A Tiger's Love

Chapter 2

Okay, technically it was a tiger cub. But your five-year-old self didn't really register that.

Unfortunately, it also didn't register that the thing in front of you was actually a dangerous predator. A wild animal.

"Kitty!" You yelled, giggling as you went towards it, arms wide open.

The tiger was dumbfounded. This hairless thing was in its territory, coming towards it without a care in the world.

It stayed stock still as you wrapped your arms around it, before sniffing carefully at apparently the only surface of you that actually had hair. The smell was nice, and so the he decided to accept you.

He turned his face, nudging softly at your head, before experimentally sticking his tongue out to lick your cheek.

You giggled, and he paused. That sound was nice too.

And so he did it again.

Soon he had you pinned to the ground, laughing, while he licked all along your face.

"Wait, wait, Kitty, stop." You gasped, pushing his furry face away for a bit.

He seemed to understand, stopping and looking at you curiously.

"I wanna name you." You stated.

The tiger kept staring at you.

"What about..." you tapped your chin.

"Yoongi?" You questioned, and the tiger seemed to wrinkle his nose.

You nodded your head. "You're right, I think that's more of a grumpy cat's name."

You thought a little longer, before gasping in delight. "What about Taehyung?! It fits you perfectly!"

The tiger tilted his head again, before leaning down to lick you once more.

You grinned wide, stroking his fur softly.

"I'll take that as a yes."

———————

When your mother found you that day, let's say a little havoc was involved.

You heard her panicked footsteps echoing down the halls, along with her panicked voice. Something that was all to familiar to you. However, there was another voice as well, also familiar to you, though not as much. "Are you trying to tell me my daughter is in the cell of a wild animal?!"

"How was I supposed to know!" Your mother protested.

"Eunhee! You can't just insist on taking our daughter to work everyday and then not watch her! She could be seriously injured! I told you we can hire a nanny!"

"But what if the nanny is mean to her!"

"There are ways to prevent that! And even then, it's better than her losing her life! Face it Eunhee, this is too dangerous for her."

The voices came to a halt as the heavy door to the room swung open, and you looked up from where you and Taehyung had been sitting, him lying in your lap as you stroked his head.

Your father's jaw dropped.

"What the f-"

"Language, Jungkookie," your mother sang.

—————————

That day changed a few things in your life.

First, you got to spend every day at the zoo, plus a nanny, who was actually a retired veterinarian of the zoo herself.

Second, instead of aimlessly wandering around, you got to spend your days with Taehyung. Everyone had named it an unlikely miracle. The bond the two of you shared was beyond anything they had seen before. A wild animal turned tame, not even for an experienced zookeeper, but a little girl.

Even as you went into school, all the time that could be spared afterwards was put into Taehyung, who sorely missed you for the 9 or so hours he no longer got with you.

But as you got older, you spent less and less time with him. Not because you didn't love him anymore, but homework and the weight of studying and looking for universities and extracurricular eventually caught up with you. To the point where you could only squeeze in one short visit a day, if any at all.

Which brought you to where you were now, senior year, and staring at an empty cage.

"What do you mean he's disappeared?!"