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Choi doesn't know how long it's been since he's last seen his hoobae.
His dazed face would be the only expression shown on a daily basis, it occurred so often that Ryu Jaekwan had no longer become too worried.
But one day—
"It's your turn to throw out the bin."
Jaekwan steps into the waiting room in a tired manner and stared at Agent Choi by the door, with his dark, lifeless eyes.
Agent Choi stares back at him for a bit too long, creating an awkward atmosphere in the waiting room. The cold atmosphere surrounded the area, contrary to the warm waiting room that felt like a nostalgic college dorm when their precious hoobae was present.
The old senior slowly got up in silence, and accepted his fate of throwing the bin.
"I'll be back."
"…"
Holding two large garbage bags on each hand, Choi mindlessly walked towards the bureau dumpster with his coat sleeves rolled up, trying not to dirty any of his clothes.
Suddenly, as he dropped the garbage bins in the dumpster with a thud, a slight movement catches his attention by the corner of his eye.
Myeeoooooow
??
The soft purring alarmed Choi, cats sneaking around alleyways weren't too uncommon—but he couldn't help but feel another presence there.
He didn't process anything until his head was already peeking over the corner of the alleyway, only then did he see the scene.
A black cat, head crouched down on a bowl, eating cat food.
And the hand of a girl petting the cat's furry head, with a green glow emitting from her pupils. Choi's eyes panned across the person, wearing a Daydream inc. uniform.
This was…
"Hello Mr. Agentt."
"What on Earth is an employee like you.. doing here?"
"Ah I was just trying to feed this cat, then it led me heree."
How did she even—
"Hey. This area is meant to be out of bounds, okay?"
The girl glared at Choi with a puppy eyed face. "But this cat is so cutee."
Agent Choi glanced at the busy cat, then felt very mixed emotions as he stared back at the Daydream employee.
He knew he was too tired to deal with this.
But…
"Hey."
"?"
"What happens to employees when they get their wish?"
The Daydream employee stared at the black cat, still ruffling its head. "Hm? Well It really depends on their wish, but.. why do you want to know Mr. Agentt?”
“Can they just… disappear?”
Then at that moment, the cat halted its feasting and finally looked back at Agent Choi, with its prominent, red eyes.
Agent Choi tensed as he saw those bright red eyes. It felt so… oddly familiar.
“That cat—“
Bbee-bee-bee-bee-beep!
The blaring alarm from Agent Choi’s watch startled everyone. He felt the Daydream employee’s astonished gaze and hissed inwards, impatiently ruffling his hair. As if his job was working against him, just when he finally got one step closer to solving his own case. But Agent Choi has already decided that he would never miss his chance to save a life again.
So he turned around and took a quick glance back,
“…You better not be up to anything weird.”
—before running off.
The agent ran with a quick sense of urgency, causing the daydream employee and ominous cat to look at eachother.
"Would you like more tuna kitty catt?" Lee Seonghae smiled.
Meow (yes)
…
“What took you so long earlier?”
Agent Choi stopped stirring his tea and stared at his tired reflection on the surface of the beverage before looking into Jaekwan's eyes.
“What do you mean Jaekwan?” He grinned at his junior and straightened his back on the couch, spreading his arms over in a laid-back manner.
Startled by the appearance of a grin he hasn’t seen in a long time, Agent Bronze became even more determined. “You know exactly what I mean.”
“Your sunbae’s old arms just couldn’t handle such big, heavy garbage bags! I was just taking my time trying not to break a bone or two~”
The agent’s stiff voice pierced through his senior’s act. “Did you find leads on Agent Grapes’ whereabouts?”
“..What? In the dumpster?” Agent Choi teased.
“!?— No, that's not what I—“ Ryu Jaekwan was dumbfounded.
To be honest he really doesn't know how Choi would be able to find leads while on the chore.
Something just felt… different when he came back, even though they were busy with a mission. He gave the dazed Choi a complicated stare, it was clear that there was something occupying his mind.
That cat… It has to be, related at the least.
Agent Choi recalled the earlier events as he slowly sipped his tea from the coffee table.
The large, bright, red eyes of that black cat. It's all too familliar.
He still remembers.
The betrayed eyes of Kim Soleum mixed with all sorts of complicated emotions as he contained him for selfish reasons.
The papers containing his status…
Inmate Number: 37-999
Inmate: Kim █ █ (Agent Codename: Grapes)
Affiliation : Black-Tortoide Team 1, Dispatch & Rescue Unit (Suspended)
Status: Poor.
The continuous rejection of interrogation requests.
He lowered his head, staring at his own hands…
Recalling the moment he read that goodbye letter.
…..
It’s all my… f—
“Hey!”
!!!
Jaekwan desperately gripped Agent Choi’s shoulders, and shook his senses back. He was kneeling in front of Agent Choi, to better meet each other’s eye level.
Heavy breathing filled the room as the two stared at each other in the eye.
"Have you calmed down?"
Haa.
Only then did Agent Choi noticed his hands covered in a cold sweat. He took a deep breath, and stared back at Jaekwan.
"Haha.. Just one of those days!"
He rubbed his sweat away, and laughed it off.
Agent Bronze just continued stared at him with extremely concerned eyes. Then he squeezed Choi's shoulders even harder, as if clenching his fist.
"Agent Choi. Tell me what happened this morning."
"…"
"Please, just trust me this one time."
Agent Choi could see the desperation in his eyes, like a neglected puppy begging to be seen. He sighed in response, unable to reject his plead.
The next day.
Choi didn’t think this was how he’d be spending his break today but it was too late to back out now. He wearily approached the company dumpster with Agent Bronze, with prepared cat food.
Meooow
The distant cat noises could be heard, enticing the two to check the alleyway. And so they did.
The dark red-eyed cat stared at them willingly, and its tail swayed around, as if it was excitedly waiting for this moment.
“…..”
“I’m saying, doesn’t it look famillia—“
“Let’s keep it.”
?????
Agent Choi spun around and stared at Bronze in surprise. Bronze’s eyes were glowing with sparkles as he stared at the cat in adoration.
And so they adopted a new cat!