When you finally turn the iPad around to show the boys the screen, their jaws instantly slack. The blueprint shining in front of them displays a large modern house, big enough to fit all seven of them and maybe a few additional guests. Just looking at the digital sketch itself, it's evident your grandfather hired the best of the best architects to create the best of the best houses.
"Someone pinch me - I think I'm dreaming," Hoseok mumbles, voice barely above a whisper. You're tempted to coo at his adorable reaction but you flinch suddenly when the red panda hybrid shrieks softly, followed by the quiet snicker from a particular black panther hybrid.
"Wish granted," Jungkook shrugs nonchalantly with a lazy grin curving on his lips.
"I didn't mean for you to actually pinch me," the older hybrid whines but Jungkook simply turns to high five Taehyung who is also sporting the same lazy grin as the pack's youngest.
"T-this is for us?" Jimin asks unsurely, with an eyebrow quirked, bringing your attention back to the rest of the group still staring at the blueprint. For the first time, the fox hybrid turns his head to look at you with an unguarded expression. Just from looking at his eyes alone, you can tell he's feeling quite overwhelmed.
"It's all for your pack, and I'm going to make sure that this blueprint becomes a reality," you nod once in a firm confirmation.
"Wait, wait, wait," Namjoon chants softly with a gentle shake of his head. "As much as we would love to accept this wonderful offer, I don't think we - I don't think I can. This is too much."
"Why? You don't like the house? I can ask them to sketch up another design. What style of housing do you like? Do you want a Victorian-style house? A cottage structure to match the forest setting? Or perhaps art deco? The '20s honestly had some of the best designs I've ever seen-"
"No, it's not that we don't like the house. It's beautiful - truly," Namjoon cuts you off in a rush.
"It's just that we can't find it within ourselves to just openly accept this house. We literally didn't do anything to deserve this house," Yoongi adds to help the pack leader formulate his thoughts.
"But that's the thing," you shake your head in refute. "You guys don't need to do anything to deserve this house because you guys already deserve it. I may not know your individual stories, but I can tell you've suffered enough because of how humans think they can treat hybrids as lesser beings."
"Y/N," Seokjin tries to interject gently and you can tell by the look in his eyes exactly what he's thinking about.
"Please don't misinterpret my adamance of building this house as an act of pity. I'm not doing this because I feel bad for you guys, but rather because I want to see you guys succeed. It's so difficult for hybrids to do anything by themselves in our society even though it's completely legal - not to mention the Hybrid Protection Act that was passed three years ago to 'help' integrate equality. Yet, the systemic discrimination that still takes place in our day-to-day lives makes it nearly impossible for hybrids to find jobs and to buy houses - let alone peacefully run errands without getting verbally, emotionally, and or physically harassed," you continue. "So I'm hoping that by building this house, I can relieve some of the troubles you would've had to face. This way, you guys can focus on finding a job, if you wish, or just doing anything that you want to do without having to worry about a safe place to live."
When you finish your small speech, the pack of seven remains silent for a few minutes. Judging by the looks on their faces, everyone is trying their best to take in and process everything you just said.
"You really are my angel," Taehyung sighs dreamily, breaking the silence first. The tiger hybrid then maneuvers himself until he can comfortably hug you with his arms hanging loosely around your waist.
"Thank you, Y/N," Namjoon smiles at you genuinely, revealing his cute dimples. "No amount of words can even begin to describe how much we appreciate what you're doing for us."
"No need to thank me," you wave him off with a smile of your own. "I'll get in contact with the team my grandfather was working with to see if we can start this project by the end of the month. And I'll also look into arranging a place for you guys to stay for the duration of this project."
"Can we stay with you?" Jungkook asks hopefully.
"Kook," Seokjin hisses, gently jabbing the youngest hybrid's ribcage with the back of his elbow.
"Oh, that would be fun!" Taehyung exclaims softly, his striped ears perking up at the prospect.
"Cubs, you can't just expect Y/N to welcome us into her home with open arms especially since we don't know each other that well yet," Namjoon sighs with a hint of exasperation.
"Well then why did we-" Jimin begins to grumble but immediately stops when he senses a certain snow leopard sending him a pointed glare.
"Plus, she might not live alone," Seokjin continues to explain to the younger two. "Perhaps she has a boyfriend-"
"-Or girlfriend," Yoongi interjects.
"Or, girlfriend," the eldest nods in agreement.
"Guys," you chuckle awkwardly when you feel your face begin to heat up in embarrassment. "I live alone."
"Oh, perfect!" Taehyung beams excitedly.
"But," you state quickly before anyone can cut you off. "I live in a studio apartment so I don't think the seven of you would feel comfortable being cooped up in my apartment all day for a consecutive month or two."
"That's ok," Namjoon smiles gently. "We'll figure something out."
"I actually have a few places in mind that I think you guys might enjoy."
"Will we be staying in a hotel?" Hoseok asks curiously. "I heard that they have people who bring you food when you call them."
"Actually, I had a few houses in mind," you correct the red panda hybrid. "And yes, hotels offer room service where you just call the staff through your hotel room's telephone and they can provide a variety of services for you."
"So I can ask them to cook me ramen at like three in three in the morning?" Taehyung gasps.
"Depends," you shrug. "Some hotels offer 24/7 service while some other hotels have limited late-night hours. But all of them come at a very pricey cost."
"Oh, what? Why isn't it free?" Jungkook pouts.
"Nothing in this world is ever free, Kook," Yoongi responds, followed by a small click of his tongue while you nod in agreement.
"Y/N, if we're staying in a house, does that mean you'll be renting a house for us in the meantime?" Namjoon asks with a hint of uncertainty laced into his tone.
"No, not necessarily," you shake your head with a small smile tugging on your lips. "They're family-owned properties that aren't currently being occupied."
"Are you sure? What if someone decides to take a spontaneous vacation?" Seokjin ponders hypothetically.
"Don't worry, I can assure you that no one will be using any of these properties because they don't even know about them - at least not all of them."
Jimin instantly quirks an eyebrow at your statement and Namjoon can practically see the red flag that raised in the fox hybrid's mind.
"What's wrong, Minie?" the leader asks with a slight frown on his lips.
"Don't you see what's going on?" Jimin hisses.
"What? What are you talking about?"
"She's setting us up, Joon," the younger hybrid exclaims.
When you hear the fox hybrid's claim, part of you is shocked as to how he came to this conclusion. But another part of you also understands that just because he thanked you for handing him a bento and just because he looked somewhat excited when you revealed the blueprint, it doesn't necessarily mean he's warmed up to you just yet.
"Jimin, what in the world are you going on about? Y/N is literally talking about building a house for us. This is all we ever dreamed of, Minie. We've always wanted to live in a house happily as a pack, right?" Hoseok refutes with his eyebrows creased together due to a mixture of frustration and confusion.
"But that's the thing! I think you're all too blinded by the prospect of being so close to living our dream that none of you realize that what she's proposing is too good to be true," Jimin responds while throwing you a cold glare.
You frown a little at his words and you wish to say something to convince him otherwise, but you decide it's best for you to remain silent for now.
"Jimin, we talked about this last week," the leader sighs almost dejectedly.
"Look, I want to give her a chance - I really do. Especially seeing how much you guys seem to like her. But part of me just thinks that her ulterior motive is to lure us off this plot of land to get rid of us," Jimin admits in a softer, almost pained, tone.
Okay, forget what you just thought. Now is your cue to speak up.
"Jimin," you call out as softly as possible, trying your best to make yourself seem as non-threatening as possible. The fox hybrid's right ear immediately flickers at the sound of your voice and he instantly snaps his head up to look at you. "I can assure you my only motive is to provide your pack a safe place to stay. What led you to believe that I want to get rid of you guys?"
"Oh yeah," the older male scoffs while mockingly rolling his eyes. "Just because you said your so-called true intention is to help us, we're supposed to blindly believe you."
"Jimin," Taehyung hisses in distaste.
"No, you guys can't honestly tell me that you're okay with her shuttling us away to live on some property no one knows about? Does that not sound suspicious to any of you? She could have us killed and no one would know about it!"
An unconscious gasp escapes from your lips and one of your body unconsciously flinches in horror. Is this really what he thinks you'll do to him and his pack? Oh, how you wish you knew what happened in his past for him to think such a way.
"Jimin, that's enough," Namjoon states firmly.
"No, hold on. I would like to clarify myself," you speak up with a slightly shaky tone. "I'm just now realizing how vague my words were earlier and it's my fault for not clearly explaining the situation. When I said that the properties I have in mind are properties no one knows about, it's because they're the properties I inherited from my grandfather."
"The rest of your family doesn't know about them?" Jungkook asks in confusion.
"No," you shake your head in confirmation. "When Grandfather passed, he wrote two wills-"
"-One for you and one for the rest of your family," Yoongi hums in amusement, catching on very quickly.
"Exactly," you nod. "My family thinks Grandfather donated all of his inheritances and assets, but in reality, I inherited them all."
"Including the company? I remember Mr. Han talked about his company during some of his visits," Seokjin perks up.
"Including in his company," you nod again.
"I can't imagine your family will be very happy when they find out that you're the new CEO," Namjoon chuckles softly.
"I'm actually not the CEO just yet," you respond with a soft chuckle as well.
"Yet? Is there a process to hand over the rights?"
"Not necessarily," you shake your head. "Grandfather knew that I would need time to think this decision through so he gave me a year to make the final call. As of now, one of my grandfather's most trusted members on the board of directors is acting as temporary chief."
"So then everyone just thinks the company is in the process of interviewing for a new CEO?" Yoongi hums.
"Yes," you nod. "And no official statement will be made until I've made up my mind."
"I don't mean to prod, but isn't this type of decision usually time-sensitive?" Seokjin asks cautiously.
"It is, but that's a migraine-inducing discussion for another time," you try to joke. "My main goal as of today is finalizing our plans for your house. So getting back to my original point, it's true that no one will know that you're at the property aside from the seven of you and myself. However, if you would like, I can help you contact family or loved ones to let them know where you'll be if it makes you feel safer?"
"We-" Hoseok tries to explain but his face scrunches up in an emotion that borderlines pain and melancholy.
"We're each other's family," Seokjin whispers softly while reaching out to rub small comforting circles on the back of one of the red panda hybrid's hands.
"Oh, I am so sorry," you whisper in shock. "I didn't mean to bring up such a sensitive topic."
"It's okay, Y/N. We know you mean well," Namjoon reassures you. "And I'm sure your clarification has eased Jimin's nerves quite a bit."
At the pack leader's statement, you notice the fox hybrid duck his head so that his gaze is trained on his hands once again, just like before you all started eating. You can't help but feel as if there are still words left unspoken, but judging from everyone's body language, you can tell it's time to turn this page over and move onto a new topic.
"Kook, Tae, why don't you guys go show Y/N the creek. It's nice and warm out - perfect for playing around in the water for a little bit," Yoongi suggests after clearing his throat softly.
"C'mon," Taehyung smiles widely while reaching for your hand to help you up. "You can be my partner for chicken fight!"
♡ ♡ ♡
Happy Monday, my beautiful Dalgis! I hope you enjoyed this week's chapter and I hope you're all doing well!
Question of the Week: What's your favorite season?
My favorite season is, hands down, winter! Truth be told, I don't think I can say I've experienced a true winter before. It never snows where I live and we barely get any rain. With that being said, I have traveled to places where it does snow and rain a lot - and while it can be a little annoying to deal with at times, I just love the cold weather. I love the feeling of bundling up in several layers of clothing or cozying up under some thick blankets while sipping on some freshly brewed mint green tea.
As always, thank you for your constant love and support. Please stay safe, happy, and healthy!
Until next week,
Dalgi Jungoo 🍓