It was not even a week since he adopted Keke, yet Yongguk was so eager to go home to see the cat. So right after he finished his work, he took a train and walked for about fifteen minutes to reach his place.

                Yongguk should be young and competent to buy a car and steered it to his workplace every day. However, he couldn’t drive. After three times failing the driving test, he just told himself that he was not meant to drive and kept telling himself that he could reduce the pollutions on earth if he didn’t drive. So he chose to go back and forth to work using public transport.

                Being in a hurry with Keke in his mind, Yongguk decided to take a shortcut. It was a turn into a narrow passage between the buildings. He had passed it once and never again after that because the path was quite dirty and smelly. The place was also dark and quiet during the day but he knew it would be lit during night when most of the clubs and drinking places along the street was opened. So when he mindlessly went by a shop, he took a second to realize that he had never seen it before.

                Stopping in his track, Yongguk stepped back to observe the shop. It was named ‘Magic, Not Sorcery’ and he didn’t expect to find it there. The shop seemed normal from the outside but he felt the urge to go in there to have a look since the name itself had triggered his curiosity.

                Without thinking twice, he pushed the door to the shop. It gave out a weird air and the inside was pretty dim too. He saw shelves with merchandises arranged neatly on them but unlike other typical shops, this one seemed to have some sort of mystical theme to it.

                As he was still having a look around, a face came into his view. “Welcome!”

                Yongguk flinched in surprise, closing the door behind him in the process. It was a middle aged man with a smile stretched from an ear to another, staring expectantly at him.

                “What can I do for you, sir?” the man asked eagerly.

                “Um…” Yongguk had no idea about it since he had thoughtlessly walk in. “What do you have in store for me?”

                “Everything.” The man shrugged.

                “Everything?” Yongguk arched his eyebrow, deeply skeptical about the answer he got.

                “Well, if there’s nothing that you want in here, you can just wish for it,” the man said, causing Yongguk to be even more confused. “Follow me.” He smiled before making his way further into the shop.

                Yongguk trailed behind the man while studying all the interesting things placed on the shelves, until they reached the largest one. It was full of small vials, of all kind of colours. He wondered why he was brought there.

                The middle aged man proceeded to take one of the vials before handing it out to his customer. Yongguk took it in his hand, observing the small glass bottle with curiosity.

                “It’s a potion,” the man began, “The most desired one that is.” He grinned. “It can make everything you wish come true.”

                Yongguk was bought. And just like that, regardless the cost of the potion Yongguk decided he must have it because why not? Who in the world doesn’t want their wish to be fulfilled? He should just give it a try and see where it goes.

                Now Yongguk was sitting in the living room. His cat was next to him on the same couch. Both of them were staring at the small vial with the blue liquid placed on the coffee table in front of them. He had been contemplating to consume the potion for the past half an hour because what if it was just a scam? What if he had been lied to? What if he would die after drinking it?

                Yongguk sighed. The longer he thought about it, the more ridiculous it got. Grabbing the vial, he twirled it in his hand. Then he looked at his pet. “Why did I adopt you?”

                Keke lifted his head at the question, averting his eyes from that bottle to his owner. He gave a simple meow as the answer.

                “Because I’m ing bored and lonely living in this apartment without a company,” Yongguk told his cat as he looked into its eyes, as if Keke would really understand what he was saying. “So that’s why, I’m going to wish for someone, a lover, a soulmate, who loves me for who I truly am, not because of my looks or my money.”

                Yongguk opened the cap and without hesitating any longer, he dunked the potion down his throat. But not all of it though because he had to stop halfway through.

                “Urgh…” His body shook as a gag reaction. “That tastes weird…” He placed the vial back onto the table before looking at his watch.

                “Oh! I need to get going.” Yongguk turned to his pet and lifted the fluff ball to his face. “I’m going out with my friends tonight. I’ll just have couple of drinks so I can get home early and we will go to sleep together. Is that okay?”

                Keke meowed.

                “Will you be a good boy while daddy’s away?

                Keke meowed again.

                “You’re already a good boy!” Yongguk pecked the feline’s mouth before setting him back on the couch. “I’ll go now, okay? See you later!”

                Keke waited until his owner shut the door. After he was sure Yongguk had left, he put his attention back to the small vial. Jumping from the couch onto the table, he nudged it using his paw. The vial tumbled over and because Yongguk didn’t close it properly, the liquid flown onto the table. Keke was fast to it clean.

                After having dinner with his colleagues for hours, Yongguk almost got himself totally drunk. Fortunately, he was very good in handling liquors. He could still remember his address when he informed the taxi driver he had fetched in front of the restaurant.

                Along the drive home, he used the time to get a little bit sober. So when he arrived at his apartment, he could practically walk in a straight line. He took the elevator to get to his floor and safely reached his place at last.

                However, as soon as he opened the door, a boy came into his view. Yongguk froze in his spot, his hand still holding the knob. The boy was sitting on the floor and his body was fully wrapped in a blanket, leaving only his beaming face to show.

                “Daddy!” The boy chirped.

                Yongguk started functioning again. He suddenly remembered that he didn’t have a child yet and he’s too young to have one this big. Heck, he wasn’t even married yet.

                “I’m sorry! Wrong house!” He bowed with a smile to apologize before shutting back the door. But when he was about to lock the door using the same key, he froze.

                Yongguk stared at the keys. He looked to the left and right, and at the apartment number next to the door. “Wait! This is my house!”

                With more awareness in his mind this time, he pushed the door once again. The boy didn’t move from his previous spot.

                “Daddy, it’s Keke!” the boy exclaimed.

                “Who are you calling daddy?!” The confusion mixed with horror was obvious on Yongguk’s face.

                “This is Keke!” The boy stated and smiled even wider while patting his chest like it was the answer to all life’s question.

                “Ke…!” Yongguk frowned. His words stuck in his throat. He swallowed the lump and continued. “You…?!”

                The boy just nodded at him but Yongguk shook his head instead. He closed the door as his first move before slowly stepping into his apartment. As if the boy was some sort of an alien, he avoided him by taking the farthest path close to the walls so that he could reach the living room safely.

                The boy followed Yongguk’s movement with his eyes initially. But then he began to stand up while the blanket was barely holding onto his body. However, he couldn’t even take a step forward when Yongguk suddenly turned to him.

                “No! Stay there! Don’t move!” Yongguk ordered, pointing a finger at the boy.

                After a while of calling his cat as well as having a look at every corner of his apartment, Yongguk couldn’t find him. But what he did find was the spilled potion on the coffee table.               

                “Where’s my cat?!” He exclaimed in disbelief as he glared at the mysterious boy.

                The boy who was putting a blank face hesitantly lifted his hands to cup his cheeks with a smile stretching across his plump lips, as if he was telling his owner that the one he had been looking for was right in front of him. At the same time, the blanket dropped to the floor.

                “, you’re !” Yongguk immediately turned away from the tanned bare body. “Why are you in my house?!”

                Keke’s brow’s knitted together. His hands dropped to his sides as he began to stare at the blanket pooling around his ankles. “What is daddy talking about?” he asked once he looked up at the man.

                Yongguk widened his eyes at the latter, not believing how the boy was lacking so much in common sense. “I don’t know about you but this is my place and I prefer anyone in here to walk around with something covering their crotch!” He chided.

                Startled by Yongguk’s reaction, Keke picked up the blanket in haste before wrapping his body with it again which was something he’s really not used to. He just thought that he needed that large piece of woolen because he was cold.

                Yongguk released a heavy sigh. “You are a human being. Not a cat!” He said as if to convince himself. He couldn’t really hide the angry tone since he was annoyed with the weird situation.

                “But this is Keke…” the boy muttered quietly.

                Seeing how the boy’s face turned sullen, it reminded him of a cat with drooped ears. But he knew that it was impossible so he shook his thought off. “Then how are you not a cat right now?”

                “Huh?” The boy’s brows furrowed as he looked up at Yongguk with his big eyes.

                Now why did everything this boy does reminded him of a cat? “Just how did you turn to this?”

                “Oh! Keke drink the coloured water on the table!” The boy eagerly answered.

                Okay, maybe it wasn’t impossible, Yongguk thought. “Did you wish for something when you drink it?”

                “Keke wish to be like daddy because daddy is lonely.” The boy grinned.

                Yongguk stared at the smaller one. The wrinkles on the boy’s cheeks when he smiled really looked like a cat’s whiskers. “So basically, you wanted to be a human…” he muttered.

                The boy nodded happily and Yongguk rubbed his face with a long sigh. His body straightened up after a moment, crossing his arms against his chest. “To prove you’re really Keke, tell me my name,” he demanded.

                “Daddy!” The boy exclaimed.

                Yongguk wanted to say no but the boy was not actually wrong. He did refer to himself as daddy when talking to his pet because why would he tell his name to a cat.

                “Tell me Keke’s favourite food,” he inquired again.

                “Many!”

                “No, no.” Yongguk shook his head. “Just one.” He showed his index finger to the other.

                The boy copied his act. “Just one?”

                Yongguk nodded and the boy didn’t take long to shout his answer. “Chicken!”

                Yongguk felt like he was hit by a wall for a second. He stayed as still as a picture until he suddenly burst into a laughing fit.

                “Wait, I got it! I’m drunk!” He threw his hands in the air before resting them on his hips. “I think I just need some sleep and you will disappear,” he said, making the boy frown at him.

                “So, goodnight.” Yongguk went to his bedroom, shaking his head while laughing nonstop.

Proofread by therollingsushi

A/N:

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