The door swung wide open. A tall, slender man stepped into the bathroom. His long legs, wrapped in gray sweatpants, came into view. Go Hoon wanted to check the man’s face, but it was cleverly obscured by the sink, making it impossible to get a clear look.
“There you are.”
But something felt off. The man’s pleasant-sounding voice was strangely familiar.
“Hi, kitty.”
Kitty? So he really had become a cat. The reality, heard through another person’s voice, struck Hoon all over again like a fresh shock.
Unfortunately, the horror didn’t end there. The man slowly bent his knees and lowered his head. The moment Go Hoon locked eyes with him, his body froze like stone.
“How did you turn the light on?”
The man’s neatly defined face was unmistakably familiar.
“What are you doing there?”
And it made sense—because the man speaking so casually was none other than Go Hoon’s classmate and top student, the golden boy of the Business Department at Hankuk University: Bae Jung-yoon.
Bae Jung-yoon was top-tier in every way—grades, looks, popularity, you name it.
Among the students at Hankuk University, not a single person didn’t know his name. From the moment he entered as a freshman, he had been at the center of every conversation. No matter where he went, he stood out. That was the aura Bae Jung-yoon carried.
Every time a new semester began and fresh faces showed up, questions like “Who was that hot guy near the Business building today?” would inevitably pop up on the student forum, and without fail, the answer was always Bae Jung-yoon.
People say no one can be perfect, that even the most flawless person must have some kind of flaw—but it seemed the gods had made a rare exception for Bae Jung-yoon.
Otherwise, how could he possess not only a brilliant mind and stunning appearance, but also impeccable character? On top of that, rumor had it he was rich. Naturally, his popularity among students was practically a given.
Just how popular was he? There was a rumor that when news spread of his enlistment, a whole truckload of girls—and even a few boys—were brought to tears. And that was despite the fact that he had a girlfriend at the time.
Bae Jung-yoon always carried a cloud of gossip wherever he went.
Compared to him, Go Hoon felt like nothing. No, to be precise, he was far more unfortunate and lacking than the average person.
A lonely life with no family to rely on, plain looks that were hardly impressive—his only assets were a sturdy body and near-superhuman stamina. Thanks to that, he’d managed to scrape by, making money with grueling effort while nosebleeds poured out during late-night study sessions. That’s how he barely clawed his way into prestigious Hankuk University.
Sure, he had to take out a student loan the moment he got in, plunging himself into debt. And yes, he had to fight tooth and nail for scholarships every semester just to stay afloat. But the fact that he was a Hankuk University student was the one decent thing he had going for him—so he’d accepted it without complaint and committed to living with the consequences.
With nothing to his name, he enlisted relatively late at the age of 22. The decision had been impulsive.
He had no parents, no mandatory military service requirement—but after a certain incident and a rent hike that sparked intense conflict with his landlord, stress drove him to make a snap decision to join the army.
Everyone thought he was crazy. But even now, Go Hoon had no regrets about that choice. Not that it made his time in the military any less hellish—he couldn’t sugarcoat the endless drills around the parade ground, the brutal hand-to-hand training, or the grueling night marches.
What mattered was that while his body suffered, his mind, at least, was quiet. And for Hoon at the time, physical pain was far more bearable than the emotional kind.
In the army, all he had to do was eat, sleep, and work his body. Plus, the monthly salary wasn’t bad at all.
After completing the long 18-month military service, he’d returned to society and, by sheer luck, found a cheap room in a one-room village near campus just four days ago. But now—what the hell was happening?
Why the hell was Bae Jung-yoon suddenly here? Was this a dream? A nightmare? There was no way something this absurd was really happening.
Yeah, this had to be a dream. Denying reality, Go Hoon squeezed his eyes shut. Okay, now he would slowly open them and wake up. The moldy, yellowed ceiling of his Sweet Home apartment would greet him.
With hope in his chest, Go Hoon opened his eyes. But nothing had changed.
“Are you sleepy?”
Bae Jung-yoon, who was staring at him intently, was still there. Goddamn it.
Seeing a familiar face didn’t bring any comfort—it didn’t ease his nerves in the slightest. Go Hoon only knew Bae Jung-yoon through hearsay. Which meant, in simple terms, that while Jung-yoon was a celebrity on campus, Go Hoon knew very little about him.
More importantly, he still didn’t know what Jung-yoon’s intentions were toward him now that he’d turned into a cat.
Go Hoon didn’t let his guard down. He sharpened his awareness, retreating even deeper into the corner, his body tightly curled in on itself. Jung-yoon, who had been reaching out his hand, paused.
“Ah, I guess I scared you.”
No, it wasn’t fear—it was shock. He never imagined he’d end up like this, looking like this, in this place, and run into that guy.
It was maddening and disheartening, being trapped in a situation he couldn’t correct. How was he supposed to talk if he couldn’t even speak?
But then again… maybe he could? He had once been human. Even if he looked like a cat now, maybe he had some special ability to communicate.
“Meowww.”
Go Hoon clung to hope and let out a sound.
“Hmm? Were you just talking to me?”
At the sound of that soft-spoken voice, Bae Jung-yoon sat down with a thump on the dry bathroom floor. Could he… understand him?
“Meow.”
‘Can you understand what I’m saying?’ Go Hoon cried out again, voice laced with desperation. But Bae Jung-yoon simply stared at him, blankly. Of course. Like hell he understood. There was no way.
He’d gotten his hopes up for nothing. Even that famous dog trainer Mr. Kang-whatever-his-name-was couldn’t understand the language of dogs. So how could Bae Jung-yoon possibly understand a cat—no, his—words?
“I’m not going to hurt you.”
Jung-yoon tilted his head as if having a completely unrelated conversation.
“Come on out.”
Maybe he assumed Go Hoon was scared because of his large frame. He lowered his towering body even more and dropped his gaze to seem less threatening. Still staring back unflinchingly, Go Hoon locked his round black eyes on him.
Truth be told, Go Hoon had almost no connection to Bae Jung-yoon. Sure, they were in the same department, but that was it. They were nothing more than familiar faces in passing. At least, that was true from Go Hoon’s side—whether Bae Jung-yoon even remembered him was a whole other question.
Go Hoon hadn’t joined a single club—the so-called lifeblood of campus life. He wasn’t exactly the social type. He rarely attended drinking parties with his classmates. Having always moved quietly and unobtrusively through school, Go Hoon could confidently say his presence barely registered to others.
So there was no way to be sure if Bae Jung-yoon recognized him. The guy was always surrounded by people—why would someone like him bother to remember a nobody hovering around the outskirts?
Had it been three years? That’s probably how long it had been since he last saw Bae Jung-yoon. Just as Jung-yoon’s military service was wrapping up, Go Hoon had enlisted.
Anyway… seeing him up close like this now, he really was handsome. The kind of face that girls had praised to the heavens nonstop. Back then, Go Hoon had rolled his eyes at the fuss, but now? He had to admit, they were right.
Jung-yoon had asymmetrical double eyelids—only on one side. Someone once said he had a face that housed both good and evil, and now Go Hoon finally understood what they meant.
Beneath thick brows, his right eye had a rounder shape, while his left—adorned with a deep double eyelid—tilted sharply upward at the outer edge. The duality gave his entire face an oddly captivating aura.
On top of that, a straight, high nose bridge, pointed nostrils, and lips that looked naturally tinted red, like he was wearing something on them—full, plump lips. His face was, without exaggeration, flawless. And maybe it was because he’d just finished his military service, but he seemed even more masculine than before.
“You were all sweet and cuddly yesterday, but now you’re acting all cold.”
Go Hoon had been busy analyzing every detail of that face when a muttered comment reached his ears. ‘What the hell is he talking about now? I was sweet?’ He shot Jung-yoon a curious glance, confused and wary.
Apparently, Jung-yoon had seen him after whatever moment his memory blacked out. But since that entire chunk of his memory was gone, Go Hoon had no way of knowing what had actually happened between them.
“Last night, you came up to me first. You even rubbed your cheek against me, asking to be petted.”
‘I did that?’ If what Jung-yoon said was true, then when he found him, Go Hoon had already turned into a cat. But when, where, and how had that happened? He had no clue, not even a hint.
“You seduced me to get into my place, didn’t you? And now that you’re safe, you’re just gonna pretend I don’t matter anymore?”
There was a genuine trace of hurt in Jung-yoon’s voice. Even with no context, the tone alone made Go Hoon’s chest tighten.
“Kitty.”
His voice, once full of disappointment, now softened into something ticklish and coaxing. His affectionate gaze followed.
“Why don’t you come out over here?”
The gently wheedling tone returned, but Go Hoon didn’t budge. Thankfully, Jung-yoon didn’t try to force anything, either.
And so, the standoff had dragged on for over an hour now.
“Come on, try some of this. I got it just for you.”
Honestly, Go Hoon had ignored him this long in the hopes that he’d finally give up and go away. But Jung-yoon was persistent. With Go Hoon crouched under the sink, he eventually pulled out a bowl of food and began luring him with it.
