R3. Floof Your Way Into My Heart

Summary: Taeyeon has a cat. When her beloved cat suddenly vanished, she felt so empty. Not until she saw a woman who has the complete personality of her beloved cat as if her cat was reincarnated as a human being.

Characters: TaeNy, Hachi (the fictional fat catto)

Note: Written on Taeyeon’s Point Of View.

BEGIN.

Hachi the fat cat.

That’s what we called her in our neighbourhood.

A Bengal breed. Looks like a baby tiger but acts like a ferocious one too. It has a very spectacular coat. More aloof than other cats in the neighbourhood.

A thug gangster type of cat who we hear every night fighting up on our roof. She used to be a sweet one when she was little, she would play with adult cats and then they started attacking her as she was growing up. But she kept fighting and getting stronger until other cats would lose terribly to her. She got pretty ing buff with the time she spent outside.

So the people started to avoid her in fear of being scratched.

But it seems like this cat knows how to make a living and the right target to get food and comfort.

She chose me out of all the people in the neighbourhood.

I was afraid of it, I hated it but I have no choice but to be good.

Because life favors good people. Do good things so good things will come back at you.

Every day, she would be at my window staring at me as if it is my duty to feed her every day. She never begged for food. Her stares weighed fear inside me that caused me to be submissive.

‘It’s just like offering food for the gods.’

She walks like a queen. She exudes the classic femininity of goddesses and royal bloods. No wonder why Egyptians treated the cats before as a god. They never bowed to anyone.

She comes to me at exactly 5 AM and 5 PM. The moment I woke up and went back to the house from work. It’s like she knows my schedule. I leave food on the balcony in the morning and prepare her dinner every night.

“Don’t feed it so she would just go, she might hurt you. She’s a wild cat!” my neighbour told me one day.

‘If she’s a wild cat, then, why doesn’t she hurt me?’ I thought to myself.

“She doesn’t really come close to me, so it’s okay.” I told the old man.

“She killed my daughter’s hamster.” he frowned, “Just don’t touch that cat, okay?” 

“Yeah, I won’t.”

But one day, I saw Hachi her foot as her food tray wasn’t even touched. I looked over her and she stared at me in an alert manner. I saw her ears perked then lowered down as she purred.

‘Meow.’ she said softly as she continued her foot.

I decided to check it out cautiously.

She has a wound on her feet.

“Hachi, what happened to you?” I asked her, I wanted to do something for her. The blood wouldn’t stop flowing. I decided to be brave and tried to touch her. Hachi backed away a little.

“It’s okay… it’s okay.”

I assured the cat until she relaxed and I took her into my arms.

“Come with me, I’ll take you to the vet.”

When I took Hachi to the vet to be treated and took her inside my home so she can heal, it’s like we bonded on a different level. Hachi never laid her nails on me.

But she scratched my furniture as a return of me being safe.

So I bought her some toys she could play with.

As months went by, Hachi let me touch her head. I felt really happy. Then she started sleeping on my tummy, on my shoulders, on my head and my laptop while I work.

She’s super clingy. If Hachi is a human being, she would be very possessive.

Hachi attacked all the cats that came on the house and every cat that came near me, that’s why I love her so much.

She’s the only cat for me.

Since Hachi was a stray cat, she goes back outside every time and comes inside the house whenever she likes.

But one day she didn’t come back home.

I waited for days, weeks, months and a year.

I never saw Hachi again.

My life felt empty.

Because Hachi is not just a cat, she’s a family.

Then my life started to make sense again when I met this peculiar girl. A girl who got the same personality as Hachi.

‘A cat woman.’

***

We had a new neighbour. It’s a girl, but she never gets out of the house right after she moves in. My neighbours were complaining about how unfriendly the girl was when she didn’t open the door for them when they tried to give her a warm welcome in the neighbourhood.

It’s just when I went home from work very late, I saw the girl sitting at her doorstep and just observing everything around her at 3 AM.

‘What is she doing outside during this late hour?’ 

The light was dim so I couldn’t see her face clearly. Her hair was long and jet black and she was wearing a baggy white shirt as her feet were folded up and her chin was resting on it. Almost looking like ‘L’ from the death note if it wasn’t for the absence of her pants.

‘, legs.’ I gulped and she noticed me staring, I started to feel nervous.

“U-Uh, hi. You must be new around here. I’m Kim Taeyeon. I-I live in the house in front of yours.” I said and leaned on my gate.

She didn’t say a word and her eyes never blinked on me. As if she’s fully alerted by my presence.

“I-I guess, I’ll be going now.” I cleared my throat and awkwardly went inside my house.

‘Weird.’

“Maybe because it’s 3 AM?” I made a mental note to bring her some food tomorrow morning since I plan to bake some cupcakes.

‘I’m going to enjoy my weekend!’ I beamed to myself.

***

I tried my luck to appease my elusive neighbour by giving her some cupcakes. I put six cupcakes on my food tray and knocked on her door.

“Hello?” I called out and I heard some rustles inside.

“Uhm, this is Kim Taeyeon. Your neighbour uh… I made some cupcakes. I hope you’ll like them!” I said and waited for a response that never came. 

‘Rude.’

‘I guess, I’ll just leave it here.’

I left the food tray on her doorstep and went inside my home. I planned to go out and buy some groceries. When I came back from the grocery, I saw her doorstep. The food tray was gone.

‘She took in my cupcake.’ I grinned.

***

When Monday came, I was late again when I came home. I saw her sitting at her doorstep with the same position she was in before. This time, her shirt was baggy pink. She was staring at me again.

‘Cute.’

“Uh… d-did you like the cupcakes?” I tried making conversations again since she was staring at me hard.

She was quiet, but her eyes looked as if she was contemplating if I was worth the words that would come out of . She looked away from me and I took it as a sign that she might not want to talk to me.

“I-I’ll...I won’t disturb you anymore.” I said awkwardly and bowed slightly for being a nuisance and started to open up my gate. I heard her say something.

“You.”

 I looked back in surprise, “Uh… me?” I pointed to myself.

“More cupcakes.” she stared at me.

‘Those eyes…’

Her stares weighed something in me… like a command that I should follow.

‘It’s like offering food to the gods again.’

“S-Sure,” I said nervously and went to my house.

When I closed my door, I put my hands on my chest and panted.

“She looks like Hachi when I first met my cat.” then I frowned.

The thought of it made me miss Hachi even more. Then, I remember the girl and her image inside my head made me smile.

“She liked my cupcakes.”

***

The next day, I knocked on her door again with a food tray on my hands.

“Hello, uh… it’s Taeyeon, your neighbour. I bought your cupcakes.” I heard shuffles again from the inside.

“Uhhh, I’ll just leave it at your doorstep,” I told her and I was about to leave until her door opened and I saw a hand take my food tray real quick as the door shut again.

‘What the hell just happened?’

Then the door opened again and I saw a paper thrown outside before it closed again.

I read the pink note, it says, “More cupcakes.”

“Is my cupcake that good?” I suddenly felt good about my baking skills.

For weeks, it kept on repeating. Seeing her at her doorstep at 3 AM, the awkward talks from me, the ‘More cupcakes.’ notes, the hand that gets the food tray from her doorstep. It became a routine.

As if I am feeding her cupcakes every day.

But our routine suddenly changed when my workload suddenly became light so I went home early again at 5 PM. I spent the remainder of my time playing video games. 

I haven’t baked for a while.

Until one morning, I heard a screech on my window and when I opened the blinds, I saw a girl staring at me from my window.

“AHHH!” I screamed.

“Open up,”  she said and I opened up my window.

I remembered that voice and she looks really familiar.

My e