“You’ve come at the right time, ma’am.” The store owner led me through the lobby of his pet shop eagerly. “We’ve just gotten a new shipment in, so you have a large variety to pick from, as well as the stock we had already.”

“Well, I’m ready to see what you’ve got.” I was nervous about this. I didn’t know how they were treated in the store, what if they had them in cages? I’d just want to buy them all, honestly.

“Here we are!” He flicked on the lights of an enormous hallway, lined with floor to ceiling windows looking into identical rooms, each with one Cat-Boy in it. Each room was painted white and had one couch with a blanket, a TV, a small closet, and a curtained area in the back corner, which I assumed contained a toilet and sink.

“Here we have our newer Cat-Boys.” I stopped by one window and peered in at the Cat-Boy pressing his face against the window at me.

“This is Donghae, a fine specimen.” The Cat-Boy blinked at me and gave me a small smile, which I returned, but I didn’t feel a spark. I moved on and tried to ignore the slump of his shoulders.

I passed a few before glancing at one Cat-Boy who was glancing at his reflection in the dark screen of his TV. He was dark-skinned and handsome, with brown eyes and matching brown ears and tail.

“Ah, I see you’re looking at Jongin, our most popular Cat-Boy. He’s certainly a catch, but he is our most expensive.”

He was handsome, but I still wasn't feeling it.

“We’re getting into our older stock of Cat-Boys. We’ve lowered the price for them, if you’re interested.”

“Okay.” I agreed. We passed window after window, each Cat-Boy looking eagerly at me through the glass. Some did tricks, like the one named Hangeng, who did a little ballerina twirl. Some acted cute, like one named Junsu, who gave a disarmingly endearing grin and cupped his hands by his chin. One, his name was Onew, got so excited to see me that he ran too fast and tripped over his own tail. I had to stifle a snicker, but I couldn’t seem to find anyone who would match Taehyung. Then the store owner steered me quickly past a window that didn’t have a light on inside.

“Is that one empty?” I asked, thinking it was strange.

The store owner glanced at it dismissively. “No, but no one ever wants that one, so we stopped showing him. He’s been here for probably about two years already.”

“Can I see him?” For some reason, I had a good feeling about this one.

He shrugged. “Suit yourself. But he’s not all that handsome and I don’t think he’s worth your time.”

“I guess I’ll decide that.”      

He snapped the light on, and the Cat-Boy inside glanced up, blinking in the sudden light. He didn’t even bother to get off the couch, like he’d been rejected too many times to even try anymore. Once he’d established that I was there, he just curled in on himself and wrapped his dirty gray tail around his legs tighter. My heart melted.

“Can I see him?”

The store owner looked shocked, but unlocked the door for me anyway. I sat next to him on the couch.

“What’s your name?” I asked him in his fuzzy white ear, which was difficult, since it was drooping toward his forehead.

He looked up with small blue eyes and the squishiest cheeks I’d ever seen in my life and I had to restrain myself from squealing right then and there. There was no way this one wasn’t coming home with me.

“Jimin.” He said so quietly I had to bend closer to hear him.

“Do you want to see anyone else, ma’am?” The owner called. Jimin’s ears drooped even further at his words, sure that I would be like every other customer that had come by his window.

“Nope. I want him.”

“Are you sure? He’s not our best hybrid—“

“Are you kidding?” I asked, incredulous. “He’s perfect!”

A half an hour later I had signed paperwork in my purse, a manual of my new Cat-Boy’s likes and dislikes, a suitcase full of clothing, a white bracelet stamped “Jimin,” and one extremely surprised Cat-Boy holding my hand and following me to my car.

“I love him!!” Taehyung shrieked when I walked into the house ten minutes later with Jimin in tow. Jimin’s eyes widened as a fluffy orange striped Cat-Boy came barreling at him and tackled him to the floor, squishing his cheeks like I had the second we’d gotten to the car. “Thank you Riseul!”

I laughed and watched Jimin’s face light up with happiness as he and Taehyung raced each other around the living room. I knew I wouldn’t have to watch the camera again.

~~~~~~~~~~

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~ELF