black cat | woosan ✔

11

The following days passed in a rhythm, with Wooyoung and San quietly falling into a routine—if you could call it that. The bickering never stopped, but it wasn't as sharp as before. It was as if the cat acted as a buffer, softening the edges of their hostility.

On Friday, Wooyoung arrived at the park earlier than usual. He had barely sat down when San sauntered in, hands stuffed in his coat pockets, wearing that same smug expression that always made Wooyoung's skin crawl.

"You're early," San noted, raising an eyebrow as he took a seat across from him on the bench.

"And you're annoying," Wooyoung shot back, adjusting the bag on his lap. "You're not planning on hogging the cat today, are you?"

San shrugged. "It's not my fault if the cat likes me better."

Before Wooyoung could respond with a sarcastic comeback, the cat appeared—stretching lazily from under the bench. It meowed, its black fur glimmering in the soft morning light, and rubbed against San's leg, purring loudly.

San grinned, leaning down to scratch behind the cat's ears. "See? Told you."

Wooyoung rolled his eyes but couldn't help feeling a small pang of jealousy. "Don't get too comfortable. This is a marathon, not a sprint."

The cat padded over to Wooyoung, meowing again, as if demanding attention from both boys equally.

"Guess it's keeping its options open," San quipped, crossing his arms.

Wooyoung let out a frustrated sigh, ruffling the cat's fur. "Alright, listen. We need some rules if we're both going to do this."

San tilted his head, mildly intrigued. "Rules?"

"Yeah. Basic things. We can't both be here at the same time every day, or the cat's going to get confused." Wooyoung's voice was serious, but his mind was already racing with strategies to outdo San.

San leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Okay, I'm listening."

"How about we feed it at different times? I'll come in the mornings. You take the afternoons," Wooyoung proposed.

"And what about weekends?" San asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Alternate weekends," Wooyoung said, nodding as if the plan made perfect sense. "One weekend, I get full custody—"

"Custody?" San snorted. "You know it's not a kid, right?"

"Shut up. You know what I mean."

San tapped his fingers against the bench, considering the offer. "Fine. But we both get to play with it whenever it shows up."

"Deal." Wooyoung stuck out his hand. San stared at it for a moment before reluctantly shaking it.

The cat, seemingly satisfied with the new arrangement, curled up between them, its tail flicking lazily.

They sat in silence for a moment, watching the autumn leaves drift down from the trees. The air smelled of damp earth and woodsmoke, and the park felt quieter than usual, as if the world was giving them space to sort out their strange new truce.

San broke the silence first. "You know, for someone who supposedly hates me, you're really invested in this cat."

Wooyoung huffed a small laugh. "That's funny. I was about to say the same thing about you."

San grinned. "Guess we're both losers."

"Guess so," Wooyoung muttered, but the corners of his mouth twitched upward despite himself.

It wasn't peace—not yet. But for now, with a cat between them and autumn's chill in the air, it was close enough.

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