“Ah, tsk…”
Go Hoon swallowed a groan.
His entire body throbbed with pain. For a while, he couldn’t even twitch, lying still as a statue. Eventually, he managed to move his fingertips. Thankfully, sensation was still there. He carefully tried moving his legs next. Aside from the dull, aching pain that felt like he’d been beaten all over, things weren’t as bad as he feared.
It must’ve been last night’s heavy rain—the ground had weakened, and when the earth gave way, he’d tumbled straight down.
I told you going up the mountain was dangerous! Go Hoon cursed internally, forcing his eyes open.
His vision was blocked by something. At the same time, he realized he was being tightly held in someone’s arms.
He lifted his head to assess the situation. Bae Jung-yoon had pulled him into an embrace, one arm wrapped around the back of his head, the other around his waist. Thanks to that, he didn’t seem to have suffered any major injuries. The thick layer of fallen leaves on the ground probably helped cushion the impact too.
As his mind cleared, Go Hoon immediately checked on Bae Jung-yoon. There was a red scratch marring his otherwise perfect face, but thankfully, he seemed semi-conscious.
However, right behind Jung-yoon’s back was a solid tree trunk. It looked like he had taken the brunt of the fall and crashed into it.
“Hey, Bae Jung-yoon… You okay?”
Go Hoon grabbed Jung-yoon’s collar and called out to him. The other boy’s brows knitted as his eyelids slowly fluttered open, and he stared at Go Hoon.
He was looking at him—but something about his gaze felt off. His unfocused eyes stayed on Go Hoon for a few long seconds. Is he okay? The worry began to gnaw at him. Then, Jung-yoon’s lips parted slightly.
“…Ah.”
He murmured something under his breath, then closed his eyes again.
“Bae Jung-yoon?”
Go Hoon called his name in alarm, but there was no response. Suddenly, a familiar nightmare began replaying in his mind.
“…Bae Jung-yoon?”
This time, he called again with a more desperate voice. Still no answer. As he stared down at the unmoving figure, a heavy tension began to creep into his gaze.
“Bae Jung-yoon, come on. Open your eyes. Hey! Bae Jung-yoon!”
Go Hoon suddenly straightened his back. The pain surging through his body was now the least of his worries. He tried to pull Jung-yoon closer, but worried he might worsen an injury, he lightly tapped his cheek instead. The arm that had been wrapped around Go Hoon’s waist fell limp to the ground.
“Jung-yoon, Bae Jung-yoon! Don’t black out on me…!”
Shit.
Why was it that every single time something happened, it was when Bae Jung-yoon was with him?
It hadn’t even been a month since the bicycle accident, and now this? His life clearly wasn’t just off-track—it was completely derailed.
Frantically, Go Hoon scanned the area. But he had no idea where to go. Behind the slope, the forest stretched thick and deep in every direction.
Moving around recklessly didn’t seem smart. The best idea was probably to climb back up the way they fell. But the incline was far too steep—no way he could make it up that cliff by sheer strength alone.
How the hell am I supposed to climb something this vertical? And of course, he didn’t have his phone on him.
Wait—Bae Jung-yoon must have his.
The thought hit him like lightning, and Go Hoon quickly dug into Jung-yoon’s pockets.
“There!”
His hand wrapped around something solid, and he pulled it out with a brief spark of hope—only for his face to fall immediately. The impact with the tree must’ve broken the phone. The screen was shattered beyond repair, the display was dead, and it wasn’t responding to any touch.
“Ha… what now…”
With a heavy sigh, Go Hoon’s gaze darted around desperately. Then something caught his eye—a single tree growing a short distance away, unusually tall. Its long branches stretched all the way up to the edge of the slope above.
Go Hoon ran toward it. Gripping the thick trunk with both hands, he tried to climb. But barehanded, it was impossible.
Rubbing his stinging palms, he fell into deep thought. If I transform into a cat… maybe I could pull it off. If he could dig in with his claws, he might be able to scale it.
But what if he slipped and fell?
…No. He couldn’t just sit here paralyzed by fear and wait to be rescued.
Bae Jung-yoon had definitely jumped in to save him. He must’ve seen the ground starting to give way. Even knowing it would put him at risk too, he’d dived in after him. And now, he was the one lying unconscious because of it.
Go Hoon’s expression hardened with resolve, and he began stripping off his clothes.
He took off both top and bottom, then dug a shallow hole deeper in the woods and carefully buried them. If anyone happened to find his clothes lying around, explaining that would be a nightmare.
Go Hoon looked down at his hands. It’s been so long since I last transformed… Can I still do it? Doubt surfaced for a moment, but there really was no other way.
With his mind made up, Go Hoon closed his eyes tightly. He focused all his senses inward. Taking a deep breath, a strange sensation stirred in his solar plexus and rippled outward. A cool, tingling energy rose up along his spine, starting from his tailbone.
The moment he felt his body begin to shift, the world started to spin. It was like being trapped in a rollercoaster loop, twisting over and over without end.
He endured the gut-wrenching process, and when he finally opened his eyes again—
He had fully transformed into a cat.
Go Hoon didn’t have a second to catch his breath. He paced around the tall tree, craning his neck to study its height as he mentally mapped out the best climbing route. After visualizing it, he gave himself a silent Fighting! and leapt up with a spring.
His claws extended sharply as he began climbing. Just as he thought—cat claws were far better suited for gripping bark than human fingernails.
He scrambled up using all four limbs, gripping with effort. Before long, he’d reached the middle of the tree. He glanced down.
A wave of vertigo washed over him.
If I fall from here… Could he manage a safe landing with a cat’s reflexes? No—this height was too much. Even a cat wouldn’t walk away unscathed.
Don’t look. Just keep looking up. Go Hoon forced his eyes away from the ground, focusing on the dense canopy of leaves above him.
Eventually, he reached the branch that stretched closest toward the slope. He cautiously shifted his body, climbing atop it, then began inching toward the end. But the branch thinned the farther he went, limiting how close he could get.
This is probably the best I’ll get. There was no going farther. His only choice was to jump across.
Go Hoon wiggled his hips, crouched low, and adjusted his stance atop the branch.
He had just one shot. If he failed, he’d probably break a leg—or worse.
He braced all four limbs, steeled his nerves, and jumped.
His claws struck the slope. But they weren’t enough to support his full weight.
He was slipping.
“Miyaaaang—!”
Letting out a sharp cry, Go Hoon dug his claws in desperately, trying to anchor himself. Agonizing pain surged through his paws as if the nails were being torn out—but he held on, gritting through it.
Miraculously, his body stopped sliding. Using every bit of strength he had, Go Hoon scrambled upward, clawing his way up the slope with frantic speed.
Dirt flew everywhere. He tore at the ground, scraping wildly with raw, bleeding paws. The soft, pink pads were scraped open, his front and back paws completely worn. It stung like hell—but there was no time to care.
Bae Jung-yoon was still lying unconscious down below. He had to get help—now. If his body temperature dropped too much in that condition, it could become life-threatening.
At last, Go Hoon reached the top.
He shook himself hard, scattering the leaves and dirt clinging to his fur. Then, without sparing a single glance back, he bolted down the path.
His legs pounded the ground. His knees were screaming with every stride, but he ignored the pain and ran harder.
Soon, he reached the entrance and immediately began searching for Jo Seong-il.
A small crowd was gathered in an open grassy field. He spotted Kang Soo-yeon and Jo Seong-il sitting side-by-side at a makeshift table.
“Why isn’t Jung-yoon answering his phone?”
“He’s probably busy setting things up. Geez, stop rushing and give him a minute.”
As the two chatted casually, Go Hoon sprinted up to them.
“Myaa—!”
He let out a loud cry.
Jo Seong-il turned around—and his eyes widened in surprise.
“Whoa, what the—? Where did this cat come from?”
He looked around and stood up straight, scanning the area. Kang Soo-yeon, who’d been fixated on her phone, also looked up, intrigued.
“Yeah, seriously. You think it belongs to the guesthouse?”
“If it does, why does it look like it just crawled out of a ditch?”
Jo Seong-il frowned sympathetically as he got out of his chair and crouched down.
Go Hoon saw his chance and seized it. He dashed forward, bit into Jo Seong-il’s sleeve, and tugged with all his might.
“Whoa, hey—what the… What are you doing, kitty?”
Jo Seong-il looked confused, making startled noises as the cat yanked at his sleeve.
Go Hoon tightened his jaw and pulled again. Jo Seong-il, uncertain but curious, began to shuffle forward.
“Wait—what? Is it… pulling me somewhere?”
He turned to Kang Soo-yeon with a puzzled expression.
“Is this… that whole ‘chosen by the cat’ thing?”
“Beats me.”
Kang Soo-yeon just shrugged, looking utterly uninterested.
No, you idiots! There’s no time for this! Go Hoon yanked the sleeve harder.
“Look! It’s seriously pulling me!”
“Then follow it already.”
“By myself?”
“You think I’m going too?”
Kang Soo-yeon shook her head like she couldn’t be more done with him. Still, Jo Seong-il pouted and whined until she finally gave in with a sigh and stood up to follow.
“Ugh, fine. But seriously, where the hell is this thing taking us? Why are we walking into the damn woods?”
Jo Seong-il grumbled anxiously as they started heading into the forest behind the cat. He turned to Kang Soo-yeon and gave her a nervous laugh.
“Hey, Soo-yeon. Maybe we should just… turn back?”
“What, after coming all this way? The cat’s clearly trying to lead us somewhere. We might as well see it through.”
Now that her interest was piqued, Kang Soo-yeon seemed all in. Jo Seong-il, on the other hand, looked like he was about to cry.
“Ugh… no, no, something about this is seriously messed up. This cat is not normal.”
God, what a wimp. Go Hoon clicked his tongue internally and let out another loud yowl.
“Yaaang—!”
Hurry the hell up, dumbass! If Bae Jung-yoon dies of hypothermia, it’s on you!
“Alright, alright! I’m coming!”
When Go Hoon turned back and meowed at him again, Jo Seong-il whimpered and picked up the pace.
At last, they arrived at the edge of the collapsed slope. Go Hoon turned around to face them.
