The storm outside is long gone. Rays of light dance on the garden grass, shine through the glass window and dye everything a deep orange of late afternoon. It’s as calm as it can be for a Saturday, when you get your much-needed sleep and still have a whole Sunday ahead to rest

They eat in silence, no one wants to mention the earlier incident. Mina is still rather disoriented and Chaeyoung, of course, doesn’t want to bring it up. They sits across from each other on the small square dining table, each holding a bowl of porridge. Chaeyoung offered to cook, but all they have was instant food, which Mina makes a mental note of getting groceries tomorrow. The air is awkward, there’s many things to say, to ask, but no one speaks up.

Finally, Mina puts her bowl on the table, feeling much better after having something in her system after a whole day of sleeping. Chaeyoung follows, also finished her food.

“So… How are we gonna do it? Living together, I mean.”

There it is. The inevitable.

“It’s up to you. I don’t really need anything. I have been living with you since forever.”

“But not as a human. I thought you was a cat, which normally can’t turn into human.”

“I am a cat! Technically, I am half cat. You don’t even have to change your way of living, I can still continue living as a cat.”

When revealing herself, Chaeyoung doesn’t want to continue pretend to be a cat and a cat only. She wanted to communicate with Mina, she wanted to be able to hold, to take care of the girl like earlier, the things that her cat form doesn’t allow her to do. But if Mina isn’t comfortable with this, she can go back to be a house cat like she’s done the past nine years.

“No. We can’t go back just like that, now I know you’re human, or shapeshifter, whatever you like to call.”

…

“So what do you want me to do?”

“I don’t know. What do people do when their cat suddenly turned into human?”

Mina says sarcastically. She doesn’t mean to offend Chaeyoung, but she’s overwhelmed by the situation. Nothing she’s learned can prepare her for this. She wants to throw a mini tantrum, to demand her cat back and their lives go back to normal. Closing her eyes, she tries to force the outburst down with deep breaths. Normally she would hug Chaengie or run her hand though the cat’s fuzzy back to calm her racing heart or relax when the anxiety kicks in. It’s therapeutic. But now is NOT a good time to think about that. That’s not normal.

Chaeyoung doesn’t say anything, only patiently waits for Mina to calm down again. It’s new to communicate with Mina like this, and it’s hard for her, who knows the truth all along. She can’t imagine how confusing the older might feel, having so much information flooding in. Knowing Mina’s introverted nature, she is glad the girl is talking to her now and not hiding in her own room.

“Okay. Let’s start with the basic first. We have to live together right?”

Chaeyoung frowns slightly, taken aback by this question, but nods nonetheless.

“We will arrange a bit so you stay in the spare bedroom. I think you would need one. Do you have any personal belonging?”

“That’s not necessary. I don’t need a new room.”

“I think it’ll be better. You’re human; you can’t just stay in my room or in the living room.”

Chaeyoung tries to suppress a sigh. Baby steps, she tells herself, the girl needs time to get used to everything.

“I see. Okay. I’ll stay in the room then.”

Mina didn’t say it aloud. But she needs this person/Chaengie/Chaeyoung to stay in the other room. She still doesn’t know how to treat this person, as her cat, or as her new housemate. It’s been a while since Sana moved out and she’s not used to living with another person. Chaengie is a cat so that doesn’t count. But technically this girl is Chaengie. See. Complicated.

They fall into silence again. Both find it hard to look at the opposite person’s face. So they turn their gaze to the glass door. It’s already dark outside. Today event is a sudden change in their lives and no one knows what the future would bring.

“It’s quite late today already. I’ll prepare the couch. We will rearrange the spare bedroom tomorrow so you can move in, is that okay?”

“Yeah. It’s fine”

They go to bed early, but sleep doesn’t come to them until very late. They toss and turn, millions of thoughts running through their heads.

 ***

Mina wakes up when something tickling her face. She smiles, too familiar with this antic. She wakes up like this almost every morning, with the cat either poking or head- her face, demanding food. And as usual, she tries to hug the cat, to sleep for a couple of minutes more, only to feel Chaengie wiggles out of her hold.

“I had a really weird dream last night, Chaengie” Mina