By Zephyria Tae-jun looked at Yumin’s face and thought to himself. His expression wasn’t good, and it seemed like he disliked it.
It was the moment he was about to back down, thinking today might not work. Yumin suddenly grabbed Tae-jun’s wrist. Then, he enclosed Tae-jun’s large hand within his own small one and blurted out.
“Tae-jun, I’ll do well.”
“What?”
“I’ll really do well. Even though I’ve never done well before!”
“Yumin, what are you talking about?”
“No, forget you heard that. Shall we go then? Let’s go quickly.”
Yumin immediately started the taxi app, saying they should call a taxi. Seeing his face full of excitement, Tae-jun couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh.
Yumin likes me too, that’s for sure. He must have understood what I meant by going to my place, yet he doesn’t dislike it.
Both of them were thinking the same thing.
As they got into the taxi and headed to Tae-jun’s officetel, they both indulged in passionate fantasies. The only problem was that both of them thought they were the dominant one.
Just then, a sensual song began to play on the radio. Listening to the saxophone melody, Yumin bit his lip.
Today, I become an adult. Alright, Go Yumin! The time has finally come!
Seeing Yumin’s determined expression, Tae-jun struggled to suppress his laughter.
Before they knew it, the taxi arrived in front of Tae-jun’s officetel.
“Yumin, we’re here. Why aren’t you getting out?”
“What? I didn’t know!”
Yumin, fumbling to follow, headed towards the entrance somewhat dazed. As they got into the elevator, Yumin naturally pressed the button for Tae-jun’s floor.
“Huh? How did you know which floor it was?”
He had transformed into a wildcat and visited so often that he pressed the floor button without looking. Realizing his mistake, Yumin quickly made an excuse.
“I just pressed it randomly. Did I get it right?”
“You get so many things right. It’s fun.”
“I know, right? I have good intuition…”
He mumbled vaguely, feeling tense inside.
After getting out of the elevator, Yumin deliberately walked behind Tae-jun. He didn’t want to give away that he knew which corridor it was.
“Welcome.”
“Thank you for having me.”
Yumin stepped into the entrance, pretending it was his first time, even though he had been there many times before. As always, Tae-jun’s place was neat and spotless.
“Make yourself comfortable.”
“Thanks.”
Tae-jun took out some fruit and cheese from the refrigerator and a bottle of white wine from the wine cellar. While he did that, Yumin sat on the sofa, looking around the living room. Tae-jun poured him a glass of wine as he sat there, deliberately acting a little awkward.
“How is it? Delicious?”
“Yes. The wine is delicious. The one we had earlier was good too, but this is really sweet and tasty.”
“That’s a relief. This one is actually dangerous.”
“Dangerous?”
“It means you shouldn’t drink it outside. You should drink it at home like this.”
“Really?”
Tae-jun nodded and gently lifted Yumin’s chin with his finger. The moment their eyes met, Yumin almost purred. He quickly regained his composure, barely managing to suppress the purr.
Just the touch of Tae-jun’s fingertips felt so good that his whole body melted like sticky rice cake. He wondered if it was possible to feel this ecstatic just by meeting someone’s gaze.
Without realizing it, he wrapped his arms around Tae-jun’s neck. He had originally wanted to wash up, put on a robe, and set a relaxed mood, but he couldn’t hold back any longer. He wanted to pull Tae-jun down right here, right now.
Yes, this is the moment!
As if reading Yumin’s mind, Tae-jun slowly leaned in. Yumin swallowed hard and looked at Tae-jun’s lips. Just like in dramas, he knew a kiss would begin when their lips met.
The two faces drew closer. The moment their breaths mingled, with no space left between them, Tae-jun raised his hand and lightly stroked Yumin’s dry back. Then, his touch moved slowly upwards, brushing against Yumin’s nape.
Lost in ecstasy, Yumin didn’t notice. His hand moved higher, grasping the brim of his hat. The hat slid off. His hair was gradually revealed. Tae-jun’s hand gently stroked Yumin’s hair. In that instant, Yumin felt a chill.
No. If I take off my hat like this, my ears will show!
Drunk on alcohol and the atmosphere, Yumin had forgotten about his ears. Sensing the crisis, Yumin pushed Tae-jun away with all his might.
Oops, did I push too hard?
Tae-jun fell back spectacularly. The wine spilled, staining the sofa.
“…Tae-jun, are you okay?”
“What’s wrong?”
Tae-jun let out a disbelieving laugh. The mood had been so romantic just moments ago, so why was Yumin suddenly acting so serious? Yumin was clearly responding to his kiss. They both knew the atmosphere was leading to them collapsing onto the sofa. So why?
“I’m sorry! I’m really sorry!”
Yumin scrambled up and ran towards the entrance. He opened the door and bolted out at full speed, not wanting Tae-jun to follow.
I’m truly sorry. It’s a shame to miss this chance, but I can’t do this.
Yumin grabbed the doorknob. But Tae-jun was faster. Tae-jun’s strong grip held Yumin’s forearm.
“Don’t go.”
“Tae-jun.”
Yumin froze, unable to move.
“Why are you leaving? Do you hate me?”
“No! It’s not that.”
Yumin managed to reply, his lips barely moving.
“Then why are you running away?”
“It’s… hard to explain.”
Yumin knew he couldn’t give a proper answer. It was obvious that if he ran out now, things between him and Tae-jun would become awkward. But he had no idea how to salvage the situation. If Yumin had better conversational skills, he would have melted Tae-jun long ago.
“Then don’t go.”
“What?”
“I said don’t go.”
Tae-jun’s voice held an irresistible power. The subtle pressure of his hand, his warm body heat, his burning gaze, his husky voice—all of it wrapped around Yumin like ropes.
He wanted to roll around with Tae-jun right then and there. If it weren’t for these damned ears, he would have done it a hundred times.
“I’m sorry.”
“No. Give me a reason.”
He had to refuse Tae-jun. But he didn’t want to refuse so abruptly. Yumin searched for a contradictory answer and then had an idea.
“The bathroom.”
“Huh?”
“I really need to use the bathroom.”
Yumin regretted it the moment he said it. It was too embarrassing for a spur-of-the-moment excuse. He regretted how lame it was, but it was too late.
Tae-jun frowned and asked again.
“…Really?”
“Why would I lie? I’ve actually been holding it in since earlier.”
“Then why don’t you just use the bathroom here? Why leave?”
“Well, I… I can’t really go when someone else is around.”
“Don’t lie.”
“No, I’m telling the truth.”
Tae-jun’s suspicious gaze didn’t waver. Yumin was sweating, knowing his excuse was weak. Anyone would find it hard to believe if someone suddenly said they needed to go to the bathroom after such intimate moments.
A suffocating silence ensued. Tae-jun nodded and pointed to the door across the way with his hand.
“Is the bathroom over there?”
“Yeah. It’s there, so go and come back. That’s fine, right?”
Tae-jun’s words were perfectly accurate. Yumin was cornered. He had no choice but to pretend he desperately needed to go and rush to the bathroom.
“I’ll step out for a bit. Use it comfortably.”
“Thanks…”
Tae-jun politely left the apartment.
The sound of the door lock echoed in the living room. Yumin crouched in the bathroom, holding his hat, and sank down.
Ah, why did I do that? Of all the excuses, why the bathroom? I’m going crazy.
He regretted it. Even if Tae-jun came back, could they recreate that sensual atmosphere? He wondered why he had spouted such nonsense. He wanted to punch his past self from five minutes ago.
No, it’s not too late. Tae-jun didn’t tell me to get lost completely. He even stopped me.
Yumin slapped his cheeks, trying to regain his composure. To get out of this crisis, he had to fix it properly. The only way was to finish this like a man.
First, he had to get rid of the source of the problem: his wildcat ears. Yumin looked at himself in the bathroom mirror and carefully took off his hat.
His ears popped out. They had been pressed down by the hat, but they were definitely plumper and shinier than usual, with a significant presence.
I’m doomed. What should I do to make my ears disappear?
Yumin stomped his feet. If he stayed too long, Tae-jun would get suspicious. He couldn’t cut them off; what should he do? He even considered extreme measures. If there had been scissors in the bathroom, he might have tried it.
Then, an idea struck him. When a PC malfunctions, the best solution is to turn it off and reboot. Perhaps the ears worked on the same mechanism?
Yumin hypothesized that if he transformed into a wildcat and then back into a human, his ears would disappear. It was all or nothing. He judged that there was a high probability of returning as human Yumin without wildcat ears. Since he was in the bathroom, Tae-jun wouldn’t find out if he transformed here.
Alright, let’s fix this quickly.
Yumin closed his eyes and concentrated. With a pop, his body transformed into a small wildcat. Simultaneously, his clothes collapsed. Yumin barely managed to crawl out of the pile of clothes on all fours.
Stage one is a success. Now, if I transform back into a human, my ears should disappear.
Yumin took a deep breath and prayed to transform back into a human.
Oh, spirit of the wildcat! Change me back into a human body.
But something felt wrong. Normally, the transformation would happen instantly, but no matter how hard he tried, his body wouldn’t change. Yumin sweated profusely, continuing to pray. He was so tense that the pads of his paws were damp. His heart was pounding, about to burst.
This is strange. Why is this happening?
Unlike usual, there was no sign of transformation. In his desperation, Yumin screamed inwardly.
Just then. Beep beep. With the sound of the door lock, he heard Tae-jun entering the apartment.
Aargh, what do I do! Save me, wildcat!
It was a critical situation. Yumin’s mind raced. Then, he quickly ran and turned on the shower. As water poured down with a whoosh, Yumin swiftly exited the bathroom. It was fortunate that he had practiced opening doors as a wildcat.
Since Tae-jun hadn’t reached the bathroom yet, Yumin managed to head to the balcony without being seen.
Arriving at the balcony, Yumin licked his front paws and let out a pathetic meow.
“What is it, aren’t you Kkabyang-i?”
At the sound, Tae-jun rushed over to Yumin in surprise. Yumin, with all his might, meowed as pitifully and charmingly as a house cat. It was a situation that would have hurt his pride, but there was no other choice now.
Tae-jun scooped Yumin up and stroked his head.
“What’s wrong? But how did you get in? This is the 7th floor.”
The officetel’s structure made it impossible for a cat to enter from the outside. Unless it fell from the sky, it made no sense for a cat to have reached this floor.
Yumin deliberately burrowed into Tae-jun’s embrace and cried loudly. His tiny heart pounded. He had to somehow deceive Tae-jun and smooth over this situation.
“Meow.”
“Are you hungry?”
“Meow!”
“Okay, I’ll give you some food. There should be something edible.”
Tae-jun looked displeased, but he headed to the kitchen to feed Kkabyang-i.
Pausing on his way to the kitchen, Tae-jun suddenly glanced at the bathroom door. The sound of running water, just as Yumin had set it up, was still coming from there. Tae-jun stopped for a moment, thought, and then headed towards the bathroom.
“Yumin.”
Tae-jun knocked on the bathroom door.
“Yumin.”
He called out again, but only the sound of water answered from the bathroom. Of course. Because Yumin was currently being held in Tae-jun’s arms.
“Hmm, he must be showering.”
Tae-jun shrugged and moved on.
“Come on, let’s choose together. I bought a lot of delicious things for you anyway.”
Tae-jun opened the kitchen cabinets with Kkabyang-i in one arm. Tae-jun wasn’t lying; a variety of wet food and treats were visible in the drawers. For an ordinary cat, it would have been a sight to behold.
But Yumin was different. His goal was to distract Tae-jun. Yumin twisted and wriggled out of Tae-jun’s embrace. Escaping in an instant, Yumin mentally screamed, Run for your life! and dashed away.
“Hey, Kkabyang-i! Kkabyang-i!”
Tae-jun shouted, but Yumin ran without looking back. He slipped out onto the balcony again and, following the structure he had already noted, headed straight for the master bedroom’s balcony. He leaped over the windowsill and safely entered the bedroom.
Meanwhile, Tae-jun seemed to be searching the apartment for the escaped Kkabyang-i. Yumin held his breath and crept out of the bedroom. Then, he gently opened the bathroom door he had used earlier and quickly went inside.
Huff, huff. Success.
After circling the apartment, he had finally returned to his starting point. The bathroom was incredibly hot and humid. The floor was soaked from the continuous running water. But at this moment, he was happy to be inside the bathroom. Only one thing remained. To transform back into human Go Yumin.
Yumin crouched on the floor and prayed earnestly.
Spirit of the wildcat, my ancestors. Please. Just once, make me human.
3, 2, 1.
Pop!
With a sound, naked Yumin reappeared. He quickly looked in the mirror and, thankfully, his ears were gone, and he looked like his usual self.
Just as he let out a sigh of relief. Knock, knock. Tae-jun knocked from outside.
“Yumin, is everything okay?”
“Uh, no. Why?”
“I just heard a noise.”
“It’s fine. You can come in!”
“Ah, okay.”
At that moment, the bathroom door swung open. Yumin’s eyes met Tae-jun’s directly. Tae-jun looked at Yumin suspiciously.
“Why?”
“You’re… not wearing anything right now.”
“W-what? Crazy, you really aren’t!”
Yumin’s face turned deathly pale. In his haste to shift between wildcat and human, Yumin had forgotten to put his clothes back on. His entire body, from head to toe, was exposed. This was the second time in a few days that he had shown himself naked to Tae-jun.
I’m really not in my right mind.
Yumin felt like he was going to faint. He had nothing to say even if Tae-jun thought he was a complete pervert. However, Tae-jun’s reaction was slightly different from what Yumin expected.
“You’re really something else.”
“What do you mean?”
“You took them off on purpose, didn’t you? To show me. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have told me to come in.”
Tae-jun took a step into the bathroom. Yumin flinched and stepped back. Tae-jun seemed to approach slowly, then suddenly grabbed both of Yumin’s hands and held them above his head.
Unable to move, Yumin panicked. There was no escape.
“I won’t let you off this time.”
Tae-jun lowered his lips. Their lips met.
Lightning struck down Yumin’s spine. A thrilling current shot from head to toe, then set his heart ablaze with anxiety.
Yumin took a deep breath and pulled Tae-jun’s neck towards him. Tae-jun, in turn, released Yumin’s wrists and embraced his bare back. Surprisingly, Tae-jun’s palms were calloused and manly.
His wild touch moved down Yumin’s slender back and waist, then to his plump buttocks.
His entire body felt like it was melting, making him incredibly dizzy. His lips were sweet as honey, and Tae-jun’s scent was intoxicating. He wished time would stop, so deeply was Yumin lost in the kiss with Tae-jun.
What do I do, I can’t breathe… I’m going crazy.
Yumin forgot to breathe, completely absorbed in the kiss. In truth, he didn’t have the luxury to breathe. How could he breathe when it was so sweet and ecstatic? It was literally breathtaking excitement.
Amidst it all, something hard pressed against his thighs.