IH Ch 9

Chapter 9

Before long, while lying on his side, he began to gently stroke the cat nestled in his arms. Whether it was thanks to that or not, the cat—who had looked like it was about to breathe its last—regained some strength in its body.

The fur under his hand felt soft. His body kept curling instinctively toward the warmth of this other being. Like an egg being incubated, he lay under the blanket with the cat the entire time. When he shared food and water, the cat became livelier. Though it still trembled, it stopped staying still and began wandering around. It felt as though it was curious about the place it was in. Watching quietly, he eventually lifted the small creature in his hands.

Looking into the eyes of the cat that lay limp and obedient in his palms, he brought his face closer. Lick. A small, rough tongue lapped at the tip of his nose, and he couldn’t help but let out a quiet laugh.

‘What is this now?’

At the cold voice behind him, his shoulders flinched.

When he turned around, the cat still cradled in his arms, he saw a man through the small square window above the door. His face, darkened by the lack of light, contrasted with the pair of eyes that gleamed unnaturally bright.

‘…….’

The cat squirmed in his arms as if it felt stifled.

No, stay still. As he pressed his hands tighter, the little body gave a light tremble. Alarmed, he looked down and saw the cat’s head roll back limply. In his panic, he loosened his grip and the cat dropped from his hands. He hurried to pick it back up, but the sturdy iron door creaked open and the man stepped inside. Thud, thud. The sound of heavy steps drew closer, and just as he lifted his head, a long leg swung in front of him. Startled, he shut his eyes tightly, but no pain followed.

As he forced strength into his trembling hands and slowly opened his eyes again, he saw the man. The man, who had been staring at him for a long time with those eerily white sclera and sharp pupils, now twisted his face into a sneer.

“Fucking bitch. Giving birth to something like this without permission…”

Muttering to himself like a curse, the man spat on the floor and left the room.

Even after being left alone, he sat there for a long time without moving. Eventually, with difficulty, he turned his stiff neck to look toward the base of the wall—where something lay limp.

‘…….’

He simply stared at the motionless form stretched out from ears to tail, then clenched his fists tightly.

His heart pounded out of rhythm. His head grew hot, and his vision stung. But it wasn’t sorrow. The emotion surging within him now was…

“Cough!”

With a violent cough, Jae-i raised his head and scanned the area around him.

As soon as he recognized the familiar yet foreign surroundings, his jaw clenched so tightly that the veins in his neck stood out, and he slowly rose to his feet. Suppressing a few more coughs, Hwang Jae-i stood stiffly, catching his breath. He inhaled deeply, exhaled, then inhaled again, repeating the process several times, yet his heart, pounding like mad, refused to settle.

After swallowing dryly several times, he suddenly turned his body. Thud, thud, thud—his footsteps pounded against the floor as he strode toward the closed front door. In his mind, a red light blinked.

What the hell do you think you’re doing right now? Don’t stir up trouble. Just stay put and keep your head down.

Don’t make me laugh. Why should I?

He countered the voice in his head, about to kick the door open—but stopped.

“……”

He sensed another presence in what should have been a space meant solely for him.

What is this? With a hardened expression, he slowly tilted his head.

At first, he thought it was his imagination—but no, something was definitely there. Something that dared to intrude, without fear. Narrowing his unusually red eyes, he turned his body. Just like before, he moved quickly and stopped in front of the most secluded room—one he rarely even glanced at. The place where he roughly stashed away all the unwanted gifts forced onto him by the guild.

He stared at the closed door, then grabbed the handle and turned it. Creak. With a faint sound echoing in the air, Hwang Jae-i stepped into the room. Unlike earlier, his movements were ghostly and quiet.

Even in the dark, his eyes carefully scanned every detail within the room. It was tidier than the last time he’d looked in, and at first glance, nothing seemed particularly suspicious—but he wasn’t fooled.

Where are you? You little rat, I’m going to find you right now and—

At the end of his silent steps, he found someone lying curled up so tightly it seemed uncomfortable—tucked beside the sorted boxes and bags meant for recycling. Hwang Jae-i stopped in place. The boy was using his long hair as a pillow and had pulled the shirt he wore all the way down to curl his body into a tight ball.

What’s he doing?

Only then did Hwang Jae-i realize that the floor under his feet was quite cold.

“……”

He quietly lifted one foot and set it back down again, his gaze returning to the figure lying on the floor.

The side profile visible beneath the rounded shoulder was graceful. A round forehead, eyebrows like they’d been painted with a brush, a slightly upturned nose like a traditional sock tip, full lips, a narrow chin—and…

The moment the absurd iron mask had been removed, what caught his eye first were the eyes. Eyes that had only ever been glimpsed through tiny holes before—eyes that were truly large and black, just like a cat’s.

…Yes, a cat.

The cat from his dream, the one that had curled up with him under the blanket. The soft, tiny life that had followed him everywhere, licking his chin and lips. That cat was now right in front of him. But… was it really? That was clearly a human.

Just then, the one who had been sleeping soundlessly stirred and tried to rise. He moved. Unlike before—he was alive.

“……”

The eyes that had glinted with a cold, sharp light softened quickly. Hwang Jae-i knelt. After watching for a long while, he slowly leaned over the tightly curled figure.

Placing his head between the boy’s thin body and his spread arms, he hesitated for a moment, then turned his face to the side, bringing his ear to the peak of the boy’s chest where the shirt was stretched. With a serious expression, he burrowed into the boy’s embrace. The boy, lying on his side, tilted further, and in that small opening, Hwang Jae-i finally nestled his head into the bony chest. His ear met flesh—and then, he heard it.

Thump-thump-thump.

A tiny heart was racing relentlessly, and his previously stiff expression relaxed. The heat that had bubbled like boiling water inside his head quickly cooled, and the tension drained from his body.

When Hwang Jae-i opened his eyes, for the first time in a long while, he felt that his head was light.

What is this? Is today just one of those days where everything feels good? Though it struck him as strange, he liked the feeling so much that he closed his eyes again. Unconsciously, he tightened his arms around the slender figure, buried his face in the soft flesh, and nuzzled twice. As he drowsily inhaled deeply, a foreign scent filled his nose.

“……?”

He didn’t like scented things, so everything in his home was odorless. What was this? Had he unknowingly bought something new? He sniffed again, this time pressing in so hard that his nose nearly flattened.

“……Ugh.”

At the same time, a groan rang out, and Hwang Jae-i flinched unnaturally. Then, as if his body had gone off-kilter, he slowly raised his head. It was only then that he realized whose body he was lying on—and who he was holding.

The boy’s forehead wrinkled slightly as he lay with his eyes shut. Letting out another short groan, he slowly opened his eyelids. The moment Hwang Jae-i saw the dark irises behind them, he abruptly shoved the boy’s body away.

The bodies that had been tightly pressed together like one were suddenly separated by force, and the boy was pushed back against the wall. From his head to his shoulders, he slammed into it, then collapsed forward as his arm flopped limply to the floor.

“……”

It happened in the blink of an eye.

Hwang Jae-i stared blankly at the body he had just pushed away.

The boy’s face, stretched out beside the wall, was completely covered by his long hair. Through the strands that looked like bundles of thread, Hwang Jae-i could see pale, delicate arms and hands limp on the floor. Realizing what he’d done, he quickly sat up. He hadn’t controlled his strength. As a former S-class hunter, he was never supposed to use even a fraction of his power on civilians. If he did, and luck wasn’t on their side, the result could be…

Hwang Jae-i raised one knee but couldn’t move any further. His whole body froze like a statue, and his face turned pale. All he could do was lower his gaze and look at the thin form collapsed on the floor.

The body before him gradually began to overlap with something else in his mind. Something much smaller and more fragile— a black cat. Even though it had happened more than ten years ago, the memory came flooding back as vividly as if it were yesterday. Hwang Jae-i’s expression lost all color, and his breathing grew ragged.

Like someone who didn’t know how to breathe, he panted and gasped, until—ugh—he let out a strangled sound. Just then, the boy on the floor stirred. Slowly, the hand touching the floor began to move, brushing away the hair covering his face.

Carelessly sweeping his hair aside as if annoyed by it, he revealed a pale face. The moment those black eyes peered straight at him, Hwang Jae-i couldn’t even breathe. Frozen halfway upright like a statue, he stared. Then, startled by the sight, the boy suddenly sat up and crouched before crawling forward and kneeling right in front of him. Raising both hands, he gently cupped Hwang Jae-i’s face.

Startled, Hwang Jae-i flinched, but remained motionless. The boy softly rubbed his cheeks with his thumbs. Just like he once revived a withering sprout in a tiny flowerpot—just like he had carefully touched and talked to it again and again with sincerity—he now stroked Hwang Jae-i’s face with the same heartfelt tenderness.