Today is the fifth day of the second week, a March day that brings to the sky a pleasant and gentle atmosphere, blooming with spring flowers. Up to this time, Wonwoo and Joshua have been living together for 5 months, a long enough time and not too short. The clock in the city square indicates that it is now 6 pm, the watch face made of tempered glass reflects the image of the third year student Jeon Wonwoo walking on the street passing by, intending to buy some green tea dumplings filled with meat for both him and his cat boy, since the cours made him so hungry and also Joshua must be the same, he just left it in the fridge enough food for lunch. However, no matter how many dumpling shops he went through, Wonwoo still deliberately did not stop. On the surface, Wonwoo keeps told himself that those shops weren't good enough, but in his heart, he knew that he was just doing it to avoid him as much as possible.

Wonwoo already realized early on that the more he was with Joshua, the more he liked him, and according to the feelings that were blossoming in his heart like passionate lilacs, the more he felt pain. On one hand, he really wanted to get back to Joshua as soon as possible so he could quickly see his face, but on the other hand, he absolutely didn't. Wonwoo lowers his head to look down at black shoes, and continues to walk past another dumpling shop, his thin lips pursed. Very awkward indeed.

It wasn't until the mournful orange-red of the sunset filled his eyes that Wonwoo returned to his familiar apartment. He had a bag of hot green tea dumplings in his hand and even though he was standing alone in the elevator, he still didn't raise his head. Another day, he tried to hypnotize himself to smile happily to meet him. It sucks, but you have to do it. You have to hide this feeling of yours. But as soon as he stopped in front of the iron gate, the smiling face disappeared.

The cold lock remained on the iron bar, categorically denying all existence behind the door. He looked at it for a moment, involuntarily letting out a sigh of relief. So he went out. Recently, he often encouraged him to actively go out to communicate with others, so he gave him his private key in order for him going out whenever he wanted. However, as soon as he put his bag on the desk, Wonwoo's heart swelled with a jolt. It's 7pm now, he's never been this late before, which makes Wonwoo nervous. He swallowed. The thin jacket had just been haft taken off immidiately be put on, Wonwoo quickly put the bag of dumplings in the rice cooker and hurriedly tried to find him. Instantly he touched the door handle, it automatically turned a circle, the wooden door opened.

"Sorry, I'm late..."

Joshua took a look and saw that Wonwoo hadn't had time to take off his uniform, the anxiety appeared in his eyes, which were as cold as an iceage, making himself heartbroken, tenderly apologizing. Wonwoo was still in a position of leaning slightly towards the door handle, seeing him, he froze, then didn't answer, just nodded and turned to go inside. The simple thing was that when he saw him, every anger in his body, even the communication part, went wrong. He smiled mechanically and quietly walked inside the house until he discovered crimson flowers blooming on his sweater - flowers that made his face turn white because ofc scare. Wonwoo let out a cry, rushing over to help Joshua out of the chair. The crimson nectar of those flowers kept flowing down from his sleeve, following his hand, red all over the sofa. Blood drains from his face, so panic that he tripped when he ran to find a first aid kit for him.

- Joshua! What happened to you like this? - He faced his bare back full of wounds but felt pity, so scared that words seemed to stick together, sweat on his forehead in the cold weather. In response to Wonwoo, he just smiled gently:

- Don't worry, I'm fine... It's just that I walked on the street in the form of a cat for a while, carelessly meeting feral cats, so I got beaten up.

Wonwoo frowns at the layers of scratches that are overlapping on his back, a mixture of anger and pity in his heart, but he can only sigh and continue to apply bandages to his  back.

- How often dd you go out these days? You met someone?

Joshua's body suddenly became stiff. He's silent for a while, until Wonwoo looks up, he meets his eyes as gentle as water, a little startled, the gauze roll in his hand falls to the carpet. He didn't pay much attention, softly replied:

-I went to visit an old friend.

- Oh... Is it.. Cat or human?

He stared at him with a questioning look, then said in a soft voice as soon as he didn't have time to react:

- An human

- ...

- Wonwoo-ah... I'm sorry for being so late... - Joshua grabbed his wrist, turned around, his beautiful eyes filled with regret - You can't help but go, I'm so worried right?

The moment his hand touched him, he reflexively avoided it, but then the warmth from that warm hand calmed him down, the rapid increase in heart rate and body temperature made it feel difficult. bear some happiness. Wonwoo clears his throat a few times, then whispers like a mosquito:

- It's okay... Next time you should be a little more careful...

- I went to see my old owner.

After a light breath, he spoke tenderly. Wonwoo soon looks up, stunned for a moment, as if he's been taken aback by the coldness in that voice, momentarily speechless. But very quickly, he regained his composure. He shook his head slightly, shaking off the thoughts that he thought were delusions in his flickering brain. Like haste, he removed his hand, neither fast nor slow said:

- Joshua, we're going to have dinner...

- Do you have any questions you want to ask me? - He quickly grabbed his shirt, in the bottom of his eyes as clear as the autumn lake is the bottom of the dark and gloomy lake, boiling in it is an earnest plea. Wonwoo paused. He turned his head to look at Joshua, seeing that there were thousands of confidants in his heart that only he could hear, his heart suddenly felt like a rock had just fallen and crushed his heart, dragging his whole body with it. recline on the back of the chair. He sat close, his shoulders tilted slightly towards him, as if he wanted to be a support for this shoulder. Taking a deep breath, he calmly asked him:

- Tell me what you really want to say. Joshua, I always listen to you.

By some force, or simply perhaps it was because Joshua was already melted by his other kitten-like voice. He leaned over and rested his head on his shoulder wearily. In the gentle breaths coming from his nose, he could almost hear the sound of his heart. Wonwoo sucks in a deep breath, nudging the nervousness welling up in his chest.

"Before becoming a cat, of course I was also a human..." He gradually sank into the old memories that he had long buried, his face becoming dull. He told you. "The person who made me being me now was a psychopath, a mad scientist, someone who once refused to accept the highest awards in science, medicine and psychology. He married and had his child as everyone else, and with the love of a crazy person, he loved his son more than anything, willing to do anything for him. In the son's eyes at that time, he was such a great father. But something happened..." His tone dropped suddenly. " On a sunny summer day, which I will never forget... He asked me with a smile if I wanted to fulfill my biggest, deepest desire? The volcano erupted because of a strong tremor, I nodded in agreement. And he, that father..."

"...Joshua-ssi"

"...He transplanted me, both my body and my blood, with a cat, when I was seven years old."

Saying this, the hand that was resting on his thigh suddenly trembled like a thin rope being stretched. Joshua unconsciously leans over to him, that soft hand reaching up to grip Wonwoo's arms, seemingly longing to be able to rely on solid protection. Looking at the dread expression on his face, Wonwoo immediately forgot all his feelings of extreme surprise, and his heart swells with intense pity. He raised his hand and touched it very carefully. The rough but warm hand that covered the sweaty hand was such a small protection that it carried so much power that Joshua, almost a reflex, crouched close to him. more, like a little cat looking for warmth and safety. Wonwoo smiled and patted his hand a few times, then squeezed it, gently reassuring:

"If you don't like it, you don't have to tell me anymore, I think that's enough..."

"Father also married a mad woman. His wife is a cat-crazy, crazy-crazy..." With a strange determination, Joshua ignores Wonwoo's advice. "She loved her orange cat more than the son she had given birth to. She was told by his nanny that shortly after the son was born, the doctor advised her not to have contact with with the cat because it would affect his health as well as her milk supply, and for her cat's sake, she was determined to ignore those advice and leave him alone with his father, when he was still young" His throat began to vibrate violently, causing him to sob. "My father was heartbroken when he saw him playing alone with cold plastic animals, never receiving his mother's sweet milk, never being immersed in his mother's warmth... had never heard a loving lullaby from his mother. So his father, he did his best to make up for his mother's love for him. He hired up to ten nannies, he bought everything what his demanded, he did everything he asked... But he knew well that those things were never enough for a kid like him, so he came up with an idea..." Here , he immediately lowers his head, like a beautiful flower collapsing, the volume of his voice so low that Wonwoo has to strain his ears to hear every word clearly. He whispered, even in loud breaths:

"He's as crazy as he thought he was... he transplanted him with his mother's orange cat..."

Wonwoo felt like his arm has been pulled with such a force that it makes his whole body wobble, but he can't overcome gravity, and falls into a pool filled with shock and fear. He was extremely panicked, in his remaining calm will, he only instinctively wrapped his arms around and hugged him, because in his head suddenly a scary thought popped up. If he said anything more, his fragile body might break into small pieces and then disperse and disappear into the air. Joshua moved slightly, then snuggled into his lap, completely leaning on his pounding chest. He flashed a bitter smile.

"How useless it is that mom still doesn't love her son in the end. When she saw him with orange cat ears and hair the same color as her beloved cat, she had a heart attack and died. From that time... I've gotten used to living an unhappy life."

Wonwoo's hand tightened around him, in his dry pupils were rays of surprise, momentarily biting his lips but couldn't say anything. He is not a talkative person, not someone who can use words to comfort others, he has never done that himself. But Wonwoo knows one thing, he has to reassure him, his scared little kitty. When he was scared, it meant that he had just picked up a knife and stabbed himself with a fatal stab.

"Please don't be afraid... Joshua" - He said with difficulty, his hand reaching up and down his back, and he, after the pitiful trembling, finally hiccuped and burst into tears. Without having time to react, Wonwoo jumps in confusion, like a mechanical robot hugging him tightly, trying to give him a sense of security.

"Wonwoo, my father is dead. I just visited his grave!! Wonwoo, is it because of your existence that something like this happened?" In his sobs, he choked and could not speak, all the emotions in his mind burst like a bubble. But the tears in the corners of her long beautiful eyes were like pearls sliding down his cheeks, soaking his chest. He kept repeating his name over and over like a desperate plea for help. "Wonwoo, what should I do? Tell me, what should I do?"In Wonwoo's head at this moment, images flowed continuously, one after another, like a replay of a TV series revolving around the unhappy childhood of the main character named Joshua, rushing towards him like a movie star. He felt the wetness on his shirt, but he felt so much pain, so much pain that he cried. The heart seemed to be subjected to thousands of wounds and tons of salt rubbing together at the same time, the chest was compressed and it was difficult to breathe. Hugging Joshua, he tightened his grip on his arms even more. His retinas sting, said with both determination and unspeakable fear:

"Joshua, please don't be afraid. I will protect you, I will take care of you, I swear to my life. Please, let me protect you..."

Because you know? I love you...