Chapter : 17 Wait! What's Going On

As Kayden once again watched his reflection in the mirror, he couldn't help but feel frustrated, muttering to himself, "Stupid body, why did I change into a fat, stupid cat...? Darn it."

His attention was suddenly drawn as Jiwoo called out, raising his hand like a student asking for permission to speak. "Um, Mr. Cat?" Jiwoo said.

Kayden retorted, "Kayden, call me Kayden."

Jiwoo corrected himself, saying, "Ah, yes, sir, Mr. Kayden. I have a question."

"What is it?" Kayden asked, curious.

"How can you speak like a human if you're a cat?" Jiwoo asked, his confusion evident.

"I can speak like a human because I am a human," Kayden replied, finding the question a bit silly.

"Huh? You're human?" Jiwoo looked completely clueless.

"I may look like this, but I am not a cat; I am a human, just like you," Kayden clarified.

"So you're a human who transformed into a cat?" Jiwoo inquired.

"That's what I said, and there's no need to know more. It's difficult to explain," Kayden said, thinking to himself, "You'll not understand anyway."

Jiwoo still seemed confused, saying, "I don't understand how?"

Kayden sighed and replied, "You don't need to put pressure on your small brain. Just think of it as me being here due to inevitable circumstances."

An awkward silence hung between both of them, which was broken by the rumbling sound of Kayden's stomach as Jiwoo slid the cat food toward him. "Ah, you should eat," Jiwoo suggested.

"I told you my transformation is only temporary, and you're telling me to eat when you know I am a human," Kayden protested.

"Mr. Kayden, you may return to being a human someday, but for now, you're still a cat, and it's not good for cats to eat human food," Jiwoo explained as he left, saying he needed to feed other cats.

"He's right, but do I have to eat this? I guess I have no choice," Kayden resigned himself, taking a bite. "Huh! What's this flavor?" he muttered.

He continued to lick, chomp, and crunch the cat food, unable to deny that it tasted surprisingly good. "Hm, why does it taste so good?" he questioned.

As Kayden finished all the cat food and lay on his back, he grumbled to himself, "Darn it, I ate stupid cat food." Then he added, "No, it wasn't me... the stupid cat food just pushed itself down into my stomach."

A growl rumbled from Kayden's stomach, and he winced in pain. "Darn it, my body is not functioning properly. I have not much strength left either," he thought, realizing the gravity of his situation. "If I am discovered, I will be dead meat in no time. I need to stay hidden until I can regain my strength."

Just then, Jiwoo entered the room, wearing a green blazer that resembled a school uniform. "I am going to step out for a minute, Mr. Kayden," Jiwoo informed.

"Where are you going?" Kayden asked, genuinely curious.

"To the animal hospital. I don't have any cat food for tomorrow. I've only got treats but no actual meals," Jiwoo explained.

"At this hour?" Kayden glanced at the clock; it was midnight.

Jiwoo proposed, "Would you like to come with me?"

"Huh! Why would I?" Kayden questioned.

"Don't be like that. Come with me. What if I blabber about you to other people? Aren't you worried about that?" Jiwoo added.

"Huh...? Ye..yeah," Kayden said as he thought, "why is this idiot persuading me not to trust him?"

Kayden hesitated but eventually gave in, saying, "I will come with you to monitor you since I can't trust you alone."

"Yes!" Jiwoo exclaimed with excitement as he picked up Kayden. "What are you doing?" Kayden grumbled.

"You're hurt, I'm gonna carry you to the hospital!" Jiwoo said.

"I don't need this! How dare you treat me like a cat?" Kayden grumbled, trying to move his paws. "Let me down; the great Kayden will not go about like this!" he protested.

"Put me down now!" Kayden shouted, voicing his frustration.

Scene change.....

Under the clear night sky, Jiwoo walked through the streets with Kayden not hidden but snugly tucked under his blazer, making their way to the animal hospital.

Kayden, comfortably nestled under the blazer, couldn't help but wonder, "Why do I feel annoyingly comfortable like this?" His laziness was evident in his eyes. Trying to shake it off, he muttered to himself, "What! Get a grip, I'm not a cat just because I look like one."

As they continued towards the hospital, Kayden started to drift to sleep, thinking, "Hmm, it's not too bad."

Some time passed, and Jiwoo and Kayden finally reached the hospital. They entered to find an old man in a doctor's coat. Jiwoo greeted him, "Hello, Doctor."

The doctor looked surprised and asked, "Jiwoo, what are you doing here at this hour?"

"To get some cat food, and I wanted you to see him, he's hurt," Jiwoo said with a smile. Kayden turned his head to Jiwoo with a hint of anger, thinking, "He tricked me?"

The doctor inquired, "Is that so? Put him down here," as Jiwoo placed Kayden on the desk. The doctor, familiar with Jiwoo as a regular visitor, hadn't seen this cat before. "I've never seen him before, what's his name?" he asked.

"Kayden," Jiwoo replied.

"That's a pretty fancy name for a cat that looks like that," the doctor commented as he observed the fat cat in front of him.

Kayden's thoughts turned hostile as he looked towards the doctor with disdain. "I'll kill him," he thought.

The doctor examined Kayden, turning his face left and right and even putting his finger in his mouth. "I don't see a particular problem," the doctor added.

"This is shameful," that's all Kayden could think.

As the doctor gave Jiwoo the news that the cat's condition was good, Jiwoo expressed relief. "Why does he think he's relief?" Kayden thought, still confused by Jiwoo's reaction.

"Well, more than anything, I think he just needs to go on a diet," the doctor added, making Kayden furious again as he thought, "No, I'm really gonna murder this man."

After getting a clean bill of health from the doctor, Jiwoo and Kayden, with Kayden snugly tucked under his blazer, made their way back home.

[Timeskip]

Now, Kayden and Jiwoo were at home, and there was a street cat with grey fur and black stripes on its body, currently unconscious.

While Kayden recalled his embarrassing moment from a few minutes ago, when he got excited seeing a cat toy amidst the monster cat attack and realized that Jiwoo was a real softie, he couldn't help but sigh. Above all, this kid was an unaffiliated awakened who had hidden his powers since childhood, thinking he was a weirdo. And now, here Kayden was, munching on stupid cat food again.

As Kayden munched on his food, he sensed some energy nearby, and amidst this, the unconscious cat suddenly got up, its eyes turning red, and it jumped around before escaping from the house.

"What's wrong with it?" Kayden mused, seeing the cat behaving like that.

Without hesitation, Kayden tucked himself into Jiwoo's blazer as they ran out to find the cat. Despite his annoyance, Kayden couldn't deny that Jiwoo was a big softie and accompanied him to see himself whose energy it was.

Finally, they halted across the street, witnessing a middle-aged man in a reddish-brown three-piece suit tormenting the cat with his telekinetic powers.

Jiwoo couldn't control himself as he rushed to save the cat, and all Kayden could say was, "Idiot." He had warned Jiwoo that the man was awakened and dangerous.

Despite the odds, Jiwoo managed to steal the cat right in front of the old man. Currently, Jiwoo was holding the injured cat, and Kayden urged them to run.

"Kayden, we did it!" Jiwoo exclaimed with happiness.

"What do you mean 'we,' you idiot?" Kayden scolded as they ran with Kayden's hefty body. "Now he knows you exist. Do you know how much danger you're in?" Kayden warned, but it seemed to pass over Jiwoo's head as he reveled in his happiness.

After the cat rescue mission, some time passed while the injured cat lay unconscious on the sofa. Kayden was left all alone in the house because Jiwoo had gone to school, and he had promised to stay until he had fully healed from his injury.

While Kayden skillfully opening a sealed food can with his sharp claws and felt a sense of pride as he also fed the other cat before dozing off to sleep.

Suddenly, a blurry vision appeared in front of Kayden's eyes as he woke up. "Damn, it seems like I slept for too long; my body feels really restless," Kayden muttered as his vision cleared, revealing an unfamiliar mud house around him.

"Why is it that every time I wake up, my surroundings are different?" Kayden wondered aloud.

Just then, the door opened, and Li Wei entered. "Sir Kayden, you've woken up," Li Wei exclaimed.

" What's going on?" Kayden shouted, feeling bewildered by the unexpected change in his surroundings.