Doubler || NCT || Completed

1

TWO WEEKS EARLIER

Yujin's struggle with her unopened umbrella was interrupted by an unexpected, soft noise. It was surprising that she had even heard anything at all because of the constant buzz of the city as well as all the thoughts running in her head after exiting the grocery store. Intrigued, Yujin closed her eyes, the unopened umbrella still pointing forward, tilting her head slightly and concentrated on the peculiar sound, trying to understand what it was and where it came from. She heard it again and realised that it was a silent whimper, so soft that it drowned easily underneath the endless noise of the afternoon rush-hour and the aggressive downfall of spring rain.

Abundance of people were passing by Yujin from left and right, some of them annoyed by her just standing there in the middle of the crosswalk with her heavy shopping bag. But when she looked at their occupied faces as they chatted with each other or looked at their phones, she understood that, unlike her, they didn't hear the sad noise. Damn her perfect hearing, now she just had to go check out what was going on.

It was obvious that the noise came from an animal of some kind - what if it was some poor soul that had been run over by a car? Yujin grimaced at the thought of having to see something so gruesome, before peeking around the corner of the grocery store to see if the poor thing was easily visible. However, there was nothing unusual on the narrow alley - just some trash bags and an abandoned bicycle - meaning that she would have to venture further in order to find the injured soul. Further away there seemed to be wider part, maybe a crossroads. The animal could be either there or hiding somewhere behind the trash bags. In any case, it had probably sought shelter from the harsh rain and noisy bustle of people and cars.

"Please don't kill me", Yujin muttered, only half-jokingly, as she stepped into the alleyway. She left her umbrella unopened, perhaps it could be used as a makeshift sword in case that unknown something was going to be aggressive.

By now the pounding rain had already started to seep through her coat and she could feel the cool raindrops as they found their way to her neck and scalp through her black hair. While trying to avoid the stinking trash bags, Yujin could clearly hear that the whimpering noise was getting closer with every step she took, and her heart started to pick up its pace.

Once she reached the wider middle part of the alley - which she had earlier mistaken as crossroads when it actually was just an opening for proper recycling containers - Yujin finally saw the poor thing hiding, hunched between two large containers.

It was a rather large white dog with blood and dirt in its fluffy, thick fur. The dog was licking its injured front paw while whining quietly, and from where Yujin stood, it looked like the dog had multiple other wounds as well, as if it had been in a fight. However, she didn't have time to consider the animal's condition for long before the dog noticed her standing there, and its dark, frightened gaze drilled into her, freezing her with its intensity.

When their eyes locked, Yujin realised immediately that the dog wasn't just a normal animal. It was a doubler, a shapeshifter. Her mind went momentarily blank and all she could do was stare at the distrustful being in front of her. What the hell was a doubler, and a wounded one at that, doing behind a grocery store? And why was it in its animal form?

The dog bared its white teeth and growled at her.

"Don't worry", Yujin spoke up, trying to sound calm and collected. The dog crouched as a warning, another growl rumbling from its chest. Seeing its agitated reaction, Yujin squatted down swiftly because it was obvious that at the moment the being in front of her wasn't controlled by its human side. The dog fell silent but continued to eye her with fearful suspicion. Yujin's heart ached when she saw it because that look was so familiar to her, she herself had worn it multiple times in her life.

Yujin swallowed before closing her eyes. She focused on her own self and its two entwined threads. Reaching for the threads, she carefully let the other part of herself, the one she often tried to hide in public spaces, surface ever so slightly, before finally opening her eyes once again.

The dog stared at her while sniffing the air with its nose held high, as it had caught the change in Yujin's scent. Just like before, their eyes locked but this time the dog didn't growl at her, for it could see from Yujin's changed eyes and smell from her scent that they were more similar than different. That must've startled the doubler's human side as well because, for a brief second, Yujin was certain that she was staring into human eyes instead of dog ones, before they resorted back to how they were.

"I'll help you", Yujin promised and, with a deep exhale, allowed her second nature to be pushed down. This situation needed her as fully human, there was no room for two animals freaking out. "But it would be easier if you could change forms. Would that be possible?" she asked with a soft tone.

The dog remained quiet, not reacting to her request. Yujin nodded, knowing that she couldn't reason with the doubler's animal side. If it deemed the current situation to be too dangerous, it wouldn't let its guard down.

"Okay. We can make it work this way as well", she spoke up after considering her options for a second, and stood up. "So, we'll have to get your paw checked up, then we'll get you something to eat, and maybe then you can rest for a bit. How does that sound?" Yujin proposed with a kind tone even though there was no guarantee that the dog would understand anything she said. She took cautious steps towards the being in front of her, trying to be as calming and relaxed as possible. Slowly Yujin reached her hand towards the dog and, while it still looked reserved, it let her touch its side. She ran her fingers gently against its fur, matted with mud and dirt.

"But first, let's get you out of this rain, okay?" she said, carefully putting her arms underneath the dog's stomach, trying to help it to stand up, but the dog was too heavy for her. Luckily the creature was cooperative and stood up when she tried to tug it upwards. "Well done, darling", she cooed, caressing the dog's fluffy triangular ears. The dog whimpered, trying to not use its injured front paw.

"I'm sorry", Yujin apologized as she encouraged the poor thing to walk beside her. "I would carry you but we'd end up falling down and you'd get even more hurt."

The dog almost slipped when they walked over a trash bag but Yujin managed to stabilize its posture. "Don't worry, puppy, we can figure this out", she told the fluffy dog and moved a couple of trash bags from their way. The dog limped beside her with its small ears flattened against its head, and its anxious state made Yujin feel bad that she couldn't do more for it. If only the dog was smaller or Yujin was stronger, she would've picked the poor thing into her arms instantly and carried it to her car.

The dog glanced back briefly, and its body tensed. Yujin followed its gaze but saw nothing on the other end of the alleyway. She petted the dog's head. "Don't be scared", she told it. The dog looked up to her, a worried expression on its face. "I'll keep you safe", Yujin continued. The dog didn't seem convinced.

On the other end of the dirty alley, a man was hiding behind the corner with uneven breath and frustrated scowl etched to his face. When he peeked at the young woman and the dog walking away, his fists clenched and his eyes darkened.

He hated people who didn'tknow how to mind their own business.

***

Author's note: And here we are! I'm kind of in a hurry at the moment so I won't speak any further. Hopefully someone will find this story and enjoy it!