It was a long time ago, when the cold wind blew through your bone and snow buried everything in white. I was curled up in my box, waiting for anybody to hear my voice and save me from this hell.

“Ahh!! There you are!!” I looked up and met with warm hands that enveloped me, rubbing my fur so gently.

“Poor kitty..”

“Meow..” I leaned closer to his touch and set myself on his hands. It felt so nice to be warm again.. It felt so nice to feel human touch after so long.. I almost forgot how warm it is.. I closed my eyes as his warm hands petting my head so gently and lulling me to sleep slowly. Thank you.. Thank you so much, stranger..

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This morning I woke up by a scream, a loud scream from my master. I was blinking my eyes open when he was running around the room.

“W-Where is it?! Where is it?! DONGWOON-AH!! BRING YOUR HERE AND HELP ME!!” Urgh.. So Noisy.. I stretched my stiff body and walked slowly to him, tugging his pants with my paw.

“Who? Well, hello little guy!” He lifted me up and put me on his jacket, letting only my face out in the air. I didn’t know why but master always love to do this to me.  Every morning, master will put me on his jacket and let me observe the world from there. Now, I had to say that it was one of my favorite things to do with master. Even though his jacket looked bigger with my body buried in it, he never complaining and petting me with so much gentleness.

“I’m sorry Yossie.. Did I wake you up?” I put my paw on his nose and listened to his beautiful laugh. Yossie.. It was the name master gave me 3 weeks ago after he found me shivering in a box and save me from the coldest night in that year. Since then, he took me to his apartment and treated me like a nice master should to his pet. Master was in shocked for the first time because for a stray cat I was behave quite nicely, never spoiling the milk, never biting his hands, never growling at him, and always listening to his order. His flat mate is a very nice guy. His name is Dongwoon and he loved to give me milk secretly when master wasn’t looking. Right now, master was supposed to go to his job interview but for some reason he couldn’t find his tie because that was the only missing thing from his perfect look. I love my master, in sickness and in health, in good and bad, but he sometimes a fool. His flat mate, Dongwoon had been away for 3 days to his hometown but master seemed to forget. So, I went to the pile of clean clothes on laundry room and took one tie with my teeth.

“Meow.. (master)”

“Wha-YOSSIE!!! You found my tie!!” Master, you used to be so cool when you live in that big mansion but now you looked like a fool. But, I still love you master!! I purred happily when his hand my fur again. It always felt so nice to feel master soft hand on my fur.

“Alright, now I have to go and nail this interview. Wish me luck Yossie!! Remember, don’t wander around by your own and don’t scratch one of my cushion again, okay?” I nod my head as if master would understand my gesture like he did with other people. Several minutes later, master was gone and I wandering around the apartment like a boss. I jumped into the cushion and sleep some more until noon came. The next time I woke up, I could feel warm hand on my fur but this hand felt unfamiliar. So I opened one of my eyes and looked at the beautiful stranger in front of me.

“Meow? (Who are you?)”

“Hello!! You must be Yossie, the cute little cat he always bragging about.” Huh? Who? He seemed to knew master but I didn’t remember I ever seen him here before.

“I’m Yoseob, your master l-f-friend.” Friend? Don’t lie to me stranger!! You might know my name and act like you’re close with master but I ever met you before. So, it made you still in my blacklist. I hissed and moved away from his hand to the ground. This man.. Somehow he had different aura surrounding him even his touch was different from master or his other friend. It was almost like his hand was warmer-like much much warmer and sort of-comforting.

“(Are you really master’s friend, stranger?)”

“No, more than friend actually but we’re-friend. Come here Yossie, don’t be afraid of me.” He had this warm smile on his face as he lifted me from the ground and sat me on his lap, caressing my fur gently. Urgh.. I supposed to kick this stranger out or at least scratch him on first sight since he was an uninvited guest in here but I really didn’t want to do anything right now. It just felt too nice to be on this stranger’s lap.

“I always want to see you, you know? But your dearest master didn’t want to let me meet you until you one month old, he said. I guess he was afraid that you will steal my attention and love from him.”  I was about to fell asleep for the second time of the day when the door opened with a loud bang. I quickly jumped to the ground and ran to the door to greet master.

“(Welco -)” I stopped meow-ing when master just walked pass me and passed on the couch, next to the stranger who just was staring at him. 

“(Master?)” I meow-ed again to grab his attention but the only answer I get was-silent. What was happening? Master had been to numerous job interviews but none of it ended up with master passed out like this!! I started to panic and sweating when I remembered that he was alone in this apartment with a cat who couldn’t do anything besides meow-ing.

“Calm down Yossie. I guess he’s just-tired. Everybody has their rough day and maybe today just happened to be it.”

“(Really?)” I was somehow unsure because this was the first time I saw master like this. Now that I stood so close to him, I realized how tired his face looked and there was even a trace of dry tears on his cheek. I whimpered and it from his face, hoping that master will woke up with better mood and condition that this one. That night, I spent the time with Yoseob talking and looking after master before master finally showed sign of waking up.

“Urgh…” I looked at master’s figure who slowly raising from the couch and finally looking at me.

“(Master!!)” I meow-ed happily to him but master didn’t return it. Usually, master would pick me up and playing with me.

“Yos-Yoseob..” Huh? Yoseob.. Could it be-

“W-Why are you leaving me so soon?” No way.. I looked to the left to find familiar figure but he was gone.

“I didn’t even have to chance to see you or say I love you one last time.” M-Master!! Y-Yoseob was here!! He was here with me before!! He was sitting beside you all night long!!

“Yoseob.. Why? Why?” Mas-Then, master loud cry stopped my meow-ing and replaced it with silent. I couldn’t believe it.. H-He was here before!! B-But, where was he when master need him? I left master’s side and ran upstairs, looking for Yoseob’s familiar figure in every room.

“You found me Yossie.” I finally found him in master’s bedroom, sitting on his bed and staring at the starry sky outside.

“(You? H-How can?)”

“Fate is just too cruel sometimes, isn’t it? I can hear him calling for me and crying for me not only in my ears but also in my heart. I just-don’t want to see him right now..” I could hear the sound of breaking glasses downstairs along with screams.

“(Why are you here? If you’re already dead then-why?)”

“That’s the answer I want to know as well Yossie. I remember pain and the next minute I find myself inside this apartment, in this very room.” Trapped? But, was that even possible? We stayed in silent like that before the crashing sound stopped and replaced with silent.

“Must be passed out again.” I followed Yoseob downstairs to find master passed out again in the middle of scattered glasses. I couldn’t possibly move him from that position since I’m not strong enough but neither did Yoseob which was very weird because he definitely could touch me perfectly fine before. So, with my inner fighting spirit, I bit master by his clothes and Yoseob held my body to the air, pulling me and master to the couch. Since none of us could lift master body to the couch, we just let him lean on it and sat beside him.

“(Master..)” I watched master closed eyes with sadness. Master lost someone dear to him today and that person happened to be here with him all night long but he couldn’t see him. Moreover, it pained me when I saw Yoseob who couldn’t touch him. He just sat beside master and looked at him, staring at him without any words. The last, here I was, just a small cat who could do nothing but to watch them torturing themselves.

“(God.. Please tell me what to do..)” I prayed for the very first time in my life that night as I slowly went to deep slumber.

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 Two weeks had passed since that night and master condition turned even worse. His friends came over sometimes and took him out with them. I didn’t like them at all, from the moment they step inside the apartment I felt really uncomfortable with them. Based on their conversation, they were master classmate because they talked about it a lot. Yoseob was nowhere to be found at the moment so I didn’t know how to stop master from going out with these ‘friend’ of his because I had a bad feeling about it.

“(Master! Don’t go!!)” I pulled master jeans asking for his attention but one of his friend shove me out of his vision, sending me backwards to the ground with a loud thud.

“Let’s go to have fun Doojoon-ah!! We will help you forget whoever your dead lover name is!! Yoohoo!!” NO!! Master!! I ran to the door but it slammed right to my nose the moment I managed to get close to it.

“(Master…)” I called him name over and over again as if he could hear me from miles away.

“Yossie.. Don’t cry..” Huh?

“(Yoseob!! Where have you been!! Master-They took him out again!! W-What if some-)”

“He will be fine Yossie. Beside, he really need to forget me and move on with his life.” Huh? What the-

“(What?! H-How can you say that!!)”

“Yossie.. How long do you want to see him drowning in sadness and despair like this? It’s been two weeks yet all he did was to cry and mourning over my death. I-Even though I love him, I want to see him happy with or without me. So, if this is the way then so be it.”  I’m tired.. Master and this man probably the craziest and stupidest person I ever met in this universe. I buried my head to his warm chest and let him caressed my fur. I didn’t know that I fell asleep on Yoseob’s lap before a loud bang echoing around the room. I lifted my head up and my eyes widen to the max to what I saw before me. Master was home drunk and with woman on his arms, kissing and making out on the very couch we sat on. I could feel Yoseob tensed above me and the next minute we just watched them did it on the couch. I tried to put my paw on Yoseob’s eyes but it was too far from my reach. Master!! How could you!! I pulled Yoseob’s clothes trying to brought him back to real world. See!! I told you I h