The Cat hides its Claws

“You…”

Myohan wasn’t the only one who felt it. The moment their eyes met, Sadeol’s face hardened. He narrowed his eyes. They looked into each other’s eyes for a long time until the other boys looked at them and O Shin grabbed Myohan’s arm.

“Myohan.”

It made him snap out of it. He took a deep breath and shook his head, but his neck still felt cold.

“…Bye.”

Sadeol opened his mouth, but he couldn’t say anything. Myohan turned before he could speak.

“See you in the classroom.”

“What? You’re really going? See you later, Myohan!”

Myohan walked away, trying to look fine. Seonhan called out to him, but he ignored it. He put down his tray, left the cafeteria, and walked away. He walked each step with confidence.

He wobbled and fell only when they were at the vegetable garden. O Shin didn’t stop him from heading there instead of going back to their classroom. He just stood in front of him and crouched down. His dark eyes silently looked at Myohan.

“…Hey.”

Myohan called him, but he still said nothing. He could almost see Sadeol’s eyes again, so he blinked hard to dismiss the image. His long eyelashes fluttered. O Shin smiled, probably thinking it was cute.

He steadied his breath. His heart was still beating like crazy. He stretched out a hand, and O Shin hugged him. He embraced him like holding a small animal, and he started patting his back. His huge hand stroked down the small back. Myohan held his shirt eagerly. Ba-dump, ba-dump. It wasn’t Myohan’s. It was O Shin’s heartbeat. Myohan’s heart started to calm down only then. Now he could breathe properly. He put his head on O Shin’s shoulder and asked, “He’s the one, isn’t he?”

Still, O Shin wouldn’t say anything. Myohan went a little away, and he could see his smile. He smiled with affection as if he were looking at a child. Myohan frowned. O Shin rubbed his pale face and spoke tenderly.

“Scared cat.”

He was teasing, but Myohan couldn’t deny it. The fear he had felt was impossible to deny. O Shin’s hand went up to his eyes. They had been dull, but they were slowly regaining their usual sharpness.

Myohan thought of Sadeol’s eyes again. They were the same with his own eyes, but yet, they were quite different. They were bigger, more fierce, and more….predator-like. He thought of all the twelve zodiac animals and let out a sigh. Yes, he had won the relay race.

O Shin hugged him again. Myohan didn’t fight it and let him. He didn’t care how it would look. He just needed warmth. Of course he was scared.

“He’s too much of a beast.”

In Sadeol. He had to be a member of the feline family, just like Myohan.

***

The tiger (Panthera Tigris) is a mammal species that belongs to the genus Panthera. It has horizontal stripes on its back and hunts with its strong jaw and claws. Despite being a member of the feline family, it is fond of water, and…

“The only carnivore.”

A carnivore that ate everything from mammals like deer to reptiles.

Myohan sighed at O Shin’s remark and closed his book. To defeat your enemy, know him first. After being overwhelmed by the tiger’s power, he started to do some background research first. He went to the library and found an encyclopedia of animals, looked up the tiger, but the thing was, the tiger was an animal that really didn’t have any weaknesses.

“Maybe I should use the snake as bait.”

That was what he said after some thought. Well, Sadeol wasn’t really going to eat Sajun probably, so he could just throw him in front of the tiger first and then think of what to do next.

O Shin looked at him and stroked the back of his head, thinking he was so cute. The feeling of his soft hair was never bad.

“Soft cat fur.”

He muttered so as he kissed Myohan. The smooch! sound was clear and loud.

“It’s not a bad idea.”

Sadeol’s eyes clearly reflected those of a predator. Myohan didn’t know why he hadn’t been able to realize it sooner. The moment their eyes met, he instinctively knew he was the stronger one. And Sadeol seemed to have felt something on Myohan as well.

“Maybe I should go back and check…”

But to meet Sadeol, he had to meet Seonhan as well. He shook his head as it didn’t feel good. Seonhan hadn’t been lying when he said he wanted to be close to Myohan, but his deep instincts were yelling at him not to be close to him.

“What changes him?”

He knew he wasn’t going to get the answer. And he was right. O Shin just grinned, put a hand behind his head, and didn’t hesitate to pull it close and kiss him on his lips. Myohan blinked slowly to feel their lips meet. He could see O Shin’s closed eyes from up close. The lips parted, only to meet again the moment Myohan closed his eyes. O Shin tilted his head and caressed his ear.

The library was quiet and belonged only to them. The sunlight coming through windows still felt warm. The hand went down to his cheek. It rubbed on it, went down to his neck, and then behind, down to his back. He patted it a few times. He went away and looked into his eyes.

“Are you anxious?”

The voice was gentle. O gently rubbed Myohan’s now red lips. He kissed them lightly at last and smiled.

“We still have time.”

“…Not really.”

One of his hands was still on Myohan’s hand. Myohan let out a sigh. Sometimes, O Shin just saw through too much. His fear that had frozen him, the bad feeling he instinctively got, and the anxiety that he produced were easily seen through.

“We don’t have much time.”

After October, they had only two months till winter vacation. It was going to be hard to find the zodiac animals during the vacation. What would happen if they failed to find the twelve in two months?

Myohan didn’t know what kind of consequences awaited them, but he knew he couldn’t let it happen. He had accomplished this much relying only on his gut feeling, and it was telling him to hurry.

“I…”

O Shin spoke. His black, mysterious eyes wavered with unknown thoughts. What kind of feeling was behind that abyss? Myohan wondered.

“…will never forget you.”

Another headache. Another sense of déjà vu engulfed him.

‘Even if you can’t remember me.’

He kept hearing a voice that had to be O Shin’s. He could hear the sound of rain. Damp rain and someone wet who kept caressing his face. O Shin looking at him sadly as if he was about to disappear.

“So relax.”

But now, he was just gently stroking Myohan’s hair. The sky couldn’t have been bluer. Was it his imagination, or did O Shin’s gentle smile resemble the clear sky?

“What happens if we can’t find them all in time?”

“I’ll wait.”

“You’ll wait?”

Myohan really couldn’t understand. O Shin was answering to his every question, but it did him no good as he couldn’t understand any of his answers. O Shin just smiled and said what he said once to him.

“Wait for many, many years, until the twelve and you gather at one place.”

When they first met, Myohan just scowled and said speaking in cool riddles wasn’t going to make him help. He had dismissed it as nonsense at the time, but now, it somehow pierced his heart. O Shin cupped a hand under his chin, kissed his eyelid, and spoke again.

“I’ll just wait.”

And he sounded sadder than ever.

***

“Eat more than last time.”

Really, the cafeteria was always full of noise. Myohan nodded to Yuja’s order and looked around. Sinsul grabbed Chookjae’s arm and excitedly chatted.

“Let’s play soccer after we eat!”

“Sinsul.”

“…Okay.”

Of course, he was soon disappointed. Yuja was telling Myohan to eat more, but he didn’t have any appetite. O Shin felt no different. He had come to the cafeteria for one purpose, and that wasn’t for having lunch.

“Sinsul!”

Someone came to them.

“Wow, hey, Myohan! Still looking good today!”

Seonhan said hello to them and O Shin put an arm around Myohan’s shoulder as a warning. Myohan said hi too and looked behind Seonhan. As usual, Sadeol was with him. He grinned to see Myohan.

“Hi!”

Thick eyebrows and huge eyes, and light-colored irises that looked straight at him. It gave him the chills again, but not as much as last time. At least he could say hi. Myohan looked down and nodded. O Shin laughed under his breath.