Haein thought bitterly.
I should’ve let him feel guilty!
But then again, she would’ve regretted that too.
“H-Hiss?!”
That sound didn’t come from Haein—it was definitely Siyul’s voice.
Though Siyul was naturally sly and smooth-talking, even he couldn’t stop himself from reacting with such an undignified shriek.
A cat had transformed into a human?!
All he could manage was a panicked, stuttering
“Wh-What?!” as he stumbled, completely losing his balance.
To be precise, all strength drained from his body for a moment, and the Persian cat, who was trembling violently, accidentally bumped into him, making him teeter backward.
Right in the direction where Haein was standing behind him.
Supporting a tall man over 180cm was simply impossible for Haein. There was more than a full head of height difference between them.
“Ah, ow!”
Unable to withstand Siyul’s weight, Haein nearly lost her footing.
She barely managed to grab onto the examination table, but in the process, her foot stepped down on a shard of broken glass.
She squeezed her eyes shut from the pain and glared at Siyul.
“What the hell is this—”
“……Pull yourself together!”
She snapped at Siyul, whose expression was completely dazed—something utterly unlike him. She knew it was an unreasonable demand.
After all, a talking cat was shocking enough, but a cat turning into a human? That was on a whole other level.
It wasn’t even comparable.
In the end, the only thing Haein gained from risking everything to save him by transforming into human form… was a deep gash on her foot, courtesy of the glass shards.
“You…”
Siyul stood there, frozen, staring at Haein.
Not the fluffy, clingy cat—but Haein, the human.
Her voice, her mannerisms, and those sharp eyes—without anyone having to tell him, Siyul realized it.
This person and that cat… were one and the same.
Unbelievable, but undeniable.
“……Oh, my God…”
Haein bit her lip hard.
Was saving this shady vet worth putting myself in this much danger?
She couldn’t stand by and watch someone get hurt right before her eyes. It was pure instinct, but the regret gnawed at her.
But even if she were given another chance… she would make the same choice.
Have I… gotten weirdly attached to him already?
“What… are you?”
“What do you mean, what?” Haein shot back bluntly.
The scene before Siyul’s eyes was utterly bizarre.
A woman, unnaturally pale, stood in the center of the sterile, grey-toned examination room.
Petite, with eyes that sparkled oddly bright. Jet-black hair that cascaded down her shoulders, partially covering her chest, and…
His gaze couldn’t help but be drawn to her bare chest.
Siyul was so stunned that it didn’t even register that Haein had stepped on glass to block him—without that, he might’ve been seriously injured himself.
His frozen expression finally began to ease, replaced by awkwardness—and a hint of frustration—as Haein grimaced in pain, lifting her heel slightly.
“Ow…”
Lifting her bleeding foot, Haein squeezed her eyes shut, immediately sensing a new wave of regret.
She had imagined Siyul’s expression twisting with horror, recoiling in disgust or terror after witnessing an animal transform into a human.
Of course, she thought bitterly. Anyone would be disturbed if they saw that right in front of them.
Creeped out. Disgusted. Like they’d seen a monster.
Well… I guess I am a monster, she thought, turning away to avoid seeing that look on his face.
“Wait… you’re that clingy cat, right?”
In the next moment, she felt fabric drape over her shoulders.
Siyul, finally snapping out of his shock, had removed his light blue medical gown and wrapped it around her.
Even as she accepted it, Haein snapped irritably, “Don’t call me a clingy cat!”
“………You are that clingy cat.”
“Stop saying that!” Haein shouted, mortified.
But Siyul’s attention had already shifted to the blood seeping from her injured foot.
The moment he regained his composure, he knelt down and reached for her foot, trying to examine it.
Startled, Haein froze, clutching the gown that barely covered her naked body.
“Let me take a look first.”
She was only wearing the gown, nothing underneath. If he lifted her leg like that…
Panicking, she kicked at Siyul instinctively.
“You pervert!”
“Hey, I need to check! You’re bleeding.”
“Ahh!”
She wasn’t looking for thanks or sympathy—but this reaction? Infuriating!
A trembling, naked woman—and all Siyul could focus on was examining her injured foot? His attitude was more like calming down a startled animal than dealing with a human.
He just grabbed her leg without hesitation. She wasn’t even wearing underwear.
“I said no!”
“But you’re hurt!”
It was the same tone Siyul always used when handling animals in the clinic—cold, clinical, detached.
That was the core difference in their understanding of this situation:
For Haein, a human had turned into a cat.
But in Siyul’s mind, a cat had turned into a human.
From Siyul’s perspective, this wasn’t even exciting—he was still picturing the brazen, jet-black talking cat who somehow could also shift into human form.
The damage to his brain from that ‘clingy cat’ persona was already irreversible.
Knock, knock.
“Doctor? If you need help, should I come in?”
“Ah! N-No… Not now…”
Startled by the voice outside, Siyul instinctively turned his head.
In that brief instant, Haein had already changed back.
The only thing he noticed was that the foot he’d been holding… had completely vanished.
“…………..”
What Siyul saw now was that clingy black cat, curled up with his light blue gown awkwardly draped over its back, licking its paw in irritation—and glaring daggers at him.
The woman from earlier felt like nothing but an illusion now.
That strange, snow-pale woman with black hair who seemed like she didn’t belong in this clinic at all.
He was still lost in the memory when Haein snarled at him.
With the same fierce expression unique to cats, she growled:
“You better repay that debt!”
“…What?”
“Obviously! And by the way, everything you just saw? That’s a secret! Got it?!”
This time, she practically roared at him. Siyul ran his hand down his face in disbelief.
By the time he came back to his senses, Haein had slipped out from beneath the oversized gown, leaped onto the examination table, and perched there.
Siyul numbly picked up his gown from the floor, only to notice bloodstains on it.
Then he looked down—shards of glass scattered across the floor, spots of blood, and perched high on the cabinet, the Persian cat hissing defensively.
The entire clinic seemed to spin around him as confusion settled in like a fog.
For a brief moment, Siyul’s brain completely shut down, as though it had overloaded. His thoughts just froze, unable to process anything.
“Hmph!”
It wasn’t until he saw Haein snorting at him that his mind finally kicked back into gear.
So… that wasn’t a hallucination.
Haein was sitting there, licking the bloody underside of her paw.
The same spot on her body where Siyul had tried to lift her leg moments ago—when she was in human form.
There was only one logical conclusion.
I don’t think I’ve gone insane… so… that cat really was that woman.
Though still unable to untangle the chaos in his mind, Siyul decided to focus on the immediate concern—the bleeding paw.
Slowly approaching, he gently reached out and stroked the small paw.
He hesitated between two words, but in the end, decided to say both.
“…I’m sorry. And… thank you.”
“………”
Haein turned her head away, firmly clamping her mouth shut.
She didn’t say a single word, not until Taeil arrived.
Siyul could’ve bombarded her with questions, but his mind was in too much of a haze to speak at all.
He needed time to accept what had happened.
________✧⑅˖♡∘˚˳°↝^._.^_________
It was 9 PM by the time Taeil finally arrived at the clinic. He looked exhausted, likely coming straight from the film set.
But seeing how excitedly Haein welcomed him, he seemed to find it all worthwhile.
“Um… Mr. Shin Taeil?”
“Yes?”
At Siyul’s call, both Haein and Taeil turned to look at him.
Haein, nestled comfortably in Taeil’s arms, sent Siyul a particularly icy glare.
Her eyes sharpened, flashing a silent warning to keep his mouth shut.
Siyul didn’t even consider the possibility that Taeil might already know Haein’s secret.
After all, Haein clearly wanted to remain nothing more than an ordinary cat in front of Taeil.
Just like now, purring happily in his arms.
Siyul shook his head in resignation.
“It’s nothing. More importantly… I’m sorry about your clingy cat’s injured leg. That was due to my negligence. I won’t charge you for the hospital stay.”
“It’s fine. You were trying to help… these things happen.”
“Still… I truly apologize.”
Taeil could tell Siyul’s apology was sincere.
________✧⑅˖♡∘˚˳°↝^._.^_________
Even after returning home, Haein wasn’t in a good mood.
“What’s wrong, Clingy Cat?”
Taeil asked, concerned, but Haein simply turned her head away in a sulky huff.
Normally, she’d meow and respond right away, but today, she stubbornly stayed silent.
Because after a whole week apart, they finally came home together… but they weren’t alone.
I thought we’d have the place to ourselves… rolling around the living room… doing things…
“I mean, with a name like ‘Clingy Cat,’ I’d be mad too,” Taeil chuckled.
“Why? I think it’s cute… Clingy Cat,” one of the guests teased.
Two unexpected visitors had shown up, apparently to celebrate Taeil’s return—one bespectacled manager friend, and one annoyingly pretty woman.
Haein never liked that manager friend to begin with, and as for the unfamiliar woman… she didn’t like her either.
The woman subtly radiated a sugary, sweet perfume, repeatedly tucking her hair behind her ear.
The way she exposed her delicate neckline so naturally—it was just plain irritating.
Truthfully, Haein didn’t like anyone invading her space.
It was noisy, uncomfortable, and deeply unsettling.
She was becoming more and more cat-like by the day, growing increasingly sensitive to others in her territory. She couldn’t find any other explanation for the boiling frustration building in her chest.
But this was Taeil’s home.
She had enough conscience not to cause a scene—so instead, she whipped her tail sharply in protest.
“The cat looks pissed.”
“Hey, cats have feelings too.”
“Maybe the hospital stay stressed her out.”
No, Haein sulked inwardly. It’s your damn perfume I hate.
She rubbed her nose in irritation.
Pouting, Haein watched the three of them drinking together in the living room.
From what she overheard, the three had apparently been close since their school days, completely comfortable around each other.
I hate this.
With an annoyed flick, her tail lashed side to side again.
“Hey, kitty, wanna try this? Good girl, come on~” The bespectacled friend popped open a canned treat, holding it out to her.
Clearly, they thought food was the ultimate peace offering for any animal. But Haein didn’t even glance at them.
Hmph! She turned her head away.
Then the pretty woman chimed in, annoyingly persistent.
“Come here, kitty, good girl~”
Her voice was so sweet, so clear, so annoyingly lovely.
Haein pretended to scratch at the floor like burying waste, then darted up onto the backrest of the sofa in a flash.
I hate you!
“Wow… D-Did you see that? Isn’t that what cats do after using the litter box?”
“No clue. Never owned one.”
“…Probably hates your perfume.”
The woman, clearly not used to being disliked by animals, looked genuinely offended.
She pouted dramatically, even feigning a little sob, before leaning in—of all people—toward Taeil.
Haein already suspected they were close, but seeing them like that—it was infuriating.
They were a man and a woman, after all!
Haein immediately leapt down and wedged herself between them, right into the woman’s lap.
Deliberately claiming the space between them, she braced herself against the cloying scent of alcohol and perfume.
“Is… is the cat jealous?”
“…Looks like it.”
The two friends exchanged baffled looks, but Taeil only smiled, clearly amused.
Haein adored Taeil. She wanted him to only adore her, to only look at her.
She rubbed her forehead against his elbow, asking to be petted.
The moment his hand touched her, she purred, her lips curling in satisfaction. The sound came naturally from deep within her throat.
“That cat sure knows how to pick favorites.”
“She must really love you, Taeil. How cute.”
In that moment, Haein suddenly realized—she harbored an absurdly intense possessiveness toward him.
Isn’t this a little strange?
Could this really be explained by some simple pet-owner attachment?
After all… she wasn’t really just a cat.
So what exactly… were these emotions—the desperate need for his attention, the longing for him to only see her?
Caught between her identity as a cat and as a human, Haein felt an overwhelming wave of confusion.
And then it hit her.
Before she was a cat… she was a person.
And as a person—no, as a woman—she liked him.
“I’m glad… that you like me too.”
Haein instinctively looked up at Taeil, ready to deny everything, but the warmth in his smile and the tenderness in his voice made it impossible.
She had to admit it.
She liked Taeil.
Even with this ridiculous cat body.
