He imagined dozens of times a day what it would be like for detectives to burst through that narrow door. He even pictured the moment they informed him of his arrest for attempted murder and escorted him to the police station.
But none of it ever happened, and time kept ticking by without a hitch.
“…Was it all just a dream?”
Everything that had happened over the past few months in Bae Jung-yoon’s house felt hazy, like a dream.
“Nah, no way.”
Go Hoon immediately shook his head and sat up straight. It had all really happened. His own body was proof of that.
He pulled up his pants leg and traced the sutured scar on his left knee with his fingers. In a human body, the scar looked pretty pronounced. As he ran his hand over the uneven mark, his gaze drifted to the wardrobe.
In one corner of that wardrobe were Bae Jung-yoon’s clothes and shoes. When he took a closer look later on, he’d been floored to realize that everything he’d casually grabbed had been high-end designer items.
Seriously. Who the hell wears luxury brand slippers just to walk around the neighborhood? You could just grab a pair of three-striped ones from the local stationery store, and that’d be plenty.
He had briefly considered selling the stuff on a secondhand marketplace. The idea of tossing someone else’s expensive belongings in the trash didn’t sit right with him. It was a tempting thought, for sure.
But he quickly got his head straight.
Selling Bae Jung-yoon’s things recklessly might just backfire on him. For now, he needed to keep quiet and lay low.
“…That place was really nice, though.”
The spacious home, always filled with a warm atmosphere, lingered in his mind like a mirage. Go Hoon felt like he finally understood the heart of the Little Match Girl—how she stared longingly into the warmth of her match flame, pushing aside the harshness of reality.
“Kkongddeok-ah.”
That gentle voice that used to call his name suddenly echoed in his head.
“…Since when was my name ‘Kkongddeok-i,’ anyway.”
It was all just a foolish dream. Think about what happened to the Little Match Girl in the end. What became of that poor, young girl? She chased after fleeting warmth and ended up freezing to death, securing a one-way ticket to the afterlife.
Go Hoon stood up and threw on a jacket. He had errands to run, and he figured a bit of fresh air might help lift his mood.
He went to the community center to pick up the reissued resident registration card he’d applied for. Then, he stopped by a phone store to buy a budget smartphone.
The phone he’d been using before had already been paid off, and even after three years, it hadn’t had a single malfunction—so he’d just kept using it.
Before heading to the phone store, though, he’d retraced his steps to the alleyway, hoping he might miraculously find his lost phone and wallet.
It had been three months, so by now it should’ve been easy to let go. But Go Hoon couldn’t.
All he found on the cement ground in that alley was a bunch of trash. Even then, he couldn’t give up—he went so far as to use a payphone to try calling the number.
All he heard from the receiver was a message that the phone was turned off.
It was all because of alcohol. Thanks to that, he’d bled money for no damn reason. He vowed never again to get drunk and pass out on the street.
Resolving himself, Go Hoon headed to the convenience store. He sat in the dine-in area, waiting for his cup ramen to finish cooking, and opened his banking app.
“Haah…”
He let out a deep sigh as he stared at his bank account, which had just taken a massive hit.
If it weren’t for that damn neutering surgery, he could’ve just stayed in that house for good.
Regret crept in, but it wasn’t like he could go back to Bae Jung-yoon now. He wasn’t planning to live as a eunuch forever, after all.
There was no point in reminiscing about that cushy life. Comparing it to now wouldn’t change a thing. It was time to leave behind the past, like some midsummer night’s dream, and face reality.
He was twenty-four now—a grown adult who had to take responsibility for his own life.
Go Hoon scarfed down the rest of the cup ramen and stood up.
He’d been absent from his part-time job without notice, but after begging and pleading with the factory manager, he’d barely managed to secure a spot again starting the following week—on the night shift.
“You little punk. I put in a good word for you with the company, said you were diligent and a hard worker, so they called you in right after your discharge. And then you go and disappear for three damn months without a single call?! And now you suddenly say you want back in?! Do you know how much crap I had to deal with stuck between you and the company, huh, you brat?!”
“I’m sorry, Manager. I swear I had my reasons.”
“What reasons?! Huh?! What kind of reason would make someone vanish for three whole months?! Go on, speak—let’s hear it!”
“I was really sick, I swear. I spent those three months in a hospital bed. Why won’t you believe me?”
“Try saying something that actually makes sense, dumbass! Would you believe that crap? A tough kid like you, out of commission for months and not even able to send a single message?! Does that sound remotely believable?!”
The manager’s furious, booming voice still rang in his ears.
Well, what could he say? It was all on him.
With a weary look on his face, Go Hoon gave a little shudder and opened the gate to the rundown house.
“Ah, it’s the young man from upstairs.”
He happened to run into the landlady who lived on the first floor.
“Hello.”
Go Hoon bowed politely. The landlady glanced at the pay-as-you-go garbage bag in his hand with the empty ramen cup in it and responded.
“Off to the market or something?”
“Yes.”
“You can’t keep living on that kind of stuff. It’ll ruin your health.”
“I’m still young. I’ll be fine.”
“Ha! That’s one way to make an old lady feel ancient.”
As she clicked her tongue in mock disapproval, Go Hoon chuckled and excused himself, walking past her and heading up the stairs.
“Hey! You know next week’s rent is due, right? Don’t be late this month!”
“Yeah, yeah. Got it.”
“If you’re planning to move out, give me a heads-up!”
“I’m not moving out, ma’am!”
Go Hoon shouted down the stairs as he opened his front door.
This was already the fourth time they’d had this conversation. It was obvious the landlady had every intention of bringing up his three-month overdue rent at every opportunity from now on. Even though he’d tacked on an extra 100,000 won as an apology, scraped together from his own blood and sweat.
***
Two days later, Go Hoon finally submitted his reinstatement application for school—something he’d been putting off. It was a decision he made after long deliberation.
One thing still tugged at his mind uncomfortably: his classmate, Bae Jung-yoon. But he only had two years left until graduation. Was there really any need to go out of his way to avoid him? Even if they did run into each other, how often could that possibly be?
Of course, this all assumed that nothing had happened to Bae Jung-yoon in the meantime.
No point in worrying about things that hadn’t even happened yet. Nothing had gone wrong so far, and nothing would from now on either. Even if they did bump into each other, they’d never met properly as humans anyway. It wasn’t like he would be interested in him.
And the odds of Bae Jung-yoon recognizing him as the cat? Practically zero.
So, he’d just keep his head down and go about school quietly for two years—same as always.
February faded fast, and March rolled in. Spring—the season of new life and budding blossoms—had arrived, though the lingering cold snap made the air feel like winter still refused to let go.
Go Hoon shoved both hands into his pockets.
Stepping onto campus again after so long stirred a strange feeling in him. He strolled past the trees just beginning to sprout new green shoots, yawning wide as he went.
He was exhausted beyond words. He’d worked at the factory until dawn again last night, gotten home around 7 AM, and only caught a short nap before heading to school.
Still, it was the first day of the semester. Most classes would just be introductory, so the lectures shouldn’t run too long. Though there were always those professors who liked to dive straight into the syllabus from day one.
His head felt foggy. Emergency remedy: coffee.
He made his way to the vending machine, rubbing his stiff neck, and fished around in his pants pocket for some coins.
100 won, 200, 300…
As he clumsily counted the change in his palm, one coin slipped from his fingers.
Clink!
The coin hit the ground and began rolling forward.
“Ah—”
Go Hoon bent down and started trailing after the runaway coin. It rolled and rolled, just out of reach, like it had a mind of its own.
Finally, the 100-won coin came to a stop with a light tap against the toe of someone’s sneaker.
At that moment, a familiar and comforting scent drifted to him.
Where had he smelled this before?
As he tried to recall, a strikingly masculine hand with faint blue veins calmly reached down and picked up the coin.
His gaze followed the slow, deliberate movement upward.
And then—he locked eyes directly with the person standing before him.
He was momentarily stunned at how close they were—close enough to see every subtle shift in those jet-black pupils.
Then, he heard the voice.
That’s when the second wave of shock hit.
“…Kkongddeok-i?”
