The Cat hides its Claws

Chapter 85: Chapter 85

When Myohan opened the bathroom door, someone was standing right in front of him. He looked up and saw Sajun with wide eyes.

“Um…”

‘What kind of day is this?’ Myohan thought as he looked away.

Sajun didn’t seem to be thinking of stepping aside, although he was blocking the path. Myohan could see Jagyeom glancing at him behind Sajun.

He spoke coldly, “Move.”

“Oh, sorry.”

Thankfully Sajun let him pass without saying much. Then he grabbed Myohan before he could move away.

“Hey…”

Sunlight came through the windows. He looked into light-colored eyes that sparkled in sunlight and asked.

“Haven’t we met before?”

Myohan smiled. He dried his hands on his pants and pretended to look uninterested, but Sajun couldn’t forget that smile that lasted less than a second.

“Well…”

That was all. Myohan went past him, and he couldn’t stop him. He tilted his hand, but then he just shrugged and moved along.

“Clever cat.”

Haven’t we met before? That was an old pick-up line. He laughed before he went back into his homeroom. His pretty eyes had some bit of disappointment.

‘So I’ve met everyone but the pig.’

“Well, I’m not going to see him until we graduate.’

What was so scary about him living more than eleven years? He regretted not calling him a whining piggy.

When he went back to his homeroom, most of his new classmates were there. He sat down, put his head on a hand, and looked out the window.

‘But you will be lonely.’

The god had been worried about him. He had seen Myohan standing all alone in his apartment after his friends went home.

‘No, you are the one who will be lonely.’

He had lost his subjects, his beloved boy, and his old friend. What had he had left? He was the real lonely one.

O Shin looked surprised a little. Then he smiled sadly and stroked Myohan’s hair. When he did it, Myohan felt like he was that little boy in front of the lake again.

‘You’ve been living with me as a cat.’

That was why he couldn’t love him. He would say yes when asked if he loved him, but it wasn’t that kind of love. The god was important to him, but he didn’t love O Shin the way he loved his cat.

‘Why don’t you stay with me?’

‘I can’t do that.’

The god said playfully.

‘I’m ashamed of pretending to be your cat.’

But he didn’t look ashamed at all.

‘You’re not sad about it?’

‘Well…’

He had to admit it had been pleasant. He had lived without interacting with anyone, and he had had the noisiest days of his life. It had been bothersome but enjoyable, unwelcome but funny.

‘This place is going to feel bigger.’

He tried to sound like he was fine with it, but he couldn’t help feeling bad about it. The god kissed his hand. He didn’t say more, other than promising to grant Myohan’s wish, if that was his choice.

‘Thank you for everything.’

What did the god say to his final farewell?

‘I’ve never thought of you as bad, O Shin.’

Oh, yes.

‘I…’

He smiled, relieved of his burden, but he couldn’t look into his eyes. He embraced Myohan again and couldn’t leave for a long time.

‘Cared about you, a lot.’

It was the first time Myohan heard his voice shake.

While he was lost in thoughts, the front door was opened and their new homeroom teacher came in. Myohan smiled to see a boy who came in after her. He thought the school uniform looked good on him.

The tall boy looked around then fixed his gaze on Myohan. The moment he saw his black eyes, he felt a thrill. Those eyes looked directly at him, and it was satisfying.

“Wow, Myohan, he’s really good-looking.”

He couldn’t hear what Sinsul whispered to him. The teacher introduced herself to her new class and the boys muttered among themselves about the new face.

“And this is a transfer student who will be joining us…”

Myohan couldn’t help laughing at that point. Everyone looked at him at the sound. Sinsul said he was acting strange and tried waving a hand in front of his eyes to see if he was sane, but then the new student also covered his mouth.

‘You can’t laugh along with me, you idiot,’ He thought as he shook his head.

“It’s nothing.”

He had met a maniac a year ago. He made him be late for school. He caught a rat near the taps and caught a snake at the library. He caught other animals as well. At the sickbay, at his own home, at a charnel house, in a bathroom, and at the bridge near his school, but he had let all of them go.

“Having a transfer student on the first day of senior year doesn’t happen very often, but I guess that’s what happening today.”

He had no regrets. He was a bit sad, but no regrets.

“Nice to meet you all.”

Myohan smiled. He knew the name he was about to hear, how much he had been waiting for this moment, how eagerly he wanted Myohan.

“I’m Jin Shihuang.”

It was the moment he came to Myohan as a man.

Later…

His suspicions started at the smallest event. He saw him in the bathroom while he was talking to Miho. He had strangely light-colored hair. They had never talked as far as he knew, but he almost said, “You’re not late today,” to him. He made him feel thrilled the moment their eyes met.

He knew his name. O Myohan of Class 1 of the seniors. He was almost always late for school and spent most of his time sleeping, but somehow he managed to get good grades. His smooth skin and feline eyes looked quite unrealistic, so he drew some attention, even though it was an all-boys school. And he got even more famous after he started to hang around with the handsome transfer student.

“Myohan! Let’s play soccer!”

But of course, he and Jagyeom didn’t know each other.

“No, I don’t want to.”

That bored voice sounded familiar. So was the way he pushed the boy with the soccer ball away. Jagyeom went past him, but then he looked back. Even his light-colored hair was familiar. And as he looked back, he saw a pair of clear, light-colored eyes…

“…Eyes?”

‘Our eyes just met, right?’

Really, it wasn’t unimportant, but it was strange. They didn’t know each other, but they kept looking at each other at the same moment. They ran into each other at least twice a day and almost always looked back. It made no sense. They’d never talked to each other. But wait, ‘We’ve never talked to each other?’

Yes, that was the part that bothered him. He hadn’t even said hello to him, but for some reason, every time he saw him, he felt like talking to him and scolding the crazy soccer fan near him for his insistence.

“Oh, Myohan! Play soccer with me!”

‘Hey, dog, just do it by yourself, don’t bother me.’

Jagyeom knew what Myohan would say to the demand. Was it because he was going mad? But a second, ago that bored voice said so.

“Hey, dog,” Jagyeom turned. Myohan pushed Sinsul away and said exactly the same thing. “Just do it by yourself, don’t bother me.”

It was late when he got home. He stopped by at the library to read a book, but then he felt like he had been with someone in that desolate library and ended up spending hours trying to figure out who it had been.

“Oh, Jagyeom, have you had dinner?”

“No, but I’m not hungry.”

His mother asked him with affection, but he just went up to his room. His family’s kindness was also strange to him. No, more accurately, it was strange that he was feeling it was strange. They were his family. Of course, they were nice to him and took care of him, but somehow it felt like it was the first time it was happening. He didn’t hate it, of course. He just wasn’t used to it.

He lay down on his bed without taking off his school uniform. Then, he fell asleep without realizing it. When he woke up again, it was already after midnight. He jumped to his feet.

“I must take a shower…”

He always took his shower by 11 p.m. no matter what. It was already past midnight, but it was fine. He had been told it would be fine before one in the morning. He got fresh clothes, went to the bathroom on tiptoe so that he wouldn’t wake up his family, and turned on the water. But then, he stopped. Water ran down and wet his hair.

‘…Who?’

Who had told him he could take shower before one in the morning? That he could get wet during that time. No, wait, why couldn’t he get wet?

Thoughts spun in his mind. He came up with one question after another, but he got no answers. As he took his shower, he kept flinching every time he touched water. He had no trauma about water. He had never drowned. He had never gone to play in water, so that was impossible.

‘Play in water?’

He got another question. His family went on a trip every summer, mostly to the beach, but he always stayed behind.

‘Why do I never go with them?’

Of course, he got no answer.