Taekwoon stepped out of Shinjoon’s office and closed the door behind him. The sight of his human fingers wrapped around the doorknob was enough to set his heart palpitating crazily.

He slowly lifted up his hands in awe and admired the skin and nails he’d been dying to get back in ages. He was shaking with excitement and there was a stupid grin on his face.

“Finally…” he gasped, shifting his gaze up his arms onto his human chest and shoulders, and then down his torso onto his thighs, legs and feet.

He’d been waiting for this day for months.

And today was the day he finally regained his human identity.

Other than the fact that he looked like a madman who couldn’t stop touching his face and looking at his own body, he appeared pretty much like a normal student strutting down the walkway.

He scanned his surroundings. After months of viewing things from the eye level of a cat, it now seemed as though he was looking down from heaven. And while he wasn’t quite used to it, he wasn’t complaining.

He couldn’t contain his excitement. He wanted to scream. He wanted to jump. He wanted to run back and give Shinjoon a kiss. But he was Jung Taekwoon and he had an image to maintain.

With the human feet that’d been newly returned to him, he trotted towards the washroom, embracing the familiar feeling of walking on two long legs and the feeling of shoes and socks wrapped snugly around his toes.

It truly felt like he was in heaven.

(Those were Shinjoon’s shoes, but it didn’t matter.)

He kicked open the door to the men’s washroom and skipped to the mirror. By then, the smile on his lips couldn’t be tamed, and perhaps his cheeks had begun hurting from all that grinning, but he was now human and nothing else mattered.

He sighed happily. His lips parted to reveal what was no longer a set of pointy fangs, but decent human teeth that gleamed with pearly lustre. He’d never used to bother much about his looks, but today he was exceedingly grateful for the dazzling face that stared back at him from his reflection. Truly, it pleased his eyes more than ever.

But suddenly, the smile on that dazzling face vanished.

His gaze went out of focus as Shinjoon’s words from a moment ago consumed his thoughts. And like the waning effects of a drug, they crept up his head, pounding the sad reality into him.

“It’s only a temporary solution,” Shinjoon said. “But I guess it’s better than nothing.”

“Seriously??” Taekwoon ran up to him excitedly on his four feet. “What is it? And how’d you discover it?”

Shinjoon smiled. “I was up all night thinking.” He leant back against the chair and folded his arms. “While I may just be someone who guards demons, over the years I’ve learnt quite a lot about their biological functioning.”

“But I’m not a demon…!”

Shinjoon shook his head. “I’ve thought about it. From head to toe, everything about your spirit suggests that you now have blood of a demon in your veins. Even if you didn’t start out as one.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Listen. This is the only way it’ll work. You’ll have to accept this fact first.”

“Okay fine. And then?”

Shinjoon lowered his gaze. “Be patient. You need to be clear that this is not a permanent solution.”

“In what way?”

“Firstly. You can’t wander too far away from the university premises. From the hostel grounds, to be exact. And that’s because back then when you first became a cat, you spawned right here.”

“Okay but what if I did it anyway?” Taekwoon asked. “What will happen to me if I left the campus??”

“You’ll just turn back into what you are now.” Shinjoon pointed at him. “So don’t even think about fleeing home. Or you’ll become a lost cat in the middle of nowhere. And when that happens even I can’t help you.”

“Okay…” Taekwoon swallowed. “So essentially I’ll be trapped here.”

Shinjoon nodded. “And there’s still a second limitation.”

“What is it…?”

“Every time you transform into your human state you’ll only have a maximum of five hours.” Shinjoon took a deep breath. “And beyond that you’ll turn back into your beast form.”

“Five…hours…?” Taekwoon gulped. Might as well call him Cinderella from now on.

“Yes. And even then, you’ll have to rest for a duration equivalent to the time you’d spent as a human. So three hours as a human also means three hours as a cat. Your body will need the time to repair and recharge itself.”

“What. Why’s a demon’s life so ing challenging??”

“It’s not.” Shinjoon shook his head. “Usually this method’s reserved for demons of a lower cultivation than yours. But because I’m not of your kind, my knowledge’s only limited to that. So you’ll have to stick with this for now,” he replied, then let out a dejected sigh. “If only Sanghyuk was still around…”

“No. It’s okay. It’s still something,” Taekwoon smiled. “Nothing’s worse than the state I’m in now.” He rubbed his paws excitedly. “I’m willing to try it.”

His eyes brought his reflection back into focus.

“It’s okay,” he repeated. “It’s better than being a ing cat 24/7.” He leant in closer to the mirror and scrutinised his face, the same euphoric grin creeping back up his lips.

He could have spent a good hour just admiring himself in the toilet, but the foot traffic had started to bother him a little. From the mirror he noticed the endless motion of people behind him, and as the sound of footsteps saturated the restroom, he realised that the toilet was probably a much busier place than he’d thought.

He shuddered upon a horrifying thought.

What if he ran into Hakyeon? Or anyone else who recognised him as Jung Taekwoon for that matter.

He wrapped Shinjoon’s black hoodie tighter around his body and pulled the zip all the way up to his neck. Lifting his arms, he threw the hood over his head, then used his fingers to brush his blonde hair over his eyes.

“That’s better,” he muttered, giving himself a last look in the mirror, though whatever was left for him to look at was just the bottom half of his face. With his hands tucked into his pockets, he turned and headed for the door, keeping his head lowered to avoid meeting the gaze of anyone coming his way. He thought he probably appeared incredibly furtive, but between staying as a cat and looking like a prison escapee, the latter was clearly the more viable option.

“What’s this.” He stopped in his tracks, frowning at the feeling of paper at his fingertips. He pulled his hand out from his right pocket and examined the bills sandwiched between his fingers. It had been so long since he’d last seen money, it actually felt alien to him.

“Great,” he chuckled to himself. Shinjoon was nothing but a godsend for him. “Now I can openly go get food like a decent human being.”

***********

Hakyeon nibbled distractedly on his straw, staring blankly ahead as his thoughts drowned out the loud music and chatter in the cafeteria.

If he’d paid any attention, he’d have realised that his drink was turning warm. And that he hadn’t taken a single sip in twenty minutes.

But his mind was elsewhere.

If he’d paid any attention, he’d also have spotted the figure that had walked unknowingly into his field of vision.

But still, his mind was elsewhere.

“Oh .” Taekwoon stopped in his tracks and scurried behind a pillar. “What a ing coincidence.”

He stuck his head out and peered curiously into the distance. It was strange seeing Hakyeon from a much higher eye level.

He shrugged. “Looks much better without a double chin.”

Hakyeon was in a daze. Taekwoon wondered why he was sitting in the corner all by himself, sipping on a watery mess that was likely the melted result of ice-blended latte.

“What the , that’s no way to treat coffee.”

The pillar didn’t seem to be necessary, so Taekwoon stepped forward and edged closer to Hakyeon’s table. Something in his head told him to mind his own business and go get food instead, but Taekwoon found himself walking further and further away from the ordering counter.

Hakyeon was so motionless, it was as though Taekwoon was watching a film that had been frozen at a single frame. Yet, he couldn’t explain why even for a scene as boring as that, he wasn’t able to peel his eyes away. It was as though he was gazing upon a painting that’d insidiously cast a bewitching spell over its viewers.

Perhaps it was bizzare for someone as lively as Hakyeon to be in such an impassive state.

“Well,” Taekwoon scoffed. “Don’t tell me he’s still upset over that misplaced poster of his.”

Although he wanted to deny it, Taekwoon knew very well that he was the reason Hakyeon looked nothing else beyond a lifeless creature hunched over a cup of drink.

“I didn’t mean it,” he shrugged.

Hakyeon’s stare was dreadfully empty, but paradoxically, it seemed to be screaming at Taekwoon to do something.

“Well, I highly doubt returning you that piece of crumpled will be of any help.” He shuffled his feet uneasily. “There’s really nothing I can do.”

He wanted to shrug again, but suddenly his muscles stiffened upon an invading thought. He raised his shoulders, now fully conscious of his humanly body parts. It suddenly hit him that the Jung Taekwoon he was now wasn’t the same Jung Taekwoon he was a day ago. He looked down at his own body, scanning his arms and legs, then shifted his gaze back to Hakyeon.

“I’ve always wanted to meet him in person.” Hakyeon’s words flashed across his mind.

He bit his lip anxiously. It was as though there was a compelling need for him to fix the he’d started.

“Well,” he mumbled. He cautiously flipped his hood away from his head and adjusted his hair, then took a deep breath. “At most, I’ll sacrifice this newly-returned body of mine.”

***********

(A/N: Thanks for the comments. I read them all. Hope you are enjoying the fic so far.)