Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Two forces to rule over the body, bound by love

Chapter Text

XX.XX.XXXX

Knock knock.

The boy put the book down on his desk and stood up.

- Coming! – he spoke loudly so that the person on the other side could hear.

He glanced at the cage resting under his window and smiled softly at the sight of a black and white rabbit sleeping soundly. He looked up and took in the view of the garden, set alight by the colors of a fast-approaching sunset. The boy couldn’t help but think that the view would have been so much better without the iron bars of the window polluting the landscape.

He opened the door and stepped out, joining the two girls that had come to call him.

- Good evening, – said one of them – and happy birthday.

They walked together and reached the huge dining room downstairs. Inside, the table had already been set up and decorated with countless flowers and colored candles. Eleven people, all dressed elegantly, were standing in front of their seats. As soon as he set foot in the room, their heads turned towards him, showing nothing but bright smiles.

- Happy birthday! – they chanted together.

He smiled politely and reached his seat, next to one of the heads of the table. There stood a man who welcomed him with a raised glass. The boy mimicked his action and reached for his glass, which had already been filled. The rest of the table, that now counted fourteen people, raised their glasses as well.

- To Order! – the man pronounced.

- To Order! – the rest repeated, taking a sip of their drinks.

- Before we begin our feast, – the man continued, now looking directly at the boy – let me just say how immensely proud we all are of your hard work. You’re slowly becoming a man, not just in age, but in maturity and self-control. Bravo!

The table sent gestures and cheers of agreement, only to be stopped by a raise of the man’s hand.

- It has become a tradition for us all to gather in celebrating your birthday, as a reward for your efforts and as a reminder for the rest of us of your importance in maintaining the balance of our world. So, we really hope you enjoy tonight’s little party.

At these last words, the boy bowed his head as a sign of gratitude.

- As for this year’s birthday present, you may have to wait a little longer than usual. However, it is something I’m sure you’ll appreciate. – the man exchanged a glance with the rest of the table.

There was a brief pause in the man’s speech, and something in the boy’s mind told him that it wasn’t a good sign.

- We have sensed the exponential rise of a powerful essence in the city.

The boy’s heart clenched in his chest.

- We believe in just a matter of days Chaos will experience its awakening.

The hand that was holding his glass started trembling so much he had to put it down.

It can’t be happening, he thought, not so soon.

- Once it awakens, – the man’s hand reached the boy’s cheek, stroking it lightly – we’re finally going to reunite you with your sister.

Chapter Text

16.09.2022

Second term had only just begun and yet Heejin already felt as if something had sucked all the life away from her body.

Actually, first term had passed by quite smoothly, but her post-exams need to rest had remained unsatisfied when she had decided to start studying the materials for her next classes instead of, well, resting for a little bit.

Not a day passed by that she didn’t question her life choices, specifically the one she made when she decided to study economics. Was she even interested in that stuff anyway? She had always been a brilliant student and could ace every subject if she put her mind to it, but there was always something off. In a couple of years she would have gotten her bachelor’s degree, then moved on to her master's, then found a steady and remunerative job and then she would have been settled for life. At least, that’s what everybody told her.

Actually, Heejin wasn’t sure of any of it. Not that she didn’t trust her abilities to reach that goal, but she just couldn’t picture herself in that sort of lifestyle. Her parents worked in a well-known company and made a satisfactory amount of money, so she always thought life like theirs wouldn’t be bad at all. But did she really want it or was it just a reflex, her need for stability that pushed her to seek a life so similar to the one she already had?

Heejin was haunted by these thoughts every day. Perhaps this was the reason why, while she was walking home from her Friday morning class, she didn’t see a car approaching fast as she was crossing the road.

When the girl finally perceived the noise of the engine and turned her head, the car was only a few meters away from her. As she hadn’t noticed it, the driver hadn’t noticed her as well. Her legs stopped; her eyes widened: the car was too close. She was going to die.

For a second, she locked eyes with the person behind the steering wheel. A man, probably in his forties. Maybe he was coming back home too, maybe he had waited all morning for the moment he could finally grab a bite with his wife and children. His eyes were wide and terrorized like hers. He had probably realized in the spun of a moment what was going to happen, what he was about to do.

He was going to hit Heejin. She was going to die.

At least, that was what they both thought in the last instants before the explosion.

Boom.

The car blew up in front of her own eyes. Pieces of metal flew through the air and the heat and noise of the explosion engulfed her. When some moments had passed and all that was left around her was dark smoke, she was able to think again. That’s when she noticed it: she was unharmed.

The police officers that had gathered around the site of the accident had dismissed her and told her to go home. The doctors had confirmed that she was okay and the eyewitnesses had all agreed on the same version of the story: the car had exploded on its own, for an engine problem of some sort, and Heejin just happened to be there crossing the street.

But, as she had resumed her walk home, she just couldn’t put her mind to what had happened. She saw the explosion, the pieces of metal flying around. She felt the heat. She thought she was going to die. Yet, there she was, walking home healthy as ever as if nothing had happened. How was that even possible?

However, the worst part of it all was seeing the carbonized body of the man being carried in a bag all the way to the ambulance. Why did they put him in the ambulance anyway?, she asked herself, He was already dead.

A man had died before her eyes. It was not a sight nor a thought she could have let go of so easily. She was actually pretty sure it would have haunted her forever. Why him and not her?

As her mind was preoccupied, she didn’t notice she had actually passed the door of her house around a block ago. So, since her parents were still not home, she decided that she needed some fresh air and headed to the nearby park. She still felt her legs sore and her mind numb, she was emotionally drained and confused, but it sure beat staying home alone with her thoughts.

As she was strolling around the park trying to make sense of the events that had led to that moment, she noticed something. A person was walking right behind her.

At first, she thought it was a coincidence (parks are for walking after all), but it had been several minutes and some turns and the person was still following her. When she tried to pick up her pace, the other mimicked her. When she turned around to catch a glimpse of their face, they kept going forward faster and faster.

Heejin was terrified, mainly because she knew from the TV how these stories ended, partly because she couldn’t even make out the person’s face. It was covered by a big hood and… was it a cloak? She didn’t have time to judge their outfit, so she made a quick turn to exit the park and head home, where hopefully she would have been safer.

She couldn’t have been more mistaken, as when she arrived in front of her house, she noticed another hooded figure waiting for her. Given her limited choices, she then decided to turn left and head to the city center. Hopefully, she could find a busy street and blend in with the crowd.

So she did. She was in one of the busiest streets of the city on a Friday, people were all around her and there were moments when she could barely walk on the sidewalk. Still, no matter how many turns she made, whenever she turned around she could always spot the two hooded figures following close behind.

She then opted for her last resort: running. She knew she couldn’t run fast, given how much her muscles were aching after dealing with that morning’s tension, but she hoped she could at least run fast enough to lose them. Or at least she hoped the adrenaline would kick in and give her extra help.

Trying to take them by surprise once again, she took a quick turn and entered an even busier road. She turned her head to see if her chasers were still following, but while she was turned around her body hit something, someone, coming from the other way. Her legs failed her.

– Oh my god I’m so sorry, – said the stranger, a girl with long black hair and sharp eyes. She held out a hand to help her get back on her feet – are you okay?

Heejin didn’t answer. She was panting too hard and her mind couldn’t really focus on anything else other than the dangerous situation she had found herself in. She was ready to start running again when she noticed the other girl’s eyes widen and her head lift up, as if she had just heard something.

– You’re being followed, aren’t you?

Heejin nodded. She had no time to ask her how she had figured it out.

– Stay close to me.

The girl took her hand with a solid grip and led her in the direction Heejin was previously running. Soon enough she turned right to a quite dark and deserted alley. It was a dead end.

That’s it, Heejin thought, I’m gonna die. She brought me here to kill me herself.

The stranger pulled her to the end of the alley and led her behind a dumpster. They crouched down and Heejin felt an arm pulling her closer. What the fuck?

She would have continued thinking this girl was a psycho if she didn’t see the two hooded figures running past the alley moments later. Did she finally make it?

– The situation should be under control for a while, but it’s better for you to hide.

The girl retracted her arm and stood up, signaling Heejin to follow her once again. Still clueless as to why she wasn’t running away from her as well, Heejin found herself in front of an iron door right next to the dumpster they had hidden behind.

– This is the back door of a bar. – the stranger informed her – It’s safe for people like us, I promise.

– People… like us?

Heejin resisted the temptation to ask the girl if she was taking her to a gay bar and instead decided to silently watch as she knocked on the door in a strange pattern.

– Like in Harry Potter. – she absentmindedly commented, earning a chuckle from the dark-haired stranger. The girl soon tried to regain her posture (Is she trying to look mysterious or something?), but Heejin had already caught a glimpse of her smile.

Ignoring the still relevant possibility of the stranger being a psychopath, Heejin had to admit that she had a really beautiful smile.

In just a matter of seconds, the door opened. Behind it stood a young man with a puzzled expression.

– Ah, Hyunjin! – he exclaimed, shifting his gaze from the two girls – Back already?

– My friend here was having some stalking problems.

The man nodded understandingly and moved aside so they could enter.

– They’re still at the counter. – he informed Hyunjin (At least now the weird stranger has a name, thought Heejin).

– Thanks, Hyojong!

Hyunjin took Heejin’s hand once again to lead her down a narrow hallway and then through another door. Behind the door was a perfectly normal bar, with some tables, some seats, and a rather cheap-looking aesthetic. However, one thing that peaked Heejin’s attention was the darkness of the place. The lights were dim, and all the windows were covered by wooden planks and curtains. What kind of place was that?

As if she was reading her mind, Hyunjin turned to her and smiled.

– Welcome to the Hideaway.

In the darkness of his room, a boy was trying to rest.

He knew they were out there looking for her. Hunting.

The night prior he couldn't sleep at all and was trying to find some comfort during the day, but to no avail.

He stood up and opened his curtains, letting the sun engulf him and color his room.

Looking at the blue sky, a prayer formed in his mind and left his mouth.

– Please, someone save her. – he whispered – Save Heejin.

Chapter Text

16.09.2022

The bar was almost deserted, apart from two girls approximately their age and a bartender minding her own business on the phone.

It was only when they reached the counter that Heejin noticed that the stranger (Hyunjin) was still holding her hand. She figured it only made sense then that the two girls that were sitting there, sipping on their drinks, had looked at them with such an entertained expression.

– I thought I sent you out to get cigarettes, – said one, with shoulder-length hair and a charming expression – how come you came back with a date instead?

Hyunjin quickly let go of her hand and looked away, embarrassed.

– Shut up, Sooyoung!

– Hi, Haseul here! – the other girl, with dark brown hair in a bob haircut (and a much less menacing look), smiled at Heejin and greeted her – Did something happen?

– She was being followed, so I figured I could bring her here. Have you seen Soyeon?

– She’s working in the laboratory. Wait… don’t you have a device?

It took Heejin some moments to realize the bob-cut lady was talking to her.

– A what?

– You know, the one we use to hide our Essence! – she continued, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world – It helps a lot in this kind of situations.

– I… don’t know what you’re talking about.

– Aren’t you an Enhanced too?

The girl stood silent. Of course, she knew who the Enhanced were, everybody did, but she never talked to one in real life. She just knew that Enhanced people were born with special abilities and that most people feared them. She once saw a video of one of them actually breathing fire against innocent people on a sidewalk. It was terrifying.

– No, of course not! – she blurted out.

She realized late enough that she may had sounded a bit too aggressive when one of the girls before her (Sooyoung, was it?) mouthed an “ouch” before going back to take a sip from her glass.

– What’s your name? – Hyunjin spoke up, probably to ease the awkward silence that was building up.

– Heejin.

– Heejin, I heard those men talking before we ran here. One of them said he was “sensing your essence”. Do you know what that means?

The girl froze in her place and shook her head. Her day was just getting crazier and crazier as each moment passed; she was starting to believe it was all a dream.

– Enhanced people have an “essence”, – Haseul explained – it’s a sort of “force” that lives inside us and gives us our power. Usually, we can’t sense other people’s essences, but ironically enough that can be a power some people develop thanks to their own, well, essences.

– You were running away from them, – Hyunjin added – but no matter what you did you just couldn’t lose them, right? Kind of like they were following a lead, am I making sense?

– How… how do you know? Also, how the hell could you hear what those people were saying?

– I’m a cat-shapeshifter, it reflects on my human senses as well. They were practically screaming, I just had to make out the sound between the voices of the other people passing by.

- You're a what?

– The point is, – Sooyoung chimed in – this proves that you actually have an essence.

– I’m sorry but that’s not possible. – Heejin answered, her voice shaking – I never had special powers. Nothing like that has ever happened to me, I… Oh, shit.

The three other girls exchanged a confused glance as Heejin had to grab a stool to sit down. Her legs were failing her for the second time that day, her mind was getting numb.

– Something happened this morning.

Trying her best to steady her breath and find the right words, the poor girl explained all that had happened to her prior to that moment. When she had finished, Haseul sympathetically put a hand on her shoulder. Why are they being so nice to me?, Heejin asked herself.

– It makes sense. – Sooyoung said, sighing – You see, essences don’t always work the same. Sometimes they activate as soon as you’re born, other times they stay hidden until they are triggered. It can also happen that they never “wake up”, but those are very rare occasions. Usually, they get triggered in dangerous situations as a part of your fight or flight response. That’s surely what happened to you.

– I didn’t know you were smart. – Hyunjin commented, earning a smack on her arm from the other girl.

– So… – Heejin tried to speak up, out of breath – if this were true, what would my power be?

– Only one way to find out… Minnie?

The bartender, that might as well had eavesdropped on Heejin’s entire crisis, raised her head.

– Yeah, Hyun?

– Can we go bother Soyeon?

Minnie, a good-looking girl with long dark hair and black eyes, nodded kindly and moved to stand in front of a shelf full of liquor bottles. She moved a Jack Daniel’s bottle to the side and revealed a petite keypad inserted in the wall. Covering it with one of her hands, she quickly tapped something (presumably a password) on it. Heejin heard a bip coming from the wall and then witnessed one of the stools beside her sink to the ground. It revealed a hidden staircase leading from where once was the stool to an iron door, illuminated by the faint light of a lightbulb hanging right above it.

Okay, she only managed to think, this is definitely not real. I am only dreaming. In a little while, I’ll wake up in my bedroom and hopefully forget all about this wicked dream and go on with my life.

Hyunjin walked to her and put a hand on her shoulder. Heejin had her eyes wide open and was still trying to get herself to wake up.

– I know this all seems crazy, – Hyunjin said, noticing her distress – but we just want to help. Soyeon can help you understand your situation a little more.

She pointed at the iron door downstairs. Haseul and Sooyoung were already waiting for them at the bottom of the staircase. Heejin stood up and started walking towards… what exactly? Her future? Another dangerous situation? She didn’t know.

If this was all a dream, nothing she had heard and seen that day would have mattered at all.

If this was not a dream, she had to seriously start dealing with the amount of overwhelming information she had received, and she didn’t know whether she was ready or not.

But she figured it all started with opening that door.

Chapter Text

16.09.2022

The laboratory was far less sophisticated than Heejin had imagined. It was merely a clean white room, adorned with some computers, books, notes and electronic pieces scattered all around. In the middle of the room stood a big old television, wired to what looked like a tablet. On an iron plate on the TV were arranged some electrodes, along with other wires. On the opposite wall from where they had entered, there was yet another iron door.

However, the room had a funny peculiarity: there were no tables. Everything was simply placed on the floor.

She was on the floor too, her legs crossed and her back curved. She was looking at a computer and furiously typing something that to Heejin only appeared as an ordinary series of numbers.

- Soyeon? – Hyunjin called, in vain – Soyeon!

The girl was startled and finally looked up, smiling as she recognized (almost) all the people in front of her.

- Sorry, Hyun. – she said, leaving her position to stand up in front of them – I was too focused on my new project.

- I could see that. What’s the new project about?

- That’s a secret… for now.

Soyeon winked playfully. She was a petite girl, with round glasses and long greyish hair collected in a messy ponytail. She has a kind smile, Heejin thought, at least she’s not a crazy scientist or something.

- So, is that your girlfriend? – the supposed not-crazy scientist asked, pointing to Heejin.

- What the… no! – Hyunjin blurted out, her two friends holding a laugh behind her – Why does everybody keep saying that?

Heejin noticed that the girl’s cheeks had slightly reddened and couldn’t help but think that it was kind of cute. Not to mention that it was pretty funny to see the girl react like that.

- She’s Heejin. – Haseul spoke up – She’d like to see her essence.

Heejin gulped. Did she just say see my essence?

- Of course! Come sit.

Soyeon pointed to the empty space next to the television.

- On the floor?

- It’s comfy!

Okay maybe she was a crazy scientist.

As she and the other girls sat on the floor, Soyeon started applying electrodes all over her body, from her back to her head.

- Weird way to perform an EKG. – Heejin commented absentmindedly.

- Because this is not an EKG. – Sooyoung explained, as Soyeon was too focused on turning on the TV and the linked tablet – It’s supposed to track down your essence and read its waves. Based on those waves Soyeon can roam through her database and find the power that matches them.

- Exactly! – the scientist confirmed – I call this “the Vibe Check”.

- Do you have one too? – Heejin asked, as Soyeon checked the electrodes once again – An essence?

- Of course, this is my essence. – she answered, opening her arms as to indicate the whole room – It modifies my mental capacities and makes me capable of immediately understanding any mathematic correlation in this plane of reality. You could say I see things in numbers.

- That’s amazing!

- It is. – Haseul stated proudly – No scientist has ever even gotten close to building something like the Vibe Check!

- Because no scientist has ever really cared.

Haseul’s gaze dropped to the ground and the atmosphere suddenly got colder. Heejin turned around and noticed that Soyeon’s eyes, not so long ago curved by her kind smile, were now burning with rage. Her mind went back to all the news she usually heard about Enhanced people being dangerous and a threat to society, then to all the events that had led to her sitting on the floor with an electrode attached to her chin. The only Enhanced people she had met and talked to had not been dangerous or scary at all. They had saved her.

She was starting to realize that there was more to the picture than what they had taught her.

- Ah, shit I’m sorry. – Soyeon continued after a while, as she regained her posture – I didn’t mean to ruin this meaningful occasion. Let’s get into it!

She typed something on the tablet and the television screen lit on. Colored lines started appearing on the screen, twisting and turning and traveling through it.

- These are your waves, your essence. – the scientist explained – It’s pretty, am I right?

So it’s official now, Heejin thought sighing deeply, I have an essence too.

As Soyeon scrolled to unending lists of God-knows-what on her tablet, Heejin felt her eyes building up tears. How was she even going to tell her parents? How would her life have changed? Why was all this mess happening to her?

The scientist’s next words pulled her out of her thoughts, but only to overwhelm her with yet another complication.

- I can’t find it.

- Huh?

- I can’t find your essence. It’s not in my database.

- How is that possible? – Sooyoung asked.

- I don’t know, I’ve hacked pretty much every existing archive and research about Enhanced people and their essences, they should all be here.

- Maybe you missed it?

- Unlikely. Maybe it’s a new one?

- What are the chances?

- Very low, essences nowadays tend to replicate rather than create. But I guess it can happen.

As the discussion between the two proceeded Heejin found herself unable to speak. Her mind couldn’t process new information anymore. Instead, it was going a mile a minute trying to not make her go crazy. It was all too much.

Hyunjin explained the car accident to Soyeon, and suddenly a new discussion arose.

- Could it be that she’s immune to fire or something like that? – Haseul suggested.

- No, that’s definitely in my database.

- Then maybe she can make things go boom. – Hyunjin pondered.

- If I don’t have it it’s surely something else, or maybe even a combination of the two.

At these last words, Heejin stood up. The electrodes detached violently, and the screen went blank. The tears she had built up, at last, started overflowing and all the eyes in the room turned towards her.

- I’m going home. – she announced with a shaky voice, as she started walking towards the door.

- Wait! – Hyunjin jumped up as well and reached her – It may still be dangerous.

- And we haven’t even found your essence yet! – Soyeon added.

- I can’t take it anymore. – by now her tears had already soaked her cheeks. She brought a hand to her face and started wiping it, as she hated to let other people see her in that state – Thank you for everything you did for me, I mean it. But I can’t take any of this information anymore. I feel like I’m going crazy.

The other girls exchanged some glances with each other. They were worried, but they understood.

- At least take this. – Hyunjin put her hand in her pocket and took out what looked like a silver coin – It’s my device. It’s modeled after my essence but earlier when we were running it worked for you as well. It should hide your essence a little, so you’ll be safer.

Heejin thanked her one last time and accepted the coin. Then, she bid farewell and opened the door, with a heavy heart and a foggy mind.

17.09.2022

Heejin couldn’t sleep.

She had gotten home and headed straight to her room. Her parents had called her for dinner, but she said she had an upset stomach. The truth was that she couldn’t bear to look at them in the eyes, not after everything she had seen. And discovered.

There was still a part of her mind that was convinced none of that was real. Or at least, that it was a mistake.

But she had seen the waves, her essence. They could have lied to her, of course, but what for? If they wanted to scam her, why would they have gone all this way? Why would they have been so nice to her?

Not to mention that the possibility of her essence being somehow linked to things that go boom (as Hyunjin had said) had brought up another dreadful truth. One that she was still not ready to process.

Her stomach rumbled. It was already half past midnight, and she hadn’t eaten anything all day. Since her parents were sleeping soundly in their room and she was surely not going to fall asleep anytime soon, she got up and headed to the kitchen.

She turned the lights on and began searching through her fridge. She found some leftovers, probably her uneaten dinner, and began heating them in the microwave. As she was waiting for her food to be ready, she walked to the window above the sink and looked outside.

It took Heejin all of her strength not to scream.

Outside of her house, on the sidewalk, stood a hooded man looking directly at her. Her blood froze in her veins. The microwave signaled with a bip that her food was ready.

Unsure as to what to do, she quickly reached the door to check if it was locked. Once she got there, she heard a clicking sound coming from the keyhole. The door suddenly opened, revealing not only one but three hooded men who started walking towards Heejin.

- Stand back! – she shouted, hoping that her voice could alarm her parents.

- Don’t be afraid. – one of the men said, with a deep and calm voice – We don’t want to hurt you.

- Come with us, Heejin.

As she had backed away from them, her hands touched the wall. The three men in front of her surrounded her. She couldn’t run away, she couldn’t fight. She was stuck, frozen.

Boom.

The microwave exploded, sending metal pieces and tteokbokki all over the room.

The explosion didn’t hurt the men, but at least it served as a distraction. Heejin darted to her parents’ room, looking for some help.

She didn’t expect to open the door to find her parents blindfolded, gagged and tied to each other, with another hooded man standing beside them.

- Mom! Dad!

Her parents tried to talk, to communicate with her, but all that came out were muffled sounds.

- Don’t worry about it, we are not going to hurt them... – the man in front of her said.

- We just want you to follow us. – another one, behind her, finished.

Heejin had nowhere to run anymore.

As she was ready to surrender, to follow the mysterious men towards her destiny and save her parents, a noise arose from the door.

Much to everyone’s disbelief, a big black wolf jumped through the entrance and launched itself at the three men blocking Heejin’s way.

One of the men fell to the ground under the weight of the animal. The other two pulled out what looked like daggers and tried to defend themselves, but the wolf clearly had the upper hand. They awkwardly agitated the daggers in front of them, walking back and getting even closer to Heejin, who stood there visibly confused.

The man on the ground tried crawling away from the mess, only to find himself facing the shoes of someone who had just entered the house. He raised his gaze and met the entertained eyes of a young girl. He then met her foot as she kicked his face away and joined the fight.

- You alright? – she asked Heejin as she helped the wolf face the other men.

- Hyunjin? What are you doing here?

- We’re saving your ass.

Did she just say we?, thought Heejin as she tried to concentrate on what was going on before her. She was sure she had seen something fly from the entrance door to her parents’ bedroom, but a swift movement from the wolf brought her back to the main event.

The black animal bit the arm of one of the hooded men, causing him to drop the dagger and groan in pain. Hyunjin dodged a hit from the other one and launched herself onto him. Her body shrank midair and became the one of a gold-colored cat that started scratching the man’s face. Thanks to Hyunjin’s attack his hood fell off, revealing the features of a young man, with plump lips and fair skin.

- Shit! – he yelled, grabbing Hyunjin-cat and launching her to the wall.

The girl shifted back to her human form, wincing in pain but still showing a determined expression as she got up.

- I’m not one to forget faces, pretty boy. – she menaced, facing him again.

Before anyone could do anything, the man who was still holding the parents hostage started screaming in pain. The group turned to notice another girl freeing Heejin’s parents, and the man on the floor with his face down.

- What did you do to him? – asked the now unhooded man.

- Learn to fight properly and you’ll find out. – the girl answered, with an out-of-place but honest smile plastered on her face.

The men looked at each other in fear and disbelief. The one that had been kicked by Hyunjin quickly got up and signaled to the other ones to run away. The man in the parents’ room managed to get on his knees and then disappeared into thin air. The other three quickly got to the door and were about to run away, but not before the unhooded man turned around one last time.

- We’ll come back for you, Heejin. We are the only ones who can save you.

Heejin’s blood froze in her veins.

Save me from what?

Once there was no more danger around, Heejin knew it was finally time to accept the truth. She sat down on her parents’ bed with them and explained in detail all that had happened on that crazy day (and night). She cried and hugged them and asked them what she should do, but it was a question they were not prepared for.

- You should come home with us, - Hyunjin said, signaling to the other two girls that had come to help (it was surely not a surprise to Heejin that the wolf was also, as it had turned out, a shapeshifter) – it’s safe.

- You all live together? – her father asked, followed by a nod – And are you all, like this?

- We are all Enhanced, yes. – one of the two other girls confirmed.

- What makes you different from the men who tried to kidnap our daughter, then?

- Well, for starters we’re not trying to kidnap her, I guess…

- What Hyejoo is trying to say – Hyunjin interrupted – is that as difficult as it is, you can trust us.

Heejin’s parents exchanged a worried look, with the girl more confused than ever.

- I know you’re worried about her, - the last girl, who had introduced herself as Yerim, added – but things like this may happen every day if you keep living together.

- But I don’t wanna leave… - Heejin whispered, tears in her eyes.

- I… We’ll protect you, I promise. – all heads turned to Hyunjin – We’ll get to the bottom of this and one day you’ll be able to come back safely.

Seeing that it was their only logical option, Heejin packed her things and said goodbye to her parents. It was a painful separation, but hopefully not a permanent one.

- I’ll come say hi sometimes. – Heejin said, hugging her parents one last time and trying her best not to cry again. Then she grabbed her bags and turned around.

First, it was the door to the Hideaway, then the door to the laboratory, and now her house’s front door. She realized that in just the spawn of a day she had already walked through three doors that were going to change her life forever.

Whatever was to come next was a mystery and it scared her so much that it made it impossible to think. But as she was walking down the road, the three girls all around her to protect her, she realized that maybe this new life didn’t have to be so bad after all.

- Say, Heejin. – Yerim asked her – Do you like pancakes?

Chapter Text

17.09.2022

- What do you mean you couldn’t get her? – the man shouted, walking nervously in front of the four people that had shown up in his office – What might have possibly stopped you, with powers such as yours?

The four exchanged guilty looks between each other. One of them, the oldest, stepped out and started explaining.

- Somebody helped her. They were girls, shapeshifters.

- Are you going to tell me that the four of you couldn’t handle a group of shapeshifters, Baekhyun?

- You didn’t see them; they were trained like soldiers.

- And you were personally chosen by me, among hundreds of other Enhanced people, to be the elite that would lead the revolution.

- I know, I… we apologize for our failure.

The man took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down. He then put his hands on the other’s shoulders to reassure him.

- I’m sorry I reacted like this, - he started – I am not exempt from mistakes. I should have predicted that something could get in our way and sent out somebody who can actually hold a knife with you lots. I hoped we did not have to come to this, but it is now necessary. Go call my wife, we may now proceed with her plan.

The four men realigned themselves in front of him and bowed. Before they could exit the room and obey his orders, he gently pulled one of them aside. The boy had plump lips and fair skin.

- Go check on him.

- Yes, Vita.

Outside, the night sky was beginning to lighten, and dawn was finally approaching.

Haseul sure liked her peace. She found comfort in an evening spent reading or listening to music with her girlfriend, both sitting on the couch or cuddling in their bed. She adored movie nights with her sister or with the rest of their friends, eating pizza and laughing together. Managing to have a normal life, or at least pretending to, was nothing but fulfilling to her in this period of time.

Yet, it would have been a lie to say that she didn’t find pure excitement in moments like this, even though her peace was being disturbed.

She was standing straight outside of her front door, slightly shivering in the chill September air as night was coming to an end. She had been waiting for quite some time but had no intention to retreat anytime soon. She heard a flutter of wings as an animal came down from the rooftop to stand beside her. The black and brown owl then shifted its form to reveal a young girl, with blond hair fixed in a ponytail.

- They’re almost here. – she said, a hint of tiredness in her voice – They’re all safe.

- Thank God. – Haseul sighed a breath of relief – Thank you, Jungeun. Let’s go meet our new friend.

Their “new friend” (aka newly-found-Enhanced Heejin) entered the mansion’s gates some minutes later, escorted by the three girls Haseul had sent out earlier on a mission. After what had happened at the laboratory, Hyunjin had insisted to follow Heejin home (“just in case”) and had soon spotted some weird individuals observing way too intently the exteriors of her house. She had then alerted Haseul, who had decided to send out Hyejoo and Yerim to help Hyunjin in her surveillance (“just in case”). Luckily or unluckily enough, their worry was justified, as the three girls had to enter the action to prevent anything terrible from happening.

When Hyunjin had later called her to give some updates on the situation, Haseul had found herself looking for new bedsheets before the other had even found the time to tell her she was bringing Heejin home.

- Is it okay if she stays with us until her situation gets better?

- Hyunjin ask her how many pillows she wants.

- Is that a yes?

- Does she drink coffee for breakfast?

So, there they were, helping Heejin unpack her things and get settled in the middle of the night, trying to comfort her as much as they could.

- We don’t have any free rooms at the moment, - Haseul explained after she had accompanied Heejin to the first-floor corridor, where most of their rooms were located – so you’ll be sharing one with Hyunjin if it’s alright with you.

- I-I mean, as long as it’s alright with Hyunjin.

- Yeah I don’t mind. Do you snore?

- I don’t think so?

- Well guess we’ll find out!

After everything was settled and everyone was finally ready to get a well-deserved rest, Haseul turned to Heejin one last time.

- Try to sleep tonight, alright? We’ll think about the rest in the morning.

- The rest?

- I’ll show you around the house and you’ll get to meet the rest of the gang!

- Oh okay… Wait. What do you mean gang?

Perhaps Hyunjin should have warned her she would gain eleven housemates, Haseul thought as she walked back to her room. Oh well, she’ll get used to it.

Wait, she doesn't think we're a Mafia gang now, does she?