I would usually hear Choco bark away at something at random times. I’d have to call her or lure her in with the temptation of a treat to wander back to me, tail wagging in delight, so that she would stop her antics.

Choco’s whining would wake  me up at odd hours of the night but it never occurred to me that I should check what was driving her to such a state. Not until tonight.

Opening the door to my apartment, Choco rushed out towards the dimly lit hallway. I could see she had stopped a few feet away and was wagging her tail furiously and kept whining at something.

“Choco?” Calling out to her garnered me nothing as she was still paying attention to who knows what.

As I had approached the small dog, I patted her back aside as she was away at a brown cat. The cat, was clearly very much not having it with me as it immediately let out a loud hiss that wouldn’t stop no matter how much I tried to shush it.

I even attempted a peace offering by slowly nudging my hand towards its face to show that I was of no threat to it. Having been rewarded by a swift scratch which drew blood and more hissing, I winced in pain and claimed that I got the point.

Straightening back up and stepping away a couple of steps, I noticed that it had begun to loosen up and Choco continued to at it as if trying to tell it to calm down. I could also see her pawing playfully at its head in a sort of way of punishment for what it had done to me.

Leaning down to pet Choco and walk back to the apartment to take care of my bleeding wound, I made sure to leave the door open so that Choco could wander in whenever she decided that it was time to do so.

I could hear Choco bouncing back a few minutes later and looked up from my seat in my sofa to notice that the cat had peaked its head inside.

It was really hesitant. Seemingly glaring at me yet having the calmest demeanor when Choco would notice this and pounced at it playfully.

Choco and the cat kept playing for a while. With a yawn, I let it be known that it was pretty much time for bed. “Choco, come in. Say goodnight to your friend.”

One more at the cat and Choco bounced back into the room; tail wagging happily and barking up at me in agreement. I could see that the cat had taken to sitting on a certain spot on the hallway just staring into the room and me. “Well, good night then,” I said as I closed the door.

Strange cat.

---------------

Many a day passed as Choco had found her new playmate. They would have nights of just playfully growling at each other as they seemed to battle for power wrestling each other without really meaning to hurt the other.

I often just sat in my usual place, which had a nice view of the outside, and watched them play. I could see that some times Choco would cross the line and the cat would lash out and scratch at the poor pup which drew out a whine from Choco and an affectionate from the cat to try to heal it when it noticed what it had done.

It was a strange relationship. The relationship between the cat and I however was extremely strained. After our first encountered, I had only tried to give it food on a plate to show that I meant no harm towards it. It had taken the cat a few days to fully trust the contents on the plate but I would often catch the cat eyeing the contents suspiciously only too often.

Every time I exited the building, I would notice it emerge from the shadows to watch me carefully. I had by now taken to at least saying hello to it every time I spotted it. I wondered if its owner was one of the neighbors since I often saw it it around.

On one particular night, after unlocking the door, Choco greeted me in a particularly good mood as I bent down so she could climb into my arms. away at my face as I couldn't help but laugh gleefully at Choco's burst of admiration, I spotted the cat staring at us from a corner.

"Yes, Choco, Hyukkie loves you too! Thank you for such a kind welcome! I've had such a rough day..." Petting away at the fluff of fur that was mostly her, laughter filling the hallway, I noticed that the cat had gotten closer. I only took it as a way of it making it known to Choco that it was there.

Dropping my on the floor to sit, laughter still on my lips and setting Choco down, I carelessly reached out to the cat. "Hello, you! I hope you had a better day than I did," a smile curling into my face as the cat had miraculously allowed me to scratch away at its head. Eyes ever so cautiously glued on to me in case of any sudden unwanted movements.

"Ah! Thank you for allowing me to touch you, kitty! Hey," I started as I took my hand away from scratching lightly at the back of its ears and stood up to head back into the room, "I got you a special treat today!"

Placing my bag and a couple of grocery bags on top of the counter, not noticing that the cat had taken to sit at the foot of the door curiously staring at me as Choco was trying hard to get its attention, I had reached into one of the bags and got a nice can of food out for it. "I hope you like a little bit of chicken!" Snapping the can open, I could see that its ears perked up a little and it moved away out of the apartment once again as I placed down the plate with cat food on it.

It seemed to blink at me questioning my intentions yet meandered to the plate, sniffing at the contents carefully and taking a small of the food. Realizing that it had greatly enjoyed the contents on the plate, it wolfed it down in very few minutes.

Leaning against the door with my arms crossed staring at it down the food, I was pleasantly surprised when it wandered towards my legs and rubbed up against them seemingly saying thanks.

With a grateful laugh, I bent down to scratch away at it once again from its head down to its chin. "I wonder what I should call you, friend. I don't even know if you're a girl or a guy." With a light meow after I said guy, I had to ask "guy?" to double check if I had gotten it correctly.

Another meow and I seemed to have gotten my answer. In delight, I ruffled away at the fur on his back. "Good to know, little buddy!" He had hissed lightly at me but stopped as he noticed my laughter drown away his complaint. "My name is Hyukjae! I wonder what your name is..." I scanned his body to see no real traces of a collar.

"Hmm. I guess I won't be able to know your name, eh?" I said scratching his head one last time before Choco, finally deciding that she had been ignored for far too long, tackled away at the cat and they began playing as per usual.

Taking my spot leaning back against the door frame once again, I mused out loud "I wonder if you would mind if I named you.... I wouldn't have a clue as to what to name you though..."

I hadn't noticed that it kept staring at me as I walked back into the room to do my own thing.

-----------

Days passed and the little guy had taken to really warm up to me. One day, I had noticed that he peaked his way into the apartment as Choco had wandered in to eat away at the food I had just placed for her. "Oh, hey friend! Why don't you come right in? I promise I don't bite like Choco does." Chuckling at my own stupid joke, I noticed he wandered in and started to investigate his surroundings.

Taking a few moments to stare at a few things in curiosity, I wandered behind him, bent down and pet his back. "I got you a few snacks," I said as I placed a piece in front of him. "I hope you don't mind."

Petting him one last time as he sniffed the snack and ate it, I wandered back to the kitchen to continue making my food.

It seems like I had gained a new companion as I noticed him sitting in a place near me just watching me work. I smiled at him and began to ramble away to him about my day without a care in the world.

Before long, I noticed that he got up from his spot and stretched out his front paws on the kitchen floor. As he was about to wander away I began, "you know, I think I've come up with a name. I hope you don't mind it. You've been such a great friend to Choco and I've always felt that you deserved a name as well." Bending down next to him as he stared up at me, I started to pet away at the top of his head again. "I was thinking Donghae. It means ‘east sea’. I really like the sea, you know? And I’ve always wanted to head down to the southern ends of the country and explore that part of it. It seems like it would be a wonderful place. I have a few relatives down in Mokpo and it’s always been a dream destination for me.”

Smelling that my food was starting to burn as I was deep in conversation with Donghae the cat, I brushed the back of his ear quickly and went to tend after my food. “Choco should be done eating by now. You should go play with her for a while. I’ll place some food for you after I eat if you don’t mind.”

Donghae still clearly intently looking at me, took a few moments before walking away meowing away as if to call at Choco who was soon by her side jumping up and down with joy.

-------

After we had all had our dinners, I decided to to rest for a while before calling it a night. Turning on some light music and picking up the book I was reading (about cats no less), Choco had decided to join me up on the sofa. Spotting Donghae hesitating near my feet, I began to pat the spot right next to me that was empty. “You’re free to join us, you know.” Shooting a smile at him before wandering back to my book, I felt that he had cautiously climbed up to the sofa. Pawing away at it to get the feeling of it and mostly setting a place up for himself to sit on, he curled away in a spot close to me but still distant.

Choco seemed to bark my distaste that Donghae had sat far away from us right on cue. Petting her to settle down, I continued to read my book in peace.

I hadn’t noticed that I had passed out on the sofa until I was awoken by Donghae’s sandpaper-like tongue away at my cheek from the top of the sofa. I couldn’t help but think that he was trying to get me to wake up to get me to go to bed. Patting his head in thanks, I could see that he had wandered towards the door as a clear sign that he had wanted to go. A yawn escaping me as I stretched out my arms above my head before opening the door, he looked up at me and purred lightly.

“You know, you’re more than welcome to spend the night if you’d like to any time. I really enjoy your company.”

With a meow and a soft swish of his tail, he wandered out of the room. “Good night then, Donghae.”

-------

More evenings came and went with the three of us in the apartment. We had become quite a random little family. Choco and Donghae seemed to play away for a great while and after tiring out Choco, Donghae would often wind up on my lap as I read away books while his fur eliciting soft purrs from the very content cat. It seemed like I had taken into adopting him by now as he practically lived here.

I had asked the neighbors if they by any chance were missing a cat and no one ever really claimed ownership over him or really knew what I was talking about.

On one of those days, I came home with a collar with his name inscribed on it.

Catching Donghae as he had settled once again on my lap, I caught his attention as I from his tail to his head in one swift motion. “So, I got this for you,” I pulled it out from my pocket and showed it to him. “I was thinking that since you practically live here now, it would be nice if you continued to live with us from now on for good.” He eyed the collar and then seemed to look at me surprised. “Would you mind living here with us?”

A soft purr as he nudged at my hand with the collar was taken as a reply of agreement. Smiling, I placed the collar around his neck. I found myself being rewarded by head nudges as he had climbed to the top of the sofa as his face brushed against mine. “Welcome to our little family, Donghae,” I said petting away at the back of his head.

----

A month passed by and I had woken up to Donghae being my new bed companion often. It seemed that the night I asked him to be a part of our family, he had let go of any and all inhibitions and happily settled in making it his home as well. away at his back, he let out a soft mewl in protest as I had woken him up. “I’m sorry to wake you up. Go back to sleep. I’m heading off to work now.”

It had somehow become a strange routine by now to lose track of time babbling away at Donghae like it was the normal thing to do. I could swear that at times he meowed back at me in reply but I was probably just fooling myself by thinking that was the case. He was a cat after all….

Returning from work that day, exhausted over a deeply annoying day, I could only let my bag fall onto the floor and my body slam down hard against the sofa. Sighing at the relief of the day being over, I could see that Donghae had approached my lifeless body and stared up at me from beneath the sofa. “Hey, buddy. I’m sorry that your food will be late today. I just, really need to crash and forget about everything right now. I hope you don’t mind.” Stretching out a hand to him weakly, I felt him shove his face into my palm and rub himself against it. “Thank you, friend.”

I noticed him slip away from my sight only to feel him suddenly land on my back a few seconds later. “Hey!” Starting to protest for him to get off, I felt him kneading lightly at my back. I chuckled at the thought that it felt like he was trying to help me out and I would have appreciated the thought had his claws not been digging softly into my skin.

“Alright, alright.” Lifting myself from my position and causing Donghae to jump away from my back and settle back into my lap as I had sat upright on the couch, I away at his fur and was rewarded by his soft purrs and his light digging of his paw clawing at my leg softly in delight. “Just let me rest a little and I promise I will feed you and play with you both, okay?”

Petting away at his back, I found myself quickly drifting off to dreamland where I had apparently dreamt of being away somewhere but staring out to sea. A hand placing itself on top of mine and being in a general great mood because I was with great company.

I was woken up suddenly as I felt a tongue away at my cheek. Donghae was trying his best to wake me up again to make sure I wandered to bed to sleep properly. Instead this time it felt different. The sandpaper-like tongue that I was so used to was replaced by a softer one. A much bigger tongue now that I think about it… And a hand had suddenly found it’s way on top of mine… Snapping quickly out of my sleepy mode, my eyes shot open only to be met with a strange figure.

A man who seemed to be about my age stared back at me. Brunet hair and dark brown eyes penetrating mine.

Trying to not overly freak out about the proximity of this strange man being far too close to me, I tried to push away at him only to notice that he was clearly under my touch for some reason that clearly escaped me. “Um… Who are you…?”

Having a hard time trying not to stare at the body in front of mine, my eyes trying to escape his gaze only to be brought back to facing him as he had pulled my face back with one of his hands, the man spoke softly. “Thank you for naming me, Hyukjae.”

He had by now pulled me in to place his lips softly on mine but not before I had caught a glimpse of the collar I had gotten for Donghae around his neck. ‘No way…’ was my thought as soft lips took a hold of mine and my eyes were widened with clear shock.

The figure in front of me breaking off the kiss suddenly leaned up to my ear to whisper, “I, however, do bite.”

A loud gulp escaped me before the world darkened around me as I had seemingly passed out from the shock.

A/N: Hello there! This story was inspired by stupid inside jokes. It's funny how you wind up being friends with people online and suddenly they become a huge part of your life and you wind up babbling away like idiots on Tumblr and then Twitter and stupid mistakes over typos wind up being such silly inside jokes. The title for this chapter is one such joke! I have to admit, I'm slightly apprehensive about having this be a chaptered story but I will hope that it's not that many chapters (for my sake). It was so pulled out of nowhere this story. Anyways. This will be more than likely very light on . It will be  there (kinda) but not really? Where will I go with this story? Thanks for reading!

I ain't no hallaway back girl~:D