A bright, sunny weekday morning.
If things had gone according to plan, today would have been Si-yul and Hae-in’s seventh date.
That is—if Tae-il hadn’t come home beaten to a pulp the night before.
“Kang, Master’s still sleeping, huh? It’s already ten o’clock!”
“……”
“I can hardly hear him breathing… What should we do? Is he okay?”
As expected of the self-proclaimed Master-obsessed, Hae-in’s worry was off the charts.
From early morning she’d been restless, pacing between Tae-il’s firmly shut room and Si-yul’s bed, pestering him nonstop.
Si-yul lay facedown on the bed, pretending to sleep.
The last thing he wanted upon waking was to hear about another man.
“Kang! You can hear me, right? I know you’re not sleeping.”
He was in no mood.
He had deliberately scheduled their day off on a weekday—since Hae-in hated crowded places—yet from the looks of things, today’s date was doomed.
The problem wasn’t just that Hae-in’s attention was glued to Tae-il. With that battered face of his, Tae-il clearly wasn’t going anywhere.
As long as Tae-il stayed in the house, there was no way Si-yul could take Hae-in out. Their date was effectively canceled.
Maybe he could use a walk as an excuse, but that would last only an hour or two at best.
No use thinking it through. Anyway, today’s date is ruined. That’s the bottom line.
Eyes closed, Si-yul radiated dissatisfaction like a sulking teenager.
“Meow!”
“…Ow, my ears. You’ll wake the guy up.”
“I told you, there’s no sign of life in there!”
“He probably shut the door, pulled the blanket over his head, and fell into a deep sleep.”
There. Diagnosis delivered—though hardly comforting. Si-yul turned back over to face the other side.
Of course, such an answer didn’t soothe Hae-in in the least. She clambered onto his back instead.
Her little body weighed less than four kilograms, but she kneaded firmly at his shoulder blades.
Most humans, when a cat did this, couldn’t resist.
“Come on, just check once, please? Yesterday you brushed it off, and Master came home all beaten up! He was covered in blood!”
“He’s just been in his room. What else could’ve happened?”
“But… but! What if he got a concussion? On TV they say boxers die from that sometimes…”
As her own words triggered a wave of fear in her, even the immovable Si-yul reluctantly turned his head.
“…How do you come up with such morbid thoughts…?”
Well, she had died once before, after all.
Not something to boast about, but since that experience, Hae-in had become far more aware of how easily humans could die—and far more prone to worry.
“Then at least check if he’s sleeping soundly.”
“He probably is.”
“Ugh, seriously! Master’s practically a patient right now. Don’t you even care, Kang?”
Why should I?
Si-yul’s face all but said it as he scratched the back of his neck. He seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then rolled back over, determined to keep pretending to sleep.
Hae-in bounced irritably on his back, but with their date ruined anyway, Si-yul had no intention of playing nurse for Tae-il.
Could there be anything more irritating?
No date.
Hae-in stuck in cat form.
Every other word out of her mouth about Tae-il.
Absolutely perfect… perfectly unpleasant.
“Kang! Get up, please?”
He’d closed his eyes for only a few seconds when suddenly the weight on his back shifted—heavier, unmistakably human.
It felt like someone had climbed on him, or dropped from above.
Without even looking, Si-yul knew.
She had changed.
“You…”
“Want me to kiss you?”
The words left him speechless the moment their eyes met.
“No, actually… you like kissing better than a peck, don’t you?”
She smiled faintly, as though she knew everything. Almost without realizing it, Si-yul turned and slipped his arms around her slender waist.
Lifting her lightly, he cast a wary glance toward the door.
“Bold, aren’t you? What if he wakes up?”
“If that were a risk, I wouldn’t be doing this.”
Though he had tamed her into this, the soft-cheeked girl leaning over him now seemed to know that coaxing like a child didn’t work nearly as well as this approach.
Poking his cheek with a finger, she twinkled her eyes.
She only ever wore that face when she wanted something.
“Change Master’s bandages for him, please?”
“…You do realize I’m a rather high-level professional, don’t you?”
“That’s why I’m asking. If I did it, he’d end up like a mummy. Honestly, I can’t do it anyway.”
“Obviously.”
“Mm-hm. So please, Kang.”
Calling someone in just to help your sick Master… what a loyal pet you are.
Annoyed yet a little envious, Si-yul scowled. Hae-in only laughed sweetly and pressed her lips to his.
It was shallow but long, slow but tender.
Maybe compensation for their canceled date? The kiss deepened, twining closer and closer.
Heat poured between them, and Si-yul pulled her waist tighter.
He wanted to hold her so close she couldn’t breathe.
But if he went that far, he’d want to flip her beneath him, and then… it wouldn’t end with just a kiss. So he held back.
“You know… you’ve gotten really good at kissing.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
Whoever taught you must’ve been a great teacher.
With a now-familiar touch, Hae-in stroked his forehead, planting kisses wherever her hand had passed.
Wet little sounds punctuated her affectionate play, her face open and delighted, without a trace of shame.
Against that look, he stood no chance.
“Ugh… You really leave me no choice.”
In the end, Si-yul had to get up.
She’d already kissed him, and he’d have ended up changing the bandages anyway.
And most of all, when Hae-in was in “girlfriend mode,” she was unbearably cute.
She also knew perfectly well that she had a boyfriend who’d do anything she asked if she coaxed him.
And now she even knew exactly how to cheer him up.
So yes, it felt like being shamelessly exploited—but what could he do? Catlike affection, when it came, was potent.
Unlike dogs, cats showed affection only in two cases: when they felt like it, and when they needed something. But when they did, it was a devastating attack.
“Thanks, Kang!”
“You’ll be the death of me.”
“You know I love you, right?”
She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, rubbing against him without restraint.
Her hands, her nose, her forehead—none of them spared in her display of affection. Nose to nose, the sensation was undeniably sweet.
The only problem was, both of them were half-dressed.
Maybe it was because they’d shared too much already, but Hae-in was utterly defenseless.
Still, with it being morning, things couldn’t go too far. Si-yul had to tear his eyes away.
If only Tae-il weren’t around, there wouldn’t be a problem…
Ding-dong.
“Huh? Someone’s here.”
“This early in the morning?”
Hae-in sensed it first. Even in human form, she reacted like a cat pricking its ears at a sound.
“Could it be Ha-eun?”
“Or Gi-do?”
They exchanged glances, running through the possibilities.
Those two were the only realistic visitors.
Kim Gi-do came by often, and though Lee Ha-eun rarely did, it wouldn’t be strange if she showed up today.
She worried about Tae-il almost as much as Hae-in did.
“If it’s Ha-eun, just tell her Master’s not here.”
“Right. With that face of his, he doesn’t want to meet anyone.”
“Exactly. He said so himself yesterday.”
“Yeah… I’ll go check. You turn back into a cat.”
Hae-in nodded quickly.
Strictly speaking, though, “turn back” was misleading. This was her real form, after all.
Whether she’d ever be able to explain that to him someday—who could say?
________✧⑅˖♡∘˚˳°↝^._.^_________
Hae-in followed closely behind as Si-yul headed for the front door.
“Meow?” (Who is it?)
Her nose twitched before her eyes confirmed anything—proof of just how used she’d grown to her cat body.
Somewhere along the way, she’d learned to identify people by scent. Everyone carried a unique smell.
For instance, Si-yul carried the scent of antiseptic, mixed with something sweet, like candy.
Tae-il smelled like grass and sunlight, a clean and pleasant scent.
Each person’s unique fragrance was a blend of lifestyle, perfume, soap, and countless other traces.
And this visitor’s scent… it was oddly familiar.
It wasn’t often, but Hae-in was certain she had caught this scent before—several times, in fact. If her memory wasn’t mistaken, this scent definitely belonged to…
“What brings you here?”
“This is Shin Tae-il’s residence, isn’t it?”
“Well, for now, yes.”
“For now?”
“We’ve met before… don’t you remember me?”
Si-yul’s stance was unusually hostile. He stood slouched with his arms crossed, an expression that screamed how unwelcome the visitor was.
And for good reason—the man standing at the door was none other than Lee Ha-eun’s fiancé.
“Ah… the night of the ballet performance.”
Indeed, the man suspected of beating Tae-il half to death just yesterday now stood at the front door in a crisp suit.
Hae-in had been scampering forward, but as soon as she realized who it was, she instinctively retreated a step. Then, bristling her fur, she crept back to Si-yul’s side.
Try laying a hand on Kang and see what happens!
Of course, anyone would think a tiny scrap of fur wasn’t threatening in the slightest, but Hae-in hissed fiercely at the man standing beyond the doorway.
Hitting people was bad! Especially hitting the master—how could anyone hurt someone so kind?
“Nyak!” (I’ll bite you!)
“Hey, hey, back up. Back.”
“Nyanya-NYAK!” (Why are you here? Get lost!)
Si-yul knew well how vicious Hae-in could become when she disliked someone, and from the look of it, he half-expected her to actually bite. He even blocked her with his leg, though it wasn’t entirely sincere—if it came to it, he might just let her sink her teeth in.
“Seems like I’m not very welcome in this house.”
“Well, you did beat the owner to a pulp yesterday.”
“Hah, how would a cat know about that?”
“These creatures know everything.”
“…I remember now. You’re the veterinarian living with Shin Tae-il.”
Finally recognizing him, Lee Ha-eun’s fiancé—Seo Tae-jun—smiled politely and extended his hand for a shake. But if Si-yul were the type to accept, he wouldn’t be Kang Si-yul.
“That’s irrelevant.”
Though his eyes glanced at the outstretched hand, his arms remained crossed. His indifference was enough to make even familiar acquaintances feel awkward.
“Hmph.”
“What are you here for?”
“…To see Shin Tae-il, of course.”
“To beat him again?”
“You should know what happened yesterday was justified.”
“There’s no such thing as a justified fistfight. Especially when you look perfectly fine while he doesn’t.”
From the state Tae-il had been in, it was obvious he had taken nothing but hits.
The man, likely venting his anger over another man approaching his fiancée, replied with absolute shamelessness.
“He asked me to hit him, so I did. Simple as that.”
“……”
“……”
Could that really be considered honorable? Tae-il was bringing nothing but disgrace to his household, and somehow, the shame ended up weighing on Si-yul instead.
This bastard…
________✧⑅˖♡∘˚˳°↝^._.^_________
“I didn’t expect you to come here…”
Before anyone could wake him, Tae-il must have heard the commotion. He opened his door and stepped out.
Hae-in scrambled to stop the dangerous confrontation, but her effort amounted to little more than a cat clinging to someone’s leg in vain.
“I still have things to say.”
“…Come in, then.”
“Your roommate doesn’t look too thrilled to see me.”
There was no stopping this. Hae-in trembled in fear, worried another brawl might break out at any moment. Worse still, Si-yul and Seo Tae-jun’s personalities clashed outright.
“I generally don’t like people.”
“Ah, I can see that.”
“But I don’t go around hitting them.”
“I don’t go around getting hit, either.”
In such a situation, Si-yul realized sticking around would only make things worse. He shrugged and turned toward his room.
No choice but to leave the field.
“I’ll be in my room, so don’t fight again.”
Well—more precisely, don’t get beaten again.
With that, he slammed the door and disappeared into his room.
Hae-in was almost scooped up too, but she darted under the bed at the last second, determined to stay in the living room.
Now it was just Tae-il and Seo Tae-jun in the center of the room. Ha-in kept a sharp eye on them, shivering but ready to leap out and bite Tae-jun if he so much as laid a hand on her master again.
Try hitting him again, just try it!
Ever heard of a cat protecting its owner? Well, where should she bite first? Feet smelled bad, so maybe the shin would do.
She pondered this seriously, glaring death at Seo Tae-jun so intensely he could feel it.
“…Animals seem to have an odd dislike for me.”
“Hissss!” (What are you looking at!)
