“What-what are you talking about…?” Hakyeon cocked his head, frowning in disbelief. “Hongbin, are you okay?”

“Yeah what the .” Taekwoon gripped tightly at his chest, panting heavily after having recovered from his coughing fit. “Don’t you dare introduce such ideas into his head.”

Hongbin fell silent for a moment. “Hakyeon,” he began. “Do you really want to know what happened between me and Shinjoon and the club a year ago?”

Hakyeon sat up excitedly, although he wasn’t sure why Hongbin had changed the topic so suddenly. “Yeah, sure!!” He stared at Hongbin for a moment, then lowered his voice. “I mean, only if you wanna tell.”

Hongbin bit his lip and took a deep breath. “Okay,” he replied quietly. “Meet me next Monday. I’ll tell you all the answers you’ve been dying to know.” He took a brief pause. “And maybe pass you those posters of mine.”

“Posters??”

Hongbin nodded. “I’ve thought about it. If you want your cat back, you probably need to replenish your poster supplies.”

“Huh?” Hakyeon’s eyebrows shot up. Hongbin was speaking more and more in riddles. Although he truly yearned to see Shadow again, he was pretty sure he hadn’t said anything about having his cat back by his side.

“Hongbin.” His heart started beating furiously upon a perturbing thought. “I was really kidding about-”

“I know you miss your pet,” Hongbin cut in. “They probably won’t be holding another inspection till next month. You can keep him with you till then.”

Hakyeon frowned. “I-I’m not sure if I want to continue keeping him as a pet. I mean, I want to, but if he prefers to stay outdoors where he belongs I don’t think I can force him,” he shrugged.

Taekwoon snorted silently. “Why the do you like assuming that you know what I want.”

Hongbin nodded slowly. “That’s your choice, but either way…I’m willing to give you my posters. All of them.”

“Well, if he doesn’t really want the posters why the are you still trying to use that as an excuse for a meetup.” Taekwoon rolled his eyes.

Hakyeon bit his lip. “Are you really sure about that?” After all, his crush wanted to give him a gift and he found it difficult to say no.

“It’s up to you,” Hongbin replied. “If you want the posters, meet me and I’ll pass them to you. And then I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.” He fell silent for a moment. “Otherwise you can just pretend I said nothing. Not mandatory.”

Hakyeon played with his fingers nervously. He was pretty sure that he would go and meet Hongbin. Not because of the posters, but because of the answers that he’d been dying to know.

“I’ll be there,” he nodded, eyeing Hongbin cautiously.

“Okay.”

“Do I look you up in your room or…?”

“No.” Hongbin’s face changed suddenly. “Not my room.”

“So the classroom? Like the last time?”

Hongbin contemplated briefly. “Right here’s just fine. Monday. 3pm. I’ll bring the posters.”

“O-okay.”

“Really...?” Taekwoon sneered as he watched Hakyeon nod meekly to Hongbin's words. “In the end, you still walked into his stupid trap.” He crossed his arms. He didn’t have a good feeling about that. At all.

“So it’s a deal,” Hongbin replied quietly and forced a smile. If he was going to tell Hakyeon anything, he knew that he was going to need a few days to get ready beforehand. In particular, he needed a lot of emotional preparation for that. Because he’d been keeping things to himself for so long, he didn’t know if he was fine with talking openly about it.

He looked at Hakyeon. “And another thing, Hakyeon,” he began. “Remember to keep your windows open tonight.”

“Huh?”

“Your cat,” he replied firmly. “In case it wants to visit.”

“Smart aleck,” Taekwoon spat from his seat. “What makes you think I’d want to go back. He made the decision to chase me out. And he has to live with it.”

Hakyeon smiled. He didn’t need the reminder, but he appreciated Hongbin’s effort. “Yeah. I know. I will. Don’t worry,” he grinned widely. “I really hope he comes back. If he does I’ll give him a thousand kisses.”

“Ew.” Taekwoon pulled his chin back in disgust. “Thanks for the warning. You’re never seeing me again.”

***********

“Ay whassup,” Wonshik ran over to the window. He lifted his hand and gave the cat a small fist bump on its nose. “Look who’s back, Jaehwan.”

“I’m just here to use the toilet,” Taekwoon rolled his eyes. He lifted his paw and carefully stepped across the bars of the window grill, gently making his way onto Hakyeon’s desk.

Jaehwan looked up curiously from his phone and his eyes lit up. He carelessly flung the device onto Hakyeon’s bed, a huge grin forming across his lips. “Heyyyyy welcome back.”

Taekwoon shrugged as he inched further into the room, gesturing subtly to his paws. “Look. These fingers of mine are only meant for doing sophisticated human things. Like running across piano keys. And absolutely not for burying stupid cat poop in soil, because that’s ing barbaric. And I’m not doing it,” he muttered in one breath. “So don’t think that I’m back to visit my owner or anything. Because I’m not. Just here to borrow the facilities.”

Jaehwan chuckled. “He’s really vocal today, isn’t he?” He turned to Wonshik. “I’m guessing all this meowing means he really missed his home. Awwwww.”

Taekwoon scowled in disgust. “Don’t put words into my mouth.”

Wonshik didn’t seem to have heard. He eyed Jaehwan with a deep frown across his brows. “Well what now. We lost the bet. Do we tell Hakyeon or not.”

Jaehwan cast him a dark stare. “Of course not.” He walked over to the cat and bent down, pointing a finger in Taekwoon’s face. “It’s interesting to see you here, but why did you come back, seriously. Now we both owe Hakyeon fifty bucks.” He straightened his back and shrugged. “But if we both keep mum about it, it should be fine. He’ll probably be too excited to remember, anyway.”

“Well why the are you both talking about him as though he’s not here,” Taekwoon snapped, scanning the room subtly. But it turned out that his fears were true. Hakyeon wasn’t in the room.

Jaehwan elbowed Wonshik. “Let’s do another bet. Between us. On whether Hakyeon’s gonna forcibly keep him here this time. I’m saying he will.” He bit his lip, pausing for some thought. “Ten bucks, okay?”

Wonshik did not reply. He eyed the retreating cat silently, slowly raising his eyebrows. “Hey,” he whispered to Jaehwan. “Do you think he’s leaving because he doesn’t see Hakyeon.”

Taekwoon’s ears tensed up at Wonshik’s words. “What.” He felt all his muscles stiffen abruptly, his front limb freezing in mid-air as though he’d suddenly changed his mind about where he was headed. He slowly edged away from the open window, then turned around to face the people in the room. “W-who said I was leaving.”

Jaehwan sniggered at Wonshik. “Well, I’d rather he leave right now.” He peered at the cat and motioned to the window. “Go on. Spare a thought for our fifty bucks, please.”

“Yeah,” Wonshik added, raising his eyebrow knowingly. “If you left right away we’d be the ones standing to gain.”

“Well- No. Too bad. I said it. I’m here for the toilet,” Taekwoon shook his head. “Did you guys not hear me or what.” He leapt down the desk and walked to the bathroom. To his disappointment, it was vacant. “Well if Hakyeon isn’t in the ing toilet don’t tell me he’s hiding in the closet.” He figured he wasn’t about to care anyway. “Whatever. Didn’t ask.”

“Make it quick, please,” Wonshik yelled after the cat as soon as it disappeared into the bathroom. “Once you’re out we’ll pretend you never came.”

Jaehwan wanted to giggle, but suddenly the main door clicked open, and all his hopes of retaining his fifty bucks fell apart instantaneously.

“I’m back with the food.” Hakyeon didn’t sound a tad excited. “Delivery man got delayed.”

From the bathroom, Taekwoon’s cat ears perked up eagerly. “Well,” he smiled. “Guess who’s not having stupid cat food for dinner tonight.” He jumped down the toilet seat, not intending to flush – there was nothing to flush anyway – and crept back out into the living room. “I know said I was here for the toilet, but I’m hungry now and you guys shall not leave me in the lurch.”

Hakyeon set the food down on the table and sighed softly, his gaze empty. He couldn’t explain why even after agreeing on an appointment – perhaps even a date – with Hongbin, he wasn’t as ecstatic as he’d expected. Something still weighed at his chest, but he couldn't pinpoint what it was exactly. He shrugged it off anyway, then glanced at his friends briefly.

“What’s with that constipated look.” He produced a slight scowl, then pointed to the food. “Let’s get down to dinner.”

Jaehwan looked at Wonshik, and Wonshik looked back at Jaehwan.

“Fine, I’ll do it.” Jaehwan relcutantly motioned to Hakyeon to turn around.

“What?” Hakyeon frowned. He followed Jaehwan’s gaze, and then his eyes fell upon the ball of black fur that was marching towards him from the direction of the bathroom.

“SHADOW!!!” he squealed at the top of his lungs, causing the other people in the room to wince in response. “You really came!!” He flung the remaining bags of utensils on the table and launched toward his cat for a welcoming hug.

“Oh my ing god, no.” Taekwoon retreated quickly, dodging the hands that were coming after him. “I was walking towards the food. Not you.”

“Ugh,” Wonshik rubbed his ears and frowned. “It's the first time I’m seeing an owner more excited than his pet.” He shrugged and pulled Jaehwan to the table. “We’ll eat first.”

Hakyeon cornered his cat quickly, a huge grin on his lips. He grabbed hold of Taekwoon in one swift motion and scooped him up into his arms. “Did you know? I missed you so much.”

“Not this again. Let me go. I’m starving.”

“Where did you go? I searched around for you the whole afternoon.” He held the cat carefully and inspected the wound on his back. “I was so afraid that you’d gotten into a fight and died or something.”

Taekwoon rolled his eyes, kicking helplessly at Hakyeon’s arms. “Well if I did, I hope you’d be guilty about that for the rest of your ing life.”

As though on command, Hakyeon finally released his grip and placed his cat down on the bed. Taekwoon flinched a little at the sudden loss of warm contact – contact he didn’t know he missed.

“You’re supposed to put me at the table so I can have my ing dinner.”

Jaehwan looked up from his bowl and motioned to Hakyeon. “I think he's asking you for our food.”

Hakyeon stared at the food, then back at the cat. “This stuff’s not healthy. It’s not the first time I’m saying this.”

Wonshik took a gulp to swallow his food, then shook his head. “Well did you think he’d be back today if not for the fact that he used to eat dinner with us. The same type of dinner, I mean.” He pointed to the food. “He’s not settling for anything less.”

Taekwoon nodded internally.

“Shut up,” Hakyeon rolled his eyes. “You guys spoiled him, not me.” He sighed and reluctantly started scooping some food for his cat anyway, taking extra caution to leave out the nasty stuff.

“I hope you’re doing this to make up for the emotional trauma you left me with,” Taekwoon whispered as he jumped down the bed and crept to Hakyeon’s side. “You offered me the means to live like a human, then suddenly threw me out and deprived me of everything. It's ing cruel and you'd better pray I'd forgive you for it.”

Hakyeon set the bowl in front of the cat and let Taekwoon take a few sniffs of human food. “Only for today. Your welcome-home feast. Okay?”

“In that case I don’t think you’ll ever see him again,” Jaehwan sniggered.

“Well you dog people seem to be set on the belief that cats only care about food. Or the hand that feeds them,” Hakyeon replied coldly. “But I beg to differ. I believe cats are capable of forming actual bonds with their owners.”

Taekwoon shrugged between mouthfuls of food. “Well looks like I’m a ing exception.”

“If your cat really cared about you, Hakyeon,” Wonshik began, “then I'd say he's incredibly good at not showing it.” He chuckled and pointed to Taekwoon while the cat chewed at its food. “And in that case, if there's anything he needs to swallow right now, it's not his food but his immense pride.”

“What.” Taekwoon suddenly clamped his jaws tightly shut, reducing the contents in his cat mouth into a mushy mess. “There's no pride to swallow if I have none to begin with.” He took a break away from his dinner and his paws. “Don’t start assuming that I care about my owner or anything. Because I don’t. Smart aleck.”

“See,” Wonshik sniggered. “He acts all haughty all the time. And that’s exactly my point.” He shrugged and raised his eyebrows knowingly. “Why go through the hassle of trying read to your cat's intentions. Dogs are far less tiring to raise.”

“Let him off, please,” Hakyeon rolled his eyes. He turned to his cat and offered him a cheeky smile, then lightly patted him on the head before he began to scoop food into his own bowl. “It’s useless arguing with you about this. I know you guys will never get me.” He sat down and stared at Jaehwan and Wonshik, a stupid grin creeping up his lips. “Only Hongbin understands what it’s like to love cats.”

“Woah woah woah.” Wonshik put down his bowl and frowned. “Slow down, man. Just because you caught him feeding those strays out there, it doesn’t immediately mean you’re a match made in heaven, you know.”

“What do you know,” Jaehwan whispered. “Hakyeon breathes, Hongbin breathes. It’s a miracle, Wonshik. It's just like they...they’re meant for each other.”

“I breathe too. Breaking news.” Taekwoon resisted the strong urge to roll his eyes. 

Hakyeon shrugged nonchalantly. “Go on. Continue ridiculing me.” He cast his friends an empty stare and lowered his voice. “Because this is the last time you’ll ever get to do it.”

Jaehwan fell silent for a moment. “What did you do…again.”

Hakyeon resumed his smug grin. “It's okay. I know you’d never have guessed, my friends. That I landed a date with him today.”