Y/n's steps were quick and desperate when she hurriedly moved forward towards Jin's room. Her mind was clouded with various thoughts and questions, which she knew only one person could answer.

After crossing the yard, she swiftly climbed the small wooden steps and entered Jin's room.

"Jin?!"

"Jin?!"

She eagerly called out the name of the elder son, while her eyes searched for the owner of the name. Upon getting no response, she realised that she had to wait for some more time to get her answers. Turning on her heels, she started walking to return back to Ajumma's room, but a thick husky voice answered her desperate plea.

"He isn't back. "

She instinctively glanced over her shoulder, and as soon as her eyes met with the man standing behind her, Y/n's fists clenched in fury, and jaws in annoyance. Turning around, she furiously stepped out of the room, ignoring her name being called out again and again.

"Y/n. Y/n! Wait! Y/n!? Hold on a sec, we still have some business left to--"

Following Y/n from behind, Namjoon was cut off in the middle of his sentence when he caught her gawking at the entrance. His gaze went onto the silhouette standing at their entrance door, with messed up hair and muddy clothes.

"Y/n."

The man standing at the door spoke in a low whisper. His eyes never left the girl standing at a distance from himself. Y/n's eyes sparkled with joy as her mind swayed with overwhelming emotions of relief mixed with shock.

"H-ho... Seok?" 

Y/n whispered to herself, while her steps unconsciously moved in his direction. Hoseok also approached her from the opposite end. His smile was contagious, lighting up his otherwise dirt-ridden face, and filling her heart with warmth and solace.

Fat tears stained the cheeks of the human as she desperately ran in the newcomer's direction. As they drew closer, they both took in each other's features. Their eyes locked in a silent exchange of emotions, as a wave of nostalgia washed over them. 

Namjoon confusingly watched from a distance, a knot of jealousy twisted in his gut as he observed the newcomer's interaction with Y/n. Her body leaning in so close to another man, them sharing a supposedly same emotion, and how her eyes instantly sparkled, made him feel sick to his stomach.

Without a word, Hoseok proceeded to embrace Y/n, holding her tightly as if afraid to let go. Y/n buried her tear-stained face on his chest, breathing in his familiar scent and feeling a sense of homecoming wash over her. Hoseok rested his chin on her head, his heart swelling with ease and comfort.

Y/n sobbed in his arms while Hoseok gently soothed her back, trying to calm the human down, and also trying to maintain his composure, even when he wanted to melt away in this emotional moment of reunion.

Namjoon on the other side, felt a pang of insecurity, a connection that he couldn't quite penetrate. His mind was consuming him with irrational thoughts and fears of being replaced, while at the same time, he was confused with the emergence of these thoughts, which shouldn't have arisen in the first place.

"It took you... s-so many d-days. "

The anxious human mumbled while slowly moving away from Hoseok. The hybrid said nothing, just softly caressed her face and gently wiped her tear stains away as if she were a distraught flower and he might shed it.

"H-hoseok? Is that you?"

The little moment of reunion was ruined when Namjoon quickly stepped closer and instantly recognized the new presence as his recently made companion.

"Namjoon? ... Is this your house?"

The pure breed hummed while nodding, while the hybrid felt a new sense of relief, and a smile got tugged at the corners of his lips; realising his dearest was safe all this time. Standing in the middle of them, the young human felt confusion taking a toll on her senses, as she knitted her eyebrows together.

"THANK GOD!" Hoseok took a long breath while adding.

"You knew him?" Y/n questioned Hoseok while signaling her head in Namjoon's direction.

Hoseok sent awkward glances to Namjoon as if trying to communicate in a secret language.

"Huh!... Ahh... yeah... kinda. "

"And how is--"

"Hoseok, can I have a moment?" Before Y/n could finish, Namjoon interrupted and signaled the hybrid to follow him to the backyard. Hoseok exchanged glances with Y/n before he nodded.

Y/n watched them slowly walk away. Her mind banged with questions, and while still in her thoughts a presence appeared beside her. Sudden flashes of white light made her shift on her feet, but the newcomer jolted as a response instead.

Startled on meeting Y/n at the entrance door, SeokJin reflexively shifted onto his left, his wide eyes screaming, 'caught in a lie' moment. His plump lips were slightly parted, the displaced tie of his tuxedo and the two opened upper buttons of his white shirt, letting the pale skin around his neck glisten, gave Y/n a view to watch and admire, before she chuckled.

"I am the one who's supposed to be afraid, not you SeokJin. "

"Huh?"

Y/n smiled again and slightly shook her head while answering, "I'm now aware of who you are. "

Jin's eyes widened in realisation, "NO WAY!"

"Ajumma narrated the war against humans."

"No. Not the whole war!" Jin exclaimed with tiredness as he pinched his nose bridge. He then heaved a long sigh before he spoke again.

"I hope you don't see me as those human blood-sucking mosquito vamps!"

Jin said, while Y/n just blinked her eyes twice before she ended up cackling with laughter. Moments later when her laughter slowly faded away, Y/n responded.

"I would've been afraid if I'd known this earlier but after unknowingly spending so many days with everyone here, I might not be. And as for you, do I have to say that you're a very gracious gumiho, unlike your brother, leaving no chance for me to be feared of you."

Jin's eyes lit up when Y/n's words reached his ears, he averted his gaze from her, directing it to any other direction as if his mind suddenly crashed to process a reply. His ears were turning red and to stop this unknowing response, he responded.

"Only for you, little human," He said and flashed a small smile while Y/n rolled her eyes, and both of them shared a moment of laughter until Jin's olfactory gumiho senses sensed something.

His smile faded as he walked two steps away from Y/n, closer to the backyard, "Is anyone else's here?"

"Right, I almost forgot, my friend's finally here to retrieve me back to our world!"

"Your friend?"

"Hum."

"A human?!... Doesn't make sense."

Jin said and took his steps towards the backyard, to meet the owner of the new scent he just smelled. While Y/n confusedly followed behind him.

Upon entering the backyard, Jin and Y/n witnessed Namjoon's and Hoseok's nervous trances, focusing on each other; passive-aggressively arguing and discussing about something in less audible voices.

Jin cleared his throat and interrupted the ongoing conversation. Both Namjoon and Hoseok eyed Jin and Y/n standing at a distance, and before anyone could say anything Namjoon eagerly spoke.

"H-hyung, you're here."

"As you can see," SeokJin responded while suspiciously gawking at the two males.

Namjoon pretended to chuckle loudly at his brother's response, to lessen the tension and suspicion that flew in the air and continued.

"Ah... Hoseok, my brother. And hyung, this is my friend, Jung Hoseok."

"A friend from the human world?"

Inside her mind, Y/n agreed with the valid interrogation by Jin, as she crinkled her eyebrows and nodded.

The air was soon filled with reticence and secrecy, a hesitation to speak and an impatience to know the concealed. Namjoon tried his best to communicate to Jin through his mind but failed to focus due to the lack of his bead.

"Fine then, Namjoon you should at least welcome your friend properly. Let's go little human."

"Hoseok, I'll be waiting," Y/n said after nodding and tailed behind SeokJin to ask her queries about the portal, and whether he succeeded in finding a clue to send her back or not.

The two men's gazes followed the fading silhouettes' of Jin and Y/n as they entered Jin's room, their jaws slightly hanging down in confusion and defeat.

"Little what?... The fuck was that?" Namjoon whispered.

Hoseok hummed while sulking, his eyes still looking at the path used by Jin and his dearest friend.

"What?" Namjoon said, now looking directly into Hoseok's eyes.

"What?" Hoseok glanced in Namjoon's direction and annoyingly responded.

┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

In the castle of the Min clan

Under the watchful eye of the setting sun, two figures moved gracefully across the training ground of Min's castle. Their movements were synchronized, as they practised their magical power and quick instincts.

Jeongguk, the tall one, his muscles rippled with each movement. His eyes were focused and intense as he executed every target with deadly accuracy.

Jimin, the shorter and lean one, but no less formidable. His movements were quick and fluid, a whirlwind of flexibility and agility.

However, their long-lasting session soon came to an end when they both heard footsteps approaching them.

The two men stood side by side, breathing heavily but satisfied, as the King of the Min clan, followed by Bulter Ahn reached closer.

"Take a break, you both look like you'll pass out any moment."

"Was bout to!" Jeongguk replied with a huff before laying down on the bare grass, and Jimin followed the younger's action.

Yoongi slowly drifted his arms behind his back and signaled Butler Ahn to give them a moment.

"Jimin-ah, did you work on controlling the intensities of your powers?"

Jimin nodded while still lying on the ground.

Yoongi's gaze shifted towards Jeongguk as he spoke to the youngest.

"Jeongguk-ah, did you achieve your assigned target on speed strikes?"

"Almost there."

"Hum. Polish your imperfections before the grand ball. I can't risk ruining it all just cause of your little mistakes."

Jeongguk hummed as a response, while Jimin continued witnessing the ongoing conversation. He slowly got up from his position; his fingers fidgeting with soft strands of lush green. His mind was being carried away from the to and fro motion of his inner voice, whether to question the king or to question himself if he was in a position to question the king.

But as soon as Yoongi started walking away from them, a sudden rush of adrenaline made him jolt upwards.

"HYUNGNIM!"

The King quickly glanced over and saw a nervously looking Jimin staring right into his eyes. Yoongi hummed and waited for the boy to respond.

"Do we really... gotta do this?" Jimin said, while nervously biting his lower lip; the words slipping from his tongue almost shook the walls of his mind. Jeongguk felt the escalating tension in the air, as he jolted himself upwards.

Yoongi's eyes twitched at the mention of the very sentence. For a few seconds, his mind surged with memories and the flashbacks that led to this outcome.

He couldn't ignore the tiny space inside him that continuously from the start, wanted to end this act of vengeance and spend the rest of his life happily with the people he cherished,  but this was also for the people he once cherished.

The revenge-thirsty, lonely soul inside him mis-thought it as the only way to serve his desire for happiness while sitting at the top of the pyramid; in the hope that maybe one day he'll be able to fulfil his duties as a son.

However, among all this he failed to realise what his brothers realised; while growing up together, the kind-hearted Crown Prince Min Yoongi, who once broke all the norms of royalty and took in the orphaned Jimin and Jeongguk as his esteemed companions, had unfortunately turned into a shallow hearted King, enraged by vengeance for his late father.

"Let's have lunch together, haven't done it in a while," Yoongi blandly responded after he gently patted Jimin's arm, turned around and left Jimin and Jeongguk with thoughts of visualizing their brother as a bloodthirsty heartless maniac, along with each of their hands dirty of what's probably gonna happen next.

✧