The Crow (Kim Taehyung Hybrid Au)

chapter 4

"Government Hybrids"

It's November, and Mirae has successfully endured a month in the clinic with Jin and Namjoon. Somehow she was receiving almost as much as the other nurses, when questioning Jin about it, he simply said it had something to do with their 'project'. As suspicious as it sounded, money is money.

However, she couldn't help but grow curious around everyone. She was the only employee who seemed to be interacting with the current residential hybrids at the clinic, at least that's what the elder hybrids had told her.

But the mystery that got to her the most was the yellow door, the crow to be precise. So many questions moved over her head like planes; he didn't eat with the other hybrids, he didn't talk to anyone, and he also never showed himself outside of the pitch black room.

"Afternoon Ms.Kang." Namjoon greeted her with his usual dimple smile, she simply smiled back at him.

"Good afternoon to you too, Mr.Kim." She winked, earning a little chuckle from the quiet lynx. He'd then roll his eyes at her and continued looking through some paperwork.

"Where's Jin?" She asked while putting on the clinic's apron over her hoodie and jeans.

"He went to a little school nearby to teach kids about Hybrids and stuff." Namjoon said, "You're going to be feeding less hybrids today." He added.

The dark pixie girl shook her head and made her way to the cafeteria, after a few fails, and grabbed onto the tray cart to start off the evening. She'd walk pass a few doors and noticed how empty and dull they looked without the hybrids, it looked almost abandoned.

The exotics didn't trust her yet, the only group of hybrids that trusted her were the Dogs and a few cats. Unfortunately they weren't there.

"Hyunjin?" She eventually called out when grabbing the last tray of the room. Soon enough a boy with purple hair came in, the few scales building up from under his shirt were now covering his entire neck.

"Thanks..." His yellowish eyes tried their best to avoid her dark brown ones. Mirae on the other hand, couldn't help but notice how beautiful he looked with the extra scales.

"How was your day so far?" She asked with a smile, the snake looked at her up and down before looking back at the other hybrids behind him in confusion.
"Is something wrong?" She frowned, his head shot back her way.

"N-No. It was... It was okay." He said before nervously hissing at her, his cute little snake fangs showing off along with his teeth. He'd then hurry away quietly with his tray.

She sighed and ran a hand through her black pixie cut while walking out of the area. She walked down the scary hallway and reached the bright yellow door, her heart beat slightly faster by the nerves.

"Hi Little Crow." She said while unlocking the door, her eyes soon enough met the faraway blinking red light in the deeper part of the room, the red light would eventually stand closer to her.

"I'm not little." Said the deep voice behind the light, the girl smiled and reached the tray further into the room, only to be picked up by the hybrid.

"I know, it's a nickname." She said, leaning against the doorframe with crossed arms.

"Nickname?" The brooding voice repeated blankly.

"A special name you call someone, nickname!" She explained, the hybrid couldn't help but notice a slight spark in her eyes when she explained it, a warm smile had spread itself over her lips.

"So Little Crow? Why?" He asked, his tone still blank and empty.

"I er.... I just like it." She mumbled shyly, the hybrid didn't say anything for a while before taking a deep breath.

"Call me Taehyung." He answered calmly.

"Sorry, Taehyung." She chuckled, "I'll keep that in mind." She said while raising her fist slightly, a sort of thing she did to show meaning behind her simple wording.

From what she had seen throughout the month she was working at the clinic, was that Taehyung was very direct with everything and every word he spoke out of his mouth; if he's hungry you'll know, if he's thirsty you'll know and if he hates something you'll definitely know.

After their small talk, she locked the door and walked over to Namjoon at the front desk. He was watching a silly little romcom on the clinic's computer.

"Namjoonie," She called, the lynx's attention was soon enough given to her in a flash. His ears twitching slightly when he clicked on pause to listen to her.

"Hm?"
"Why do you guys treat Taehyung so differently?" She asked, fidgeting her fingers together like a child.

"You mean the Crow?" He tilted his head, "What do you mean?" He then corrected his posture.

"He's always cast out from everyone, and nobody seems to visit him aside from me. What's wrong with him?" Somehow, her words began to hurt him. It was an awful question to be heard when it came towards his own people, but nonetheless, she had a point.

"We're scared." He simply answered.
"Of what exactly?"

"When he first came here, he snuck into that room and broke 5 ribs, 2 legs and an arm on our last employee. We paid his hospital bills and told him to not speak of the incident, and when I tried to take care of him he even managed to hurt me as well." Namjoon said, carefully grabbing one of his sleeves and rolling it up.

His arm was practically covered in long slit scars that reached all the way to his shoulder, there were so many precise cuts that it looked like he had been cut by knives.

"He...He did that?" Her eyes widened, the lynx nodded and rolled down his sleeve with a sigh.

"He was scared, it's fine." He shrugged, "And thanks to you he hasn't hurt anyone yet." He added, the girl scoffed.

"Right, as if I was some sort of hybrid whisperer. Maybe he's just getting accostumed." Mirae added, now leaning against the wall whilst the lynx stood in front of her, she couldn't but notice a clear smirk on the corner of his lips.

"You don't know much about Hybrids, huh?" He scoffed, the girl frowned.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Namjoon rolled his eyes and motioned her to stand by the desk's computer with him, opening google and typing 'Seoul's Hybrid Implementation.' He'd eventually find a group photo of blank faced hybrids and an old korean minister with the same expression.

"Government Hybrid's aren't like us." Namjoon said, pointing at the thick metal collars established against the neck of every hybrid in the said photo.
"They are made and born differently, the government likes to call them 'Artificial Hybrids'. All because they are made in korean laboratories all over the country." He said, skipping to another picture of a hybrid with the same blank expression and collar.

"Wait, so they're not real hybrids?" Mirae looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"That's what you humans call them." Namjoon shrugged, "But to us, they are just Government Hybrids, creatures that were born and raised to be exploited." He scoffed again.

"Exploited? How?"
"They work for the government without being paid or even treated correctly." Namjoon sighed, "Poor things."

"Wait, is that why people aren't able to work at local factories? Because Hybrids are doing all of the work already ?" Her eyes widened in shock, the lynx nodded.

"And it's been like this for 30 years now, the world hasn't changed." He said.

Mirae looked at the picture of the hybrid, her eyes darted from his face and immediately towards the metal collar around his neck.
"Why do they have to wear those specific collars?" She blinked.

Namjoon followed her gaze and saw the metal collar as well in the photo, he bit his lower lip and let out a quiet sigh.
"They're a type of numbing supplements, not for heats though, but for the hybrids themselves." He said.

"What do you mean?"

"Their emotions, self-expression, thoughts.... everything." He said, evident tears building up in his eyes the more he stared at the photo on the computer screen.

"I see..." That's all she managed to say.