Jungkook's POV

"They've been at it all day with the renovations. It seems like they're redoing everything once more. Who do you think will move in this time?".

I shrug at Taehyung's question, eyes glued to the window from where we can see Y/N's childhood house being worked on by construction workers. They're emptying the whole building and even changed the old windows and door despite the fact that they were already new.

"I don't know, hyung" I let out before bringing my eyes back to the movie currently playing on the tv, though my mind can barely focus on what's happening when my heart tries to give me a hope that feels ridiculous to have.

She wouldn't move back into the same house that saw her grow up, would she? Not with all the atrocities that happened in there. I read her diary too many times to count, and I learned enough to know that I wouldn't be able to come back here were I in her shoes.

But what if it's really her this time?

Ever since we left the mansion with her belongings in one single bag, I've kept everything with me preciously. I'd think that I'd have enough of reading her diary after all those years, but even to this day, I'll sit on my bed and skim through the old pages whenever I miss her too much.

There are some passages that still make me cry because of the obvious pain she was in while writing them, but there are also those that make me feel warm, passages that talk about me, about us. Dates that she enjoyed, details about her soulmates that she found cute and adorable.

It's obvious that she loved us a lot from all the things she wrote down in the book, but it's also obvious that she suffered a lot because of us as well. Because she had to end up with hybrid mates instead of only humans.

That explained so many things.

The why I couldn't come to her house, why she never tried to make me meet her parents. Her avoidance of any subjects concerning her family, or the way she would look whenever I'd notice her more tired than usual.

She really tried to hide everything from me, as if I wasn't strong enough to protect her.

Had she told me sooner, I would've done everything in my power to help her. I'm sure my parents would've agreed if I'd asked them to let her move in with us until we would find a place of our own, or one of the others could've housed her until we'd be reunited.

There were so many possibilities to help her, but she never opened a single door to let us take care of her.

I've realized that being taken care of is a luxury that one takes for granted far too easily. Reality is not luxurious. Reality is being forced to see that your parents weren't kind enough to accept the truth and that you now need to do the parent job for them. Reality is seeing that no one can help you but yourself, even when you don't know how to help yourself. All I can do is smile at him, but my cheeks are beginning to hurt.

That's a passage that made me feel angry at everything. At her for keeping quiet and pretending that she was happy, at her parents for forcing her into a role that wasn't hers to do, but also at myself for not noticing sooner.

The weight that she kept onto her thin shoulders must have been absolutely terrible to bear alone, but I was too lost in the future and the dreams that hid there to see that she needed me right now.

And because of that, we lost her. It's been years since then. Twelve long years of living and waiting, of losing hope and crying. We work, we come back home, and we think about her until we go to sleep feeling empty. Every night.

I hate that. It doesn't help that we never managed to meet our three other soulmates either. There are so many missing souls in our bond and it's becoming hard to ignore the older we get. We're in our thirties, how does it make sense that we're still not complete?

A warmth on my arm and I force myself out of my head to see Taehyung staring at me with concern on his face, hands on my skin and rubbing soothingly. His stripped ears are tilted with worry and I realize that I've let my scent betray me because of my thoughts.

"You're still thinking about her?" he asks softly, already knowing the answer.

"When are we not thinking about her?" I ask him back with a harsher voice than I intended, though it's nothing against him, which he knows.

Taehyung purses his lips as he stares out of the window again. It was our day off today so we've been home all day, watching our neighbour's renovation was the most entertaining thing we've seen all week, and yet it also brings its share of anxiety.

"Do you think it could be her?".

I close my eyes, hearing the same words I've been thinking about all day being spoken by him like a blade to my heart. Do I think so? Yes. Do I want that to be true? Also yes. But is it realistic? No, no it's not.

"Very unlikely, hyung. I don't know why she'd move in there after all these years, after all that she's gone through because of her parents" I murmur with disappointment, to which he frowns, unconvinced as his tail sways behind us.

Those bastards came back only once after her disappearance, but they never tried to look for her, never asked anyone anything. The mansion was eventually sold by a rich bank, and a new rich family moved in. Then another. And another again.

"We bought the house next door because we believed it was our best bet to find her. If this isn't the best opportunity to find out if it's her or not, then we bought this house for nothing, Jungkook. I'm going to hope until the very last second, it's all I can do anyway".

I let out a deep sigh before leaning against him to melt within his warmth, and he wraps both of his arms around me with a sad frown on his face, his lips pressed onto the crown of my head for a comfort that we both desperately need.

"I know you're right... it's just... hard. I miss her so much, hyung. It hurts so much, and I don't know how to make the pain go away. I just want her back with us, I want her back" I whimper softly, tears stubbornly kept in as I clench my fists around his shirt.

Taehyung hugs me tighter, his own heart squeezing at my admission. We had a special bond, her and I, and he knows how much it broke me apart to have her taken from me so suddenly. Jungkook cannot live without Y/N, and yet I had to try anyway.

"Don't give up hope, Jungkook. We've gotten too far to give up now. I'm sure we'll find her again someday, sooner than we think. We'll get her back".

Your POV

"We're here... the mansion".

San's voice forces my gaze to the outside where we can both see the white building approaching, and when he stops the vehicle in front of the healthy lawn, fences and gate long gone as I assume the previous owners didn't like them, I don't make a single move as I stare at it with a weird feeling in my chest.

It's... oddly clean, now.

When I was very young... the walls were all coated in that pearly white that made the building shine under the sun, but as I grew older, as my parents grew duller, so did the paint flake and fall to leave the building looking like a haunted house.

It's nowhere like that anymore now, and it almost feels like a stranger to me as the image that I currently see clashes with the one of the past.

"They seem to be working hard, it feels weird to see the old kitchen counters outside like this" I comment as I observe the way the workers move everything around with more energy than I can gather at the moment.

"I guess there's not much inside the mansion anymore. Do you want to have a look inside? I could tell them to stop what they're doing while you have a look around" the rottweiler offers, but I shake my head, glove readjusted over my right hand when I remember the way mother and father would look at my soulmark back then.

"No, that won't be necessary. I'll come back when they're done with the renovations, or when they're back home at the end of the day. There's no point staying around for now, I'll only get in their way" I let him know as I keep my gaze glued on the building that housed so much abuse.

How will it feel like to live there again?

Will I get more nightmares of things that I had to go through too many times? Or will they finally disappear? The latter sounds unlikely, but I'm willing to entertain the possibility either way. I would love to have less nightmares for once.

After having seen enough, I let San know to bring us back home, and he obeys without a word.

The drive to the penthouse happens in silence, as always, and once parked in the private parking lot, we both exit the car before getting inside the elevator, again. It used to bother me so much at first, but I've gotten used to having to take it so often, both at home and at work.

It feels like a moment of peace now.

"Tomorrow morning, I want to sleep in so don't wake me up until ten. I'm exhausted and I doubt I can do any more work until I've slept at least twelve hours tonight. Coffees don't work on me anymore and that's going to be a problem if I don't recover my energy".

San nods his head, note typed into his phone before he opens the calendar to see what I might have scheduled during what's left of this week, though they must all be small matters.

"The new recruits will be waiting for you in two days, have you prepared your speech to welcome them? They'll expect something grand since you're the CEO of BeyondGold. It's not everyday that they get to meet someone of your stature".

"Someone of my stature..." I repeat softly, only to follow it with a huff. I'm neither amused or insulted, it just feels... silly. What kind of stature is it? How easily can it fall from my grasp? I don't like focusing on such useless things as titles.

They aren't worth much to me.

"I haven't prepared anything yet, but I'm confident that I'll be able to offer them a warm welcome, as I have every other times. There will be a mix of humans and hybrids, right? I'll make sure they all feel welcome, then we'll proceed with the tests to see which departments they are best suited for".

The dog doesn't reply, though I know from the way his tail sways calmly behind him that he trusts me enough to not retort about my lack of preparation.

He always has, I realize.

"If you're confident, then I have nothing to worry about. What would you like me to prepare for dinner tonight? Is there anything in particular you'd like to eat?" he asks next as we exit the fancy cabin to walk down the small corridor to reach our door out of the three available ones.

I shrug as I enter the code and open the door so he can enter inside first, after which I follow behind with the door closed and locked for safety. He starts heading towards the open kitchen to see what's in the fridge, and I answer him as I swap my shoes for the comfiest slippers.

"Anything that's easy to prepare, San, I don't feel like having anything fancy. A cup of noodles would honestly be perfect for tonight, I'm not that hungry".

"You know I can't allow that. You work too much to eat something as simple as ramyeon. I'll see to it that you get something healthy, but still simple. You can take a bath in the meantime, I'll let you know when it's ready".

I stare at his back with a surrendering sigh. "You're no fun, San. I love ramyeon. I'll run away from you for long enough to eat one at a convenience store if you keep denying me that much, you won't be laughing then".

He snorts a small laugh, my threat amusing him greatly. It's the only thing that ever gets him laughing and it's really insulting, to be honest. Why does no one ever take me seriously?

"You'd have to run away from me first for that to happen, and we both know that it's not happening".

I tsk my tongue before turning left so I can reach the bathroom instead of continuing a fight that I apparently can never win. Damn this dog.

"I'll find a way, one of these days, trust me. I'll get my cup of noodles and you will be powerless as I eat all of it behind your back".

"Hmhm. What a grand goal it is to have".

I mimic his words with a grimace until I close the door behind me, bathtub rinsed quickly before I begin to fill it with the hot water that I always crave at the end of the day. It never fails to drain the stress from my body after a long day of work.

And San never fails to distract me when I need it the most, it seems, for my mood doesn't feel so heavy anymore.

Yoongi's POV

"Hey, dog. Take this to the kitchen and sweep the floor of the entire place. The new flooring's supposed to come in soon so make sure the rooms are ready first".

"Yes, sir" I answer quickly before grabbing the bag of heavy tools he's already lifting off the ground to give to me with a grunt, and I make my way inside the huge building to reach the kitchen at the end of the large hallway with a feeling of annoyance fluttering inside of me at the way they talk to me.

A dog. I hate the way they say that word as if it's gross, and I especially dislike it considering that it's not even what I am. Not exactly anyway.

How would they react were I to tell them that I am, in fact, a wolf? My large white ears and tail feel like they differentiate me pretty well from your usual dog hybrids, but since my kind is rarely found around here, they take for granted that it's impossible for me to be anything else but a helpless pup.

They'd probably freak out and kick me out if they knew, as if I'd suddenly threaten to bite their heads off if they so much as annoyed me then.

No, they'd be long dead already if I was that petty.

I settle the bag down on the floor before looking around me in search of the broom and dustpan so that I can get started with my new task. It's always the same so I'm used to it, but I wish they'd let me take care of more than just clean behind them.

I'm good with my hands and I know what I'm doing. I didn't take that job to be a broom man, but I'm not exactly in a position to ask for more either, which sucks. I'm barely given a salary suited for the work that I should do, and to top it off, I'm treated like shit.

Meanwhile, I'm sure that they're keeping most of the money given to us by the woman who hired this group.

I pinch my lips into a thin line when I finally find the broom, but not the dustpan.

Where'd they put the damn thing? I'm always searching for the items that they lose and I'm getting really tired of that. Especially since they always blame me when they end up confirmed as lost, as if that's my fault.

"Hey, dog! Come back here and move those boxes inside!".

I sigh with my head thrown back momentarily.

Fucking hell. If I go help them, that means I won't sweep the floor, and if the floors aren't clean when the flooring's here, that means I'll be punished again. And for what? Because they think it's easier to make me do the dirty job instead of doing their share of it.

"I'm already busy!" I shout back before looking around the rooms to find the damn dustpan, fully aware that my coworkers won't take it well that I refused them. As if I'm their personal dog slave, god damn it.

"I don't give a fuck what you're doing, boy! Just come here and move the damned boxes, for fuck's sake. Don't make us regret hiring you for this job, you're lucky enough that we contacted you at all, let alone pay you. Stupid hybrids are never grateful for what they're given, huh".

My hold tightens on the broom's stick as my anger threatens to burst for the tenth time today alone, and the crack that reaches my ears next makes me look down to find that I snapped the thing in half, how annoying.

Well, so much for that.

Now I can't do my fucking task and I'll be scolded by humans. All of that for the sole reason that I'm less expensive, a hybrid to be used at their convenience. At first, I truly thought my working here was the work of luck, a good opportunity to show what I'm made of, but I'm rethinking that now.

I drop the two pieces of the broom on the floor with an angry huff before trudging back outside to where the team is moving boxes out of a truck and onto the lawn. They seem to be the kitchen's cabinetry that will be installed at the latest tomorrow, though we do need the new flooring first, which hasn't arrived yet.

One of the men sees me and motions me over with an expression on his face that has never helped to make me feel welcome.

"There you are, mutt. Bring these to the sunroom by the kitchen, you're a strong one so you can handle these on your own, right? We've got to head out for a bit to get a few more missing things from the shop, they called to let us know that they just received the tiles for the bathroom and they can't ship it before they close, so we need to go ourselves".

And of course, they need everyone on the job to go pick those boxes up.

I nod in silence before grabbing the first box nearby, and the weight makes me grunt low in my throat before I finally shift the weight in my arms and legs, breath pushed out slowly as I take in the amount of similar boxes awaiting me.

"Do the job right, and you might just get hired again for our next contract. Sounds good, doesn't it?" one of the men says with a snicker as he smirks at my struggling form, and the few others chuckle along while walking away to leave me alone at the mansion that I will need to supervise on my own.

Aren't they aware that there's a fortune outside right now?

If anything gets stolen from the lawn, every fingers will be pointed at me and I can't afford that. They must think it's funny to make my life miserable, those assholes.

Slowly and carefully, I begin to walk back inside the mansion and through the living room to reach the sunroom, and I huff and puff softly until I set the box down by the windows facing the kitchen. How many were there? Twenty?

My back will be broken by the end of the day, but at least, I'll be able to put food on the table. With a shake of the head, I walk back outside to keep doing the demanding task on my own.

If only I could get a better job somewhere else than this hellhole...

I'd be one happy wolf, that's for sure.