You're jittery all morning, barely able to focus on work. The double shot of espresso you had that morning might be a factor, although you know that it's mostly because of your impending conversation with Hobi.

You've decided to give him a call during your lunch break. In your mind, you're already practicing what to tell him, over and over.

'Can't it just be 12:00 already? I just want this over with!'

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Lunch time finally rolls around and you head straight to the break room. Thankfully, your officemates like to eat out during lunch, and today is no exception. You have the room all to yourself.

Heart racing, you dial Hobi's number. He picks up on the first ring.

"Hey, what's up?" he greets, voice tinged with worry, "Is everything fine?" You realize that he probably thinks you're calling instead of texting because something happened.

"Yes, everything's fine," you quickly assure him, "I just wanted to talk to you about something."

"This is about V, isn't it?" Hobi replies quickly.

"H-how did you know?"

"Well, it was bound to come up sooner or later."

"I guess you're right," you agree, "So, the thing is---"

"Wait!" Hobi cries, cutting you off, "I think this is something we should discuss in person. Would you be able to drop by the orphanage after work?"

"S-sure..." you answer, thrown a bit off guard by Hobi's request.

"Great, I'll see you then," Hobi says, "Please take care."

You end the call and sigh.

'I guess I'm going to the orphanage today.' 

You pull up Taehyung's number on your phone and decide to shoot him a message letting him know that you'll be home late.

'I wonder why Hobi doesn't want to discuss over the phone... Maybe he also has something important to say?' You chew on your lower lip. 'I'm nervous, but I'm really curious too! What things... will be revealed today?'

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"Ah, right on time!"

Hobi's cheerful voice greets you as you enter the orphanage.

"I know Taehyung is waiting for you," he says, gesturing at you to follow him as he walks towards the hallway, "so let's make it as quick as possible. Let's go to one of the screening rooms so we can talk privately."

You're definitely still feeling nervous, but Hobi's calm, easygoing vibe puts you a little more at ease.

"Looks like everything's going well with you and Taehyung," he begins once you're both settled into your respective seats. "From what I saw during my visit, you've quickly established an easy rapport, and it all feels very natural. Taehyung seems to feel completely at home already."

"So your visit was..." you say with some suspicion, "actually for observation purposes?"

"Ah, no no!" Hobi quickly denies, eyes wide, "It really was a personal visit." Then, he smiles cheekily. "But it's nice to be able to kill two birds with one stone." The smile then turns into a grimace. "Ugh. I never liked that expression. Why would anyone want to kill birds?" He shakes his head. "Anyway! What were you going to tell me? About V?"

You huff.

"To be completely honest, there's not much that I can say. I've only... met him a few times. And the meetings were always really short. Especially since, for some reason, it's always around midnight."

Hobi scratches his chin, looking deep in thought.

"That's consistent with my experience as well," he says, "I've never seen V during the day. It might have to do with panthers being nocturnal creatures. Or maybe it's because Taehyung's psychic 'walls' are lower at night." He pauses to just look at you, as if he's trying to get a read of your expression, then asks, "What was V like?"

You pause to think about what to tell him.

'What was V like?'

You try your best to recall every detail of your encounters with V, and you remember how intense he was, how mysterious, but you also realize that he was... actually pretty flirty.

You feel your cheeks warm up.

"Uhm... I don't know. He was kind of... unexpectedly playful? Like, he enjoyed teasing me?"

"Interesting," Hobi hums, and you suspect that he's referring more to the shade of red your face has turned into rather than V's behavior, but thankfully he's too much of a gentleman to bring it up. "What kind of things did you talk about?"

"We've never had a long conversation but..." you scrunch up your face, trying to remember, "one time, he mentioned 'memories' of running through streets at night... but he said he's not sure if they're actual memories or just dreams."

Hobi looks extremely intrigued by this piece of information, but he remains quiet, waiting for you to continue, so you think of what else could be useful from the things V told you.

"He said he also doesn't know what he is, exactly, or why he exists... just that his main purpose is to protect Taehyung."

Hobi just nods, a thoughtful look on his face, so you continue.

"He also said something about Taehyung having... chosen me."

This finally elicits a response from Hobi. His eyes go wide, heart-shaped mouth falling open.

"Chosen you?" he asks, "For what?"

You shrug.

"My guess is as good as yours."

"I see," Hobi says, going back to scratching his chin and looking pensive.

"Well, that's pretty much it."

You and Hobi sit in silence for a while, with him looking like he's trying to put a puzzle together in his mind, and you wondering whether that's your cue to leave or if he still needs you there.

Then, after a while, Hobi finally speaks.

"Are you familiar with Sigmund Freud's Theory of Personality?"

You shake your head.

"Sorry, I've never taken an interest in psychology... or Freud, for that matter."

"Alright, I'll try to explain as simply as I can." Hobi leans forward, elbows on knees, and you know things are about to get serious. "Freud believes that the psyche structure has three parts. First, we have the 'id', which is the primitive and instinctive component. The id is fully conscious, and is said to contain hidden memories. It is self-serving, and operates on the 'pleasure principle', which is the idea that all needs should be met immediately. It is also believed to be a reservoir of unconscious psychic energy." Hobi shifts back in his chair, adopting a slightly more relaxed posture. "Then, there's the 'superego', which represents our internalized moral ideas. It pushes you to aspire for your 'deal self', acting as your moral guardian. It also represents the conscience: your view of what is considered to be 'right' or 'wrong'." Hobi tents his fingers together in front of him. "Finally, we have the 'ego', which acts as a mediator for the id and the superego. Like the id, it seeks to obtain pleasure and avoid pain, but devises a realistic strategy, focusing on realistic outcomes. The ego operates on the 'reality principle', which weighs the costs and benefits of an action before making a decision. It's essentially who we perceive ourselves to actually be."

"So it's like in cartoons?" At Hobi's puzzled expression, you add, "You know, the angel and the devil on the character's shoulders? The devil is the 'id', the angel is the 'superego', and the person is the 'ego'?"

"That's one very simplistic way of looking at it, definitely not 100% accurate," Hobi comments, "but its good enough for a crash course on Freudian psychology!" He smiles his heart-shaped smile, giving you a thumbs up, and you smile back, relieved that he doesn't seem to think you're stupid and ignorant for not knowing much about psychology. "Anyway, here's my working theory." Hobi's expression turns serious again. "I believe that V is a manifestation of Taehyung's id. Now, usually the id is fully unconscious, buried deep below the surface, but there could have been something that caused Taehyung's id to manifest this way."

"Do you have any idea what that might be?" you ask, wide-eyed. Hobi shakes his head.

"Unfortunately, since we know close to nothing about Taehyung's past... I don't know where or how we can even begin to figure that out."

You sigh. Hobi's right, where could you even start when you're working off of what is essentially a blank slate?

"It's also possible that the current Taehyung we see is more of his superego," Hobi continues.

"That makes sense..." you affirm, "Taehyung does seem to be a little too perfect sometimes."

"Luckily, both Taehyung and V, as they are in my theory, aren't on extreme ends of the spectrum. That is, V isn't pure id, nor is Taehyung pure superego. But I do believe that the real 'Taehyung' lies somewhere in between."

"So, a balance between the current Taehyung and V?" you ask, mystified.

"Again, this is just my working theory," Hobi warns, "take it with a grain of salt."

"Your theory makes so much sense, though!" you tell him.

"Thanks, but the fact that Taehyung is a Hybrid, not a human, makes me a lot less confident," Hobi confesses, "The body of knowledge in regards to Hybrid psychology is still sadly lacking."

You feel your shoulders slump at Hobi's statement. Noticing this, Hobi frowns.

"I know this is a lot to take in, but please try not to think too much about it," he gives you a small smile, "Leave the worrying to me. This is my job, after all."

"I... I'll try..."

Your attempt at an answering smile must have been unconvincing, since Hobi reaches out to pat your arm reassuringly.

"We'll get to the bottom of this, okay?" he says, gently. "I really believe the key lies in unlocking Taehyung's past. It might take a long time, but I won't give up until we find the truth." Determination blazes in Hobi's eyes, and it bolsters your confidence somewhat. "Please just do your best to provide a loving home for Taehyung, I'll do the rest." He shoots you a playful wink. "You can rely on me too, okay?"

To your surprise, your eyes start filling up with tears.

"Oh no! Please don't cry! Haaa..." Hobi exclaims, "Taehyungie will have my head if you go home with puffy eyes!"

Hobi's look of panic causes a giggle to break out through your tears. You wonder just how crazy you look to Hobi at that moment, laughing and crying at the same time. But it's great comfort to know that you're not facing this alone.

"Really, Hobi... Thank you so much..." you say haltingly in between giggles and hiccups, "I don't know how I would even get through all this without you."

"Don't worry about it!" Hobi says brightly, "We're family, remember?" He makes a shooing motion with his hands. "Now go head home before it gets too dark. Taehyung is waiting for you."

"That's right!" you cry, shooting up from your seat and collecting your bag. "Please visit us again when you have the time."

"Definitely," Hobi assures you, "you can count on it!"

He walks you out all the way to the gate, and you both say your goodbyes and leave promises of seeing each other soon. You take a deep, bracing breath as he disappears into the doors of the orphanage.

'Finally, it's time for me to go home to my Taehyungie.'

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"Welcome home! How was your day?"

Even Taehyung's cheerful greeting fails to energize you as you step into your apartment.

"Exhausting..." is the only response you're able to muster.

"Do you want a massage? A foot rub? Do you want me to run you a hot bath? Ah, are you hungry? The burgers are almost ready, I just need to---"

You cut off Taehyung's gushing with a mumbled reply.

"What...?" he asks, leaning closer in order to hear what you're saying.

"...nt a hug..." you repeat, still mumbling.

In an instant, you find yourself enveloped in Taehyung's embrace, his long arms wrapped around you, strong and sure yet so heart-wrenchingly gentle, as if you're a fragile thing he's afraid to squeeze. You bury your face in his shirt, which smells of fabric conditioner and warm Taehyung.

The burden you had been carrying all day floats away from your shoulders. You lean in, allowing Taehyung to support your weight. The tension in your muscles melt. Your sigh feels like a release.

"It's okay," Taehyung murmurs soothingly, "I'm here. You're safe now. You're home."

You simply nod in response, and Taehyung hugs you tighter, his face burrowing into your hair.

"I'm here for you okay? Always," Taehyung whispers, "Whatever it is, we'll face it together."

You hold onto each other like you're scared you would both shatter if either one lets go. You lose track of how long you stay that way. Maybe a few minutes. Perhaps an hour. All you know is, you've found your safe haven in his warm embrace. This is your place now, with Taehyung...

'My life is now with this beautiful Hybrid and his strange duality.'

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A/N: How is everyone feeling? Sorry if this was such an info overload chapter! In the next chapter, a new Bangtan Boy will be introduced into the story! Do you know who it is? Also, thank you so much to everyone who favorites my chapters, it motivates me to write. I also really appreciate your comments, thank you for being so sweet!

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