It felt like being drenched in ice water—yet paradoxically warm. More compassionate than any being, as if it could embrace everything in this world with boundless tenderness…
Ries opened his eyes.
“Gasp…!”
He sucked in air, chest heaving.
Was I… not breathing?
His vision blurred and his head spun. Judging by the dizziness, he must’ve been out for a while. His exhausted body lost balance and collapsed onto the floor with a loud thud.
“Hah… Huff… Huff…”
He took several deep breaths. As his senses gradually returned, pain began to flare from the places where he’d slammed into the ground.
With a soft groan, he pushed himself up on one hand. What the hell just happened…?
“……?”
And then he froze. A pale, smooth hand pressed against the polished wooden floor. Five long, slender fingers—both strange and oddly familiar.
“Why… do I have a hand?”
He lightly closed it into a fist, then opened it again. Over and over, like a child fascinated by their own fingers. Every movement felt vividly real.
“……???”
He clenched harder. His neat fingernails dug into his palm, sending a sharp jolt through his hand.
…This wasn’t a dream.
He bolted upright. His gaze dropped down—and there they were. Human feet.
Ries stared, slack-jawed.
I’m… standing on two legs!
His eyes slowly moved upward—slim calves, toned arms, a lean, firm torso. A body unmistakably human. Finally, he looked straight ahead.
Reflected in the transparent window was the face of a young man.
“…Ha!”
Golden hair like spun thread. Skin pale as snow. And eyes—the exact same silvery-gray as when he’d been a cat.
He squished his cheeks, tugged at them until tears threatened to spill. The handsome face in the reflection, so neat it looked sculpted by a master artisan, twisted awkwardly beneath his fingers.
Still, laughter bubbled out. Ries covered his face with both hands, shoulders shaking with soft chuckles.
I thought I’d gotten used to this… but maybe not.
If he had, he wouldn’t feel so stupidly happy to be out of that cat body. He let out a long sigh, rubbed his face a few times.
The excitement slowly settled.
What came next was—
“……”
Ries flinched as he caught his reflection again. No wonder it felt chilly—the man in the mirror was completely, unmistakably naked.
If he’d still had fur, he wouldn’t be this cold. He shoved the thought aside and reached out instinctively.
Sorry. I’ll put it back later.
First things first—curtains. He couldn’t exactly strut around the mansion like this. He needed something—anything—to cover himself.
If he ran into someone while butt naked… yeah, the only future he could imagine was getting kicked out on the spot.
He grabbed a heavy curtain made of deep green velvet and wrapped it around himself. Thankfully, it was lighter than it looked.
Time to go where he’d originally planned. Now that he could walk properly, he’d reach the gallery in no time. As for why his body had changed so suddenly… or who that voice belonged to… those were questions for later.
Moonlight gently bathed his back as he hurried off—like it was quietly seeing him off.
***
The gallery was pitch black—no light seeped through. The only things inside were the solemn rows of portraits, standing silent and still. Then came a scraping sound—the wall slowly creaked open.
Sefiut, who’d been floating flat in midair, lifted his head. He’d been expecting a tiny, harmless animal guest.
Instead, in walked a ridiculous-looking young man wrapped head to toe in a huge curtain.
—Huh?
The face was unfamiliar, but Sefiut’s sharp mind worked fast. This was the guest he’d been waiting for.
He spoke in a deflated tone.
—Well, look at that. So you could turn into a human after all.
Going on and on about how he couldn’t transform—yeah, right. Ended up doing it just fine on his own. Typical Myo tribe, he thought, mentally rolling his eyes.
But one thing bugged him—that expression. The guy looked like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
“Elder…”
The voice barely came out as a whisper. Then, Ries slumped down right where he stood.
—Oh, give me a break.
First things first, he adjusted his posture. Had something happened to his descendant in the meantime? Sefiut responded with mild displeasure at first, but the heavy atmosphere around Ries made his worry quietly resurface.
Then Ries, voice grim and hollow, laid his troubles bare.
“…Do you think Justyn will still find me cute?”
Sefiut went silent for a beat, then flicked his ear. He must’ve misheard.
—Come again?
But Ries pressed on without hesitation.
“What if things get awkward now that I’m human? Ugh… Being cute was basically my whole survival strategy.”
—……
Yep. The world’s still full of crazy people. With a dramatic sigh, Sefiut flopped back into the air like a lazy ghost.
His attitude was completely checked out. That bored, disinterested expression said it all—he’d lost any trace of interest. Ries felt a slow burn of irritation rise.
He hadn’t felt this frustrated when he first turned human. Sure, he’d spent months in a cat’s body, but he was human at his core. Even if most of his memories were still a blur.
Returning to the form he’d longed for should’ve been a joyful moment. Even if he looked like a ridiculous green caterpillar wrapped in a curtain, he’d walked with a light step.
But then, out of nowhere, a single thought struck him like lightning.
…What do I do when I go back?
He pictured Justyn’s sleeping face. Anxious dread crashed in.
The one who’d chosen to protect him, take him in, and give him a name—had done so for the cat. Now, as a human, Ries was nothing more than a stranger. No more, no less.
If only that were the worst of it.
His gaze dropped. The green curtain fluttered around his legs, dragging against the floor. It had never looked more absurd.
He forced himself to take an objective look.
A naked man breaks into the mansion, steals a curtain, wraps it around himself like a toga, and strolls around like he owns the place… A total stranger—
He squeezed his eyes shut. Nope. Didn’t want to think anymore.
Even if he could prove he was Ries, it’s not like Justyn would kick him out. He wasn’t that heartless.
But still… still.
“…Cute.”
He remembered that voice. Calm on the surface, but laced with subtle tremors. It had overflowed with affection—so much it practically dripped.
Would Justyn still use that voice? Would he still look at Ries the same way now?
What if he keeps his distance?
To be honest, Ries figured a good third of their closeness came from his adorably fluffy appearance. The more he thought about it, the more serious it felt.
He could already picture it: Justyn staring at him like he was something alien. Not just keeping his hands off, but avoiding him entirely. The thought alone was enough to tie his stomach in knots.
He clenched his fists without a word.
Fine. Time to face it. Ries gave a name to the feeling boiling up inside him.
It was insecurity.
And it was driving him mad. He wanted to throw himself to the floor and roll around in frustration. Kick the damn curtain. Scream into the void.
I’m a grown man… and I’m sulking because I’m not cute anymore.
It felt like he’d crossed a line he couldn’t uncross.
Honestly? If the roles were reversed, he’d probably keep his distance too. You think you brought home a cat, and suddenly it’s a man? Yeah, that’s nightmare fuel. But still… they’d shared so much time together. That had to count for something. He shook his head hard. It meant something, damn it.
But even as he tried to rationalize, another voice in his head laid out the counterargument, point by point.
It wasn’t intentional, sure—but Justyn thought he’d brought home a cat. Now he finds out it was something else the whole time? If you squinted, it was basically fraud.
…By the time he reached the gallery, lost in that mess of spiraling thoughts, his face looked like someone had kicked his puppy.
“I’m being serious.”
But the ghost floating in front of him wasn’t taking it seriously at all.
Lounging like a slacker, staring at him like he’d just met the king of lunatics—Sefiut wasn’t exactly radiating empathy. On top of the panic, the whole vibe just pissed Ries off.
He glared at Sefiut with the intensity of a man trying to set someone on fire with his eyes. A mocking tsk tsk clicked through the air.
—You’re seriously saying this right now?
His voice dripped with disappointment. Just as Ries felt his frustration start to boil over—
—You idiot. You’re Myo tribe, aren’t you? Just turn back into a cat! Why the hell are you agonizing over this nonsense?
“…!”
Pssh. Just like that, his mind went blank.
All that fear and anxiety—poof—erased by the simplest damn solution.
Why the hell didn’t I think of that?
