Chapter Text
The storm doubles down viciously as Jisung takes his first step outside the building’s coverage. The soothing sound of the pattering rain turns into a battering shower in the blink of an eye, and just as soon Jisung is drenched from head to toe, his umbrella surrendering under the sheer volume of water.
It’s a good thing that he can instinctively retrace his way back home because he can barely see past his nose after a while.
Speeding cars pass him by and it’s one of those times where Jisung wishes he’d actually put enough time aside in order to figure out the woods and use that as a shortcut. On the positive side, he doesn’t have to worry about some driver rushing through a puddle and dousing him in muddy water.
The sparse light from the setting sun peaking through the storm clouds disappears before Jisung reaches his apartment building. Most people have already sought solace in drier places and the streets have quieted down. If it wasn’t for the very possible chance of catching a cold, Jisung would love to spend more time out, wandering the empty streets.
It’s so dark, despite the lit street lamps, that he nearly steps on the little furry ball laying outside his building’s entrance. The cat is also drenched to the bone, shivering in its sleep, and coiled as tight as a snake in search of some warmth.
“Aww, little guy,” Jisung coos, squatting down to get closer to the kitty’s level. “You must be so cold.” He makes to take off his jacket and create a makeshift shelter, but he quickly realizes that a wet, heavy piece of cloth won’t provide much protection.
He mulls over the idea for only a couple seconds before he reaches his decision. With a quiet voice, he begins saying sweet nothings to the cat, trying to get it to wake up. Finally, after a few seconds, the kitty raises its head to peer at him, seeming unbothered by the sight of a strange human in such close proximity. Jisung can’t complain.
He uses the time it takes the cat to uncoil and stretch to unlock the front door. The carpet is two tones darker from all the wet footsteps trudging over it throughout the afternoon, and there’s already a puddle near the umbrella stand. When he turns to check on the cat again, Jisung finds it sitting on its hind legs and staring at him from a distance.
For a passing moment, Jisung worries that the cat won’t accept to join him inside. So he does the only thing he can think of to entice the animal into his dry apartment. He bends his knees slightly, and calls out, “Heeere, kitty, kitty. Come on, I have milk at home. You like milk, right? Or is that only cartoon cats?”
Maybe he should run —or walk briskly— to the corner store and buy some canned cat food, but then again his wiggling fingers seem to do the work, as the kitty focuses on the random shapes he creates in the air. He takes a tentative step back, and the cat follows. Jisung suppresses the cheer that wants to erupt from inside him at that small victory. Once they’re past the threshold and the front door shuts behind them, he dares to reach out and drag a lone finger against the the cat’s spine.
The response is instantaneous; the cat raises its head to bump it against Jisung’s forearm, before the rest of its body follows and the kitty ends up fully snuggling against his legs. Jisung swears his heart fills so full from all the cuteness he’s witnessing that it might just burst.
He pushes the high-pitched coos that are threatening to escape his mouth back down, and gives a scratch between the cat’s ear before gathering the animal up into his arms. Oddly, the cat settles against his chest, face resting over Jisung’s shoulder, and he ends up carrying the cat like he would a toddler.
He’s never experienced such warm acceptance from a cat, especially a stray, and it’s honestly making him feel an array of emotions, all leading down to just right.
Unlocking his door is a bit of a struggle and a matter of balancing the cat in one arm in order to fish his keys out of his pocket with the other.
“I’ll go fetch you a towel and some milk. Just… stay here,” he says, setting the kitty down on the couch and going about fulfilling his promise.
After a thorough toweling down, the kitty’s grey color starts to resurface, as it’d turned nearly black from all the rain. Jisung places the bowl of milk on the floor, letting the cat have at it while he changes into drier clothes. Ten minutes later, he’s slumping against the sofa cushions, eyes drooping but still watching the cat lap up its humble meal.
——
Jisung woke up with a face full of fur and a cramp inching up his left leg. It took a lot of planning to make his escape to the bathroom without jostling the sleeping kitty, but it was all for naught as he walked out of the bathroom to find the cat waiting for him on the mat outside the door.
“I’ll get you some actual food after work,” Jisung says, pouring some more milk in a clean bowl. “But we’ll have to make do with this for the time being.”
The cat doesn’t reply, obviously, but it digs into the milk like it’s the finest of cat cuisine. And that silences some of Jisung’s worry at least.
He slips out of the door when the cat is still busy eating, and he makes a small list on his phone of pet essentials, planning to stop by the pet shop after work. It feels a bit silly caring for an animal so much in such a short timeframe, and he should probably look up adoption centers nearby, but Jisung decides there and then that he could allow himself a day more. It’s been a while since he’s looked forward to getting home early.
———
The work day passes by in a blur. Jisung can barely recall his manager mentioning something about a new guy starting tomorrow during his lunch break, and that’s only because he’s practically been begging for some extra hands around the café during rush hour for literal weeks.
“He’s never worked with coffee before so you’ll have to train him, show him the ropes,” his manager said. Or something along those lines anyway. Jisung remembers murmuring his agreement and returning to his sandwich, barely chewing before swallowing down each bite.
Jisung prided himself a realist and he knew that even though, starting tomorrow, he won’t be the only employee, it’s gonna be a while before he starts receiving actual help around the shop.
———
Jisung decides to skip the studio tonight, despite his workload not lessening, eager to go home and show his little companion all the new stuff he bought.
The storm clouds have cleared up, yet the sky remains dull and the pavement is still slippery as Jisung walks back home. The light breeze carries over the earthy smell of wet bark from the woods. Birds fly about, flapping their winds and twitting loudly. Some animal crosses through a pile of fallen twigs, rustling it before seeking refuge into the thick shrubbery.
The forrest edge peaks through every two or so houses, but the tree tops are visible over the shorter buildings in this part of Jisung’s small town. It’s all so picture perfect that it could easily resemble a missing piece of footage from a post card photoshoot.
Amongst the sparse interruptions of concrete, sits Jisung’s two-story building. It blends in fairly well, what with its wooden details and the multitude of flowers surrounding it. At the top, he can spot his cat sitting in front of his bedroom’s open windowsill. Jisung wonders if he should attempt to train the cat, or whether it’d be too much bonding time between them.
That night, as he’s nearly off to dreamland, he hears the first howl. It pierces through the serene night and lurches Jisung’s heart into his throat. Blearily, he pads over to the window, twisting the handle to make sure it’s
secured. The cat is sleeping curled at the foot of his bed, and Jisung takes comfort in the small weight against his foot as he lets himself relax back into drowsiness.
——-
Never in his twenty-two years spent in this town has Jisung heard such persistent wolf howls before. It almost sounds like they’re calling out to each other, and it drives Jisung even more on edge.
He spends a good hour of his shift chatting with Chanhee, then sorting the fresh cupcakes his friend delivered into their glass showcase. Chanhee always managed to put him in a good mood, but as it turned out, their little town could only talk about the howling wolves today. Two different regulars joined in their conversation, adding their two cents about the peculiar event. Most agreed that the wolves seemed to be closing into their town, and that it wasn’t normal for them to stray so far out of their usual habitat.
The ding of the doorbell behind Chanhee’s retreating back rings its last notes when Jisung’s manager walks into the front shop with a man around Jisung’s age trailing after him.
Jisung hates the private entrance that leads to his manager’s office; it allows him to creep in and out of the shop without Jisung noticing most of the time. Like right now.
“This is Minho, our new guy,” his manager gestures to the man behind him. His voice holds the same surety as always but his smile falters when he notices the man standing half a step behind him. He reaches a hand behind Minho’s back and pushes him lightly, making him stumble forward. Minho catches himself on time, but his eyes widen with a mix of surprise and embarrassment. Jisung can see the lobes of his ears reddening up.
Like that, Jisung’s first impression of the new guy is “damn, he’s cute”.
“And this is Jisung,” his manager continues with the introductions, unaware or uncaring of the awkwardness hanging over them. “He’ll be teaching you the ropes today. Be sure to pay attention.” And with that, he turns on his heel and walks right back into his office.
Which leaves him alone with Minho, and Minho’s cute eyes, and soft-looking grey-tinted hair.
Then Minho smiles, one corner of his mouth quirking up, and Jisung’s thought process boils down to “damn, he’s cute -cute”.