----
The next day was quieter.
Not peaceful.
Quiet.
There was a difference.
Jiwoo had gone to school because he insisted he was fine, and because Asuka had checked his injuries herself before allowing it.
Kayden had objected.
Then Asuka had agreed that light walking would help keep Jiwoo from becoming restless.
Kayden had objected again because he did not like being outnumbered by logic.
Jiwoo had smiled.
Kayden had told him to stop smiling.
A normal morning.
Now, afternoon light spilled softly across the living room.
The cats were scattered around the space in various states of ownership. The tabby slept belly-up near the table. The black cat had claimed a windowsill. The grey scarred cat rested against Asuka's thigh. The black-and-white cat sat on the couch back like a silent judge who was playing with her tail.
Asuka sat on the floor with a book open in her lap.
Her bandages were wrapped neatly over her eyes.
One hand rested lightly on the grey cat's back.
The other turned a page.
Kayden lounged on the corner of the couch, still slightly fluffier than usual from yesterday's bath, though no one had dared mention it more than twice.
He glanced at Asuka's book.
Then looked again.
His expression went flat.
The title was printed in large, plain letters.
'Life Is Meaningless.'
Kayden stared.
Then stared harder.
Asuka turned another page.
Kayden's eyes narrowed.
"What the hell are you reading?"
Asuka did not look up.
"A book."
"I can see that."
"Then why ask?"
Kayden's tail flicked.
"That title."
Asuka's fingers paused delicately on the page.
"Life Is Meaningless?"
"Yes."
"It is getting interesting."
Kayden stared at her.
The grey cat purred.
Asuka continued, "The protagonist has recently discovered that nothing matters, and therefore everything he chooses to care about matters more."
Kayden blinked.
"That sounds annoying."
"It is thoughtful."
"It sounds like something you would read."
"Thank you."
"That was not praise."
"It sounded accurate."
Kayden opened his mouth to respond.
The front door opened.
"I'm home!"
Jiwoo's voice entered first.
Warm.
Bright.
Still a little tired.
The cats reacted instantly.
The tabby rolled upright with alarming speed.
The black cat jumped down from the windowsill.
The grey scarred cat lifted its head but stayed pressed against Asuka's side.
The black-and-white cat popped her head up and ran to Jiwoo legs.
Jiwoo stepped inside with Wooin and Jisuk behind him.
"Hi, everyone!"
The cats swarmed him.
Jiwoo crouched carefully, one hand resting near his knee for balance, and smiled so widely that Kayden immediately looked irritated.
"How are you? Did you miss me?"
The cats meowed.
Jiwoo nodded as if receiving a detailed report.
"I missed you too."
Wooin entered more quietly, slipping off his shoes with careful movements. He still looked tired from the previous night, but his color was better. His gaze moved automatically toward the cats, softening when the black cat approached his ankle.
Jisuk entered last.
He was trying to look normal.
This was his first mistake.
His second mistake was immediately looking around the living room.
Where's fatty?
The thought crossed his face before he could stop it.
Then he found him.
Kayden lounged at the corner of the couch.
Clean.
Fluffy.
Round.
His orange body looked harmless to the untrained eye.
His glare did not.
Kayden's eyes locked onto Jisuk.
Jisuk's soul nearly left his body through the ceiling.
The memory came back with devastating clarity.
Who are you calling a fat cat?
Lightning.
A Klein brother dropping.
A paw.
Pap.
Not one word.
Pap.
To Shinhwa.
Pap.
To the Union.
Pap.
To your sister.
Or your ass is dead.
Jisuk's mouth went dry.
Kayden's eyes narrowed a fraction.
Jisuk sweat-dropped.
Jiwoo, still crouched among cats, noticed him frozen by the entrance.
"Jisuk?"
Jisuk flinched.
"Huh?"
Jiwoo tilted his head.
"What's wrong?"
"Oh…"
Jisuk's eyes darted once toward Kayden.
Kayden stared.
Jisuk's survival instincts, which had been beaten into a new shape by a talking orange cat, acted before his pride could interfere.
He walked into the living room.
Then lowered himself to the floor.
On his knees.
Hands resting politely on his thighs.
Back straight.
Head slightly lowered.
Near Kayden.
The room went silent.
Jiwoo blinked.
Wooin blinked.
Asuka's page stopped turning.
Kayden stared down at Jisuk with deadpan disgust.
Jisuk stared at the floor.
Jiwoo slowly stood.
"Jisuk?"
"What?"
"Why are you sitting like that?"
Jisuk forced his face into an expression of casual indifference.
"What do you mean?"
Jiwoo gestured vaguely.
"You're kneeling."
"No, I'm sitting."
"On your knees."
"That's one way to sit."
"Isn't it uncomfortable?"
"Not at all."
Jisuk's voice cracked slightly.
He cleared his throat.
"I'm comfortable."
Wooin looked at him.
Then at Kayden.
Then back at Jisuk.
His expression remained quiet, but his eyes sharpened with recognition.
He knew.
Not everything about the rooftop.
Not everything about Kayden's threat.
But enough.
The professor's warning still lived in his bones.
Do not ask.
Pretend not to know.
Wooin looked away and sat beside Jiwoo instead, choosing silence like a wise person.
Jiwoo, however, was not wise in that direction.
He crouched closer.
"Are you sure? Your legs might fall asleep."
"They won't."
"You can sit on the couch."
"I like the floor."
Jiwoo stared.
"You do?"
"Yes."
Asuka turned one page.
Slowly.
The sound was soft.
Amused, somehow.
Jisuk's eye twitched.
She knew.
Of course she knew.
That blindfolded monster absolutely knew.
She was sitting there reading a book called Life Is Meaningless while watching his life lose meaning in real time.
Asuka's mouth curved faintly.
Jisuk glared at her for half a second.
Then remembered Kayden was within striking distance.
He immediately looked down again.
Kayden's tail flicked.
"You learn quickly," Kayden said.
To everyone else, it sounded like a low meow.
Jisuk stiffened.
Sweat rolled down his temple.
Jiwoo smiled.
"Casein Nitrate likes you."
Jisuk nearly choked.
"He does?"
Kayden's eyes sharpened.
Jiwoo nodded earnestly.
"He talked to you."
Jisuk's entire body went rigid.
Wooin's gaze snapped to Jiwoo.
Asuka's shoulders trembled once.
Kayden's ears flattened.
Jiwoo continued cheerfully, "I mean, he meowed at you."
Jisuk's soul returned to his body.
Barely.
"Right," he croaked. "Meowed."
Kayden's glare promised violence if Jisuk failed this very simple assignment.
Jisuk's hands slowly moved.
He reached into his jacket.
Jiwoo blinked.
"What are you doing?"
Jisuk pulled out a small packet of cat treats.
Not the same brand as last time.
A better one.
He had looked it up.
Not because he cared.
Because he valued his life.
The moment the packet appeared, every cat in the room turned.
Except Kayden.
Kayden stared at it deadpan.
Jisuk held the packet with both hands and bowed his head slightly.
"Here."
Silence.
Jiwoo looked baffled.
Wooin looked like he was trying very hard not to react.
Asuka's fingers pressed lightly against the edge of her book.
She was having the time of her life.
Kayden looked at the treats.
Then at Jisuk.
Then back at the treats.
His expression said clearly that he was not moved by bribery.
His nose twitched.
Unfortunately, his body had not received the dignity memo.
Jisuk lowered the packet further, presenting it like an offering at a shrine.
Kayden sighed.
Deeply.
Like everyone in the room had forced his paw.
Then he rose from the couch corner, stepped down, and approached the packet.
Jisuk held perfectly still.
Kayden took one treat, opened it was casual ease and slurped it out easily.
Slowly.
Jisuk did not breathe.
Jiwoo stared.
"Jisuk…"
"What?"
"Why are you holding it like that?"
"Like what?"
"Like you're giving it to a king."
Jisuk's eyes flicked to Kayden.
Kayden continued chewing.
Jisuk swallowed.
"Cats like respect."
Jiwoo blinked.
Then smiled brightly.
"That's true!"
Jisuk stared at him.
It worked?
That worked?
Jiwoo crouched beside him, pleased.
"You're really learning how to get along with cats."
Jisuk wanted to scream.
Wooin quietly turned his face away.
His shoulders moved once.
Only once.
Jisuk caught it.
"You laughing?"
Wooin looked back.
"No."
"You are."
"I almost did."
"That's worse!"
Asuka hummed from the floor.
"Progress."
Jisuk turned toward her.
"You—"
Kayden looked at him.
Jisuk immediately bowed his head again.
"…are reading a book."
Asuka's mouth curved.
"Yes."
Jiwoo finally noticed the cover.
His eyes widened slightly.
"Asuka, that title…"
She lifted the book a little.
"Life Is Meaningless."
Jiwoo's face became concerned.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes."
"Are you sure?"
"It is fiction."
Jisuk stared.
"Of course she's reading something like that."
Asuka tilted her head.
"It is interesting."
"What's it about?"
"Meaninglessness."
"That title really didn't lie."
Asuka turned a page.
"The protagonist is beginning to understand that if life has no predetermined meaning, he is free to assign meaning through action, affection, and choice."
Jiwoo's expression softened.
"That sounds nice."
Jisuk whipped toward him.
"How did you get nice from that?"
Jiwoo smiled.
"Because it means the things we care about matter because we care about them."
Asuka nodded.
"Exactly."
Wooin considered.
"That is comforting."
Jisuk stared between the two of them.
Then at Asuka.
Then Jiwoo.
Then Wooin.
"No. Absolutely not. Don't all three of you start forming a book club around that title."
Asuka said, "You may join."
"I refuse."
"It has a second volume."
"Why?!"
"The ending implied there is more existential dread."
Jiwoo smiled.
"Maybe we can read it together."
Jisuk pointed at him.
"You are recovering from burns. Recover better."
"That doesn't mean I can't read."
"It does if the book is called Life Is Meaningless!"
Kayden took another treat.
Jisuk froze again.
Kayden had taken it without permission.
Or rather, Kayden had decided permission was beneath him.
Jisuk immediately lowered the packet more.
Jiwoo watched, fascinated.
"Casein Nitrate really likes those."
Kayden's eyes narrowed.
Jisuk nodded quickly.
"Good taste."
Kayden stared.
Jisuk added, "Dignified taste."
Kayden chewed.
Asuka's mouth twitched.
Jiwoo beamed.
"You're complimenting him now."
Jisuk's expression stiffened.
"No, I'm not."
"You said he has good taste."
"That's not a compliment."
"It sounded like one."
Asuka said softly, "It can be."
Kayden's head turned slowly toward her.
Asuka turned another page as if she had not spoken.
Jisuk's eyes widened.
She was doing Kayden's thing back to him.
In front of him.
Fearless.
Terrifying.
Insane.
Kayden stared at her for a long second.
Then clicked his tongue and ate another treat.
Jisuk understood in that moment that Asuka Seo feared neither death nor consequence.
Jiwoo sat down on the floor near the cats, still smiling.
"Jisuk, you don't have to sit like that."
"I said I'm comfortable."
"But your knees—"
"My knees are fine."
Wooin looked at him.
"You are sweating."
"It's warm."
"It is not."
"I run hot."
Kayden's eyes shifted toward him.
Jisuk immediately lowered his voice.
"…Sometimes."
Asuka's shoulders shook.
Jisuk hissed quietly, "Stop enjoying this."
"I am reading."
"You're smiling."
"The book is good."
"It's called Life Is Meaningless!"
"Yes. Very compelling."
Jiwoo looked at the book curiously.
"What part are you on?"
Asuka's expression brightened faintly.
"The protagonist has just decided to buy a plant."
Jiwoo smiled.
"That sounds hopeful."
"It might die."
"Oh."
"Symbolically."
"Oh…"
Wooin said, "Plants are difficult to maintain depending on species."
Jiwoo nodded seriously.
"That's true."
Jisuk stared at them again.
There it was.
The soft insane circle.
He was surrounded.
He looked down.
Kayden sat directly in front of him now, having finished several treats.
The orange cat stared up at him.
Jisuk's spine straightened.
Kayden lifted one paw.
Jisuk flinched.
Kayden's eyes narrowed.
The paw lowered to tap the packet.
Once.
Jisuk understood.
Immediately.
He opened the packet wider.
Kayden took another treat.
Jiwoo gasped softly.
"Oh, he asked you!"
Jisuk's soul screamed.
"He did?"
Jiwoo nodded, delighted.
"He tapped it with his paw. He's so smart."
Kayden paused mid-chew.
Jisuk stared at Jiwoo.
Wooin stared too.
Asuka closed her book slightly, not because she was finished, but because this had become too entertaining to split attention.
Jiwoo continued, entirely unaware of the danger.
"Casein Nitrate understands a lot."
Kayden swallowed.
Jisuk's sweat increased.
Jiwoo smiled fondly.
"Sometimes it feels like he understands everything we say."
Jisuk and Wooin both went still.
Kayden went still too.
Asuka rested her chin lightly on one hand.
"Oh?"
Jiwoo blinked.
"What?"
Jisuk's voice came out thin.
"Everything?"
Jiwoo nodded.
"Yeah. He reacts when we talk, and sometimes he gets annoyed at specific words."
Kayden's eyes slowly moved toward Jiwoo.
Jiwoo smiled down at him.
"Like when we call him fluffy."
The room froze.
Asuka's lips parted slightly.
Not from fear.
From delight.
Kayden's fur rose.
Jisuk felt his life expectancy drop.
Wooin stared at the floor like a man refusing involvement in a crime scene.
Jiwoo, sweet and doomed, continued.
"Or chubby."
Jisuk slapped a hand over Jiwoo's mouth.
Too late.
Kayden's eyes sharpened into twin blades.
Jiwoo blinked behind Jisuk's hand.
Jisuk laughed nervously.
"He's injured. Hospital medication. Don't listen to him."
Jiwoo mumbled something.
Jisuk kept his hand firmly in place.
Kayden stared.
Jisuk lowered his head.
"My apologies."
Wooin closed his eyes.
Asuka quietly set a bookmark in Life Is Meaningless.
This was better than the book.
Kayden looked at Jisuk's hand covering Jiwoo's mouth.
Then at Jisuk.
Then, slowly, he reached up with one paw and tapped the packet again.
Jisuk immediately understood the terms of mercy.
He offered another treat.
Kayden accepted.
The crisis passed.
For now.
Jisuk slowly removed his hand.
Jiwoo inhaled.
"Jisuk, why did you—"
"Don't."
"But—"
"Don't."
Jiwoo tilted his head.
"Are you scared of Casein Nitrate?"
Jisuk's face went blank.
Wooin choked quietly.
Asuka's shoulders shook once.
Kayden stared.
Jisuk's pride rose from its grave.
"Scared?"
Jiwoo nodded.
Jisuk forced a scoff.
"Of a cat?"
Kayden's eyes narrowed.
Jisuk's scoff died.
He bowed his head again.
"Respectful."
Jiwoo blinked.
"Huh?"
"I am respectful of cats."
Asuka murmured, "Very respectful."
Jisuk glared at her with pure suffering.
"You're enjoying this."
"Yes."
"At least lie."
"No."
Jiwoo smiled warmly.
"I'm glad. Cats deserve respect."
Jisuk dragged a hand down his face.
"You don't understand anything."
Jiwoo looked concerned.
"Did I say something wrong?"
"No."
"Are you sure?"
"No."
"Which one?"
"I don't know anymore!"
Kayden finished the last treat he wanted and turned away, apparently satisfied with the tribute.
He hopped back onto the couch corner and settled down, looking outwardly like a lazy cat preparing for a nap.
Jisuk did not believe it for a second.
That was a monster resting.
A threat recharging.
A king returning to his throne.
Jiwoo watched Kayden fondly.
"He seems happy."
Kayden's tail flicked once.
Asuka said, "He is pleased."
"I am not," Kayden muttered.
Jisuk's eye twitched.
Wooin looked quietly into the distance, perhaps reevaluating every decision that had led him to this living room.
Asuka reopened her book.
Kayden glanced at the title again.
Life Is Meaningless.
Then looked at Jisuk kneeling on the floor with a half-empty treat packet in his hands, sweating under the weight of a secret he was clearly not emotionally equipped to carry.
Kayden's mouth curved faintly.
Maybe the book had a point.
Life was meaningless.
But sometimes, apparently, it was also absurd.
Asuka turned another page.
"The plant survived," she said softly.
Jiwoo brightened.
"That's good."
Wooin nodded.
"Unexpected."
Jisuk stared at the ceiling.
"I hate it here."
Kayden's eyes flicked toward him.
Jisuk immediately bowed his head.
"I mean respectfully."
Asuka's smile widened behind the book.
The cats curled around them.
The afternoon settled golden and warm through the windows.
Inside, Jisuk Yoo knelt before an orange cat with treats in hand while Jiwoo wondered if cats understood philosophy.
Asuka turned the page, serene and delighted.
For once, the chapter was not the most interesting thing in the room.
The conversation eventually shifted.
Mostly because Jiwoo, unaware of the invisible war happening between Jisuk and Kayden over cat treats, remembered something from school.
"Oh," Jiwoo said, still sitting on the floor with the tabby trying to climb into his lap. "Wooin."
Wooin looked up from where the black cat had settled across his knees.
"Yes?"
"That girl from earlier."
Jisuk's hand froze around the cat treat packet.
Asuka turned a page.
Not because she needed to.
Because she already knew where this was going.
The woman asking about Wooin.
Subin Lee.
Granddaughter of the Union leader.
Ice-type awakener.
Sharp tongue.
Proud posture.
Another thread in the future.
Another person who would eventually end up in their strange, steadily growing friend group despite everyone involved making that as difficult as possible.
Asuka had seen flashes.
Subin standing in the Seo living room, loudly denying affection while secretly petting a cat.
Subin arguing with Jisuk loudly enough to make Jiwoo panic.
Subin and Wooin standing side by side under snow-bright light.
Subin watching Jiwoo with irritation that slowly shifted into reluctant fondness.
A future friend, then.
A difficult one.
Most of them seemed to be.
Asuka lifted her head slightly.
"The one who came looking for you?"
Wooin nodded faintly.
"Yes."
Jiwoo leaned forward.
"Have you figured out why she was looking for you?"
Wooin's hand paused on the black cat's back.
"No."
Jisuk clicked his tongue.
"Subin Lee."
Jiwoo looked at him.
"You know her?"
"Everyone knows her."
Jisuk's voice carried the particular irritation of someone who had known another person long enough to have built a lifelong grudge out of childhood encounters.
"She's the granddaughter of the Union's leader. Basically Union royalty."
Wooin listened quietly.
Jiwoo blinked.
"Oh…"
Asuka closed the book halfway, one finger still keeping her place.
"Have you met her before?"
Jisuk scoffed.
"A couple of times. When we were kids. Awakened group gatherings and that kind of annoying stuff."
His expression darkened as if the memories personally offended him.
"Her awakened power is ice, like the Union's force control."
Kayden sat in front of him, watching the packet.
Jisuk, without thinking, held the treat out more respectfully.
Kayden reached one paw forward, pressed the packet down, and squeezed the treat out with terrifying competence.
Jisuk stared.
How.
How could a cat do that?
All the other cats ate from the floor like normal animals.
They sniffed.
They licked.
They pawed at things.
This one understood packaging.
This one used pressure.
This one had technique.
Jisuk's eye twitched.
And these three were not finding it odd.
No.
That was wrong.
Wooin probably found it odd and had chosen survival through silence.
Asuka definitely found it odd and was enjoying his suffering.
Jiwoo, somehow, had entered a higher state of cat fanaticism where all strange behavior became proof of cuteness.
Jisuk stared at Kayden as the orange cat calmly licked another treat from the packet.
Then he remembered he was speaking.
"Anyway. Ice suits her."
Jiwoo tilted his head.
"Why?"
Jisuk's mouth curled.
"Because she's a cold, heartless bitch."
"Jisuk," Jiwoo said immediately.
"What? She is."
Asuka's mouth curved faintly.
"Childhood gatherings must have been lively."
"They were terrible."
Wooin asked quietly, "Did she dislike you?"
Jisuk looked personally insulted.
"She disliked everyone."
A pause.
"And I disliked her first."
Jiwoo smiled awkwardly.
"That sounds complicated."
"It is not complicated. She's annoying."
Asuka hummed.
"Similar temperaments often clash."
Jisuk stared at her.
"Are you saying we're similar?"
"I am suggesting there may be overlap."
"There is no overlap."
Kayden squeezed the packet again.
Jisuk immediately adjusted his grip so Kayden could get more.
Asuka's shoulders moved once.
Jisuk glared at her.
"Stop."
"I have said nothing."
"You're laughing internally."
"Yes."
Jiwoo looked between them, confused, then turned back to Wooin.
"But why would she be looking for you?"
Wooin lowered his gaze.
"I don't know."
Jiwoo frowned.
"However I look at it… I don't think it was for a good reason."
Jisuk clicked his tongue.
"For once, your instincts aren't completely useless."
Jiwoo blinked.
"That means you agree?"
"I said be careful."
Jisuk leaned back slightly, though his knees were still on the floor in front of Kayden like he had entered permanent court service.
"Subin came up asking about you earlier. I told her I didn't know any idiot named Wooin."
Wooin blinked.
Jiwoo blinked harder.
"You lied?"
Jisuk scoffed.
"Of course I did."
"But Wooin was standing behind you."
"That's what made it funny."
Wooin looked down at the black cat.
"I see."
Jiwoo's mouth opened.
Closed.
Then softened.
"Were you trying to protect him?"
Jisuk's head snapped toward him.
"No."
Asuka turned another page.
Kayden continued licking the treat.
Wooin looked at Jisuk quietly.
Jisuk's face reddened.
"I said no."
Jiwoo smiled.
Jisuk pointed at him.
"Don't look at me like that."
"I didn't say anything."
"You were thinking it."
"You can tell?"
"Yes. Your face is loud."
Asuka murmured, "Accurate."
Jiwoo looked surprised.
"My face is loud?"
Wooin considered.
"Sometimes."
Jiwoo looked mildly distressed.
Jisuk wanted to yell.
Instead, Kayden tapped the empty treat packet with one paw.
Jisuk immediately replaced it with another.
His pride died quietly in the corner.
They did not dwell on Subin for long.
Not because the matter was unimportant.
Because cats existed.
The moment Jiwoo picked up the feather toy, the tabby launched itself onto his shoulder like a climber scaling a mountain.
Jiwoo laughed, careful not to move too suddenly.
"You're so energetic today."
The tabby meowed directly into his ear.
Wooin sat with the black cat in his lap, one hand moving slowly over its back. The cat had melted across him with absolute trust, eyes half-closed, tail flicking lazily.
The black-and-white cat had returned to playing with her own tail, batting at it with solemn concentration as if the tail were an enemy separate from herself.
The grey scarred cat stayed, of course, with Asuka.
Its body leaned against her thigh, scarred face tipped slightly upward while she stroked between its ears with a gentleness that made the cat purr so deeply it vibrated against the floor.
And Jisuk remained kneeling by Kayden.
Still.
Somehow.
With another cat chew packet in his hands.
Kayden stared at him.
Deadpan.
Jisuk held out the treat.
Respectfully.
Too respectfully.
Kayden looked at the packet.
Then at Jisuk.
Then at the room.
Jiwoo was laughing with the tabby on his shoulder.
Wooin was quietly bonding with a cat like this was normal.
Asuka was reading again, but her mouth was curved with far too much amusement.
Kayden's eyes narrowed.
This could not continue.
Jisuk's behavior had crossed from caution into suspicious ritual.
Even Jiwoo would notice eventually.
Possibly.
Maybe.
Kayden hopped down from the couch.
Jisuk immediately stiffened.
Kayden walked toward the hallway leading to the yard door.
Then glanced back.
"Follow me."
To everyone else, it was a low, commanding meow.
Jisuk's spine snapped straighter.
"Yes."
The word came out instantly.
Too instantly.
Everyone looked up.
Jiwoo blinked.
Wooin blinked.
Asuka finally lowered her book.
Kayden stopped mid-step.
Jisuk froze.
The room held its breath.
Jisuk's eyes darted from Jiwoo to Wooin to Asuka.
Then back to Kayden.
He stood awkwardly.
"Huh?"
Jiwoo tilted his head.
"Jisuk?"
Jisuk forced out a laugh.
A terrible one.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah…"
He took one stiff step after Kayden.
Then another.
"Woah, yeah…"
Jiwoo stared.
Wooin stared.
Jisuk continued, voice rising and falling like someone had forced him to sing at knifepoint.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah…"
Asuka's book lowered completely.
The corners of her mouth trembled.
Jiwoo frowned in concern.
"Are you… singing?"
Wooin looked thoughtful.
"He cannot sing at all."
Jiwoo nodded softly.
"No…"
Jisuk heard them.
His eyebrow twitched.
You idiots dare judge my vocals?
How ungrateful.
I'm saving your oblivious skins.
He continued walking with wounded dignity.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah…"
The door to the yard slid shut behind him.
The moment they were outside and out of earshot, Kayden turned.
Jisuk immediately straightened.
Kayden stared up at him.
"What are you doing?"
Jisuk blinked.
"What do you mean?"
Kayden's eyes narrowed.
"Why are you acting weird in front of me?"
Jisuk sweat-dropped.
"I'm not acting weird."
"You kneeled in front of me for thirty minutes."
"That's just how I am."
Kayden stared.
Then, very slowly, said, "The fuck kind of nonsense is that?"
Jisuk flinched.
Kayden's tail lashed.
"The way you're acting is unnatural."
"I'm acting normal."
"You are not."
"I am."
"You answered me out loud."
Jisuk went pale.
Kayden stepped closer.
"One job. You have one job."
"I know."
"Act normal."
"I am acting normal."
"You are acting like a servant who thinks I'll kill him if he blinks wrong."
Jisuk's expression stiffened.
Kayden stared harder.
"…That is not helping."
Jisuk clasped his hands together.
Not fully kneeling this time.
Almost.
"Please don't worry. I'll keep your secret."
Kayden's eyes narrowed.
Jisuk rushed on, sweating.
"I'll act normal. Just like now. No one will suspect anything."
Kayden sighed.
"Bullshit."
Jisuk flinched again.
"You've already been acting weird."
"Please trust me."
"Why would I?"
"I'll never speak of the things I witnessed."
Kayden stared at him.
"Really?"
Jisuk nodded rapidly.
"Really."
"Even if you're asked by your sister, Jiyoung Yoo?"
Jisuk's face changed.
Not fear.
Not exactly.
Something more complicated.
His sister was terrifying.
His sister was also his sister.
But when it came to secrets, especially dangerous ones, Jisuk understood one thing very well.
Jiyoung saw too much when people talked.
So the safest thing around her was sometimes silence.
"Of course," Jisuk said.
Kayden watched him.
"I already told her I didn't know anything. Besides…"
Jisuk scratched the side of his face.
"When it comes to her, it's actually easier not to say anything."
Kayden's eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
"Hm."
Jisuk sensed opportunity.
He was being considered.
Evaluated.
Possibly not murdered.
Good.
He just needed another push.
He reached into his jacket and pulled out another cat chew packet.
Kayden's face went flat.
Jisuk knelt in front of him and held it out with both hands.
Subtlety was dead.
Bribery remained.
"Here."
Kayden stared at the treat.
Then at Jisuk.
Jisuk smiled nervously.
The packet sagged slightly as the treat began slipping out.
Kayden took it into his mouth.
Slowly.
Dignified.
Still glaring.
"I'll be watching you," Kayden said around the treat.
Jisuk nodded quickly.
"Yes."
"You slip once, and I'll—"
"I know. My ass is dead."
Kayden paused.
Then swallowed.
"Good."
Jisuk grinned.
He had passed.
Somehow.
The front door opened.
Jisuk shot up from his knees like someone had set the ground on fire.
Jiwoo, Wooin, and Asuka stepped out.
Jiwoo held a bag of cat food.
Wooin carried a small container.
Asuka had put her book aside and now stood with the grey cat rubbing against her ankle.
Jisuk blinked.
"Huh? You guys going somewhere?"
Jiwoo smiled.
"Yeah, we're going to feed the strays. We came straight here without doing that, remember?"
Jisuk stared.
Right.
Strays.
Of course.
Jiwoo looked hopeful.
"Do you want to come too?"
Jisuk opened his mouth automatically.
"Have you lost it? Why would I do that for—"
He stopped.
His gaze flicked down.
Kayden sat near his foot.
Looking up at him.
Silent.
Round.
Deadly.
If Jisuk refused, Jiwoo, Wooin, and Asuka would leave.
Which meant Jisuk would be alone.
With fatty.
With the talking murder cat.
The cat who had already proven he could slap a man into obedience.
Jisuk's survival instincts screamed.
He changed course mid-sentence.
"…for such a short time? Obviously I'll go."
Jiwoo brightened.
"Really?"
Jisuk shoved his hands into his pockets.
"Don't look so happy."
"I am happy."
"Stop."
Asuka's mouth curved.
Kayden stared at Jisuk with the expression of someone who understood exactly why he had changed his mind.
Jisuk avoided looking at him.
Feeding strays was, apparently, a full operation.
Jiwoo moved through the neighborhood with practiced care, stopping at corners, alleys, and small hidden spaces where cats began appearing before he even opened the food.
Asuka walked beside him, carrying extra containers and occasionally crouching to check on a cat's ear, paw, or eye.
Wooin moved quietly with them, careful not to startle the more timid ones. Some approached him after watching Jiwoo do so first. The black cat scent clinging to his clothes seemed to help.
Jisuk stood back.
Arms crossed.
Watching.
Cats emerged from everywhere.
Under parked cars.
Behind crates.
Along walls.
From narrow gaps Jisuk would not have thought anything could fit through.
Jiwoo crouched among them, smiling like this was the greatest joy available in life.
"There you go. Eat slowly."
A small brown cat meowed.
Jiwoo's face softened.
"Yes, I missed you too."
Jisuk stared.
Does he really get this much pleasure from doing this?
Asuka gently set down another bowl, grey cat from home trailing near her feet as if supervising quality control.
Wooin watched Jiwoo with quiet curiosity, then placed food near a shy black kitten hiding behind a pipe.
The kitten crept forward.
Wooin's expression softened when it began eating.
Jisuk looked at the cats.
Then thought of the Seo house.
All of their cats were strays.
Every single one.
Including—
His thoughts flicked toward the fat orange cat.
That's it.
Jisuk's eyes sharpened.
If Jiwoo could find a powerful stray cat, then why couldn't he?
It was possible.
Clearly.
The world was insane enough.
He just needed to find one too.
A strong one.
A terrifying one.
A cat that could match the fatty.
His imagination supplied the image instantly.
A large, tacky brown cat.
Equally fat.
Equally round.
But with ferocious aura blazing behind it, eyes burning with killing intent, fur ruffling dramatically in the wind.
Jisuk stood beside it, arms crossed, laughing while his own powerful cat faced Kayden.
Yes.
That was it.
Just to be safe, he would choose a cat as similar as possible.
Fat.
Tacky.
Brown.
A rival fatty.
His mouth slowly curled into an evil smile.
Across the feeding spot, Jiwoo and Wooin both noticed.
Jiwoo paused with a food scoop in hand.
"Jisuk?"
Wooin looked at him quietly.
"He is smiling strangely."
Jiwoo nodded.
"Very strangely."
Asuka, crouched beside a white-and-orange stray, glanced back.
She saw Jisuk's expression.
She saw the future possibility of Jisuk trying to collect an army of fat stray cats and failing catastrophically.
Her smile warmed.
She said nothing.
Sometimes, it was best to let people make their own mistakes.
Then a voice cut through the alley.
"Jisuk Yoo."
Jisuk's evil smile died instantly.
He turned.
Subin Lee stood at the entrance of the alley, arms folded, expression sharp enough to freeze the air around her.
Her hair caught the light as she stepped forward, eyes narrowed with fury.
Jisuk's face twisted.
"Why are you still here?"
Subin's mouth curled.
"You really played me for a fool."
Jisuk stared.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
Subin lifted one hand and pointed.
Straight at Wooin.
"That guy's Wooin!"
Wooin, still squatting beside a food bowl, blinked up at her.
A small grey stray continued eating beside his shoe, uninterested in awakened politics.
Jisuk glanced at Wooin.
Then back at Subin.
"And?"
Subin's jaw dropped.
"And?"
Jisuk put both hands into his pockets, face careless.
"That's right. So what?"
Subin's eyes flashed.
"You said you didn't know when I asked!"
Jisuk shrugged.
"True."
Her expression tightened.
"And now you know."
Subin's hands curled into fists.
"Jisuk Yoo…!"
Jisuk's gaze darkened as well.
The air around him shifted, wind stirring faintly against the ground.
"What's wrong?"
His voice dropped.
"You wanna go right now?"
Subin smiled coldly.
"I don't see why not."
Ice flickered around her fingertips.
Jiwoo stiffened.
Asuka's head lifted.
The grey cat near her ankle paused eating and looked toward Subin with quiet, animal irritation.
Before either Jisuk or Subin could move, Wooin stood.
"Wait."
Everyone looked at him.
His voice was quiet, but firmer than usual.
"The one you're here for is me, not Jisuk."
Subin's eyes shifted toward him.
Wooin continued, "So rather than lashing out at him, why don't you talk to me?"
For a moment, Subin studied him.
Then her eyes slid back toward Jisuk.
"Ho ho."
Her mouth curled.
"I see Jisuk Yoo the scumbag has changed."
Jisuk's head turned slowly.
"I've changed, you say?"
"That's right."
Subin pointed toward Wooin.
"Before, you never had any friends that stood up for you like this."
Jisuk froze.
Her smile sharpened, crueler now because she knew where to hit.
"Actually, you never even had anyone around you to call a friend."
The alley went quiet.
Jiwoo's face softened.
Wooin looked toward Jisuk.
Asuka's fingers stilled on the food container.
Subin continued, too satisfied with the opening to notice the way the atmosphere shifted.
"Come to think of it, you lied and said you didn't know him for his sake too, didn't you?"
Jisuk's face flushed with immediate offense.
"Bullshit!"
Wooin and Jiwoo glanced at him.
Softly.
Oh.
"I see."
Jisuk's anger exploded.
"No, I didn't! Will you stop saying that?!"
Jiwoo pressed his lips together.
Wooin looked away politely.
That made it worse.
Jisuk pointed at both of them.
"Don't look like you understand!"
Subin's eyes narrowed, less amused now.
Wooin stepped forward slightly.
"So, what have you come to see me for?"
Subin's attention returned to him.
Her expression shifted into something proud again.
"The Union offered to accept you."
Jiwoo's eyes widened.
Wooin nodded.
"I did receive the offer."
Subin's eyes sharpened.
"And you declined."
"I didn't decline," Wooin said calmly. "I simply asked for a little more time to think about it."
"That's the same thing!"
Subin's voice rose.
"Mr. Park himself offered you a chance to join in person. You're a kid who hasn't even had his awakened powers officially evaluated. And you dared ask him for more time to think it over?"
Jiwoo flinched at the volume.
Then, despite himself, spoke up.
"Um…"
Subin turned sharply.
Jiwoo smiled nervously but did not back down.
"Is there something wrong with that?"
Subin stared.
"What?"
Jiwoo's voice remained gentle.
"It's natural to want to think over a sudden offer."
Subin's expression darkened.
"Who the heck are you?"
The air beside Jiwoo cooled.
Not from Subin.
From Asuka.
Her bandaged face turned toward Subin.
The motion was small.
Quiet.
Jisuk noticed.
Wooin, who had seen enough now to understand that Asuka's stillness was not harmless, noticed too.
Asuka did not like Subin's tone.
Jiwoo blinked.
"Me?"
Then he smiled, simple and bright.
"I'm Wooin and Jisuk's friend."
Subin froze.
"Friend?"
The word seemed to irritate her more than any insult.
"Now everyone thinks—"
Jisuk stepped forward.
Enough.
His face had lost the embarrassed flush from earlier.
Now he just looked annoyed.
Dangerously so.
"Hey, Subin Lee."
Subin's mouth snapped shut.
Jisuk's voice was sharp.
"Don't you think that's enough?"
Her eyes narrowed.
"These guys don't know about that kind of stuff," Jisuk said. "It hasn't been long since they learned about Shinhwa and the Union."
Jiwoo looked at him.
Wooin did too.
Jisuk continued, "They don't even know what it means to be asked to join such groups personally."
Subin's expression shifted.
Shock, briefly.
"What?"
Her gaze moved back to Wooin.
Wooin lowered his head slightly.
"I understand now."
Subin frowned.
Wooin's voice stayed quiet.
"Things will be settled if I just don't join the Union, right?"
Subin's eyes widened.
"What?"
"If it hurts your feelings that much," Wooin said, "I'll tell Mr. Park that I won't be joining the Union."
His gaze lifted.
"Is that all?"
For a second, Subin looked like she had been struck.
Not physically.
Worse.
Misunderstood in exactly the wrong direction.
Her face reddened with anger.
Jisuk watched.
Then something in him shifted.
His mouth curled.
A terrible idea arrived.
He pulled out his phone.
Subin's eyes snapped toward him.
"What are you doing?"
Jisuk pressed call.
"Mr. Park?"
Subin froze.
Wooin blinked.
Jiwoo blinked.
Asuka tilted her head.
Jisuk spoke loudly, shamelessly, with the confidence of someone weaponizing adult supervision.
"Subin Lee is bullying Wooin."
Subin's face went completely blank.
Then exploded.
"What?!"
Jisuk turned slightly away and continued.
"Yeah, and a while ago she came to the school and made a huge scene. She's doing the same to Wooin right now."
Subin's eyes blazed.
"Jisuk Yoo!"
Jisuk nodded as if listening seriously.
"Yeah. She's shouting."
Subin screamed, "What the hell are you doing?!"
Jisuk leaned away from the phone slightly.
"Hey, you hear that?"
Jiwoo's mouth parted.
Wooin stared.
Asuka's lips pressed together.
Jisuk continued, voice perfectly grave.
"You hear her screaming, right? I think she's completely lost it. It's kinda scary."
Subin charged at him.
"You idiot! Stop it! Hang up right now!"
Jisuk dodged backward with wind-enhanced footwork, phone still at his ear.
"I need you to come quickly."
Subin lunged again, ice forming around her hand.
Jisuk jumped back onto a low wall.
"See? She's attacking now."
"I am not attacking!"
"You're forming ice!"
"Because you're lying!"
"I'm reporting."
"You're snitching!"
Jisuk looked offended.
"To an adult. Responsibly."
Jiwoo blinked.
Wooin blinked.
Asuka blinked beneath her bandages.
Subin screamed and rushed him again.
Jisuk leapt off the wall and dodged behind Jiwoo.
Jiwoo immediately panicked.
"W-wait, please don't fight here! The cats are eating!"
The strays continued eating in the background, completely unbothered.
Asuka calmly picked up a nearby kitten and moved it three feet away from Subin's path.
Subin pointed at Jisuk.
"Come out from behind him!"
Jisuk peered over Jiwoo's shoulder.
"No."
Jiwoo looked back at him.
"Jisuk…"
"I'm injured."
"You were jumping around."
"Emotionally injured."
Wooin said quietly, "That is different."
"Don't help her!"
Subin's eyes flicked toward Wooin again.
Her anger wavered for the briefest moment, complicated by his calm face, Jiwoo's genuine confusion, Asuka's silent disapproval, and Jisuk's absolute shamelessness.
Then Jisuk spoke into the phone again.
"Yes, Mr. Park. She's still here."
Subin's entire face went crimson.
"Give me that phone!"
Jisuk bolted.
Subin chased him.
Jiwoo turned in place, helpless.
"Should we stop them?"
Wooin watched Jisuk run around a parked scooter while Subin tried to corner him with ice.
"I am not sure."
Asuka set the kitten down beside its food.
"It may be beneficial to let them tire themselves out."
Jisuk's voice echoed from the alley mouth.
"Mr. Park, please hurry! She's about to murder me!"
Subin shouted, "I'm going to murder you because you keep saying that!"
Jisuk yelled into the phone, "Did you hear that?! Direct threat!"
Jiwoo covered his mouth.
Wooin's shoulders shook once.
Asuka's smile warmed.
The strays ate peacefully.
The afternoon continued.
And somewhere far away, Seongha Park was probably experiencing a headache powerful enough to count as an awakened attack.
----