“You like Hakyeon.” Shinjoon’s voice was quiet. “But you’re really afraid to admit it.”

Taekwoon seethed and cast Shinjoon a dark glare. “I just said, I’m not qualified for a discussion like this. And as long as this stupid demon blood runs in my veins, don’t even think about bringing such a topic up again. Because nobody – no ing body - would want a freak like me.” He let his voice fall into an icy murmur. “And for the rest of my life I’m gonna be bound by this lowly identity, not deserving of anything I’m supposed to deserve as a human being, okay?”

There was an unsettling silence. Taekwoon lowered his gaze and reluctantly swallowed the bitter knot in his throat.

“You know, the way you look down on yourself like that…” Shinjoon began quietly. “It reminds me a lot about Sanghyuk.”

Taekwoon sat up, raising his non-existent eyebrows.

“Is…is this what Green Eyes meant,” he narrowed his eyes, “about history repeating itself.”

Shinjoon nodded. “Looks like the same thing is happening, again.”

“This Sanghyuk guy…he used to be someone’s pet, didn’t he?” Taekwoon began.

Shinjoon nodded again, more slowly this time.

“And then he…” Taekwoon’s words trailed off. He couldn’t bring himself to say it.

“He fell in love with his owner,” Shinjoon finished the sentence for him. “…Who is none other than Hongbin.”

Taekwoon felt his jaw drop. “What??”

Shinjoon bit his lip and nodded reluctantly. “Guess it’s storytime.”

Taekwoon blinked, gesturing gingerly at Shinjoon to go on.

“Back then, Sanghyuk was just one of the stray cats that Hongbin and I would go around feeding,” Shinjoon began. “Because he was the only cat demon around here, and I was the only one he could communicate with, we often talked about things beyond the understanding of a typical cat.” He produced a small laugh. “Secretly, of course. Didn’t want Hongbin or anyone else to think I was a nutcase.”

“…Now I see why Hakyeon insisted that Hongbin used to be part of this club,” Taekwoon mumbled. He contemplated for a moment. “And I suppose…typical cat demons are high-intelligence things, then?”

“Yes. Just like us.”

Taekwoon nodded to himself. “Well, I mean, I should be ing glad they are. Who knows what my IQ would’ve been reduced to if it was otherwise.”

“Anyway,” Shinjoon continued. “Sanghyuk may have been a demon, but he was still a juvenile one. Back then, he didn’t have the means to transform into his human state. If he hadn’t been rescued by Hongbin that day, he’d probably live his whole life in his beast form.”

“Rescued??”

“I don’t know the details, but he’d somehow gotten himself injured and Hongbin happened to pass by, so there’s that.”

“You mean Hongbin took him into his room,” Taekwoon narrowed his eyes. “Like Hakyeon did with me.”

“Yes.”

“So he didn’t become a pet on a voluntary basis.”

Shinjoon nodded, but changed his mind and shook his head. “It didn’t take long for Sanghyuk’s gratitude towards Hongbin to turn into something beyond that. He pretty much loved his life as a pet.”

“So then did he miraculously gain the means to transform into human or what??” Taekwoon questioned. “Because I don’t see how that fits into the story.”

Shinjoon shook his head again. “He never used to bother advancing his level of cultivation. But when he started to develop strong feelings for his owner, he knew he needed to look more human and less cat. So he’d practise. Diligently. To attain the cultivation level high enough for him to turn human.”

“Practise what??”

“I don’t know how to put it, but you can treat it like feline magic.”

“So, like levelling-up. In a game. For a new skill.”

Shinjoon nodded and lowered his gaze. “Anyway, all this while I knew he’d been doing it all for Hongbin because he’d often update me about his progress. Like an excited little child.” He smirked subtly through his solemn expression. “As though I couldn’t tell for myself that his powers had been increasing madly.”

“So he treated you like a confidant?”

Shinjoon nodded. “Even more so when he finally acquired his human form. He’d look me up around the school and talk to me all about Hongbin. As though his world revolved around nothing else.”

Taekwoon smirked. At least his world didn’t revolve around Hakyeon. Because he wasn’t silly like Sanghyuk. He leant eagerly toward Shinjoon. “So was he handsome?? And how old was he??”

Shinjoon rolled his eyes. “Is that all you think about.”

“A man needs his answers.”

“He was about 7 months in cat age, and that translates to roughly 21 in human.” Shinjoon adjusted his glasses. “And as a human I’d say he was pretty good-looking.”

“So I assume he turned into that and started tempting Hongbin?”

“Uhh, not exactly,” Shinjoon replied. “He’d just look Hongbin up whenever Hongbin wasn’t in his room. Told Hongbin he was also a student here. Then they became really good friends.”

“That means whenever Hongbin returned to his room, he…?”

“He’d turn back into a cat and make it back before Hongbin did.”

“Wow, creepy as .”

Shinjoon rolled his eyes. “Are you any better?”

Taekwoon snorted. “So this Sanghyuk had no intention of telling Hongbin what he really was, then?” He edged closer and peered into Shinjoon’s eyes. “And all this while you knew Hongbin’s pet was a demon. But you didn’t let him know of it.”

Shinjoon frowned. “It’s for the same reason you don’t want me telling Hakyeon about you.”

“Okay. Fine.”

Shinjoon shrugged. “Besides, I wasn’t planning to interfere.” His eyes had turned dark. “Because Sanghyuk himself didn’t intend to keep Hongbin deceived for long.”

“And then??”

“And then I realised I really shouldn’t have trusted that things would fall into place just like that.”

“What do you mean,” Taekwoon frowned. “Did he go ahead and tell Hongbin everything? Like, he approached him one day as his human friend and went did you know I’m the cat from your room and I watch you while sleep at night? or something?”

Shinjoon shrugged. “I don’t know what exactly happened, but one day he indeed looked Hongbin up in his human state. I was briefly informed of his plans beforehand. That he was going to tell Hongbin he loved him. And that he hoped Hongbin would accept him for who he was – a cat demon in nature who also happened to be the same cat that lived with him.”

“And then??”

“And then things turned out very bad.” Shinjoon’s voice was solemn, a distraught expression across his face. “Hongbin couldn’t accept anything. The truth was too disturbing for him to handle. And that meant Sanghyuk’s world – all of it – crashed down on him in an instant.”

Taekwoon narrowed his eyes. “And I’m guessing this was the reason Green Eyes said Sanghyuk was so devastated…that he decided to take his own life?”

Shinjoon lowered his gaze. “That was how everything ended.”

Taekwoon raised his eyebrows. “It ended? Like that?”

“What else do you want.”

“Demons can really die?”

“They’re demons. Not immortals.”

“But don’t cats have nine ing lives?”

“You-” Shinjoon started, but gave up and rolled his eyes. “Do you want to continue harping on that or focus on the point of the story.”

Taekwoon sank back in his seat. “W-well. I didn’t know Hongbin had a past like that.”

“Now you do,” Shinjoon replied quietly. “And you’re the only one I’ve ever told.”

“Wait.” Taekwoon sat up. “No wonder he was acting all weird that day. When Hakyeon talked about cat demons.” He quickly got onto his four limbs and crept towards Shinjoon eagerly. “. I think he’s gonna tell Hakyeon. Everything.”

Shinjoon raised his eyebrows. “What?”

Taekwoon bit his lip nervously. “Next Monday. 3pm. At the cafeteria.” He got up and paced around the room anxiously. “He’s gonna tell Hakyeon that his wicked cat is also a cat demon like Sanghyuk.”

“What do you mean? How did you know?” Shinjoon scowled. He reached out and blocked Taekwoon in his path. “Can you slow down and explain properly?”

Taekwoon froze in his tracks. He looked at Shinjoon, his stare laced with apprehension. “He’s gonna teach Hakyeon.” His voice was solemnly low. “He's gonna teach him to reject me.”

***********

Taekwoon reached out and pulled Shinjoon hastily behind the pillar. “Hakyeon’s here.” He pointed to the distance.

Shinjoon threw him an irritated glare. “Get your hands off,” he whispered, brushing Taekwoon’s human fingers away from his shirt collar. He followed Taekwoon’s gaze. “Seriously. How long have you been here watching them.”

Taekwoon shrugged, not bothering to look at Shinjoon, keeping his eyes locked on the pair of men seated at the corner table of the canteen. “Since around 2 o’clock, I guess. In case Lee Hongbin went back on his word and decided to meet him earlier.” He motioned for Shinjoon to shift further behind the pillar. “You’re being too obvious.”

Shinjoon rolled his eyes. “Why are we doing this.”

Taekwoon looked back at him briefly. “I said it. Hongbin’s likely gonna tell Hakyeon everything about Sanghyuk. And I need to see how Hakyeon’s going to react to that.” He turned back and continued watching the pair. “Besides, I’ve thought about it. Something’s amiss.”

“What’s amiss?”

“Well, I remember Hongbin mentioned something weird. He told Hakyeon that it was possible for owners to fall in love with their pets.” Taekwoon shook his head. “Pretty disturbing to hear at first, but now I’m certain it’s got to do with him and Sanghyuk.”

“What?” Shinjoon raised his eyebrows. “He-”

“Shhhhhhhh. They’re talking,” Taekwoon snapped. He motioned for Shinjoon to pay attention to the conversation between Hakyeon and Hongbin.

In the distance, Hongbin had begun reaching into his backpack. “The stuff I promised.” He produced a roll of paper and pushed it across the table to Hakyeon.

“Uhh, thanks.” Hakyeon smiled meekly. He reached over and slowly unravelled the sheet of paper, admiring the pair of posters that Hongbin had just gifted him. “It’s beautiful.”

Hongbin nodded. “Glad you like it.”

Hakyeon looked up briefly. “You must be really good at quality maintenance,” he breathed. “They really look as good as new.” He traced his finger across the posters endearingly, the corners of his lips upturned at the image of Taekwoon’s face. “Thanks again.” He shuffled his feet anxiously, then wrapped the posters back into a tight scroll.

He looked up at Hongbin, offering Hongbin a nervous smile. There was something at the back of his mind, but he didn’t know if he should bring it up. Maybe Hongbin had forgotten.

“If that’s settled,” Hongbin began quietly, pointing to the posters. “Then we’re onto the next thing.”

Hakyeon blinked. Okay. Hongbin hadn’t forgotten.

Hongbin bit his lip, silently looking at Hakyeon, then sighed and leant back into his seat. “You want to know what happened between Shinjoon and I and the club, don’t you?”

Hakyeon nodded gingerly.

“Okay.” Hongbin’s voice was low and solemn. “There was someone Shinjoon and I used to know.”

Hakyeon raised his eyebrows. “Someone from the club…?”

“No.” Hongbin shook his head subtly. “He was just a student around here. My best friend. And we did everything together.”

Hakyeon blinked. He had no idea how any of that was of relevance to the past between Hongbin and the cat club, but he decided to shut up and listen on anyway.

“When I first met him at the basketball court, we played and played for hours. It was as though we were two strangers destined to become something much better.”

“Was…was he was the same person you used to watch plays with?”

Hongbin nodded. There was a distant look in his eyes that made Hakyeon wonder what sort of importance this man was to Hongbin. Maybe he felt a little sour, or perhaps he was merely curious, but something about Hongbin’s gaze sent an uneasy feeling down his spine.

“I didn’t like plays, but I liked seeing the passion in his eyes when he watched them from his seat,” Hongbin continued. “It was a pair of bright eyes that burned like fire.” He lowered his voice. “And I’d do anything to see them again.”

“And why can’t you…?”

Hongbin shook his head, his eyes a little wet. “It’s all my fault.”

Hakyeon raised his eyebrows. He wanted to probe a little further, but he decided to let Hongbin speak at his own comfortable pace.

“Did you know.” Hongbin’s voice had begun to break. “That I’d silently loved him for so long, I didn’t know how I could go about telling him about it.” He shut his eyes momentarily, and a pair of wet streams cascaded down from his lashes.

Hakyeon felt his heart drop. “You…loved him?”

Hongbin fell silent briefly. “I did.” His hot tears burnt his cheeks, and his gut wrenched with hurt, but it didn’t matter. It didn’t matter because the pain was nothing compared to what he’d done to Sanghyuk. “I fell in love with my best friend,” he choked. “But I’d been too cowardly to let him know about it.”

From afar, Shinjoon cast Taekwoon a knowing look.

“What’s going on,” he whispered. “Hongbin’s…deviating too far from the script.”

Taekwoon didn’t answer. Something pricked at his heart, but it wasn’t Hongbin’s words. He kept his gaze fixed on Hakyeon’s crushed expression, unwilling to admit how much it pained him to be witnessing that.

“He told me he studied computing,” Hongbin continued. “And I trusted him so much, I actually believed him.”

Hakyeon cocked his head slowly. “So he…didn’t?”

“If he did, when I decided to look him up one day…his classmates wouldn’t have told me that Han Sanghyuk was a student who didn’t exist.”

“So his name was Sanghyuk…?”

Hongbin nodded.

“And he lied to you?”

“He did but I liked him so much I didn’t think too far into it.”

“And…?”

“And one day I realised that I really should have probed further.” Hongbin lowered his gaze. “And then things would probably have turned out different. And maybe I wouldn’t have been so shocked at the reality. Maybe I would’ve taken it a little better.”

“What reality are you talking about?” Hakyeon raised his eyebrows. What was so shocking that made Hongbin regret all of it?

Hongbin bit his lip. He shifted his wet gaze back onto Hakyeon, and eyed him cautiously. “He told me that he was a cat demon.”

Hakyeon sat up. “What?” He cocked his head in disbelief. “Not this agai-”

“If you continue to think that perhaps Shinjoon and I have been uttering absolute bull all this while, that things like cat demons are products of our impaired sanity and imagination, Hakyeon,” Hongbin cut in curtly, then lowered his voice. “It’s…it’s perfectly understandable.”

Hakyeon blinked.

“But promise me, Hakyeon, that you won’t repeat my mistakes.”

“No wait what are you talking about…?” Hakyeon began. “Sanghyuk…was a cat demon…?”

Hongbin nodded. “And he happened to be the same cat I’d brought back into my room three months earlier.”

Hakyeon sat up. “You… kept a cat?”

“Why else did you think I wouldn’t be reporting you for the same thing?”

“You…”

“I had a pet, Hakyeon,” Hongbin replied firmly. “I had a beautiful white cat. He was clean and obedient and intelligent, and he was in many ways like that black cat of yours. Except he didn’t damage any of my possessions.”

Hakyeon gulped. “What…what are you implying about Shadow…?”

“He is a cat demon. Shinjoon wasn’t lying.”

“No.” Hakyeon shook his head. “What’s going on. What about Sanghyuk made you think he was a cat demon. Or that he was the same cat you kept.”

“Because he told me so.” Hongbin bit his lip. “And then he showed me.”

“What do you mean.”

Hongbin did not reply immediately, but lowered his gaze. “Did you know how elated I was when he came telling me one day that he loved me?” He slowly balled his fists. “Did you know how ready I was to tell him that I felt the same?” He let his voice fall to a solemn murmur. “And then…how stunned I was when he told me he was my cat.”

“He-”

“I thought he was joking.” Hongbin continued. “Until he transformed right into that in front of my very eyes.”

Hakyeon’s eyebrows shot up. “He transformed into what?”

“My beautiful white cat,” Hongbin replied coldly. “The stray I’d taken in when I’d found it struggling for its life, wedged in the hole of a drain cover one fine day.”

“How’s that poss-”

“Just when I thought it wasn’t possible, Hakyeon,” he interrupted, “He turned back into Han Sanghyuk in front of my eyes again.”

“What??”

Hongbin edged closer to Hakyeon. “I know this seems like a load of made-up crap, Hakyeon. But when Sanghyuk told me in impeccable detail everything about my lifestyle that no one else would’ve known, I finally saw why my best friend was a computing student…whose identity didn’t truly exist.”

Hakyeon shook his head, then bit his lip. “Well, if you really insist on that,” he began, eyeing Hongbin warily. “What happened after that???”

There was a sudden contraction in his chest and Hongbin shut his eyes, wincing in pain. “I hope you can accept me for who I am,” he choked. “Those were the last things I heard. Before I backed away in absolute horror...and then turned and sprinted off,” he lowered his voice. “Without ever looking back.”