He instinctively understood—this was the long-awaited continuation of a sentence that had always been spoken in fragments, but never finished.
Still twisted in pain, with a face contorted in agony and a pitifully curled-up body, his master moved his lips again and again. Ries’s gaze was pulled there without conscious thought.
“You’re the only one, Ries. The only one who chose me, stayed by my side, and gave me unconditional affection.”
“……”
“So please… don’t leave me.”
The voice that spilled out was far heavier than Ries had expected—twice as heavy, at least.
His words grew fainter as he went on, and by the end, most of them had blurred into a murmur. But the final word was unmistakable.
Please.
A desperate plea. An earnest request. A raw, aching cry from the heart.
Ries’s front paw, caught in Justyn’s grip, twitched. The pink paw pad at the center was starting to sweat. Hearing these words in his cat form was too much—far too much.
But still. That was that, and this was this. Something didn’t add up here. That trembling whisper belonged to someone terrified of being left behind.
It was clear now—he hadn’t listened to a single word of Sefiut’s furious yelling earlier, urging him to be honest about his jealousy.
“Myaowk!”
He turned his head instinctively. Maybe he could yell at Sefiut to deal with Justyn somehow…
Gone?!
But his field of vision was empty. Not even a hint of that round body—no fluttering fin in sight. When had he even slipped away?
“……”
“……”
What did that mean? That only he and Justyn were left in the room. And that he was the only one who could clear up this ridiculous misunderstanding.
Faced with Justyn, who waited silently like a man on trial, Ries fell into the biggest dilemma of his life… though, admittedly, the deliberation didn’t last very long.
…Yeah. If not me, who else is gonna do it?
He was the subject of the rumor, after all—so the explanation had to come from him. And the more he replayed the rumors and Justyn’s reaction in his mind, the more a certain feeling surged up from deep inside.
Now that I think about it, this is ridiculous. How can you assume all that without even asking me?
What the hell had he heard to make him blurt out something as extreme as don’t leave me?
It felt strangely awful—like he wasn’t trusted.
Ries gathered up all the tangled emotions inside him. Resentment, frustration, faint irritation, and mounting anxiety—all bundled together as he opened his eyes wide.
His body began to shift. His vision rose, limbs lengthened, and the warmth on his skin became sharper, clearer.
The moment he realized he’d fully transformed into human form, he lifted his head and shouted:
“That’s not true!”
“…It’s not?”
“That’s right! None of it is! Whatever it is you’re thinking, Justyn, it’s all wrong! What kind of insane misunderstanding is this?!”
His voice bristled with exclamation marks.
The strain in Justyn’s eyes finally softened. He looked at their still-intertwined hands, then at Ries’s flushed face, and replied as if hypnotized.
“I… heard you were having a secret rendezvous with a woman.”
“So?”
“Now that you can become human like this… it’s hard to say you’re just my pet anymore. So I thought maybe… maybe you had someone you liked. I didn’t want to stand in your way.”
It was practically a confession.
“But… it’s not as easy as I hoped it would be. No—that’s a lie. Even trying to cover it up like this is a luxury. I kept thinking… what if you left me for her, and—”
“What?”
Justyn didn’t even finish before Ries cut in, his jaw dropped in disbelief. The words were so absurd, he couldn’t let them slide.
All this worry—just because of a rumor about a rendezvous?
At that point, holding back was out of the question. With eyes gleaming and a sinister tone, Ries muttered,
“…Do I look like the kind of cat who’d just run off after someone else without even telling his master? You don’t trust me, fine, but do you really suspect me of that?”
“……I—”
“And what was that about not being able to call me your pet anymore? So you’re gonna abandon me now? You’re the one who picked me up in the first place—how could you say something like that?!”
“…Ries—”
“You said you wanted me by your side forever! You even gave me a name! So take responsibility!”
Justyn tried to apologize, to say he was sorry for doubting him, to call his name—but failed each time. In the end, he simply gave up and listened obediently.
…Ries knew. He knew how childish he was being right now. Honestly, if you added a bit of exaggeration, he wasn’t much different from a kid throwing a tantrum because his parents wouldn’t buy him a toy.
But he couldn’t help it.
For once, he actually understood all those times Sefiut yelled about how frustrating he was. Clutching his chest, he shouted again.
“And what else? You said I had someone I liked? Do I look like some loose flirt who falls in love with the first human I meet?!”
Justyn flinched and shook his head. No, of course not. I’m sorry. I was wrong. Apologies tumbled from his lips—but Ries had already snapped.
His eyes wild, he blurted out the first thing that came to mind, not even thinking about the consequences.
“The one I like has always been you, Justyn—!”
And just before the sentence ended, he came to his senses.
What the hell was he doing?
But it was already too late. The words were out.
You, you, you…
In the quiet office, the unfinished, shouted confession echoed like a siren.
Reality crashed down on him like a cruel verdict—there was no taking it back now.
His head spun. His vision whitened. Ries turned to look at Justyn, then immediately looked away.
I’m insane. Completely insane!
He could still see that expression Justyn had worn—etched deep into his brain. Eyes wide and trembling in disbelief, as if he’d just heard something completely unimaginable.
There was no way he hadn’t heard it. They were close, and Ries had been too overwhelmed with frustration and injustice to hold back.
Sure, he had only recently realized how he felt. And no, he hadn’t intended to keep it secret forever. But he had planned to wait until the time was right.
He wanted everything resolved with Hillein. He wanted the perfect moment. If possible, he wanted to confess in a romantic setting.
All of that… gone.
“……”
“……”
He could feel his face burning like fire. He squeezed his eyes shut, hoping to block it out, but it was no use.
The heat only became more intense, and the suffocating silence felt like oil being poured onto an already roaring flame.
I can’t do this.
Ries couldn’t take it anymore and instantly transformed back into a cat.
His confession had been blurted out in the worst possible way, but at least he’d said it. Surely he could afford a few minutes alone to cool down…
But his cruel master had no intention of granting him that.
Just as he shifted back into a cat and prepared to bolt, Justyn snatched him up with both hands.
“Muaaaaang!”
Let go! Let me go!
Ries flailed his legs desperately, but it was hopeless. His tiny limbs couldn’t even reach the floor.
A few minutes passed like that.
Eventually, Ries tired out first. He drooped like a melted cheese stick in Justyn’s hands, panting.
“Ries.”
A voice called to him, close to his ears, with an emotion he couldn’t quite place.
He didn’t even have the strength to look up, so he just flicked his tail. …Or maybe he just didn’t have the courage to face him.
His tired eyes rolled beneath half-closed lids. His mouth was parched, and his little heart pounded so hard he worried it might give out.
He was sure Justyn could feel it too—his heart, thudding madly against his chest.
He wanted to run. But he’d already failed spectacularly, and now there was only one option left.
Hold his breath—and wait for whatever came next.
Seconds dragged by, each one stretching into eternity. Finally, Justyn spoke.
“I’ve… never tried to name the feelings I have for you.”
Not quite a rejection, but not an acceptance either. A statement that felt more like reflection than anything else.
Still, if he had to guess, Ries assumed it leaned more toward rejection.
Even after hearing Hillein’s firm declarations countless times, he couldn’t help but think that.
After all, not everything precious is necessarily love. And Justyn, surely, was no exception.
Even so—Ries gathered his courage and turned his head.
His gaze slowly shifted, until finally… it landed on his master’s face.
“…Mrow.”
And in that moment, he instinctively knew how this conversation would end.
Justyn was smiling. His eyes crinkled in a way that reminded Ries of his birth mother—soft, gentle, full of relief.
