----
Dinner was peaceful for approximately eight minutes.
Which, in the Seo household, was practically a miracle.
Jiwoo sat at the low table with a bowl of rice in both hands, eating with the exhausted enthusiasm of someone who had trained all night, gone to school, accidentally involved himself in a bullying situation, cried because he thought a famous awakener-cat had abandoned him, and then apologized to said awakener-cat for interrupting his private bathroom affairs.
Asuka sat beside him, quiet and slightly tired, but steady as always. She had made a simple dinner—rice, egg, vegetables, and grilled fish—and somehow managed to portion out appropriate servings for two humans, one extremely offended orange cat, and several ordinary cats who all believed they were starving despite having been fed multiple times already.
Kayden ate in silence.
Aggressively.
As if each bite was a battle.
Jiwoo glanced at him over his bowl.
Kayden's ears twitched.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"You're looking at me."
"I'm not."
"You are."
Jiwoo smiled. "You seem to like the fish."
Kayden froze.
Asuka's chopsticks paused midair.
The cats went on eating, unaware that Jiwoo Seo had just committed conversational suicide.
Kayden slowly lifted his head.
"I am eating because my body requires nutrition."
Jiwoo nodded quickly. "Right."
"Not because I like it."
"Of course."
"And definitely not because it is good."
"I didn't say that."
"You implied it."
"I'm sorry."
"Stop apologizing."
"Sorry."
Kayden's eye twitched.
Asuka lowered her gaze to her bowl, shoulders barely moving.
Kayden turned on her immediately.
"You too?"
"I said nothing."
"You are laughing silently."
"I am breathing."
"Deceptively."
Jiwoo's smile widened despite himself.
Kayden pointed a paw at him.
"Training tonight will be brutal."
Jiwoo somehow looked excited.
Kayden stared at him.
"You are impossible."
"Asuka says that too."
"I do," Asuka agreed softly.
Jiwoo beamed like he had received praise.
Kayden groaned.
Then the grey scarred cat shifted near the couch.
It had eaten a little earlier, but not much. It sat with its front paws tucked beneath its chest, body still tense despite the calmer energy around it. Its ears flicked at every sound. Its eyes followed Jiwoo, then Asuka, then Kayden, never fully resting.
Jiwoo noticed immediately.
His expression softened.
"He still looks uncomfortable."
Kayden swallowed a bite of fish and glanced over.
"He was experimented on and nearly taken by a suspicious awakened researcher. Obviously he is uncomfortable."
Jiwoo winced. "That's true…"
Asuka set down her bowl and looked at the grey cat more carefully.
Its physical wounds were no longer serious. Between Asuka's stabilization, the cat's own healing ability, and rest, the worst had passed.
But something still felt wrong.
Not urgent.
Not fatal.
Just… unsettled.
The cat's awakened energy moved like a current that had been forced into a body not prepared to hold it. It was calmer now, but still strained around the edges.
Jiwoo followed Asuka's gaze.
"Should we take him to the vet?"
Kayden's head snapped toward him.
"No."
Jiwoo blinked. "But—"
"No."
"He might need medicine."
"He is an awakened animal. A regular vet will not understand what is wrong with him."
"But they can check if he's hurt normally."
Kayden opened his mouth.
Paused.
His ears flattened.
Because unfortunately, irritatingly, disgustingly—
Jiwoo had a point.
Asuka nodded. "It would help avoid suspicion as well. If neighbors notice another injured cat, taking him to a vet looks normal."
Kayden glared at her.
"Do not bring logic into this."
"You prefer illogical arguments?"
"I prefer not going to that humiliating place again."
Jiwoo brightened. "Oh, we can go to the same vet that checked you!"
Electricity sparked faintly at Kayden's paws.
Asuka reached over and gently touched his back.
The spark disappeared.
Kayden turned slowly.
"I allowed that."
"Yes," Asuka said.
"You did not stop me."
"I redirected you."
"That is worse."
Jiwoo had already stood and gone to the couch, crouching beside the grey cat.
"Hey," he said softly. "We're going to make sure you're okay. Is that alright?"
The grey cat stared at him.
Jiwoo waited as if expecting an answer.
Kayden stared at Jiwoo.
"He is a cat."
Jiwoo glanced back. "You're a cat too."
"I am not."
"Right. Sorry. But you are currently—"
"Finish that sentence and training becomes fatal."
Jiwoo immediately shut his mouth.
Asuka quietly got the soft carrier from the hallway closet.
The grey cat tensed when it saw it.
Jiwoo noticed and held out both hands.
"No, no, it's okay. You don't have to go in there if you're scared."
Kayden narrowed his eyes. "How exactly are you planning to carry him then?"
Jiwoo looked down at the grey cat.
The grey cat stared back.
Then, cautiously, it stepped toward him.
Jiwoo's face melted.
"Oh."
Asuka watched silently as the grey cat allowed Jiwoo to pick it up.
Careful.
Slow.
Still wary, but no longer attacking.
Jiwoo held it against his chest with absurd tenderness.
Kayden clicked his tongue.
"You collect troublesome things too easily."
Jiwoo smiled.
"You're here too, Mr. Kayden."
Kayden's face went blank.
Asuka turned away before her amusement became too visible.
Kayden refused the carrier.
Firmly.
Loudly.
With threats.
Which meant Asuka carried him instead.
He pretended this was a strategic decision.
The carrier would restrict movement, he argued. Being held gave him more options in case of attack. It allowed him to sense their surroundings better. It preserved his dignity more than being locked behind plastic bars like some common pet.
Asuka listened to this entire explanation with a calm expression.
Then simply lifted him into her arms.
Kayden immediately stiffened.
"I can walk."
"You are still recovering."
"I am not weak."
"I did not say weak."
"You implied weak."
"I implied injured."
"That is not better."
Jiwoo, holding the grey cat, smiled at them.
Kayden glared.
"You are not allowed to comment."
"I wasn't going to."
"You were thinking something."
Jiwoo looked away too quickly.
Kayden growled.
Asuka adjusted him carefully, one arm beneath his body, the other supporting his back. Her hold was gentle. Steady. Annoyingly comfortable.
Kayden's eyes narrowed.
This was purely practical.
He was conserving energy.
That was all.
The grey cat peered over Jiwoo's arm, scarred face partially hidden against his school jacket. It looked tense outside, but less afraid than before. Jiwoo kept murmuring little reassurances under his breath as they walked.
"It's okay. The vet is nice. They helped Mr. Kayden too."
Kayden's ear twitched.
"They did not help me. They insulted me with a thermometer."
Jiwoo winced. "Right. Sorry."
"I told you never to mention that."
"You did?"
"I am telling you now."
Asuka's mouth softened.
Kayden looked up at her.
"Stop silently laughing."
"I am walking."
"You are multitasking."
"I often do."
Kayden could not argue with that.
They reached the clinic without incident.
Mostly.
The vet recognized them.
"Oh, back again?"
Kayden's soul left his body.
Jiwoo bowed politely. "Yes. Sorry. We found another injured cat."
The vet looked at the grey cat in Jiwoo's arms, expression immediately softening.
"Oh, poor thing. Let's take a look."
The grey cat tensed.
Jiwoo held it gently.
"It's okay."
Asuka stood nearby with Kayden in her arms, calm and watchful.
Kayden stayed silent.
Not because he was obeying.
Because if he spoke in a vet clinic, they would all have larger problems.
The examination was simple. Too simple to detect awakened abnormalities, as Kayden had predicted. The vet checked the grey cat's ribs, paws, teeth, ears, and old scars. Cleaned a few remaining wounds. Recommended rest, fluids, food, and observation.
Jiwoo listened like the vet was delivering sacred wisdom.
Asuka listened like she was comparing each medical statement to what her Six Eyes had already seen.
Kayden listened like he was being subjected to torture.
When the vet turned toward him, his body went rigid.
"And how is this one doing?"
Asuka looked down at Kayden.
Kayden stared straight ahead.
Jiwoo smiled. "He's better."
The vet chuckled. "He looks well cared for."
Kayden's dignity took another fatal blow.
Asuka's hand settled lightly over his back.
"He is," she said.
Kayden went very still.
Jiwoo looked at her, then smiled softly.
The vet only nodded, unaware of the strange silence that had settled over the fat orange cat.
Kayden did not speak even after they left.
Not for several minutes.
Jiwoo, holding the grey cat, glanced over.
"Mr. Kayden?"
"Quiet."
"Are you mad?"
"Quietly."
"That means yes?"
Kayden's tail flicked once against Asuka's arm.
Jiwoo smiled.
Asuka said nothing.
But her hold around Kayden remained careful.
Wooin saw them from across the street.
He had not meant to.
At least, that was what he told himself at first.
He had been heading back from an errand for Dr. Delein when he caught sight of familiar pale cream hair and an even more familiar school uniform.
Jiwoo Seo.
The boy from school.
The boy who had stepped between him and Jisuk's group with a nervous smile and no understanding of what kind of people he had involved himself with.
Wooin stopped behind a corner.
His eyes narrowed.
Jiwoo was walking beside a girl who looked almost exactly like him.
Same light cream hair.
Same soft features.
But where Jiwoo's eyes were warm amber and open, hers were blue.
Too blue.
Even from this distance, Wooin felt something strange about them and immediately looked away from direct eye contact without knowing why.
Jiwoo held a grey cat in his arms.
Wooin's breath caught.
That cat.
Professor Delein's cat.
The one he had been searching for.
The one stolen before Delein could retrieve it.
Wooin's posture tightened.
His gaze moved to the girl.
She was carrying a fat orange cat.
At first glance, ordinary.
Very ordinary.
Too ordinary, maybe.
The orange cat stared back at the street with a flat, irritated expression so oddly human that Wooin paused.
Jiwoo said something to the girl.
The girl replied softly.
The orange cat's ear twitched as if offended.
Wooin's fingers curled against his sleeve.
Trackers?
Professor Delein had suspected it.
People able to conceal presence. People who moved too quickly. People who had taken the cat and disappeared before he could follow.
But Jiwoo Seo did not look like a tracker.
He looked…
Ridiculous.
He was holding the grey cat carefully against his chest, murmuring to it with visible worry. The girl beside him walked calmly, but there was no obvious threat in her posture. Nothing aggressive. Nothing careless.
Still.
Wooin knew better than to trust appearances.
He stayed hidden.
He did not confront them.
He only watched as they disappeared down the street.
The grey cat did not struggle.
That bothered him most of all.
The next day, Jiwoo sat in class and tried not to fall asleep on his desk.
He was not very successful.
His head dipped once.
Twice.
The third time, he caught himself with a tiny jolt and immediately looked around to make sure no one noticed.
Someone noticed.
Wooin.
He had just entered the classroom, bag hanging from one shoulder, eyes sharp behind his glasses. His gaze went straight to Jiwoo.
Jiwoo brightened instantly.
"Oh! Good morning!"
Wooin paused.
The classroom noise continued around them.
Jiwoo smiled with the same cheerful sincerity as yesterday, as if they were already friends despite the fact that Wooin had barely spoken a word to him.
Wooin did not reply.
He walked to his seat.
Jiwoo's smile did not fade.
Actually, somehow, it softened.
Wooin sat down and kept his gaze forward.
But internally, his thoughts sharpened.
Jiwoo Seo.
Speed-type ability, most likely.
Possible tracker connection.
Unclear affiliation.
Possibly associated with the girl from yesterday.
Possibly hiding Professor Delein's cat.
Possibly dangerous.
Wooin glanced sideways.
Jiwoo had taken out his phone.
Wooin's body tensed slightly.
Was he messaging someone?
Reporting?
Sending a signal?
Jiwoo stared at the screen.
Then sighed.
Softly.
Fondly.
Wooin's eyes narrowed.
What?
Jiwoo's screen showed a photo of cats.
Several cats.
One black.
One tabby.
One black-and-white.
The grey scarred cat.
And the fat orange cat sitting in the background with the expression of someone who deeply regretted every decision in their life.
Then Jiwoo swiped to another picture.
The girl from yesterday.
His sister, maybe.
She sat by the window with a book in one hand and the grey cat curled cautiously beside her. Her pale cream hair caught the sunlight, almost white. Her blue eyes were lowered, calm and unreadable.
Jiwoo sighed again.
Not suspiciously.
Not strategically.
Cutely.
Like someone looking at pictures of the two things he loved most in the world.
"My sister made lunch today too," Jiwoo murmured to himself, smiling.
Wooin stared in disbelief.
Was this an act?
It had to be an act.
No one connected to trackers would sit in class sighing happily over cat pictures and homemade lunch.
Unless that was exactly what they wanted people to think.
Jiwoo swiped again.
Another picture.
The fat orange cat asleep beside the black cat, mouth slightly open.
Jiwoo covered his mouth to muffle a laugh.
Wooin's suspicion faltered.
Only slightly.
Because Jiwoo Seo did not look like someone plotting.
He looked like someone barely surviving the emotional burden of having too many cute photos on his phone.
The teacher entered.
Jiwoo quickly put the phone away.
Then, after a moment, glanced toward Wooin and smiled again.
Wooin looked away immediately.
His heart beat faster than he liked.
Not fear.
Not exactly.
Uncertainty.
He hated uncertainty.
Back at the apartment, Asuka was finishing her coursework.
Or rather, finishing work she had already technically finished weeks ago.
Her online teacher had assigned a written analysis, two recorded lectures, and a discussion response. Asuka completed them with quiet efficiency, occasionally pausing to adjust the layered force control circulating through her core.
Kayden sat near the window.
At least, he had started sitting near the window.
Then the sunlight shifted.
The cats noticed first.
The black cat stretched into a patch of warmth and immediately collapsed there. The tabby followed. The black-and-white cat curled into a ball near Asuka's feet. The grey scarred cat hesitated, then settled close enough to the light to benefit from it while still keeping distance from everyone else.
Kayden watched them with disdain.
"Pathetic."
Asuka typed another sentence.
"They are sleeping."
"It is the middle of the day."
"Cats sleep during the day."
"I am aware."
"Then why are they pathetic?"
"They surrendered to comfort."
Asuka glanced over.
Kayden sat very upright in the sunlight, eyes narrowed in firm resistance.
His orange fur glowed warmly.
His tail curled around his paws.
His eyelids were already lower than before.
Asuka looked back at her screen.
"I see."
Kayden's ears twitched.
"What does that mean?"
"Nothing."
"It means something."
"It means I see."
"No. You are making a judgment."
"I am observing."
"That is worse when you do it."
Asuka continued typing.
Kayden returned his attention to the sleeping cats.
The black cat let out a tiny snore.
Kayden's eyes narrowed.
"Hmph. Weak."
Silence passed.
Then his own eyes drooped.
He snapped them open.
No.
Absolutely not.
The Great Kayden did not nap because of sunlight.
The Great Kayden meditated.
Recovered.
Planned.
Trained.
Terrified enemies.
He did not join ordinary cats in surrendering to warm patches on the floor.
His head dipped.
He jerked upright.
Asuka's fingers paused over her keyboard.
She looked at him.
Kayden glared immediately.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"You saw nothing."
"Yes."
"Correct."
His eyes drooped again.
He fought it.
Heroically.
For nearly twelve seconds.
"The Great Kayden," he muttered, mostly to himself, "does not lose to sleep."
Asuka's mouth curved faintly.
"Of course."
"I am simply conserving energy."
"Yes."
"This is strategic rest."
"Very strategic."
Kayden opened one eye.
"You are mocking me."
"I would never."
"You would."
"I might."
The grey scarred cat lifted its head briefly, looked at Kayden, then tucked itself back down and slept.
Kayden stared at it.
"Even that one is judging me."
"It is sleeping."
"It is judging in spirit."
Asuka gave a very quiet laugh.
Barely a sound.
Soft enough that most people would have missed it.
Kayden did not.
His ears flicked.
For a moment, he forgot to be annoyed.
Asuka laughing was rare. Not because she lacked humor, but because she kept most of her reactions tucked away, small and private. The sound was gentle, low, and gone almost as soon as it appeared.
Kayden looked away.
"Tch."
Then the warmth settled deeper into his fur.
His body, still recovering, betrayed him with shameful ease.
His head lowered to his paws.
His eyes narrowed one last time.
"I am not asleep."
Asuka resumed typing.
"I know."
"I can hear you."
"I know."
"If danger comes, I will wake instantly."
"I believe you."
"You do not sound like you believe me."
"I do."
"Your tone is suspicious."
Asuka's fingers moved across the keyboard.
A minute passed.
Then another.
Kayden's breathing evened out.
The Great Kayden lost to cat time.
Completely.
Asuka looked over.
The fat orange cat was asleep in the sunlight, surrounded by other sleeping cats, his expression still faintly offended even in rest.
Asuka's gaze softened.
Quietly, she lifted her phone.
Took one picture.
Then another.
She sent one to Jiwoo.
A few seconds later, her phone buzzed.
Oppa:
ASUKA HE'S SO CUTE
Oppa:
DON'T TELL HIM I SAID THAT
Oppa:
WAIT DON'T LET HIM SEE THE PHOTO
Asuka read the messages, eyes warm.
Then typed back.
Asuka:
I will not show him.
A pause.
Then she added:
Asuka:
Probably.
Jiwoo responded immediately with several panicked stickers.
Asuka's mouth curved again.
Kayden slept on, unaware that his dignity had been captured, shared, and treasured.
The apartment remained peaceful.
For now.
----