He woke up as a human. And when he woke up, he was in peace, nothing was troubling him. It was breezy, quiet. Only the birds and the wind dancing with the crowns of the trees and erupting soft applause from the leaves could be heard.

A branch was piercing the skin on the shoulder he was laying on and it was the only annoying thing in the whole picture. Chanyeol got up and a sharp pain surged through his whole head before he could even reach the branch and remove it, it felt as if his skull was splitting into two. Then all of his abandoned thoughts suddenly entered back his mind.

The rain, Baekhyun’s breakfast, the cars, the pain… .

“The woods.. I’m outside town… . Hello?? How the hell did I get here…” he asked the empty space between the trees as if there was someone around who could hear him.

And there was.

A small animal with a long tail forming a question mark shape came out from behind one of the trees calmly.

It was ..Chanyeol? 

Only it wasn’t, because here he was, standing in his human body, he could see his arms dangling on both sides of his long body, he could feel his bangs sweeping across his forehead in rhythm with the wind.

“What is this..” he whispered, looking at the cat that was slowly approaching him.

You know what this is, Chanyeol. I am the body you’ve been carrying for nine whole lives. Some of which you absolutely wasted and I’m totally not okay with that and I wasn’t gonna give you so much of my personal time if you didn’t do what you did in your last life--

Woah, wait, stop, what?? And how the hell can you speak and I hear you without your small cat mouth moving at all?? Wait.. am I hallucinating? Am I in a hospital, am I seeing this because of a pain reliever or something?

He started looking around.

Alright, cowboy, before you completely freak out, please note that you didn’t open your Big Human Mouth either just now when speaking to me.

Irony, how great. That’s all Chanyeol needed in his hallucination.

It’s a thing spirits can do, okay? Nothing too crazy.

“Spirits? I’m not a spirit.” Chanyeol said.

I am, idiot. Did you hit your head a bit too hard? Jesus.

“Yes! I mean no. But yes, I was hit by a car and I need you to use your spirit powers and take me back into town now because Baekhyun is going to be super worried.”

You do realise you don’t have to use your voice, right? You just look like an idiot talking to himself because you’re the only one who can see me and hear me.

“Shut up. Take me back.”

It’s a bit too late for that my friend.

Chanyeol sighed and made a dismissive gesture to the little creature while walking past it.

“Nevermind. I’m going back on my own.”

You might wanna hear what I have to tell you as well. Don’t be such an ungrateful soul, you’re acting like a human, Chanyeol.

I am human, I don’t know what you're talking about.

Yes, you do. You have lived eight times more than any normal human being--

And you might as well let me live my last life in peace??

Oh, Chanyeol.. But you already did. It’s over now. It’s why you’re here with me.

“Wh… what do you mean it’s over now? No, it can’t be over, I was just starting! I had Baekhyun and I had a job, you can’t just take this away from me, you can’t just kill me like that!” he protested, panic in his voice.

Believe it or not, I never had a say in those things. There are other deities responsible for the beginning and the end of every life. All I am is a cat, Chanyeol. You have to be thankful.

"THANKFUL FOR WHAT??? FOR HAVING THE ONLY PERSON I CARED ABOUT TAKEN AWAY FROM ME?!"

Still as fiery I see… No. Do you remember how you went out and rushed through the traffic and the rain? Did you not notice that I have turned you into a cat? Maybe I can’t kill people and bring them back to life but I do see things. I knew this car was coming and I knew it was coming for you, Chanyeol. So all I did was use your last life as a cat so I could save your stupid human . This is why you're here now. I didn’t even know if it would work but I guess I've always been good at gambling.

"The car… was coming for me..?" the tall boy whispered, taken aback by all the information he had just heard.

Yeah, it went through your ribs and there were guts and blood everywhere and it hurt like ing hell, an old lady even screamed because part of your stomach went on her dress. It was fabulous.

"Fabulous?? You’re talking about my death, Jesus Christ… Wait, how do you know that it hurt?"

Chanyeol, are you following what I’ve been telling you? I've felt every single thing you’ve felt in all of your nine lives, no exception.

"So.. so then you must know how much I have to go back…"

Yes, stupid. Which is why I did what I did. But there’s a catch…

"A catch…?"

Well.. how do I say it.. the human soul takes its time, especially when it has to manoeuvre its way back through the universe and all. Plus I had to hide since I kind of tricked Death and now she probably hates me and wants my tail on a plate.. But yeah... It’s been a while since you died, okay? It's been some time.. 

"How long.." Chanyeol deadpanned.

..Just over a year.

"A YEAR?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME, ! BAEKHYUN! WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM??"

I can’t tell you, Chanyeol. Go back and find him. I can’t do anything else for you, you freed me by dying and honestly… I'm not exactly sure how can you even hear me AND see me but I guess it’s something leftover. I really have to go through. You need to go too.

"No! No, wait—"

Chanyeol tried to chase the cat but it disappeared behind another tree before he could even step forward.

And with all the things he had just learned weighing down on his shoulders, he stepped out of the forest and followed the familiar road back to town.  

Did a year really pass? You wouldn’t feel it unless you look at the small details. Like the billboards and the street clocks and the phones in the hands of some people… it has really been some time, the cat wasn’t lying…

Chanyeol headed to his home, a quiet worry bubbling in the bottom of his stomach, and a storm of "What if's" swirling in his mind. Some hours later he was there, and his legs were aching like hell.. but he couldn’t care less. 

The place looked the same. Thank god it has been just one year, not ten years... He knocked impatiently and the shaggy door was quickly opened by some weird dude with dimples and lazy eyes. A stench of weed and wet dogs came out of the open door as the person inside looked Chanyeol up and down.

“You looking for Baekhyun too?” the man had a weird accent.

Jesus… What did Baekhyun do…. Did he turn into a druggie… Is this his new boyfriend??

Afraid of what would follow, Chanyeol barely whispered an unsure "Yes."

"I figured, I don’t really have many friends, ahahha. Other than Stinky right here"- the guy moved his leg to the side to make space for a very ugly and very fat dog to nest itself between his ankles. "You love me though, don’t you, don’t you? He rubbed his foot on the dog’s back and giggled when the dog had no reaction whatsoever.

Chanyeol was staring at the whole picture wordlessly, not knowing what to think.

"Right, Baekhyun. Sorry, man, he’s not here. He used to live here though."

"He’s not here? How do you even know him then? I KNOW HE USED TO ING LIVE HERE. Where is he now??"

"Aw, man, don’t shout, you’ll scare my dog… Yeah, there’s this Sehun, I get my ..uh.. food suppleme