This bastard must still be half-asleep.
Startled, Go Hoon immediately tried to push him off, but the door opened before he could.
A man stepped into the hospital room. He was someone Go Hoon recognized—the same man who had brought his bike back to his house.
Go Hoon quickly turned his head away and shut his eyes tight. It wasn’t like he could vanish just by doing that, but he still wanted to hide his face somehow.
“Just leave it there.”
The command came from above—Bae Jung-yoon. His voice was clearly directed at the man, but his gaze felt like it was pinned on Go Hoon.
Moments later, the sound of the door closing echoed through the room. Even then, Go Hoon couldn’t bring himself to open his eyes. He felt a desperate urge to deny reality.
What would that guy even think, seeing them like this? Even if it were a man and a woman tangled up like this in a hospital bed, people would talk. But both he and Bae Jung-yoon were men.
His face burned with heat. Thanks to Bae Jung-yoon, who didn’t seem to know the meaning of shame, all the embarrassment fell squarely on him. Just as a deep sigh was about to slip out between his teeth, a low whisper brushed his ear.
“What’s got you so embarrassed, Hoon-ah? Your ears are bright red.”
The breath tickling his earlobe made his shoulders tense involuntarily. But Bae Jung-yoon wasn’t done whispering.
“Their eyes and ears are shut. I could be grinding on you right here and they wouldn’t even flinch.”
Go Hoon’s eyes flew open. He’d been cutting him some slack because he was injured, but now the guy was saying whatever the hell he wanted.
“Move.”
He was ready to punch him if he didn’t, but surprisingly, Bae Jung-yoon got up without resistance. And he didn’t stop there—he stepped off the bed entirely.
Slipping on a pair of indoor slippers, Bae Jung-yoon walked over to the sofa. Go Hoon sat up at the edge of the bed, fixing his rumpled clothes.
Bae Jung-yoon picked up a paper bag from the sofa and brought it back, holding it out to him.
“What’s this?”
“Figured you’d be looking for it.”
Still suspicious, Go Hoon took the bag. The moment he looked inside, his eyes widened. His phone and wallet were inside.
“…How did you find these?”
He could understand the phone—he had left it at the service center, so that wasn’t too hard. But the wallet? He’d hidden that deep behind a wooden board in some alley. How the hell did he find it?
As Go Hoon pulled the wallet out and examined it, still in disbelief, Bae Jung-yoon sat down next to him and spoke.
“I’ll always be like this, Hoon-ah.”
Go Hoon froze mid-check. He turned to look at him, and Jung-yoon continued.
“No matter where you are, I’ll find you.”
His voice was calm, but resolute. It didn’t sound like reassurance—it sounded more like a vow, a warning.
You can’t get away from me, Hoon-ah.
That’s what those pitch-black eyes seemed to be saying as they locked onto him.
Go Hoon quietly held that unwavering stare before finally speaking.
“It’s not that I didn’t want to come back to you.”
What must Bae Jung-yoon have thought, waiting alone at home? Did he believe Go Hoon had purposely stayed away?
The thought weighed on him. He had to say it—he didn’t stay away on purpose. There were reasons.
The moment he’d turned into a cat, he’d wanted nothing more than to find him.
“I hurt my leg. I couldn’t move freely. That’s why I couldn’t come back.”
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Bae Jung-yoon reached out and pulled up his pant leg. His cold eyes fell on the red, raw wound.
“Who did this?”
A heavy silence passed, followed by a voice as sharp and cold as ice.
Go Hoon couldn’t answer. He was afraid that if he said anything, Bae Jung-yoon would storm out of the hospital right then and there.
“It’s fine now. I’m okay.”
Go Hoon reached out and gently cupped Bae Jung-yoon’s cheek, guiding him to look back at him.
“I’m really okay. I swear.”
He said it again, firmer this time. But Bae Jung-yoon didn’t respond. He just stared at him silently.
Then suddenly, he reached out.
A large hand gently swept over the back of Go Hoon’s head, stopping at the nape of his neck. His fingers pressed lightly along the prominent vertebrae as he murmured softly—
“How about I implant a Registration Chip right here?”
Go Hoon’s face went rigid. Was he serious? Did he really mean to put a chip in his body?
He looked at him, stunned and incredulous, but Bae Jung-yoon calmly continued.
“That way, even if I lose track of you, it’ll be easier to find you again.”
There wasn’t even a hint of a joke in his voice.
“…Come on. Even so, implanting a chip in someone’s body? That’s seriously creepy.”
Go Hoon let out a strained laugh. The idea of having some kind of tag embedded in his body made his skin crawl.
Time to change the subject.
“Let’s call the nurse and see if your fever’s gone. They said if you’re stable, you’ll have surgery tomorrow.”
Sensing danger, Go Hoon naturally started to get up.
But an arm slipped around his waist—and before he could react, Bae Jung-yoon pulled him back with his full weight.
Go Hoon tumbled backward onto the bed with a thud, and Bae Jung-yoon lay down beside him.
“Hey, move over.”
Go Hoon squirmed to push Bae Jung-yoon away, but it was no use.
“Stay still.”
With a quiet murmur, Bae Jung-yoon slid his leg between Go Hoon’s thighs and wrapped his arms tightly around him.
“Don’t go, Hoon-ah.”
His voice sounded different this time—gentle, almost childlike.
Go Hoon recognized the act right away. This was deliberate. Bae Jung-yoon was playing the helpless card to sway him again, twisting his own emotions to get what he wanted.
“I don’t even know how I made it through the last few days, Hoon-ah.”
The whispered words that followed slipped under Go Hoon’s guard. Against his will, his heart softened.
Eventually, he let his body go slack. The moment the tension left him, Bae Jung-yoon pulled him in even closer, burying himself deeper in the embrace.
“…I couldn’t feel anything. I couldn’t control anything. It felt like the world was crushing me—like I couldn’t breathe without you.”
His arms were so tight, Go Hoon thought his whole body might be crushed. And yet, he didn’t complain.
For a fleeting moment, the large man clinging to him felt more like a lost child than anything else.
Bae Jung-yoon pressed his nose into Go Hoon’s neck and breathed in deeply. The warm breath against his skin made Go Hoon’s eyes twitch.
After a moment’s hesitation, he gently placed his hand on Bae Jung-yoon’s broad back and slowly stroked downward.
“Bae Jung-yoon.”
Go Hoon called his name as his hand continued its slow, calming motion. The sound of it felt strange—like saying a name he’d never spoken before.
There was no reply. Still, Go Hoon went on, his voice calm and steady.
“I won’t leave you without a word. I can’t promise you everything… but that much, I swear I’ll keep.”
So don’t worry.
As exhaustion weighed down on him, his voice faded. It had been a long, emotionally draining day.
He decided to hold off on calling the nurse. Just a quick rest—close his eyes for a bit, then get up.
With that thought, Go Hoon gently shut his eyes.
***
Time flew like an arrow loosed from a bow.
Summer heat gave way completely, and autumn settled in.
People’s clothes grew heavier, the air cooler, and Bae Jung-yoon’s arm gradually healed.
In the midst of it all, an unexpected incident made waves.
Someone had recorded the accident—the very moment it happened—and posted it online.
The video quickly went viral, drawing massive attention.
Thankfully, Bae Jung-yoon’s face was blurred due to portrait rights, but Go Hoon, in his cat form, was caught clearly on camera.
And so, the video ended up with the absurd title: “Brave Cat Protects Owner.”
They heard later that the dog had returned safely to its owner. But once the video took off, criticism exploded online against the owner for not muzzling a dangerous dog.
The comments even spiraled into debate over whether the dog should be euthanized. The video caused such an uproar, it eventually made the news.
For a while, everything around them was loud and chaotic—except for Bae Jung-yoon.
That silence surprised Go Hoon.
Given his personality, he expected Bae Jung-yoon to make the dog—and its owner—pay. But he didn’t. He let the whole thing pass quietly.
After that, things between them gradually settled again.
Well, if you had to be honest about it, it was mostly Go Hoon letting things go. But they weren’t the only ones going through changes.
One day, while walking with Bae Jung-yoon, they happened to run into Kang Soo-yeon.
Under normal circumstances, she would’ve greeted them without hesitation. But this time, even after making direct eye contact with Bae Jung-yoon, she walked straight past without a word.
As she quickly disappeared into the distance, Go Hoon glanced over and asked,
“You fight with Kang Soo-yeon or something?”
Bae Jung-yoon smirked and shrugged.
“What would I ever fight with Kang Soo-yeon about, Hoon-ah?”
Oh, come on. There’s plenty you could fight about.
They’d practically been inseparable during the first semester.
Now that he thought about it, the vibe had been off between them that day—the same day Go Hoon had fought with Bae Jung-yoon.
What had the two of them talked about back then?
The curiosity hit him late, but he didn’t feel like reopening old wounds.
Instead, he took a deep breath of crisp autumn air and headed for the library.
Exam season had returned. Again.
Since Bae Jung-yoon’s lecture wasn’t over yet, he had at least two solid hours of note-reviewing ahead.
Sometimes, he wondered what the point of all this studying was. But people couldn’t just abandon their routines overnight.
And if he let things slip too much, Bae Jung-yoon might notice something was off.
Clearly, Go Hoon wasn’t built to live the carefree life. The way he kept willingly throwing himself into this kind of effort proved it.
As he walked, lost in thought, a message popped up from Jo Seong-il.
Business Major Jo Seong-il
[Go Hoon Go Hoon]
[What are you getting Bae Jung-yoon for his birthday?]
2:15 PM
Go Hoon’s eyes narrowed as he stared at the screen.
Bae Jung-yoon’s birthday?
He quickly typed back:
2:15 PM
[When even is his birthday?]
Business Major Jo Seong-il
[???]
[You seriously don’t know?]
[After you got that huge bouquet too? You heartless bastard LOL]
2:16 PM
A pang of guilt hit him.
Now that he thought about it… he had received that ridiculously fancy bouquet.
And yet, he hadn’t even bothered to find out when the guy’s birthday was.
2:16 PM
[So when is it, asshole]
Feeling embarrassed by his own negligence, he took it out on Jo Seong-il.
The reply came fast.
Business Major Jo Seong-il
[In two days.]
[November 1st.]
2:16 PM
