HUNTER. || KSJ

NINETEEN

Choi Youra

I'd had trouble falling asleep after that last mission. On the one hand, I couldn't stop thinking about the little guy - little Jeong Byeong-Ho - and how sad he'd looked; on the other hand, Jin's announcement from this evening kept lingering in my head.

'We need you to learn how to use weapons.'

Of course, I'd seen this coming. I'd known that sooner or later, they'd have to teach me how to actually use the things Hoseok had shown me in my first days. It was honestly hardly a surprise. Still, I'd hoped that moment would've arrived a little bit later. I hadn't even gotten used to the whole idea of ghosts and spirits and monsters yet - not fully. Learning how to actually fight them was something I could barely even imagine.
At least they weren't going to make me go in those houses with them. At least I could still be somewhat safe - or, well, feel like I was somewhat safe, further away from where whatever it was we were hunting was spotted.

I looked at the sleeping body of Jin. He had passed out basically immediately after returning from the bathroom. I didn't know how he did it, but it lowkey made me jealous.
He'd been so good with Byeong-Ho, earlier, talking to him as if he were a real dad. I wondered if it was a skill he'd always had, or if it was something that had grown on him while being the oldest man among the seven of them.

He looked so peaceful, lying there, in his alpaca-pyjamas, hugging the blanket that was covering his slender body. It made me smile. I might not have known Jin for that long yet, but he was by far one of the funniest and, simultaneously, one of the purest people I'd ever met. He seemed to be someone who always tried to lighten the mood whenever it became too serious, or the person who would spontaneously decide to go out for ice cream, in the middle of the night, while it was raining. Jin was fun and the more time I spent with him, the more I felt at home.

With that thought still in my mind, I eventually managed to fall asleep, only to be awoken by pyjama-Jin a mere couple of hours later.

'I thought I'd wake you up a bit earlier today because you were so annoying to wake up last time.' He didn't seem too awake himself yet, either. I wondered how long he'd been up; judging by the puffiness of his face, it couldn't be too long.
'Thanks, I think.' I sat up.
'Do you want to shower first or should I go?'
'You can go first.' I yawned, making him laugh the now quite familiar windshield wiper laugh.
'I could've guessed so. Don't fall asleep again while I'm getting ready.'
'I'll try not to.' I said, letting myself fall back on the bed, as he disappeared from my view.

I stayed in my lying position, looking up at the ceiling while listening to the noises produced by the shower. It wasn't until Jin returned, fully clothed and ready to start the day, that I sat up again.

'You really aren't a morning person, are you?'
'No, not really.' I sighed. 'It didn't help that I had trouble sleeping, either.'
'Too busy thinking about the child?' When he saw me nod, he sat down on the edge of my bed.
'I'm here if you want to talk about it. Just tell me what it is you want me to do. I can listen, I can help you believe he's in a better place, I can also just ignore it and tell you a joke instead. Whatever you need.' I chuckled.
'A joke sounds pretty good, to be honest.' He smiled playfully and thought for a couple of seconds.

'What did the zero say to the eight?'
'I don't know, what?'
'Nice belt!' He laughed and applauded himself. I giggled and got up.
'Well, on that note: I should probably get ready.'
'Yah! Acknowledge my joke first!'
'Very good. I'm proud of you.' I patted him on the cheek, picked up my clothes and went to freshen up, leaving Jin sitting on the bed, proudly smiling for being so funny, so early in the morning.

We were the first ones out that morning. I leaned against the van, waiting for the rest of the guys to show up.

'Look at us, being all perfect and on time.'
'Yay, us.'
'Wouldn't have happened if I let you sleep as long as last time.'
'Probably not, no.' I heard him chuckle.
'Good morning!' Hoseok - like the embodiment of sunshine he was - waved at us. Behind him, a still quite sleepy looking Yoongi followed. 'Did you sleep well?'
'We've slept okay. How are you two doing this morning?'
'Pretty okay, thank you.' Yoongi just nodded. He eventually looked up at me and sighed.
'So, I was thinking... Maybe we could train together, tomorrow. I could show you some useful things.' Was he referring to the gun handling? I was happy to hear him speak calmly instead of angry, like I suspected him to sound. I nodded.
'Sounds good.' He showed me something that could go for a smile, and I saw Hoseok look at his friend with a happy and proud expression.

We had breakfast at a local restaurant. The staff had looked at us a little weird - they probably didn't see that many groups of eight that early in the morning, let alone groups of eight with people like Taehyung and Jungkook, who'd been acting like bouncy balls since the moment we stepped in the car. Namjoon clearly decided to just ignore them - sitting on the other side of the table, talking with Hoseok and Yoongi. Jin sat next to me and seemed to have quite a fun conversation with Jimin, and I spent my time trying to wake up, sipping tea, listening to the story Taehyung was making up about some kind of fairy called Peupeu, which made Jungkook laugh every single time he heard its name.

They were quite the special group, these guys, all of them so different from each other. Still, they managed to make it work, treating each other with the respect you'd treat your family with. Then again, they were each other's family: them being the only people some of them still had. It was the sad reality they lived, and that they decided to make the best of. They did well, I thought. They did really well.

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A/N: Let me know what you think, and as always: please consider leaving a vote if you liked the chapter!

Blessing you all with a very cute and smiley Kookie - all rights of this picture belong to the rightful owner. <3