Bae Jung-yoon was bent over, peering through the glass door. Even though it had only been a day since they last saw each other, perhaps because he was the only person Go Hoon could rely on, Go Hoon found himself genuinely glad to see him—his final memory of Bae Jung-yoon pushed aside in that moment.
He’d been quietly anxious all day yesterday when Jung-yoon hadn’t shown up at the hospital, worried something had gone wrong. Thankfully, he hadn’t ended up in a holding cell. Relieved, Go Hoon stretched out his unharmed front paw in a long yawn, then limped over and pressed his head against the glass where Jung-yoon’s palm met it.
“Mrowww─.”
‘Get me out of here.’ I feel like I’m going insane. All I can do is sit there zoning out, sleep, or pace around in circles inside a space that’s not even a square meter.
Being stuck alone all day with my mouth shut is killing me with boredom. I’m going stir-crazy in this cramped little box. I want to escape this tiny space as soon as possible.
Beyond the closed door, the occasional hiss of another cat or a sensitive, distressed cry rejecting the vet’s touch echoed faintly. Staff members came by periodically to check his condition, but that was it.
There was no one here who paid him consistent attention like Bae Jung-yoon did. When Choi Joo-won had spoken to him, he’d found it annoying. But now that no one spoke to him at all, that silence made him feel deeply uneasy.
Maybe if he acted cute, Bae Jung-yoon would take him out of here. Clinging to that hope, Go Hoon rubbed his head against the glass again—only to suddenly lock eyes with those deep, jet-black pupils of Bae Jung-yoon.
In that instant, Go Hoon flinched without thinking. The memory of Bae Jung-yoon’s brutality flashed across his mind, conjured from those abyssal eyes. The image of him, hands and face stained with someone else’s blood, sighing as if the whole thing had just been a nuisance.
“Is your body feeling better now?”
Unaware of what was running through Go Hoon’s mind, Bae Jung-yoon shifted his gaze around, checking over his condition. Go Hoon said nothing and simply stared up at him. When those piercing blue eyes met his, Jung-yoon smiled, pulling up the corners of his mouth as if nothing had happened—utterly peaceful.
“Kkongddeok-i, the doctor said you’ll need to stay hospitalized for about another week.”
Then, in a sweet, gentle tone, he added softly:
“How am I supposed to hold back from missing my little Bae Kkongddeok?”
His gaze, brimming with affection, landed on Go Hoon. That low, tender voice carried a sense of sincere longing. But now, Bae Jung-yoon’s gestures of warmth no longer looked entirely benevolent.
There was a rift—something incongruent. Just days ago, the hands that reached out to him reeked of thick blood. That metallic scent seemed to ghost past his nose again for a fleeting second.
In hindsight, there had been moments when he’d sensed something off about Jung-yoon. He’d brushed them aside, thinking he was being overly sensitive, but now, looking back, there was something undeniably unsettling about the man’s demeanor.
“The person who hurt you—Hyung took care of them.”
Bae Jung-yoon leaned in closer to the glass and whispered, voice lowered like he was sharing a secret. Like a child craving praise.
“I’m sorry.”
And with that whispered apology, his fingers moved as if to trace the outline of Go Hoon’s face. Go Hoon stared back at the man before him in absolute stillness.
He could see just how deep Bae Jung-yoon’s affection for this cat called Kkongddeok ran. But simply understanding that feeling wasn’t enough to fully explain what he had seen that day.
Since the moment Choi Joo-won had shown up at the house, Bae Jung-yoon had seemed like a different person. The stark contrast between his public persona and his behavior made Go Hoon briefly suspect he might even be dealing with someone who had a split personality.
“Our Kkongddeok-i needs to get better soon.”
That worried gaze landed on the cast wrapped around Go Hoon’s hind leg. Go Hoon pulled away and retreated to a corner. Still, Bae Jung-yoon’s affectionate eyes continued to follow him.
A face where good and evil coexisted. Looking at that face—the one others so often praised—Go Hoon felt a growing confusion gnawing at his mind.
What kind of person was Bae Jung-yoon? Go Hoon no longer dared to define him so easily.
***
Exactly one week later, Go Hoon was discharged from the animal hospital. The veterinarian, noting that his post-op condition was very stable, had said outpatient treatment would be sufficient moving forward.
Though the cast on his leg hadn’t been removed yet, the pain was gone—only slight discomfort remained. So Go Hoon didn’t have any real complaints about being discharged. After all, escaping that cramped little room was welcome news. What he wasn’t thrilled about was having to return to Bae Jung-yoon’s home.
But there was no other option. From the beginning, there was only one place for him to return to. With a bandage over the spot where the IV had been removed, he was transferred into the carrier. As Bae Jung-yoon repeatedly thanked the vet in his polite, well-mannered voice, Go Hoon curled his body tighter inside the carrier.
They traveled in Jung-yoon’s car and soon arrived at the officetel. The familiar smell of the house tickled Go Hoon’s nose. As the carrier door opened, a mix of relief and disorientation hit him. Sniffing the air with his pink nose twitching, he cautiously stepped outside and scanned the living room.
His gaze was naturally drawn to one spot. The last scene he’d witnessed in this place was seared into his retina, still vivid. All traces of Choi Joo-won had been thoroughly removed. The bloodstains on the wall, the puddles soaking the floor—scrubbed clean, without a trace.
“Only been a week at the hospital and the house already feels unfamiliar?”
Bae Jung-yoon must have thought Go Hoon’s cautious, alert behavior meant he was seeing the home as a new environment. He knelt down, gently rubbing the back of Go Hoon’s neck to soothe his tension.
Go Hoon looked up at him. It was as if Jung-yoon had completely erased that day from memory, his demeanor just as affectionate as ever.
No—he was even more affectionate now. As if he felt guilty for the situation between Go Hoon and Choi Joo-won, when it had been just the two of them.
Was the man he saw that day really Bae Jung-yoon? The more he came to know him, the more disoriented he felt.
Normally, spending more time with someone leads to a sense of familiarity. But with Bae Jung-yoon, it was the opposite. Just when Go Hoon thought he was getting used to him, something would suddenly force a distance between them. Some primal instinct kept warning him—this man was too dangerous to be close to.
“I prepared something tasty for you, Kkongddeok-i.”
Just as his wariness of Jung-yoon peaked, the man abruptly moved. Whether or not he noticed those piercing blue eyes locked onto him, there was no telling. Jung-yoon simply moved the carrier to a corner of the room and walked into the kitchen.
Go Hoon sat on the soft rug, silently observing his every move. After a moment, Jung-yoon returned with something in the food bowl, having used the microwave.
“Here, eat.”
The moment the bowl was placed in front of him, a savory aroma wafted into the air. Go Hoon lowered his gaze to examine the contents. Inside was none other than perfectly grilled eel, golden-brown and glistening. His eyes widened in shock.
“I made it just for you, so you can regain your strength.”
Grilled eel—it was a high-end dish often touted as a male stamina booster. Even as a human, he couldn’t afford it. And now it was being served to him?
‘Is this really for me?’ He looked up at Bae Jung-yoon with disbelief. Jung-yoon only smiled and pushed the bowl closer, urging him to try it.
Regardless of how wary he felt toward Jung-yoon, Go Hoon couldn’t stop the drool welling up in his mouth. The meat was neatly shredded, as if every bone had been removed with care—it looked utterly delicious.
‘He went through all the trouble to make this—I can’t just let it go to waste.’ Rationalizing to himself, Go Hoon leaned down toward the bowl and carefully sniffed it first. As he moved closer, the warmth radiated from the dish, carrying with it a clean, fatty aroma.
He couldn’t resist any longer. Forgetting his suspicions, Go Hoon devoured a piece of eel in one hurried gulp.
Delicious. The flavor felt like a reward for all the suffering he’d endured. The eel, completely free of any bones, had a fluffy texture and melted in his mouth.
It stung his pride, always being so weak in front of food. But the moment he tasted the expensive grilled eel, all those thoughts vanished from his head.
He’d barely eaten properly during his hospital stay, losing his appetite entirely. For the first time in a while, it felt like he was having a real meal.
What’s the point of overthinking life? It only makes everything more complicated.
Now full, Go Hoon felt a wave of satisfaction washing over him, his tension melting into comfort. He instinctively began grooming himself to wipe away the oily eel residue around his mouth. That’s when his eyes met Bae Jung-yoon’s, who was watching him with a pleased expression.
“Time for your meds now.”
Jung-yoon pulled out the prescription bag he’d brought back from the hospital and gently scooped Go Hoon into his arms. Then, without warning, he grabbed his snout, forced his mouth open, and pushed the pill down his throat. Before Go Hoon could spit it out, Jung-yoon firmly held his face shut.
Go Hoon obediently swallowed the pill down his throat with a soft gulp. It was all for his recovery, after all—there was no reason to resist. When Jung-yoon later used a syringe to squirt liquid medicine between his teeth, Go Hoon swallowed that too without complaint. Seeing this, Jung-yoon let out a small chuckle.
“Good boy. You took your medicine so well. What a good kitty, my Kkongddeok-i.”
His head was met with soft, affectionate strokes, accompanied by a stream of praise. Caught in that gaze overflowing with tenderness, Go Hoon suddenly reached a conclusion.
‘What good is it to stay on guard like this?’
In the end, the only one he could rely on was the man right in front of him.
