Author's pov.
The day had come, and the full moon shone brightly above the starry skies as Chaeryeong gazed at it from the bus window on her way back to Seoul, where she had been completely forgotten by the person she once cared for.
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Flashback:
"Chaeryeong, do you really need to do this?" Minhyun asked, trying to stop the younger from leaving the old house. She smiled bitterly, wiping her tears away with her palm. "I have to, so she can be safe and alive. Please, never mention me to her. This is the best for her." Chaeryeong grabbed her black duffle bag and hurried out.
End Flashback:
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Morning came.
"Sam, can you pass me the salt—oh, I mean the ketchup?" Yeji asked, and her little brother complied. Minhyun kept glancing at her, quietly observing how she interacted with their father. He noticed she hadn't asked about Chaeryeong or realized she wasn't at the table. Both father and son exchanged a look, recognizing the same thing.
"Um, Aunt Lucy, did you notice someone's missing from the table?" Minhyun tested her. "Oh, right! Lee Know, your other father isn't here too. Did he go somewhere?" Yeji asked, not realizing what Minhyun was hinting at. "Yeah, Appa too, but did you notice anyone else missing besides Appa?" he tried again, while Hyunjin watched her closely, waiting for her reaction.
"Ehh, is there anyone else here besides us four?" Yeji tilted her head in thought. "Ah, haha, forget it, Auntie Lucy, I'm just messing with you." Hyunjin chuckled nervously, doing his best not to mention Chaeryeong's name. "By the way, unnie, I'm going back to the States with Minhyun next week, I guess. We have business to handle and will probably stay there for a couple of years because of a big project we're planning," Hyunjin quickly changed the subject.
"Woah, really? A big project! Is Lee Know coming too?" Lucy asked after expressing her amazement at her little brother's new project. "Ahh yes, Unnie, he's my partner on that project too. Wanna come with us?" Hyunjin asked his sister. "YES!" Lucy's face lit up with excitement, thrilled to be visiting again since her last trip when she was five years old. She was absolutely delighted to join them.
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Author's POV.
Back to school:
"Yow, Chaeryeong, where's Yeji?" Ryujin asked, placing her backpack on the table and pulling out some notebooks. "Yeah, I haven't seen her since the first subject started, and now it's already the second, but she's still not here?" Lia added. Chaeryeong didn't respond, just laid her face down on the table and wrapped her arms around her head. The two exchanged puzzled looks and decided to let her be.
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Lia's pov.
It's been a month since we last saw Yeji at school, and since then, Chaeryeong has been quiet and looking so down. We tried asking her about Yeji, but she always kept her mouth shut. We even invited her to hang out, but she refused many times, almost like she had shut herself off from the world.
But today she came with us. Around midnight, at Yuna's birthday celebration at the bar, she suddenly broke down in tears. We were surprised and didn't fully understand what she was saying, but we caught that Yeji had left and wasn't coming back. We don't know why, but Chaeryeong cried like a lost child in the middle of a crowded marketplace.
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Yeji's pov.
Two years later:
It had been a long time since I'd breathed the air of Seoul. "Wow, it's good to be back," I thought as I handed my luggage and other belongings to my butler after stepping off the private plane my brother had just bought me. Sheesh, that kid is always giving random gifts. Whenever I scold him, he just smiles innocently, and that's how he always gets himself out of trouble.
Even though my little brother is older than me now, he still acts like a baby when he's with me. "Aunt Lucy, welcome back," Minhyun greeted me with a warm hug and a smile. "Ohhh, hey Minhyun! How's your wife? How are the twins?" I asked as we walked to his car. "They're fine, Auntie. Now they've started running around the house all the time," he laughed, and I joined in as we headed to the mansion.
"By the way, Auntie, I heard you've been seeing something in your dreams lately? Father told me. Are you stressed from work?" my nephew asked. And yes, I had been dreaming about something strange—a girl I didn't know, but who seemed to know me very well in those dreams. "Yeah, I've been seeing this girl. But you know the funny part? I was a cat there, hahaha." When I said that, he didn't laugh at first, then gave me an awkward chuckle. Strange.
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Authors pov.
After Chaeryeong and the girls graduated, they each took their own path—Chaeryeong became a vet, Ryujin became a police officer, Lia became a doctor, and Yuna became a fashion designer. Though their careers were different, they often met up at night to have fun whenever they weren't busy.
"Hello, Chaeryeong, have you seen the news?" Lia asked over the phone as Chaeryeong was walking down the street, stopping when the traffic light turned red. "No, what's in it?" she replied. Before Lia could answer, the big screen on a nearby billboard lit up with breaking news, showing Yeji arriving at the airport with Minhyun while reporters swarmed them, asking questions. "Sorry everyone, we can't answer your questions right now, we're in a hurry," Minhyun told the crowd before letting Yeji into the car first, then following and driving away.
"Breaking news this morning: Hwang Minhyun was spotted at the airport with a woman, happily chatting as they exited through the back," the reporter said, shocking those who heard it and sparking rumors she might be his mistress. "She's back," the younger one murmured with a gentle smile, a small tear slipping from her eye as she watched Yeji on the big screen.
YOU ARE READING
The Cat That I Love
FantasíaIn 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?
