Shaaak.
A sharp sound came from the little ball of fluff, no bigger than two palms. Shin-jae, who had just stepped inside, froze on the spot.
“Hyung, I think Sesame hates me.”
“No, it’s just that lately, he thinks he’s a predator.”
Maybe watching savanna documentaries during every meal had been a mistake. It seemed like he was convinced that the wild beasts on the screen were his kin. Sooner or later, he’d have to realize he was just an adorable house cat.
“He’s wary of strangers, but give it ten minutes, and he’ll be lying on his back.”
It had been the same when the air conditioner repairman came, and again when the water purifier technician showed up.
Despite that reassurance, Shin-jae hesitated, lingering in the entryway, unable to step further inside. Sesame’s bright yellow eyes fixated on the movement of a large prey.
“Just play along and act a little scared.”
“How am I supposed to pretend to be scared?”
“Oh no, I’m so scared! Wow, our Sesame is so brave!”
Sa-yoon clasped his hands together and gave a mock shiver as a demonstration, but Shin-jae just stared blankly at him, showing no intention of copying him. Feeling awkward, Sa-yoon lowered his hands. It was a mystery how Shin-jae managed to act in dramas when he couldn’t even fake something as simple as this.
After a few more bluffing attempts, the cat seemed to lose interest when its target failed to react. With a flick of its tail, it dashed off toward the sofa. Only then did Shin-jae finally step into the living room.
“Why did you bring so much stuff?”
“Felt weird coming empty-handed.”
He handed over a gift set from a well-known bakery.
“But there’s no one else home.”
“Your parents are out too?”
“Yeah. They’ve been going on sea fishing trips lately. My brother’s at the study room. Should’ve told you earlier.”
Today was narration recording day. Since the house was empty and there wasn’t too much to record, they had decided to do it here.
“You want some tea before we start?”
“Yeah.”
“Make yourself comfortable on the couch.”
—Miewng.
Sesame, who had somehow ended up perched on top of the cat tower in the living room, meowed in response.
“I wasn’t talking to you.”
—Uuuwoong.
“He’s so affectionate with you.”
Shin-jae’s voice carried a hint of dejection. Since Sa-yoon often sent him photos and videos of the cat, he had built up a strong sense of internal familiarity with Sesame, but now, it seemed like that was one-sided.
“Want to try giving him a treat? That’ll make him warm up to you real quick.”
Sesame’s ears perked up at the word “treat.”
The kitten, abandoned by its mother and left starving for quite some time, had developed a habit of lowering its guard completely around anyone who gave it food.
Seeing Shin-jae nod, Sa-yoon headed straight for the kitchen. When he opened the cupboard, he saw the treats neatly stacked on the highest shelf.
Why did I put them up there? He tilted his head in confusion and reached out. The cupboard was built for a house with an exceptionally high ceiling, and of course, the treats were on the very top shelf. His fingertips barely touched them, but it wasn’t enough to grab them.
“Ah, come on…”
He sighed, about to fetch a chair, when suddenly, a hand reached past him.
“Here. This is what you were trying to get, right?”
Before he even realized it, Shin-jae had followed him and effortlessly plucked the treats from the shelf.
“Oh, uh… yeah. Thanks.”
Some moments just have a natural charm to them. Like reversing a car with one hand, or casually grabbing something from a high place without making a big deal out of it. Even stepping back without seeking praise—things like that.
—Meow.
The impatient cry snapped Sa-yoon out of his thoughts.
At some point, Sesame had wandered into the kitchen and was now sitting right in the middle of the floor, looking up at him expectantly. There was no doubt he had understood the word “treat.”
“Hold out your hand.”
He dropped three small treats onto Shin-jae’s large palm.
“Take these to the living room and give him one at a time. Wait until he finishes each one before giving the next.”
“Got it.”
Sesame, who had hissed at Shin-jae just moments ago, now followed behind him with his tail held high, completely forgetting about his earlier hostility.
Watching the scene unfold as he poured chilled tea from the fridge, Sa-yoon had to cover his mouth.
Ah, damn… I didn’t expect to find this so… attractive.
By the time he brought the tea into the living room, the cat—now fully trusting—was already sprawled on its back, rubbing against Shin-jae with maximum affection, all thanks to three tiny treats.
“He’s really loving you now, huh?”
“Yeah, he got super sweet all of a sudden.”
“If he was just gonna warm up this fast, I don’t get why he bothers acting like a wild animal.”
Every time the word “treat” was mentioned, Sesame’s ears twitched eagerly. His bright yellow eyes soon locked onto the cup in Sa-yoon’s hands.
Still lying on his back, the cat suddenly sprang up and launched himself forward.
—Meow!
“Ah!”
“Hyung!”
The cup tipped over, and only then did Sa-yoon realize his mistake.
He shouldn’t have kept saying the word “treat” in front of the cat. Sesame must have thought the cup contained his next snack. Fortunately, it was just chilled tea and not something hot.
The little troublemaker, startled by his own accident, had already bolted to the top of the cat tower.
“You okay?”
The real problem was that the tea had completely spilled—not on Sa-yoon, but on Shin-jae.
His beige pants were soaked. Panicked, Sa-yoon grabbed some tissues and instinctively reached out to wipe his thigh.
“Hyung, wait—hold on!”
That is, if Shin-jae hadn’t suddenly grabbed his wrist.
“Ah.”
But it was a little too late.
Sa-yoon, who had just felt the soft, spongy texture under his hand, and Shin-jae, whose overly sensitive area had just been touched by someone else, both froze in silence.
Shin-jae squeezed his eyes shut.
“I-I’ll do it myself.”
“Uh, no… It’d be better if you just washed up. And change clothes too.”
Shin-jae, who had been quietly dabbing at himself with tissues, gave a small nod.
The only one unbothered by the whole ordeal was Sesame, licking his front paw as he watched the two flustered humans scramble around.
After shoving Shin-jae into the bathroom, Sa-yoon let out a deep sigh as he stepped into his room.
So… he’s left-handed.
But more than that, what the hell was that size? Did he have something like a phone in his pocket? But there was no way he’d mistake a phone for that. The position was just… way too… No, what the hell was he even thinking about?
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Sa-yoon focused on picking out clothes.
“This color won’t suit him.”
“This fit isn’t that flattering either.”
“This one might be too small.”
Realistically, Shin-jae would still look good even in a sack, but if he was going to lend him something, he wanted it to be something nice.
After rummaging through his closet for a while, Sa-yoon finally found a good option—a cream-colored sweatshirt and pocketed pants. Since he liked to wear oversized clothes, it should fit Shin-jae just fine.
“Shin-jae, your clot—”
Contrary to his expectation that Shin-jae would still be in the bathroom, he was already outside.
Sa-yoon’s lips parted slightly as he took in the sight of Shin-jae, his damp face looking even more delicate.
“…That’s my dad’s bathrobe.”
And it was slightly too small, leaving the front gaping open and exposing way too much of his chest. Whether it was because of his naturally big eyes or the pale shade of his irises, the way his pupils wavered was all too visible.
“Sh-should I take it off?”
He genuinely looked like he was about to strip right then and there.
Sa-yoon hurriedly grabbed the lapels of the robe and, in a firm voice, said,
“Go back inside and change.”
Seeing that spongy texture directly was absolutely out of the question.
After that, they finally moved on to the scheduled recording. Though Shin-jae had seemed awkward at first, as soon as the recording started, he quickly got into character. His performance was flawless—there was nothing to criticize.
So the only one struggling to concentrate was Sa-yoon.
The lingering, strange feeling wouldn’t leave him.
The scent of his soap kept wafting from Shin-jae, who was now wearing his clothes.
***
“Hyung, I wanna watch a movie.”
Since when was Shin-jae this shameless?
He had looked like he was about to leave at any moment, but the second he realized the house was empty, he subtly plopped back down, using “playing with Sesame” as an excuse.
“If I go home, I have to eat alone.”
He said it so nonchalantly, casually flicking an oden skewer toy with surprising intensity.
At first, his attempts at playing were clumsy, but he quickly got the hang of it, his movements effortlessly captivating Sesame.
“…There’s really no one at home.”
“Ugh…”
Sa-yoon let out a low groan.
He knew all too well how empty and lonely that massive house felt. He had seen it. And it wasn’t even a place filled with good memories.
In the end, there was only one thing he could say.
“What do you want to watch?”
“Is there anything new out?”
The way Shin-jae’s face instantly brightened actually made Sa-yoon feel more at ease.
He reached around, feeling for the remote.
—Meow, meow, meoow.
“Uh, hyung. I think Sesame doesn’t want to play anymore.”
Sesame had wandered over and was now sitting by Sa-yoon’s feet, letting out repeated cries.
“He’s asking for food.”
Handing the remote to Shin-jae, Sa-yoon stood up.
“Pick something you want to watch. I’ll join you.”
The moment he took out a pre-portioned bag of cat food, Sesame, unable to contain his excitement, started bouncing around near his shins.
“Aww, are you hungry, Sesame?”
Having been rescued in a malnourished state from under a bush, Sesame always got a little too excited whenever food was involved.
Sa-yoon gently soothed the eager cat as he poured the kibble into a dish. Immediately, Sesame buried his face into the bowl, eating noisily.
Watching the food scatter slightly, Sa-yoon turned back toward the couch.
“You picked something?”
But instead of the cheerful look from earlier, Shin-jae’s lips were now slightly—just ever so slightly—pouted.
