The Ninth Life of Min Yoon Gi

7.

Yoon Gi smirked. "I can just act like I care and then once I'm human again, it won't matter."

Ji Min sighed, rubbing the space between his eyebrows. "You tried that before. You have to be genuine. Can't you do that?"

"Sure. I genuinely don't want to be here." The cat made to stand and leave, but the spirit grabbed his tail. "Yah!" Yoon Gi swiped at the hand.

"Be serious!" Ji Min pouted.

"Why do you care?" The cat glared at him.

"Because..." he hesitated. "Just... please?"

"Well, I'm happy as a cat, thanks," Yoon Gi said over his shoulder as he trotted down the temple steps, leaving a cross Ji Min glaring after him. They had argued for some time, with Ji Min doing his best to coax him into wanting to return to his human form for good. "I prefer the solitude and freedom and—"

His words were cut short as the sky suddenly opened up and rain immediately soaked his pristine coat, causing him to stop mid step. He could hear laughing behind him as he sat down on the damp ground, thoroughly put out by the whole situation, thinking about his choices. Before he could think, in his feline mind, he would just deal with being wet from the rain. But he hated it. He hated it so much. And he hated having to chase down prey to eat, and he hated the bugs that would bite him and make him itch so he couldn't sleep, and he hated—

"Fine." He half growled, turning to sulk his way back up into the shelter of the temple.

Ji Min had the decency to stop laughing and pull a straight face, his hands serenely tucked into the sleeves of his hanbok. "What was that?"

"I said, fine!" Yoon Gi practically yeowled. "What do I have to do?"

Ji Min clapped his hands enthusiastically. "Yes! We can do it this time, I know it. You were pretty close last time."

"Stop blabbering or I will change my mind." Yoon Gi was bluffing, despite his irritated voice.

"Yes, sorry. Of course. Let's get to this." Ji Min said as he sat cross legged on the pillow in front of the altar.

*

Ji Min was leaning over the sleeping figure of Yoon Gi, a leaf gingerly held between his thumb and finger as he lowered it to the others' ear, intent on trying to tickle him in as many ways as possible before waking him. He successfully ran the leaf across the edge of Yoon Gi's ear, causing the sleeping figure to brush lazily across it in response. Next, Ji Min moved the leaf over Yoon Gi's nose, but before he could lower it to effect his attack, he was startled by a sound behind him which caused him to drop the leaf on Yoon Gi's face.

"What the!?"

"You can't be sleeping here," a woman's voice interrupted.

Yoon Gi rolled over to look at the newcomer. He was startled to see it was the woman he had followed the day before. But why was she scolding him—a cat?

"Aren't you going to say something?"

Yoon Gi glanced over at Ji Min, who was laughing silently to himself, as he sat up. It was then that he realized something had changed. He had changed.

"Sorry. I... er... I didn't mean to..." He quickly scrambled to his feet, feeling a little off balance by the lack of four paws on the ground and being... tall.

The young woman looked him up and down, taking in his long black hair, his pale skin, long sleeve black shirt, black pants and boots. He looked too clean to be a homeless person, but it was quite cold and he wasn't wearing a jacket. Maybe he was drunk and had passed out, or maybe he had amnesia and she would have to help him regain his memories. Or maybe...