It was the perfect afternoon - not too hot and not too cold, with just the right amount of breeze. The sun shyly hid behind grayish clouds but it did not stop to release its golden rays. Bom leisurely strolled at the park on her way home. She hesitated if she should immediately head home or stop by her part-time job. She sat on a bench and thought about it.

Her part-time job is a secret from her parents. She doesn't really need to work for money, Bom could just ask extra money from her parents and they would have given her more than what she asked for. "But I want to buy things with my own money," was always Bom's reason. Besides, she enjoys herself at the small cafe where she worked part-time. She only works three days a week but sometimes she exceeds it and doubles her time.

"You don't have to pay me overtime, ahjumma." Bom would sweetly say when she shows up for work. "I just want to help you here."

But the truth is, she just wanted to escape from home. She listlessly kicked a small pebble in frustration. It hit a nearby trash can.

"MROOOW!"

"Mwo?" Bom tilted her head and checked where the sound came from. The pebble she kicked hit a stray cat beside the trash can. Bom watched the cat as it itself. The cat was dirty with matted hair all over its body. But from the afternoon sun, she could see something different from its color. The cat's coat was so white that it was almost blue - to the point that it seemed to glow.

"Aishh, I'm seeing things," she thought as she picked up her bag ready to leave. "I guess I'll have to go home now. O, why is my bag so heavy?"

Bom looked inside her bag and saw the box of cookies and the lollipop. She took them out and frowned. "Aishh, so these are the ones making my bag so heavy. I won't even eat this, it's too sweet." Bom walked over to the trash can to throw the unwanted gifts.

"Meoo~w"

She looked down to see the cat staring at the box of cookies with big hungry eyes. Its eyes were a shade of deep blue - the same color as the still ocean. It purred again while it its paws. Bom hesitated but opened the box of cookies. It was still warm and freshly baked.The purring got louder as the nutty smell of the cookies reached the twitching nose of the cat.

"Don't be noisy, just take it." Bom said and set the opened box of cookies on the pavement. The cat smelled and the cookie crumbs before it dug into it. Seeing the satisfied cat, Bom headed home.

"Oh no, looks like it's going to rain," Bom thought as the sky turned gray and cold. The sun was nowhere to be seen. Bom quickened her pace to avoid the mid-afternoon downpour. "Why didn't I bring an umbrella?"

A lightning bolt suddenly flashed. "Aigo." The rain came pouring down. It was gentle at first, mimicking the subtle sound of a rainstick. But it gradually poured down faster and harder like a beating drum. Bom shielded herself with her bag and ran to the nearest shelter she could find - an empty bus stop.

"I've never noticed a bus stop here," she thought as she squeezed the rainwater that dripped from her hair. She plopped herself on the empty bench and listened to the pitter-patter of the rain. "I'll just wait here until the rain stops."    

"Meow."

Bom's eyes widened but she shook her head. "Aish, there's no way that cat could follow me here." she reassured herself. As if the cat read her mind, it purred again to let her know about his presence. Bom looked at her feet and saw the cat looking at her with its blue eyes. It looked whiter than ever in the dark cloudy rain.

"Meoow meow yoww."

Bom closed her eyes. The drumming rain plus the continuous meowing of the cat seemed to drive her mad. "What are you doing here?" she angrily exclaimed. "I already gave you food. What more do you want?"

The cat rubbed itself on Bom's legs before it climbed on the bench and sat with her. Bom inched herself farther, afraid that the cat is dirty and infested with parasites. Up close, she saw that the cat has a blue collar on her neck.

"So, you're not a stray cat then." Bom said out loud. "Aishh, I might be mad for talking to a cat." she thought.

The cat its paws again and yawned. Bom tried her best to ignore the cat beside her. She massaged her face and thought, "At home, I'll be the perfect, smiling daughter again." With a sigh, the rain stopped but the smell of wet grass and rain still lingered in the air. She checked her watch. It was almost dinnertime.

The lights of the lampposts were on. As she walked, her shadow trailed behind her. So was another shadow. Bom stopped and looked back. The cat was a few steps behind her. It stopped the same time she stopped. It yawned again.

"Little cat, go home don't bother me!" she shouted. She was already tired and just wanted to take a rest. She massaged her temples and continued to walk home.

"I can't." a voice spoke.

"Eh? Did the cat just talk?" Bom froze. She turned to face the cat and saw it staring at her. She looked around the neighborhood to see if there were other people around. But there was none. "Aigo, I think I'm going crazy." she muttered to herself as she continued to walk. "I'm just so stressed from school, the admission to Yonsei and now this cat is bothering me. I'm just hearing weird things."

"Wait." it spoke again.

Bom stopped dead on her track. She was scowling and clearly annoyed. "Yah, if anyone's playing a prank on me, it's not funny!" she shouted to no one in particular. Bom did not bother to care if anyone might hear her. "Screw that, I just want to go home."

"Help me." the voice said as it got nearer.

She turned back and saw the cat on her heels. Its blue eyes were wide and pleading. Bom looked down at the cat and sighed.

"I'm lost. Help me find my way back home." the cat said while rubbing its body to Bom's legs.

Bom jerked her leg away from the cat. She stomped her feet and walked home as fast as she could. Little did she know that the cat followed her with its own slow and steady pace as if it knows where she lived.

Thank you for the comment and subscribe. I know this fic is a little bit different with my other stories which are more fluffy and cute. This one's a little bit more...serious? (I think.) I'm trying to improve my writing too, although I'm still bad at my grammar *le sigh*

Yeah, Bommie has an attitude problem here. She's a queenka at school and the perfect daughter at home, but in truth she might seem a bit y. (>.<)