It was an ordinary night—or so it seemed. Heeseung, Jay, Jake, Sunghoon, Jungwon, and Niki were trudging back to their apartment after a grueling day of classes. As they passed the alley near their building, a faint, pathetic meow reached their ears.
"Did you hear that?" Jake stopped in his tracks, craning his neck like a meerkat.
"Of course, we heard it," Jay deadpanned. "It's not like we’re deaf."
"Sounds like a cat," Jungwon pointed out, squinting toward the shadows.
"Brilliant deduction, Sherlock," Sunghoon muttered, rolling his eyes.
Following the sound, they stumbled upon a small cardboard box. Inside, a white kitten with impossibly fluffy fur and piercing blue eyes sat, staring up at them like they were the dumbest creatures on Earth. Which, to be fair, was exactly what the kitten—aka Sunoo—thought.
Humans. He thought, flicking his tail. Always gawking. Are they going to save me or hold a staring contest?
"Aww, it’s so cute!" Niki crouched down, reaching out his hand.
Finally, the child does something useful, Sunoo thought, leaning into Niki’s touch just enough to seal the deal.
"Poor thing," Jake cooed, scooping him up. "We can’t leave it out here."
"You sure about this?" Jay raised an eyebrow. "We already have a hard time feeding Niki, and now you want to take in a cat?"
"Hey!" Niki protested, offended.
Sunoo sighed internally. These guys argue more than a telenovela cast. Just take me inside already.
The apartment was as chaotic as expected, with all six boys fussing over him like clueless babysitters.
"What should we name it?" Jake asked, cradling Sunoo like a baby.
"Snowball," Jungwon said confidently.
"That’s basic," Jay shot back. "We need something cooler."
"Fluffy McFlufferson," Niki declared proudly, earning a collective groan.
Fluffy McFlufferson? Really? If I had human hands right now, I’d facepalm so hard.
While they argued, Sunoo sat perched on the couch, judging their life choices.
Six brains and not a single clever name. This generation is doomed.
In the dead of night, Sunoo decided it was time to stretch his legs—literally. With a soft glow, his tiny cat body transformed into his true human form: a stunning boy with silky hair, sharp features, and those unmistakable blue eyes.
"Finally," he muttered, brushing nonexistent dust off his shirt. "If I had to endure one more minute of being called Snowball, I’d have jumped out the window."
He wandered into the kitchen, opening cabinets and rummaging for food.
"Where do they keep the snacks? Are they all this incompetent?" he mumbled, grabbing a bag of chips.
A loud crash followed as a glass toppled over, and before Sunoo could react, the six boys stumbled into the kitchen, half-asleep and wholly unprepared for what they were about to see.
"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!" Heeseung shouted, clutching a frying pan like it was Excalibur.
Jay pointed at Sunoo, his mouth opening and closing like a fish. "Wait… your eyes… they’re the same as the cat’s!"
"Congratulations, Einstein," Sunoo said, popping a chip into his mouth. "I am the cat."
The room fell silent.
