In ancient times, cats were worshipped as gods. They have not forgotten this.

My only off day after a whole week of school, work, and crazy deadlines, and my brother has to ruin it all on a Sunday.

“Gosh, for the last time, Jungkook, could you please open the bloody door!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, my hands like heavy clubs dully slamming like waves on the door to my room.

God knows I’ve put up with this creature from hell for a very long time. I wished I were able to strangle his neck or something and knock some sense into his thick skull that no, this is not some kind of game.

I pounded at the bedroom door. “You open this door, or else,” I snarled, my palms burning as I scratched my nails against the wooden surface of my bedroom door.

“What?” came the singsong voice on the other side, “What are you gonna do, noona?”

I sputtered, staring at the door with a scandalized expression of pure shock/anger/insert emotion here.

That little .

Before I could even make any sort of coherent reply, I heard the sound of something falling inside and my heart dropped.

I threw myself at the door with renewed fury. “DON’T TOUCH MY STUFF!” I screamed again, raining blows on the door. Seriously, with the amount of abuse I’m giving, it won’t even budge. Talk about robber-proof.

There was one thing I wouldn’t want him to find, if ever. Take anything else, touch everything else, just not pick up that leatherbound book and just-

“Dear Journal,” Jungkook read aloud in a high-pitched girly voice – which is so not like mine, by the way – and I heard him giggle, “I ran right into the neighbor’s son in the corridor today-“

My heart dropped. Of couse he would go ahead and find it. “Jungkook, don’t you dare-“

Of course he wouldn’t listen. “I finally got his name!” he said, full of happiness, “It’s Do Kyungsoo. Ah~ such an unassuming name for an unassuming gentleman!”

That’s it, I thought to myself, giving a final kick to the door and walking away from it, down the hall, and to the front door, unlocking it with trembling fingers. I threw it open, storming out into the porch, and unlocked the main gates, kicking them so hard that it groaned against the sudden violent force.

Then I stepped out of the house compound, standing in the middle of the little road leading out from our stretch of houses.

Not even bothering to even close the gates, I paced right there in the empty little road, contemplating walking away from the house and the offensive pain the neck that was currently in my room. Let any thief come and kidnap my stupid brother. It would be a blessing for me.

I was so mad, I didn’t even care that if our parents were to return, they would see the door gaping open like a crime scene or something.

I glanced back, tossing the key on the ground, and the sharp sound it made against the smooth ceramic of the porch floor alleviated my rage, but only a little.

Breathing hard, I turned away from the house only to see the next door neighbour staring back at me.

It was Do Kyungsoo, sitting outside his own house, petting the stray cats he regularly fed and took care of.

I forgot he liked to sit outside in the afternoons.

Well, damn it all.

I met his calm, unwavering eyes with embarrassed ones, feeling the tips of my ears turn hot

He jerked his head to the open gates behind me. “You alright?” he asked quietly.

I merely stood there, feeling even more awkward with myself. My body was still in a half-turned position. It was getting mildly uncomfortable but what was I to do? He was there, and I had to look like I meant to do whatever I just did.

He was about to give it up, his face looking down at the sleek black cat looking up at him when I in a deep breath, looking down at my bare feet.

“I don’t know, to be honest,” I ground out, feeling like the biggest loser in the world. Why, oh why, was I so easily bullied, so boring, so…average? Floor, eat me now.

Kyungsoo nodded to himself, placing his hand on the cat which was adamant on getting his attention and smiling down at it.

He then looked up at me, just as I was wondering if I should go back into the house, and patted the spot next to him.

“Do you want to sit down?” he offered.

I almost gaped. “Sit down?” I echoed, looking at the space next to him.

Contrary to the fact that our families had been living next to each other for almost a year now, he and I barely got to converse more than the occasional good morning and hi and now he freaking wants me to sit next to him?

My day just got weirder.

But my legs seemed to cooperate with his words and before I knew it I was on the ground next to him surrounded by a bunch of cats that were pointedly ignoring me in favour of him.

Go figure.

Kyungsoo looked at me, his side parted hair showcasing how smooth his forehead was. “Did you know that cat purrs are therapeutic?” he asked me, taking my hand and placing it on the aforementioned black cat.

I was too awestruck at how quick and random the gesture was, and I watched my limp hand atop the cat, giving it awkward pats as it purred under my touch. My skin vibrated along with it.

It looked none too pleased, moving away from me to jump onto Kyungsoo’s lap.

My hand remained motionless in the air, dropping to my lap. “I don’t think it likes me,” I muttered, trying to calm the sudden butterflies that were converging in swarms inside my stomach.

Kyungsoo chuckled softly, making shivers erupt up and down my skin. “It’s okay,” he said, carrying the cat up to his face and kissing its nose, “At least Luna didn’t scratch you.”

I rolled my eyes. “And that is supposed to make me feel better?” I scoffed.

He looked at me, smiling back. His eyes were wide and unblinking, and his bow-shaped lips pulled to the sides as if he were amused by my sarcasm. It was altogether a weird enough smile.

“Are you feeling better?” he asked.

I shrugged.

I was.

But no way was I going to admit that.

Kyungsoo took a smaller-sized kitten and placed it on my lap, looking at me to gauge my reaction. “I like to wear my cats like a fur coat,” he said, letting out another of his soft laughs.

I was half convinced that Do Kyungsoo could pass for an awkward cat lady. Um, cat gentleman. Whatever.

The kitten meowed loudly on the coarse material of my jeans, curling up against the part where my hip met my waist, and placing its head on its tiny paws.

Kyungsoo grinned triumphantly. “Love is a warm feeling, no?” he asked, as I stared back passively at him.

I shrugged.

He leaned back, taking Luna and placing it on his lap as well. “Your brother is still a kid, you know,” he said, stealing a glance at me, “He doesn’t know any better.”

I rolled my eyes. “You don’t know Jungkook. He’s a living nightmare.”

He smiled again, as I huffed. “Maybe you could ask him to come over and pet a cat,” he suggested.

“He hates it when I tell him to do things. He thinks he’s above that because sibling hierarchy never works on him,” I said with a scoff, before glancing at my house. “I gotta go,” he said, “He might think I ran away or something. Or not.”

Kyungsoo was still smiling faintly as I gently placed the kitten away from my leg. “Come back soon,” he bid me, as I walked the steps to my gate, pulling them close and locking them. Picking up the keys, I locked the gates, going back to the house with a renewed calmness that wasn’t there when I stormed out.

It was then that I realized that I had been petting the kitten on my leg the whole time while I talked to Kyungsoo, and, placing a hand on my chest, I felt a far steadier heartbeat within it.

Okay, not so fluffy or anything but all are based on true events haha. I sometimes ask my best friend over and we sit outside the house and talk about our troubles while petting my (numerous) cats and just go home, at the end of the day, thinking how calm we were. But maybe that's also because in my best friend's eyes, I'm always listening to him and not judging him, and that's how proper friendships work: trust and respect and a listening ear! (two listening ears but eh)

I'm working on the next chapter of Entranced and I'm getting a little cat feels because I sent my little boy to the vet today for his big neuter day and I'm already feeling pangs from missing him. Yeah, I know I've got loads of baby boys but he's still one of them, y'know? T^T I'm taking him home two days from now and my vet's the best doctor in the world so I know she looks out for his best interests at heart.