When Taehyung had passed out in front of the rundown building, the skies had decided to open up on him. As he lay winded, groggy, confused and slightly passed out, he got drenched to the bone. If anything, all Taehyung wanted to do at that moment was die. As he came to in the pouring rain, he noticed that the rain had let up around him a bit. Looking up, he saw a man staring down at him holding a black umbrella.

The man looked to be about the same age as him. His jet black hair was plastered to his head despite having the umbrella - which indicated he hadn't felt the need to open it before - as his caramel brown eyes looked over him. He didn't seem afraid of Taehyung like a normal person would be. In fact, he had reached out a hand to try and nudge Taehyung to his feet.

Taehyung didn't want to go with this beanpole looking loser, but he also knew he didn't have a choice. He kept his wits about him to the best of his ability as the man ushered him towards the run down looking building he had passed out in front of. For all Taehyung knew, he was being lured inside to be killed.

If he died, would he get his human form back?

Taehyung wasn't sure if he wanted to gamble his life away on finding that fact out. The interior of the place he was led was dark and drafty. He had to follow the man towards a glowing beacon of light towards the back of the shop where it was obvious he had set up camp. Until then, Taehyung found himself having to navigate around piles of junk that were stacked up everywhere. When he made it to the semi lit area out back, Taehyung watched as the man sat the closed umbrella off to one side. There wasn't much to be seen. The light was emanating from one lantern and it showed the man's sleeping bag with a few blankets on top, a small pile of books, a single electric plug in burner, and several canned goods. The windows that were at this back portion were covered by layers and layers of old newspapers that looked like some sort of creepy, discarded art project.

"It's not much," Taehyung heard the man say as he dragged a gray blanket off his sleeping bag, coming towards him with it.

He let out a snarl when the man got closer. He couldn't help it. He was wet and absolutely miserable. This loser would probably only make it worse.

"Stop it," said the man. "I'm just trying to help."

The man spread the gray blanket about the protesting Taehyung who eventually settled onto the ground with one last whine. The man looked satisfied for a moment as he moved towards the cans of food. Taehyung figured the man was either dumb or had a death wish for turning his back on a tiger.

"Let me get you something to eat. I don't have much, but I'm also starting from scratch."

Taehyung watched the man as he popped open a can of processed meat that he had picked up. The man turned back to him after, placing the open can down before his face. Taehyung leaned forward to sniff at the meat in the can before letting out another low growl of disgust. It smelled revolting.

"Just eat it," said the man as he grabbed a can of his own, sitting with his back against the far wall as he watched Taehyung glare at the contents of the can as if they could transform into a five star meal.

"You need to not be picky. You're lucky I found you before someone else did. They might have put you in a zoo - though I heard those are becoming crowded. More than likely they would have put you down if they found you. So be happy with your canned meat."

Taehyung was surprised that this man was daring to talk to a tiger like that. He watched him in amusement for a minute as the man sighed, poking at the meal in his own can that honestly didn't look any better.

"I've never made smart choices," he said into his can as he prodded it with a plastic fork, "All my life I have disappointed my parents. When I told them that my aspiration was to run a book shop instead of becoming a doctor like they wanted, they kicked me out. It's how I ended up here talking to you - a tiger I found in the rain. For all I know, you could eat me instead of the food I gave you. I could be dead in a matter of minutes. If my parents could see me now, they'd laugh at my stupidity..."

The man paused as he looked at Taehyung to see that his eyes were still on him.

"I figured though that you must have been someone's secret domestic pet. There's no way that you would have ended up in the middle of the city otherwise," said the man. "Be it a stray cat or tiger, strays need a home too. Technically I'm a stray. We can be strays together."

This man was insane. Taehyung had half a mind to lash out of the man due to his anger over everything, but his predicament wasn't this man's fault. More than likely he was right. If Taehyung were to be caught out and about, he would be put down. If he wanted to live, he would have to stay here. Stay here and eat this putrid looking and smelling meat. He leaned closer to it as the smell filled his nostrils, daring to try a bit. If a tiger could pull a face, he did. The man watched him eat, chuckling.

"Definitely a domesticated pet with a sophisticated palate by the looks of it," said the man.

He put his can aside as he got up and walked over to Taehyung. He knelt down beside him, reaching out a hand towards the blanket. Taehyung whipped his head around to look at him.

"I'm just going to try drying you off," he said.

Taehyung kept his eyes on the other, but watched as he was dried off by the blanket. The man gently swept the blanket over Taehyung's sopping wet fur, admiring the strips. He allowed his fingers to drift into Taehyung's fur which earned him a growl of warning from Taehyung.

"I'm sorry..." said the man as he withdrew his hand.

There was a pause for a moment as each of them sat there studying the other as the storm continued its thunderous tap dancing routine on the roof above them.

"I'm not going to hurt you. Trust me. I want to take care of you. You don't really have many options. If I didn't take you out of the rain, who would?"

Taehyung heard in this man's words the eerie echo of what he had said to Min Chan-mi before she had been plowed down by the truck. He felt guilt creep into him then which in turn fueled his anger. Why should he feel guilty? Why was he being punished for this? None of this was his fault.

"My name is Dal, by the way," continued the man. "I think I will call you..."

His voice trailed off as he studied Taehyung closely, trying to figure out the name that would best suit him.

"Ember," He finally said as he locked his eyes on Taehyung. "Your eyes remind me of a fire."

Taehyung couldn't complain. Sure he wanted to, but he didn't. Dal finished drying him off before going back over to his own canned food.

That was just the beginning of their odd relationship.

As the years stretched on, Taehyung learned to try and tolerate Dal. He at first tried to communicate with him that he was a human by clawing out messages in the floor, but Dal immediately sassed him. It wasn't like he could do a good job at carving out a message anyway. These were paws and not fingers. They were heavy handed and no where near precise. Eventually Taehyung stopped trying to communicate, realizing there was no point.

Taehyung watched as Dal transformed the decrypt building into the book shop of his dreams over the next short span of time. The area that was their living quarters for the longest time was properly separated by a wall and a door from the bookshop. Dal had installed a pedal system so that Taehyung could open the door on his own in either direction. Their living quarters were still small, but now there was a couch that Dal could sleep on and a kids mattress on the ground for him. There was also a proper stove off in the corner where the window was no longer covered by newspaper so that it could properly let the light in. Taehyung felt a bit bad that - as all these projects continued - that he couldn't be of much assistance. The only time that he was useful was when Dal would strap books to his back and lead him through the aisles trying to put them away.

"You're better than any sort of book cart, Ember," said Dal as Taehyung would let out a consenting growl.

He was glad that the meals he was getting were at least starting to be better. The better meals started when Dal celebrated the opening day of the book shop two years after they met. Taehyung nearly choked himself eating down the grilled flank steak that was put before him. Dal chuckled as he tore into it like the animal he was cursed into being.

Decades began to pass between the two of them as they settled into a regular every day rhythm. Taehyung got used to walking back and forth from the bookshop to Dal's more habitable home out back. He began to know nothing but the four walls as life passed by outside. Occasionally - when Dal was sure the coast was clear - he would let Taehyung wander the small enclosed strip of land at the back of the property. It was more cement than grass though, and it did nothing to help him acknowledge the passing of time. He would have honestly thought that time had frozen if it hadn't been for Dal aging.

"You're an unusual tiger," said Dal as the two of them rang in 2022 together - almost forty years after they had first met each other. Dal was in his mid sixties by then, and was currently watching the beginning of the ball drop as he sat on the couch. Taehyung laid sprawled at one end; his eyes on the television before he turned to look at Dal.

Dal paused his fingers through Taehyung's fur as he looked at him.

"Tigers only live 25 years maximum," said Dal, "Which means you should have died a decade or two ago, yet here you are looking as healthy and spry as the day we met while I'm the one who looks like they are getting ever closer to their grave."

Dal resumed petting Taehyung as the chattering of the news reporters seemed to grow more frantic and alcohol fueled the closer it was to the ball drop.

"I'm glad that I found you though," continued Dal. "Ember, you have been the best friend that I didn't know I needed."

Taehyung had to admit to himself that he didn't know what he would have done without Dal over the decades. He had grown used to being around him. When Dal died though, he had no idea what would happen to him. Dal had opted to remain single, which meant that when he died the shop would inevitably shut down and he would be left on his own. Taehyung focused his eyes back on the television screen as 2022 was rung in with all the celebration and cheer one would expect with the beginning of a new year.

'Maybe this year I can get my life back,' thought Taehyung as he did every year.

He doubted that anything would change though. It would no doubt remain the same as it had been.