Of all things—why a cat? And a stray at that? Though she never stopped grumbling, Rose had survived easily enough, drawing on the survival instincts honed in her previous life.
[What’d you bring? Hand it over—quick.]
It wasn’t like she meant for things to end up this way… but here they were.
When a few large tomcats kept pestering her, she gave them a proper thrashing—and that display drew all the neighborhood cats to her like moths to flame.
[Boss! Look at this! I caught a fresh mackerel today!]
[Oh, nice. Thanks.]
It all happened so fast, but honestly? It wasn’t so bad. There were perks to holding power, after all.
‘Wait, why am I feeling proud about this?!’
As Rose gazed fondly at the growing pile of food in front of her, she snapped out of it with a sigh no one could hear.
Still, she had been a human once. Wasn’t she adapting to cat life a little too quickly?
[Lady Rose, before we inspect what the others brought, would you care to see what I personally prepared?]
[What is it?]
[A few promising toms—strong bloodlines! For your upcoming heat cycle!]
[I said I don’t need that!!!]
Though it might seem like she was exploiting the other cats as they lined up to offer her food, it wasn’t that kind of situation.
Everything they brought was shared among the group, and when fights broke out with rival gangs, Rose still led the charge.
When the others went hunting, she even volunteered to look after the kittens.
In short, the others chose to follow Rose.
‘I guess I’m finally raising all those cats I couldn’t take in before.’
Sometimes she’d coo and play with the kittens, overwhelmed by their cuteness—only for reality to hit her like a truck again.
But it wasn’t so bad. Compared to being completely alone, this life had meaning.
‘So what if you dumped me? You thought I wouldn’t make it?!’
It had been a month since she’d possessed this cat’s body.
And if no one had come looking for her by now, then it was clear—Rose had been abandoned.
The more she thought about someone tossing out such a well-raised cat onto the street, the angrier she got. But regardless, Rose was eating well and living fine.
She was practically a pro at surviving in harsh conditions by now.
Still…
There was one thing that continued to hurt, no matter how many times it happened.
—”There’s a cat over here!”
—”A cat? Aw, it’s cu—Eek! Don’t go near it! That thing’s cursed!”
Yep. That.
She’d first heard it from a vagrant who tried to steal her collar right after she woke up. Ever since then, any time someone locked eyes with Rose, they’d flinch, shout nonsense about curses, and run.
Like they’d seen some kind of monster.
Back then, she had looked into a puddle to see her reflection, trying to figure out what all the fuss was about.
She had snow-white fur with chocolate-brown points—a classic Ragdoll cat.
In fact, she had possessed the exact same cat she’d tried to rescue from the road in her previous life.
From what she remembered, it was so beautiful it looked like a plush toy. And now, people were scared of that?
Sure, her eyes were a low-saturation red—like faded roses—which was unusual for a cat. But still.
That wasn’t nearly enough reason to run away screaming.
‘Don’t tell me… that’s why my owner dumped me?’
Maybe they raised her as a kitten, and once she grew up, they found her… creepy?
Even with all that swirling through her mind, Rose pressed on—and over time, her life as a cat stabilized.
[Please look at this! Lady Rose! Look at the strong shoulders on this black tom!]
[I said I’m not interested!]
Strong shoulders? He was still a cat. That wasn’t going to impress someone who used to be human.
Still, while she continued to scoff at Tuxedo’s nonsense, she began to think that maybe—just maybe—living out her life as a cat wouldn’t be so bad.
But then… danger came knocking.
[Bad news!]
Rose had barely returned to the hideout victorious from another territorial scuffle when Tuxedo ran up with a grim face.
[What now?]
[The yellow cat from next door disappeared!]
[Again?]
Just when things were finally calming down, cats around the neighborhood had started to vanish one by one.
‘What sicko is behind this…?’
Whoever was capturing them—if it even was a person—remained a mystery. Maybe there were twisted people around here who believed in boiling cats for “medicine” or something.
[Boss!]
[The chief is here!]
While the clueless kittens nuzzled against her, Rose let out a soft sigh in response to Tuxedo’s words.
‘Maybe it’s time to relocate the hideout…’
What if these cats got taken next?
They were like her own little ones—orphans she’d taken in with a caretaker’s heart.
‘There’s no way I’m letting anything happen to them.’
Maybe they could move into the mountains? Though it was nice having plenty of food here… was that really the right choice?
Rose was still pondering how best to protect her crew when—
“There are cats here!”
Whether it was one of them who stepped on a tail or what, several men appeared at the alley entrance. Long poles with nets on the ends in hand—they were clearly out to capture cats.
[Tuxedo! Take the kittens and run!]
[What about you?!]
[I’ll be fine! I’ll distract them—go!]
Most of the older cats had fled on their own at the sight of strangers, but the kittens trembled in place, too scared to move.
Rose turned to face the men, leaving the little ones in Tuxedo’s care.
‘You think I’d just let someone take the kittens I raised?’
With that, she charged straight toward the men.
“It’s running! Catch it!”
Rose darted and leapt, zipping between narrow walls in dazzling patterns. As expected, all attention shifted to her.
“She’s going that way!”
“Cut her off!”
Try me, losers!
Bounding along the wall near their heads, Rose burst out onto the main road and dashed toward a tall tree up ahead.
“They’re chasing that cat!”
“Whoa!”
Some tried to grab her as she passed, but she slipped cleanly through and sprang up the tree before they could react.
Once she was high enough, she glanced down. Most of the men had followed her out—good.
Rose placed her front paws on her long, slender waist and puffed out her chest, gazing down with smug satisfaction.
‘Hah! Catch me if you can!’
Trying to trap her? Not in a million years.
After a while, the men realized she wasn’t coming down anytime soon and started drifting away, one by one.
Feeling slightly more relaxed, Rose laid flat on a thick branch and looked back toward the alley.
‘I hope the others got away safely…’
She was finally enjoying a peaceful moment alone in the treetops when—
Was it karma for mocking those guys? Or just her rotten luck kicking in again?
‘Huh? When did it get so dark?’
It had been bright just moments ago. Had clouds rolled in that fast?
Boom!
Lightning struck the very tree she was perched on.
“MWEOOOW!”
Hit by the bolt along with the tree, Rose plummeted to the ground, her thoughts spinning:
‘Oh, come on… Am I dying again?!’
She had just started to settle into this cat life. And now this?! Absolutely ridiculous.
Why did this always happen to her?
‘Ahaha…’
They say when you hit rock bottom, all you can do is laugh. Well—cat or not—that’s exactly how she felt.
Just laugh. That’s all she could do.
But then—
‘Wait… where am I?’
Somehow, against all odds, it seemed she had survived the lightning strike.
As she slowly opened her eyes, she spotted a familiar sight: her soft, plushy paw dangling in front of her face.
But behind it was… somewhere completely different from the market streets.
She was lying on her side in what felt like a fluffy cloud. No—a bed.
And not just any bed. The cushion was so luxurious, it had to be outrageously expensive. It was enormous—too big to even see the other end from where she lay.
The room around her was just as extravagant. Easily big enough to fit twenty beds that size. Newly hung silk wallpaper, ornate decorations… everything looked painstakingly cared for.
Even with her blurry vision, she could tell: this was a rich household.
“Lady Green! I think Lady Rose is waking up!”
“Oh, thank goodness.”
And there they were—maids in classic noble-house uniforms: neat black dresses, white aprons, and matching headscarves.
‘Finally… I found my owner.’
