As much as I and the other cats loafed in the window, Youngjae wasn't stopping for a quick chat like he usually did. This of course led to the weird feelings intensifying for me. But I needed to keep those really deep inside, lest I feel even more lonely about the fact he was no longer as chatty!

Plenty of times now I watched my neighbour just go straight from locking his door to getting into his car. Or vice versa, always looking at his feet as he walked. Sometimes he forgot to lock the door and ended up going back up the porch to do that. Or he did lock the door but came back to double check anyway.

He looked so incredibly troubled, but I could do nothing but watch on from the window with concern.

Well, I guess I could go introduce myself in human form one day and then potentially form a friendship with him, thus leading to him telling me what's troubling him. But I'm really only good at listening and distracting, both of which I do best as a cat! Human me fumbles over my words with strangers and still has cat like tendencies that aren't expected from a grown man!

I was tensely loafed in the window, tail flicking about in an agitated manner, when there was finally some action on the porch again. Youngjae got home this afternoon a bit earlier than I'd seen him do since I started observing him, barring the few incidents he got back super late. He left his car, phone pressed against his ear, but instead of going directly into his apartment, Youngjae took a seat on the top step for this phone call.

Why he didn't go inside his apartment for this was beyond me, but with how fine tuned I am to noises, it wouldn't have mattered whether I was on the couch or in the window to hear the conversation.

It was quite an angry phone call. Based on how he addressed the other person, he was talking to his dad. From what I could tell based on hearing only one side of the conversation, his father was displeased at his son's choices, but the neighbour was adamant he was going to do what he wanted whether they agreed or not. His father and mother spent too much time arguing to notice their son. How could they accept him doing what he wanted as an adult when they couldn't even accept each other?

After the angry declaration that he refused to become what his parents were and to stay out of his life, he hung up and just held his head in his hands. Breathing deeply, like he was trying to calm it, throwing his head back to get more oxygen in...

When he turned to glance at the window, my heart twitched in a weird way at seeing his tear-stained face. I don't like how that makes me hurt! But then my heart twisted in a different way when the sight of me put a little smile on his face. Maybe I can still be of help from here? I unloafed with a chirp and stretched.

He wiped his eyes and nose before scooting to sit in front of my window. “Sorry about that, kitty...” he said quietly. “Every so often, my parents remind me why I left. Your owner's out again, I'm guessing?” Wrong, I'm right here. He sighed. “Maybe I'm just hoping he's not home. I don't want to have bothered him with the sounds of an angry phone call when he's just trying to keep to himself.”

I responded with a headbutt against the window and then a meow.

Youngjae stared for a few moments before bringing his hand up and pressing two of his knuckles against the window. So I headbutted the window again, this time where his knuckles were. I accompanied it with a loud meow. “Well, aren't you talkative today?” he chuckled as he took his hand away from the window. “Have you... missed me coming to the window to say hello?”

You know what? it. Yeah, I did miss it! A hearty meow to hopefully convey that message. A meow that was loud enough to get Feta and Gouda to come see what I was so riled up about.

“Oh, hello kitties...” Youngjae offered a little wave, and this time, it wasn't just me meowing back. “All three of you have missed it, huh... I'm sorry for not dropping by lately, then. My medicine dosage got upped and that's made me very... scatterbrained. I barely sleep and can hardly remember why I enter a room anymore. I've been meaning to talk with my doctor about it, but...” Youngjae trailed off and ran his fingers through his hair. “My hair's getting a bit long. I need a trim...”

Feta and Gouda meowed and brushed against the window while I sat down and tilted my head with the tiniest of chirps.

“Ah, do you want me to sing for you?” He glanced around, took a peek off the porch and down the road. Then behind him down that road. “I guess I can do that.” He turned back to the window. “So long as your owner doesn't come home while I'm doing it. I have no idea how I'd explain this to him.”

And so cat me and my two cats happily sat in the window, listening as the neighbour serenaded us. Feta nearly knocked me out my spot trying to spin around and flop herself against the window. Gouda did end up getting knocked off the sill, which caused Youngjae to chuckle mid song, but she jumped back up quickly, none the worse for wear.

When he finished, he sighed. “It's too late now, but I'm going to see about calling my doctor tomorrow.” He grabbed the porch railing and used it to heave himself up, dusting off his pants from the dust on the porch.

I should really sweep my side of the porch again. I hadn't done it since the unwanted presence of the F Tier Vegetable...

“You know, I've always wanted a cat of my own, but both my parents are allergic so I was never allowed. I hope your owner doesn't mind me living out my fantasy of having cats through talking to the three of you while you're in the window.”

Cats are a blessing on this Earth, and since he was always kind to the cats in the window, I didn't mind one bit! I flicked my tail about happily, and the other two finally settled down enough to just sit down and meow at him.

He laughed, a bright smile on his face. “Thank you for cheering me up, kitties. I have some work I need to do for school, so I'm going to head into my apartment now.” He did that little waggle of his fingers, the wave he used to signify leaving. “Take care of yourselves!”

--

That next morning, I hopped into the window to bask in those early morning sunbeams. Loafed comfortably, I kept half an eye out for the neighbour popping out of his apartment. If he was scatterbrained this morning, he'd likely forget that he planned on calling his doctor today, right? So my logic tells me if I yell at him from the window long enough, he'll remember!

Maybe it came from a selfish place because I do admit to liking when he stops by the window for a little chat, even if Feta and Gouda replaced me in the window while I was doing something else. I still got to listen in even outside of cat form, after all. But cats can be selfish creatures. They don't do things if there isn't enjoyment on their part.

Youngjae came out of his apartment door, completely forgetting to lock the door behind him as he made his way across the porch. So I stood up and yowled as loud as I could muster.

It was loud enough to catch his attention. He stopped. “Oh, good morning, kitty. Is something wrong?”

I yowled again. How the hell do I communicate what I want to say like this? Okay, so maybe cat form wasn't useful for some things! I pressed myself against the window and stared intently at his door.

He followed my gaze. “Kitty, what's so interesting about my door?” He hummed to himself, and I looked up at him. “My door...” Then recollection flashed across his face. “MY DOOR!” He scurried back over to his side of the porch, opening and closing it again before finally locking it. I took to grooming a bit while he did that. He sighed in relief as he walked back over to me. “Thanks for that. I couldn't afford to replace some of the things I have in there if they were stolen.”

My work here is not yet done! I paused in my grooming to loudly meow again, pressing a paw against the window.

“What's got you so riled up today? Is everything okay?”

Damn, part two of this mission (that was the only part up until the neighbour forgot to lock the door behind him) was harder to do. I looked around briefly but came up moot on how to get him to call his doctor. Unless I pulled my phone to the window? But if I left the window, then he'd leave the porch!

I made enough of a fuss that Feta and Gouda dragged themselves to my window to see what was going on. They, of course, seemed pleased to see Youngjae. To the point that they, too, decided to join me in making a fuss.

“All three of you now? I can't sing for you this early. I don't want to risk waking your owner.” The neighbour put on a thinking face before brushing the hair that was falling over the top of his ears back. “This hair, I need a trim so badly.” He pouted. “Maybe I'll stop by a place on the way home from work.” Youngjae hummed in a troubled fashion. “I feel like I'm forgetting something important. Was that it? The fact that I was going to schedule an appointment with a hairdresser?”

I mean, he had mentioned his hair needing to be cut, at least. But that wasn't what I was wanting to get him to remember! Another loud meow, and for once I got up on my hind legs and pressed both paws against the window. I tapped one paw multiple times, tail spastically flicking around. Feta flopped against the window in a way that startled Gouda into falling off as she had yesterday, but she didn't come back up today. Instead, I heard her crunch on some food.

The neighbour chuckled. “You three were just as active yesterday. You-” he pointed at Feta specifically “-really ought to be more mindful of your environment, though.” That likely went in one ear and out the other. Both Feta and Gouda were bad at being aware of their environment. I couldn't be sure if the sisters came by it honestly, or if it came from how much they hunted and ate lizards back at the house Umma Guk and I used to live in.

Youngjae's smile downturned in exchange for a slight purse of his lips, brows furrowed. “Hm. Yesterday, too... Yesterday, all three of you cheered me up like this after that call with my dad. Are you trying to cheer me up again? I'm feeling okay enough today. I didn't sleep much, though-” His eyes lit up. “Ah! Right! I was going to call my doctor today! Let me go ahead and put in the message that I'd like to speak with him.”

I sat back down carefully as he pulled out his phone and had a quick call. Likely with the receptionist if the words were anything to go by. Feta decided to make herself comfortable in a loaf, and I remained calmly sitting, tail wrapped around my feet.

Once the call was done, he put his phone back in his pocket. “Alright. He'll call when he's done with appointments for the day.” He brought his focus back onto the window. “Well, I've got to go to work now, kitties. Take care of yourselves!” Then he was off with that little smile and wave.

Mission accomplished! After watching Youngjae drive off, I hopped out of the window and set about doing my own things. Shifted to human form so I could clean easier, and I even swept the porch of the forming dust and pollen! Damn pollen season's coming up. That's going to make me sneezy to the extreme!

About lunch time, I got a message in the group chat asking for food and hangout, and I figured I may as well. Junhong picked Jongup and me up, and I chilled in the backseat while Junhong drove us through Wendy's before heading back to his place. Jongup held the bag of food in his lap while we made the ride out to Junhong's place.

I kept my eyes focused out the window, watching things pass by but still tuning into words when they were being said. Menial conversation without interest up until we were inside Junhong's house and on the couch. Me trying to fend my chicken sandwich away from the kitty cows while Jongup and Junhong set up their food on the coffee table.

“You know, this reminds me of a news story I saw the other day,” Junhong started. “A man tried to rob a Wendy's with an alligator. Pulled right up to the drive thru, threatened them to give him money, and when they didn't, he just yeeted the alligator through the window.”

“Wait, he yeeted it through the window?” Jongup hummed, lost in thought for a minute. “Alligators aren't small creatures? They're heavy and big. How the did he yeet it through the window? Unless it was a baby alligator, maybe, but even then, why the was his tool of choice for a robbery a ing gator? Did he not think about what would happen AFTER he yeeted the gator through the window?”

The kitty cows became more interested in the less monitored food on the coffee table, so I was finally able to bite into my chicken sandwich, ears perked and ready to listen on.

“I don't know, man. But I'd like to be a yeetable size one day,” Junhong lamented.

“Same, fam.”

“Jongup, you're more of a yeetable size than me. I'm tall and gangly and definitely not good for yeeting.”

“Was that a knock at my height?” Jongup shooed one of the cats away from his nuggets before it could successfully eat them. “I may be a shortie, but I'm more built. So I definitely can't be yeeted.” He punctuated his sentence by chomping into a nugget.

Junhong shrugged and took a bite of his burger. “Well, depending on the situation, Daehyun's easily a yeetable size.”

I froze mid chew and squinted at them.

Earnestly, Jongup looked at me. “Hey, can we yeet you, fam?”

“ no!”

“Please?”

I shook my head to deny them once more.

“Not even once?”

“Absolutely not!”

Junhong waved a hand. “Come on, we aren't going to yeet you against the floor. We'd only yeet you like a football at the couch!”

“I AM NOT LETTING YOU YEET ME LIKE A FOOTBALL!” I pouted and took one of the final bites of my chicken sandwich, a growl ready to rumble in my throat if they persisted. I'm picky about being petted or held, so like HELL am I going to let them throw me about! The myth that cats always land on their feet is FALSE!

Jongup sighed in disappointment, then eyed the kitty cows. “We could always yeet one of the cows.”

I frowned. “Do not yeet the cows! Don't yeet any of the cats! Cats don't appreciate being picked up and yeeted!”

Now it was Junhong's turn to disappointedly sigh. “I guess we'll just have to wait until one of us is a yeetable size, eh Jongup?”

“That ain't happening any time soon, fam.”

And then it was back to eating. Just another day hanging out with friends while we had the spare time, I guess.

--

A/N:

AHA, I bet y'all didn't expect to see me HERE, of all places!