It’s surprisingly not that hard to get Soojin to leave the apartment. 

Soojung graciously provides a thin beanie to cover her ears, as well as a long light jacket to hide the tail.  Soojin remains still as the taller girl awkwardly dresses her, but once Soojung is finished, Jongdae is fairly surprised at how normal Soojin looks.  Granted, she’s a little too covered up for a summer afternoon, and the combination of Kyungsoo’s old gym clothes and Soojung’s fashionable accessories is pretty weird, but she looks human, and that’s all he needs right now. 

Jongdae had figured Soojin would pitch a fit about parting from Kyungsoo.  Instead, it only takes a few soothing words and encouraging nods from catgirl’s favorite human to get her to curl a few fingers into the sleeve of his jacket and follow him obediently outside.  He catches her throwing a few lingering glances at Kyungsoo as they say their goodbyes, but other than that, she remains pokerfaced.

He’s grateful for the easy retreat, but her silence is unnerving. 

As they walk to the elevator, Jongdae peeks down at the tiny point of connection between them. Despite her silence, Soojin’s knuckles are white, and the fine tendons of her hand are taut with tension.  Jongdae doesn’t consider himself anywhere near as fluent in Soojin-ese as Kyungsoo is, but even he can tell she’s afraid.  And he doesn’t really like the thought of that.

He stops suddenly, and Soojin runs into his back with a small sound.  She looks up at him in confusion, and Jongdae takes a deep breath, trying to channel his best soothing tone. 

“Hey.”

She blinks, nonplussed.  He blinks in return.  Okay, in retrospect, maybe starting a comforting conversation with ‘hey’ isn’t the best approach, he thinks wryly.  Shuffling his feet, he plunges forward again.    

“Look, I don’t really know what’s going on with you, or what’s going to happen to you.  But for now, it’s going to be okay.”

Not the most eloquent of comfort speeches, but at least it makes him feel a little better.  Unfortunately, she still looks blank. 

“We’re going to take care of you,” he adds with a vehement nod.  Her eyes skitter over his face, and he kids himself into thinking that there’s maybe a hint of a crack in that mask of hers – though it’s probably just a trick of the light.   

He steps forward with what he hopes is an optimistic look.  “And I won’t make you eat meat.  And you even can sleep under my bed too, even though it creeps the out of me.   I’ll even take you on walks.  And I’ll make sure that you see Kyungsoo at least once every few days.  We’ll get you some catnip too.”

He scans her face eagerly, looking for a reaction.  When it doesn’t come, he grabs her arms and gives her a little shake.  “Soojin,” he says urgently. 

That gets her attention.  A tiny, ephemeral spark of anger lights her eyes, gone before he can even get excited about it.   But it was definitely there, and he’s going to run with it.

“Soojin, what’s my name?”  He puts a hand to his chest, raising his brows. 

She pauses for a moment, a little frown creasing her own brows as she stares at his hand.  He taps his chest impatiently, widening his eyes.  Soojin purses her lips for a moment before she answers in a hesitant voice.  “Jongdae?” 

He checks the urge to pump his fist into the air with triumph.   “Good!  That’s right!  I’m Jongdae, and I’m going to take care of you, so just don’t be scared, okay?” 

She deflates a little.  “Okay?”

“Okay.”  He gets the sense that she really has no idea what she’s agreeing with, but he’ll take blind repetition over silence any day. 

“Alright,” he declares decisively.  “Let’s go home.”

-------------

If he thought his little heart-to-heart had made some headway with Soojin, then he’d clearly thought wrong. 

She’d clung to him the entire ten-minute walk home, her little footsteps barely a hairsbreadth from his.  Every little sound on the street had startled her, and the loud honk of a passing car nearly had the hair on her head standing up with how hard she’d flinched.  He’d had to bundle her under one arm for the last few minutes, tucking her head into his chest and trying not to look like a kidnapper as passersby gave them judging looks. 

And to make things worse –as they always seem to get with Soojin - as soon as they get back to his apartment, she makes a beeline for the sofa, where she curls up in the corner.  At first he thinks that she’s just making herself comfortable, that maybe she’s a little tired from the short walk from Kyungsoo’s apartment.  He decides to give her a few seconds to rest and gets a glass of water for himself from the kitchen. 

As he sips, he ponders the decision he’s just made.  It’s been a long time since he’s actually lived with someone else.  In fact, the last time was probably college, and his old roommate Junmyeon is definitely nothing like Soojin.  And the few girlfriends that Jongdae has had thus far never were serious enough to consider moving in together.  He likes his independence and privacy.  He likes being able to walk around in his boxers, and sometimes not do the dishes at night.  Singing in the shower at two in the morning?  Not cool when you’ve got a roommate, but totally fine in the solo life. 

Doubt starts to trickle in once again, chipping away at the resolution he’d left the Mancave with.  It’s not like Soojin is going to be a low-maintenance roommate either.  She’s weird and clueless and mostly mute – like a fetus.  But like a deformed but still uncannily pretty fetus.  A sci-fi fetus… and then Jongdae realizes just how bizarre his line of thinking has gotten and shakes his head to clear it. 

He watches her from the kitchen for the first half hour before he beats a hasty retreat to his bedroom.  It’s not even the fact that she’s silent anymore.  It’s that slightly dead look in her eyes that makes him uncomfortable.  Scratch that.  It makes him downright depressed.  Mopey Soojin is like a thundercloud in his apartment, raining her low mood over everything, and the emotional wringer makes him plunge into the most upbeat compositions he’s got to try to perk himself up. 

But after two desperate hours of trying to write music and ignore her, Jongdae throws in the towel.   He approaches the sofa cautiously, and crouches down in front of her.  She’s curled into the arm of the sofa, the ends of her long hair dangling over the edge limply. 

“Hi Soojin,” he begins cautiously. 

His new roommate glances lethargically at him. 

“Do you want to eat?” 

Soojin sighs, sliding her gaze away.    

“Maybe some kimchi?  And rice?”

Silence.

“What about some toast?”

More silence.

“Do you want to go outside?  I know it’s dark now, but it’s probably still warm.”

Surprise – even more silence.  Even Jongdae is starting to feel a little dead inside.  “Okay, why don’t we just watch some TV?”

He plops down on the opposite end of the sofa, switching on the television with a sigh.  A music program pops up with a bright blast of sound and color. 

The music finally does what his questions failed to do.  Soojin languidly swings her gaze to the bright screen, and Jongdae barely suppresses his sigh of relief. 

A boy group is prancing around the stage in the most ridiculous outfits Jongdae has ever seen – who the hell would put a poor prepubescent kid in a poufy black dress?  But the worst part is the song itself – something about a wolf and biting and where did that line about cheese come from?   It’s almost -y and ing disturbing.

Soojin’s still watching, so he forces himself to suffer through the song, thinking all the while that he could’ve written that poor boy band a much better song.  Thankfully, the next one is better in his opinion, and not at all because it’s by a girl group in short skirts.  Not at all. 

Jongdae almost forgets Soojin exists until the end credits start rolling.  The sudden silence in the living room draws his attention to the tiny little snuffles coming from the other end of the couch. 

Catgirl is asleep, curled in on herself between two throw pillows.  He feels a little guilty that she hasn’t eaten, especially since it’s still early in the evening.  But maybe Soojin needs a little catnap to recuperate from all the changes in her little cat life right now.  So he manages to drape a blanket over her without waking her, and then tiptoes into his own room with a bag of crisps.  And somehow, he manages to fall asleep within ten minutes himself. 

-------------

When Jongdae wakes up the next morning, he decides that he’s going to make a real effort for Soojin.  Catgirl is still passed out on the couch when he comes out from the shower, which is honestly a miracle.  But he’s fairly impressed with himself when he’s able to make a plate of kimchi fried rice without waking her.  He sets it on the counter, along with the largest glass of water he owns.  

He then tries to make his apartment as cat-friendly as he can think.  He leaves the bathroom door open, hoping against all hope that she knows how to use a toilet, but also setting down a pile of newspapers in the corner.  That battle he’s just going to fight later.  A pile of clothes, with plenty of options for the discerning catgirl, lands on the couch next to her, along with a fresh stick of men’s deodorant and a new toothbrush.  The latter two are wishful thinking on his part, but he’s in a good mood and it can’t hurt to try. 

He leaves a few more strategically placed glasses of water and snacks around the house, and then times the television to turn on in an hour, so she’ll have some nice distraction in the background.  All in all, he’s pretty proud of his efforts.  This should at least get him up to second place in Soojin’s favorite humans book.  He practically skips out of his apartment, throwing one last nearly-fond look at Soojin before he shuts the door. 

It’s only as he’s getting onto the subway that reality finally settles in, and Jongdae starts to panic.   

I just left a virtual stranger alone in my house.

Oh .

.

.

All day at work, he panics.  He panics through board meetings.  He panics through rehearsals.  He even panics during a pee break.  And finally, the panic gets the better of him and he makes some half-assed excuse to his production team at noon and races home, dreading the worst.

He tries to calm himself by imagining his pristine living room, with Soojin sitting on the couch with a grateful smile, and maybe even a little heart made out of some of her leftover rice.  Or even better, Soojin sitting on his couch and magically transformed into a normal girl, tailless and earless – well, maybe not totally earless, because could she hear with her human ears?  Or is it the cat ears?  The debate manages to carry him through the subway ride, and actually does a decent job cooling his panic jets.  By the time he hits his front door, he’s almost anticipating normalcy. 

As he opens the door, he thinks, It’s all okay, it’s good. Think good, expect good. 

What he doesn’t expect is the sea of feathers blanketing his living room, or the clothes that have been strewn over every available surface.  His apartment looks like a tornado has blown through it. 

And he definitely doesn’t expect the sudden blur of movement from his bedroom, or the empty egg carton that comes flying towards him.  It hits him in the chest, clattering to the floor.  He staggers back, clutching his bag with a startled frown.

“What the ?”

That’s all he gets the chance to say before Soojin comes flying at him, her eyes glinting murderously. 

------------

“KYUNGSOO!”

Jongdae cowers in the corner of his bathroom, his terrified eyes fixed on the closed door.  It’s locked, and he’s put the hamper in front of it, but even that doesn’t seem like enough to stop the psychotic hellcat outside.  He can hear clanging and the occasional slam of a cabinet – but worse than all that is when she comes to the door and starts scratching it, like something out of a creepy horror movie.    

Kyungsoo winces over the phone.  “What’s wrong?”

Jongdae wheezes for air, staring wide-eyed at the door.  “Your cat has ing rabies!”  He wants to yell again, but he’s afraid of attracting Soojin’s attention again. 

Kyungsoo snorts with laughter.  “What?”

He clutches his cellphone with both hands, wishing he could relay his terror over the phone.   “She just went postal on me, dude!  I think she’s trying to kill me!”

Kyungsoo sighs in exasperation.  “Alright, alright.  Relax.  I’m coming over.”

-----------

Lesson number one of living with Soojin: always have eggs. 

Jongdae watches sullenly from the kitchen table as Kyungsoo makes an omelet for Soojin.  Naturally, his unwanted roommate has reverted back to her fangirl mode, sitting perfectly docilely at Kyungsoo’s side.  She’s been a perfect angel since the other man arrived with a bag of groceries.  No one would’ve ever guessed that she’d been hissing and chasing him around the house less than an hour ago.  No one except Jongdae, who swears he’s already developing PTSD. 

“I don’t want her anymore,” he announces,

“You can’t return her,” Kyungsoo says with a laugh.   He hands the omelet to Soojin, who digs in with a happy sound.  Jongdae refuses to find it cute.

“You can give animals back to the pound if you don’t want them,” he tosses back sulkily. 

Kyungsoo gasps and throws him a deeply offended look.  “Jongdae!”

“What?”

Kyungsoo gestures at Soojin, whispering furiously, “She can hear you, !”

Jongdae rolls his eyes.  “Like she even knows a word of what I’m saying.”      

“Still!”

He points to the warzone of his living room a few feet away.  “Did you even see what she did to my stuff?”

Kyungsoo clucks his tongue chidingly.  “You can always buy more stuff.”

“I like my stuff!  More than I like demon-cat over there!”

Soojin flicks a sidelong glance at him, and Jongdae hates the tiny flinch that jerks through his body.  Her face looks deadpan as usual, but he swears she looks just a tiny bit smug.  It’s in the slight narrowing of her eyes, and the tiny curl to the corner of .  He leans forward over the kitchen table to make sure – and sure enough, the little smirks at him before chomping down on a bite.

A ing smirk. 

A red haze covers Jongdae’s vision as he clambers to his feet, pointing an accusing finger at Soojin.   “She’s doing this on purpose!”

“Well obviously.  You let her starve.”  Kyungsoo glances at Soojin’s plate.  Catgirl apparently devoured that omelet.  She looks sated and completely harmless.

Jongdae throws up his arms with a frustrated whine.  “I left food out!  I woke up early to cook for her!”

“Aw, you did?”  Kyungsoo looks thrilled, but then turns to fix Soojin with a scolding stare.  “He did cook for you, wasn’t that nice of him?”

The expression on her face is thoroughly unimpressed.  Jongdae scowls darkly at her.    He can’t believe the nerve of this girl, or cat, or whatever the hell she is.  No good deed goes unpunished, he admonishes himself, regretting every ounce of pity and goodwill he’s ever extended towards the ungrateful stray.

Kyungsoo sighs, and then collects the plates.  “Well, it was very nice of you to do that for her.  She might take a little time to get used to things, so just be patient with her.”  He washes his hands, and then reaches for his wallet and keys. 

Nope.  Jongdae stands up, planting his hands on his hips.  “Kyungsoo.  I’m not keeping her.”

Kyungsoo’s head whips around, looking startled.  “What?”

“I can’t do this.  She doesn’t even like me, she likes you!”

Kyungsoo rushes forward, palms up in placation.  “No, she likes you!  She’s a cat, Dae.  It’s practically in her nature to be a demanding diva and then still make you want to earn her love.” 

Jongdae groans, running his hands through his hair agitatedly.  “But she’s not just a cat, she’s a girl too!  This is too weird, man, and too much.  I’m busy with work, but all I did was worry about her all day, and then I came home to this storm.  I don’t know if I can keep doing that on the regular.”

Kyungsoo takes a deep breath.  “Well, she is kind of a lot for one person to handle.”

Jongdae seizes the shift in momentum of the argument.  “Exactly!  Way too much.”

Kyungsoo turns to look at Soojin, who’s been watching their little chat in silence.  When she catches Kyungsoo’s gaze, she smiles broadly, her little ears twitching.  The shorter man chuckles under his breath, and then turns back to Jongdae.  “She really does like me better, doesn’t she?”

Jongdae curls his lip distastefully.  “She’s mental.”

“Alright, I’ll take her with me.  And maybe Chanyeol and I will figure out a way to keep Soojung from starting a catfight.”  Kyungsoo extends a hand to the catgirl.  “Come on, Soojin, we’re going.”

Soojin blinks at his hand.  For a split second, that amber gaze darts to Jongdae, and something like confusion skitters across her face.  The fleeting moment is over almost as soon as it began, and then she’s hopping off the counter and batting at Kyungsoo’s hand.  Jongdae watches him lead her to the door with relief, but also an undercurrent of what feels oddly like betrayal.  He’d been the one to find Soojin, to introduce her to Kyungsoo and offer his home to her.  He’d gone out of his way to try to keep her alive, feed her and maybe even get to know her a little, not that any of that had won him any points with her.  He shoves his hands in his pockets defiantly, swearing off all girls, cats and catgirls for the next year.  Actually, no catgirls for life. 

And then this particular catgirl plants her feet suddenly, staring at the door with wide eyes.  Jongdae pauses as well, watching her assess the door, and then Kyungsoo’s hand around hers, and finally, she looks at him. 

The awareness in her eyes makes him flinch.  She knows.  She knows what’s happening right now.  Jongdae holds her eyes, his thoughts whirring away in his mind.  She knows, but why doesn’t she look happier?  This should be exactly what she wants.  But instead, now it’s Soojin’s turn to look a little betrayed. 

“Soojin?”  Kyungsoo tugs her hand gently, trying to catch her attention.  But Soojin is staring at him like there’s no one else in the room, and Jongdae shifts uncomfortably, unsure of how to react.  He locks eyes with Kyungsoo, who appears just as lost. 

She takes the decision away from both of them, pulling away from Kyungsoo.  Then, ever so slowly, almost shyly, she inches towards Jongdae, starting at him the whole time.  His feet are frozen to the floor, and even if he wanted to run, which he kind of does, he couldn’t move.  His hands clench inside his pockets, and his breath quickens as she comes right up to him.  Soojin peeks down at his shirt, and then tentatively grabs two little handfuls of it before she does the most mind-boggling thing.

She ing nuzzles him. 

Her little face burrows into his shirt, the soft ridge of her nose brushing back and forth over his chest a few times before she shifts to her cheek, rubbing it gently against his shirt. 

Jongdae forgets how to breathe.  In fact, he’s pretty sure his heart has also stopped. 

And then catgirl looks up at him with a tiny smile, her pretty eyes shining softly in the lamplight. 

His mind implodes.  And all the blood in his body rushes south, giving him the fastest he’s ever popped.