Sitting in the armchair and trying to pose in the way I was directed to by the photographer was anything but fun. I hated my photo being taken, so to know it would be soon plastered in magazines and on the internet for everyone to see had me quietly freaking out inside. If the camera added 10 pounds, I hated to imagine how large I looked and how many people would judge me about my weight.

"Turn. Look melancholically pensive," the photographer directed gruffly from behind the camera.

I tried to follow what he wanted, looking to the right and focussing on a cluster of marks on the wall. I made a mental note to get the cleaning crew to look into getting those cleaned.

"No, not like that!" he basically screamed at me. "I said thinking hard, not looking like you're constipated. Seriously? How hard is it to just sit there and look where I tell you to?"

I was getting really frustrated with the prick the magazine had sent over. Not only was he over 90 minutes late for our appointment, but he expected me to know exactly what he wanted with the least directions possible. I could handle him getting frustrated with me, but the way he looked down his nose at Bang Chan, and any other hybrid that came near us, had me seeing red.

"It will take a lot of photoshop but I might have one here that could be passable," he grumbled loudly as he uploaded the shots onto his laptop. "Why I was sent to shoot a whale instead of my usual beauties is beyond me. I swear, I should be paid by the kilogram for shoots like this, not by the hour."

I rolled my eyes. This guy was more delusional than I first thought; not only was he incredibly sleezy towards the human female staff, but he thought he was the bee's knees. He probably considered himself god's gift to women and someone that no one could resist. When he first came in and immediately hit on me, I wanted to throw up in my mouth. After I turned him down firmly, his flirtatiousness had dissolved immediately and was replaced with impatient, judgemental contempt.

"I already told the magazine that I don't want the photos retouched or photoshopped," I said firmly, standing my ground on this. I wanted to be known for my heart and what I did for hybrids, not for how I looked.

"No one ever releases untouched photos," he sneered, grimacing like the thought was absolutely revolting. "Don't you want to be seen as younger, somewhat pretty and much, much skinnier? That's what photoshop can do."

I shook my head adamantly. "Nope, I don't care about looks like that," I retorted, scowling in anger when I heard him mumble 'yeah, an ugly fat ass like you wouldn't understand'. "Are we done here?" I asked, relieved when he nodded. "Good. Put the photos on a USB and leave it on the table there. Then you can leave and never set foot in here again. The journalist and I will handle things from here. You're dismissed."

This wasn't the first time I had been so disrespected, and it wouldn't be the last. The difference this time though was that I didn't want to subject Bang Chan to this vile cretin of a human while I hid in my office to calm down. So, garnering all the strength I had in my body, I waited and watched the man tap on his laptop, angrily pull the USB stick out and slam it on the desk before he bundled his belongings together and stormed out of door. I had already texted one of the human security guards to wait outside the room so he could escort the photographer off the premises. There was no way I'd let him disrespect or dehumanise one of our hybrid security personnel.

"You okay, boss?" my assistant asked softly as we entered my office. The sigh I released told him everything he needed to know and I had to smile softly as I was pulled into a tight hug. "I'm so sorry I couldn't be in there with you," Bang Chan said softly into my hair. I could feel his tail hanging limply against my leg and I hated that. "He smelled so bad, like rotten kale."

I giggled at the disgusted grimace that morphed his usual happy features. "He had one of the worst scents I've ever smelled..." he said, pausing and looking like he wanted to throw up, "...like cabbage that had been left to rot in a used cat litter box."

"I don't blame you for fleeing then, Bang Chan," I murmured into the beagle hybrid's shoulder. The beagle hybrid always had a way of calming me down, especially when he took the time to scent me, like he was starting to do.

It always tickled whenever any of my hybrid friends rubbed their heads against my skin as they took the time to make sure I was completely covered in their scents. Even though I couldn't detect it, I knew by the time the beagle hybrid was finished, I would smell like fresh English roses mingled with a soft vanilla cream.

My phone began ringing, breaking Bang Chan out of his scenting trance. He quickly rushed to my desk, picked up the handset and answered with a slight fumble in his voice before hanging up a few seconds later.

"The journalist is here. Reception is sending him up," he relayed to me. "Do you want me to stay in here with you?"

I shook my head, knowing that I would be okay. If I needed assistance, security was only one secret button away. "This is the last thing I have on the schedule for the day," I replied, moving to straighten my clothes. "I know Felix is off today, so why don't you go home early so you can cuddle your mate? Tell my cousin that Ma and Pop Kim are coming over this weekend and I know they'd love to see you both."

With an excited hug and beaming smile, Bang Chan bid me good night before running out of the office. As much as he loved working here, he was happiest at home in the arms of his chosen mate.

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ ⋆͛♡⋆͛ ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

The interview was going so much better than the photoshoot did.

I was relieved and mildly surprised that the journalist who had come from the magazine was a calico LaPerm cat hybrid – a very rare breed of feline hybrid. Never had I seen one for myself, so I felt a bit awestruck when he'd walked into the room and introduced himself as Ji-Hoon Lee.

Ji-Hoon, or Woozi as he asked me to call him, was kind and very friendly, instantly making me feel at ease. He'd asked if I had a hybrid myself and he was horrified when I told him that the scent he could smell was my assistant and close friend who had scented me to help rid the odour of the nasty photographer.

Immediately asking for the USB drive to look at the photos, Woozi growled seeing the images; none of them were any good, each either making me look awful, were blurry and out of focus, or had poor lighting. Jungkook could take much, much better photographs than that sorry excuse for a professional, and when I said as much, the journalist's eyes sparkled upon hearing I had an in with someone better; he said that if Jungkook was interested, the magazine would pay him for all photos he took and the Boxer could have full complete creative licence with the images. I shot JK a quick message to ask and was met with a 'hell yes I'm in' reply instantly.

Getting into the interview questions, it didn't feel like a normal interview with Woozi; instead, it was as if I was sitting down with a new friend, telling them about myself.

"You're very young to have been a successful CEO of a hybrid shelter and hospital for nearly a decade, being only 31. What made you decide as a teenager that you wanted to start a shelter?" Woozi asked, his digital dictaphone placed on the table between us and a pen and paper at hand to take notes.

I was impressed that not only had he done his research, but he was not making this about my race as a human, or the fact that I'm a woman. Honesty was always the best policy in my book, so I took a deep breath before speaking my complete truth to the public for the first time.

"The day I was born, I became an orphan. I was adopted by my parents' best friends and was brought up in a household where we were all passionate about hybrids and hybrid rights. My best friend growing up was the same as me in my mind, except she had a beautiful long tail and spotty ears," I said. Thinking about my childhood with Irene always brought a smile to my face; I still thought of her often even though she was no longer with me.

"When I received my parents' inheritance, I had no idea what I wanted to do with the money. It wasn't until something tragic happened to my friend that I realised that there was nowhere for hybrids to go if they were injured, sick or needed a safe place to stay. It was then that I knew what my purpose in life was – to offer a sanctuary to protect hybrids who had nowhere else to go and to try to shield them from the darkness in the world.

"From the day I made that decision, I sunk my teeth into learning everything I needed to know to bring my dream into fruition. It had taken four long years and a lot of hard work, but I opened the small shelter in June of 2013. I couldn't do it alone though, my family helped me every step of the way. My brother Jin, who was a third-year hybrid medical student at the time, helped me part-time to provide care to any hybrid who needed it, while our parents helped with caring and feeding for the hybrids staying at the shelter. Close friends also came by each day after school or work to play with the young hybrids and keep them company."

"It sounds like your family have been very supportive of you through your endeavours," he commented, smiling as he spoke.

"They really were... and still are. I wouldn't be the type of leader I am today without their help and guidance," I answered, thinking back to the early days of being the boss. "One of the biggest lessons I learned the hard way over the years was to trust the people working with me. I don't know everything, so if I try to micromanage my staff, nothing good is going to come from it. If it wasn't for some tough love conversations with my parents, especially about pacing myself and needing to take a day off a week, I'm not sure how long I would have been able to keep going before burning out.

"I thought that being the CEO and founder meant that I needed to do everything, be everywhere; but learning to trust that my staff had the shelter's best interests at heart has been one of my biggest struggles and also greatest achievements."

"It's rare to hear someone who runs a company speak about their downfalls or weaknesses," Woozi remarked, pen hurriedly scribbling on the paper.

"As bosses or managers, how can we ask in employment interviews for people to disclose their weaknesses if those in power aren't willing to do the same?" I countered. "I'm no different from the janitors, the chefs, or the doctors who work here. Like them, I have a job to do and just because I authorise everyone's cheques doesn't mean I am more important than they are."

"In your opinion, what makes for a successful business owner?"

I thought for a moment before answering. "I could tell you many attributes that I think people should have, but at the end of the day there is no real answer to that question," I said, internally chuckling how Woozi's curly hair bounced as he tilted his head in confusion, his ears and tail twitching. "Let me ask you a question... how long is a piece of string? It's any length you need it to be. And that, I think, is the mentality of a successful business operator – being able to adapt and change when needed."

"I think, I think I understand," the cat hybrid admitted shyly. "Though talking about string is making me want to play. You're very mean," he teased, making me laugh with him. "You must see lots of different hybrids coming through your doors, as well as people wanting to adopt them. What advice as someone who works in this industry do you have for someone who may be wishing to adopt?"

"You know, I get asked this question a lot and my answer always is the same: don't go into a shelter expecting to come out after selecting a hybrid you want, rather you should let the hybrid choose you. We are very particular here with who can adopt, and at the end of the day the decision for an adoption always lies in the hands of the hybrid," I answered, seeing a sense of relief wash over the feline in front of me. "If a hybrid doesn't want to be adopted by a certain person, we will never authorise it."

I watched as the journalist reached forward and pressed a button on the recorder. "I wish I was given that option when I was a kitten," Woozi whispered, his tail coming to rest on his lap as he wove his fingers through the curly fur. "Off the record, I admire everything you do here. And on behalf of other hybrids who are in the same situation I was in when I was younger, I hope they find themselves brought here so they can heal."

"Three of my closest friends were in situations similar to yours," I said quietly, sadness creeping into my tone. "One of the things I wish for most is to be able to help more hybrids. You are the same as us humans, except for really cute ears and tails." I giggled as his animal features twitched happily. "There shouldn't be the divide there is, even in New Kanoa where hybrids have the most civil rights out of all countries."

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆

"So how did the interview go, Poppet?" Pop asked as he sat at the breakfast bar watching as Ma and I cooked.

I've always been called 'poppet' by Pop for as long as I can remember. As a little girl, I even thought it was my name for a while, thinking that Cara was just my nickname. Though, I was also the young girl who thought I had two brothers brother, one named Seokjin and the other called Flash; it took me many years to work out that Flash was Jin's nickname since he never learned to walk... he ran.

When we were kids, Jin was always known as the handsome one, while I was told I looked intelligent. I was just happy that like the ugly duckling that grew into its looks, my brain grew into how smart I apparently looked.

As I cut up the vegetables to go along with the roast lamb Ma was making, I filled my parents in on the skeevy photographer and the kind-hearted LaPerm hybrid journalist. They were over the moon to hear their hybrid son – aka Jungkook – had been offered the opportunity to reshoot the photos since the others were a complete clusterfuck.

"Where are our boys?" Ma asked, placing the large leg of lamb in the oven. "I know my Jinnie, JK or Joonie cannot resist my roasts. I'd have thought they'd already be here with buckets under their mouths with how much they drool over food."

Ma and Pop might have only had one biological son and me as their children, but from the moment Namjoon came into Jin's life, he'd been part of the family too. My parents were thrilled when their boys came home to introduce them to their new mates; there'd never been any hesitation or unacceptance upon meeting the Boxer and emperor tamarin hybrids, just a warm embrace and a 'welcome to the family'.

"Jinnie said Kook is getting off work a little later today, something about him needing to fit in a last-minute client. So, they'll be here in a bit," I answered, mixing the cut vegetables in two bowls so I could toss them in oil and herbs. As much as I'd have loved to put in some red onion to caramelise and sweeten the veggies, being a dog hybrid meant JK was highly allergic to the vegetable.

"Hobi texted me earlier," Pop piped up from the other side of the counter, looking over his opened newspaper. "He and Joonie will be here soon, and they're bringing dessert. And no, my dear, I've not been told as to keep it a secret," he quickly added seeing my mother open her mouth to ask what was being brought along.

Both Jin and I got our love of food from Ma. Right from an early age, she had us both in the kitchen helping her. While I adored cooking with my mother, she always liked to be in control of the kitchen – and part of that was knowing what dishes others were bringing along.

"Ma, you know neither of them wouldn't bring anything that isn't delicious," I said, trying to alleviate her slight anxiety. "You've raised those boys right."

A door opening and closing caught my attention, followed by rushing footsteps. "Aunty Kim!"

"My little peanut!" I giggled watching Ma wrap Felix into her arms. It was like this every time they saw each other... even if they were together the day before. "Now, where's my other nephew? You did remember to bring your handsome mate along with you, didn't you?"

"One time," my cousin whined, a blush creeping across his cheeks and nose. "I leave Channie behind one time as punishment because he was naughty and chewed my shoes. And now you never let me live it down."

"Now, I know we raised you better than that, boy," Pop said gruffly, narrowing his eyes at Felix for a few seconds before the two erupted into loud laughter. "It's good to see you, son. Now get over here and give me a hug."

I playfully rolled my eyes at the scene unfolding in front of me. Just like Ma got super excited to see her nephew and his beagle mate, Felix, Pop and Bang Chan had a running joke where they'd greet each other dramatically. Jin, Namjoon and I were used to it; however, when the Boxer and emperor tamarin hybrids first saw it unfold, they both shook and whined before seeing the laughter that always ensued.

I giggled as the whole greetings saga played out once again the moment Bang Chan entered the kitchen. My parents had an open door policy for us all, so it wasn't strange when we heard the hybrid letting himself into the house after his phone call with his sister, who lives in another country.

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ ⋆͛♡⋆͛ ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

Relaxing in the lounge after another delicious dinner courtesy of Ma, I sighed happily after a sip of the delicious smoky and rich wine. Some people visualise their happy place as a tropical island beach with a drink in hand or walking through a field of yellow sunflowers on a cloudless day; however, mine was spending time with my family and friends with a nice glass of red wine.

As I gazed over at everyone either snuggled up next to their partner or shooting loving glances at their spouse while they engaged in conversation, a pang of loneliness shot through my heart.

Am I not a good enough person to deserve love too?

Or is my size hindering my chances of finding my own special someone?

I'd tried to lose weight over the years but the diets and fitness regimes never tended to last. I hated counting calories and keeping a food diary; instead of being tools to help the weight decrease, they only caused my anxiety to increase and therefore my size. Jungkook had recommended one of his trainer friends to coach me at the gym but that just resulted in me breaking down into tears when the guy yelled at me.

'Inspiring me'... my ass!

After many years of hating my body for its larger size, I changed my mentality after undergoing hypnosis that allowed me to communicate and listen to what to my body wanted to tell me. At first I thought the whole thing was a load of crock, but as I talked with my body (which oddly spoke to me in my favourite actress' voice) I realised that instead of starving and punishing my body to fit society's standards, I needed to learn to love myself completely.

It's been a couple of years now since my shift in mindset, and while I'm still a work in progress, I have been embracing the woman I am instead of hating how I look.

But times where I was reminded that I had no one waiting for me at home when everyone else did were the hardest and that was when the self-doubt crept its way back in.

Times like exactly like this.