The Cat hides its Claws

“Make fun of me or take care of me. Do only one thing.”

“I’m just telling the truth.”

“You’re making fun of me by telling the truth.”

“So you admit you’re a stupid sneezer.”

Myohan knew he wasn’t going to win the argument, so he just shut his mouth and went to the reception. It was Sunday morning, but the hospital was full of people. He took a number ticket and sat down. He muttered.

“I must have gotten it on that day.”

He must have gotten the flu on the day his friends all slept at his place. He had gone to sleep without a blanket. He gave blankets to all the other boys because of toe air conditioner, but he himself fell asleep on the sofa without one. He hadn’t meant to sleep, but it was dark and nice and cozy, and he fell asleep without knowing it.

“It’s a shame, the cow even put his blanket on you.”

Myohan didn’t like his dry remark, so he bumped his head on his shoulder. It ended up hurting only himself, so he frowned. Still, it was unfair that they had slept at the same place and only he had the cold.

“It’s unfair.”

Myohan had been awake when Chookjae put the blanket on him and said goodbye. When he was in shallow sleep, all he needed was a slight touch to wake up, so of course what Chookjae did was more than enough to wake him up. He just pretended to be asleep and went into his room only after Chookjae left, dragging his blanket behind him. O Shin asked, “So you’re just letting him go?”

He hadn’t been asleep at all.

Achoo! He sneezed again. Myohan’s number came up on the board.

“I’m going to stay here, you do it.”

O Shin gave him a shocked gaze and muttered about how he was now even ordering him around, but he got up to do it.

Anyway, Myohan had let Chookjae go on that day. He just didn’t feel like asking him to find the twelve zodiac animals that day. Moreover, when Sinsul looked for Chookjae the next day, he even lied and said Chookjae wasn’t the cow. Jagyeom looked like he doubted it, but Sinsul just nodded and bought it. Maybe Myohan was a nice cat. He didn’t know since when he had been so full of sympathy.

“Achoo!”

But again, what was he supposed to do? Chookjae’s grandmother had been carrying that burden for 18 years just for him. Myohan had no right to put a part of that burden on Chookjae’s shoulders.

He closed his eyes and put a hand on his forehead. Thankfully, he didn’t have a fever. Now it was easier to breathe, probably thanks to what the doctor sprayed in his nose. He wished he could take his medicine and get better soon. He was sick of the flu.

“I’m sick of it…”

He slowly looked up to hear what he had just been thinking.

Had he blurted it out without noticing it? No, that wasn’t it.

The person who was thinking the same thing as Myohan looked like he was about to die any moment. More accurately, he was expressionless, but for a very different reason. Myohan raised his eyebrows to see his dark, hollow eyes.

“Huh?”

It was the student he had saved from Sinsul’s soccer ball a while ago. He looked down and sighed, but then he noticed someone staring at him and looked up. His eyes widened. Myohan thought he might not recognize him, so he lowered his mask. His round eyes got even bigger.

“Hello again. Um…”

His name was… Myohan didn’t know. He couldn’t remember. They didn’t exactly know each other, so he thought it would be fine and just nodded. The surprised student asked, “…Are you sick?”

He was looking at Myohan’s mask. Myohan hadn’t seen that question coming, so he just looked away. Well, they were at the hospital. People went there because either they were sick, had someone sick to bring, or had to see someone sick.

“I got a cold.”

He just replied shortly. As far as he could remember, they weren’t close enough to ask how the other was, so he didn’t ask another question like, ‘Why are you here?’ The student just looked down and nodded. His drooped eyes somehow resembled those of Jagyeom and Myo Cheong. They looked like the eyes of a herbivore. Myohan shook his head to dismiss the thought. He saw O Shin coming back and got up.

“Well, I hope you get well soon.”

He was a high school student sitting in front of the reception alone, so Myohan naturally thought he was sick too. But the student said nothing. He just nodded and Myohan narrowed his eyes to see it, but he didn’t say more. He just thought he was being paranoid. The student didn’t have any of the twelve zodiac animals’ letters in his name.

O Shin showed him the receipt, but he just told him to throw it away and walked away, but then he frowned to see O Shin standing there instead of following him. He stared hard at the student. Myohan wondered if he knew him, but he knew it wasn’t possible. He had just transferred to their school, and there was no way he was friends with someone Myohan didn’t know about. He couldn’t read the thoughts in his black eyes and tried to look closer, but then someone called out a name loudly.

“Miho!”

It was a woman in a patient gown. She was in a wheelchair and had two IVs, but her smile was bright and clear. Anyone would have pitied her sunken cheeks and thin arms. O Shin sighed. Myohan could see some sort of emotion on his usually emotionless face. He dragged him.

“What are you doing? Let’s go.”

Achoo! He sneezed again. O Shin said it was nothing and turned. He seemed to be pitying. Was he feeling bad for the woman living in a hospital at so young an age? Of course, it had nothing to do with Myohan.

“Sis!”

They were about to leave like that, but then Myohan stopped.

“You should have stayed in your room.”

The voice was familiar. Myohan had just been talking to that voice. He looked back and saw him grabbing the woman’s wheelchair. He was now hiding his pain behind an expressionless mask. He wasn’t here to see a doctor, he had come to see his sister. O Shin put an arm around Myohan’s shoulder.

“Let’s go.”

The woman smiled brightly and said it was too boring to stay in her room. The student nodded and started to push her wheelchair. Myohan walked slowly, taking one step at a time, but then he froze.

“Miho, what do you want to have for lunch?”

“What are you doing? Let’s go.”

O Shin said what Myohan had just said. As they walked, Myohan covered his mouth with a hand and sneezed. O Shin stroked his hair.

“….Let’s go.”

His mild-looking face, gentle personality, and small voice reminded Myohan of one of the twelve zodiac animals. And his name didn’t have any of the right letters. But thinking of it, he would have borrowed another student’s gym suit.

“Miho…” Myohan muttered as he looked up at O Shin. He was asking for confirmation, and O Shin shrugged and smiled. Myohan could locate the ‘interest’ behind his emotionless mask and smiled with content.

***

Fortunately, Myohan could get rid of his flu in no time, thanks to taking his medicine and living a few days without using the air conditioner. Of course, O Shin’s great care (which came with lots of nagging) also helped. They still had one week left of summer vacation. But a week was going to be gone before they could realize it. Myohan had done nothing, but school was about to start again.

He stretched his back and moaned. His cat, which was on his belly, purred and rubbed its face on it. He stroked it gently.

“So, what makes him become a sheep?”

“I don’t know.”

O Shin came to him without making a sound and kissed his forehead. It offended the cat and it went out. Sometimes, Myohan seriously wondered if the cat was jealous of O Shin. They were all living together now so it should have gotten some affection for him, but he had never seen the two together when he wasn’t around. And O Shin didn’t care about the cat either.