The bustling living room of the Enhypen house was full of chaos, as usual. The members were sprawled across the couch, arguing over who would do the dishes. Sunoo sat in the corner, scrolling through his phone, when a faint meow from outside caught his attention.
“Did you guys hear that?” Sunoo asked, tilting his head towards the window.
“Hear what?” Heeseung asked, looking up from his video game.
“Nothing,” Sunoo said with a smile, standing up and slipping outside.
Sunoo stepped into the backyard, where a stray tabby cat sat, pawing at the ground. Kneeling down, Sunoo placed his hand on the soft grass.
“Hello there, little one,” Sunoo whispered. “What’s wrong?”
The cat looked up at him, its green eyes shimmering under the moonlight. “There’s a bird trapped in the fence near the bushes,” it said, its meow soft and urgent.
Sunoo’s eyes widened. “Stay here. I’ll check.”
Moving towards the bushes, he found a small sparrow tangled in the mesh. It chirped frantically as Sunoo carefully untangled its wings.
“Thank you,” the sparrow chirped. “I thought I wouldn’t make it.”
“You’re safe now,” Sunoo replied softly, releasing the bird into the air. The tabby purred, rubbing against Sunoo’s leg.
Unknown to him, Niki had followed him outside, curious about what Sunoo was up to. The youngest member squinted through the dark, spotting Sunoo crouching near the bushes, seemingly talking to thin air.
“What are you doing?” Niki’s voice startled Sunoo, who turned around abruptly.
“Oh! Niki! I was just…” Sunoo trailed off, scrambling for an excuse.
“You were talking to a cat,” Niki said, narrowing his eyes.
“Fine,” Sunoo admitted with a sigh. “I can talk to animals. But you cannot tell the others!”
“Wait, what?” Niki’s jaw dropped. “This is so cool! Why are you hiding it?”
“Because they’ll make a big deal out of it!” Sunoo protested.
But it was too late. Niki had already sprinted inside, yelling, “GUYS! SUNOO CAN TALK TO ANIMALS!”
Within seconds, the rest of the members were outside, bombarding Sunoo with questions.
“Seriously?” Jay asked, crossing his arms. “Prove it.”
Sunoo sighed, but the cat at his feet rubbed against his ankle. “He says your fashion sense is ‘meh’ today,” Sunoo said, pointing to Jay’s mismatched socks.
The members erupted in laughter, and Jay glanced down in embarrassment.
Over the next hour, Sunoo revealed his unique ability, introducing the members to a raccoon that frequently visited the trash bins, a pair of fish from the nearby pond, and even a squirrel that loved Jungwon’s energy drinks.
“Sunoo, you’re like a Disney princess,” Jake teased, ruffling his hair.
“More like an animal whisperer,” Sunghoon added, grinning.
“I guess I can’t hide it anymore,” Sunoo said, laughing along. “But no exploiting my skills to win games or anything, okay?”
“Deal,” they chorused, though their mischievous smiles said otherwise.
The night had barely settled down when Heeseung, still trying to wrap his head around Sunoo's animal-communicating ability, leaned against the doorway of Sunoo's room. The others had scattered after asking a million questions, but Heeseung wasn’t done.
