Looking for Your Light

Chapter 1

A/N: Brief shoutout to HoratioK on AO3 for their story Stray Hybrids! Reading that story gave me the inspiration to write this one. Please feel free to check out the story for another beautiful Stray Kids hybrid AU!

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It had been about 10 years since the Act for the Autonomy of Hybrids had been signed into law. The verbiage of pro-hybrid legislation was written and passed in Australia first, and had been passed to the rest of the world through the EU. It was later adopted by most of the countries involved in the United Nations. The rights given to Hybrids varied from country to country, and not all nations recognized them as capable individuals.

Hana remembered, vaguely, the day that hybrid rights had passed in Korea. Her parents had always been supporters of Hybrids, both having lived with Hybrids growing up. They had been their caretakers and friends, but they had never understood the difference. She had even heard whispers of her mom falling in love with a Hybrid once, but her mom had laughed away the story before she shared any details.

So now, by the time Hana was in her twenties and living on her own, she didn't think twice about the flier looking for a roommate and estate caretaker. The flier called for someone who could assist in maintaining a property outside of town, pretty big by the sound of it. She was in-between jobs at the moment, and the position promised free food and board for the applicant, which sounded nice compared to the outrageous rent cost of the apartment in the city she was struggling to maintain.

It had been up for a while, but graffitied over with some nasty words. It was probably due to one important clause in the job posting: Must Be Hybrid Friendly.

Hana sighed. She guessed for a lot of people, opinions weren't changed overnight.

It was that way throughout the nation. While most people seemed content to let the Hybrids live their own lives, they didn't want to live alongside them. Communities of Hybrids had popped up in the past few years and most humans seemed content to allow them to live "over there" with a little interaction in public spaces. Very few seemed excited at the prospects of working alongside them, so many Hybrids had taken on the less-desirable jobs in society.

It was actually part of the reason Hana was out of a job. She'd been working as a receptionist at a hotel in the city, but had been let go in favor of a Hybrid who was willing to work for less pay. It wasn't the hybrid's fault, Hana knew that. Hybrids were desperate to get positions in the job force now, especially as they moved into the city, and would work for much less in terms of their wages. It seemed a bit poetic when she thought about it, that she might soon be living alongside a Hybrid or two of her own if she got the job.

She had planned for her first interview that day, dressed in her favorite blouse and shoes to give her confidence. She was supposed to be meeting one of the homeowners at a local cafe, one that he had suggested to her in a town just on the edge of the city. It was quaint, less busy than the coffee shops she frequented in the city. As the door opened she scanned for the red beanie and teal shirt that her contact said he would be wearing. He hadn't arrived yet, but each time someone entered the shop, the fox hybrid who worked the counter seemed to know exactly who they were. It explained why she had given Hana such a confused and curious look when she had approached to order.

Finally, the small bell on the door rang and Hana looked up to see the man she assumed she was meeting enter the establishment. He was wearing the beanie and shirt as described, his golden-blonde hair peeking out from underneath the beanie. Even from here, she could see a soft smattering of freckles along the bridge of his nose and cheeks. She straightened up in her seat and waved at him, and he acknowledged her with a bright smile.