The next day, Yongguk was woken up by something warm and soft pressing against his cheek. He only had an eye open as he pulled himself away from it. It was his cat, snuggling down his pillow while sleeping soundly.

                Yongguk sighed. He was sure that he had told Keke to sleep on the couch last night. Keke, being in his human form, gave him a firm nod. So he got the pillow and blanket all set up on the couch. Keke had even lied down and ready to sleep. They also said goodnight to each other before he went into his bedroom.

                Should he lock the door after this? Yongguk considered the option seriously because he would never want to wake up with another man on his bed. But on second thought, Keke slept in his cat form instead so he probably should just brush that matter aside.

                With his eyes fully open now, Yongguk took a look at the clock on his bedside table. His alarm wouldn’t go off until a few minutes but since he was already wide awake, he decided to just get ready for work. Stretching his body, he got off the bed and sent the cat another look, at the same time noticing his lent clothes were discarded on the other side of the bed.

                “This is weird… Still feels like a dream,” he murmured to himself.

                What was supposed to be a glance turned into a stare. Yongguk really spent a good few minutes studying his own cat. If Keke was in his human form right now, Yongguk would definitely be a creep. But he just couldn’t bring himself not to stare at the adorable ginger cat, face calm while sleeping with his body curled into a fluffy ball. And it surprised him how he could see the equally adorable boy beyond the small figure of a cat.

                Yongguk stared and stared and he didn’t know how to stop if not for the blaring sound coming from his alarm. He jumped in his spot while Keke flinched on the bed. The cat yawned as he stretched out his body. Yongguk quickly snatched his phone before turning off the alarm and he was somehow relieved when Keke didn’t wake up.

                Now that it was the time for him to actually wake up, he didn’t waste any more time to get ready. But before that, he remembered to pull the blanket and cover Keke’s small body.

                Yongguk went to the bathroom first to wash himself. He took a lot longer in the toilet before going to the bathroom sink. He cleaned his face as usual and brush his teeth but for the first time since he was living in the apartment, he could feel someone was looking at him at the door.

                He diverted his gaze from the mirror to look at the door on his right. Keke was standing there, on his two human feet as he rubbed his half-lidded eyes with his fist. His cat ears were still there but they were almost hidden by his messy bed hair that stuck out in all directions. And of course, he was stark under the blanket which was draped around his shoulders.

                Yongguk continued to brush his teeth. He finished it with a rinse of his mouth and wiped his face with the towel hanging around his neck. “You’re an early riser aren’t you?” he asked the boy.

                Keke’s mind was likely still hazy when he just kept gazing blankly at his owner. He leaned his front body against the doorframe, letting it support all his weight and making his cheek squeezed cutely. “Keke wants to brush teeth too,” he muttered after a moment.

                Yongguk’s lips were pulled into a smile hearing the sweet and raspy morning voice of the boy. “Sure, but put on some pants first,” he said before walking out of the bathroom.

                Keke quickly followed the bigger man. He kept on watching his master searched for the clothes in the wardrobe. Then the man went to sit on the bed so he went to stand in front of him.

                “Try wearing these on your own.” Yongguk handed out the shirt and shorts to the boy.

                Keke dropped the blanket to take the shirt first and Yongguk was quick to bring his eyes upwards to avoid from seeing inappropriate things. The boy was scrutinizing all the holes to make a start. Fortunately, he remembered the way Yongguk had put it on him. So he stuck his head into the largest hole first before going into the smaller middle hole, his cat ears surfaced before the rest of his head. “Why Keke has to wear this?” he asked after he managed to pull his head out of the hole with heavy breaths.

                “Because humans don’t go around showing their asses and to everyone,” Yongguk answered nonchalantly, fixing his gaze on the boy’s face and not any lower than that.

                Keke pouted as he looked down in search for the other holes to put his hands through. “Keke don’t understand,” he replied to the man while he kept tugging on his shirt to the front, seeming very confused about where the holes might have been.

                A tender smile appeared on Yongguk’s lips. “You will sooner or later.” With that, he stood up to give the struggling boy a help. “There you go.”

                Keke blew out a puff of air after his body was comfortably situated in the huge shirt. Next, he took the pants from Yongguk before vertically lying it down on the floor, just like what Yongguk had done yesterday. When the two holes were complete, he put in his feet and pulled up the pants right to his slim waist. Upon that achievement, he looked up at the taller man with a broad grin on his face.

                “Well, that’s not how humans usually do it but at least you managed to do it on your own,” Yongguk commented while holding his laughter. “So good job.” He gave the boy a pat on the head.

                The touch on his head felt more than soothing for Keke. He unconsciously leaned further towards the touch, his eyes slipping close.

                “Wow, you’re being so… Cat-ish.” Yongguk too was enjoying his time patting Keke’s head. The black silky hair felt so soft against his palm. When he moved his hand to scratch the spot behind the cat ears, Keke mewled in content. He was even more amused when the boy kept nudging his palm as if wanting for more. So he didn’t stop, not until Keke began to nuzzle his neck.

                Yongguk was so surprised that he stumbled a step back before dropping his body on the bed. Keke followed suit, flopping over his front.

                Their faces were only inches away from each other. Keke was laughing on top of the larger figure, finding it funny to fall together. Yongguk knew he should be irritated at times like this but there was something warm inside his heart that made him feel at ease. Maybe the boy’s smile was contagious.

                “We should go brush your teeth now,” Yongguk finally spoke up.

                Keke gasped. His smile got even bigger that Yongguk was afraid if the drool would start to slip out of his mouth. The boy squealed, feeling extremely thrilled. He suddenly pushed himself off of Yongguk’s chest, causing the man to let out a loud ‘oof’. That made his knees pressed against the man’s thighs and Yongguk’s mouth opened so wide in a silent scream. Keke rushed to the bathroom right after he stood on his feet again, leaving his owner to suffer alone.

                When it’s time for breakfast, Keke was already sitting at the small dining table and his cat ears were not visible anymore. Yongguk on the other hand was busy looking inside the fridge. Since he rarely had breakfast at home, there was not many food stocked up in the kitchen. He didn’t cook that often either.

                Yongguk hummed to himself as he kept scanning the few things he got in the fridge that he wasn’t very sure when did he buy them. “I’ll give you milk…” He grabbed a carton and checked for the expiry date before turning to have a look around the kitchen counter as well. “And bread.” He shut the door of the fridge to take the half eaten loaf of bread which sat beside the toaster.

                Keke’s eyes widened as he recognized that thing. His previous owners also had it and it was one of his favourite thing. “Pop up?” he asked eagerly.

                Yongguk was checking the expiry date for the bread when he turned to send a questioning look at the boy. “Pop up?”

                “Bread? Pop up?” Keke tried his best to explain while pointing to the box-like thing.

                Yongguk followed Keke’s direction with his eyes and they landed on the toaster. “Ah… You want it toasted?”

                Keke actually couldn’t really understand what the man was saying but he nodded his head nonetheless with a big smile on his face.

                “Do you know how to use it?” Yongguk asked again and this time, Keke shook his head with a pouting mouth.

                “Come here.” Yongguk beckoned the boy to come to him. Keke ran to stand next to him in instant, completely ready to know what the man would tell him.

                “You put the bread in here and press this down and wait until they pop up,” Yongguk explained slowly, showing the steps one by one with a pause in between just so that he could look at the boy and make sure he understood.

                Keke who seemed relaxed before was now furrowing his eyebrows. “Wait until they pop up,” he repeated, lips thinned in determination.

                Yongguk had never seen someone being so devoted while waiting for his bread to be toasted. He just let the boy be and went to the table to pour the milk into a glass. “You’re lucky the bread and this milk aren’t expired yet,” he said with his back facing the boy. “Or I’ll really feed you with the kibbles,” he chuckled even if the boy didn’t give any response to him.

                “Ahh!!” Keke’s scream resounded through the kitchen, causing Yongguk’s body to jerk and almost spilling the milk.

                “Why the hell are you being so loud?!” he yelled at the boy.

                “The bread popped up! It scared Keke!” The surprised boy told the man, his shaky voice was mixed with excitement.

                For a moment there, Yongguk forgot that he was about to scold Keke. Seeing how the boy was nervously clutching to his oversized shirt made him realized that the boy was genuinely shocked. There were also the cat ears that once again appeared on top of the Keke’s head which he noticed right after he turned to look at the boy.

“And you have to scare the out of me too…” he said in a mumble before going to Keke. “They’re done.” He quickly took out the bread from the toaster and put them on a plate.

                Keke’s eyes kept getting bigger and now they were shining as he gazed at the two pieces of toasted bread. Yongguk had left him to go looking for something in the kitchen cabinet and he took a closer look at the bread. But when he picked up one of them to have a bite, he threw it back onto the plate.

                “Hot!” he exclaimed.

                “Blow it.” Yongguk glanced at the other, still rummaging through the cabinet.

                Keke did what his owner told him to do. He took a really deep breath before blowing it to the bread in one go. He was being a lot more careful at his second try on holding the bread and when it didn’t feel as hot as before, he could finally take a bite.

                Yongguk approached the boy again when he had found what he had been looking for. His brows raised after noticing Keke was already eating the toast. “No PB&J?” He lifted the two small jars in his hands to show them to the latter.

                Keke arched up an eyebrow. “bb…?”

                “Peanut butter and jelly,” Yongguk clarified. He put the jars down and started to smear each of the contents on another slice of the toast. “Here, have a taste.” He gave it to the boy.

                Keke took it with his free hand and curiously sniffed on it. He began with cautious at first until he was brave enough to take a small bite of the toast. His eyes rounded as he looked at Yongguk. His whole face was sparkling while letting out a loud moan of satisfaction.

                “This is Keke’s favourite!” he claimed.

                Yongguk snorted a laugh at the boy’s reaction. “What about chicken?”

                “Chicken too!”

                Keke continued to eat the slice so Yongguk took the previous bitten slice of plain toast to spread the peanut butter and jelly on it too. He gave it to Keke again after the first one was finished. The boy gladly accepted it and shoved it into his mouth.

                It amazed Yongguk how a small figure could inhale food just like that. He was afraid if Keke would choke with the speed he was on as he consumed the food so he gave the boy the glass of milk that he had poured earlier. He wouldn’t be so worried if it had not happened last night. Keke nearly choked to death after stuffing his mouth with fried chicken but thank goodness, cats have nine lives.

                Keke grasped the glass and waited until he finished swallowing all the food in his mouth. Then he stuck out his tongue into the milk, trying to scoop it into his mouth, just like what cats would’ve had done.

                Yongguk could only sigh at that. “What did I told you last night?” he spoke up.

Keke looked up at the man but his tongue wouldn’t stop lapping up the milk.

                “Drink like a human does,” Yongguk told him. Right after that, Keke really started to choke. He coughed so hard that the milk spilled onto the floor and also splashed onto his face.

                Once again, Yongguk just sighed heavily. “Here we go again.”

                Keke sat on the bed as he watched his owner getting busy going in and out of the bedroom, his cat ears had been tucked away. The man had taken off his top and now was choosing a shirt from the wardrobe. Keke stared at Yongguk’s back muscles that kept flexing every time he made a move. And when the man turned around after he was done, he could see Yongguk’s torso and had a thought that it looked like a chocolate bar.

                It confused him. He lifted the bottom of his shirt to look at his belly and there was just a round fluffy tummy. He didn’t know why but somehow he was disappointed. A chocolate bar body seemed better for him. He had wished to be a human like his master but, nothing on their body was the same.

                “Why did you slip into my room and slept on my bed last night?” Yongguk suddenly asked.

                Keke looked up but Yongguk wasn’t looking at him since he was putting on his shirt while walking to the long mirror. “Keke can’t fall asleep on the couch,” he answered honestly, dropping back his shirt over his belly.

                The boy had a point, Yongguk thought. They always slept together before so perhaps Keke was not yet used to sleeping alone. Maybe he should just let it pass since Keke had been sleeping in his cat form these past couple of days. So he shouldn’t be worried about sharing a bed or sleeping with his body pressed against another man who suddenly appeared in his life.

                “Is daddy going to work again?” Keke asked when Yongguk was buttoning his shirt in front of the mirror.

                “Yeah, but I’ll see you in the afternoon for lunch,” he replied. “But if I don’t make it, you can just eat whatever’s left in the kitchen. Though there’s not much, I’m sure it’ll keep you alive for a day. And please, don’t choke yourself again.”

                “Can’t Keke come with daddy?”

                Yongguk could see from the mirror how hopeful Keke looked as the boy gazed at him from behind with those doe eyes of his. “Of course not.” He didn’t wish to let the boy down but taking him to work would be too much.

                Keke pouted sadly. “Why?”

                “Because you just can’t and that’s it,” Yongguk said more firmly this time.

                Keke huffed in defeat. “Daddy’s mean,” he mumbled quietly.

                Awhile later, Yongguk was ready to go to work. Keke followed him to the door and just watched him putting on his shoes. Then he straightened his body to remind the boy. “Remember, don’t open the door even if there’s someone knocking. Wait until I come home and behave, okay?”

                “Yes, daddy,” Keke answered before pushing himself up, standing on his toes to peck Yongguk’s lips.

                Yongguk gasped loudly as Keke was back to stand on his feet. “What did you just do?!”

                Keke tilted his head, confused. “What did I do?”

                “You kissed me!” Yongguk’s ears unwittingly reddened as he said that.

                “But daddy always kiss Keke before daddy goes out.” Keke frowned, thinking that his owner was acting weird.

                “That was when you’re still a cat,” Yongguk protested.

                “But it was still Keke.” He patted his chest repeatedly. “This is Keke, the same Keke. This is Keke, the cat. This is Keke, the human.”

                The boy was smiling at him as broad as ever. Yongguk couldn’t think of any easier way to explain it to the boy or else he would be late to work. So he just turned to open the door after breathing out a long heavy sigh. “I’ll just go now…”

                In the end, Yongguk could only come home after his working hours had ended. He had tried to go home during the lunch hour but something came up that made him late for his break. That also made going home and back was impossible, moreover when it was by train.

                “I’m home!” he shouted after stepping into the house but no response was received.

                Yongguk wondered what Keke would probably be doing right now. He had bought some food for both of them and wanted to eat it right away. The boy was not in the living room so he went to the bedroom, carrying the plastic bags of food along.

                Keke was really there, dozing on the bed with his body bundled in the blanket. He was in his human form this time and it was awkward for Yongguk to find another man sleeping on his bed, the same man who had kissed him early in the morning.

                Crouching beside the bed, Yongguk wanted to wake the boy up at first. But then he was caught off guard by how adorable Keke looked while sleeping. Keke was already so cute when he was sleeping in his cat form. Yongguk didn’t know he would be a lot cuter in his human form.

                The boy was lying on his side, his cheek was pressed against the pillow, making him look chubbier. His long lashes brushed against the soft skin of his face. His lips, they were drooping sideways. Yongguk didn’t notice how thick Keke’s lips were until now. No wonder they felt so nice against his.

                Yongguk unconsciously got lost in his thought that he didn’t realize how long he had stared at the boy. He only came back to his senses when Keke began to stir in his sleep. The boy mewled as he stretched out his limbs. Then his eyes squinted open.

                “It smells like food…” Keke rasped, still half-asleep.

                Yongguk hastily got up to his feet, embarrassed by his own doing. “It is food. So wake up if you want to eat,” he said, applauding inwardly when he managed to sound calm.

                Keke’s eyes opened wider upon hearing Yongguk’s voice. He sat up on the bed and gawked at the man as if they hadn’t seen each other for years. “Daddy’s back?!”

                “Yeah, I’m only back from work. You said it like I’m back from the dead,” Yongguk talked as he went out to the kitchen.

                Keke quickly climbed off the bed to follow his owner. But when he saw Yongguk stopped at the kitchen entrance, he went to stand beside the taller man. He looked up to ask Yongguk what made him freeze like that and why did he seem surprised.

                Of course Yongguk would act like that. The small kitchen was a mess. He slowly started to walk around. There were bread crumbs covering the kitchen counter and the whole loaf of bread was gone. He was sure Keke had toasted every single pieces left. There were also peanut butter and jelly stains on the counter. The jars weren’t closed and they’re almost empty. The milk spilled everywhere, even the carton was knocked over. However, the thing that surprised Yongguk the most were the kibbles that flew out from the pack of cat’s food laying on the ground.

                Yongguk grabbed the pack before turning to Keke. “Did you eat this? As a human or a cat?”

                Keke realized his owner was about to get angry at him so he gnawed on his lips nervously. “It tastes the same for a cat and a human…”

                Yongguk knew that meant Keke was in his human form when he ate the cat’s food. “But you don’t really have to eat this.”

                “Keke was hungry…” The boy smiled sheepishly.

                Yongguk was speechless for a moment. He slowly put the pack back onto the counter. “You know what? I shouldn’t really get mad at you. I didn’t come home during lunch. Of course you’d be so hungry.”

                Keke tilted his head, making that confused expression again. “What is lunch? Why does daddy keep saying it?”

                Yongguk could only pressed his lips together in a thin smile. He was too hungry to explain about it. He was feeling sorry over here but the boy didn’t have any idea what he was apologizing for. “Let’s just eat,” he announced.

                Keke went to sit at the table as Yongguk took out the food and unwrapped the plastic bowls. They were still steaming and Keke let out an amazed sound after one of them was placed in front of him, almost drooling at the delicious smell. “What is this??” he asked.

                “Black bean noodles.”

                “This will be Keke’s favourite food!”

                Yongguk scoffed. “I thought so.” He was about to give the chopsticks to the boy when he saw him ready to dig in.

                “No, don’t use your hand.” He gave the chopsticks to Keke before taking a seat next to him.

                Keke was lost again. He knew the function of the thing given to him but he wasn’t sure if he could use it. He turned to Yongguk and saw the man was using it to pick up the food. He tried to hold it like Yongguk did and picked up the food but the noodles never stuck on it.

                “You don’t know how to use chopsticks?” Yongguk asked after watching the boy for a while.

                “Chopsticks?” Keke asked back, raising his eyebrows.

                Yongguk sighed. He got up to take something in the drawer before sitting back at the table. “Here, try using a fork.”

                “A fork,” Keke repeated as he took it from the man. He had a firm grip on that thing to give another try in scooping some noodles.

                Yongguk was quietly watching the boy’s struggles. He looked so awkward, even the way he was holding the fork was like a toddler. The noodles were caught by the fork but they would fall down before they could get into his mouth. It amazed him that Keke was still so patient after several failed attempts but he was not like him.

                “I think you should take it slow,” he spoke up and Keke turned to him. “You can learn how to use a fork again tomorrow. You have all day to do that.” He took the fork from Keke’s hold. “But now I’ll gladly help you eat.”

                Yongguk twirled some noodles using the fork before bringing it to Keke’s mouth. The boy who had been waiting so long to have a taste of the new food quickly chomp it down. He squealed at the burst of flavors with his eyes shut tightly.

                “This is so yummy!” he exclaimed.

                Yongguk just laughed at the boy. He continued to feed Keke and himself, enjoying the impatient look on Keke’s face as he waited for the next mouthful of noodles.

                “So, aren’t you going to tell me that long story of yours when you changed forms between cat and human?” Yongguk began to fill the silence.

                Keke swallowed the food in his mouth before he could speak. “Keke is actually a werecat,” he started and Yongguk was already dropping his jaw.

                “But there was a very bad witch,” the boy proceeded. “He put a curse on Keke and Keke can’t turn into human anymore. Then he killed appa and eomma. That witch really hates Keke’s family.”

                “Wait a second.” Yongguk shook his head, trying to process everything that he just heard from the latter. “First of all, a werecat? A witch? Are there really such things nowadays?”

                “A witch lives like everybody else. They can open a shop and sell a potion to daddy. Just like what daddy bought the other day.” Keke opened his mouth after that, signaling Yongguk to put some food in there again.

                Yongguk shoved more noodles into Keke’s mouth. “So your parents were killed by a witch? How old were you back then?”

                “Don’t know… five…?” Keke managed to guess with his mouth stuffed with food.

                “How old are you now?”

                Keke shook his head at that question. A heavy feeling was forming in Yongguk’s heart. It dawned on him how terrible it was for Keke to lose his parents at such a young age. The small boy was even cursed by that heartless witch.

                “How did you survive after that?” he wondered out loud.

                “Keke just walked around to find food and then momma brought Keke home and took care of Keke. Then she didn’t want Keke anymore so Keke lived on the streets again. Then dada brought Keke home again. But he gave Keke to papa later. But Keke ran away because he had a very bad dog. Then Keke found a nice house. Granny took a really good care of Keke but she had to give me to unni because granny said she’s sick. Then unni had to move to another house so she gave Keke to daddy,” Keke casually told his owner about his whole life.

                Yongguk noted there were more people than he thought who had taken care of Keke before him. “Did you grow up in your cat form?”

                “Yeah, but it is very slow. Keke grow up like a human does.”

                Yongguk thought it could be the reason why Keke was so awkward with everything. The boy had spent so long living in a cat’s body. It was amazing that the boy could talk fluently today although the last time he talked could possibly be when he was only five years old. He must have learned all the words from his owners.

                “Is your curse broken now?” he asked since Keke didn’t have to stay in his cat form anymore.

                “Maybe. Keke can change into human again now.” The boy smiled.

                Yongguk lips curved upwards too seeing the happy face of Keke. “Well, that’s a very long story,” he commented and resumed the dinner.

                It would be good if the curse had been broken, although there’s a part of him that doubted the ability for a curse to be broken by just drinking a potion which could make all the wishes come true. Speaking of that, he had consumed the potion too. So why didn’t his wish come true? Since he had made the wish for a soulmate, the only new thing that happened in his life was… A human Keke.

                Yongguk averted his gaze from the noodles to the boy’s face. Something crossed his mind and it hit him real hard. But it was not that easy for him to believe it. There’s no way a werecat would be his soulmate. Not a chance.

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