The sunlight filtered softly through the cream-colored curtains, casting golden rays over Ye Jun's room. Birds chirped faintly outside, and the sound of leaves rustling in the breeze filled the space with a gentle calmness. But Ye Jun… didn't feel calm at all.
His eyes fluttered open slowly, the room spinning faintly before settling. There was a dull ache pulsing deep in his chest—not quite pain, but not normal either. He exhaled shakily, hand reaching up to rub at his temple, when his fingers froze.
Something was wrong.
He sat up slowly, blankets falling off his frame. His vision cleared, and when he looked down at the strands of hair falling across his shoulder, he blinked once.
Then again.
Red—no, not just red, a burning orange-red hue, vibrant like wildfire with flickers of golden undertones—cascaded around his face. His fingers trembled as they moved through the thick strands, confused. His hair had always been black. Black as ink.
He rushed to the mirror, bare feet padding quickly across the floor.
There it was. The same face. The same pale skin. But his hair—his eyes—something was different. His irises, usually soft gray, shimmered faintly like silver touched by light. Something ancient stirred behind them. A strange feeling pooled in his stomach, coiling like smoke.
He didn't feel like himself.
A knock broke the silence. Then the door creaked open.
"Ye Jun?" Hanjae's voice was quiet, unsure. "You awake?"
Ye Jun didn't answer right away. Hanjae stepped in and froze mid-step when he saw him.
"What the hell happened to your hair?" he asked, jaw slack, eyes wide.
"I… I don't know." Ye Jun whispered, still staring at himself. "I just woke up like this."
Hanjae stepped closer, cautious but concerned. "You scared the hell out of everyone last night. We thought you were shifting—but no cracking bones, no fur. You just… screamed like your insides were tearing apart and passed out."
Ye Jun finally tore his gaze from the mirror. "I don't know what that was. I felt… fire. Like something was burning inside of me but couldn't come out."
"You think this has to do with you shifting late?" Hanjae asked carefully.
Ye Jun didn't reply, his brows pulling into a deep furrow. His hands clutched the edges of the desk beside him.
"I saw him," he whispered. " I think The one from the hotel. It was him. His eyes… I couldn't breathe. Then the pain hit."
Hanjae's gaze softened. "And now you wake up with fire hair?"
Ye Jun gave a faint, humorless chuckle. "Yeah. Great birthday gift, right?"
Hanjae's smile was tired, but warm. "Well… at least it's a good look. You're going to break hearts."
Ye Jun rolled his eyes. "Not in the mood."
"Well, when you are, just know you look like a freaking phoenix right now." Hanjae winked. "Come downstairs. Your mothers are freaking out. And Jin is complaining he didn't get to eat enough cake."
Ye Jun hesitated. "Do they… know?"
"About the hair? They will. About the rest? No. That's yours to tell."
Ye Jun nodded, pushing a hand through his new strands of wildfire. He didn't know what was happening to him. But something was changing. Awakening.
And he wasn't sure if it was something he should fear—or embrace.
---
The steps creaked gently as he descended the stairs. Every footfall was cautious, unsure. His hand ghosted along the railing like he was grounding himself—like the house might vanish under him if he didn't.
The morning light poured into the living room in golden shafts. It felt too bright.
As soon as his friends spotted him from where they were scattered around the couch and breakfast table, conversation halted mid-bite, mid-sip, mid-complaint.
"Holy sh—"
"Your hair," Jin muttered, mouth full of cereal, blinking at him like he was seeing a unicorn in boxers.
Ryung whistled low. "Well damn, phoenix-boy."
"You're glowing," hanjae added helpfully, staring like he could see a vision forming behind Ye Jun's eyes. "I don't think it's just the hair."
Kwang said nothing, just narrowed his eyes a little, like watching a puzzle click into place.
Ye Jun offered a tight smile but didn't respond. His eyes searched, until he found what he was really looking for—his mothers.
Ari and Hana stood near the kitchen, their conversation dying when they noticed him. Ari stepped forward first, eyes gentle but scanning him thoroughly, her Beta instincts humming. Hana crossed her arms over her chest like she was trying to not make a scene. Both looked worried.
Ye Jun didn't give them time to ask.
"Do I… look weird?" he asked quietly.
Ari softened instantly. "You look beautiful, sweetheart. Just… different."
"It's okay," Hana added, walking over to smooth a strand of fire-red hair from his forehead. "Sometimes changes come before answers. We'll figure it out."
Ye Jun nodded slowly, comforted by their words, but still twisted inside. "Hey… yesterday, before everything happened…"
They both perked up slightly.
"There was a man. He was by the stairs, just standing there. Tall… dark eyes. Serious. He looked at me and—" He paused, choosing his words carefully. "—everything else disappeared."
Ari and Hana exchanged a glance too fast and too sharp to be casual.
"Why are you asking about him?" Ari asked, gently, but Ye Jun didn't miss the tension hiding behind her calm.
Ye Jun looked away, shrugging a little too quickly. "Nothing. Just… curious. I think he's the one I saw back at the hotel, too."
The lie slipped off his tongue too easily. It wasn't nothing. It was everything.
The man's eyes haunted him. Not because they were dangerous—but because they were empty. Like he'd forgotten how to feel. Like he'd been hollowed out and filled with shadows.
And yet, he couldn't look away.
He changed the subject abruptly, needing to breathe.
"You said yesterday… you were going to introduce me to someone. Who?"
That did it.
His friends, lounging casually only seconds ago, snapped to attention like wolves who heard a twig snap in the woods.
Min blinked. Ryung sat up. Kwang elbowed Jin hard enough to knock his spoon from his mouth. Jin swore.
Ye Jun stared at his mothers. "So? Who was it?"
Hana's eyes narrowed with suspicion. "Why do you suddenly care?"
Ari smirked. "Did you see someone you liked, maybe?"
Ye Jun opened his mouth, then shut it.
"No," he muttered, walking toward the couch and flopping down. "I'm just asking."
"Uh huh," Jin muttered, grinning. "You're totally asking like someone who didn't fall in love at first sight."
Hanjae smiled into his tea. "Poor baby. He doesn't even know he's doomed yet."
"I'm not—!" Ye Jun began to protest, but his voice cracked and the room exploded in laughter.
And for a moment, the ache in his chest quieted.
But deep down, the memory of those black eyes still lingered. Cold. Hollow.
And somehow, already a part of him.
---