Author's pov.
Hyunjin approached the person he had longed to see, his steps hesitant and his heart racing. He wrapped the girl in a tight hug, convinced she was his lost sister. "Unnie," he murmured softly, but she pushed him away, her voice sharp with anger, "Who are you?"
"Appa," Minhyun gently tugged his father closer, his tone calm and soothing. "Appa, she's not Auntie Lucy. Remember, she passed away years ago." His father's tears fell freely as he stammered, "I-I know," his voice breaking with emotion.
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"I'm really sorry about my dad. He just... You reminded him of his sister. You really look like my aunt," he explained, glancing at Yeji during the last two sentences. Chaeryeong looked at Yeji, Yeji looked at her, and then both turned back to Minhyun.
"See for yourself," he said, pulling a photo from his wallet and showing it to them. Both were shocked. "Yeddeong, she really looks like you," said Chaeryeong, her eyes wide open. "What's the name of your aunt?" Yeji asked curiously.
"It's Lucy Hwang," he replied. Chaeryeong suddenly remembered the name Lucy Hwang from her research, but this was the first time she had seen a photo of her, as there were no pictures of Lucy Hwang online. She began to wonder if the man standing in front of her was Minhyun Hwang, the son of the wealthy Hyunjin Hwang—the man she had seen earlier.
"Oh, how rude of me. My name is Minhyun Hwang, and my father's name is Hyunjin Hwang. May I have your name?" he asked politely. "Oh, my name is Chaeryeong Lee, and this girl here is my friend Hwang Yeji," said Chaeryeong with a smile.
"Can I ask why you came back to this house?" Chaeryeong asked curiously while Yeji simply observed. "It's my aunt Lucy's birthday today, and my father decided to visit here," Minhyun explained, looking at the old house.
When Chaeryeong heard the word "birthday," she suddenly thought—it was Yeji's birthday today too! Was this all just a coincidence? The same birthday, the same name, the same face! Were these events all connected? Was fate playing with them?
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"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, YEJI!!" shouted the two people who had planned a simple birthday surprise for the cat-eyed girl as they arrived at the Lee household. Yeji was genuinely surprised; she hadn't expected the two people she loved to prepare a little celebration just for her.
It was her first time being surprised on her birthday. Her smile grew, mirroring the joy of the pair who had organized the party. "By the way, Appa made the cake himself," said Chaeryeong, grinning proudly at her father. "Really?" Yeji asked, amazed that he had done that for her.
"Yup, you're like my daughter now, so why wouldn't I make a cake for you?" said Mr. Lee, ruffling Yeji's hair with a kind smile. "Thank you, Uncle," Yeji said warmly. "You can call me Appa," Mr. Lee replied, which filled Yeji with happiness as she hugged him, and Mr. Lee hugged her back.
"Can I join the hug?" Chaeryeong asked. Both Yeji and Mr. Lee looked at her, smiled, and opened their arms wide. Chaeryeong stepped in and joined the hug. They were all truly happy that day, especially the birthday girl.
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"Appa! Are you feeling better now?" Minhyun asked his father, who was staring out the car window. "Yeah," Mr. Hwang replied with a deep sigh. "If your Aunt Lucy had lived to your age, she would have looked like that girl. Let's just head back to the hotel." He then drove them there in silence.
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The school break is over, and Chaeryeong and Yeji have already returned to Seoul for their studies. Everyone is back—some feeling hesitant to return, while others are full of excitement. These mixed emotions capture what all the students are going through at the moment.
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Yeji walked down the school stairs but froze when she saw a tall girl lean in and kiss another girl on the lips. Her eyes widened, and a spark ignited in her mind as she thought, "I want to kiss Chaeryeong like that too." Grinning to herself, she dashed to the canteen, recalling that everyone had planned to meet there after lunch break.
When Yeji reached the canteen, she spotted her friends chatting cheerfully, but Chaeryeong was nowhere to be seen. She asked them where Chaeryeong was, and they replied, "She went to the bathroom." Still smiling, Yeji turned to leave, but was quickly stopped. "Stop! Where are you going?" Ryujin asked. "Aren't you going to eat, unnie?" Yuna added, waiting for an answer.
Yeji turned back with a smile and said, "To Chaeryeong. I'll eat later. Bye!" She then hurried off to find her person. Her friends exchanged confused glances, wondering why she seemed so thrilled, but they simply shrugged it off. Yeji always acted like this whenever Chaeryeong was brought up or even seen.
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In the bathroom.
"Chaery, where are you?" Yeji called out, searching for the cubicle her friend was in. "Is that you, Yeddeong?" Chaeryeong replied from the last cubicle in the bathroom. "Yup, the one and only," Yeji said cheerfully as she walked up to the last cubicle and stopped at the door. "Wait, I'm coming out now," Chaeryeong said, unlocking the door and stepping out, only to see Yeji grinning wider than usual. She immediately wondered why Yeji looked so excited.
Chaeryeong knew that smile; it always meant Yeji wanted something. "Alright, Yeddeong, what do you want? I know that look. If you're smiling like that, you're definitely up to something," Chaeryeong said, waiting for Yeji's response. But before Yeji could answer, she grinned even more, her eyes lighting up with excitement. "How did you know I wanted something? You're amazing, Chaery! You must have superpowers," Yeji said, clearly impressed.
"Nope, I just know that smile. So, what is it this time?" Chaeryeong asked again. "Oh, it's simple—I want to kiss you," Yeji said with a big smile. Chaeryeong's eyes widened in shock. "Please, Chaery, I really want to kiss you, please," Yeji begged. Chaeryeong glanced nervously around the bathroom before looking back at Yeji, who continued pleading with wide-eyed insistence.
She quickly covered Yeji's mouth with her hand, not wanting anyone to overhear their conversation. Thankfully, the bathroom was quiet, and no one else was there besides the two of them. Chaeryeong looked at Yeji, who was standing very close to her, their catlike eyes locking. Chaeryeong hurriedly let go of Yeji's mouth, but as soon as she did, she suddenly felt something soft against her lips.
She stared at Yeji, who was still incredibly close. Yeji slowly backed away, a proud smile spreading across her face, while Chaeryeong stood frozen in shock. She couldn't fully process what had just happened—was it real? As the realization hit her, she suddenly bolted out of the bathroom, leaving Yeji alone in the school restroom.
YOU ARE READING
The Cat That I Love
FantasyIn your life, have you imagined what the cat that your mother left you well became something that's hard to believe, something that's so unreal?
