The Cat hides its Claws

Myo Cheong crossed his arms and told Jino to hurry.

“Now.”

Jino looked like he wanted to cry. He had been thinking what Myo Cheong was thinking. He had his hopes and wondered maybe he had ceased to transform, but he didn’t want to check it now.

He complained and said he didn’t want to transform, but Myo Cheong was merciless. He pressed him a few more times, and then he came to Jino and started to undo his shirt buttons.

“Take off your clothes and lie, now.”

“Cheong, please don’t do this.”

“Oh, come on! Shit!”

But Myo Cheong couldn’t be stopped. Jino grabbed his wrist and shook his head. Jino was most certainly a lot bigger, but he was so small in front of his anger. Myohan went to them, grabbed Myo Cheong’s shoulder, and pulled him to himself.

“What you’re doing is a crime.”

“Oh, stop it! Shit!”

Myo Cheong found himself in Myohan’s arms. He blushed hard and quickly got away. Sajun looked at them with envy. Of course, at the same time, Jagyeom let out a sigh, clearly disgusted. Myohan ruffled his hair and frowned.

“Now, what happened on that day doesn’t matter anymore.”

If even Jino refused to talk about it, there was something. Myo Cheong didn’t want to find out either if everyone was trying so hard to hide it. He had accused Jino earlier because he didn’t like being so agitated, but he didn’t have enough courage to open Pandora’s box.

“Shit, I’ve known you for years now! I know you were lying!”

“Cheong…”

“I must see if you don’t change even when you lie for real.”

Yes, that was what mattered. Jino had lied, but he hadn’t transformed.

“If you don’t change, we might not change too.”

They all got a bit of hope. Maybe, maybe it was happening. Maybe they were about to be freed from the cursed fate and live normal lives. Myohan let go of Myo Cheong and nodded. He was right.

“…You’re right. Jino, go on.”

Now Jino couldn’t refuse anymore. Jagyeom looked at Myohan nervously. But when asked why, he just closed his mouth and shook his head. Jino had no choice, so he started to take his clothes off. Sinsul had never seen him do it before, so he was very shocked. Why is he taking off his clothes? Why aren’t you stopping him? You are all crazy…. He wanted to yell so, but Myohan quickly covered his mouth.

“If he doesn’t, his clothes will be ripped apart.”

“Uum! Umm!”

Sinsul nodded, but Myohan let go of him only when he was almost out of breath.

“Then…”

Now naked, Jino gulped hard. He still wasn’t embarrassed of being naked. Myo Cheong stood in front of him with crossed arms. And because of it, Myohan didn’t know why Sajun was awwing and whistling. He closed his eyes and muttered, “My name is not Choi Jino…”

They all looked at Jino with hope, except for O Shin and Jagyeom. O Shin had his arms wrapped around Myohan’s wrist. He laughed.

“Shit.”

Myo Cheong stomped his feet. He angrily kicked Jino’s pile of clothes.

“….But it worked this time,” Sajun muttered to himself. What was in front of them was a huge horse with a yellow-brown mane.

They really didn’t know why. Jino had remained as a human after lying only a few hours ago, but this time, he transformed the second he lied. So, what was the difference?

“How on earth could Choi Jino lie?” Myohan muttered as he stroked his cat. He kept thinking about it, even after other boys left. “Nothing happened on that day.” It was a lie. “Myo Cheong didn’t transform into his rabbit form.” That was another lie. Jino had lied. As he shut his eyes and blurted it out, he must have thought he was going to transform too. But he hadn’t.

“But the second time, he did change. Why?”

What was the difference between the lie that transformed him and the lie that didn’t transform him? Myohan even wondered if the universe had responded to Jino’s desperate prayer.

O Shin smiled and looked at him. He lay down on the bed. The cat climbed onto his chest and he patted it with affection. It meowed and happily went on rubbing its face on him. O Shin touched Myohan’s hair and said, “I’ve already given you the answer.”

The cat straightened its fur angrily. He didn’t like the hand on Myohan’s hair and hissed. But of course, O Shin didn’t care and kissed Myohan’s forehead. Myohan slowly wrapped his arms around his neck. He had gotten used to kissing him.

While they were at it, the cat left the room, expressing its anger with a raised tail. O Shin went a little away and looked into Myohan’s eyes. His feline eyes were moist. He liked to see his own reflection in those light-colored eyes, so he kissed him again.

‘You don’t have a name?’

Another memory surfaced in Myohan’s mind. His own voice asking with surprise, and a pair of black eyes looking down at him.

‘No one’s without a name.’

He didn’t try to refuse it. He didn’t bother to recall more, and he didn’t try to forget it. He just focused on the kiss and let it flow through his mind.

‘Then maybe you can give me a name, cat.’

In his memory, the person looking down at him was clearly O Shin. His handsome face, piercing eyes, his hands caressing Myohan’s cheeks, and his smile. It was him.

‘Then….’

But the memory couldn’t go on, as the moment Myohan tried to say something with a grin, they heard a huge sound in the kitchen. Myohan jumped to his feet, but O Shin just rubbed a finger on his lips.

“Looks like the jealous cat has caused a mess.”

Myohan could still feel it. The warm sunlight, the soft eyes looking down at him. It all felt like a dream, but at the same time, it felt so real, as if it had happened only yesterday. O Shin tried to stand up, but Myohan grabbed him. He looked up and blurted out, “Why did you ask me to do it?”

O Shin looked confused. He didn’t know if he was talking about finding the twelve zodiac animals or something else. Myohan was somewhat satisfied to see the all-knowing man be confused for once.

“You know I’m terrible at coming up with names. Why did you ask me?”

O Shin laughed. He laughed for a long time, and then he put a hand on Myohan’s head.

“Because it had to be you.”

Myohan could feel a sudden surge of emotion. Contrary to his warm hand, O Shin’s eyes were so sad. He couldn’t ask any more and just closed his eyes. O Shin smiled to show it was okay. He knew what Myohan wanted to say.

“Later, when you remember it,”

“….”

“Call me by that name.”

Myohan kissed his hand. O Shin accepted it and then opened the door. The cat was sitting right in front of the door as if nothing had happened. It must have been waiting there because the door had been closed. When Myohan stretched out a hand toward it, it quickly climbed up the bed. It wrapped its tail around Myohan’s waist and purred.

When he went to the kitchen with it, all the cups in the cupboard had fallen. They were all plastic, so they were all fine, but still, it was a mess. The cat just yawned, clearly liking what it had done. But Myohan didn’t like extra cleaning, so he raised the cat with both hands and looked into its eyes. It slowly blinked.

“Don’t try to play fool with me.”

“Meow.”

But of course talking to it wasn’t going to get him anywhere. It was an animal, after all. So he let it go and started to put the cups back in the cupboard. It helped him clear his mind, and he got a chance to think of Jino again. How Jagyeom kept glancing at him before he left also bothered him. He should have asked what he wanted to say so much. He couldn’t help sighing.

“The rat seemed to know something.”

“Really?”

O Shin shrugged. He leaned against a wall, looking at Myohan’s back as he picked up the cups. Then he asked, “You know what?”

“I know less than…”

“Half of what I say. I know.”

Myohan said what he had said the other day. O Shin nodded and went on.