1 Chapter 1: "I thought we were getting pets!"

I looked down at my cluttered office desk.  A sigh escaped me as I looked on my computer to see all of the unanswered e-mails that I would have to go through before I could finally go home for the weekend.  I was in the middle of replying to one of the e-mails to an important business partner when there was a knock on my door.  I looked up to see my co-worker, Kim Ju-min, walk into my office.  Her sleek black heels clicked against the linoleum floor she walked my direction.  Her cute attire reminded me of a K-Pop star. She was wearing a cute black skirt and a flowy white blouse that complimented her dark hair and doe-like almond shaped eyes.  

    "Hey, (y/n)."  she greeted as she plopped herself down in one of the comfy chairs that were in front of my desk.  

    "What are you doing after work today? Any plans?"  she asked with a coy smile.  Ju-min wasn't only one of my co-worker, but she was also one of my friends.  I pushed myself back from my desk as I leaned back in my office chair.  

    "Nothing at the moment...why?"  I asked slightly wary at her sudden question.  I eyed her suspiciously as she grinned.

"Perfect!"  she replied as she clapped her hands together happily.  "Because we are going to the pet store to get you a companion."  I gawked at her in shock.

    "We are doing what now?"  I choked out.  

"We are getting pets!  Did you know hear me the first time?"  she replied with a confused look crossing her face.  I quickly shook my head.

    "No, no I heard you, but why the sudden need?  Why do we suddenly need to get pets?"  I inquired confused.  

    "Because I don't want to see you wasting away all by yourself in your house, and since you won't come live with me, and your boyfriend is always traveling for work, I think that you should have at least some company, so a pet is the next best thing!"  she explained her logic.  I thought for a moment before letting out a soft sigh knowing that there was really no way for me to change her mind at this point about the matter...and it didn't sound like a horrible idea either so I finally nodded my head.

    "Okay, fine."  I replied.  Ju-min's eyes lit up as a large smile grew across her face causing her eyes to turn into crescents as her cheeks rose up. 

   "Yay!"  she squealed as she hopped up to her feet, only to wobble slightly off balance due to her high heels.  She quickly grabbed my desk to stable herself with a nervous giggle.  I rolled my eyes in amusement at her actions.

    "Hey, if you get a pet too make sure that it isn't something you can easily break.  I don't want to hear about you breaking your pet with your clumsiness."   I chided, to which she rolled her eyes in return.

    "They aren't that easy to break."  she scoffed.  "And I'm not that clumsy.  These heels are just stupid."  

    "Or maybe it is the person wearing them."  I teased to which she pouted at me in reply.

"I'll stop by your house after work to pick you up and we can go to the shelter.  They are cheaper there and they have more options than the shop does.   They also tend to be a little more eager to be with you then the shop ones."  Ju-min said as she got herself together and headed over to the door.

    "Oh! And make sure you look friendly, they can be a little wary of new people."  she added before walking out of the room leaving me slightly confused.  Look friendly?  Why would a pet care how I looked?  I'm going to pick one out that I like and hope for the best.  I hope I'll be able to find a nice one that won't be a huge pain in my ass.  Maybe something a little more on the lower maintenance side would be nice...

    Work went by quickly as I kept thinking about what kind of pet I should get for when I went out with Ju-min.  I had thought about getting one before but I never really followed through with it.  There was a lot going on with the hybrid movement that was going on so hybrids as pets were becoming mainstream and I thought it was kind of weird at the thought of owning someone.  I had heard about horror stories about hybrids turning on their owners, or owners practically enslaving or abusing their hybrids.  Hybrids didn't even exist until the last thirty years when some sort of scientific testing created them on accident, but since it worked out so well they kept making them.  They would typically combine animal DNA with human embryos and grow them in a lab.   Since hybrids were able to shift from animal to human form it made it hard from people to know what animals were actually animals and which were hybrids.  

   I left work still thinking about it as I got home.  I wondered which shelter that Ju-min was planning on taking me to.  There were multiple in the area.  Some were specifically for hybrids while others were for regular animals.   

    I took off my work clothes and tossed them into one of my chairs in my room that had other clothes strewn across it.  I changed into a pair of ripped blue skinny jeans and a like green tee-shirt and a blue and grey bomber jacket.  I threw my hair up into a ponytail and pulled a plain black cap over my head and had my pony go through the hole in the back.  I grabbed my black face mask off of my nightstand and headed back out into my living room.  I was struggling to tie my black and white Converses' when my doorbell rang.  I about fell over after I lost balance trying to get to the door.  I finally got the door open to see Ju-min standing there waiting for me with a huge grin on her face.

   "Are you ready?"  she asked excitedly.  I finished tying my shoe quickly, grabbed my purse, mask, and phone before nodding.

    "Now I am, lets go."  I smiled as I walked out and locked the door behind me.  I stuck my keys in my purse before I slung it over my shoulder.  I started pulling my mask around my ears before pulling it up over the bottom half of my face.  Ju-min rolled her eyes at me as we walked to the car.

    "Why do you cover your face so much when we go out?  You're pretty, why cover up?"  she asked as we got in the car.

    "I just like wearing these kinds of things."  I replied with a shrug.  She gave me an unconvinced look, but didn't push the matter any further.   Ju-min turned the radio on and we sang along while laughing as she drove.  I didn't even notice that we had arrived until the car had stopped.  I peered out of the window and my eyes widened in shock.

    "Hybrids!?"  I exclaimed in shock at Ju-min.  "I thought we were getting pets!"

"We are!"  she defended as we got out of the car.  "Hybrids are pets, they are even better than just regular pets since they can actually talk back and go out and do stuff with you that a regular ordinary pet can't do."  I looked warily at the door as I walked after Ju-min.  I had never actually met a hybrid before and the only ones I had really seen tended to be on TV. 

    "How the hell am I supposed to take care of a hybrid.  I barely know anything about them!" I hissed as we walked into the building.

    "Then you can learn.  At least look around and see.  Please!"  begged Ju-min.  I glared at her for a moment before we arrived at the front desk.  There was a middle aged woman sitting there typing on a computer.  She looked up at us when we approached her.   

    "Hello, we'd like to look to adopt a hybrid...one for each of us."  explained Ju-min as I stood there silently.  My eyes scanning around the office space.  There were posters with information about hybrids and hybrid rights as well as health warnings and pro-hybrid slogans.  

    "Of course!  Come right on in!"  exclaimed the woman happily as she got up and came around from her desk to lead us further into the building. The moment we walked through the back door my eyes began to soak in everything that was happening around me.  It was pretty noisy as there was a buzz of mixing human talking and various animal sounds.  It was a bit of a strange combination.

    "So what kind of hybrid are you looking for?"  asked the lady as we began to walk down some of the rows of rooms and fenced in areas. 

    "I was looking at getting a dog or puppy if you have any."  replied Ju-min.  The lady looked at me expecting an answer.  

    "I'm not sure yet.  I'd like to look around a bit on my own...if that is okay."  I finally said after a few moments.  She nodded with a small smile.

   "Of course."  she replied to me before turning to Ju-min.  "Come, I'll show you where we keep all of our canine hybrids.  I'm sure you'll find one that you'll love we have quite a few cats and dogs with us right now."  She led Ju-min away from me leaving me alone among all of the noise.  I began to walk down one of the aisles taking everything in.  I would see a group of cute bunnies chasing each other around on one of the pens that had a very high fence.  There was a small room that looked to be attached to it and I was able to peer inside to see that there was more human like things such as clothes and a fridge, a TV, and some sort of game console.  As I walked by all of the bunnies raced over to the fence to look at me when I walked by.  I met their longing eyes and I felt a shiver run down my spine as I thought about them being actual people behind those animal bodies.   I continued walking as I walked past similar areas that had some ferrets and foxes mixed in together and one that even had some birds in it.  The last one at the end of the hall was filled with cute little kitties that were very excited to see me as they crawled over one another.  I was looking at them when I heard the sounds of a few more animals behind the door that was next to me.  I cautiously opened the door to see that the room was filled with smaller cages that didn't have any rooms attached to them.  There was only one animal in each cage and they looked to be more isolated.  I wandered in as the door closed behind me.  I looked at the angry or sad looking animals that were in the cages when I came upon one that caught my attention the most.  I walked up to the cage and peered inside.  There curled up in a little white ball was a pure white cat who was sleeping.  The cat sensed that I was near as it sleepily raised its head to look at me.  Once our eyes met I knew that this one was the one I was going to take home.  

    The door suddenly opened behind me causing me to jump.  The lady and Ju-min came in.  Ju-min had a young adult looking golden retriever on a leash next to her as well as a duffle bag slung over her shoulder.  

    "What are you doing in here, (y/n), this is the isolation room for hybrids with behavioral problems."  stated Ju-min.  

    "Behavioral problems?"  I asked confused.

"Sometimes certain hybrids don't get along with other hybrids or even other people so they end up in here for their protection and others."  explained the lady.  "You probably won't want any of them in here."  

    "Actually, I want the this one."  I said pointing to the cage with the silky white cat sleeping inside.  The woman looked at me incredulously. 

   "Are you sure?  There are plenty of other nicer cats that would fit to your tastes..." she started but I shook my head.

    "No, I'd like that one, thank you."  I replied insistently.  The lady finally nodded before grabbing one of the pet carriers that happened to be sitting on one of the shelves nearby.  

    "He's a bit of a cold hybrid, I will warn you.  Doesn't really like others as he gets annoyed easily as he doesn't trust others...he's a rescue so that might explain somethings.  I'll give you his file when we get up front."  said the lady as she walked over to the white cat's cage.  The white cat looked up and got to his feet when he saw the lady beginning to open his cage.  He scooted to the back of his cage and hissed at the woman who gave him a stern look.

   "Behave now, will you?  You're getting adopted by a nice young lady.  You should be grateful."  she snipped at him.  The white cat looked to be glaring at her, but he didn't hiss anymore as he let her grab ahold of him and set him in the carrier.  She handed the carrier over to me.  

    "His given name is Min Yoongi, but you can really give whatever pet name that you want.  Most owners give them some sort of other name."  she explained.  She grabbed a duffle bag before heading towards the door. I nodded as I followed along with Ju-min.  

    "Why did you want such a crabby cat?  Couldn't you have gotten a cute little kitty instead?"  she asked as we followed the lady back to the front of the building.  I shrugged as I held the carrier firmly in both hands as I was being sure not to jostle it too much.  

    "I just felt like he was the right choice."  I replied.  "So what's your hybrid's name?"  

"Oh!  This is Seokjin!  Isn't he cute?  I haven't seen his human form yet, but I'm sure it is just as cute.  Right Jinnie?"  she grinned at the dog next to her who barked happily in reply causing me to smile.  We got to the front of the building when we got to the front desk she started tying on her computer.  Printing out forms and handing us documents for us to sign.  I set the carrier on the floor and peered inside for a moment.  I made eye contact with Yoongi who was silently sitting in the middle of his cage staring back at me as if he was studying me.  I snapped out of my daze when Ju-min coughed to get my attention.  I quickly stood up and continued to fill out forms.

    "So here is the information files of both of your hybrids.  If you have any questions or concerns feel free to contact us.  We will check up on the conditions of the hybrids in about a month to see if you still want to keep them."  she said as she eyed me.  I wasn't phased by her gaze.  I had kind of taken it as a challenge now to keep this hybrid and get him to like me.  

    "Thank you."  said Ju-min as she took the files.  She motioned me to follow her.  I grabbed the duffle bag that the lady had given me and the cat carrier.  We headed out to the car and loaded the animals inside.  I kept Yoongi in his carrier on my lap and Jin was in the back seat staring out of the window.  

    "You literally could have had any animal in that building and you went for one of the broken ones."  huffed Ju-min.

    "He's not broken!"  I defended.  "You don't even know him, so don't judge to quickly."  

"Fine, fine.  Just don't come crying to me when he is a dick to you."  she replied.  "Besides you can always come hang out with Jin and I.  Isn't that right?"  She got another happy bark in reply which made her grin.  It wasn't long before we got back to my house where she dropped me off.

   "Let me know how it goes...and oh!  make sure to send me a pic of what he looks like as a human!"  she hollered before she drove off.  I rolled my eyes before walking up the steps to my front door.  I set the cat carrier down as I fished my keys out of my purse as I dropped the duffel bag on the ground.  I unlocked the door and tossed the duffel bag inside before picking up the cat carrier and bring it in with me.  I closed the door behind me and flicked the lock before bringing the carrier into my living room.  I gently set it down and crossed my fingers before opening the cage door.