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“Ahjussi is gone!” Shin Yoosoung cries.
Kim Dokja, in fact, was not gone, actually.
“Meow,” he meows, but is ignored. Because he is a cat.
“Hyung, where are you!” Lee Gilyoung wails.
The kids wander around the complex, calling his name and searching around nearby bushes to try and find him.
“Don’t tell me he’s gone, again.” Jung Heewon says with irritation clear on her face as she pinches the bridge of her nose.
“I’m sure he’s just with Joonghyuk-ssi, we just need to wait it out.” Why is that Yoo Sangah’s first assumption? It’s not like he was always with Yoo Joonghyuk all of the time, only sometimes.
“Seriously, we need to start putting that bastard on a leash or something.”
He tries to speak to them again, but all that is let out is a couple of meows. When no one bothers to pay any attention, he sighs as best as a cat can sigh and looks up at the blue screen floating behind him.
[Hidden Scenario: ComPAWnionship]
[Clear Conditions: ???]
[Time limit: 1 week]
[Rewards: proof of strong companionship within Kim Dokja’s Company, 5,000 coins]
[Penalty for failure: permanent cat ears on your incarnation]
‘Proof of strong companionship’? What kind of ass reward is that? Plus, what’s with that clear condition? Given the title of the scenario as well as the reward, Kim Dokja guesses that the clear condition has to do with some sort of interaction with his companions. He’ll just have to make sure they realize that this cat form is him. They will surely know what to do.
Suddenly, a brilliant idea pops up in his mind. He pulls up Midday Tryst and tries to type in something. When he tries to send it, however, an error message pops up.
[Unable to send due to the active scenario, ComPAWnionship.]
Well, fuck.
Thankfully, Shin Yoosoung notices him and gasps. Thank goodness, surely she will figure out that he’s turned into a cat due to a stupid scenario and let everyone know.
“A cat!” she whisper-shouts, likely being careful to not scare what would seem like a stray cat. “Pspspsp,” she makes a weird noise with her mouth.
Kim Dokja walks up to her and meows, please help me.
She pets him carefully before she scoops him up in her arms. Then, she gives him a curious stare and whispers, “ahjussi?”
Lee Gilyoung overhears this and rushes over, “Did you find him?!” he says before he sees the cat in her arms and sighs despondently. “Not this again.”
“It’s really him! He has a white coat, just like ahjussi. It has to be him, right?” She extends her arms so that she can get a better look at him.
Yes, it’s me, he wants to say, but he can’t, so he meows instead.
“If you are ahjussi, meow twice.” Very smart, this will surely let everyone know that this is really him, as expected of his incarnation.
“Meow, meow.”
Shin Yoosoung gasps and looks at Lee Gilyoung. “See, it really is him!” Yes!
“Dude, it’s probably just a coincidence, like the other times.” No!
“No, but this time I swear!” Shin Yoosoung looks hopeful, determination painting her eyes.
“You said the same exact thing the other 15 times,” Lee Gilyoung scratches the back of his head, “I’m pretty sure this one is just a normal cat.”
Looking at cat Kim Dokja hesitantly, Shin Yoosoung says, “but maybe this cat can help us find ahjussi? I’ve seen it in some movies before. It could be like Ms. Lestrade using Toby to find Enoch Drebber!”
“Isn’t that only with dogs though? Plus, what movie even is that?”
Shin Yoosoung shrugs. “It doesn’t matter, what matters is that this cat can definitely help us find ahjussi!” She lifts the cat in the air, “isn’t that right…uh, Mr kitty?”
No! They were so close to figuring it out. How else is he supposed to make them realize it’s him? Maybe his weird telepathic connection with Han Sooyoung can somehow make her draw conclusions that this cat version of himself is definitely him. All it would take is to meow at her constantly and surely she will connect the dots. Plus, Han Sooyoung already is practically half cat with the way she smiles like one.
He struggles out of Shin Yoosoung’s hold, making the girl gasp, “ah! No, Mr Kitty!”
Once out of her arms, Kim Dokja makes a run for it and runs to a Han Sooyoung shouting to the empty air, “Kim Dokja! Come back here! I know you can hear us! I’ll expose your secret to Yoo Joonghyuk if you don’t, you bastard!”
What. What fucking secret. He didn’t have any secrets concerning that guy?
Kim Dokja makes his way in front of Han Sooyoung and meows. When that doesn’t get her attention, he resorts to biting her ankle.
“Ow! What the hell?!”
Han Sooyoung finally looks down and notices him. Then, she takes a quick look around to see if anyone is looking at her and crouches down.
“Hey, have you seen a guy named Kim Dokja by any chance?“ She whispers to him. “He has a really punchable and ugly face and is always wearing this white coat, similar to you actually.”
I’m that ugly bastard, he meows to her, even though he doesn’t think he’s ugly at all. He’d actually say he’s decent looking, but that’s not relevant.
“You haven’t seen him?” She stands back up from her crouching position before she puts a hand behind her neck, “so I’ve figured. Damn.”
So much for their telepathic communication.
“There you are!”
He sees Shin Yoosoung and Lee Gilyoung running towards Han Sooyoung’s direction before they pant, out of breath from chasing after him.
“Unnie, we have to take this cat back to the complex!” Shin Yoosoung says after she catches her breath.
“Huh?” is all Han Sooyoung says.
“This cat might be ahjussi!” She then scoops him up in her arms. “Don’t worry Kitty-ahjussi, we’ll get you all nice and bathed and then find a way to help you.” she boops his nose with her finger.
Yes, great, fantastic, good plan, as expected of his incarnation.
–
It was not a great, fantastic, good plan.
He’s fighting for his life in this bathtub. It’s like he’s drowning, is he drowning? Would dying be better?
It’s kind of embarrassing, the way he is clawing at the edges of the bathtub trying to get far far far away from the cold water. Maybe dying doesn’t sound that bad afterall, he’s done it multiple times already, what’s one more?
“Kitty, we’re trying to help you– ah! No, don’t do that!”
And really, he’s trying his best to not claw at his incarnation, but he needs to get out of here. He meows, but it sounds more like a yowl of desperation.
The water splashes as he tries to get away, causing the Shin Yoosoung that is washing him to get wet.
With that, he manages to get out of the bath tub and bolts his way out of the room and makes his way back outside.
“Wait-! Ack, there’s water everywhere– no, kitty-ahjussi, don’t go!”
He doesn’t even think about where he’s going, he just runs, trying to get as far as possible.
Getting tired, Kim Dokja looks behind him to make sure no one is following him and slows to a slower walk.
Now what, he thinks to himself. I guess I’ll just have to succumb myself to permanent cat ears. The thing is, the rewards for this scenario aren’t good enough for him to want to try and succeed, it’s just… the penalty. He’s not becoming catja. Wait, he already is catja. Fuck.
Okay, think about it like this, cat ears aren’t so bad. He’ll have better hearing. The only downside is that he can hear snickering coming from his mental Han Sooyoung, making fun of him. But, he already gets made fun of enough by her, so really if he thinks about it, there are no downsides, right? Just benefits. Just benefits.
Noises coming from his right causes his ears to perk up. He stays still as he tries to listen. Eventually the noises come to a stop, so Kim Dokja decides to walk closer and investigate.
What he sees is a Yoo Joonghyuk crouched in front of a bush, as if looking for something, probably another secret item. Kim Dokja just sits there, watching him.
Yoo Joonghyuk eventually gets up with some sort of object in his hand that Kim Dokja can’t see with his current height. The man turns around to the general direction of where the complex is, spotting Kim Dokja in the process.
Kim Dokja blinks at him. Yoo Joonghyuk blinks back.
Of course, how could he ever forget about his telepathic connection with Yoo Joonghyuk.
But then, Yoo Joonghyuk grunts and continues his walking, boots crunching on the spare branches and leaves on the ground. Okay, rude.
Kim Dokja follows him, observing him all the while.
Yoo Joonghyuk is big like this, he was always big, Kim Dokja’s known this, but here he’s able to look without any distractions. His shoulders are broad, a big expanse of muscle that can just barely be seen shifting as he walks. Must be so big from carrying the whole entire plot of TWSA on his back.
Suddenly Yoo Joonghyuk stops walking, shoulders tense as he crouches down to observe what is in front of him. But Kim Dokja can’t see what exactly it is that he’s looking at.
“Kim Dokja,” he hears Yoo Joonghyuk mutter under his breath.
He feels himself freeze, as if caught. He meows to Yoo Joonghyuk as a response, yes?
But Yoo Joonghyuk doesn’t respond back.
Curious, Kim Dokja walks around Yoo Joonghyuk to find what he’s looking at. Yoo Joonghyuk wasn’t talking to him at all, he realizes, because there on the ground is his white Infinite Dimension Space coat along with Unbreakable Faith.
Kim Dokja observes Yoo Joonghyuk; his eyes are furious, his eyebrows are pinched into a deep furrow, and his mouth is downturned into a scowl. Kim Dokja doesn’t know why.
Yoo Joonghyuk gathers the scattered items into his arms and keeps on walking. Kim Dokja just follows him back, silent. His body is stiff, Kim Dokja notices.
The walk to the complex is silent.
–
“Kim Dokja is gone,” Yoo Joonghyuk announces as he barges his way inside. While the door is still open, Kim Dokja sneaks in too.
Han Sooyoung makes her way to him and questions, “He wasn’t with you?”
“No.” He puts his hand into the pockets of his black coat and pulls out Kim Dokja’s very own signature white coat as well as his sword. “Kim Dokja is gone,” Yoo Joonghyuk repeats.
“Shit, it’s probably another one of that guy’s stupid plans or something.” Han Sooyoung mutters as she runs her hand through the strands of her hair. “You don’t think he’s seriously injured somewhere though, right?
“I’ll find him.”
A shiver runs down Kim Dokja’s spine, what’s with that threat? Hey, I’m right here. Don’t go anywhere, Kim Dokja meows. This brings the attention of the other two, who stare at him blankly.
“Hey! It’s that cat again!” Han Sooyoung’s eyes widen before she points at cat Kim Dokja.
There’s also faint recognition in Yoo Joonghyuk’s eyes, it seems like that guy didn’t realize Kim Dokja was following him back to the complex, reckless as ever, Joonghyuk, tsk tsk.
“Again?”
“Yoosoung was saying all this stuff about how she believes that that cat is the missing Kim Dokja. I personally don’t believe it, hell I even asked the cat and he said that he wasn’t Kim Dokja.”
Which he did not say, by the way.
Yoo Joonghyuk then crouches down in front of Kim Dokja and places his hand in front of him like some sort of offering.
Hi, it’s me, Joonghyuk-ie, I’m Kim Dokja. Don’t listen to Han Sooyoung, he says, but it comes out as a long string of meows instead.
“This one is noisy.” Yoo Joonghyuk furrows his brows before he mutters under his breath, “...like that guy.”
Kim Dokja bites his hand, and the bastard doesn’t even flinch or anything, so Kim Dokja bites him harder.
“Annoying like him too.” Yoo Joonghyuk moves to place his hand above Kim Dokja’s head. Kim Dokja tries to tilt his head away to avoid contact, but because Yoo Joonghyuk has stupidly big hands he can’t avoid it, so he just succumbs to it. Succumbs to the way that Yoo Joonghyuk pets him on the head surprisingly gently.
And… it feels nice. It’s nice in a way that is too gentle for someone like Kim Dokja, but he’s too greedy to move away, so instead, he leans into Yoo Joonghyuk’s touch.
The last thing he registers before sleep takes him is the loud sound of a motor engine and Yoo Joonghyuk’s slightly upturned lips.
—
“Shhh it’s sleeping!”
“Hey, wait, I need a photo of this– hold on!”
“Shh!”
Kim Dokja blinks his eyes open to the sounds of whispering voices hovering above him. He didn’t even realize when he began to close his eyes. Was the feeling of Yoo Joonghyuk that relaxing?
Blurry images of the members in his company start to form coherently, making him see exactly where the whispering voices came from. From what he can see all of the party members are around him, with Lee Jihye, Shin Yoosoung, and Lee Gilyoung being the ones closest to his face. Han Sooyoung, Yoo Sangah, Jung Heewon, and Lee Hyungsung were standing behind the kids, a soft adoring expression adorned on their faces. Everyone was there, except for one person.
“Ah, it’s awake!” he hears from Lee Jihye, followed quickly by the sound of a shutter going off.
“Aw, he’s so sleepy!”
“Do you really think it’s Hyung?”
He sees Shin Yoosoung frown, “I’m not really sure, but it has to be him!”
Jung Heewon sighs before she puts a hand through her hair, “I hope you’re right, that guy really needs to learn that he can’t just leave whenever. Is he ever going to get it through his head that we actually care about him?”
Hah, there’s no way it’s like this, is there? Do they really?
[Personal Skill, the Fourth Wall, shakes!]
Han Sooyoung claps her hands together twice, effectively ending the party’s chatter around Kim Dokja, “Hey, pay attention everyone!”
Everyone turns their attention to Han Sooyoung who strides over to cat Kim Dokja. And, Kim Dokja? He has a bad feeling about this.
She lifts up the cat in her hands and holds him up like he was Simba. “We gather here today to celebrate the joining of our newest member of Kim Dokja’s Company! Since Kim Dokja is currently missing in action, he doesn’t get a say.” She then sticks out her tongue and yells into the sky, “Boohoo, fuck you Kim Dokja! Stop leaving without telling anyone!”
Is this really what the party does every time he dies or leaves for a long period of time? He doesn’t remember it being like this the first couple of times.
“Everyone all in favor of this cat joining Kim Co. raise your hand!”
Everyone’s hand raises up. Seriously, is that all it took to become a member?
Cheers surround the room and hands clap together. Kim Dokja feels something get placed on his head and then hears coos from all around him.
“Aw, he’s so cute, now he’s matching with Biyoo!” Shin Yoosoung exclaims, which causes Biyoo to puff up out of nowhere and nuzzle into Kim Dokja. It’s different now that he’s only just a little bit bigger than Biyoo is.
Suddenly, that motor engine he’s heard from before comes back, it causes him to jump and look around, but then the noise stops.
“Oh my god! It’s purring!”
Is that what that loud sound was? Purring?
It’s a blur after that, everyone took their turns petting Kim Dokja, they were all gentle and took a long time cooing at him and taking photos of him. It’s not that Kim Dokja doesn’t mind all of the attention, he genuinely enjoys being able to make his company smile, even if it’s at his expense, it’s just all… over stimulating.
At one point during his welcoming party they tried putting him into a cat-sized suit given to them by Uriel but Kim Dokja decided then that he was tired. So, he just fled the room.
Then, he spots Yoo Joonghyuk coming through the front door of the main space of the complex; he was missing from the entire party scene, Kim Dokja realizes now. His eyebrows furrowed together, his mouth set into deep frown, his eyes were glossed over as if he was thinking hard about something. Did he just come back from looking for another hidden piece?
Curious about the expression on the man’s face, Kim Dokja decides to follow him, much like earlier when they were both outside. How does Yoo Joonghyuk usually act when Kim Dokja wasn’t there? It’s the perfect time to find out.
Yoo Joonghyuk goes to his room and sits on the edge of his bed, he lies his sword beside him so that it leans against the bed frame. The night is silent and Kim Dokja walks closer, careful not to make any noise lest he gets caught. The regressor leans forward, putting his head in his hands as he sits in contemplation. What is he thinking about?
The night sky casts a blue hue in the room, only highlighted by the brightness of the moon. It contrasts the loud room he was in earlier, filled with laughter and warmth. Kim Dokja frowns. Yoo Joonghyuk was a lonely person.
With a sudden burst of something that Kim Dokja himself can’t be bothered to name, he stalks into Yoo Joonghyuk’s room and jumps onto his bed. Feeling the slight weight of the cat, Yoo Joonghyuk lifts his head and turns his attention to Kim Dokja.
Kim Dokja knows that Yoo Joonghyuk was the type to be alone and do things by himself, he doesn’t want it to be like that.
He can’t help him, can’t make him feel any less lonely, but hopefully he can provide comfort in a form like this. It’s simply just a debt to pay after all.
Kim Dokja walks up to him and makes his way to Yoo Joonghyuk’s lap and sits down. Like before, Yoo Joonghyuk’s hand comes up to pet his head, smooth, gentle motions.
No one says anything, they don’t need to.
–
Eventually Yoo Joonghyuk fell asleep, leaving Kim Dokja as the only one awake. They moved positions, with Yoo Joonghyuk laying properly on his bed and Kim Dokja moving to lay on his chest, facing the regressor.
It’s during a moment like this where Kim Dokja thinks to himself that he wouldn’t mind staying as a cat for a while.
Kim Dokja doesn’t normally get to be this close to Yoo Joonghyuk without the other guy looking like he wants to bite his head off, so it’s a perfect opportunity to just stare. When else is he going to get a chance like this?
Not to mention the fact that it was a sleeping Yoo Joonghyuk that he was looking at. His face was peaceful as he slept. If Kim Dokja was a human he’d probably do something stupid like caress his face or brush his bangs away. He finds himself placing a paw on Yoo Joonghyuk’s face anyways.
It’s here that Kim Dokja realizes that he just likes to watch Yoo Joonghyuk when he is alone like this; for some reason, it’s interesting to him. Was he always like this in TWSA?
—
He’s only following Yoo Joonghyuk around the complex for two reasons. One, he cooks really good food. And two, he’s simply just using this opportunity to observe Yoo Joonghyuk in his natural habitat. There is no third reason. He doesn’t follow him because he enjoys his presence and his caress, obviously, that would be weird.
It’s only been a few days, and while Kim Dokja’s made no progress with his scenario, he has made a couple of observations about how his companions work when he’s not around, which is information with equal amounts of value.
Every morning someone in the party takes turns cooking food, usually it falls to Yoo Joonghyuk; this is something that is not unusual since it happens whenever Kim Dokja is around too. But the real thing that’s interesting is that after eating, Yoo Joonghyuk leaves the complex like he’s in search of something.
Kim Dokja had followed him when he began his walks, just to see what he was doing. It doesn’t appear to be a hidden scenario or a secret piece or anything like that. He usually walks for long periods, mostly alone, unless someone like Lee Jihye asks to tag along with him.
Today is a day where Kim Dokja had decided to not follow Yoo Joonghyuk and instead observe his other companions. Usually, when Kim Dokja is there, one of the kids would pop up and enjoy his company, or someone else from the party would ask him something.
And to be honest, it’s not much different from when he is there. Everyone does well and they all interact amongst each other, like where the kids are flipping around coins or where Lee Hyungsung and Jung Heewon are sparring or where Han Sooyoung is using terrible flirting tactics to try and impress Yoo Sangah.
It makes Kim Dokja smile. Despite that, something that he doesn’t know what to call simmers deep inside of him.
Being a cat is kind of like using Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint Stage 3, except for the fact that he occasionally gets random pets from everyone and that he can’t float around.
There is one thing that is bothering Kim Dokja, however. He finds that Yoo Joonghyuk spends most of his time alone and not with the rest of the party. It’s normal, given that guy’s bitchy attitude, but like this, Kim Dokja is faced with the fact that despite everything, he’s still like this. He’s still that lonely regressor from TWSA, the very same one that when Kim Dokja read him, he felt a little less lonely.
Kim Dokja remembers times where Yoo Joonghyuk was just watching the party afar, walking behind everyone else. During that time, Kim Dokja had slowed down his own pace to match Yoo Joonghyuk’s to walk alongside him.
Then, there was that one time during dark castle where everyone threw a frenzy when Kim Dokja took the stone, but when Yoo Joonghyuk had it in his hands, it was only Kim Dokja who was desperate not to make Yoo Joonghyuk sacrifice himself. This guy needed to interact with everyone more.
The thing is, Kim Dokja knows how much care Yoo Joonghyuk has for his companions, had read it in TWSA and had seen it himself with his actions.
It makes Kim Dokja frustrated. Is he purposefully distancing himself from his companions because he fears the hurt of losing them?
When Yoo Joonghyuk eventually arrives back to the complex from his walk, Kim Dokja bites his ankle.
“What are you–!?”
Hey, you bastard, Kim Dokja meows, and then walks his way to where the rest of their companions are playing a board game. When he looks back, he notices that Yoo Joonghyuk isn’t following him, he bites his ankle, tugging it forward, and meows again.
“Showing me something..?” Yoo Joonghyuk mutters under his breath.
When Yoo Joonghyuk arrives to where everyone else is, Lee Jihye notices him and asks, “Master! Do you want to join?”
“Hey, wait, if he joins it’s an instant loss for the rest of us,” Jung Heewon says with a frown.
“He can’t be that good,” Lee Gilyoung mutters under his breath, crossing his arms
Yoo Mia nudges him at his side, “Hey, I always win whenever I play with Oppa! ”
“Sangah, watch this, I can totally beat that guy, they don’t call me the pro board game player for a reason, amirite?” Han Sooyoung says with a face that only she would only describe as smooth and suave.
Yoo Joonghyuk scoffs, “I can beat you.”
“Hah! Then prove it!”
Yoo Joonghyuk sits down, and Kim Dokja takes his golden opportunity to sit on his lap so that he doesn’t try to leave.
“That cat really likes you, huh, Joonghyuk-ssi? He’s always following you around.”
—
Kim Dokja, really, really, really doesn’t mind being a cat. If Kim Dokja had it his way, he would stay stuck as a cat for longer, actually. Especially here, like this, on top of Yoo Joonghyuk’s bare chest doing what can only be described as ‘making biscuits.’
Is he shameless? Absolutely. Does he care? No, not really.
Sue him for wanting to take the opportunity to touch Yoo Joonghyuk’s massive chest. He can’t do it when he’s a regular human, Yoo Joonghyuk would kill him.
And it’s not like it’s his fault, if anything it’s Yoo Joonghyuk’s. Yoo Joonghyuk is also petting him with his large and warm hand with gentle strokes, making Kim Dokja purr like his life depends on it. It feels nice. Very nice. He’s exactly where he wants to be.
His companions don’t need him, right? They do well enough when he isn’t around, so surely they won’t mind if Kim Dokja is gone for a little while longer. Plus, he has a few days to figure out what the clear conditions were for the scenario, so it wouldn’t be bad to just relax. It’s not like getting cat ears was the worst thing in the world, if he does fail the scenario that is.
It’s just that, it feels very nice. And it’s especially nice to see the way Yoo Joonghyuk unknowingly lets out a smile. A smile. And Yoo Joonghyuk never smiles.
He really should smile more.
If Yoo Joonghyuk knew that this cat was him, he wouldn’t be acting like this.
Kim Dokja continues to knead his chest, letting out soft purrs as he does so, but surprisingly something devastating happens; something that Kim Dokja would never expect. Something that he’s never realized he’s longed for for so long.
Yoo Joonghyuk moves carefully and plants a kiss in the space between Kim Dokja’s cat ears. And whatwhatwhatwhatwhat. What. What. What. What the fuck. Yoo Joonghyuk is going to kill him if he ever finds out that Kim Dokja was the cat this whole time.
Him, Yoo Joonghyuk? Kissing him? Unbelievable, unthinkable even. It’s not even possible. That scenario only happens in Kim Dokja’s oldest dreams, ones that he keeps closest to him. Haha, right, he’s just a cat after all. Yoo Joonghyuk kissed a cat, not him.
And because he’s greedy, Kim Dokja takes advantage of this and allows Yoo Joonghyuk to give this strange sense of gentle affection.
“Cute.” Yoo Joonghyuk says under his breath. And holy shit, Kim Dokja is going to die. He called me cute? By technicality of course. Haha.
Kim Dokja decides that it wouldn't hurt to give him a kiss of his own, Yoo Joonghyuk wouldn’t know, after all. He gives Yoo Joonghyuk a small lick on his cheek, so small that it wouldn’t even be felt.
But after that small millisecond, smoke fills the room with a puff and suddenly Yoo Joonghyuk doesn’t look as big as he did a second ago, huh strange.
Oh and apparently he’s sitting on top of Yoo Joonghyuk. Naked.
“Kim Dokja?”
And apparently he’s sitting on top of Yoo Joonghyuk. Naked. And in his regular human form. Did he mention that already?
And like she had cat ears of her very own, Han Sooyoung pops in, “What, did you find hi– What the fuck!?” She shuts the door to his room closed before she opens it again, then she closes it again. “What the hell did I just walk into?”
“It’s not what it looks like?” Kim Dokja says, phrasing it as a question.
“Well, you’re butt naked sitting on top of Yoo Joonghyuk! Are you sure it’s not what it looks like?!” Han Sooyoung exclaims behind the closed door. “This was what you two were doing when you guys both went missing? Oh my god.” Han Sooyoung groans.
Kim Dokja could only just glare at Yoo Joonghyuk, say something! However, the said guy is just looking at him with an expression that Kim Dokja doesn’t think he wants to know what it means. He immediately flicks his eyes away before he realizes that, yes, he really is just naked. So he grabs Yoo Joonghyuk’s blanket and wraps it around himself, just to provide some sort of decency.
“The cat.” Yoo Joonghyuk says ever so helpfully, still looking at Kim Dokja with that expression.
It’s that that makes Kim Dokja flush, face turning hot because oh my god what did I just do. He really just made biscuits on Yoo Joonghyuk’s chest and purred while doing so.
Kim Dokja opens his mouth and tells Yoo Joonghyuk, “It’s not what it looks like.” It’s exactly how it looks. Maybe he should’ve been less shameless.
“You’re,” Yoo Joonghyuk says, “you’re the cat.”
“What!” Han Sooyoung yells before gasping out, “you lied to me, bastard! You said that you weren’t Kim Dokja when I asked!”
Kim Dokja has been sitting on Yoo Joonghyuk for too long so he tries to get up, but one of Yoo Joonghyuk’s hands wrap around his wrist, effectively keeping him there. He glares at the bastard. He doesn’t want to stay here a second longer
“I did not lie to you, I didn’t even say that!” he yells back to Han Sooyoung while struggling his way out of Yoo Joonghyuk’s hold.
Eventually, he manages to release himself, and makes his way to open the door, still wrapped in Yoo Joonghyuk’s blankets.
He hears the regressor grit out a low, “Kim Dokja,” but decides to ignore him, opening the door.
“Were you really that cat?” Han Sooyoung asks him.
“No,” Kim Dokja replies back, because he can. Then, he pushes his way past her and walks to his own room.
“He was definitely that cat, wasn’t he,” he hears her say, voice fading out the farther Kim Dokja walks.
—
He just has to live with the embarrassment. It’s fine. Well no, it’s actually not fine. No, it actually is fine. Very fine.
After that whole fiasco, Kim Dokja checked the clear conditions of the scenario. In place of the question marks that he saw days ago was a line of text that reads, ‘express mutual care and love towards another companion from within Kim Dokja’s Company!’
That’s what the clear condition was this entire time? Seriously?
The door to his room suddenly barges open, causing Kim Dokja to yelp, because of fucking course it’s Yoo Joonghyuk. Who else would it be?
“Kim Dokja.” is all he says.
“What, never heard of knocking before?”
“You never knocked.”
“But I couldn’t? I had paws.”
“You could’ve scratched the door.”
“And ruin our furniture?”
Yoo Joonghyuk just sighs exasperatedly before he makes his way to where Kim Dokja is on his bed, still wrapped around Yoo Joonghyuk’s blankets.
“Move.”
Kim Dokja scoots, making space for Yoo Joonghyuk. He doesn’t know why he does this.
“You were the cat.” Yoo Joonghyuk accuses.
Kim Dokja nods. “Yeah, I was the cat.”
“Why did you run away to your room?” Kim Dokja rolls his eyes at that.
“Because I was naked?” Kim Dokja lies.
“Oh.” Yoo Joonghyuk says eloquently.
Kim Dokja can’t help but laugh at that. “What, are you upset that it was me the entire time?” Kim Dokja tries to give Yoo Joonghyuk his usual teasing smirk, but it falls flat.
Yoo Joonghyuk makes a complicated face, like he doesn’t know what to say to that.
“It’s okay, Joonghyuk, I understand, you must feel very embarrassed.” Kim Dokja gives Yoo Joonghyuk two pats on the shoulder.
Yoo Joonghyuk’s eyebrows furrow some more. He’s still not saying anything, so Kim Dokja tries his best to fill in the silence so that it’s not awkward. “Haha, I get it, really don’t worry about it. I was a cat, and–”
“That’s not… I wouldn’t mind if…”
Not what? Wouldn’t mind what? Damn bastard, finish your sentences. Kim Dokja bites his lip.
“Can I do it to you too, still?” Yoo Joonghyuk finishes, looking directly into Kim Dokja’s eyes. It’s hard to look away.
Kim Dokja sucks in a breath, he doesn’t dare hope. “Do what?”
“Don’t be an idiot.” Yoo Joonghyuk scoffs, leans closer, then moves his hand to cup it around Kim Dokja’s face. “Can I–?”
“I really don’t know what you mean.”
Yoo Joonghyuk decides to be funny and show him what exactly he means, which apparently means kissing him, on his lips this time.
Oh.
Now would be the time where Kim Dokja would pull away from Yoo Joonghyuk, to lean back and tell him that he’s got it wrong. It’s something Kim Dokja should do if he was a better person. Good thing Kim Dokja has never thought of himself as a good person anyways, because he indulges himself and decides to kiss Yoo Joonghyuk back, lips fumbling all the while, with hands hovering, unsure of where to put them.
Kim Dokja kisses him like he doesn’t want to let him go.