CHAPTER 32

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BO-YOUNG

The man is shorter than Jungkook, but still a bit taller than me. He has a shy smile on his face. I'd say his eyes were smiling more than his mouth, which is an adorable quality, to say the least. His hair is darker and shorter than Jungkook's.

"Hi," I reply nervously. Maybe hybrids aren't allowed in stores, or worse, are illegal. I calm myself. I have enough faith in Jungkook to know that he wouldn't send me here if it were dangerous.

"You've been walking around for a while. What are you looking for?" he asks, peeking at the items in my basket.

"Just some essentials. I was hoping to find some cereal, chocolate cereal to be precise," I tell him, walking down the aisle, the stranger walking beside me.

"You are going in the wrong direction. Come with me," he says, turning in the opposite direction and beginning to walk down the aisle.

As I look at the man again, I can see that he's wearing a uniform. I sigh, glad that he works here and isn't a weird creep who stops hybrids in public places and asks to go get coffee with them.

"We don't have a large selection of cereal. We've got a few chocolate cereals to choose from, though. I hope you're not looking for a specific brand," he explains as I follow him. I see a small area off to the side of one of the displays with a small selection of granola and cereal.

Amidst the minuscule selection, there are two brands of chocolate-flavored cereal. I pick out the one I recognize from Jungkook's apartment.

"Good choice. That one is pretty good. I had a friend who always bought that brand, but I haven't seen him in a while," he chats, the happy yet nervous smile still on his face. "You know, you're the first bunny hybrid I've seen around here."

"Really? Bunnies are really common," I exclaim in surprise, a small part of me trying to convince me that he's lying, because it's not possible that there aren't any bunny hybrids here. Bunny hybrids are everywhere.

"Not here. We mostly have dogs." He leans on the produce section after shrugging. "There's also a cat, but she's always inside. You'd think she ought to be dead."

 "I haven't seen a single hybrid yet, but then again, I just arrived here," I say, deciding not to get caught up on his remark about the cat.

"Do you have relatives here?" he asks.

"No," I shake my head, "I wanted to come here after seeing a painting, I have no ties here. My 'owner' though, he used to live here."

"Not many people come and go from here. Is it the big wooden house by the outskirts?" he asks me, his smile faltering a bit. I nod my head. "It's a nice place."

I suddenly realize something important that I've forgotten. "Oh wait- I never introduced myself. I'm Bo-young."

The man looks taken aback for a moment before the same look of horrified realization dons his face too. "I'm Park Jimin." He smiles kindly after composing himself.

"Nice to meet you, Park Jimin," I shake his hand, the wave of embarrassment already having passed me. He smiles, also having composed himself.

"Nice to meet you too, Bo-young," he says, returning the nicety. "I'll ring you up if you're done."

I pay him for all of the groceries with the cash Jungkook handed me earlier. I've been here twice as long as I probably should.

"Before you leave, could I have your number?" he asks from behind the counter. I'm slightly surprised by him asking that. I take out my phone, handing it to him.

"Punch it in and I'll call you," I say. He quickly puts in his number, calling himself from my phone. He hands it back.

"I'll see you later, Bo-young," he says as I leave. I give him a smile and a wave as I close the door.

I quickly make my way down the narrow paved street, hoping to make it back before Jungkook starts to worry. I think he'll understand why it took so long. He'd probably be happy that I'm making friends.

I dodge around the passerby's as I briskly walk down the same path I can from.

The large house comes into view through the trees as I walk into the forest. When the front door is in sight, I begin to jog. It swings open with a loud creak and I step in.

"I'm back!" I call out. Jungkook is nowhere in sight, but neither is the dust. A head pops out from one of the doorways.

"Bo-young! You were quicker than I expected," he grins, sauntering to me and taking the bag of groceries out of my hands.

"I was?" I ask, almost rhetorically. "I'm glad to know that your expectations are so low," I say jokingly, smiling like an idiot. I follow Jungkook back through the door he came from to see the kitchen.

It's not as large as I had anticipated, but it's still sizeable. Pots and pans are hanging from the rack on the wall right next to the oven stove. The fridge is sleek and looks quite modern. Jungkook is by it, placing the groceries inside. There is a dining table near a large opening leading to the living room.

"Hey, you got my favorite cereal!" Jungkook cheers, enthusiastically holding the box up like Simba.

"There weren't many to choose from," I shrug, inconspicuously turning to look at the living room to avoid having him see me smiling like an idiot at his antics.

"You look grumpy. Are you jealous?" he asks. I see how he can see my actions as grumpy, but in reality, they were anything but.

"Jealous? You think I would be jealous of a cereal box?" I ask for clarification, turning to face him again with my arms crossed. He's still standing there, the same idiotic smile on his face. He's holding onto the cereal box as if it were a baby.

"You look like you're jealous of a cereal box," he remarks, his tone testy and joking. I glare at him, which causes a bunny grin to break out onto his face.

"Don't worry, Bo-young. I like you much more than I like this cereal," he smiles. A blush dusts my cheeks as I gawk at him.

"I'm not jealous because I think you like the cereal more," I scoff.

"Were you jealous of me holding it like Simba? You know, I can do that with you too," he chuckles, placing the cereal on the counter.

"No! I am not jealous, to begin with, and I would much prefer to stay on the ground," I say, hiding my face as it turns redder. He can be so thick sometimes.

I can hear Jungkook laughing. 

1155 words

(AN: I'm still sick, but not as badly sick. I got a plethora of meds, so I'm fine now. Daily updates on both of my stories are now back.)

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