For him, everything looks the same. Dull.

His house looks dull.

His job seems dull.

His life is dull.

Everything he sees around him is dull.

It has been a long time since he felt different. His everyday is the same. He needs change, a change that will somehow give colors to his gray colored life.

Then, it all changed.

Since the moment he saw the little cat under the rain. Its blond fur and soft brown eyes that stared at him, hoping he will take her with him, which he did.

And why is that? Well, maybe to bring the change that he craves for. To have someone with him in his lonely house. Just someone to be with, even though he knows that they will never communicate, given that it’s a cat. But even so, he decided to bring the little fur ball with him.

It all started like this…

Jiyong had just finished his work and was walking towards his home. It was raining that day, puddles were everywhere. With an umbrella in his hand, he ventures home, walking along the busy street of Seoul. His job is being a designer. Even though he got his dream job, and he was successful, he can’t help but to feel something was missing in his life.

Just as he was about to turn to a street, he notice a box in the edge of the street. He stops and contemplates whether to look inside it or not. There was something in his mind that was telling him to go and take a look. Being a curious one, he walks towards it and sees a small cat. Its wet fur was ash blond and it had soft brown eyes staring at him. There was silence, both of them stared at each other’s eyes, nothing but the droplets of rain can be heard. There was something in this cat that was pulling him.

“Meow.” He was snap out of his reverie it and he raised a brow looking down on the small fur ball. He squatted in front of the box and slowly reached out to the cat. Once his hand touched it, it snuggles its head to his warm hand.  For some reason he felt a warm feeling inside him. It won’t be that bad to bring this cat home with him could it? With that in thought, he grabs the cat and shields it inside his jacket for warmth and continues his walk home.

Once he was at home in his apartment, he immediately attended to the little animal in his arms. After making sure that the fur ball was comfortable and went to continue on his work. He was baffled by his own actions as he stares at the cat sleeping on his bed. He thought that it would not be good for it to sleep on the ground, being a clean freak that he is. Never in his entire life had decided to pay attention to anybody. This was the first that he is willingly taking care of a living being. He sighs and went back to his work to forget the unexpected action that he just did.

Just then his phone rings, “Kwon Jiyong.” He answers.

Unknown to him, a pair of brown eyes were watching him before closing.  

What the hell is this? he said in his mind, eyes still closed, Jiyong tries to identify the thing beside him. His mind is still in dream land that enables him to know what exactly is happening to his surroundings. He let his hand wander to a bump beside him. ‘It’s the cat that I picked up yesterday.’ was what registered in his mind.

Wait… He eventually opened his sleepy eyes, sitting up analyzes the situation. There was a big bump in his bed. His brows furrow together. Okay, the possibility of this being his cat was far beyond from that. A cat can’t be this big; it was like a big ball under the sheets. He carefully pokes the bump and immediately pulls his hand for the bump moved surprising him. Again poking the bump, it emitted a soft groan; Jiyong raised a brow in curiosity. Then he was shock for the second time, what looks like a head poop out underneath the sheets. A mass of blond locks showed framing a soft angelic face of a woman. Since when did he take home a woman with him? The only thing that he remembered is he took home a cat. He decides that he needs to talk to this woman to know how she got inside his house, specifically his bed. He gently nudges the woman to wake her up.

“H-hey, wake up.” The only reaction that he got was a soft whimper and she further made herself comfortable in her position.

“Miss, wake up. Oi-“

“Hmmm, shut up.” The woman responded, eyes still close.

A twitch “Oi wake up, who the hell are you?” He demanded.

With what he said, the woman seems to finally wake up and slowly sits up, rubbing her eyes.

 Surprises seem to have decided to spring in Jiyong’s life at the moment, for his eyes were wide from the view that was in front of him. The woman in front of him was under the duvet sheets that were riding up to her torso covering her chest, giving Jiyong a nice view of her shoulders and collarbones. Her features were soft and delicate. He notices that she has perfect pink lips that models’ will surely envy, a small button nose and her eyes that resemble a cat. What surprises him the most was the things on top of her head.  In either side of her were triangle shaped things that seems to twitch once in a while.

“W-what, your head-“

“You mean this?” She motions to her head. “They’re ears, duh” She answers nonchalantly.

Ears? “What the hell are you and how did you got inside my house?!”

“To answer your first question, I’m your cat and uhhhh, you brought me here?” She replies looking at him like he was crazy.

“Are you crazy?! You’re a human! And why would I bring you home someone like you?”

She let out a sigh and looks at him. “I know that this might be a little confusing, but it’s only at first!” The she was starring at his hand.

“W-what?”

“Could you scratch my ears?” She ask quietly, slightly lean towards him to show her ears, which he still find really weird and out of the world outrageous to have ears like hers. Now that he looks closely, it indeed looks like a cat’s… but still! It looks weird!

“HUH?”

“I said c-could you scratch my ears.” There was a light blush that formed on her cheeks.

“And why would I do that? You’re crazy!” He leans away from her.

“Why do you keep telling me I’m crazy?!” She exclaim. “You’re the one that brought me here, you’re my owner and this is how you treat me?! This is animal abuse!”

Jiyong only gave her a look that clearly said ‘you’re stupid.’

“You’re looking at me like I’m stupid!”

“Clearly you are.”

“I’m not!” She pouted took a deep breath and let it out after a few seconds to calm her nerves and she looks directly to his eyes. “Okay, to make things clear I’m the CAT that you brought last night Mr. Kwon Jiyong. AND I’m not lying, could you not see my ears that were staring at you for like the whole time?!”

“How did you know my name?”

“Last night? When you answer your small thing.”

“Small thing?”

“Yeah, that thing that you put next to your ear and talk to it. Weren’t you using that last night?”

“My phone you mean.”

“Whatever! Could you now scratch my ears?” She pouted at him.

“Again, why would I scratch your ‘ears’?”

“You’re my freaking owner! And it’s your responsibility to be nice to me! Plus you can be certain that my ears are 100% real. Now come on!” She leans her face.

Jiyong hesitantly scratch behind her ears. He was surprise that they actually feel real. The woman in front of him let out a cute whimper of satisfaction. Her eyes were close and a cute smile was on her lips.

“Do you believe me now?” The woman asks still enjoying the feeling of her ears being scratch.

“Fine, I do now, but nothing explains how you got this… big.”

“Big? You should ask how I got to be a human.” “This will be a routine every day.” She added already returning to her previous position, lying down on the bed and cocooning herself inside the duvet sheets.

“Routine? What do you mean?” Jiyong asks still scratching behind her ears, he has to admit they feel good, the fur on her ears were soft to touch.

“When I wake up every day, you have to scratch my ears and before I sleep.”

“Every day?.... You mean-“

“Yeah, yeah, every day. Like I said you’re my owner. You have to take care of me, and you to do that I have to live here.”

“By the way, what’s your name?”

“Chaerin, my name’s Chaerin. Now shut up. Oh I want a full course meal when I wake up.” She said groggily before closing her eyes. What a demanding pet. He thought.

Seeing her back to her dream land, Jiyong let out a big sigh and rake his hand through his hair to force himself to accept the weird revelations that just happened.

Looking down back to the woman beside him, he can’t help but feel that his life will be full of unexpected events and weird shenanigans from this woman.

Is wishing for change this destructive?