By the time we'd got home, we all just wanted to crash and burn on the sofa, especially me.

Dragging the boys around the store made me feel like I had seven overgrown kids...

"Are you at work tomorrow?" Jimin asks tiredly from beside me; all of us slumped against various cushions.

I hum, patting his thigh before standing, "yeah, I should really get to bed so I'm not tired in the morning.

The boys slowly started to get up after I'd dragged myself from the comfort that the fluffy pillows provided. "Don't worry if i'm not here by the time you wake up, I start early tomorrow."

...

"Jaebum?"

I walk closer to the man clutching a file tightly in his hand. "What are you doing here?" I asked, confused.

His grip relaxes slightly as he looks up at me with a sad smile. "Is Areum alright?" I now ask frantically. A light laugh escapes him as he shakes his head softly.

"Yeah, she's fine," he confirms before sighing. "We had another raid."

I sympathetically pat his back knowing how hard it was for him when he had to do raids. "What happened?"

He moves to sit down on a chair placed in the hall, making me sit next to him as I wait for him to reply.

"It was a breeding facility," he forces out. "The youngest one we found was four."

A lone tear slips past the barrier, falling down his cheek slowly as he looks off in a trance-like state.

I move my thumb up to swipe at the tear, removing it before it could drip below his chin.

"What was it you once told me?" I ask him softly as I pull him into me with a hug.

Despite the size difference, his body collapses into me, head fitting snugly under my shin.

I feel him shrug his shoulders.

I sigh, moving my hand up to his hair to run my hands through it, the other holding him to me around the top of his left arm.

"You once told me when I was sad that we can't always save everyone," I whisper softly to him, kissing his crown before continuing. "You also told me that we can't always predict what is going to happen and we do the best we can to save people despite the things they've been through."

I hear him sniffle before his arm moves slightly from under my hand, signalling that he was wiping tears away.

"W-We thought that he'd been kept from the evils but they've fucking trained him so he knows what to expect when he's older," he venomously spat out as he moves to sit up, now angrily wiping at stray tears.

"It's fucking sickening what they do," he frustratingly states. "As soon as we opened the door he-"

His face falls into his hands as sobs rack through his body. "I-I think I need a break from this," he sadly says as he looks up at me.

His face is void of colour, his eyes a deep black as tears continue to silently fall.

"We will help him like we help everyone else," I mumble as I embrace his face, gently wiping away the tears that fall. "He will help him...we will help him, okay?"

His eyes shut as he nodded his head, cheek leaning more into my right hand.

I place my forehead on his own for a few seconds before pulling back. "I'll take his case on so I'll be his primary caregiver until he gets better. Why don't you clean up and go for a break."

He just nods again before getting up off the chair and heading in the direction of the bathroom, leaving the file behind.

I picked up the file, reading the name off the cover and the room number before looking up, realising that the room was the one Jaebum had been standing outside of.

I tap lightly on the door before slowly opening it and stepping in. The sight that greets me makes my stomach drop in sadness and worry for the poor boy.

Jihoon laid on the bed with his face down and 'back' up...presenting...

My heart breaks for the boy. I step closer, placing the file in its holder after skimming it.

"You don't have to present to me," I tell him softly. His body tenses, probably wondering if it's a test before relaxing and shuffling so he's sat up near his pillows.

He eyes me wearily as I stand near the end of the bed with a soft smile. "You don't have to do that anymore, okay?"

His eyes show his confusion as his lips puff out into a pout. "B-But the man-"

I cut him off before he could continue, waving my hands in front of me. "That man isn't here, you don't have to follow what he says anymore."

He hesitantly nods, remaining dubious as he eyes me. "I heard you're a snack hybrid."

I slowly sit down on the seat next to his bed to not alarm him as I keep a soft smile on my face. "A black mamba?"

A little smile forms on his face as he shuffles a bit closer on his bed. "I was told that my mama was the only other one," he reveals as his face slowly takes on a look of confusion. "I don't know if that's true though..I've never met her."

I swear I feel my heart crack even more at his words. I try to cover up my sadness, but my scent seems to betray me.

"You smell like coffee."

...

"Did you meet Jihoon?" a voice asks as soon as I walk through the staff room doors.

I look to where the voice came from just to see Moonbyul nursing a cup of tea. "Yeah," I mutter back as I make my way to the coffee machine. "Wheein couldn't handle it either," she tells me softly.

I place the capsule into the opening before closing it and clicking the button. The machine whirls to life as I turn to face her.

"It was so heart-breaking."

She places her cup down, sighing. "I know, I went in with her so we could assess him and see if we could determine how long his rehabilitation would take."

The coffee machine beeps signalling its end. I turn around, taking the cup before moving to put hazelnut creamer into it.

"I couldn't stay with him for long, I felt like I'd break if I had to."

I pick up my coffee, absently stirring it as I make my way over to her before sitting down.

We remain silent for a few minutes with the only sound being from the sips we take of our drinks.

"Ah," she suddenly sits up causing me to jump. She gives me a sheepish smile as she places her own cup down before continuing. "I have some good news," she states with a light grin.

I just hum around the cup, allowing the soft scent of hazelnut to fill my nose.

The relaxation is soon replaced by dread as she announces, "I found a place for the boys."