“The world always revolved around people on their own terms.”
Bae Jung-yoon gave a casual shrug and moved in close beside Go Hoon.
“So, what should we have for dinner?”
With that familiar presence leaning against his shoulder, Bae Jung-yoon repeated the same question, undeterred.
Persistent bastard. Go Hoon looked over at him with an exhausted expression, but Bae Jung-yoon just smiled, looking thoroughly pleased with himself. Now that he thought about it, the guy had definitely planned all this just to enjoy that reaction.
Reaching that conclusion, Go Hoon let out a dry chuckle without meaning to. Then, with a deflated tone, he answered,
“Tuna sashimi.”
But just then, the corner of Bae Jung-yoon’s lips twitched ever so slightly as he kept his gaze fixed on him. What now? What kind of dumb comment is he about to throw out this time? No sooner had the worry crept in than Bae Jung-yoon opened his mouth—and as expected, it was something aggravating.
“Figures. You really are like a cat…”
“It’s not because of that, dumbass.”
Go Hoon snapped, deadpan, but Bae Jung-yoon just let out a soft laugh. For some reason, the warm smile on his face didn’t feel quite as annoying today.
Go Hoon stared at him in silence. As the laughter faded, Bae Jung-yoon’s expression settled into something quieter and more composed.
“What do you want for your birthday?”
Getting treated to dinner was already more than enough. Go Hoon almost said he didn’t need anything—but then something came to mind. Just a random thought, really. Still, if he brought it up now, it’d seem like he’d been waiting for this. So instead, he played it cool.
“I’ll think about it.”
With a deliberately indifferent tone, Go Hoon slipped into the lecture hall before Bae Jung-yoon could grab him. And that’s when he realized—he was still holding the bouquet. And it was way too conspicuous to be walking in with.
He headed toward his seat, doing his best to ignore the stares aimed at him like lasers.
“Yo, what’s up with the bouquet? Planning to confess to someone or something?”
Just like everyone else staring wide-eyed at him, Jo Seong-il jumped in with a blunt question. Go Hoon clenched his jaw, grabbed the back of Seong-il’s neck, and pressed down hard.
“To you, jackass. I’m gonna confess to you.”
“Ow—what the hell?! Let go! That hurts, dammit—Hoon!”
Seong-il shrieked, pleading for mercy until Go Hoon finally released him.
“What the hell, man? First you act like you’re gonna make some romantic move, and then you assault me?”
Seong-il rubbed his aching neck and grumbled, while Go Hoon plopped down in his chair and ignored him completely. Then Seong-il leaned in again, eyes flicking toward the bouquet on the desk with curiosity.
“Seriously though, what’s with the flowers?”
“…Got them as a birthday gift.”
“Wait—it’s your birthday today?”
Seong-il stared at him in genuine confusion. Feeling a bit awkward, Go Hoon scratched at his cheek.
“Yeah.”
“Oh, happy birthday, man. But why didn’t you say anything? This is the kind of day you go around milking people for presents.”
“Do I look like some kind of scam artist to you? What would I even be milking?”
“It’s just an expression, man.”
“Not like I have to go shouting it from the rooftops just because it’s my birthday. I’d rather just let it pass quietly.”
Go Hoon answered coolly, and Seong-il nodded like he understood. Still, he kept sneaking glances at him, clearly trying to read the mood.
Go Hoon could see right through it. Seong-il probably thought he’d just put his foot in his mouth. After all, he knew Go Hoon had grown up in an orphanage.
“So who gave you the flowers?”
Seong-il shifted the subject and eyed the bouquet again. Go Hoon followed his gaze and looked at the arrangement. After staring in silence at the fresh, blooming flowers, he finally spoke.
“Bae Jung-yoon.”
“Wow, Bae Jung-yoon’s such a thoughtful guy. Gives a bouquet to a friend? Think he’ll hand one to me on my birthday too?”
Chuckling, Seong-il pulled out his phone and asked what kind of gift Go Hoon wanted. Go Hoon shook his head, saying no thanks, but Seong-il wouldn’t drop it. While he got caught up browsing gift ideas, Go Hoon remained fixated on the bouquet.
His eyes lingered on the fully bloomed, soft pink roses. In his mind, Bae Jung-yoon’s bright smile overlapped with the image.
“Weird guy.”
Shaking his head, he dropped his bag to the floor with a dull thud. He carefully placed the bouquet on top of it—yet his gaze lingered there for a long time after.
***
Ding—
A clear bell chimed, and the manager sitting at the front desk of the animal clinic looked up.
Their eyes met directly as the man stepped inside, carrying a large pet carrier in one hand. The manager, momentarily dazed by his striking looks—rare even in a city like this—snapped out of it and quickly stood up from her seat.
“Ah, hello. Is this your first visit?”
“Yes. I’m here for feline blood donation. I called ahead.”
She flipped through the reservation list and soon found the name.
“Ah, are you Bae Jung-yoon, the guardian of the donor cat Kkongddeok-i?”
“Yes, that’s me.”
Inside the carrier, Go Hoon listened closely to their conversation, his mind drifting back to a few days ago.
“You said you were gonna give me a birthday present, right?”
When Hoon casually brought it up, Bae Jung-yoon looked up from his laptop.
“Yeah, I did.”
“There’s actually something I’d like to ask you for.”
The serious tone made interest flicker across Bae Jung-yoon’s face. What’s with the suspense? The curiosity showed plainly in his expression. Holding his gaze, Go Hoon continued.
“I want to donate blood.”
Ever since turning into a cat, he’d been reading up constantly on feline-related topics. Naturally, video platforms started recommending related content. That’s how he stumbled across the term donor cats.
Donor cats—just as the name implies—are cats raised specifically to have their blood drawn and used for transfusions.
As the number of pet cats grows, so does the demand for feline blood transfusions. But the supply remains critically low. That’s why donor cats exist—bred and kept by humans, some even bled as frequently as once a month. The videos showed them trapped in tiny cages with no sunlight, their blood harvested under harsh, inhumane conditions.
“There’s no way any of those cats actually want to live like that.”
The thought hit him. Unlike those cats, who have no choice, he had the freedom to help—he had the ability to give them something they needed.
Half of him was a cat now. And he’d often felt a strange sense of kinship with them, cats whose circumstances mirrored his own.
After much contemplation, he decided to donate. Maybe, just maybe, this was the reason—why some higher power turned him into a cat overnight. Maybe it was to do something, even something small, like this.
But after hearing him out, Bae Jung-yoon responded with:
“Why, though?”
He genuinely didn’t understand why Go Hoon would volunteer for something like that. Go Hoon was taken aback—he hadn’t expected such a negative reaction.
“You’ve donated blood before, haven’t you? It’s really no big deal.”
“Nope. Never done it once.”
His blunt reply made Go Hoon frown slightly. Sure, maybe he’d never tried it—donating is a personal choice, after all. Still, just because he hadn’t done it didn’t mean he had the right to shoot down someone else’s intentions.
“They say you get a free health check when you donate.”
As the one asking for a favor, Go Hoon kept his tone as calm as possible. But once again, Bae Jung-yoon’s response was cold.
“If that’s the point, I’d rather just pay and get checked myself.”
Unreasonable asshole. Go Hoon realized again how impossible it was to reason with him. He doesn’t have an ounce of selflessness, does he? As that sank in, he felt the will to argue drain away. But giving up wasn’t an option.
After all, even if he could make the appointment himself, he needed a human guardian to bring him in. In cat form, he couldn’t exactly walk into a clinic on his own.
“You said you’d get me anything I wanted for my birthday. Weren’t you the one who said you’d agree to whatever I asked?”
“But this isn’t for you. You’re giving something away, not receiving. You can’t call that a birthday present.”
“Fine, sure. But what if I want to do this?”
“Then it’s a whole different story. This isn’t a birthday gift—it’s a personal favor. Which means I’m not obligated to say yes.”
Every word was technically right—and that made it all the more annoying. Does that bastard really have to be so damn precise about everything? As Go Hoon glared at him, Bae Jung-yoon returned his gaze coolly.
“If I agree to this, what do I get in return?”
Cheap bastard. So that’s what it was—he wanted compensation. Go Hoon narrowed his eyes, then sighed and gave in.
“What do you want?”
Only then did Bae Jung-yoon become more cooperative.
“Do me a favor too, then.”
And that’s how Go Hoon finally managed to persuade him—by promising to grant a favor in return. After that, they searched for an animal clinic with a feline blood donor program, which led them here.
“If you could wait just a moment, I’ll give you a quick explanation of the program before we begin the donation.”
With the check-in complete, Bae Jung-yoon took a seat on the sofa and met eyes with Hoon inside the carrier.
“Wanna come out?”
“Myaaahng.”
Nodding along with the meow, he opened the carrier door. Cautiously, Go Hoon peeked his head out and looked around.
“When you said you had a serious favor to ask, you looked so intense—I thought it was gonna be something huge.”
Muttering to himself, Bae Jung-yoon lifted Hoon into his lap and began gently scratching under his chin.
Go Hoon quietly surrendered himself to the pleasant touch.
“You’re so weird, seriously.”
Jet-black eyes looked down at him calmly. Like you’re one to talk. Go Hoon resisted the urge to clap back and simply let out a low, steady purr.
