Work Text:
Kotone has a cat now. More or less.
Chosen by the Cat Distribution System, if you will.
On her way home from the dance studio late at night, she went on with her usual routine of getting an energy drink from the vending machine near her apartment complex and walking the rest of the way home with her wired earbuds plugged in.
As she was punching in the passcode to her door, something furry brushed against her leg, and she looked down to see a miniature pair of blinking headlights.
It meowed.
Kotone jumped, covering her mouth with her palm and yelping, “What the hell!?”
At this moment, her hand that was holding the door handle had twisted it open due to her movement, and the black entity dashed inside.
So, Kotone has a cat now. Wait, no. What? She can’t keep a cat!
She’s… Well, first of all, she’s never taken care of a cat. She had two dogs back in Japan when she was younger but never a cat. And she’s more of a dog person. And… Ah… Point is, she can’t keep a cat!
…
“You’re not helping my case here,” Kotone says flatly, meeting the eyes of the feline currently sitting on her coffee table. It stops licking its paw and stares at her before meowing.
Good grief. Her fault for being a decent human being and not leaving it out to freeze in the cold, January night. It’s… cute, though. Sleek black fur and big, round yellow eyes. And it’s quite affectionate, rubbing its head against her palm and circling around her legs when she went to sit down.
The Japanese woman sighs, massaging her temples. “Look, I can’t keep you.”
It meows, an almost pitiful look swirling in its big eyes. Maybe Kotone is hallucinating. It’s, she glances up at the wall clock above the TV, 11:07 p.m., which means any decision she makes now will be something she will regret in the morning, as per her strict no-logical-or-financial-decisions-past-eleven rule she set for herself.
“Do you have an owner? A home?” she asks. Well, if it had an owner she wouldn’t be surprised. Its fur is well taken care of and it’s not too skinny, which means it’s been eating. God, look at her, talking to a cat as if it will understand her.
The cat shakes its head.
Kotone blinks. The mass of black fur blinks.
God. It’s too late for her to make decisions right now.
“I’m going to bed.”
It meows again in protest.
She said she was going to bed, so what in the world is she doing in 7-Eleven’s pet food aisle with a cat in her Kuromi tote bag?
Kotone sighs and opens her and Seoyeon’s chat log for the third time.
me [11:15pm]
good cat food brands
yoon seoyeon [11:17pm]
?
me [11:17pm]
good cat food brands buy near me
yoon seoyeon [11:18pm]
???
do u think i’m naver
me [11:18pm]
yes
do yk where to buy
yoon seoyeon [11:19pm]
uhh idk let me ask yooyeon unnie
shes asking jiwoo rn
me [11:19pm]
ok
sorry did i interrupt something 👀👀👀👀
yoon seoyeon [11:20pm]
sybau
So apparently there’s not a lot of pet food brands in Korea that won’t literally kill your pet. But she was given a list of brands that should be safe, that she could find at any convenience store. They’re on the pricier side, but Kotone’s willing to have a lighter wallet if it means this cat eats a healthy dinner.
After scanning the aisle, she spots one of the brands Seoyeon sent her, courtesy of Yooyeon and Jiwoo. She points at it and taps her tote bag. “Hey. How about this one?”
The cat sticks its head out, stares at it, and hides inside the bag. Okie dokie. Not that one.
She finds another one. “This one?”
It pops its head out and immediately hides again.
Another one. “This?”
The cat pops out again and looks at the brand before hissing and batting at the air. This damn cat is so picky—that was the last brand she was sent! Before she could embarrass herself by arguing with a cat in public, it jumps out of her bag and runs to a different aisle. “Hey, where are you going—”
She dashes after it, weaving through the aisles before finding it in the deli section. The deli section. It’s propped up on the display shelf, gently pawing at the sliding glass panel.
Kotone shakes her head, approaching it. It seems to be wanting the triangle kimbap behind the glass. “Can you even eat that?”
An insistent meow.
Suddenly her arm is moving without will and moving the panel to get the triangle kimbap. The cat hops back into her bag. Kotone feels like she’s aged an extra 20 years. On the way to the register she grabs a can of tuna just in case cats can’t actually have triangle kimbap, and after she pays she speedwalks back to her apartment.
“Tomorrow,” she mutters, “we’re going around to see if anyone wants you.”
The cat climbs a bit out of the bag to lick at Kotone’s knuckles.
She'll need a good night’s sleep.
(“Why do you want to come into my room? I made you a very fancy blanket bed on my couch,” Kotone grumbles upon seeing the cat follow her to her room after eating. It ate both the triangle kimbap after she broke it into smaller pieces and some of the tuna. What a greedy cat.
She’s not entirely sure any of that in that large of an amount is safe for the cat, but it seems perfectly healthy. There’s no way this is normal.
Kotone frowns and goes to shut the door despite the cat’s meows in protest. Once it’s closed she hears it scratching at the door and meowing more, and she feels really bad. It’s just, she doesn’t want to clean off fur from her bed, and she’s also afraid it’ll become attached to her if she lets it in. “Sorry, kitty. This is for the best.”)
“Do you want this cat?”
Kaede’s rubbing her eyes, clearly having just woken up and is not having it judging by the tired glare she sends Kotone. It’s 9 a.m. on a Saturday, which isn’t that early, but the younger woman definitely stayed up playing Call of Duty again. “A cat?”
“Yes,” Kotone takes the Kuromi tote bag off of her shoulder, holding it out by the handles, and the black cat pops its head out. It seems to have taken a liking to the bag, for whatever reason. She tried to take her work bag with her, but it refused to climb into anything but the Kuromi tote. She flashes a tight-lipped smile. “This thing.”
The Thing meows. Kaede finally registers that there’s actually a cat in the bag and her mood immediately brightens. “A kitty cat!” she gasps, holding her hand out for it to sniff and then giving it long pets from its head to its back. It leans into her, but after a few pets it retreats back into the bag. Kotone slings the tote back onto her shoulder.
The older woman lets the corners of her lips quirk up into a small smile. “Do you want it?”
“Hmm,” Kaede pouts, “I do, but my apartment isn’t pet-friendly, I’m sorry. I'm pretty sure Dahyun-unnie is allergic, too. Where’d you get it?”
“It was sitting in front of my front door when I got home,” Kotone’s shoulders sag as she sighs, “I’m surprised no one took it. When I opened the door, it just ran inside. Must’ve been cold or something.”
She could’ve just left it. But she’s not close with her neighbors, so who knows what they could’ve done to it? At least with Kotone, the worst that could happen is that none of her friends can take it and she’ll have to take it to a shelter.
The younger hums, “So you’re just going around asking people to take it?”
“Obviously not random people. I’m asking people I trust,” Kotone retorts. The cat peeks out of the bag again and headbutts her, rubbing its head against her arm. She gives in and gives it a few chin scratches.
Kaede eyes the whole exchange, a knowing look on her face. The older woman is growing more attached to the cat than she is willing to admit. She smiles, already knowing the outcome of her friend’s search. “...Maybe you should ask Seoyeon-unnie?"
Halfway through the trip to Seoyeon and Yooyeon’s shared apartment, the cat inside Kotone’s tote bag paws at her through the canvas fabric. At first she ignores it, brushing it off as some kind of play and entertainment, but the pawing gets more intense as she passes by a stall selling bungeoppang.
There’s no way this thing wants bungeoppang, the woman thinks to herself, slowing her pace. The pawing stops, but starts again with a kick of aggressiveness when she speeds up. You’ve got to be kidding me.
So she’s watching the stall owner pour the batter into the iron mold with a black cat peeking out of her bag now. 1,500 won for two breads isn’t much, but seriously… It’s always been easy for Kotone to say no, even to Nien or Mayu who are oddly persistent. But a cat is where she’s weak? Come on, Tone. Pull yourself together! And what is she even going to do with two of them? All that custard can’t possibly be good for a cat, even if it happily ate up the triangle kimbap last night and the eggs Kotone scrambled in the morning.
She’ll just have to give the other one to that old married couple she calls her friends when she gets there.
The cat watches the old lady running the stall, head tilting and following her every move. Kotone shakes her head and gives it a few scratches behind its ears, making it purr. Good grief.
When the Japanese woman receives the hot paper pouches, she meticulously splits the fish shaped bread in half, then breaks off a small piece to give to the cat. It sniffs it and hisses.
“Seriously?” her eye twitches. “You wanted this.”
It meows, then gently bats at the bread.
She didn't spend all that money just for this cat to not want it, did she? Or…
An insistent meow.
Kotone watches the steam coming from the bread fly up into the air.
She brings the piece close to her mouth and blows on it. After a few turns of this she moves it back to the cat and it happily bites into the bungeoppang, even meowing what sounds like nom, nom, nom.
Kotone continues this on the walk to Seoyeon and Yooyeon’s apartment until the cat’s half of the bread is gone, then eats her own half.
The custard inside has cooled down by now. She frowns at the cat, who’s licking its paw.
Smug bastard.
Kotone rings the doorbell and blows a strand of her hair out of her face. She only has to wait a few moments before a sleepy bunny answers the door, a hamster cooking in the background.
It’s unusual for the older of the two to answer the door. Well, Seoyeon has always let Yooyeon sleep in a little longer on weekends. What a doting girlfriend… Ugh, couples. They make her sick.
(She’s been dealing with them for all of the time she’s spent at Modhaus University, having been a listening ear for both of the pining parties. To say the reason she threw a party was to congratulate them would be a lie if you excluded Kotone’s—and co., but mostly Kotone—freedom from YooSeo Crush Era prison from the list.)
"Kotone," Yooyeon greets, yawning into her palm. She's, evidently, just gotten up and out of bed, judging by her crazy bedhead. There's a toothpaste stain on her silk collar. "G'morning."
"Good morning, Yooyeon-unnie," Kotone echoes, holding out the pouch of now-cold bungeoppang toward the older woman. "I bought it on the way here. You should share with Seoyeon-unnie."
Said woman calls from the kitchen, the running of the sink ceasing. "Is it from Old Lady Kim? I love her stand!"
Kotone supposes she saw "Kim" written somewhere on the stall, and she nods, even though the blonde—ah, pink-hair, now—can't see her.
Yooyeon takes a bite out of the bread, then frowns. "It's cold."
"Warm it up then, science girl," the younger retorts. The older woman rolls her eyes and shuffles off to the kitchen, thus inviting her into the apartment. Kotone shuts the door behind her.
Seoyeon and Yooyeon's apartment is warm and lived-in. Adorning the walls are several movie posters—particularly superhero movies, because Seoyeon likes those—and a generous amount of polaroids and printed photos of the couple and their friends. Yooyeon's Nintendo Switch is docked at the living room TV, and several game cases are stacked beside it, including the latest installment of the Pokémon series. The TV screen is paused on an episode of Single's Inferno… Probably Yooyeon's doing.
The smell of kimchi-jjigae and steamed eggs (currently being made by the pink-haired woman) greets her nostrils the moment she walks in, and she nearly collapses. She had a small breakfast, including that half of bungeoppang she shared with the… cat… but she could definitely go for more if it's Seoyeon's cooking.
Speaking of which, the cook is now walking to her, gingerly bringing over a spoon filled with, presumably, piping hot kimchi-jjigae. Without saying anything else, the spoon is shoved into her mouth and Kotone immediately tears up by how hot it is. She flushes, covering her mouth and breathing out a few times before swallowing. Of course, it's delicious—but a bit too spicy for her. She's not the strongest spice warrior, unfortunately. The same can't be said about Yooyeon, who's indifferent as long as she has white rice, and Seoyeon, who's been hanging out with Nien and Xinyu often these days.
"Unnie," the Japanese woman huffs, "you could've warned me! It's amazing as always, though."
Her words earn her a grin from the older woman, who—now that she gets a better look without being ambushed by hot soup—is wearing a "Kiss the Cook!" apron, which has Yooyeon Only parenthesized under it in pink paint marker, courtesy of Yooyeon. Not that Kotone would kiss Seoyeon, anyway. Gross.
Seoyeon puts the spoon somewhere on the counter next to Yooyeon, who's punching in numbers on the microwave at the pace of Chaeyeon's pet tortoise, and turns back to Kotone. "What are you up to, Tone? Not everyday you show up to our apartment."
As if on cue, The Cat™ springs out of her tote and starts running around the apartment, then returning only to circle around Yooyeon and Seoyeon's legs more than a few times, for good measure. Kotone's eye twitches.
"…That's what I'm here for," she lets out a resigned sigh. She did think the lack of movement earlier was strange—though it may have been resting after its plentiful meal.
Out of all her friends, Kotone thinks that these two would be the best candidates to adopt the cat. Their apartment is spacious enough for a cat with a penchant for running amok (Exhibit A: Now, at this very moment) and doesn't have many loose decorations around. Seoyeon loves animals, and never fails to pet any street cat she sees walking around, and Yooyeon… Well, she doesn't seem to care either way, and she likes cute things. Plus, that woman is whipped. She probably wouldn't hesitate to be Seoyeon's accomplice in arson or something.
Seoyeon gasps loudly and coos, making baby talk at the cat which leads it to pause its circling and hop up on her legs, nails clinging onto the fabric of her pajama pants. She bends down to give it some scritches on its head and then picks it up, cradling it like a baby. She's completely enamored by the cat, which isn't one-sided—its purrs are as deafening as a racecar engine's sputters. The pink-haired woman then looks pleadingly at her partner.
The partner in question puts the pouch of bungeoppang down on the counter and faces Kotone. "You want us to take it in."
Thank god she's smart.
The Japanese woman nods, adjusting her tote. "It came to my apartment randomly last night. It's healthy from what I can tell, but it doesn't have an owner. It likes triangle kimbap and bungeoppang—don't ask me. It wouldn't stop pestering me until I bought it."
Yooyeon raises her brow, judging her immensely. Come on, now. It's not her fault! The older woman glances at her girlfriend, who's getting aggressively headbutted by the black cat, then back at Kotone. "I have no objections, since it's already won over Seoyeon. But we have to take it to the vet as soon as possible. I'm assuming you haven't done that yet since you just found it last night."
"Nope," Kotone pops the p, "That's all you. Great seeing you guys. I already had breakfast but if you guys wanna treat me for finding your perfect son or daughter or whatever it is for you, then I'm free tonight! Bye!"
She quickly escapes the apartment. Look, she loves her friends, and she would've loved to stay and eat Seoyeon's heavenly cooking, but their couple energy is sickeningly sweet to the point that she can't stand it without company—especially in the morning. But she's glad that's all taken care of. The cat will be happy there. It'll live a luxurious life, even.
And now she won't have to deal with scratching at her bedroom door. Or scrambling eggs for a cat. Or stopping to get bungeoppang because she was getting pawed at through her tote bag. She gets in the elevator and fishes her phone out of her tote, just now noticing the abundance of cat fur inside. She'll have to get the lint roller out.
There's less weight on her being now, too.
…Whatever that means.
Because it's fine. It's all fine and dandy now, because Yooyeon and Seoyeon, the ever-loving couple they are, are going to take the cat to the vet and properly register it under their name and not bother Kotone about it at all. Kotone's got her hands full enough with her weekend shifts at the café and her classes everyday and dance practice right after those. She can't take care of a cat.
There's way less weight on her compared to before as she makes the trek back to her apartment. Her tote now only has her phone, wallet, and some gummies, yet it doesn't feel that way at all. Ironically, it feels like there's only been weight added—her steps feel so much heavier. The sound of her sneakers hitting the floor is a dense drum going through one ear and out the other.
"Meow…"
Huh… Kotone stares ahead, blinking slowly. It almost sounds like… No, no. That blasted creature kept her up till late last night, so she must be hearing things. What does she need to do when she gets home… She doesn't have any classes on Fridays, so she mostly just studies by herself or with another unfortunate friend. Then she goes to the studio to practice with the others until late. They'd usually get dinner—
"Meow..!"
The Japanese woman rubs her face with her hand. Jesus, the lack of sleep is really getting to her. Normally it wouldn't be a problem, because she often stays up to binge anime or whatever's been her obsession lately, but since she woke up earlier today, the side effects must be really hitting her. Maybe she'll take a nap when she gets home.
Kotone continues her walk until suddenly there's a sharp, twinging feeling at her ankle and she jumps. "What the fu—" she looks down, eyes widening at the sight of that damn black cat, claws digging into her leg. "You!"
She's not given a chance to process the appearance because it uses her leg as a climbing post in order to hop back into her Kuromi tote. It pokes its head out and rubs its head against her arm. "Meow!"
She takes a step back, recovering her balance, and the drum stops.
…
"You like me that much?" She asks the cat, ignoring the foolishness that creeps up on her for talking to an animal.
"Meow."
"I don't have much money, unlike Yooyeon-unnie."
"Meow!"
"I can't cook as well as Seoyeon-unnie."
"Meow..!"
"I… I'm not home often."
"Meow!"
Kotone blinks at the cat. It blinks back. Shiny brown eyes, pupils dilated to the max. It paws at her. "I…"
This is stupid. It's just a cat. She can just take it to a shelter.
This isn't something to overthink.
"…I'm going home."
to: sssesbians
you [10:16 am]
[attachment: 1 image]
does anyone want this cat
jeong hyerin [10:17 am]
my dog hates everyone
park shion [10:17 am]
my parents are allergic :(
gong yubin [10:17 am]
chaeyeon unnies turtle hates everyone
(you reacted with: thumbs down)
park sohyun [10:18 am]
It's a tortoise
And you haven't advanced far enough to speak for her
(gong yubin reacted with: face with symbols on mouth)
nien 🍓😋💖 [10:18 am]
#CLOCKIT
(gong yubin reacted with: middle finger)
you [10:20 am]
so
does anyone want the cat
(seen by gong yubin, jeong hyerin, nien 🍓😋💖, and 4 more)
"I don't know what to do, Mayu-san…" Kotone facepalms, hunching over on her sofa. Mayu, her old roommate, is on FaceTime on her iPad, and is smiling sympathetically at her. The cat is currently curled up next to her on the sofa, fighting its sleep off.
"Well," the older woman says, "you asked your friends, right? Yooyeon-unnie and Seoyeon? The girls in your dance crew?"
She thinks back to the earlier events and sighs, nodding. "Nothing. And the group chat is useless. They left me on seen and then started a different conversation about Yubin competing with Jiwoo for Chaeyeon."
"Ah… Hm, well, the cat likes you doesn't it? It even followed you home after you dropped it off at Seoyeon's," Mayu says, leaning her elbow on her desk and resting her chin on her palm. Her own cat, a ragdoll named Momo, jumps up on the table and stretches, receiving a few long pets from its owner before laying down.
She sighs. "Momo's pretty territorial, and I just barely managed to keep her—my landlord is terrifying… I can't take in another one, though yours is super cute. But hey, you're on good terms with your landlord, plus your apartment is pet-friendly! Ah, sorry, Ko-chan."
Immediately shot down.
But… Her cat.
It…
The cat blinks, deciding to headbutt her thigh and climb into her lap, curling up there instead. It falls asleep in seconds.
"See?" Mayu's crackly voice sounds from her iPad. "If anything, you can take it to the shelter. But I really think that little cutie is bonded to you."
Kotone stares down at the cat, its body gently rising and falling with its even breaths. "I see. Thank you, Mayu-san."
"Anytime, Ko-chan. Let's hang out soon, okay?" The other woman smiles sweetly from the other side. She pulls Momo into her lap, making her wave goodbye and planting multiple kisses onto her head. "I think Momo's warming up to you."
"Of course. And I don't think so. The closest I've gotten to her is a foot away on the same couch."
Mayu laughs. The call cuts.
It's just her and the cat now. For a while. For forever. Until—
She shakes her head vigorously. Best not to think about that. So, where does she even start? Litter? Food? Food's taken care of, but she genuinely can't tell if this cat is toilet trained or she's hallucinating. She swears she heard the toilet flush this morning when she woke up.
And she can't keep calling it the cat or the thing or the creature all the time. It should have a proper name. Like… Uh… Kimbap. Bungeoppang. Kimchi-jjigae. No! Ugh, she really should've stayed to eat breakfast at Seoyeon and Yooyeon's. Nyan. Nyan Cat. NyanCat… Nyang… Ky.
"Nyangky."
"Meow!"
The black cat shoots up from its nap and climbs onto her shoulder, rubbing its head against her neck.
Kotone flinches, her hand raising to steady it, but failing to resist her body's natural reaction. "That tickles, you little—Ah, wait! Nyangky?"
It purrs, dropping back down to her lap and kneading her leg with its paws. "Meowww!"
It's a strange feeling, but oddly… relaxing? It's "making biscuits" on her. Somehow, an arrow shoots through her heart. Damn it! She's sold her soul to a cat! "Nyangky… I like that. I'll, uh. I'll take you to the vet soon. I—I mean, it's not because I've fallen for you. My friends, uh, can't take you. And you ran from Yooyeon-unnie and Seoyeon-unnie. And I heard cats are really therapeutic. Yeah."
It narrows its eyes at her.
"Meow."
What the hell, sure.
So Kotone has made both a mental and physical note to buy cat supplies over the weekend. She gets paid tomorrow, after her shift, which means she'll need to secure some food for it and also a petsitter(?) while she's gone. It does seem pretty attached to her, though, and it's especially concerning because she doesn't want it to run off while in custody of one of her friends.
And she needs to take it to the vet tomorrow after work. She's already texted Jiyeon to switch shifts with her specifically for this day.
And, well, Jiyeon… can't exactly say no to her. And vice versa. It's complicated.
Anyway, again, she's off on Fridays—no dance studio, no work, no class—so it's, unfortunately, become her study day. To be honest, she doesn't always have a heap of work to do, because she does the smart thing and spreads out all her homework throughout the week, unlike some others (cough, Kaede). But today she has to go through a case that her Criminal Investigation professor assigned yesterday.
Kotone brews herself a cup of tea and pours water into a small ceramic bowl for Nyangky, giving it a few pets before going to her room and sitting at her desk. A couple of her trinkets shuffle around with her movements. The Spiderman bobblehead is awakened from its slumber, and her LOONA albums (important to note that they are signed!) shift a smidge out of place. She boots up her computer, the fans whirring to life, and takes a sip from her cup.
Pitter-patter. Pitter-patter. Thump.
The woman glances to her right to see that Nyangky has made itself comfortable on top of her bed. She has some reservations about getting all the cat fur on everything, but for now? She… really can't seem to be bothered. If anything, she feels at peace at the way it curls up into a little ball and blinks slowly at her.
Honestly, she could get used to this. Earlier she did some research and it turns out that cats are low-maintenance for the most part. You don't have to take them out for daily walks, and they use the restroom by themselves, with you only needing to scoop the litter a few times a day… though, with this one's behavior, she might not even need a litter box. For some reason it knows how to use and flush human toilets.
Kotone hums in content and opens her assignment, reading over the description and pulling up a separate document to type in her analysis. Today's case is about the murder of Jane Doe. It's a fairly simple exercise, one that she's done countless times in previous semesters. The professor assigns a case, with the crime scene description, alibis, and background info on the victim(s). For this one, however, it's a bit more advanced. There's a wide array of suspects, all with contrasting stories that also seem convincing at the same time. The point is to scrutinize every detail and spot the inconsistences.
It's like playing Ace Attorney. So she likes it.
Hours go by as she gets absorbed in her work. The criminology major often forgets to take breaks when studying, relying on any energy drink she has nearby and powering through assignments. While it's good for her academic records, it isn't good for her physical health. She reckons she'll die of liver failure before the age of 45.
She stretches, groaning. "But if Jane Doe was working overtime on the day she was murdered, then her boss also becomes a suspect. Why isn't this mentioned?"
A flash of black passes her vision and plants itself on her desktop keyboard, effectively typing a barrage of gibberish onto her document. It then meows at her, staring intently.
"…Are you serious?" The Japanese woman reaches for the keyboard, only to get batted at by her cat.
She looks at the clock in the corner of her screen. 4 p.m. She's been studying for about 3 and a half hours, and she's gone through almost all of the case. She should've been done by now, but there are a few inconsistences she needs to make sense of before she submits it.
Grr…..
"Meow!"
…Maybe she does need a lunch break. Kotone grabs Nyangky, wrapping her palms around the area under its front legs, and drops it low to the ground. It walks a few steps before looking back and meowing once more—almost like it was telling her, "Hurry up!"
The university student sighs, chuckling. "You're one pushy cat."
So she had a hearty meal (some Froot Loops that Nien and her friend brought back from their U.S. trip, banana milk, and some gummies) which will probably last her three or four hours. Nyangky sat on the counter quietly, occasionally licking its paw, though Kotone swears a few gummies went missing while she was looking away. She hopes they're cat-safe. She doesn't exactly want to be a cat murderer or have to pay extra at the vet.
She's not really full, but she's had worse meals. Being a broke college student somehow grants you the ability to think of food combos never thought of before.
Plus, she needs money to pay for her share of the bill for barbecue on Sunday, which was decided on impulse literally five minutes ago by Chaeyeon and her two friends who both have a massive crush on her… which happen to be Gong Yubin from dance and her best friend Lee Jiwoo. Oh, and not to mention the vet bill for tomorrow will likely put a painful dent in her bank account.
As she finishes washing the dishes, she ultimately decides not to linger on her financial situation and instead glares at the black mass of fur sitting on the kitchen counter. Kotone dries her hands and aggressively rubs Nyangky's head, causing it to meow indignantly.
Well, that relieved some of her stress. She scratches under its chin as an apology and heads back to her room. Just a few more tweaks to the document and it'll be ready for submission.
…
Kotone yawns, rolling her neck repeatedly until it cracks a decent amount of times and finally moving away from her desk. Her sugary lunch gave her quite a bit of energy and she was able to finish in just under an hour—which means she has the rest of the evening to herself. Of course, with this newfound free time, she plans to either A) binge the new Jujutsu Kaisen season, or B) play an ungodly amount of Honkai: Star Rail.
In the midst of her choosing (spacing out), her phone buzzes several times.
kwakwakwak 🦆 [5:02 pm]
UNNIE
U GOT A CAT
LEMME SEE OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG
how come u never told me i mean i thought u were
a dgo
dog*
person
I CANT COME OVER NOW BUT CAN I SEE TMR OR IDK MAYBE I CAN CTASIT
CAT SIT
IM A GOOD CARETAKER!!!!!!
She sighs, shaking her head. Yeonji, her next door neighbor ever since she moved in, who is also a member of the dance crew she's in, who she also considers her own sister, is always so full of energy.
me [5:02 pm]
hello to u too
and yes i guess
it just came into my apartment and no one else wants it so i'm keeping it
i'll see abt the catsitting but u have to know i'm broke as hell
kwakwakwak 🦆 [5:03 pm]
OMG
OK
I JUS WANNA SEE IT PLSSS PLSS PSLPSLS
Kotone smiles, swiping out and pressing on the camera app, directing it toward Nyangky who's lounging around on top of her bed. It raises a paw as her phone makes the shutter sound, making it a very charming photo of a confident cat. She snickers.
me [5:03 pm]
[attachment: 1 image]
it says hi
kwakwakwak 🦆 [5:03 pm]
KITTYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
Soft paws press down on her cheek and she huffs. "I guess it's time for you to eat, huh."
"Meow!"
"I'd make something, but I'm pretty sure my fridge is akin to a barren wasteland," the Japanese woman sighs, pulling up a food delivery website on her desktop. "What do you want to eat?"
Hah, saying that as if it'll pick and choose on a menu—
"Meow!" Nyangky sits on its back legs and paws at the screen as she scrolls through the site.
"Can you even eat bibimbap?! Absolutely not! How about this…"
…It's safe to say that her bank account has been thoroughly ravaged by this black void of a cat.
Her fridge is stocked with leftovers, she's stuffed, her cat is probably stuffed too, and her wallet is crying. Well, better to be a happy pig than to be a stickman. With her homework done and her stomach satisfied, she's sure she'll have a very, very fulfilling sleep tonight.
Especially after that four hour gaming session.
Kotone wipes her eyes, letting out a big yawn before pulling the covers over herself. Normally, she'd go on her phone and doomscroll until she fell asleep, but today she's got company.
Nyangky prances over and makes itself comfortable next to her, sprawling out and leaving her barely any space for herself.
It's completely dark in her room, save for the sliver of moonlight that sneaks its way in through her curtains. And uh, a pair of headlights right next to her. Kind of creepy, if you ask her.
"There's only room for one of us on this bed, Nyangky," Kotone pouts, to no avail. She boops its nose. "Tomorrow we have to go to the vet in case you've got any disease or illness… or an owner. Or if you need to get fixed, which I doubt since you're pretty well-behaved—besides the spending-money front."
A meow.
She feels her eyelids growing heavier by the second. Guess it is nearing midnight. On typical Fridays, she'd stay up way later past the ungodly hours, but it is better to wake up earlier on days she needs to run important errands.
"Mmh… Good night, Nyangky."
Just before she succumbed to the gentle hold of slumber, she felt a fleeting, wet sensation on her lips.
Must be the wind.
"La-ta, la-ta-ta, la-ta-ta moto~ La-ta, la-ta-ta, la-ta-ta moto~ La—"
"Ugh…"
Today's a busy day. She spends about five minutes in bed contemplating her life, then heads off to the bathroom to freshen up. During the process, her mind has been lifted off of the roommate she gained in the past two days, until she walks out to the kitchen. Hmm… She thinks today she'll have a proper breakfast before heading off to the vet—
Huh, there's a beautiful woman sitting on her couch.
Kotone rubs her eyes. She must be seeing things. It's probably because of her prolonged screentime last night.
…She's still there. Curled up and intently watching the TV, which is showing music show broadcasts. Striking, stunning, beautiful… Sharp eyes, sharp jaw, curled lips, jet black hair cut into a bob, and bangs that stop just shy of her eyebrows.
There is a beautiful woman sitting on her couch, in her apartment. What the actual hell.
She rapidly blinks, just blatantly staring at her from the kitchen. Actually, she needs to make a correction to her earlier statement.
There is a beautiful woman wearing Kotone's clothes sitting on her couch in her apartment.
A black tee which was slightly oversized on Kotone fit perfectly on the woman's frame, and she also wore her camo shorts with an effortless style.
The Japanese woman's face burns, and she does exactly what her L-L (short for Loser Lesbian) instincts tell her to do: Run the Hell Back to Her Room.
Immediately as she shuts the door, she sinks down to her knees and begins to mutter to herself, crazed eyes and all. "Who is she. How did she get in. Why is she wearing my clothes. Why does she look so good in my clothes."
Wait.
"Where is Nyangky?!" She exclaims, falling forward on her palms.
Oh no. The cat. The cat, Kotone! Where is her cat?! She needs to find it, they were supposed to go to the vet today, Jiyeon even took her shift so they could go, and she already planned to buy imported cat food for it…
Knock, knock.
And now the woman is knocking at her bedroom door. How much worse could this morning get? Did she accidentally have a one-night stand in her sleep, and how did she even do that?
Knock, knock, knock.
"Shit."
She has to answer the door now. With shaking hands, she pushes herself up to a stand, and clumsily twists open her bedroom door. The Beautiful Woman is scratching her neck, slightly looking down on her.
"Hey," Beautiful Woman says, a sheepish grin on her face, "I should probably explain."
Yes, actually. Let's start with that.
They're on the couch—well, Kotone is sitting on the couch. Beautiful Woman is on the ottoman. She's about to say something until Kotone blurts out, "Where's my cat?"
The other blinks, surprised. "Your cat?"
"Yes, my cat. Black fur, yellow eyes," she explains, "It likes human food for some reason. And it's really warm. I named it Nyangky."
Beautiful Woman's hand twitches at the name. She averts her eyes before clearing her throat. "I'm Nyangky. I-I mean, I'm the—I was the cat. My name is actually Nakyoung."
That's a funny joke. Kotone wants to laugh. Then she looks Nakyoung in the eyes and realizes she's not joking and she still wants to laugh. In fact, she wants to laugh so hard she might as well run and jump out the window.
"I'm not joking!" Nakyoung is quick to defend herself, "I was hexed by that witch, Zhou Xinyu, all because I said I was tired of getting malatang every week! Well, she was apologetic about it, but she messed up. Apparently, the only way to reverse it was to find my soulmate, which led me here—it was so weird, by the way, I literally couldn't go anywhere because I felt this pull in my chest that only stopped when I got to your apartment—and kiss them."
Witch. Zhou Xinyu. Kotone feels her jaw drop. "Xinyu-unnie from the dance studio?"
Nakyoung nods. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure she goes to the same one as Sohyun. I just moved here from Ulsan, so I was planning to join, but then she did that. Wait, you know her?"
Soulmate. Pull. Kiss.
"When did you kiss me?" Kotone manages, brain starting to go haywire. This was all getting too much. It's a quarter to nine in the morning.
"Uh, right as you were falling asleep. I, um. I felt embarrassed to do it otherwise. I mean I had to do it because I'd be stuck as a cat but also you had to be somewhat conscious. Then I transformed and I… had to borrow some clothes, but don't worry! I slept on the couch!"
Kotone faints.
…
"Hello? Helloooo?"
"Ugh…" The college student sits up, holding her head. "I need a drink…"
Nakyoung smiles. "I can't really hold my liquor, but I like drinking! There's a serious lack of beer in your fridge, by the way. A serious lack of everything, honestly. Not that I can cook. Your couch is comfy, you don't have a spare room so I could stay in the living room. Ah! Um, sorry. Are you okay?"
Turns out the beautiful woman is kind of awkward. And a loser.
Good god.
Wait a minute. Kotone frowns. "You're planning on staying?"
With just one question, she can almost see cat ears drooping down on top of Nakyoung's head. Now she just feels bad. "You want me to leave?"
"I don't even know you," the Japanese woman laughs in disbelief. "And you were my cat a few hours ago."
Her… ex-cat(?)'s pout only intensifies. "I don't have anywhere to stay. I was planning to room with Sohyun and Xinyu, but now I don't want to third wheel or get hexed again."
How will she explain to her landlord that she has a roommate, now? Her rent will definitely increase, and her part-time job won't be able to cover it. She also lives in a single-bedroom complex. Well, since this leech was human before getting hexed, then she can contribute. "I do have a spare room, but it's being used as storage right now. Do you have a job?"
"I'm a student. I mean, I was planning on working at the dance studio. My interview's supposed to be in…" Nakyoung checks the wall clock. "Oh. 30 minutes. At 10 a.m."
Kotone nearly does a spit take. "What?! You need to go now!"
Nakyoung blinks. "I guess I do. Well, then, I'm off."
And she gets up and leaves the apartment.
Hold up! She can't just leave like that! She doesn't even have her number, or a phone, or anything! "Wha—Wait a second, damn it! You don't even know the code to the door back here! Oh, come on!"
She has to quickly get changed out of her sleepwear, swiping her wallet and phone off the table and haphazardly pulling her head through a random hoodie before heading out as well.
No sight of Nakyoung anywhere on the street. Kotone's speedwalking to the studio, now. She makes a new group chat with the two mentioned in their conversation from earlier.
to: park sohyun, zhou xinyu
you [9:36 am]
kim nakyoung
park sohyun [9:37 am]
???
Wait, you found her?
you [9:37 am]
zhou xinyu
zhou xinyu [9:38 am]
OH MY GOD
I CAN EXPLAIN
wait but if YOURE the one texting then u must be
oh my god
you [9:38 am]
i can't believe the idiot got cursed by an even bigger idiot
all this over malatang
park sohyun [9:40 am]
We need to meet asap
you [9:40 am]
not rn she's on her way to an interview at theg studio i need to go after her
Kotone has to stop midway at the 7-Eleven to get some sort of substance in her stomach because, well, she hasn't eaten breakfast. All because of a certain someone. So she buys and makes a cup of instant noodles and tries her best to power through it until there's a literal tug on her chest.
Once, she can let go. Twice, she thinks it's strange. Is it heartburn? Three times, she gets yanked out of the stool and out of the store, leaving her food behind and dragging her away. To say the least, she is utterly and remarkably, petrified.
She's literally getting dragged on the street by the chest by some invisible force. The soles of her Air Forces are scraping across the concrete and it is actually the most uncomfortable feeling right now. Ugh! "Wait, I—I'll walk, so stop pulling me already!"
It's a miracle there's no one outside right now to witness this. But she does manage to regain her balance and start walking herself. Whatever that was, it was forcing her into the direction of the dance studio. Stupid love curse. Stupid Zhou Xinyu. Stupid Nakyoung. Stupid life.
Stupid dance studio. Stupid cat. Her stupid cat who was actually a beautiful woman in disguise.
When she steps through the entrance of the establishment, she sees Hyerin surrounded by Yeonji and Soomin (Yooyeon's little sister who frequently crashes their practices) and looking more tired by the second. Nakyoung is nowhere to be seen, which means she's probably doing her interview now. In that case, she'll see what these rascals are up to.
The tug has eased its hold on her, finally returning free rein over her own body, and she approaches the trio.
Yeonji spots her first and waves. "Tone-unnie! Is a cheesecake a cake or a pie? Soomin-unnie keeps saying it's a pie!"
"That's because I was helping Jiwoo-unnie bake and she said it herself! It's a pie!" Soomin refutes, pouting. "Apparently it's because it's a totally different process from baking a cake…"
"Yeah, but why would it be called cheesecake if it wasn't cake?" The younger asks, giggling at the end of her sentence.
Soomin starts giggling too. "Because cheesepie sounds stupid, duh."
Are they really fighting? Kotone's tired just listening to them prattling on about cheesecakes and cheesepies. So is Hyerin, clearly. The Japanese woman reaches into her hoodie pocket and hands the poor bystander one of the packs of gummies she bought earlier at the convenience store. She's met with a grateful look.
Then she feels a brief pressure on her shoulder. Both of the arguing(?) duo are looking at her now. They're still waiting for her answer?
Kotone scratches the back of her neck. She figures the most logical answer would be… "I mean, we should probably listen to the baker of the group, right? It's like calling cereal soup."
Two pairs of eyes blink at her. Yeonji starts opening and closing her mouth like a fish. And now Soomin is staring at her, bewildered. She slowly asks, "Is cereal not soup?"
Her phone buzzes.
hyerin 🐱 [10:14 am]
oh my goddddd
Honestly, she doesn't know how Hyerin deals with this every day. Soomin doesn't even go here—she just comes to watch practice and hang out, which everyone has accepted. But they all go to school together, and just imagining lunch breaks gives her a headache… Anyhow, that Hyerin won't admit it, but it's obvious she enjoys their company greatly.
The Japanese woman chuckles and opens her mouth to say something, only to feel a light tug on the hem of her hoodie.
"Kotone, I'm hungry," the source of the tugging whines.
It's Beautiful Woman—wait, no, her cat! Nyangky—Nakyoung.
You know what, two things can be true at the same time. First of all—
Kotone huffs and furrows her brow in annoyance. "Why did you go off without listening to me!? You're so quick, too, so by the time I left you were nowhere to be seen! You don't even know the code to the apartment, I was going after you so I could—"
"I know the code," Nakyoung interjects, "I watched you punch it in when I was Nyangky."
She freezes at this. So all that hassle in the morning was for nothing? Seriously? A sour look scrunches over her face, eyebrows furrowed and her lips downturned. She turns on her heel and huffs. "I'm leaving."
"Kotone~" The catlike woman whines and catches her sleeve as she walks away, anchoring her to herself. "Don't leave!"
A new, husky voice chimes in before she could even turn around. "Tone."
Not like she could leave anyway. As soon as she pries her attention away from Nakyoung, she's immediately faced with the giants that are Park Sohyun and Zhou Xinyu.
Oh, brother.
The family restaurant is as lively as ever, its patrons ranging from elementary students to working adults having lunch with their colleagues… and this rag-tag team of college kids.
There's an assortment of western-style brunch foods spread out on their table. Sohyun and Kotone are having a staredown, while Xinyu's taking miniscule sips from her cup of water. Nakyoung, the only one eating, is going to town on her stack of blueberry pancakes.
After a few more beats of silence, Sohyun finally clears her throat. "I… believe we owe you an apology."
She nudges Xinyu when she says we, and the woman flinches before looking pitifully at Nakyoung, then Kotone—puppy eyes and pout and all. "I'm sorry."
Kotone sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose. She can't find it in herself to stay mad. These two came all this way to find her and apologize—and they're footing the bill. So she sneaks a glance at her cat roommate(?), who's frozen, holding her fork with a piece of pancake mere inches from her mouth, and nods. "It's fine."
Nakyoung finally takes her bite. It was as if she was waiting for the Japanese woman's verdict before allowing herself to continue. No matter.
"I do expect compensation for all the financial stress she put me under though. 50,000 won."
Xinyu giggles. "What?"
The criminology stares at her, unmoving.
"Oh, you're serious?"
…
They've worked through a lot of the food they ordered, there just being a plate of fries and some croissants left. It's all coming from Xinyu's paycheck from her last modeling gig before moving from Beijing… Which was a year ago. Apparently that photoshoot was displayed across several magazines and billboards in the city. Just how much did they pay her?
Enough to pack all her bags and move here, start dating the Practical Music department's resident hot girl, become the Fashion department's resident hot girl, and live in a nice rented two bedroom condo with her girlfriend, at least. Well, that and her rich parents.
Kotone's about midway through a croissant when Xinyu finishes the last of her water and sets her empty glass down. "So, Naky, when are you planning on moving back? Sohyun tidied up your room—believe me, it was needed—so you're free to come back whenever."
Ah. She should've thought about the possibility that Sohyun and Xinyu wanted her back. Wait, not that Kotone stole her from them. She came here herself! Well, she did say that she didn't want to third wheel anymore. Or get hexed. And the help with rent would significantly lessen the load on her shoulders.
Nakyoung wants to stay with Kotone. Right? Because she doesn't want to have a repeat of what happened or get in the way of the lovey dovey couple's daily life.
Before she could spiral any further, the subject of the matter opens her mouth to maybe give her answer. Kotone's heart beats harshly in her chest.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
"I'm staying with Tone," Nakyoung responds decisively, like she didn't need to think twice before she said this. Tilts her head to the right like she's surprised they even asked her.
Kotone chokes on a croissant flake.
The couple across from them share a knowing look, with Xinyu looking seconds away from squealing. Sohyun, smiles warmly, cheeks raising and eyes shining. "Come back for a bit, then. We'll help you pack your things."
"Hold on, don't you think I should get a say in this?" Because it's her apartment. Her space. Her home, for almost three years now. But strangely, she can't find herself outright denying the feline's stay.
She never did, anyway.
And because Kotone is a woman of pride and sometimes humility, she changes the topic. Veers it over to address the elephant in the room, rather.
She clears her throat and looks right at the former model, pointing a nearby fork at her. "We need to talk about you being a witch."
Kotone gets lightly smacked on the shoulder by Nakyoung, the force of it just barely budging her. "You can't just call her that, Tone!"
"No, that's not what I—Ugh, no, Nyangky- Nakyoung. I'm talking about how she hexed you! …Wait a minute, so is that how your family is rich?"
The mere question seems to offend the Chinese woman, her face scrunching up in abhorrence. "Of course not! My tai lao ye invested in some businesses back in the day and they did extremely well. As for the witchcraft… Well, that's a family practice from generations of generations ago. We sell potions on the side, but not anything too interesting."
"So you used your family practice from generations of generations ago to hex your new roommate because of malatang?" The Japanese woman's eye twitches.
"Er… maybe?"
She'd nearly leaped over the table to start fighting the taller woman if it weren't for Nakyoung holding her back.
You don't have to be involved in witchcraft to think—know—that what Xinyu did was a horrible decision made on a whim. What if Kotone actually chased Nyangky away? What if she never humored or fed her, or even succeeded to give her away?
Regardless, all the food is finished, save for the tiniest bit of fries still on the plate, and the bill has been paid, so it's best to just leave now instead of starting a fight in someone's restaurant in public. Of course. Because she is an upstanding citizen and a Good Samaritan. But if Xinyu just so happened to end up in her apartment, then she's free to vent… right?
They ended up going back to Sohyun and Xinyu's condo and packing Nakyoung's belongings so she can, officially, move in with Kotone. It all feels so surreal. Just a few days ago, she was minding her own business and living her life. If she hadn't bothered with that cat, she wouldn't have a beautiful roommate staring at her every five seconds.
Nevertheless, this is her life now. Nakyoung passed her interview and is starting to pay her part of the rent, having recovered her bank account along with her cash and cards. So, this means no more leeching off of Kotone.
The apartment's rules she made are simple: Don't bother the other, the other doesn't bother you; Clean up after yourself; Meal prep rotates between roommates every week to save overall money on food; Curfew is 1 a.m.
Except all of these rules save for one have been broken at least once within two weeks. Nakyoung makes no effort to detach herself from Kotone, despite the fact that she is human and no longer feline. Anytime? Anywhere? More like everytime, everywhere. Leaning her head on Kotone's shoulder, hugging her everywhere, draping herself over her lap on the couch, laying in her bed—the point is, she has no sense of personal space when it comes to her roommate.
On top of that, she has a hard time cleaning up. But also she genuinely thinks Nakyoung just forgets to do it. Kotone will give her credit where it's due, she'll clean up if she's regularly reminded (at least), and when that happens, she goes ahead and does a whole deep cleaning of the apartment. So there's that. But she's found a bunch of clothes strewn about from when the older gets home from work or her classes.
So she can clean. What she can't do, however, is cook. At all. Let's just say there's been a handful of times the Japanese woman has had to save their kitchen from burning down when it was the other's turn to cook.
Lastly, Kotone only set a curfew because she's a light sleeper, and the beeps from their front door along with the whole getting into the apartment sequence are far too loud for her to get a good night's rest if she gets any at all. And Nakyoung strictly adheres to this rule. Even when she goes out with friends, she always gets home before or right at one in the morning, every time, without fail. It's honestly impressive.
Also, that Kuromi tote bag? It's Nakyoung's now. Not like Kotone was particularly attached to it, anyway.
"So… You've been happier, Tone!" Nien chirps, sitting down next to her and handing her a towel, which she accepts gratefully.
Vision@ry Vision—the name of their dance crew, which came out of nowhere but everyone liked. Hyerin officially declared it as their name, which is great. She's the one that started the crew in the first place, and Kotone thinks the name is sick—they've just finished Tuesday dance practice. The criminology major is currently leaning against the wall, chugging down her bottle of water.
"Have I?" Kotone muses, staring into the studio mirrors. It's 6:45 in the evening, and Nakyoung's shift ends at 7. Her roommate can't join practice on Tuesdays because she's at the desk on those days, so Kotone has just started waiting for her to go home together. She flicks her gaze over to Nien, who's grinning as usual. "I think I've been pretty normal."
Her best friend doesn't let up, though. "No, you've definitely changed."
Hearing this, Kaede walks up to them with a cheeky smile. "No, yeah. You've been smiling way more, and I don't think it's because of some new game or anime drop or other loser-esque interests."
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"
"I mean," the younger woman sits cross-legged across from the two, "ever since that whole cat incident you've been different. What happened with it, anyway?"
What happened was that the cat turned into a human and is now her roommate. However, she might come off as a lunatic if she tells them that. Thus, she settles on, "I found a better home for it."
6:50. Ten more minutes.
"Sooooo," Nien drawls out, a lazy smile on her face, "not the cat. But you know what else happened around that time?"
Kaede looks confused for a moment, until the realization dawned on her. Her eyes gleam with mischief, and Kotone wants to bury herself into a hole until the end of time.
"Nakyoung came."
She feels her ears burn. Why do they burn. Is she blushing? Why is she blushing?
Ever perceptive as they are, damn it, her best friends notice the added color on her her cheeks and start shoving her around, cheering. This gathers the attention of the remaining girls in the room—Lynn, Shion, and Yubin look over with eyes of interest. Kotone furrows her brow and draws her knees closer to her. "I—I don't know what you're talking about. I don't like Nakyoung like that!"
Kaede giggles and scoots closer, poking her finger against Kotone's cheek. "Oh, but we never said anything about you liking her."
("Kotone likes someone?"
"Right? That hasn't happened since Ji—Ow, Hyerin, that hurt!"
"Shut up, Lynn!")
6:55. Come on, could these last few minutes take any longer?! "I… I…!"
As if her prayers were answered, a familiar mop of jet-black hair peeks out from the door. "Nyangky!" She blurts out.
Hearing her name—wait, that's not her name, why did she answer to that—Nakyoung steps into the studio fully, and Kotone bolts up from her sitting position against the wall and practically sprints to her roommate, grabbing her arm. "Bye guys, sorry, urgent roommate matters! We're getting pizza!"
"We're getting pizza?!" Is all Nakyoung manages to get out with her eyes lit up before Kotone forcefully drags her away.
As they watch the duo dash out of the studio, Kaede fist bumps Nien. Though, she does scratch her head. "Do you think that was a bit much?"
Nien shrugs, shaking her head. "Nah. I think she needed that more than us. But I rest my case."
No.
It's not like she has a crush on her. It's not like that at all. Kotone tolerates Nakyoung. She tolerates her because she's temporary and she'll leave after this semester ends.
Not because there's now a dedicated space for her shoes, stuff in the fridge, assigned side of the couch, and also they've recently established Friday gaming nights occuring every other week.
And well. The semester ends in a few weeks. Did she say a few? She means two. Nakyoung is leaving in two weeks. She'll go back to her original city and her original university and she'll never come back and she'll never see Kotone again.
It's the first week of June and Kotone is starting to devise a plan to somehow convince Nakyoung to stay in Seoul.
Because their landlord really likes her and the rent's cheaper with a roommate.
"Not because I'll miss her or anything. Stupid idiot cat," she grumbles to herself, aggressively mixing her bowl of pasta with a fork. Chaeyeon and Jiyeon stare at her, concerned.
The university's cafeteria is as bustling as ever, what with it being prime lunchtime right now. People are coming in before and after classes, eating and catching up with either work or their friends. The noise stings Kotone's ears sometimes, but she's learned to tune them out.
"No one said you will," Chaeyeon laughs, sipping on her lemonade. "You gave us perfectly plausible arguments… As expected of our little future criminal investigator~"
She reaches over to pinch the little future criminal investigator's cheek, which she violently dodges, earning a round of giggles from the two girls across from her.
Kotone pulls away from her bowl and starts playing with the piercings on her earlobe. The skin burns under the pads of her fingers. "Do you think there's a way I can—I don't know, get her to stay here?"
Jiyeon smiles gently, reaching over to place a hand over the other's unoccupied one. "I think you need to admit something to yourself before you talk to her about anything."
The burning sensation intensifies, and she frowns, halting her movements. "What something?"
What a laughable question, Tone. You obviously know the answer. You've got all the clues, now all you have to do is put it together. There are feelings that need to be discussed, and as for the owner of those feelings… The prime suspect is none other than herself.
The Japanese woman sighs and picks her fork up, twisting it to coil up the noodles. Jiyeon withdraws her hand, taking a bite of her own salad. It's a few quiet moments of the three of them indulging in their lunches, taking in the ambience of the cafeteria and each other's presence. Meanwhile, Kotone is fighting a battle of wits with herself in her head.
Everyone knows. Nien knows. Kaede knows. The whole of VV knows. Mayu definitely knows from that time she came over to drop something off and Nakyoung was all over Kotone and she didn't even do anything to get her off. Hell, Seoyeon and Yooyeon know through word of mouth, because she hasn't seen them in a while and her friend group are all residents of Gossip Central.
…She knows, too. They're not soulmates for nothing. That was the whole thing binding them to each other in the first place. It's why she was dragged across the street by an invisible force.
That's why she's scared. Because what if that's the only reason that Nakyoung's so affectionate with her? Because it physically pains her to not do that? She's seen her be clingy with Sohyun, Xinyu, even Lynn. Maybe it's not just a Kotone thing.
God. This is so much more complicated than a simple I have a crush on my roommate situation. Except no one knows that save for herself, Nakyoung, and Sohyun and Xinyu. No one would believe her, anyway. It's as absurd as it sounds. The least she can do is try to ask for advice as if it actually were that simple.
Her bowl of pasta is nearly empty now. She shoves the last bite in her mouth and wipes her lips with a napkin. "Fine," she sighs, making her friends perk up in interest. "I have a crush on my roommate."
Chaeyeon and Jiyeon both stand up to clap and cheer.
It's funny how you can say one "groundbreaking" thing in the school cafeteria and suddenly everybody in town knows about it. Okay, maybe not everybody in town. More like her large gaggle of friends.
Over the next week she receives a massive amount of texts regarding Nakyoung, confessing, being gay, whatever of the sort. At first she responded to all of them, and then she, well, decided to put herself into Nien's shoes and started ignoring everyone.
It's late Saturday evening when Kotone comes home from work. After getting through the door and taking off her shoes, she sees Nakyoung sitting on the couch with her laptop, wearing Kotone's favorite hoodie. Pink dusts her cheeks. "I'm home."
Hearing the familiar voice, Nakyoung snaps her head up and grins, waving energetically. "Tone! Welcome home."
Kotone sets her bag down by the coffee table and goes to sit next to her roommate, having to move a throw pillow and stuffed animal out of the way before she coulds settle down. "What are you doing?"
"Booking train tickets back home for break." The feline's fingers fly across the keyboard, typing in her details into the designated boxes. "The semester's ending soon."
The Japanese woman nearly flinches at her words. A feeling of dread washes over her, and she's reminded of the deadline she has for this roommate thing. Should she confess now? Should she try persuasion first?
Quick, say something before you overthink yourself to oblivion!
"I—"
The laptop clicks shut and Nakyoung places it on the coffee table and stretches her arms. "I'm gonna go shower first so you don't take all the hot water."
She sticks her tongue out at her, standing up. "Oh, before I forget."
Before Kotone could say anything, she feels herself be enveloped with a sea of vanilla and the faint scent of her own hoodie. Then, it disappears as quick as it came.
When Nakyoung leaves the room, Kotone lets her face drop into her hands, hunching over and groaning. "How am I supposed to do this?"
In the midst of all this, an email from her Criminal Law professor reminds her that yes. She does still have finals. Having a fated soulmate does not exempt her from her academics. She buzzed through three of them this just last week, and she has two left for this week. Dance practice has been put on a pause in respect for finals season.
Honestly, if she had a love curse and she had to find her soulmate or she'd die, she'd rather die. Unfortunately it wasn't her that'd been hexed, but Nakyoung, and her soulmate was found within probably a week of her being cursed.
Only thing she can do is suck it up and study.
The door clicks open and shuts soon after. Vanilla wades in, and she hears someone make themself comfy on her bed.
Okay, she can't study now. Because the source of her distress besides finals is laying on her bed. The thing that came with her cat turning into a human is that she still kept her cat qualities—clinging to her, eating her food, and like now, waltzing into her room whenever she wants and laying on her bed.
She didn't even say anything to announce her arrival. Kotone just feels a pair of eyes staring at her. She huffs and pulls out her phone.
to: operation Get Tone a Girlfriend
you [6:42 pm]
i'm cooked
chaeyommi [6:42 pm]
we know
ji swan 🦢[6:42 pm]
we know
you [6:43 pm]
can u guys be supportive for once
ji swan 🦢 [6:43 pm]
were we not the ones cheering for you in the cafeteria???
（＞μ＜＃）
[sticker: damgom cry]
[sticker: damgom cry]
chaeyommi [6:43 pm]
[sticker: damgom cry]
you [6:44 pm]
ok shut up
what do i even do 😭😭😭
chaeyommi [6:45 pm]
well what r we working with
ji swan 🦢 [6:45 pm]
have you confessed?
you [6:45 pm]
no
chaeyommi [6:45 pm]
asked her to stay??
you [6:45 pm]
no
ji swan 🦢 [6:46 pm]
have you even asked her about her moving back????????
you [6:46 pm]
no
she's in my room rn laying in my bed
i can feel her staring at me
ji swan 🦢 [6:46 pm]
why don't you just ask her now?
chaeyommi [6:46 pm]
yeah shes right there is she not
you [6:46 pm]
well
chaeyommi [6:48 pm]
ykw ill let u figure it out urself
both jiwoo and yubin r at my door and i think theyre fighting
ji swan 🦢 [6:48 pm]
???
well, regardless
she's leaving at the end of this week so you have to do something
The pressure on her back stops, and Kotone glances over her shoulder to see that Nakyoung has fallen asleep facing her. She watches the rise and fall of her chest, and if she focuses enough she can hear soft snoring. She must've been tired—she probably just got home early from work. Kotone, having to study, couldn't accompany her home like usual.
She's cute.
"Ah…" Kotone breathes out, an angry blush coating her cheeks. She's just realized that Nakyoung is wearing one of her oversized pink flannels over her pajamas.
Her beautiful roommate is sleeping on her bed, facing her, while wearing her clothes.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
She tears her gaze away from the woman and starts typing on her phone again.
you [6:51 pm]
i can't anymore
she fellasleep
ji swan 🦢 [6:51 pm]
oh my
in your bed??
you [6:51 pm]
…yes
ji swan 🦢 [6:51 pm]
hmmmm
why don't you join her?
you [6:52 pm]
[attachment: 1 screenshot]
ji swan 🦢 [6:52 pm]
NO DON'T BLOCK M
Kotone closes her messaging app and stands up, walking over to her bed. She stares at the sleeping woman's face for a moment before sighing, adjusting the blanket on her before quietly slipping out of the room to start preparing dinner.
D-1.
Kotone throws herself into Mayu's arms, whining like a child throwing a tantrum. Mayu only laughs, tightening her hold and bringing one of her hands up to stroke the younger's hair.
In a panic for there being one day left, immediately after finishing her last final last evening, she texted Mayu asking if she was free the next day. Today, the semester officially ends, and they've agreed to meet up at the mall after Mayu's last final.
"There, there, Ko-chan. It's okay," she says into her hair, now patting her back. It's kind of awkward how this is happening in front of Auntie Anne's, but the moment Kotone saw her ex-roommate, she couldn't help herself and ran straight to her.
When Mayu moved out of the apartment, it took her a copious amount of consoling and reassurances that she would still be close by after leaving, that no, she doesn't hate her—in fact she loves her so very much, and that yes, she's really, truly, genuinely just moving because she found a place closer to both campus and the hospital she volunteers at.
But Nakyoung? She's a different case. It's safe to say that soulmates are real, and she would've believed it without the story behind Nakyoung being a cat and turning back into a human when she kissed her, because, um. Because Kotone is in love with her. "I don't know what to do, Mayu-san. I don't want her to go."
She pulls away from the hug, and Mayu smiles, tucking a strand of the younger's hair behind her ear. "Let's talk about it, then. Have you eaten lunch yet?"
Kotone meekly shakes her head. She'd woken up late and had since been waiting for the other, so she skipped breakfast. The older sighs.
…
Mayu pays for their pretzels and lemonade, and they find a place to sit near the store. Perhaps discussing this sort of thing in the middle of the mall on a Friday isn't the best idea, because there could very well be people they know roaming around, but Mayu wanted to buy new clothes and Kotone suggested the mall since it's not too far from campus.
They work through most of their food with minimal small talk before the older woman picks the conversation back up. "Do you want to start from the beginning?"
The beginning? Kotone briefly considers telling her the surface-level stuff, about just the roommate side and not the magical side. But… It's Mayu. And she won't get real, good advice if she doesn't tell her everything.
So she takes a sip of her strawberry lemonade and clears her throat. "At the start of the semester, I was coming home from practice when this black cat startles me and runs into the apartment…"
Kotone recounts the whole story, all of what happened these past two months along with some tidbits of her domestic life with Nakyoung. Throughout her retelling, Mayu nods along, commenting on some things, and of course, the more she went on, the bigger her eyes widen.
"…And now she's leaving. So." The younger woman clasps her hands, closing her eyes and pressing her forehead against her knuckles. "Please help me."
"…"
"…"
"…?" Kotone peeks from behind her hands, only to see the other woman with her jaw dropped.
Well, it's not like she expected anything different. She just confirmed magic is real and so are soulmates. While waiting for Mayu to process this new information, she drops her hands down and continues eating her pretzel.
As she's chewing, Mayu sips her drink and scratches her eyebrow. "So Nakyoung was your cat that found you because she had to find her soulmate after being cursed by Xinyu, who's a witch. And then she kissed you and turned back into a human. Then she became your roommate, you slowly realized you're in love with her, and now she's leaving?"
"Um." Kotone finally swallows the last bit of her food. "Yes."
Mayu leans her forehead on her palm, resting her elbow on the table between them. "And you haven't told her your feelings?"
"No." She flashes a sheepish grin. She felt annoyed but playful with Chaeyeon and Jiyeon and everyone else, but somehow talking with Mayu, who she's usually even more playful with, makes her feel like a little kid being scolded by their older sibling.
"Ko-chan, I—Okay," the older woman lets out a sigh, leaning back in her chair and folding her hands over her lap. "All I can tell you is to follow your heart. She's leaving tomorrow, yeah? Then on the day of, wake up and go straight to doing whatever your heart is telling you."
That… Kotone likes to call herself a sensible person, but… It's times like these where she's reminded that following her heart is what she always gravitates to in the end.
Seeing her hesitance, Mayu smiles and reaches over to pinch the younger's cheek. Kotone stares at her, unmoving, watches her hand as she pulls away. "Well, if you're really unsure, you can always just bribe her. Help her pack tonight and clean her room, make her breakfast tomorrow morning, and she'll want to stay."
"…Thank you, Mayu-san," Kotone says. She drinks the last of her lemonade and waits for Mayu to finish her food before taking the wrappers. "I needed that."
She clears her throat and stands up to toss their trash in a nearby bin. When she returns, Mayu's stood up and is adjusting her purse strap on her shoulder. "So… Shopping? And maybe Gongcha after?"
The older woman's eyes light up, and Kotone smiles when she grabs her arm. "Yes! I missed you sooo much, Ko-chan!"
Then she's dragged off towards one of many, many department stores they'll be visiting this afternoon. "H-Hey! Slow down!"
She is so glad for Mayu.
That night, Kotone did exactly what Mayu told her to do. She went home after a crazy shopping spree, marched right into Nakyoung's room, and helped her pack her things to go home. She made dinner, washed the dishes, and went straight to bed instead of playing games all night.
This morning, she woke up early (crazy, right?), swept through the apartment, made breakfast, and went out of her way to personally wake Nakyoung up.
To say that Nakyoung was beyond confused is an understatement. She wakes up to a clean house, her things neatly packed, and breakfast waiting for her? Suspicious, but she'll happily take it. Maybe Kotone's in a good mood.
Kotone is not in a good mood. She's currently a nervous wreck. She was pacing in front of Nakyoung's room, stared at her the whole time during breakfast, washed the dishes with shaky hands, and now as they're sitting on the couch together, her palms are sweaty and she's tapping her foot.
Nakyoung's train leaves at 10:03 in the morning, and it's now 9 a.m. She has approximately one hour to get her to stay.
"Fuck," she mutters.
The feline glances over. "Hm? Tone, did you say something?"
"No! No, I didn't. Um, you didn't forget anything, right?" Kotone carefully asks, sneaking glances at her soon-to-be ex-roommate.
Nakyoung stares at her, tilting her head. "I mean, I probably did. But you'll find it for me, won't you?"
"That goes without saying, doesn't it?" The Japanese woman responds, wiping her palms on her pants. Her heart is thudding against her chest, meanwhile Nakyoung's lips tug into a dopey smile, scooting over to rest her head on the other's shoulder.
No, don't do that. You'll hear my heart going 100 miles per hour. They spend the next beats in silence before Kotone decides she can't take anymore of her heart palpitations and clears her throat. "Nakyoung-unnie, I. Um."
The woman doesn't move, just hums.
Say something, damn it! She fidgets with her hands, needing something to do before she lets the dam break. "I…"
"Tone?" Now she sits up, looking at her concerned, her brows furrowed. "What's wrong?"
Kotone refuses to make eye contact and stares at the coffee table in front of them. There's the tiniest bit of a stain from when Nakyoung spilled her cup of coffee a few weeks ago. The air conditioner is blowing a gentle breeze toward them, so her bangs are moving with the circulating air, and ugh. This feels like it's coming straight out of some Shoujo manga trope bullshit.
"I love you."
The silence which follows feels like hours to the Japanese woman, while in reality it's only been a few seconds. However, her anticipation is quickly cut short when Nakyoung wraps her arms around her, nuzzling into her neck. A heavy blush creeps up her face, and she feels like she's going to explode.
"Tone~ I love you too!" Nakyoung says into her neck, sending shivers up her spine. She pulls away, keeping her arms where they are. "I mean, I've been loving you, not just because of the soulmate thing, but… I never expected you to love me back. I'm not dreaming, am I?"
All the tension leaves Kotone's shoulders, and she melts into Nakyoung's arms, bringing a hand up to pinch her cheek.
"Ow!"
"See? Not dreaming," the younger laughs, though not all of her worries are resolved. "So… does this mean you're not leaving?"
Nakyoung raises her brows. "Huh? No, I still have to visit my family. Wait, what?"
What? Was that all just for nothing? She's not ready for an LDR!
…Until the realization dawns over Nakyoung. "Wait, did you think I was leaving leaving? I'm not! I miss my dog! And, uh. I need to submit my transfer papers to my original university. I already submitted them to ours. I'm moving here for next semester and maybe grad school or probably working full-time."
"Oh my god," Kotone buries her face into Nakyoung's chest. "…I'm so relieved."
And the older woman smiles, combs her fingers through brown locks, and plants a kiss on her soulmate's head. "Did you really think I'd just move away after finding my soulmate? Of course not. I want to be with my lover—Ah, wait. Can I be your lover? Your girlfriend?"
"If I can be yours," the younger murmurs.
"Then it's settled!"
Kotone owes everyone she's confided in a cup of boba. And—
"Do you wanna come with me? I know you like dogs more."
"Unnie, your train leaves in forty-five minutes. And you need to leave in twenty."
"So?"
"…I'm more of a cat person, now."
(Kotone accompanies Nakyoung to the train station and helps her with carrying her luggage. While waiting in line with her for coffee at the station, she decides to shoot Xinyu a text, since she's kind of the root of everything that's happened in the past two months.
to: zhou xinyu
you [9:54 am]
we're dating
…
In Sohyun and Xinyu's shared room, the Chinese woman wakes up to a text from the person whose life she probably ruined at some point in the past two months. Groaning at whoever the hell is ruining her beauty sleep on a Saturday morning, she begrudgingly flips her phone over and reads the text.
She shoots up in bed, startling a poor sleeping Sohyun and causing her to frantically sit up, too. "What is it, Xinyu?!"
"Sohyun!" She shoves the phone in her girlfriend's face, starting to laugh uncontrollably. "I'M NOT A FRAUD!")