SUNGBRI: Feline (Revamped)

Chapter 1

Sungjin looked around him with a frown on his face before walking down the sidewalk, careful of the road. He had gone shopping with his mom, but her mom met a friend along their way to the mall and he got bored, so he walked off by himself.

His mother and her friend had fallen too deep in their conversation to remember their itinerary for the day and forgot that his mother had taken her child with her.

Sungjin stopped for a bit and then waddled again, ignoring the looks and gushes of the people he crossed paths with.

He stopped by a wooden fence and peeked at the corner to see an alley. He walked in and looked around, scrunching his nose at the stench of garbage.

He heard a hiss and then a whimper, and he looked down to his left to see a black cat trying to pick a fight with a small white cat. The white cat was curling to itself, tail in front of it, and avoiding the eyes of the black cat that was a bit bigger than itself.

Sungjin shooed the black cat away and ran toward it when it also tried to fight him. He watched the black cat run away and leave the white cat alone. Sungjin smiled triumphantly at the white cat before frowning and tilting his head to the side.

The frail white cat stood up slowly, shivering, before looking up at him and blinking slowly. Sungjin smiled wider before leaving and returning to where he had left his mother.

He found her still talking to her friend. He stood beside her and looked up, trying to understand what they were talking about, but she was saying goodbye already. Then her friend left. His mother looked down at him with a smile and then frowned disappointingly.

"Oh, Sungjinnie," she sighed. "Didn't I tell you no pets?"

Sungjin frowned at her before looking around his feet and seeing the cat from earlier. It had followed him.

"Well, anyway. Let's go to the mall," his mother said as she took his hand in hers.

Sungjin stared at the cat while they walked and watched it trail after them. Sungjin giggled. They reached the mall a few minutes later, Sungjin didn't even realize it as he was intent on watching the cat.

It was looking at nothing but him. They walked up to the automatic doors and his mother was stopped by the security, telling her that animals were not allowed.

"Oh, it's not ours," her mother said.

"I doubt," the security nodded over to Sungjin.

His mother looked down and found the cat rubbing its head on Sungjin's leg.

"Mom, can we keep it?" Sungjin looked up at his mother.

His mother sighed exasperatedly, "Sungjinnie..."

"But it's cold and lonely and —"

"Okay, okay," she sighed in defeat, knowing he'd whine until she agreed.

"He can stay in the guardhouse until you finish shopping," the security said, pointing at the shed by the parking lot of the mall.

His mother thanked him and watched as the security led him to the shed, letting him in and talking to the other security. When she was sure he was safe in there, she entered the mall.

Sungjin obeyed the security when they told him to sit down in the corner, watching as the cat climbed onto his lap. Sungjin smiled, petting the cat's head gently all while caressing its body to keep it warm.

Sungjin cradled its head, and it snuggled to his hand, eyes blinking slowly until they stayed closed. Sungjin smiled again.

"Is it a boy?" the security monitoring the parking lot suddenly asked.