Author's pov.
Morning came, and Chaeryeong got up from bed to cook pancakes for breakfast while Yeji was still asleep. It took her 15 minutes to prepare the meal, and now she was ready to wake Yeji in her room. Chaeryeong found Yeji still hugging her pillow, sleeping soundly. "Wahh, Yejiahh, you're still asleep at this hour?" she asked softly, amused by the sight of the sleeping cat beside her. It was already 9:05 on a Saturday morning, and they had stayed up late the night before talking about what Mr. Kim had said.
That's why the two of them slept in for so long. "Yeddeong, wake up, food's ready," Chaeryeong said, gently shaking the feline-eyed girl. "Mmmhhh," Yeji mumbled, eyes still closed. "If you don't wake up, I'm going to eat all the pancakes by myself," Chaeryeong teased with a smirk, knowing Yeji wouldn't let her do that. Yeji's eyes flew open, and she quickly sat up, only to realize how close Chaeryeong's face was to hers. "Wow, Yeji, you woke up right away, as expected, hehe," Chaeryeong giggled, touching Yeji's nose with her index finger.
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At Mr.Kim's House:
"So, Mr. Kim, you said Yeji has to find her true self before the full red moon comes, right? But Yeji was a cat before—how can she find the 'true self' you mean?" Chaeryeong asked as Mr. Kim sipped his afternoon tea.
"It's easy, child. Yeji has all the answers you need to find," Mr. Kim said, glancing at the cat for a moment before returning to his tea. "Huh? What do you mean? Me? Have the answers? I don't get it at all!" Yeji replied in confusion.
"Your memories, your dreams hold everything, child," Mr. Kim said, gently setting down his teacup. "Actually, Yeji was not a cat at first—she was alive as something else. All cats, dogs, and other animals were, but they just don't remember their past lives when they become animals."
"Is that what they call rain carnation?" Chaeryeong asked. "Yes, and Yeji is one of the few who has been reincarnated," Mr. Kim answered. "Wait, Mr. Kim! I had this strange dream last night. I was in a familiar house, about to look at a photo, when I heard a piano playing a familiar tune. I followed the sound and found a strange door—big, white, and gold. It was far away, but then it suddenly opened, and I saw a boy playing the piano. I said 'wait' as the door suddenly moved farther away, and I chased after it, but then..."
The boy looked at me, but his face was blurry. Suddenly, the door began to move farther and farther away. Then the boy called me "Unnie." Yeji explained what she had seen in her dream. "Why can I still remember that dream though? I thought dreams could sometimes be forgotten, but why did it feel so real, and why can I still remember it until now?" she added, puzzled.
"Yeji, it's not just a dream. It's a fragment of your memories from a long time ago. The things in your dream are the answers you've been looking for, but some of them were made up by you. Don't trust all of it too much, but you can truly trust the feeling of familiarity inside you," Mr. Kim replied.
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Group Chat "Bet On Me"
YOU ARE READING
The Cat That I Love
FantasiaIn 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?
