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TRIGGER(S) WARNING:
The following book/s will contain triggers some readers may wish to avoid. By reading you agree to acknowledge these terms and take responsibility for your own mental state.
This book is completely fictional, it in no way represents BigHit or Bangtan. Written for entertainment purposes only.
Co Written and edited by PolariTae.
SeVen Uncaged Copyright 2021 Missing_Min_MeowMeow & PolariTae
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Hybrid: Noun; Homo Animalium - A genetically modified species that were created when the DNA of animals were crossed with that of humans in the midst of pathological research.
"Looking for the perfect hybrid to share those lonely nights with? Look no furth—"
You rolled your eyes, glancing away from the cheesey commercial before taking a more aggressive crunch out of your cereal than necessary. You hated when this particular advertisement would come on, and it was even worse when it happened in the mornings. Not because you hated hybrids, but because you mistrusted the business itself. The typical, 'adopt, don't shop,' being their usual slogan thrown around which was only used to make the big wigs look better to the public eye.
The gigantic corporation, K.E.Y Industries, loved to lie to the consumer about never putting any of their hybrids down, always finding a match for each and every one of their companions, and yet what happens behind closed doors is best left unspoken.
Technically, it was all word of mouth with no real evidence to suggest the rumors—and your hunch—were at all accurate, of course.
However, if the rumors were in fact true, most of their hybrids were actually from mills and the high price adoption fee pays to make sure that the average kind-hearted person is never-the-wiser and the books go on overlooked.
A few months ago, your best friend Milly had gotten a job at the massive branch in your city, her love of animals and hybrids alike fueling the decision and drive to fight tooth-and-nail through other eligible employees to land her dream job.
Or at least, that was the story.
Ever since doing a class report on the global corporation and their alleged unethical behaviors, Milly became passionate on the subject, making it her life's goal to help hybrids and research K.E.Y. You, on the other hand, took a different approach. Instead of going the freelance philanthropist route, you carried on with your degree in journalistic writing and joined a decent magazine, keeping an eye on the infamous company.
Despite the rumors, their record remained squeaky clean for years, any talk or coverage on the matter being washed from articles long before any credible research could be done. After that, Milly took the plunge and made the decision that you knew she dreaded, and joined the company.
Even after four months of her working there, no red flags could be found, driving you both insane and making you question whether there was even anything there. But as the saying goes; where there is smoke, there's fire.
Your eyes rolled again at the commercial, tuning out the overly cheerful actress as she carried on towards the end, giving the location of their facility and the operating hours. That same commercial has played so much, you could practically recite it word for word.
Picking up your spoon, you were about to shovel another bite of flavorless whole grain into your mouth before your phone suddenly blared "cotton eye joe" at you, startling you so much your hand came down, perfectly flipping the bowl so a dome of milk and cheerios decorated your hair, face and clothes like it was Christmas season.
Sputtering, you rushed to grab a towel, putting the phone on speaker before answering, coming off a little more annoyed than you intended as you greeted whomever was to blame for your new look which you were then in the process of cleaning off.
"Y/n," Milly's voice whispered from the other end, sounding somewhat more strained than usual. She didn't even comment on your irritable greeting when normally, she would have retorted something snarky back.
Picking up on her odd tone, you slowly reached over, clicking the speaker off before pressing the phone to your ear. Dropping the towel, you sat down in your seat and cut off the t.v. "What's up? Why do you sound like that?"
"Y/n, you know how everything has been going well at work? Almost too well?"
"Yeah? Speak up, I can't really hear you," you frowned, leaning into the phone as if that could help.
"I can't speak up, I'm at work. I'm in the bathroom right now. Listen.. something happened.. I'm freaking out."
Your stomach dropped, trepidation trickling from your fingertips, riding up your arms and down your spine. Feeling uncomfortably warm all of a sudden, you shifted in your seat, bouncing your leg while your heart hammered in your ears.
"Milly, what do you mean something happened?"
Her end of the line went silent, causing your chest to tighten even more.
"Milly!" You pleaded into the phone, standing to pace around the room while you chewed on your thumbnail.
"S-Sorry. Someone came into the bathroom but they left. Look, you know the rumors of how K.E.Y. never puts their hybrids down? A-And there have been suspicions? And how people who have lost their jobs keep saying it's not true?"
Your breathing stopped, hand on the back of your kitchen chair as you stared down at your soggy breakfast laying all over the table.
"Yeah?" You whispered out, not wanting to hear where she was going with this.
"I can't explain all the details right now, but it's true. They're going to put them down.. They're going to..." The audible swallow from the receiver made your own mouth feel dry. "They're going to kill them." Milly's voice cracked like a dam, giving way to tears. You could tell she was trying her best to hold it together, but with her love for hybrids, you weren't sure how long she would be able to.
"I need you to do me a favor," she continued, her voice barely audible as she fought her tears. "Can you please come and get them? Please adopt them? I can't take all of them."
You held your breath, staring into the milk as it began to turn translucent while her words echoed through your head.
"Y/n please! I-I know you don't have the room and they're expensive to adopt. I'll—I'll help with what I can to cover what you can't b-but if we don't do something, they're—"
"Milly, Milly calm down and just breathe, okay? You're going to have a panic attack," you reasoned, not wanting her to get caught freaking out at work. "When are they getting put down?"
"Tomorrow." She breathed, doing as you suggested. "There's a shipment of new hybrids coming in and they don't have the room. The ones who have been here too long, or are too shy, too temperamental, too—anything. Something they don't deem suitable for quick profit.. something the new batch is bringing in. They're going to euthanize them to make room for the new ones."
"Oh god.. How many, Milly?" The milk on the table was as dry as your throat; the white color forming in your knuckles instead as you squeezed the chair.
"Y/n, please just come today, I'm begging you.." She sobbed.
Just how many was K.E.Y willing to put in body bags like yesterday's trash? All for monetary gain? "Just answer me, I need to know."
"....Eleven," she barely croaked out, her tears evident even through the phone.
"Eleven?! Milly we can't take home eleven hybrids! Where the hell are we going to put them? You live in a one bedroom apartment and I only have two rooms to spare besides my own!" You began to pace again, trying to think of anything to help your friend and the eleven innocent creatures.
"I know! You don't think I haven't thought of that?! We can just take them in for now. At least until we find them permanent homes." Her voice echoed as she threw caution to the wind, no longer restraining her voice or emotions.
Sighing deeply, your free hand rubbed at your face while the fresh sting of guilt made your stomach twist. You knew she was right, and for that reason, you made a beeline for your room to grab fresh clothes, wanting to at least not stink like sugary milk when you went on any rescue missions. "Okay I'll come and adopt what I can. Do I have time to shower?"
"Please just come now. The sooner I see your face, the better I'll feel."
"But I'm covered in—" You glanced down at your soaked shirt before sighing and setting the phone back on speaker so you could at least change your top. "I'll be there as soon as I can. I'm getting ready to leave now. Is there anything I need to bring? Do you need anything?"
"No. No thank you, Y/n. I love you so much for doing this. When I get off, we'll talk. This could be a big break in the story that might finally take them down. You might be able to write the biggest article of the decade."
"Milly, please be careful." You said through the material of a clean shirt, pulling it over your head as fast as you could.
"Okay.. See you soon."
"Yeah."
Click.
Throwing your hair into a ponytail so it didn't look as bad as it smelled, you gathered your essentials then rushed out the door.
Your car keys felt heavy in your hand as you made the walk through the apartment garage and to your small, grey Honda Fit, the chipping paint an easy giveaway apart from the Bugs Bunny scented cardboard hanging from the rearview mirror. After putting in the GPS directions with nervous fingers, the drive surprisingly didn't take that long. Or perhaps it didn't take long because you had zoned out, your mind was racing with thoughts about what would happen once you stepped through those doors and came face to face with what fate had in store for you. Pulling into the bustling parking lot, you found a spot as close to the front as you could and cut the engine, taking a few seconds to sit in the hot car while you stared at your hands on the steering wheel doing deep breathing exercises.
"Everything is going to be okay. It's going to be fine. They're going to be fine. We're going to find them homes. They'll be happy. We'll be happy. This will work out. Yeah, this is fine." You attempted to reassure yourself.
Time felt like it was slowly dragging by, your body warming up uncomfortably again. You decided it was now or never and threw the seatbelt off.
Slipping out of the car, you made the trek across the parking lot and into the large building. The air conditioning blasted into your face as soon as you entered, thankfully helping to cool your body almost instantly.
You pulled out your phone to shoot Milly a text letting her know you had arrived, then wandered over to linger around the hybrid paraphernalia. The building was massive like a giant mall, hosting everything you could want and need for your hybrid care. From food, clothing, to your actual hybrid adoption itself. They really had it all, but of course everything was ridiculously expensive.
As you idled by the brushes, Milly finally texted you back, letting you know which floor to find her on. Following her instructions, you maneuvered through happy families and single elders toward the escalators and down the halls of enclosures and supply stores, only getting lost a couple times. Once Milly's face was in view she smiled weakly and ran over to hug you, her K.E.Y scrubs making her look more like a nurse than that of an employee.
"Hey, you're here." She sighed with relief, running fingers through her hair before using her chin to motion for you to follow at a leisurely pace.
"Gotta make it look like you're shopping," she whispered, then pointed into a grassy enclosure filled with happy looking hybrids playing.
"Are they in there?"
"A few, but I don't see them. This is one of the play areas, mixed for the ones that love sunshine and outdoors. Mostly dogs and cats, maybe a few bunnies, squirrels. Those types. The shy one is in there somewhere. I'm definitely wanting you to take that one. He seems like he'll be good for you."
"Good for me?"
"Follow me, the rest are either in the tundra or savannah enclosures getting their playtime there."
"W-What?" You gasped, stopping to cast your friend a disbelieving eye. "Milly those are classified as the exotic ones."
"Yes. Which is exactly why they're still here. No one wants to take on the extra responsibility because it's harder to take care of an arctic fox than it is a puppy. The ones in trouble are the ones who have been here the longest and they make a good chunk of the list. I also know they're the most expensive but I swear, Y/n, once you see them.." She turned to look at you with hopeful eyes. "You'll see, you're gonna love them. I'll help pay, remember?"
"It's not the money I'm worried about. What if I do something wrong? What if I mess up and make them sick? They need special care. They have different needs. What if I mess up and make one too hot? It could kill them."
"It'll be fine, Y/n, I'm just a phone call away."
You stared for a long hard moment before nodding, still unsure.
"It'll be okay," she reassured you, taking your hand and pulling you to what appeared to be the savannah enclosure.
Stopping at the glass, she turned to crane her neck, doing a quick peek inside for any sign of the ones on the list. "Ah, okay." She exclaimed, "so that blur that just zipped by, that was one, I think. I'm going to assume that it was our cheetah, Seokjin. But then again I didn't get a good look.. Mm over there near the water, on the rock reading a book. That's our lion. His name is Namjoon. Those are two I'm hoping you'll take with you, because I may or may not have adopted four already, and the last seven might be up.. to.. you.." She looked away guiltily, her words trailing off.
"What?! Are you kidding? When did you have the time? Wait— Seven?!" You felt as if you were standing on stilts and the world was tipping beneath your feet until you had to put your hand on the glass to keep yourself upright.
"Shh! Keep it down." She jerked her head around to stare at you with wide eyes, startled at your outburst. Using her hands to make the universal signal to bring it down a notch, she gave a sympathetic smile to the passing customers who stared in indignation and nosiness.
"I snuck and did it while I was on break." When she glanced back into the enclosure, all of the hybrids had stopped what they were doing to watch the two of you with wary uncertainty.
Regardless of there being a very thick glass separating the two of you from the playfield, clearly their sensitive ears had picked up the conversation. Even Namjoon was watching you from over his novel, brow raised while one of his round ears swiveled against his thick blonde hair, taking stock of the situation. His spade tail flicked idly behind him on the rock before those deep golden brown eyes blinked away from your gaze and fell back to his book with lost interest. Your face flushed over your outburst, mentally kicking yourself for making such a ruckus and possibly looking insane.
"Looks like you two hit it off," Milly teased, making you glare in her direction. You already wanted to crawl into a hole and definitely didn't need her input to help you do that.
"I'm picking~ Come on, let's head over to the tundra."
Keeping up with her, you pass by a few more enclosures ranging from aquatic to the feathered kind. Turning a corner you came upon a breathtaking enclosure where crystal blue water pressed against the glass just enough for you to see the hybrids swimming in the small pond and still see them on land as well. Inside were already a few penguin and polar bear hybrids playing.
Behind them, mountains of snow were piled high with more hybrids sliding down the snow drifts. Every so often a light dusting of snowflakes trickled out from the ceiling, dusting their hair and clothes. You could see the puffs of breath leaving their lips as they huffed, making you feel cold just from watching them. The hybrids seemed so content, dressed in their winter gear. Some even gathered around a heater that looked like a fire pit.
"Hmm now let's see, where are they— Oh! Okay so over there, surrounded by some of the females is our arctic fox, Jimin."
You watched as his cherub face turned perfectly in time with her words, his angelic smile reaching his eyes, turning them into crescent moons as he laughed at something one of the female hybrids had said. His fluffy, snow-white ears twitched once in coy regards to the flirations of the females, that silky fox tail wrapping around one of their hips to bring her closer as he whispered something in her ear.
"He seems.. confident," you coughed, slightly embarrassed to be watching the very public displays of affection.
"Confident would be one way of putting it. He's definitely a ladies first choice when their heats are, well.." She trailed off, visibly uncomfortable before changing the subject.
"Hmm so you see that tree branch?" She started again, "If you can make out the figure that is lounging up there, that's Hoseok. The snow leopard."
Sure enough, you faintly caught a glimpse of a spotted cream colored tail flicking from the branch before it pulled itself into the shadows and out of your line of sight.
"I don't see Yoongi, the timber wolf. Though that's understandable, he hardly comes to the tundra. Sometimes he stays in the forest enclosure. Which only leaves Taehyung, whom we haven't seen, and Jungkook. Taehyung is one of them but I'm pretty sure he is— well.. um.. Shall we go back to the first enclosure and see if we can find Kookie?"
You eyed your friend suspiciously at the quick change in demeanor, but as she sped on ahead, you had no choice but to let it slide. For the time being, at least.
The trek back to the first enclosure was a long one, but you didn't mind it. You were too busy mulling over whether you were even qualified to take on so many hybrids with so many different needs, you barely noticed the time going by until you came upon the grassy field enclosure where hybrids of different species, breeds, and ages relaxed and played on display for buyers.
The artificial breeze blew through your hair and clothes as you strolled into the enclosure after Milly, following closely as the scent of fresh cut grass and dirt tickled your nose. You glanced at Milly, brows knitting in confusion.
If the billion dollar corporation put this much effort into making their hybrids happy, then why in the end would they put a dollar amount over the life of one? You watched as two healthy looking rabbit types bounded past you, laughing and playing with abandon, making you wonder if perhaps they too would be put up for euthanization one day.
"Hyungwon, there you are. Have you seen Jungkook?"
Hearing Milly speak, your attention was peeled away from surveying the expansive fields, landing on her and a man with sharp standing ears and a fluffy golden tail. You decided he was possibly a golden retriever type. He stood before Milly, looking bored as he sipped on what appeared to be.. Starbucks?
When his full lips slowly pulled away from the straw, he cast you a hooded glare, studying 'the newcomer' then glanced at Milly before answering her question. "I think he's by the pond. The other rabbits never seem to play with him so he's shelled up again."
"Poor guy. Hyungwon, this is Y/n, she came to adopt Jungkook. Y/n, this is Hyungwon, our coyote. One of the ones I adopted. He sometimes switches enclosures and watches over them for me, but I guess after today that's going to change, huh?"
"It's nice to meet you, Hyungwon. Wait—" Your face whipped around to Milly then to the hybrid who was still sipping on his Starbucks. "He's one of them?"
"Yes, but don't mention details. Let's not upset them."
"R-Right. So um, I didn't know hybrids could drink coffee? What are you drinking?"
"Iced Americano." He proudly stated, puffing out his chest. Though your eyes took a glance down at the plastic cup and the clear contents inside quickly told you otherwise, you didn't question him. You could only give a polite smile and nod before Milly spoke up.
"Hyungwon, I'm going to take Y/n to Jungkook now, alright? I'll see you when my shift is done and then we can go home."
The coyote's ears perked up at the sound of home, moving forward against his brown locks before he nodded and turned to head off with his drink.
"Iced.. Americano?" You repeated to Milly who could only flash you a knowing smile.
"It's water. Of course we can't just give him coffee since it's bad for him, but from what I heard, he saw one of the other workers drinking one and since then he's always wanted Starbucks. So I got him a reusable plastic cup to fill with water each morning so he thinks it's bought."
"That's adorable, actually."
"You think so? You'll find they all have their own uniqueness to them. You just have to be patient enough to find it."
"Sad to think they wanted to snuff out that cute light. It makes me mad."
"Yeah," she frowned with a deep sigh. She bit her lip, clearly not wanting to think about it before passing the bunnies running by and pointing to the pond.
"Almost there. If Jungkook is anywhere around here, he is probably under that tree."
"If the enclosures are this big, and they take such good care of their hybrids, it's—"
"We'll talk when I'm off my shift." Her gaze briefly flicked to a camera, making it seem natural but enough for you to take notice and follow her line of sight. When you caught on, your mouth clamped shut, clearing your throat before rubbing your hands on the front of your jeans for a distraction.
"So where are your other hybrids?"
"Jooheon is an owl, so he's mostly nocturnal. Boy is probably sleeping. Mingi is in the infirmary getting a last set of shots since he's been sick recently. Seonghwa is in another enclosure.. Ahh, there he is~"
Milly abruptly stopped walking, causing you to stumble two steps forward. Crouching, she glanced over the rabbit who was curled into a fetal position, hugging his knees to his chest, recluse and startled by even the smallest of movements.
"Is.. he okay?" You swallowed, a lump forming in your throat at the pitiful sight.
He jerked at just your softly spoken words, startling you too. His dark brown ears lowered, brought over his face as though trying to shield himself from any threats, lip quivering in fear. It tightened your heart to see a creature behaving so fearfully, making you frown as you watched the trembling bunny hold himself for comfort.
"Yeah. He's just frightened."
He jumped again, this time from Milly's voice, and it took everything in you not to wrap him up in your arms in the tightest hug. To rock him until his shaking stilled and all his fears subsided.
"He was bitten by another hybrid at a very young age. I think it was a very bad fight, but the details were vague. His papers said he was shipped here from another facility where it happened, so he's skittish. He's such a sweet boy, he just won't let anyone in."
From behind his ears you could see his unsure brown eyes watching you, nearly tearing up, confused as to why the both of you were there crowding him when normally he would be left alone. Though his trembling had stopped, he still couldn't seem to comprehend what was happening.
"I'll take him." You said without thinking, making both Jungkook and Milly look at you with hopeful eyes.
"I knew you would love him," she smiled, so big it looked like it hurt.
Meanwhile the bunny was tilting his head, his ears perked just enough so he could peek at you with curiosity.
"Let's go fill out all the paperwork." Milly said as she stood, casting a warm glance in his direction before looking at you.
You had never taken your eyes off his face as he watched you with longing. "Huh? O-Oh, yeah, let's go."
"Jungkook," Milly turned to address him, which unfortunately caused another jerk from the poor boy, making you frown. He looked up at her and nodded, acknowledging her presence without a verbal response. "We will be right back, okay?"
Another nod, barely enough to be seen but it was there, and then the two of you were off with a new-found determination. Resolved and head held high, you were determined, even more-so than Milly now, that these hybrids were coming home with you.
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Chapter posting: Every other Saturday
Next scheduled post: October 2nd (EST)