“And then the idiot ran straight into the wall!” Kira laughed as she shoved some more food in .

“Don’t be mean to him, Kira~” whined MiHyun as the loud girl shoved some more rice into . HyeJu shook her head at the two of them as she picked up her dishes.

“Do you ever behave, Kira?” HyeJu teased as she began to wash the dishes.

“Hey, hey…I behave. …every now and then.”

MiHyun scoffed, “Yeah, for a second at a time.”

“Yah!”

MiHyun laughed as Kira chased after the younger girl.

“Don’t break anything or I’ll have both your heads!” HyeJu called out as the two started to run around the apartment. The oldest of the three picked up the finished plates and put them into the dishwasher. Once she finished loading the machine, she added the detergent and pressed the start button. With a sigh, she stretched out her back and gently hit her shoulder with her fist. She needed to go get a massage some time soon. Maybe the three of them can go on a spa trip this weekend.

A loud siren-like alarm caused HyeJu’s heart to jump against her chest. After realizing what it was, HyeJu frowned. As she expected, Kira and MiHyun were putting on their shoes to leave the house.

“Unnie, we got-”

“Yeah, I know. I heard. Be safe…”

“Aren’t we always?” Kira offered with a smile. HyeJu could only nod. “Ah! Speaking of safe, this one is close by so don’t leave the house any time soon.”

“We love you!” MiHyun called out as she closed the door behind her.

“Bye, Eomma~!” She heard Kira’s teasing voice call out. While the nickname normally pissed her off (and she knew that’s what Kira was going for to lighten the mood), HyeJu didn’t even react to it.

HyeJu sighed once the silence settled in the now empty apartment. She hated when the two of them went out on a hunt because there was always a chance they wouldn’t come back. Of course, the older girl had tried to convince the two of a profession less dangerous, but it was hard when she was the only one with an income. It only took a month for Kira and MiHyun to decide they wanted to be Slayers. While they tried to convince HyeJu that it was because they wanted revenge, the oldest knew they were doing it for the money. HyeJu walked into her shared room with the younger two and picked up the picture of the three of them when they were children.

Their parents were all friends before they were even born. Despite being older than the other two girls, who happened to be the same age, they were close childhood friends. So it didn’t come as a surprise that they stayed together when all of their parents were murdered. It felt like ages ago yet HyeJu knew it was really only half a year ago. They weren’t the only ones that were orphaned; the trio considered themselves as lucky since they were old enough to take care of themselves.

Half a year ago, a group of demons raided the city for human flesh. It was a horrific massacre to their small town. Their parents saved them from the attack but at the cost of their own lives before the Slayers finally arrived to eradicate the frenzy of demons. Despite being a life-changing event, the three of them didn’t cry when it happened. They were sad, of course. Their parents had given everything to them for as long as they lived. They loved their parents wholeheartedly. But there had been other children younger than them that had lost their parents and needed support at the time. For the little ones around them, the three girls stayed strong. They managed to keep it together, thankful that at the very least they still had each other.

It was only at nights when the kids had gone to sleep that they let the tears flow.

The number of mortalities that day had been high. While HyeJu was already considered an adult by law, MiHyun and Kira were not. To prevent themselves from being separated, HyeJu legally adopted the two of them. Under normal circumstances, it would have been extremely difficult to do at HyeJu’s young age. But the recent tragedy left many children homeless and the shelter needed all the help they could get in getting the children adopted out. While legally HyeJu was MiHyun and Kira’s mother, the relationship between the three of them didn’t change. They came to an agreement that it would be weird and it would be best if things stayed the same. Every now and then, HyeJu would pull the mother card on them when they were about to do something stupid, but they were rare occasions.

Thankfully, the two younger girls went to a public school, so HyeJu didn’t have to worry about paying tuition or anything. Still, the younger ones knew how hard it was for HyeJu to feed herself let alone two extra mouths. They had tried to find part-time jobs in the area (despite HyeJu insisting that they didn’t need to and should focus on their studies), but most places were looking for full-time employees. So when they were offered positions as Slayers, MiHyun and Kira jumped on the opportunity. While MiHyun and Kira weren’t exactly looking for revenge, they would be lying if they didn’t feel some hatred towards them. Of course, HyeJu didn’t like demons either, but she was never one to quickly judge others by generalizations. She understood MiHyun and Kira’s enmity towards them though. She also understood that the girls were doing it more for the money than anything else. Still, HyeJu was against the two girls entering such a dangerous profession. But she knew once they were determined to do something, there was no stopping them. That still didn’t stop HyeJu from worrying whenever they went out on a mission.

Sighing, HyeJu put the photo down. She looked at her watch. It was already 10:38 pm. She should start getting ready for bed so she could get to work on time. Before going to wash up, HyeJu prepared the lunches for the three of them, packing the younger two a big more than usual since they’d probably be really hungry from tonight’s mission.

CLANG.

HyeJu jumped at the sound of a bottle breaking outside. She peeked out the window and looked left and right to locate the source of that sound. Was one of their neighbors getting drunk again? By habit, HyeJu left the apartment to investigate, just to make sure one of her neighbors wasn’t getting wasted…again.

She completely forgot about Kira’s warning from earlier.

“SooHyung-sshi?” she called out. “Are you getting drunk again? It’s only the middle of the week.”

HyeJu searched through the area she normally would find her neighbor passed out from excessive alcohol.

“SooHyung-sshi?”

When she was unable to find her alcoholic neighbor in his normal spot, she began to feel uneasy. Didn’t Kira warn her not to leave the apartment for some reason?

CLING.

HyeJu’s heart raced in fear. “…S-SooHyung…sshi? Is…is that you? Or…or a cat? It’s…it’s probably just a cat, right?”

A sudden pungent cooper stench wafted into HyeJu’s nose. Was someone hurt? Despite her fear, she would hate for someone to be hurt without any help and continued searching for the source of the smell. As she uncovered one of the bags of trash, she gasped in shock at the sight of a young boy covered in cuts and bruises. He was soaked in blood and sweat; HyeJu wondered if he was still alive. She reached forward to check for a heartbeat only to stop part way when something caught her attention from the corner of her eyes.

Ears.

Fluffy dog ears adorned the top of his head.

He was a demon.

Not just any demon, he was a werewolf.

HyeJu jumped back in shock, immediately searching for her phone to call MiHyun or Kira. This was probably the demon they were currently hunting. Her shaking hands finally found her phone. She pulled it out with every intention of calling for help when an image of Kira in the same position flashed through her head. Slowly, she lowered her phone and stared at the barely conscious werewolf.

He was just a kid.

If she had to age him based on appearance, he looked like he was in his teens.

Did he really mean any harm?

Did he have family waiting for him to come back like HyeJu waited for MiHyun and Kira every time?

She frowned at the thought of the two girls never coming home. Was it the same for demons? Just like before, she reached forward to check for a pulse. With a deep breath, she her hand forward to his chest with her eyes closed.

Badump, badump.

He was still alive.

She sighed in relief before looking around. He must have somehow managed to escape detection by hiding in the trash.

“Aish…you stink…” HyeJu complained as she continued moving the bags of trash out of the way to examine him closer. He seemed harmless enough… “He seems too heavy to move…I guess I’ll just have to bring the first aid kit down here.”

Just as she turned to leave, she looked back at the werewolf with a pensive expression. With a slight apology, she recovered him with the bags of trash in case he was found in the time that she was gone. Quickly, she ran back to the apartment to find her first aid kit for the times that MiHyun and Kira came back battered and wounded from missions. Unlike a normal first aid kit, HyeJu’s was stocked heavily in wraps, bandages, and disinfectant since the injuries she normally dealt with were too severe to be fixed with mere band-aids and ointment. The kind girl even brought a bowl of water and a towel to clean him up a bit. She immediately got to work on treating the demon’s injuries once she got back to the still unconscious werewolf, uneasiness at the back of her mind if said werewolf were to wake up before she was done. By the time she finished patching him up, she almost emptied out her whole kit. In case the two girls needed treatment, HyeJu made sure to save enough for both of them. With a deep exhale, she wiped the sweat off her forehead.

Her exhalation was mimicked by the waking demon.

HyeJu froze in shock. What should she do now? She didn’t have any intention of actually interacting with the demon. His injuries were so bad, she figured he would be unconscious for a while. Her eyes stayed fixed on the werewolf as his breathing became more labored, an indication of his slowly but surely progression towards full consciousness.

She should run. That’s what she should probably do.

Yet she just stood and watched in anticipation.

His bright blue eyes snapped open, baring into her own black ones. When he realized she was human, he snarled aggressively, furrowing his eyebrows. HyeJu couldn’t turn her eyes away from his swirling pools of anger. No…he wasn’t angry despite the deep growls he was emitting from his mouth. She stared deep into his eyes and saw only fear and confusion. With a smile, she crouched back down to his level.

“It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you,” she reassured in a soft tone. Every little movement she made caused him to flinch in apprehension. He was putting on a strong front even though he was terrified. “I’m not a Slayer. Can you understand me?”

She noticed him relax a little after revealing the fact that she was just a civilian. He nodded slightly at her question.

“Good. I treated your wounds and I have some pain killers here if you want them. But I’m not sure how well these drugs work with werewolves…” she mumbled in hindsight as she stared at the drugs in her hand. He tilted his head at her mumbling as his ears flopped down with gravity. HyeJu would be lying if she didn’t find his expression absolutely adorable. “Can you stand?”

He looked down at his worn body and stretched his limbs out to see if they still worked. With a grunt of pain, he managed to maneuver his body so he was crouching forward.

“This is really no place for demons like you. There’s a path of trees you can hide in that will lead you back into the woods. You better get out of here and fast. My friends could be here any minute now and they don’t take kindly to demons,” HyeJu warned as she placed the towel over his head to hide his ears. The action wasn’t as useful as she thought it would be since the werewolf shifted into his wolf form. She would have grabbed the towel back from him but the pup seemed to have taking a liking to the soft material, keeping it locked between his jaws as he took off with lightning speed.

HyeJu sighed.

Well, that went unexpectedly well.

She hurried back into the apartment with the first aid kit. When MiHyun and Kira came back, she was almost too relieved to hear that they lost the demon they were trailing.

Three years passed since HyeJu’s encounter with the werewolf. MiHyun and Kira both graduated from high school and became full time Slayers. HyeJu had hoped the two girls would continue with their education, but without full scholarships, they couldn’t afford the tuition. However, they did promise HyeJu that once they had enough money to pay for school, they would end up going back to find more stable careers they were interested in. Until then, HyeJu would have to live with the constant uneasy feeling of worry for their safety.

Speaking of safety, HyeJu recently felt like she’s being watched by someone…or something. There were times where she’d hear rustling in the bushes around her or the feeling of eyes burning into the back of her head. But whenever she turned around, there was nothing there.

“Maybe the stress from work is finally getting to me…” HyeJu sighed as she packed up her things to leave work.

“HyeJu-unnie!”

“Oh, YeJin.”

“Did you hear the news? There’s a warning about a in the area. Doesn’t Unnie walk home on her own? Maybe you should call Kira or MiHyun to come pick you up…” YeJin informed with a concerned expression on her face.

“Like I could do something like that. Those two are off on another mission on the other side of the city. Who knows when they’ll get a chance to check their cell phones? Not to mention they could be in the middle of something dangerous. The walk from here isn’t too bad. It’s not far and most of the roads are fairly open. I doubt a would dare attack someone in such an open area. I’ll have my phone ready in my hand just in case,” HyeJu reasoned.

“Eh…but HyeJu-unnie…”

“Don’t worry, YeJin. I’ll be careful. You have an extra shift tonight, don’t you? Be careful on your way home. If you need someone to walk you back, you can always call me, okay?” HyeJu offered before waving bye to a worried YeJin.

Doing exactly as she told YeJin, HyeJu pulled out her cell phone and dialed in 119 in to her phone so she just had to press send if she needed to. The walk back was fairly nice. While it was summer, there was a soothing breeze that blew through every now and then, making her travels a bit more relaxing than the usual mucky weather. The sunset was pretty in the distance, painting the sky a rainbow of colors as dark began to set in. Despite how relaxing the weather made her feel, HyeJu knew that on the other side of the city, her two friends could be in the middle of a life-or-death situation, bringing back the unsettling feeling to her stomach. She watched as the street lamps started to light up with the increase amount of darkness.

And then she felt it again.

Eyes staring at the back of her head.

She whipped around in a fighting stance, ready to defend herself with everything that she had.

“I know you’re there! I have pepper spray!” she yelled out bravely. She’d learn from experience that acknowledging the presence of an attacker normally makes her a less appealing target. When she didn’t see any movement, HyeJu turned back around to continue walking home. She kept her eyes and ears opened for any suspicious activities.

She knew someone was there.

Should she call the police?

What if it was just her imagination though? She’d had to inconvenience anyone just because her imagination tended to go a bit affray at times.

Right when she had convinced herself that she was losing her mind, she heard it.

A stick breaking from behind her.

HyeJu turned around and came face to face with a shady man. He was probably the that YeJin warned her about. When she realized he was coming for her, her hands reached for her cell phone immediately as she turned to run and scream.

A vicious growl stopped her in her tracks as a black blur charged out of the bushes and latched onto the man’s arm. Her eyes widened in shock as the creature torn the limb effortlessly off the -now-victim’s body. It dropped the disembodied arm and struck again for the hysterical man’s neck.

Bright blue eyes.

It couldn’t be.

“STOP!” HyeJu commanded. Although she yelled it, she was surprised when the black creature actually listened. The took the chance to run for his life, holding what was left of his bleeding arm, screaming gibberish in absolute terror.

Only the creature remained, staring at HyeJu.

Now that it was standing still, she could see it more clearly. A large brown wolf with gorgeous blue eyes.

“You…” she started but stopped, realizing she had no idea what to say. Her hands began to shake as she walked towards the werewolf once the massive size of the demon became more and more apparent with each step. This creature could kill her with just a swipe of his paw and yet-

It looked nothing short of a puppy with his ears down, staring up at her in fear that she was going to scold him.

“It’s…it’s you…you’re the werewolf from…hi,” HyeJu awkwardly greeted. She reached forward to touch him despite the nagging fear in the back of her mind that he could bite her hand off. He flinched backwards slightly, ears still flat against his head with his tail between his legs. His whole body exuded signs of anxiety. What could this powerful demon possibly be scared of? It wasn’t like HyeJu was a Slayer.

“A-Are you…mad at me?”

She gasped in shock at his voice. To say HyeJu was taken aback by how soft spoken and shy his voice was would be the understatement of the century.

“Why would I be mad at you? You saved me. Thank you so much…umm…what’s your name?” HyeJu wondered. As if a weight was lifted off his shoulder, he perked up and wagged his tail.

“JongUp! What’s yours?”

“H-HyeJu…Choi HyeJu,” she introduced with a little stuttered, still in disbelief that she was talking to a werewolf, who was seriously resembling a playful puppy…even after he morphed into his human-like form.

“HyeJu…I finally know your name after all these years…” he said in awe.

“Heh?”

A blush covered his face as he began shifting his eyes rapidly between her and the ground. “I…I’ve been…watching you…s-since you saved me…”

“AH! SO IT WAS YOU!” HyeJu exclaimed. “I knew I wasn’t going crazy! You’ve been-wait…you’ve been following me for 3 years now?! Wha-how…how have you not been caught with all the Slayers we have?!”

“Ah, this!” He pulled out the towel she placed on him. “I meant to give this back to you but…I was…too shy to approach you.”

“Wha-”

“I-I like you, HyeJu! Will you be my mate?”

“WHAT IS GOING ON?!”

=====================================================================

YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH I ENJOY WRITING JONGPUPPY.

HE IS THE CUTEST PUPPY.

~Kira :3