IT IS HERE, THE FIRST CHAPTER, AYYYYY

I close the door behind me after bringing in the last box and sigh as I take a look at all there is to do now.

I just moved into this new apartment after my last one became too problematic for me and when meeting the landlord, a nice man named Namjoon, I had a good feeling right away, as did he. I signed the papers and we both ended the meeting pretty satisfied with how things went.

I believe that this place will be great for me. Its size is perfect for one person, it's bright, clean, well maintained, also something about the neighbors not being too problematic which is exactly what I need.

Both are apparently hybrids, one being an Australian shepherd while the other is a fox, and they both don't do too well with being sociable. Namjoon told me to not expect much from them, but that they're nice people nonetheless, quiet for the most part, they don't interact with others unless necessary.

I look around me, wondering just what I should start with, the unpacking one that screams misery, but after thinking with my stomach, I determine that if I want to eat dinner soon, maybe order something because I'm too tired to be cooking, then I should start with the kitchen, get the dishes clean and neatly organized on the shelves, something that will take time.

I grab my Bluetooth radio and link it to my phone before choosing an upbeat playlist, then huff to myself to give myself some motivation, goodness knows I'll need it before starting to pull the labeled boxes to the open area that will welcome my future hours of feeding myself.

Some are incredibly heavy and I can only scold myself for owning so much cooking equipment. It's not like I use all of them regularly, but the idea of parting from them only to end up needing them for specific recipes kept me from lowering my burden. Damn it!

Once all of them in the kitchen, I start unloading the boxes, everything settled over the counters and it's only when I see everything spread over the few surfaces do I regret it bitterly, the sight that offers itself to me one of pure nightmare.

Why do I own so much?!

I step back, the mess in front of me already draining away the little motivation I had. This isn't working for me. I haven't moved places in a long time, I forgot how terrible it actually is.

You know what, maybe I should give up already. I'll put everything back in the boxes and... one day, everything will magically be fixed.

Or I could ask a moving company to come and help me, I don't care if I have to pay a few hundreds, as long as it's clean.

I shake my head and fold my sleeves up my elbows, the heat from walking around so much starting to make me feel hot and uncomfortable. You got this, Y/N, you can do it. Just open a window, and start. Once you get into it, the pace will flow easily.

I nod to myself and walk to the living room, feet bumping onto a few boxes on the way until I make it to the large window, a smile on my face when the sight of a green park greets my eyes.

This, this is a hundred times better than the brick wall I used to see. I hum to myself, knowing that it's going to be worth it in the long run and then walk back to the kitchen where hell awaits me.

I can do this!

???'s POV

I sniff the air, something new making it to my nose, the bass of overly happy music making my walls shake a little, a mix of curiosity and of annoyance making me sigh.

Do we already have a new resident? Namjoon sure doesn't waste his time. Oh well, the place is a nice one, it makes sense that it wouldn't take too long, I just hope that this person won't be too bad.

The last one was a man who would party way too often and the dog living underneath the apartment would have a hard time sleeping, as would I, my apartment's door facing the other one allowing for sounds and voices to reach over pretty easily.

The smell is sweet, sweet like candy, and although I usually hate candies, just the smell makes me feel sick, this one is... different.

I stand up from the couch and make my way to the door, ears twitching when I hear a singing voice over the music. So she's a woman. Her voice sounds good. Rich, deeper than what I'm used to hearing, it sounds soothing, a chocolate velvet.

And this smell... Gosh I can't ignore it, I can almost taste it and it makes my tongue melt, saliva overflowing in my mouth.

I open my door, hear the music even louder, her singing clearer, she must be unpacking... is that dishes I hear?

Pulled closer towards her door by the tip of my tongue, my nostrils flaring the more I breathe in her scent, it's unconscious when I knock on the door, but when it registers in my mind what I've done, it's too late I realize when the music's volume gets lowered, dishes settled down before feet reach the other side of the door.

I don't know what I expect to see, but when it opens, when my eyes fall on a confident looking woman, her curious eyes falling on me and wondering what I could possibly need, I need to swallow my saliva when I get hit full wave with her natural scent, a bag of candy, maybe caramels? Some tone of chocolate, she smells so fucking good even though that's a scent I've never enjoyed before.

Her eyes widen as she comes to a realization, guilt flooding her gaze, a sight that has me frowning, what's wrong? I didn't even open my mouth yet. Did I look mad? I don't smile often, heck, I don't even remember the last time it happened, she must think I'm angry at her or something.

"I'm sorry, was my music too loud? I just moved in so I'm not sure just yet just how soundproof the walls are, I can keep it down" she asks before looking behind her to where a black and simple looking radio is sitting on the kitchen counter.

My eyes catch sight of the amount of stupid things she has there - do people really use that much when cooking? - and when I turn back to her, it's just in time to see her exhaustion, lack of motivation to get through this.

Yeah, I would be crying too. Happy music won't get rid of your problems, honestly, it would only serve to make me mad. Can't have a song tell me to smile when I have to clean the fucking place, it just makes me want to go outside instead.

"Do you need help?".

Fucking shit, you can't be serious. First thing I tell her and it has to be some stupid offer to help? No - hello - , or - you're fine, your music doesn't bother me - which would be a complete lie because I can tell that her music isn't helping her in the slightest to get over this monstrosity that unpacking can be.

Now she'll think I came here to be helpful, which isn't the case. Her scent pulled me in, and now here I am, watching as she nods her head sheepishly with a sigh.

"Honestly? Yes, I'm not made for this. I almost want to call in some of my employees and ask them to do this for me" she lets out with a snicker before shaking her head. "But I won't, that's not their job. This is my new home, I'm just going to have to... suck it up and get through with it".

I hum, tail swaying in interest behind me at her words. Her employees? Does she own a company or something?

When her eyes light up, she turns to me and offers me a handshake, a smile pulling at her lips. "I should introduce myself, right? Min Y/N, new resident here, I'm the owner of a cosmetic shop, Myth Perfect, you might have heard of it?".

The way she tilts her head as she asks the question has my heart fluttering a little and I clear my throat, tail waving a bit faster behind me, my worst enemy, but she pays it no mind, or she's simply not aware of it, the way she has to look up at me probably making it so my tail isn't even part of what she can see right now.

I have to swallow a grin a that, the way it makes my soul bloom with satisfaction, a feeling so unknown to me, yet I'm not stupid enough to not know why she's making me into a mess right now.

Seeing her questioning eyes, I pull myself out of my thoughts and nod my head. "I have heard of it, yes. It's been open for four years now and it's really popular. There's only one shop so far and there's always a line for it" I answer, take in the way she beams proudly, but she tries to push it down a little by coughing into her elbow, cheeks a light pink.

"That... that is indeed my shop, I wasn't expecting you to know so much" she admits and I shrug a little. "I work above it, the dental clinic" I tell her, to which her eyes widen in surprise.

"Seriously? Wow, what were the odds? So you work on the second floor" she muses, a smile on her lips. "Third floor" I correct her, but she waves a dismissive hand before turning her gaze back to the messy inside of her new home.

"Yeah, anyway, I wouldn't want to bother you any longer, I'll be sure to keep the music down, I really need to get back to this now if I want to get the kitchen done before the end of the day, it's already late enough as it is" she says, but her tone lets me know she's not thrilled about it.

I inhale deeply, her scent playing with my mind and heart, it makes me want to do things that I despise but... I don't want to be apart just yet.

"My offer still holds. I can help you".

She meets my gaze, unsure, but when I remain still, silently waiting for her answer, she eventually nods and steps aside to let me in with a relieved sigh.

"Please, that would be very sweet of you".

I inwardly smile. Not as sweet as you.

But that I won't say.

Your POV

I watch as the fox hybrid helps by putting the dishes I'm less likely to use on the upper shelves, something I appreciate because it keeps me from having to climb a chair when my legs can barely hold my weight right now.

Because of Namjoon's warning, I wasn't expecting one of the two hybrids living here to come knock on my door, less so to offer to help me with unpacking, but it simply serves to show me that making ideas of someone without knowing them doesn't serve anyone.

He might not smile, he looks cold, unhappy, but the way his tail sways to the rhythm of the music, his ears high on top of his head, a little twitch here and there when I hum along, it makes me grin, heart content to have a contact with someone so soon.

Maybe him and I could become friends? I would love to be in good terms with my two neighbors, that's something that was missing in my old place.

"Say, I didn't quite catch your name, I don't think you told me" I ask him after a while as I dry the last of the dishes, a burden lifted because the counter already looks much better now, barely anything left on top of the counters.

The man hums without turning as he keeps organizing everything neatly.

"Name's Hoseok" he answers simply, but it answers my question and... yeah, it answers my question.

"So you're a dentist?" I continue asking, curious about him, the information he gave earlier leading me to believe that, but when he shakes his head, I wait for him to explain.

"Dental assistant. The dentist I work for is younger than me" he says with a huff, almost angry sounding, but the way his hybrid attributes keep swaying in contentment, it leads me to believe that he quite likes the young dentist.

"Have you been one for a long time?" I continue asking him, to which he pauses before shrugging a little, head turning to me when he's done with putting everything away. "Probably about nine years now? I've always been there, it's a good job".

I nod, impressed. He looks young, but I guess he's been working for a long time already. He must like stability considering he hasn't searched to work somewhere else since then.

"I guess I'll go to you then when I need a check-up for my teeth" I chuckle, his gaze hovering over me a moment before he's looking at the counter.

"Where do you want these?" he avoids my comment as he walks closer to grab the rice cooker, his heat seeping right into my skin and making me oddly over-conscious of his closeness, but not uncomfortably so.

I smile and take it from him. "This one stays right here, I'm a rice fanatic, I need it for every meals" I tell him and for the first time since I've seen him, he huffs a small laugh, lips quirking up just as quickly as it goes away.

"Rice is good, it goes with almost everything" he muses, and to that, he's gaining a point with me because heck yes, rice goes well with EVERYTHING. I don't care what people think, I need my rice.

With that out of the way, Hoseok grabs the now empty boxes and brings them by the door before looking at my living room, one that has been attacked by an army of stocked belongings waiting to be freed.

I can see the distaste on his face, his shoulders dropping slightly before he's sighing slowly and nodding to himself.

"Alright, let's do this".

---

Dead.

I am dead.

"Are you going to stay there until I've taken care of everything?" Hoseok asks and I open my eyes to see him standing over me, eyes staring at me with a quirked eyebrow.

I grin and close my eyes again. "If that's what you want" I chirp, hear his scoff before he's grabbing another box to search the content.

The man's surprisingly well organized, more than I could ever be. Every books I own have been neatly settled on my bookshelves, my picture frames perfectly placed over the walls and aesthetically pleasing to the eyes, my little decorations all put in an advantageous place that catches the eye without overwhelming.

He's a pro at this, no doubt.

And then there's me, messy, a mess with shitty skills for designing a decor. That's my brother's strong point, hence why he was the one designing my shop. I'm thankful for him being my head manager, because without him? My shop would crumble.

The only thing I'm good at is makeup, and handling most parts of owning a cosmetic business. I can promote, I can meet people, I can create new products, but don't ask me where that vase of flower goes because I'll point at the window where it will burn and wilt.

I'm just not good at this.

"Are you going to pay me then? Because I'm sweating and I don't sweat often" he asks as he continues taking care of unpacking my things, something I should probably feel bad about, but I just don't have the energy for it right now.

"I can pay for dinner? Anything you want" I try, and when he hums, I open one eye to see him thinking as he throws my wool blanket over the couch in a way that makes the piece of furniture fancy and expensive even though I got it on sale a few years ago.

"Anything I want? So if it's expensive, you'll get it?" he asks and I nod easily. With all the help he's given me, it's assured that I wouldn't get him something simple and boring. I'll give him a feast.

"Then... How about we go and eat at the restaurant nearby? It's quite luxurious, but the food is really good, I like going once in a while".

My eyes snap open. What?

"Good sir, Hoseok, are you asking me out on a date? Is that what you want after helping me unpack?" I ask, his back the only thing of him I can see but when he chuckles, it sounds warm and my insides melt, just a little.

"If that's what you want" he echoes my words from earlier and I let out an amused laugh before humming as I rest my eyes again from my spot on the rug.

Hoseok is an interesting man, that's for sure.

"Alright, I'm going to trust your taste then, let's finish this and then we can go" I let out and he stays silent at that, but I can feel the burn of his gaze on me as he processes that I'm still not moving.

He sighs and I grin. Sorry, Hoseok, I'm just too comfortable here.

"Had I known that I would be taken advantage of by coming here, I would have remained sitting on the couch" he complains, tone without malice and I shrug.

"You offered, I never asked you. And if you had skipped on coming here, you wouldn't have had the chance to get to know amazing me, and that, little fox, would be your loss" I retort, hear his light huff before he's throwing a pillow at me, one my hands grab quickly after it bounces on my face.

"My loss, or yours" he counters, and when I open my eyes to glance at him, it's to see his tail wagging quickly behind him as he folds my other blankets to set on the shelves near my couch.

He's so adorable, he makes me want to squish his cheeks, his fluffy red tail begging me to run my fingers through it, but I know better than to do that, especially since we just met.

Hybrids have enough of strangers touching them too much, be it ears or tails, the respect is lacking in a lot of people, I would never want to add to it.

"Lucky for us, there's no loss happening right now" I tell him as I sit up, eyes taking in the living room that now looks like a beautiful relaxing space, probably the prettiest arrangement of decor I've ever had.

"Hoseok, this looks amazing, you made my home look like a four star hotel" I praise him, notice the frown on his face at my words.

"Just four stars?" he says, indignation in his voice and I grin at that, head tilting to the side as I eye him.

"I worked so hard, and you say four stars? This looks better than five stars! I just made a six stars, for free!" he continues, much to my amusement, and when he turns to face me with his hands on his hips, I resist a laugh.

"It's not for free, Hoseok, you're costing me an expensive restaurant date. Also, six stars aren't possible, you're destroying the rating balance. I say four because it's still possible to get something warm, I find five stars ranking to be too cold and impersonal, it was a compliment".

He stills, lips disappearing as he presses them into a thin line, ears twitching on top of his head and when a light pink starts coating his cheeks, my heart swoons instantly.

Adorable, it shouldn't be possible for him to be that cute, yet he is.

"So, how about we go on that date?" I ask as I stand up, a quick look at his face telling me that he didn't expect me to stick with that one.

"Y-you really want this to be a date?" he asks, confused and I nod easily. "Why shouldn't I?".

He sputters out a bit before pointing at himself. "I'm a hybrid" he lets out and I raise an eyebrow at that. "Yeah, and? You have a beating heart, that's all that matters. Now, are you hungry, or not? Because I'm starving, so if you're not coming, I'll go by myself".

"Don't even think about it, I worked hard all by myself, I'm not skipping on this" he mumbles before following behind me and I smile stupidly as I head to wear my shoes, bag hanging off one of the hooks by the door.

Hoseok is going to be a fun neighbor to get to learn, I have no doubt about that.

"Good, I wasn't planning on having it any other way" I muse before opening the door for him. "After you, foxy".

So what do you guys think so far?