgi doesn’t respond, just takes the record carefully from Joohyun, a fond expression on her face as she stares down at it. It only lasts for a second, though, before her entire demeanor shifts, suddenly turning dark. Her grip tightens, claws extending slightly as her brows pinch together. She mumbles, voice trembling, “I forgot about this one.”

“Seulgi?”

She lays a hand on Seulgi’s arm in concern, and the touch seems to finally shake Seulgi, who blinks rapidly. Her claws retract and whatever grim aura that overcame her, quickly leaves. She quietly puts the record back, carefully shrugging off Joohyun’s hand. Joohyun doesn’t have time to be disappointed by the loss, getting distracted by the gentleness in Seulgi’s eyes as she turns back to Joohyun. 

“I have a lot of memories with music,” Seulgi explains, “sometimes it’s painful to remember them.”

Hidden within the gentleness, Joohyun realizes, is a hurt that Seulgi has been trying very persistently to hide, and until now, Joohyun’s never quite had a reason to try to find it. But now she sees it, and for reasons not even Joohyun can explain, she feels an ache settle beneath her ribs. 

“Sometimes it can also be more painful to ignore them,” Joohyun tries. 

Seulgi taps a claw against the wood of one of the shelves, sighing deeply. Her eyes fall away from Joohyun’s, and even though it was difficult to see Seulgi like that, Joohyun thinks it’s harder now, not to see Seulgi at all.

“I suppose that’s right, too.” Seulgi pulls another record out, tugging the vinyl from its sleeve and tracing it carefully. “I used to dance,” she reveals, and Joohyun’s brows shoot up not expecting the admission. “I wanted to be a professional.”

It’s hard to imagine such an impressive figure possessing the gracefulness necessary for such a career. If there’s one thing Joohyun’s noticed from her time spent with Seulgi it’s that, beast or not, she’s a rather clumsy individual. She trips constantly, or knocks things over that aren’t even in her way, like her body has a mind of its own, and Seulgi is simply a slave to its wiles. Joohyun finds it funny, usually—endearing, even to an extent—but she supposes in some ways that might make for a good dancer. Someone who lets their body do all the work as they simply follow along. 

“What happened?” Joohyun asks. Seulgi shoots her a look, glancing down briefly at the fur on her body, the claws on her paws, and Joohyun blushes. “Right. Sorry.” 

Seulgi just smiles tightly, too soft to be a grimace but not quite her usual grin.

“It’s okay. I accepted it a long time ago, but when I hear these songs, it serves as another reminder. I suppose even though I’ve accepted my curse, I’d rather not remember what could have been.”

“I understand,” Joohyun says, meaning it. She, too, has demons from her past that still find ways to haunt her now. Why else would she venture out to the countryside to work in a home she knew was cursed? “I’m sorry if I made you remember things you wanted to forget.”

Seulgi shakes her head, the fur near her horns shaking as she does. When she smiles again, it’s softer and her fangs peak out. 

“No, you were right. Ignoring it can be worse. Thank you for listening.” She stares down at the record for a long moment before her shoulders square, and she nods with determination. “Why don’t we play this one? Maybe sharing it with another person will be different.”

“That sounds nice,” Joohyun tells her and watches as Seulgi takes resolute steps to the record player in the corner. 

Joohyun listens as the sounds of a soothing violin fill the room, and—like an instinctual reaction—Seulgi’s head falls back, eyes closing as she sways slightly along to a building crescendo. She looks at peace, Joohyun notes, nothing like the tormented spirit Joohyun thought she might be at hearing this song again. 

As Joohyun watches her, unable to look away, she’s filled with a sudden strange desire to witness Seulgi dance herself. She imagines the long, graceful limbs of a human as she twirls and glides across a lit up stage for everyone to see, captivating everyone with her movements. Joohyun’s sure she wouldn’t be able to look away from such a sight either.

Stranger still, Joohyun also wonders what it might be like to be the one spinning alongside her—only in this fantasy it isn’t a human Joohyun envisions, but a beast instead.

There are bad days, sometimes. They’re infrequent and not totally intolerable, but on those days Seulgi doesn’t leave her room. Joohyun doesn’t know what brings on these sudden bouts of isolation, but she doesn’t have the heart to question it, either. Not when Seulgi has been nothing short of accommodating. If Seulgi wants to be left alone, who is Joohyun to bother her. 

That doesn’t mean Joohyun won’t walk around with a pinch between her brows, though, thoughts never too far from the growing enigma that is the beast of the house. 

“It can be hard for her—her condition,” Seungwan tells her as Joohyun rips off pieces of dough and drops them into a boiling pot. “Some days are just worse than others. You shouldn’t worry too much.”

Joohyun frowns, tearing into the dough a bit more roughly now. What a stupid thought. Of course Joohyun would worry about Seulgi. How could she not?

“You’re not concerned?” Joohyun asks.

Seungwan tries for a shrug, her flames blowing dangerously close to Joohyun’s sleeve. 

“Of course I am, but what can I do?” Seungwan looks down to herself as if dismayed by her own appearance, and Joohyun softens, wishing she knew how to comfort her. 

“Enough of that,” Yerim admonishes, waddling towards Seungwan’s side, clock hands ticking, “we don’t need another one of us feeling sorry for ourselves.”

Seungwan seems to bristle, flames sparking, before calming again as Sooyoung brushes up against her other side. She leans into Sooyoung who coos gently at her while Yerim tsks at them in disgust. Joohyun just watches them fondly, amazed at their ability to stay positive despite the circumstances they’ve found themselves in. At least they have each other, Joohyun muses, before her thoughts turn darker. 

But what about Seulgi? Who does Seulgi have?

“You should take that to her,” Sooyoung says, gesturing as best she can towards the pot of sujebi Joohyun’s just finished. 

It’s one of Seulgi’s favorites, revealed shyly to Joohyun during one of their nightly dinners together. Joohyun had made it on a whim today when Seulgi hadn’t been waiting for her in the living room like she usually is in the morning, and Joohyun realized today was going to be one of those days. But now, looking down at the boiling soup, Joohyun’s not so certain of her impulsive decision.

She bites her lip, feeling nervous. “Do you think she’ll eat it?”

Seungwan’s smile is kind and just a little bit imploring as she looks up at Joohyun. 

“She will since you made it.”

That’s all Joohyun needs, and before she can overthink it, she prepares a separate bowl for Seulgi. 

Seulgi’s room is on the second floor, past a door that Joohyun has never seen open. She’s never dared to try, either, too respectful of the boundaries Seulgi’s set. Today, though, Joohyun approaches it, rearranging the tray in her arms so she can knock gently on the wooden door. After a moment, only silence greets her, and Joohyun sighs, not surprised but disappointed all the same. She tries once more, even waits a bit longer, but still, Seulgi does not respond. 

Huffing, Joohyun sets the tray on the floor outside the door. She lays her palm flat against the wood, imagining that instead of the cold of the wood it’s the warmth of Seulgi’s paw seeping into her palm instead. 

“Seulgi,” Joohyun calls softly. At the expected silence, Joohyun continues, “I made you sujebi. I’ll just leave it here for you. I hope you like it, and I….I hope you feel better. Please take care of yourself.” 

I miss you, she doesn’t say because that would be foolish, to admit missing someone who has only been gone for a single day. Instead, she swallows the words, letting them burn against the back of , and retreats quietly down the stairs. 

Later, when Joohyun is in the living room reading a book, she hears Seulgi’s heavy footsteps as they move around above her. Her heart rate begins to rise in anticipation, and not long after, Seulgi finds her way down to the first floor. She is quiet as she deposits her empty dishes in the kitchen sink before she wanders back to the living room. Joohyun can feel her lingering just behind her on the couch before she hears Seulgi’s heavy sigh.

When Seulgi sits next to her, she is close enough for the fur of her arm to brush against Joohyun’s side. Heat radiates off of her naturally, and subconsciously, Joohyun leans into it, enjoying the softness she finds there. Joohyun doesn’t say anything, just continues to read her book as she waits for Seulgi to build the courage for whatever it is she wants to say. 

Finally, after a long moment, Joohyun feels Seulgi relax, and Joohyun accepts the open invitation, leaning her head against Seulgi’s arm. Seulgi’s sigh of relief is nearly impossible to hear. 

“Thank you,” she whispers, the two words just loud enough to reach Joohyun’s ears.

Joohyun just sets her book down, wounding her arm around Seulgi’s so she can hold more tightly onto her. The touch seems to soothe an ache Joohyun didn’t even know she had, and as she moves even closer to the welcoming beast, Joohyun is unsure now if the physical touch is for Seulgi’s benefit or her own.

Joohyun surveys the flower in her grasp, turning it this way and that to make sure it’s well and truly spent before snipping it off cleanly. Behind her, she can practically feel Seulgi’s wince as she watches. 

When she hears another one of Seulgi’s audible gasps at the removal of the next dead flower, Joohyun puts her hand pruners down and raises a brow over her shoulder. 

“Do you have something to say?” 

Seulgi fiddles with her paws, clawing lightly at her fur. She looks both fraught and pensive, and Joohyun almost rolls her eyes at her. 

“It’s just….well…” Seulgi trails off, coughing once when she notices Joohyun’s dwindling patience. “Do you….do you have to cut them off?” 

Joohyun stands and does roll her eyes now, but it’s in fondness rather than exasperation. For all her size and appearance, Seulgi really is nothing but soft and kind at heart. 

“It doesn’t hurt the flowers to cut the dead ones off, Seulgi,” Joohyun promises as Seulgi cranes her neck to look. “It’s actually good for them. It encourages them to grow more.”

Seulgi doesn’t look convinced, fiddling with her paws again. Her ears twitch, bottom lip jutting out in what Joohyun thinks might be her version of a pout. It’s not necessarily a cute expression in itself, but Joohyun can’t help but find the fact that Seulgi is sulking over the idea of cutting off dead flowers nothing short of adorable. 

Seulgi can just be so painstakingly human sometimes, it’s hard to reconcile that with the literal beast standing over her shoulder. 

“Are you sure?” Seulgi asks, and Joohyun shoots her a look.

“Of course I’m sure. Who hired who to take care of this place again?”

Seulgi lowers her head, properly chastised, and steps back. 

“I’ll let you go back to work then,” she mumbles. 

“Thank you.”

Joohyun moves to lower once more, but a rustling in one of the bushes reaches her ears. She eyes it strangely as it shakes again, more aggressively this time. Beside her, Seulgi tenses, and Joohyun feels her heart begin to pound. 

“What—”

“Stay here,” Seulgi warns, treading towards the still moving bush cautiously. 

“Seulgi,” Joohyun hisses, concern rising as Seulgi draws nearer. Seulgi did say it was dangerous outside, and while Joohyun never took her overprotectiveness seriously, maybe she should have. The last thing she wants to witness now is Seulgi potentially getting hurt in the name of keeping Joohyun safe. 

Seulgi growls lowly once she’s close, stopping the movement within the bush immediately. The sound is alarming—menacing almost—and instantly Joohyun is reminded once again of what Seulgi really is. The sudden realization does nothing to calm Joohyun’s steadily building nerves, and clenching her fists, Joohyun holds her breath as Seulgi pulls the leaves on the bush aside to peer in. 

She reaches in with claws extended, and Joohyun hears a tiny yelp before Seulgi draws back. Joohyun furrows her brows, watching as Seulgi turns around with something small and squirming in her arms.

“Is that—”

“A puppy!” Seulgi chirps happily. She walks back to Joohyun, holding the tiny, writhing thing in her arms. 

If Joohyun didn’t feel so uncomfortable, she might think the sight of such a little creature being held gently in the cradle of Seulgi’s paws would be adorable. It was only so long ago that Seulgi was too afraid to even touch a flower, worried that she might hurt it. Now she holds a living, breathing animal in her paws, and only gazes at it fondly. The development should really be celebrated. Yet as it stands, Joohyun can only manage a strained grimace, subtly stepping back as Seulgi holds the puppy out towards her. 

“Look! Isn’t he adorable?” 

Joohyun just nods, crossing her arms in case Seulgi gets any ideas about handing him off to Joohyun to carry. 

“Where’d he come from?” 

“He must be a stray. We get them from time to time,” Seulgi tells her, grinning down as the puppy yips. She looks so happy, Joohyun almost forgets dogs are rather high up on her list of fears. 

“Is that why you said it’s not safe out here?” Joohyun questions uneasily. She glances around, wondering if somewhere nearby is the larger, less friendlier mother of the puppy. 

“Partially,” Seulgi confirms, though she doesn’t seem to find her response nearly as concerning as Joohyun does. “He’s so tiny; he must be hungry. Can you hold him? I’ll go get him some food.”

Joohyun’s eyes widen. 

“No, no! I can do that! Y-You stay here.”

Seulgi tilts her head. “Is something wrong?”

“Of course not.” Joohyun shakes her head. “Everything is fine. I’ll be back.”

Seulgi opens to speak, but as she does, she suddenly yelps instead. The next thing Joohyun knows, Seulgi is dropping the puppy, shaking out the claw the animal had apparently bitten. The puppy doesn’t mind the fall, immediately running around their legs in excitement, and Joohyun jumps back as he gets closer. 

“No, go away,” Joohyun shoos as it ambles towards her feet. The puppy barks in delight, and Joohyun frowns, trying to nudge him away without actually touching him.

“Hey, come here,” Seulgi tries, stepping in front of Joohyun after noting her discomfort. Joohyun is thankful, clinging onto the back of Seulgi’s shirt. From here, she can feel the warmth of Seulgi’s fur through the thin material, and, in spite of her fear, Joohyun can’t stop herself from holding on a little closer than necessary. 

Seulgi attempts to pick the puppy up again, chasing him as he darts around their legs, but the puppy, thinking it a game, simply barks before running off down the pathway to the small river in front of the property. 

“No, come back!” Seulgi calls, chasing after it with lumbering footsteps. 

Joohyun feels Seulgi’s shirt slip through her fingers, and she frowns. 

“Seulgi, wait! Be careful!” she tries, but it’s useless, Seulgi far too distracted by a tiny animal to care about the human she’s just left behind. Joohyun shakes her head in amusement, watching as Seulgi disappears down the pathway. “What a fool,” she muses, bending down to pick up her abandoned hand pruners.

She returns to her task of pruning the flowers, trying with all her might not to be endeared by the sounds of a large beast falling victim to the whims of a little puppy.

“I told you to be careful,” Joohyun admonishes, holding onto Seulgi’s paw as she assesses the damage. 

Thorns protrude painfully from the pads of Seulgi’s paw, embedded deeply in the flesh there. Joohyun carefully pokes and prods, shushing whenever Seulgi whines. For someone so physically strong, Seulgi is a fussy patient, hissing whenever Joohyun so much as moves her. 

“It will be fine on its own,” Seulgi attempts, earning a glare from Joohyun. 

“Stop complaining, and let me help you.” 

Seulgi huffs one more time before silencing, allowing Joohyun to begin the tedious work of taking all the thorns out. It’s a task easier said than done, and when Seulgi once again jerks back with a deep howl at the removal of another thorn, Joohyun sighs. 

“It’ll go by faster if you just sit still,” Joohyun pleads tiredly. 

“I can’t help it.” Seulgi frowns, rubbing at her paw. “It’s instinctual. It hurts.”

“Then maybe you shouldn’t have jumped into a thorn bush chasing after a puppy.”

“But I didn’t want him to get hurt,” Seulgi pouts. Pouts. Fangs jutting out and all. Joohyun scoffs. 

“And now you’re hurt instead.” 

Seulgi turns away, refusing to meet Joohyun’s eyes as Joohyun takes her paw again. When she speaks, it’s in a hushed whisper, and Joohyun has to pause, heart dropping. 

“Better me than him. At least I’d deserve it.”

Joohyun breathes in deeply, fighting back words of disagreement. She knows how Seulgi must see herself. While always unbearably kind and cautiously optimistic, Joohyun has noticed the lack of mirrors in the house. She’s seen the way Seulgi’s turned away from her reflection in the water on days when they sit near the river. Seulgi may be subtle in her own self-loathing, but Joohyun’s caught onto it anyway. She just doesn’t know how to comfort Seulgi when the only words she has for her are that when she looks at Seulgi she doesn’t see a monster at all. All she sees is someone safe and warm who she wishes she could shield away from a world that doesn’t deserve her kindness.

Soothingly, Joohyun rubs along the fur of Seulgi’s paw. Her heart aches, understanding that this is how Seulgi must feel all the time. Does she really find her existence so deplorable that pain is an acceptable punishment? 

Joohyun shakes her head, eyes imploring, even though Seulgi is determined to look away.

“You don’t deserve pain, Seulgi. No one does, despite what you may think.”

When Seulgi doesn’t respond, Joohyun tugs Seulgi’s paw towards her. In times like this, Joohyun’s learned, it’s better to just let Seulgi be. She’ll speak when she’s ready and never a moment sooner. She just hopes that, however small her words are, they still find a way to reach Seulgi eventually.

Joohyun pulls at another thorn, and this time Seulgi only lets out a small grunt. Joohyun smirks at the noise, patting Seulgi’s thigh softly in thanks. It continues like this until Joohyun moves closer to the thorns stuck between Seulgi’s fingers. The fur there is thinner, the flesh not as tough. Joohyun can tell this is a more sensitive area, and she does her best to be gentle. But tenderness has never been Joohyun’s strong suit, and Seulgi squirms uncomfortably again.

“Wait—” 

“We’re almost done,” Joohyun quiets. “Just a few more.”

If Joohyun had been paying attention, maybe she would have caught the signs. Maybe she would have been able to stop herself from going further. But Joohyun can be stubborn to a fault, too focused on finishing a task to the detriment of self-awareness. She pulls harshly at a large thorn embedded deeply in Seulgi’s skin, and Seulgi howls loudly, lashing out in instinct at the perceived danger. 

Joohyun stumbles back, eyes wide as her heart races. She doesn’t even feel the pain in her arm nor the blood that begins to seep through the tear in her sleeve. Though none of that matters in comparison to the horrified look on Seulgi’s face. 

“I’m so sorry,” Seulgi breathes out, reaching towards Joohyun. “I didn’t mean to!”

It’s a subconscious reaction, one that Joohyun would take back if she could, but she flinches at the sight of Seulgi’s paw coming near her. Immediately, Seulgi drops her arm. Her eyes are pained as she takes in the sight of Joohyun on the couch, arm bloodied and breath heavy. She lowers her head and hunches her shoulders, and, all at once, Joohyun realizes what just happened. 

“I’m so sorry,” Seulgi mumbles again, rising from the couch in one quick movement. 

Joohyun aches to bring her back, but she can’t move, frozen still at this sudden turn of events. When she finally remembers herself, Seulgi is already moving further away.

“No, Seulgi, wait—” 

It’s too late, and Joohyun can only watch helplessly as Seulgi hurries up the stairs with heavy footsteps. The pain in her arm finally registers, but it’s nothing like the hurt Joohyun can remember seeing in Seulgi’s eyes as she stared down at her, focused intently on the wound on Joohyun’s arm and nothing else. She’d done that. However unintentional it may have been, Seulgi had harmed Joohyun, and now she won’t forgive herself for it.

Worst of all, though, is that Joohyun knows Seulgi will believe she deserves this as punishment too.

Joohyun didn’t expect otherwise, but she still feels a pang of disappointment when Seulgi isn’t there to greet her in the morning. It feels colder as Joohyun takes her walk alone, made worse by the bandage on her arm itching against her skin. The puppy Seulgi is so fond of, ambles along beside her, but Joohyun doesn’t have it within her to tell him to go away.  

If she was stronger, Joohyun thinks, as she stares up at Seulgi’s bedroom window, then Seulgi wouldn’t have been so upset. It’s only a scratch. Surely, Seulgi wouldn’t be hiding in her room if she knew it’s her absence  that hurts more than the scar she thinks she’s given Joohyun. 

Passing a budding flower, Joohyun stops. It’s bright and yellow, and Joohyun remembers that it’s one of Seulgi’s favorites. Unable to help herself, she lowers, holding it tenderly in her hands. Her thumb brushes across its petal, feeling the smoothness, but her touch must still be too rough and Joohyun can do nothing but watch as it breaks and falls to the floor. 

She wonders if Seulgi is watching her like Joohyun watched her all that time ago. Will Seulgi see Joohyun unintentionally break something beautiful like she had, and think Joohyun a monster too? Or would she still give Joohyun the benefit of being a human? 

“Probably,” Joohyun scoffs to herself, standing up quickly and stomping angrily back to the house. 

If only Seulgi could realize that out of everyone, she’s the most human of them all.

At night, Joohyun makes broth and tears dough into it and watches it boil with a heavy heart as Seungwan paces back and forth across the table. Sooyoung is frantically dusting the shelves in anxiousness, and Yerim is muttering to herself in the corner, clock ticking faster and faster with each second. They all know what happened, and while they were kind in their reassurances, Joohyun knows that even they can sense this bad day won’t be so easily fixable like before. 

The puppy settles at her feet as Joohyun waits for the soup to finish, and Joohyun’s not sure what compels her, but she bends to the floor, letting her hand fall to his head. He leans into her, snout nuzzling into Joohyun’s palm as his fur brushes against her skin, and in a familiar rush of emotion, Joohyun wonders why she was ever afraid of him at all. 

“Seulgi?” Joohyun calls, holding the tray of food outside Seulgi’s door once again. “I made you sujebi if you want to eat. I’ll leave it here for you.” She places it on the floor, then lingers, biting her lip. She lays her hand against the door again, hoping that somehow her touch might reach Seulgi on the other side. “I’m not hurt, so please don’t think that it was your fault. Please don’t think that you—that you—” Joohyun groans, tugging at her hair, frustrated both with herself and the girl hiding inside her room. “You don’t deserve this, Seulgi. Don’t believe that you do. Please.”

There’s no movement from within the room, no indication that Seulgi’s even awake to hear her. Joohyun steps away, upset with herself. She pauses at the top of the stairs, though, and turns back to the shut door. 

“I miss you,” she whispers before finally leaving, hoping foolishly that Seulgi might have heard that too.

Joohyun stays up late on purpose, waiting for Seulgi to inevitably come down and join her on the couch like usual. But Seulgi never comes, and Joohyun never hears any movement from above her. When it’s far past midnight, Joohyun finally surrenders and dares to check on Seulgi again. 

In front of Seulgi’s door, the tray of food sits, untouched and cold. Joohyun expected as much, but even she’s not immune to the pang that comes with such an explicit rejection. Without a word, Joohyun picks the tray up and carries it back to the kitchen. 

Tears build around the corners of her eyes as she throws the wasted food away, but she doesn’t let them fall. Joohyun hasn’t come this far just to let herself be pushed away now by a fool who thinks herself undeserving of affection. In the end, if her skin can’t be tough enough to withstand Seulgi’s curse, then her mind will have to be.

Seulgi won’t be rid of Joohyun so easily; she’ll have to see that eventually. Joohyun will make sure of it.

After more than a week of silence and neglected dinner offerings, Joohyun’s frustration has finally grown to a level that not even she can control. Ignoring Seungwan’s pleads for her to stop and rethink, Joohyun marches up the stairs and back to Seulgi’s door. She knocks harshly, never stopping even after a whole minute has passed. 

“Hey, Kang Seulgi!” she yells, pounding her fists against the door. It makes her hand ache, but she doesn’t care. If Seulgi believes she deserves pain, then Joohyun must deserve this too. “Don’t ignore me! I won’t stop until you open the door!”

The door throws open suddenly, and for the first time in what’s felt like an unbearable amount of time, Seulgi stands before her. She looks exactly the same, horns and fur with clothes that barely fit, and yet Joohyun drinks all of her in like there is a change she must be missing.

“What are you doing?” Even with a noticeable frown, Seulgi’s tone is still soft. Joohyun knows now that Seulgi is just truly incapable of being anything but.

“You’re ignoring me.”

This seems to catch Seulgi off guard, eyebrows raising in surprise. She shifts uneasily, and maybe Joohyun might think it charming if she wasn’t so upset. 

“I-I am not…” 

“You said it’s not safe for me outside, and yet you no longer join me on my walks,” Joohyun begins, crossing her arms. She ignores Seulgi’s look of alarm and barrels on, “Tell me, is my company so abhorrent that you’d rather let me potentially die than join me, or are you just so much of a coward that you’d rather risk my safety than face me again?”

“No!” Seulgi shouts, shocking them both. They both pause before Seulgi gathers herself, fiddling with her paws nervously. “That’s not it.”

“Then what is it? I won’t accept anything but the truth.”

Seulgi turns away from her, and Joohyun almost reaches out to force Seulgi back to face her. She doesn’t, though, instead waiting with what’s left of her patience for Seulgi to finally acknowledge what she’s been avoiding. 

“I….I just don’t want to hurt you again,” Seulgi whispers. 

“Then you’re doing a poor job of that!” Joohyun snaps.

Seulgi’s mouth falls open, and Joohyun turns away with a huff. Maybe if this were a week ago, Joohyun might feel sympathy at the answer. But now, after so much time has passed, and Joohyun’s had to endure the pain of someone she considered a friend refusing to talk to her, she can only feel anger and hurt.

“I don’t like being ignored, especially when I’ve done nothing wrong, and it hurts me that you’re treating me like this,” Joohyun tells her, speaking openly in the hope that Seulgi will offer her the same.

Seulgi only lowers her head, shoulders drawn inward. 

“I’m sorry,” she apologizes after a long moment. “That wasn’t my intention.”

She looks so pitiful. Nothing like the menacing beast she’s supposed to be, and Joohyun feels all her pent up anger leave her. She can’t fault Seulgi for thinking herself a monster to be avoided when it’s the curse that’s made her believe as much. 

“I know it wasn’t,” Joohyun relents. She reaches for Seulgi’s arm, grasping onto it gently. She’s missed the feeling of Seulgi underneath her fingertips, and Joohyun squeezes once, just to feel her more deeply, before releasing. “But it still hurt to be shut out like that.”

Seulgi breathes in deeply, one shuddering inhale before she draws her shoulders back, raising her eyes to meet Joohyun’s. She takes Joohyun’s hand in her paw, the first time she’s ever initiated such an act of intimacy herself, and smiles warmly. 

“I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.”

“If you’re really sorry, then you’ll come outside with me right now.”

This request seems to be more shocking than Joohyun’s sudden appearance at her door. Seulgi hesitates, mouth opening and closing as she thinks of what to say. Joohyun waits, more anxious now at a potential rejection than she was at the possibility of Seulgi ignoring her knocking earlier. 

“Really?” Seulgi questions. “You still—you still want to walk with me?”

“Of course I do.” Joohyun furrows her brow, perplexed at the very notion of not wanting to. “Do….do you still want to?”

Seulgi softens, shoulders going slack. She smiles, a small upturn of her lips that has Joohyun feeling warm all over. 

“I’d love to.”

Seulgi holds her arm out for Joohyun to take, and Joohyun accepts eagerly, letting Seulgi lead them down the stairs and out of the house. The sun is bright against her eyes, the air suddenly fresher than yesterday. Everything feels better now that Joohyun has Seulgi beside her again. They take a slow pace, enjoying each other’s presence after so long apart, and if Joohyun pulls Seulgi closer, neither comment on it.

“This is nice,” Joohyun says, squeezing gently on Seulgi’s arm as a breeze blows past them. “You’re much better company than Gaho.”

“Gaho?”

Joohyun flushes. “The puppy.”

Seulgi chuckles lightly, fangs protruding in a way Joohyun’s come to find endearing. 

“You named him. You like him.”

Joohyun only rolls her eyes, unable to deny it. Against her will, she has grown a tentative fondness for the tiny thing, but that’s only because a certain beast felt the need to ignore her unnecessarily. What was Joohyun supposed to do? Take Seungwan out on walks with her in Seulgi’s stead so that her flames could blow out with the wind? Somehow that seemed like a worse idea than enduring an energetic puppy.

“The flowers seem to be growing well,” Seulgi comments as they pass the garden. 

“They’re more open today,” Joohyun tells her. “I think they missed you.”

Seulgi coughs, fur slightly raising. She turns her nose to the sky and mumbles shyly, “I missed them as well.”

Eventually they settle down beneath a tree, close enough to watch as the small river in front of the property flows past. The air is warm enough that the shade feels like a relief, but Joohyun still presses into Seulgi’s side, welcoming some of her added heat. Whether it be the toll from the day, or the peace that’s found her now that Seulgi is next to her again, Joohyun can’t help but lean her head against Seulgi’s shoulder. 

She feels Seulgi move to accommodate her, shifting so that Joohyun can rest more comfortably. With the warmth of Seulgi’s body against her own, the scent of Seulgi’s shirt filling her nose, and the sound of Seulgi’s steady breaths in her ears, Joohyun closes her eyes and falls into an easy sleep.

“Are you sure you want to do this?”

Joohyun gives Seulgi a look over her shoulder. 

“Why are you nervous? You’re the trained dancer between us.”

“But I’ve never….not like this….” 

“You still have two arms and two legs, I’m sure it’s not that much different.” Joohyun waves her off, finally pulling out a record that looks appropriate. “How about this one? Will this work?”

Seulgi looks down at Joohyun’s choice, nodding hesitantly. “That should be fine.”

Joohyun grins, skipping towards the record player in the corner of the room. The sounds of a gentle orchestra soon fill the silence, playing in a steady rhythm Joohyun already begins counting to in her head, praying the dance lessons she took when she was younger don’t fail her now. When she looks at Seulgi, the other girl is standing stiff and unmoving, staring determinedly down at her feet. 

Sighing, Joohyun approaches her with her hand outstretched. 

“Humor me?” she requests.

Seulgi’s eyes sweep across her face before falling to her hands. Releasing a sigh of her own, Seulgi takes Joohyun’s hand with her paw and pulls Joohyun closer towards her body. 

“Like this,” she says, guiding Joohyun’s other hand to her shoulder before resting her own paw at Joohyun’s waist. “One, two, three,” she counts as she moves Joohyun into a simple box step, encouraging Joohyun to follow along with her movements. 

“See, I knew you’d be good at this,” Joohyun murmurs, glancing down towards their feet.

A squeeze to her waist coaxes her eyes back up, where Seulgi is grinning affectionately. 

“Don’t look down. Keep your eyes on me.”

So Joohyun looks. With this permission, she takes Seulgi in again. The horns no longer faze her. The fur she now knows she likes the feeling of. Seulgi is much taller than she is, but Joohyun doesn’t mind having to glance upwards. Her shoulders are quite broad, but Joohyun finds they are perfect for laying her head on. She’s not a beast at all, Joohyun decides. There is just simply more of her to appreciate. 

“You look quite pensive,” Seulgi remarks, twirling them now in time with their steps. “Can I ask why?”

Joohyun blushes. “No reason.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.” Joohyun nods. She’d sooner die than reveal where her thoughts had strayed. Instead, Joohyun tugs Seulgi slightly closer and asks, “Do you know how to do a lift?”

Seulgi tilts her head, considering. “I think so? But usually, I was the one being lifted, not the other way around.”

Joohyun narrows her eyes in a playful threat. 

“If you drop me, then I’ll really be mad at you.”

Seulgi laughs, a sound Joohyun never tires of hearing. “I won’t drop you. I promise. You’re so small, it’d be impossible to.”

“If you say so—ah!”

Without warning, Seulgi shifts one of her arms to wrap around Joohyun’s waist, guiding Joohyun’s arm to rest across her shoulders. Just as quickly as she’d moved, Seulgi lifts Joohyun easily, spinning them both around with minimal effort. 

Getting over the initial shock, Joohyun laughs, throwing her head back in delight. She holds tightly to Seulgi’s shoulder, fingers digging into the worn material of Seulgi’s shirt though she’s of no worry that Seulgi will let her fall. Joohyun can say without a doubt that she’s never felt safer than she has in Seulgi’s embrace. After one more spin, Seulgi finally sets Joohyun down, though her arm stays looped around Joohyun’s waist. 

Looking up, Joohyun finds Seulgi already staring down at her. Her eyes are so expressive, warm and caring as they meet Joohyun’s. Not being able to help herself, Joohyun reaches up, letting her fingers trace around the fur near Seulgi’s horns. Seulgi shuts her eyes, leaning into the touch, and Joohyun grows bolder, brushing across her cheeks to Seulgi’s ears. The fur is softest here, and Joohyun spends time admiring them, grinning when she hears a deep pleasant rumble from Seulgi’s chest. 

Trailing back along Seulgi’s jaw, Joohyun pauses briefly just underneath Seulgi’s lip. The heat of her breath hits Joohyun’s thumb, and Joohyun can’t quite repress the shiver that rolls through her body. It’s only when Joohyun dares to touch Seulgi’s fangs that Seulgi opens her eyes and pulls away, lowering her head shyly before stepping away. 

Despite the distance, Joohyun can’t stop looking, and it’s only once Seulgi coughs, shifting slightly on her feet, that Joohyun realizes the record has finished and their dance has ended. 

Flushing at her actions, Joohyun turns her eyes towards the wall, holding her hands behind her back like she can’t believe what she’s just done. 

“Thank you for the dance,” Seulgi says, bringing Joohyun’s attention back to her. She’s grinning widely, no embarrassment at all after being touched so openly. “I haven’t done that in a long time. It was nice.” 

Remembering herself, Joohyun shakes her head, feeling her cheeks warm as she forces out a response. 

“Thank you for not dropping me.”

They share a short laugh, something indescribable settling in the air around them. It’s not uncomfortable, but it makes Joohyun want to pull Seulgi close again. If not in another dance, then maybe in something simpler like a hug instead.

But noting the late hour as the single clock in the room chimes, Seulgi just holds her arm out once more. 

“Can I walk you back to your room?”

Joohyun nods, and together they walk down the hall, the tension between them charged with something Joohyun absolutely refuses to acknowledge. They linger outside the door to Joohyun’s room, both quiet, and foolishly, Joohyun can only think that this is the part of the night where a normal couple might kiss. Instead, Seulgi simply steps away and ducks her head. 

“Goodnight,” Seulgi tells her and brushes the back of Joohyun’s hand with her paw in a touch so fleeting Joohyun wonders if it wasn’t just something she’d wished for. 

Later, as Joohyun lies in bed, she recalls the feeling of Seulgi’s paws around her waist, and how, for a brief moment, her touch felt almost human. When she dreams, it’s of Seulgi. A large monstrous beast who holds Joohyun more gently than any person could, twirling her in a dance that doesn’t seem to end. 

In the morning when Joohyun wakes, it’s with the phantom heat of Seulgi’s body pressed to hers as she raised Joohyun so easily into a lift. Reliving that moment over and over in her mind, Joohyun’s left to wonder if this might be the beginning of love.