CHAPTER SEVEN

Jumin groaned as he woke up with a pounding headache. This was so unlike him to over drink. He couldn't even remember what happened the night before, but he had an inkling that someone had been here with him.

When he looked around, he found his kitten asleep on top of his phone.

A small smile spread across his face. What had she been doing?

He picked up her soft, slumped over form before taking his phone. The messenger was already open when he unlocked it.

Curious and a little suspicious, he scrolling through last night's missed chats.

He could recall some of his last messages before he passed out, but after that, there were ones that he couldn't explain.

Under his name, Catherine the Great supposedly sent a few messages stating that she was human. No one believed her and the last thing she sent was a blurred photo of a humanoid figure he couldn't quite make sense of. It didn't look like anyone in particular and he couldn't even see any distinctive features because of how dim the room was.

He wondered if one of the staff had somehow sneaked in here and she heard him talk to Catherine the Great. It was possible and seemed to be the only explanation he had because it was impossible that his kitten was the actual culprit. Despite possessing some form of human understanding, she was still only a cat.

How could she also be human?

"Mew…"

He looked down at his lap where the subject of his thoughts was slowly roushing from sleep. Her waking face was adorable.

Unfortunately, she began to panic shortly after and appeared on the verge of tears if felines were able to shed any.

"Kitten… Shh…" He gently hushed her, stroking her back.

She blinked widely at him before pawing his phone. Did she mean to... use it… again…?

No.

Impossible.

[Did cat boy finally lose it?]

ZEN: It's official

Cat boy is crazy

I think we should call a psychiatrist

Jaehee Kang has entered the chatroom.

Jaehee Kang: I know yesterday was a bit strange, but I can't imagine him pretending to be a woman even if he was drunk.

I don't think he even owns a wig.

Is there a side of him that I don't know?

ZEN: He's always been a little crazy

I can see him doing that when he's drunk!

And who knows… maybe he's into that

V has entered the chatroom.

V: You said you dreamt of a catgirl?

ZEN: Yeah, but that was only a dream!

He has to know that dreams are not real!

V: I believe that dreams could be special.

Haven't you mentioned before when your dreams became reality?

ZEN: A few times, but they were actually believable!

She had cat ears and a tail!

V: I don't think we can discredit it just yet.

Jaehee Kang: I am on Zen's side.

A cat girl is impossible.

The reason is that they simply do not exist outside of the imagination.

ZEN: Thank you Jaehee

Jaehee Kang: Of course.

I am only being realistic.

Jumin Han has entered the chatroom.

ZEN: How's the catgirl?

V: Zen…

Jumin Han: I have no explanations for what occurred last night, but the photo is not of me.

There was a woman here with long blonde hair, cat ears, and a cat tail.

Perhaps my cat angel?

Jaehee Kang: Mr Han, if work has been too stressful, perhaps you should seek counselling.

Jumin Han: That is unnecessary.

I am with Catherine the Great and she is keeping me relaxed.

That said, I do hope that my cat girl will appear to me once more.

I cannot imagine a more perfect woman for me.

V: I believe you will find your perfect woman soon.

Jumin sighed.

He thought he had met the perfect woman once, but his best friend had gotten to her first and now, she was gone. Would things have gone differently if she had been with him instead?

"Mew…" Catherine the Great rubbed her cheek against his stomach, until a smile spread across his f ace.

"What if you were actually a real girl?" he mumbled.

She blinked and gave a small nod as if confirming his whimsical thoughts.

Jumin Han: Thank you.

I agree.

V: It was wonderful speaking to you all.

I must go now.

Jaehee Kang: Take care.

Jumin Han: Goodbye, V.

ZEN: See ya

V has left the chatroom.

Jaehee Kang: Mr. Han, we are truly concern for you if you need help.

Jumin Han: No, I am fine.

I will find out what happened last night.

Jumin Han has left the chatroom.

Catherine the Great was purring in his lap as he stroked her back, occasionally rubbing her ears.

If she was a woman, what would she look like? Would she have snow white hair and wide, green eyes?

…

Too soon, we had to return back to the penthouse. It was a nice place to be, but there had to be something special about the vineyard that allowed me to turn back into a human, however short it was.

Unfortunately, I hadn't been able to replicate the results anywhere else, but there was hope now. It was possible!

"Juuuumin!"

I jolted up, looking around to find a strange woman had burst into the room. I had never met her before.

She had long, magenta hair and light brown eyes. The puce dress she was wearing completely clashed with her features. She resembled a large plum.

Jumin came out of the bedroom to check the disturbance. His tie was still loose and he was in the process of tidying his cuffs. "Who are you? Are you the new maid?"

I covered my mouth with my paws as the woman's face turned as red as the rest of her. I knew for a fact that he knew she wasn't a maid. They wouldn't dress like that, but the way he said it made it seem as if he was serious.

"You should memorise the hours that you are meant to be here," he went on as she only became redder. "I have no time to tell you what to do. Come back another day with a trainer. I expect nothing but perfection."

He tightened his tie, buttoned up his suit jacket, and left.

"What… What was that?!" she shrieked and picked up the closest thing to her, which happened to be a trinket I personally liked, so I leapt up from my position on the couch and bit her hand.

Her scream nearly deafened me, but it was forgotten as soon as I was flung across the room.

Elizabeth came running to me, nudging my smaller body with the tip of her nose. She checked for any injuries and when she didn't find anything, she stood protectively in front of me.

"What is going on here?" the chief of security came in to find the woman stomping towards us. "Ms. Choi, I believe that Mr. Han has already left, so it's best if you tried to speak with him another time."

Gritting her teeth, she left, leaving me to lick my wounds.

"Meow…" Elizabeth continued to look at me with concern, so I rubbed my head against her in assurance.

My pride was the only thing that really hurt, but even that didn't matter. Whoever that lady was, I didn't like her.

This was most likely going to be trouble in the future. She seemed to have some sort of connection that allowed her access to the penthouse because security was always tight. No strangers were allowed to even come up here, so who was she?

Elizabeth gave my cheek a long lick and I sighed as I subjected myself to her grooming. I was slowly getting used to this. It had been so strange at first, but I found myself enjoying the attention she gave me.

When she was done, she picked me up by the scruff of my neck and carried me to bed.

"Meow." She curled around me like a protective mother hen.

"Mew!" I nuzzled against her and fell asleep.

Several days went by and I could see stress piling on top of him.

I wrapped my tail around the back of his neck as another sigh left his lips. "Mew…?"

He turned to me, his face a mere inch away. I could see every long, dark lash framing his eyes. He was very handsome.

"Kitten, I have some bad news." My heart dropped. What could it be? He wasn't sick, was he? "Father wants me to marry a woman I have never met before all for the sake of satisfying the woman he's with. I have become nothing but a business asset to him – to be used and traded."

He was going to be married?!

I didn't want him to marry such an obnoxious woman! In fact, a part of me didn't want him to be married to anyone at all. I knew I was growing increasingly greedy. Jumin wasn't mine to monopolise. Eventually, he was going to get married and I was only a cat.

A chuckle reached my ears. "You don't want me to get married either, do you?" He rubbed my head, making me purr. "Good girl… But I wary. Recently, he had a dreamt hat Elizabeth the 3rd was crying. She was also in a strange place. I don't know what I'll do if either of you left me."

I licked his hand. I had no plans to leave him as a cat, but as human… Would I want to go back to my boring job? Truth be told, I was certain I no longer had that job. I didn't even know what had become of my home or what the landlord had done to my things because I hadn't paid them in such a long time.

Essentially, I was homeless if I changed back. I had nowhere to return to.

Suddenly, I wasn't as motivated to change back. Life as Jumin's kitten was good and Elizabeth was like an older sister. Maybe I should just be happy with what I had now.

As time passed, I could see him continue to fall deeper and deeper into despair.

He had returned one day with a large metal cage. It sat in the middle of the living room and I feared what he planned to do with it.

"Elizabeth the 3rd, this is for your own good," I heard him tell her as I peeked around the corner.

He had Elizabeth in his arms and the obedient princess had allowed him to put her inside, but her large eyes were sad when he closed the door. "Don't worry. You'll have Catherine the Great with you."

My heart dropped. I didn't want to be inside that thing!

Quickly, I ran down the hall and hid.

"Catherine?" he called out. "Where are you?"

I kept as still as possible. How long was I going to be able to hide? Eventually, I was going to have to leave, but did that mean I had to leave him?

I didn't want to, but I didn't want to be trapped in a cage, either!

"Kitten…"

I stiffened when I heard him hovering right above me. There was no malicious aura around him and his eyes told me that he didn't want to do this, but it didn't make me feel much better.

He picked me out of his laundry basket and kept me close as I struggled, but it was futile. He easily made his way to the cage and opened it just wide enough for me to be placed inside.

When I heard the door close and clicked locked, I let out a cry.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "It won't be forever. Only until I know you're both safe. In there, no on can take you away from me."

No amount of begging changed his mind.

I slumped down, depressed and defeated.

Despite Elizabeth trying her best to cheer me up, it was still terrible in here.

"You have to eat. You're still a growing kitten." He pushed food through the bars, but I had no appetite.

Days passed by with no meaning. I had no energy for anything, so I slept the hours away, wishing that this was all a terrible nightmare.

"Meow." Elizabeth nudged my body, but I wasn't in the mood for it. "Meow…"

…

It hurt him to see them like this, but so much had gone wrong in such little time. His life had spun out of control and he had to do everything in his power to keep the ones he loved safe, even if it meant losing their trust in the short run.

Several times more, his father had visited him at work, completely disregarding the fact that he was interrupting important meetings. It was an absolute disaster. He was being made a fool in front of important investors. Their faith in him was fading and all his father cared about was his new fiancée, Glam Choi, and how to make her happy.

Even when his father wasn't there, Sarah had become bold enough to go to his work place, knowing that she had the backing of the Chairman.

The two women clung on like parasites. His father was too blinded by what he perceived to be love to see that they were both gold-diggers and only had eyes on their money.

"Meow."

He looked over to the cage where Elizabeth the 3rd was looking at him with wide, blue eyes. They were so sad that it hurt to see her. This was the last thing he wanted, but it was necessary. Their safety was everything him. He had to keep believing that or else he'd lose his resolve.

"Meow…"

He crouched down in front of her, but his eyes immediately slid over toe Catherine the Great who had been unnaturally quiet since he put her in the cage.

Guilt nagged at him as he realised he missed her more than his Elizabeth the 3rd. It was most likely because he always had his kitten with him. Without her, he was just a little colder and he found himself tempted to take her out to wrap around his neck.

"Kitten, come here," he urged her, but she remained motionless in the centre. Her eyes were untrusting and sad as if he had become her enemy. "Please. This is for your own good. Believe me."

She closed her eyes and it was another painful clench around his heart.

He was so conflicted. Would he lose them like this?

"I know you understand what I'm saying. I hope you can forgive me. I will try to settle everything as soon as possible, so please, find it in your hearts to forgive me," he murmured.

"Meow…" Elizabeth dipped her head and lay down on her stomach.

Perhaps he should call Assistant Kang to help him. He knew she wasn't the biggest fan of cats, but this was important.

" ?" she answered.

"Assistant Kang, I need you to come here." He explained the situation to her and although she was predictably reluctant, she agreed nonetheless.

When she arrived, there was a shocked look on her face. "Mr. Han, what is the meaning of this?"

"I told you. I am worried that someone will take them away. This is the only method I know to keep them safe," he stated, hoping that at least one person would understand why he was doing this.

She shook her head. "This is madness…"

He stubbornly ignored her remark and went over everything with her as if it was her first time taking care of them. It was good to be thorough.

"I will have to go to the office, but perhaps you can make them feel better when I cannot," he told her. "Lastly, to feed them, you will just have to open the door and – "

Elizabeth the 3rd darted out.

"Elizabeth the 3rd!" he shouted, just as security to burst in and his princess was gone. No matter how many times he called for her, she never even turned back to look at him. "Why did you come in?!"

" is – "

"tell her to leave!" he roared. "Have everyone look for Elizabeth the 3rd and close all the gates!"

"R-Right away, sir."

They looked for her for hours, but it was no use. Elizabeth the 3rd was gone.

When he returned to the penthouse, his heart skipped a beat when he remembered that he had forgotten to close the cage.

Thankfully, Catherine the Great was still obediently inside looking as disheartened as eve rand when he reached in for her, she limply submitted with no will to fight.

"Kitten… I'm sorry. I'm so sorry…" What could he do other than bed for forgiveness? He had failed them and now, Elizabeth the 3rd was gone. "Please, don't leave me. I will find her. I'll make things right. Just please… don't leave me."