Haein realized it.
She was… jealous of this woman named Ha-eun, who was close to Taeil. Jealous, as a woman.
She hated the way Ha-eun called him “Taeil” so naturally. Hated how he spoke her pretty name with such easy familiarity.
“Taeil.”
“Yeah? What’s up?”
“The Jeju Island shoot I told you about…”
I’m just Clingy Cat.
Even if he was petting her affectionately, to him, she was still just a cat.
But Ha-eun… was different.
That soft, smiling gaze. Doll-like lashes. Baby-smooth skin. Peach-colored cheeks and lips. Flowing, glossy light brown hair that cascaded down past her shoulders.
She had everything Haein had lost. No… she was even more than that.
“Oh, you mean the Miss Sewon University special?”
“Yeah, that one. It looks like graduates from other prestigious universities will be joining too. The magazine’s blowing it up into some ‘First Love Reunion Project’ or something.”
“Really? I might even run into someone I know.”
“I’ll show you the cast list once it’s finalized.”
“Looking forward to it.”
From their conversation, Haein learned Ha-eun had graduated from Sewon University, one of the country’s top schools. And apparently, she had been known as one of their most beautiful students.
To be fair, even Haein could admit Ha-eun was undeniably gorgeous.
As for herself? She was nothing but a small, pitch-black cat.
I realized I liked someone… only to understand immediately that there’s no future in it. Isn’t that just cruel?
Liking someone who comforted you when you were struggling…..
That was a natural, human emotion.
But resenting someone who stood beside him without reason—
That was such an ugly feeling.
Her face flushed hot with embarrassment, though her feline body didn’t show it.
“Clingy Cat?”
Startled, Haein squirmed out of Taeil’s arms and darted under the bed. Burying her face between her front paws, she scolded herself.
How did I fall in love like this?
Falling for the man who had taken her in, treated her like a pet cat—how insane was that?
“Kitty? Clingy Cat?”
Taeil followed her into the bedroom.
Worried by her strange behavior, he crouched down to peer beneath the bed, but the more he tried, the further Haein retreated, out of reach.
It would’ve been better if I’d never realized this.
Now that she had, it was humiliating to face him.
Her mind was a storm of memories—the last month spent together.
Falling asleep naked in his arms, brushing cheek to cheek, his fingers under her chin, the occasional kiss… The dizzying realization of why all of it made her so happy.
Her head spun.
Haein huddled deeper into the corner, digging against the wall as if trying to disappear.
This can’t happen. These feelings… they’re hopeless.
It would only end in chaos and pain.
________✧⑅˖♡∘˚˳°↝^._.^_________
In the early hours of the morning, after the guests left, Taeil tried to coax her out again.
Calling her name until his throat turned hoarse, desperately trying to understand his moody cat.
“Clingy Cat? What’s wrong?”
“……”
“Come out, okay? Is it because there were too many strangers earlier?”
Watching him fret over her should’ve made her feel better. But Haein’s heart was a mess, and sulking was all she could manage.
“Ah… Are you hurt?”
How could I even explain this?
That the reason I’m so upset… is because I’m a cat.
I like you… but you’re a human. And I’m… stuck like this. That’s why I’m so angry.
This is all the Grim Reaper’s fault…
“Mya?”
At some point, Taeil’s hand reached deep enough to brush against her.
The moment he touched her tail, it shot up reflexively. His hand moved to her back leg, but she squirmed deeper into the corner, determined to avoid him.
She didn’t want to be held as a cat. Not right now.
But there were only so many places to hide.
Taeil’s long arms soon grabbed hold of her, scooping her soft belly into his palm and forcibly pulling her out from beneath the bed.
“Is your paw hurt? Let me see— Argh!”
Dragged out against her will, Haein instinctively lashed out with a front paw, pressing it to his jaw to push him away.
She only meant to shove him—
But her claws, fully extended without realizing, raked sharply across his left cheek.
“Nyaaang! Myak?!” (Let go! Aah!)
“Ow…”
Three red scratch marks bloomed across Taeil’s cheek, one deep enough for blood to drip steadily.
Taeil covered his cheek with a hand, but Haein saw everything.
The sharp, metallic scent of blood stung her sensitive nose.
She had hurt him. The person who took her in, cared for her—and she returned the favor by clawing his face.
Panicked, Haein let out a sorrowful cry.
“M-Miiii… Iyowww…” (I-I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to…)
“Hm? Ah… it’s okay…”
“Myaaaa… Iyawooong…” (I’m sorry… huu…)
She truly hadn’t meant it. She was only upset, frustrated with herself, her situation, her cursed feline body.
She hated being a cat.
Hurting his face… all of this…
“You were scared, huh? It’s okay.”
Instead, Taeil comforted her.
Shouldn’t you be worrying about yourself? I scratched your face… like some ungrateful, wretched pet…
Haein’s tears welled up and fell as he gently stroked her.
She hated her paws. Hated the sharp claws attached to this ridiculous body. Hated being reduced to this… this animal.
If only I’d been human…
But if she had been, she wouldn’t have known his kindness.
Wouldn’t have met him at all.
I wish I didn’t know him…
But he was too good, too kind—and it made her want to cry even more.
________✧⑅˖♡∘˚˳°↝^._.^_________
By dawn, Taeil—exhausted from chasing a cat who refused to be held—had finally fallen asleep.
But he didn’t notice it.
Creeeeak.
The bedroom door opened, and an unfamiliar intruder quietly entered the room.
Kneeling carefully beside him on the bed—
Were a pair of pale, human knees.
Those knees belonged to Haein—now back in her human form.
Haein couldn’t stop thinking about the scratch she had left on Taeil’s cheek.
The moment he had fallen asleep, she’d searched the house, gathering ointment and supplies.
He had only wiped away the blood and gone straight to bed, and now, a thin scab had already formed over the wound.
He’s a man, sure, but how can he be this careless?
It’s still his face…
Grumbling to herself, Haein carefully dabbed the ointment onto his cheek.
“…I’m sorry,” she whispered softly.
But it was meaningless. A quiet apology hidden beneath the surface, like everything else she kept secret.
She couldn’t face him. Couldn’t confess that she liked him—that her heart raced so hard it hurt because of him.
She was a cat. To him, just Clingy Cat.
The more she reminded herself of that fact, the heavier her heart became.
I want to stand in front of him as a person, Haein thought bitterly.
I want to talk to him, laugh with him—as a human… like Ha-eun does.
A heavy sigh slipped out, but even so, Haein found small satisfaction in being able to apply the ointment with her human hands.
Her ability to return to human form only lasted for a single day each month—a precious, fleeting window of time.
And when better to use it than now?
But—
“…!”
Taeil’s eyes fluttered open. He must’ve felt her gentle touch.
Her careful, delicate fingers weren’t harsh enough to wake someone, but they could coax them gently from sleep—like a soft whisper urging him to open his eyes.
His eyes cracked open slowly—and instantly locked onto hers.
It happened in a blink. His gaze landed squarely on Haein, frozen in place with the ointment still in her hand.
Their eyes met in midair—his groggy, confused expression meeting her wide, startled one.
“You… who are you?”
Haein realized too late that she hadn’t shifted back into a cat—and now, she was caught.
Taeil wasn’t any calmer than she was. His eyes snapped fully open, sucking in a sharp breath.
Well, who wouldn’t be shocked?
Imagine waking up to find an unfamiliar woman kneeling at your bedside, wearing nothing but your oversized T-shirt, staring down with teary, anxious eyes.
Taeil blinked rapidly, half-expecting the scene to vanish like a dream.
But it didn’t.
In the moonlight, the small figure trembling before him had delicate, soft skin and light brown eyes—just like the woman from before.
“How… how did you get in here…?”
His groggy voice broke the silence, but Haein couldn’t answer.
Should I tell him I’m his cat?
Or pretend I’m some random weirdo who broke in?
What am I even doing…?
The panic was overwhelming—but it wasn’t the first time she’d been in a situation like this. She acted on instinct.
Biting her lip, she yanked the bedsheet up and threw it over his face.
In that split second, she scrambled off the bed and ducked underneath, shifting back into her cat form.
Please, she prayed, chalk it up to exhaustion, alcohol, anything…
“What the hell was— huh?”
Taeil pulled the sheet from his face, only to find the bed completely empty.
Frowning, he sat up and checked the living room—nothing.
He peeked into the spare room, the bathroom, even the balcony—all locked, all empty.
A ghost? But it felt too real for that.
Still clutching the bedsheet, Taeil stood dumbfounded in the middle of the living room, pressing his hand to his forehead.
His hangover throbbed mercilessly from the sudden movement.
Hallucination? Dream?
In the end, his groggy brain landed on the most convenient conclusion.
Nothing else made sense.
“What the hell…?”
He muttered to himself, raking a hand through his messy hair.
There was still a faint, sticky sensation lingering on his cheek.
Did I… put on ointment while drunk?
His thoughts swayed between confusion and rationalization, desperately trying to piece things together. But none of it added up.
Eventually, he settled on the most plausible lie: that his drunken self had handled the wound somehow.
Grimacing from the headache, he dragged himself back to bed.
I drank too much… The filming trip really wiped me out…
That was the only reason the bed felt so cold, so lonely, now that he sat on it again.
A side effect of some weird hallucination.
For a while, Taeil just sat there in silence, before softly calling out—
“Clingy Cat.”
“…Meow?”
From under the bed, Haein cautiously poked her head out. Her heart hammered with nerves.
At his beckoning gesture, she hopped onto the bed.
Pretending nothing happened was the safest bet.
And it would be the last time.
Taeil slid his hand beneath her front legs, lifting her small, warm body into his arms. Their eyes met.
Golden, gleaming irises stared back at him.
The color was different, but something about those eyes… resembled the woman he’d just seen.
“They looked just like this…”
“Myaaang?”
“You must’ve been… the reason I had that dream.”
Tch. Of course, he thinks it was a dream, Haein thought, relieved.
That was the normal reaction. After all, who would believe their cat turned into a woman?
And even now, as she licked her own paw, there was no way he could imagine anything else.
________✧⑅˖♡∘˚˳°↝^._.^_________
The next morning, after the sun had risen, Haein left.
Taeil had already gone to work.
She slipped through the door, leaving it ajar just enough that he’d assume he’d forgotten to close it properly.
If she wanted to escape, it wasn’t hard.
I should’ve done this from the start, Haein thought bitterly.
She’d stayed too long. A quick favor, a short stay—yet somehow, it stretched into a month.
And somewhere along the way, she’d foolishly started imagining life as his pet cat.
But that was dangerous. She wasn’t an ordinary cat—
She never could live an ordinary life.
Taeil would search for her, of course. But it couldn’t be helped.
She’d already exposed herself once. And the moment she recognized her changing feelings—feelings that belonged to her human heart—everything became impossible.
“Ah! Oh my god?!”
Haein hurried down the emergency stairs, careful to avoid people. But even then, a few spotted her.
They gawked, shocked to see a random cat in the stairwell, but Haein ignored them, coolly making her escape.
She was taking her first step into the harsh, unforgiving world.
But she didn’t yet know—
Running away from home only leads to trouble.
