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Seo Jiwoo is. Exhausting.
Sucheon didn’t know what to expect when he gave Jiwoo his number, really. Befriending or talking to Seo Jiwoo on a daily basis was the last thing Sucheon wanted to do (after being struck by lightning or losing all of his appendages maybe), but annoying world-ranker assholes trespassing into his company building just to look for Jiwoo’s mentor didn’t seem to give him many options. And so it started with a simple exchange:
> Jiwoo, Vator’s here.
Then:
> He’s here. Again
And then:
> Here again
And then:
> Again
Even to the point of:
Seo Jiwoo > hi! You’re online again today ^__^
Seo Jiwoo > is vator there already?
> Take a good guess.
It went on for another two painstaking weeks. On the bright side, though, Sucheon thought it would be over once the blue-haired shitface left the country. He savored the idea of his phone laying flat on his desk or nestled in his pocket, still and quiet and in blissful tranquility. Free from annoying messages. Free from any form of contact to a brat who couldn’t stop adding a ^__^ emoji to all of his sentences.
Alas. Three hours after Vator exited Baekdu Association’s doors, this is what he had to wake up to:
Jiwoo sent an attachment.
It’s one in the afternoon. It’s his nap time. It’s enough to induce murder in at least three of his bodily systems. Through bleary eyes and a scratchy throat, Sucheon typed out a half-coherent reply:
> literally what the hell
Seo Jiwoo > ^__^ hey sucheon
Seo Jiwoo > how are you?
Sucheon paused to think. He should type a particularly scathing reply. Something that would leave Jiwoo angry, maybe. Something that would make Jiwoo stare at his phone in disbelief then block Sucheon on all social media platforms. Something that would make him grimace and deliberately avoid Sucheon the next time they meet in person.
But then again.. Sucheon stared at their chat for a few more moments, fingers hovering over the keyboard. Then he scoffed at his phone and threw it to the side.
Seo Jiwoo > how are you?
Read 1:15 p.m.
What better reply could there be than this?
Then again: there’s something wrong with Seo Jiwoo.
Sucheon was kind of wrong to underestimate him. This guy wasn’t just some kid Sucheon could brush aside and tell to fuck off: Seo Jiwoo was a whack-a-mole, popping up where you had previously stomped him down. He required you to get a mallet and tear the whole machine apart for him to stop.
Unfortunately, Sucheon neither had the time nor energy to keep up with Seo Jiwoo or even begin to tackle him to shreds, so he had to sit there and endure the messages as he did with Vator’s daily visits. Unlike Vator, though, Sucheon actually began to understand something about Jiwoo. Why would a new awakener like him develop at such a fucked up pace? Simple answer. It’s the withstanding, unwavering dedication to whatever he would set his mind to.
Now, training was a type of…antic that he could understand. Sparring was something normal to be dedicated to. But this?
Displaying all chat logs from Tuesday.
Seo Jiwoo sent an attachment.
Seo Jiwoo > this cat looks like its part of the laundry lolol XD
Displaying all chat logs from Wednesday.
Seo Jiwoo sent an attachment.
Seo Jiwoo > help me this guy is so???fluffy?? this is a cat that looks like duri’s dog >_<
Displaying all chat logs from Thursday.
Seo Jiwoo sent an attachment.
Seo Jiwoo > bingus..
This bullshit?
Displaying all chat logs from Friday.
Seo Jiwoo sent an attachment.
Seo Jiwoo > scrungy cat hhhhhhhhh
Displaying all chat logs from Saturday.
Seo Jiwoo sent an attachment.
Seo Jiwoo > singing cat :D
Displaying all chat logs from Sunday.
Seo Jiwoo sent an attachment.
Seo Jiwoo > hii do you have. Spare time to look at this little cat .. hes lost in the sauce
Was it normal to be so dedicated to sending cat memes every day? To saying hi and hello and good morning and good luck today! like a personal alarm clock? The daily messages felt like personal attacks at this point. If it was Seo Jiwoo’s mission to attack him, then Sucheon could at least give him kudos for that.
Displaying all chat logs from Sunday.
> Ok. I’ve looked at it.
> Leave me alone now .
> I’ll put you under the sauce myself ffs
Seo Jiwoo > ahahaha
Seo Jiwoo > thank you for looking at the little cat tho (＾＾)ｂ
Sucheon thought that replying would make Jiwoo stop. After all, he’d never replied to any of the previous memes: maybe Jiwoo was just looking for some — what, attention? Validation? And if Sucheon gave him that, he’d finally shut up, right?
Jiwoo did not shut up. If anything, it only fueled him more.
The morning after that, Sucheon had to unlock his screen to see another message Jiwoo had sent. (1 Attachment), the notification said. ‘look at this fat cat on tv,’ the message said.
“What the fuck,” Sucheon said. Through a mouthful of his breakfast. “At this early in the morning?” His table manners remained pristine.
His uncle could only sigh and sip his coffee. “Mind your language, Sucheon.”
Later that afternoon, Sucheon had to carry the brunt of his teacher’s (and the entire class’s) glare when his phone pinged like a toaster oven buzzer during Geometry class. (2 Attachments), the notifications said. ‘good afternoon sucheon ^__^ do you play minecraft. i thought i saw you play it one time hehe. here’s a tutorial how to make a cat bed in your world btw,’ the messages said.
On that evening, Sucheon didn’t even have to squint through the sweat in his eyes to know who would be messaging him at the moment. (1 Attachment), the notification said. ‘sucheon ! tried to message u a while ago but ure probably training rn. here’s a lucky cat to cheer you on ^__^ !’ the message said.
Sucheon could only exhale and stare at the white cat holding a banner on his phone. Just to at least put a cap on today’s messages, he typed:
> Yeah youre right I was training . I probably wouldnt be able to reply until later
> Thx
> Dont you have anything else to do..|
> Where do you even get these..|
Funnily enough, Sucheon couldn’t get the cats off his mind now. Or any of the other previous cats that Jiwoo had sent him before, actually. Even as he sat still on his bed, the shadow in his room looked like a black cat with round, yellow eyes. The curve of his lamp was a cat curled under the sun. A crease in his blanket resembled a kitten on a pillow.
“Psychic damage…” Sucheon muttered to himself. He rolled to his side, shut off his nightlight, and closed his eyes. Jiwoo hasn’t messaged since four hours ago. There was no reason to be thinking about cats.
The good-luck cat flashed a good-night banner in his head. It’s uncannily cute. Sucheon went to sleep uncannily comforted.
Unlike whack-a-mole machines, Seo Jiwoo doesn’t break. (Sucheon knows this. He’s broken an arcade machine twice and lost to Seo Jiwoo the same amount of times). This is the logic behind the cat memes that continued to persevere, even until the next morning Sucheon woke up.
And the morning after. And after that. And after after that.
Fat cats. Hairless cats. Cats with fish in their mouths. Cats in fish markets. Cats sleeping in markets. Cats sleeping under the sun. Cats photoshopped to look like they’re eating the sun. Cats eating things they shouldn’t be eating, like homework and shoes. Cats cosplaying anime characters. Cats owned by anime characters. Anime characters as cats. Cats dancing. Cats singing. Cats in a band. Sucheon has seen at least seventy-five different variants of cats in the past four weeks that he could be, like. A felinologist by now. Or a Doctor in Philosophy of Feline Memes. (It’d probably be hard to beat Jiwoo at his own field, though.) Simple 'hey look at this cat' messages have even turned into Jiwoo maneuvering into small talk now. It's a nightmare.
What’s even worse is how it’s affecting him. A few days ago, his Uncle had caught him scrolling through his chat log with Jiwoo, and the man had the nerve to comment “What’s got you all smiling?” as if anything Seo Jiwoo has ever done has made Sucheon smile or feel the least amount of satisfaction. Last evening, he’d plowed through all twenty-one of his training routines just after he received another good-luck banner cat. He even gave an extensive reply to one of the memes, last Wednesday and several hours ago. What gives? Sucheon couldn’t even reply to his father’s texts or his Uncle’s chats before. Why was a fluffy cat and a good morning any different? Why did he have the need to react with a thumbs up emoji or a — on rare occasions — a heart emoji to something Seo Jiwoo would say? Why. What. How, Kang Sucheon?
He was about to scroll through any messages from Jiwoo that he’d missed today (schoolwork had kept him more occupied for the latter half of the day than he thought) when —
“What…” Sucheon sat up on his bed. He scrolled up the chat. Then down. Then back up again.
— it dawned upon him: there weren’t any new messages this evening. There hasn’t been any since seven in the morning, actually. A timestamp tells him Jiwoo was active at least forty minutes ago, but he hadn't gotten a word or a cat from him since then.
Sucheon blinked. Huh. Wow. It’s - this is - he had peace at last . He did, didn't he? His phone wasn’t pinging. His lock screen wasn’t bursting with notifications informing him of another meme or shitpost that would take up another five seconds of his day. He didn’t have to see another ^__^ emoji every three text messages. This is - you know - something he’s been hoping for nearly a month since the Vator incident forced him to become a messenger to Jiwoo. Astonishing. Amazing. A relief.
Surely — most likely — it’s nothing. Seo Jiwoo wasn’t a cat meme generator (even if he acted like one) and the guy probably had more important things to do for once in his life. Sucheon could just go on as he always did. He wasn’t going to shrivel up and wither because Jiwoo of all people wasn’t blowing up his phone like the world was about to end.
He laid back down on the bed. Turned his nightlight off. Closed his eyes and went to sleep. Three steps before resting, and Sucheon was only able to do two of them.
Next morning had him staring intently at his phone.
It was a regular Monday. The road to school was mostly empty, save for other early comers like Sucheon, and the sun decided to go easy on everyone today. Few leaves swirled here and there thanks to the occasional breeze. A day like every other, by all means.
Sucheon’s hands were sweating, though. His knee couldn’t stop jittering, and the bench he sat on threatened to rattle every time he moved. He could see transparent tracks of sweat on his screen left by every tap and swipe he made. Why was he doing this again? He shut his phone and closed his eyes. There’s no reason to do this. He should shut the fuck up (despite him not talking anyway), put his phone on silent, and complete the walk to school. Nothing in his life has given him reason to talk to Seo Jiwoo first — on his own terms, with full curiosity, no malice, no Awakener business.
Sucheon found himself opening their chat and typing out what to say anyway. (Who knew this would be so hard. Even giving a speech in front of the whole company felt like another boring afternoon for him).
> Hi
> What are you doing |
What the hell. Sucheon backspaced like his life depended on it. Too casual. What were they, best friends?
> Why didnt you send another annoying shitpost today |
Backspaced again. What was even the point of being all aggressive when they’ve been friendly - no, acquainted - well. At least civilized for a month now?
> Weather’s nice today. Are you at school |
Of course he is, dipshit. Sucheon gritted his teeth. This sounded like an invitation to go cutting classes. It’s too weird and too random. Why would he even say that.
> Do you want to see this cat…aflgjaeor;ogijAr’gpkW’rqhpogk |
Fuck it all. Sucheon sighed and deleted the entire message. What was even the point. So what if he sent a message asking Jiwoo how he was doing? The guy would just go back to sending cat memes like it was nothing, and Sucheon would’ve embarrassed himself over pretending to care about Jiwoo’s…wellbeing or whatever. It’s too much of a hassle. Initiating the conversation meant he’d have to text Jiwoo back now, and he’d need to keep talking, then they’d become more than civilized strangers, and Sucheon didn’t have the capacity at the moment to…
Hold on. Sucheon’s leg prickled at the thing it was touching right now. Actually, something was touching his leg, not the other way around. Peering slowly at the edge of the bench, he looked into the shadow…
And saw the shadow blink back at him. Two round eyes stared back , along with a resounding meow! and a gleeful headbutt. Some stray cat decided to come up to him right then and there.
Huh. Sucheon held up his phone to the cat’s view and snapped some pictures. Swipe. Tap. Scroll. Type. Send.
Sucheon watched the photos load onto the chat before shutting his phone off. He pet the cat once, then sat up from the bench. Where his body was stuffed with tension earlier, now he was...empty. Like the road right now, devoid of people and filled with silence.
“...I’m going to be late,” Sucheon grumbled, tucking his phone back into his pocket. Seo Jiwoo did not cross his mind for another eight hours after that.
Seo Jiwoo > !?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!? oh my god
Seo Jiwoo > perfect cat ever i think
Seo Jiwoo > what a cool guy you met today! ^o^
“What the fuck?” Sucheon said, muffled through a mouthful of dinner. “The hell?”
His uncle could only sip his coffee and sigh again. “Sucheon, I’m really glad you’ve been getting to expand your social circle recently, but would you please keep the … cursing outside of the dinner table?”
“I- I’m not —” Sucheon caught the look in his uncle’s eyes and decided not to talk any further. “Sorry, Uncle. And, uh. Excuse me for a bit. Let me just answer this…”
He shuffled his way out of the dining area and hid between the massive couches of the living room. Seven-thirty in the evening. Seo Jiwoo had only come alive tonight? What a miracle, considering the number of times he’d been woken up by Jiwoo’s incessant messaging at literal daybreak.
> Yeah it was pretty cute . Made me happy to see on the way to school
> Wh|
> Where have|
> .Where have you been?
Sucheon nearly smashed his face into one of the throw pillows. I’ve asked about it. Now, death should come swifter.
Seo Jiwoo > ! right ! sorry about that haha :’)
Seo Jiwoo > came down with a cold last night T__T havent rly felt well since
Seo Jiwoo > i watched this 3 hr cat compilation if u need to take a break for 3 hours too u should watch it :D
“A cold, huh.” Sucheon scoffed. He’s uncannily comforted again, just like he was with the good night banner cat. “And a three hour video? Who would even watch that?”
“Watch what?” Suman came over Sucheon’s shoulder just like that, holding another mug of coffee. “And hey. Would you mind sharing what’s making you smile so much these days?”
“I’m not smiling, what makes you think my mouth is – can – I’m —” Sucheon paused. He huffed, disturbed at how hot his face was all of a sudden, then stood up to face his uncle. He needed a few deep breaths to continue. “Sorry. It’s just. A…friend, I guess."
"Oh." Suman sipped. "Glad to hear that."
"Yeah."
"Yes."
"...By the way, uncle, do you. Well.”
“Well?”
“Do you know how to…” as if it physically pained him to say it, Sucheon grimaced and gritted his teeth. “Pack some lunch? Maybe soup as well?”
“Oh?” A thought seemed to cross Suman’s mind, and Sucheon could already see his mouth forming words, but Suman reigned in his tongue and kept his mouth shut. Instead, he patted Sucheon’s shoulder and nodded. “I know a thing or two. Do you need it tomorrow?”
“Y…yes.” Sucheon pursed his lips. “Thank you, uncle. I’ll help you out. Now I —” he gestured awkwardly to the dining area again, “—I’ll just. Finish my food and head upstairs.”
“Alright.” Suman smiled. “Sure. Packed lunch and soup for tomorrow.”
Suman watched as Sucheon shuffled away, still tapping at his phone. He sighed and drank the last of what remained in his mug. His nephew really had grown more caring, hadn't he? And with the way Sucheon was turning red right now, well. Suman guessed the affection wasn’t just for any regular friend of his.
> Haha fine. I’ll watch when I have time
> By the way, I’m dropping by your house tomorrow
Seo Jiwoo > oohhh, okay ! sure !
Seo Jiwoo > thanks for letting me know ^__^
Seo Jiwoo > kinda reminds me of when vator was still here lolol
> Lmaoo yeah
> Okay. Now get some sleep. You’re not gonna get better atp
Seo Jiwoo > haksdjfhaksdjfh i just woke up from a two hour nap tho !? !? !?
> Wouldn’t hurt to add more hours to that nap
> It would make you feel better soon, wouldnt it
Seo Jiwoo > HAKJFHSDKFHA yea i guess it would ^o^
Seo Jiwoo > thanks sucheon! =) good night
> Good night
> I better not catch you sending a meme in the middle of the night . like last time
Seo Jiwoo > !!! okay i wont !!!
Seo Jiwoo > why the reminders? are u my doctor or smth :>
> Sleep.
Kang Sucheon sent one attachment.
“Sucheon, hi!”
Jiwoo opened the door to Sucheon holding a lunch bag out to him, face turned away and knuckles nearly turning white. It’s - well, it’s not as bad as the times they’d tried to brutally injure each other before, but seeing Sucheon frown so intensely is still…a little intimidating.
“Eat up.” Sucheon said, just as Jiwoo took the bag from him. Finally, he’s looking straight at Jiwoo. The weather had left his cheeks a little pink today. “And don’t come criticizing my cooking skills right after, alright? It’s…been a while.”
Jiwoo gasped a little. “O — you cooked for me?”
“Hey – I – you –” Was it really that hot? Jiwoo couldn’t really tell (fevers mess up your body temperature and all), but Sucheon’s face seemed to get redder by the moment. “Yeah, I did. Okay? So what. I can’t trust you in the kitchen when you’re feeling…like that.”
Jiwoo couldn’t help but laugh. Sucheon smiled at him there. “Thanks, Sucheon. I appreciate this a lot.”
“Yeah. Sure.” Sucheon looked away again. Even when it was hidden by his hand, it was nice, when Sucheon smiled like this. “I’ll get going now. Bye, Jiwoo. Get better soon.”
"When you say it like that, it's like my fever's just vanished here and now." Jiwoo grinned, still laughing. “Thanks again, Sucheon! Take care on the way home!”
If Sucheon blushed even more, or felt like his stomach was zooming around like cats would do at ungodly hours in the morning, then…that wasn’t something Jiwoo would need to know anymore.
Bonus:
“That was Kang Sucheon?” Kayden, at the foot of Jiwoo’s bed, stared incredulously. “Seriously?”
“Yup!” Jiwoo smiled and flopped beside him. “He’s really nice, right? You just…gotta get through his prickly side a bit. He’s like a cat that way.”
“Eh. Fine,” Kayden replied. He sighed. “Still can’t believe that the guy who looked like he’d rather shit his pants than smile at you would actually text you back a good morning every day — and even bring you food now, huh." Kayden raised a (metaphorical) eyebrow. "You sure the two of you are just friends?”
“Mr. Kayden…"