The Ninth Life of Min Yoon Gi

25.

Yoon Gi made his way back to the temple, hoping again he would find Ji Min there. Why was he always looking for Ji Min? Well, he was the person he had cared about the most. So much so that even his death and a curse couldn't stop him from trying to be together.

He laughed to himself. The spirits thought he didn't care. On the contrary: he cared, maybe too much, but just for one person in particular.

If Ji Min wasn't there, Yoon Gi had decided he would wait for him—so he did. After Tae had told him the secret to making the resurrection tea, Yoon Gi realized that this whole plan came down to perfect timing:

00:42:00 from pulling the branch
00:13:06 to steep
00:00:07 to drink

This was not something he could leave to chance; Ji Min would need to be there and ready to drink the tea within those last seven seconds, or it wouldn't work. And there was little to no chance Yoon Gi would get a second try at this. It was going to be hard enough to figure out how to make the tea in the first place, but doing that more than once as a cat? Even he wasn't foolish enough to think he could pull it off.

And he was getting oh so sleepy... warm... content...

Yoon Gi startled, a car alarm chirping nearby jarring him back to his senses.

Fuuuck, Yoon Gi yawned, stood, and stretched his back and legs. I can't fall asleep again! He sat again on the stone step leading up to the temple's altar, wondering if maybe there was some way he could summon the spirit of Ji Min.

He smelled it before he saw it. His fur subconsciously raised; his tail fluffing out to twice its size. Yoon Gi was no longer sleepy as his nerves lit like fire with a sudden rush of adrenaline. Turning, he saw the ginger tom cat lurking near the gate at the entrance to the temple grounds, crouched low and ready to launch itself at him if Yoon Gi made a move.

Fuck, he repeated his thought.

The tom was slowly making his approach, vocalizing his aggression with growls that were steadily increasing in volume. Yoon Gi's instincts continued to control him as he returned the warning yowl, crouching and preparing to fight. He couldn't let himself be run off, especially not from this temple. It wasn't that he thought of it as his territory, but it was where his Ji Min could be found.

In the blink of an eye, the tom launched himself at Yoon Gi, claws aimed at his face. Yoon Gi reared up, extending his own claws and attempting to catch the tom and throw him back. The sharp sting of a deep scratch seared across Yoon Gi's forehead; he had not been able to dodge the attack. Spitting with fury, Yoon Gi lunged at the ginger cat and sent them tumbling down the steps to the pavilion. He landed under the heavier tom and found his neck pinched in the jaws of the stray cat, its rank breath filling his nose. Being effectively incapacitated, Yoon Gi cried out in rage and pain. He was now at the mercy of the other feline.

"Ya!" A voice called out, startling both cats.

Yoon Gi could not see who had spoken, but he felt the ginger cat loosen his grip on his neck and took advantage of the distraction. He wrenched himself free from its jaws, gave it the hardest swipe he could with his claws, and darted back up the steps to the altar, hiding behind a robed figure.

"Get out of here!" It yelled again at the stray cat, which took off in the opposite direction, heading off down the street beyond.

Yoon Gi was shaking, he was panting, he would be crying if cats could cry. His head hurt, his neck hurt, and his pride hurt.

"Yoon Gi?"

He looked up and finally realized who had saved him.

Ji Min? He wanted to cry with relief. He tried to rub himself against Ji Min's legs, seeking comfort in his touch, but he could not make physical contact with the spirit.