The Cat Hides Its Claws - Chapter 86

Chapter 86: Chapter 86

The next day, after classes, Jagyeom ran into a cat in the school yard. The cat with yellow eyes went around his feet a few times and walked away. He followed it though he didn’t know why.

“Meow.”

The cat headed to the taps where they washed mops. He heard it meowing, but when he turned the corner, it was nowhere to be seen.

“This reminds me of that time.”

Myohan and the transfer student were there. Jagyeom could only see the face of the new boy, but the other one’s light-brown hair let him know it was Myohan. The new boy smiled. He glanced at Jagyeom and picked up a hose.

“You know, what I did with this.”

“Don’t you dare.”

Myohan warned him. Jagyeom took a step back, but then he was surprised to see a thick grin appear on the new boy’s face and his hand turned on the tap without any hesitation.

“Hey, Shihuang!”

Next moment, Myohan was completely soaked with water. He yelled. Jagyeom went to them and tried to speak to Myohan, but then…

“I’m getting my revenge.”

He spoke with a dark expression and jumped onto the taps. Jagyeom got no time to back off. Still grinning, the new boy turned, the hose in Myohan’s hand aimed right at him. But the new boy grabbed him as he turned.

“Oh…”

A ray of water spewed out from the hose onto Jagyeom. Myohan’s eyes widened to see him get soaked. The new boy turned off the tap and stroked Myohan’s wet hair.

“You shouldn’t douse someone you don’t know with water like that.”

Myohan looked startled, that someone else had ended up getting wet instead. He was all frozen with fear.

“…Are you okay?”

His head started to ache. Strangely familiar memories started to flood in. Himself standing right where he was now with a mop. A gush of water coming right at him, and his clothes getting too big for him in less than a second, and someone fishing him out of those clothes.

“Um, I didn’t mean to do that to you.”

Myohan tried to explain, but he couldn’t hear it. Jagyeom grabbed his head, but then he looked up to see water dripping down from his hair. The sense of déjà vu he had been feeling. How he had been able to guess what he would say. His familiar voice, face, and the nickname he had given him.

“Chatterer, no, Jagyeom–”

Jagyeom laughed and raised a finger to point to that smooth frowning face.

“Myohan,” Then he said something he had said so many times. “I told you, I hate that nickname.”

***

It was warm. Sajun raised a hand and tried blocking the sun in the sky. Warm sunlight rained down between his fingers. It was still a bit cold, but the sunlight was warm.

‘It’s a perfect day.’

He thought so as he walked slowly.

“You’re the reason we’re late.”

Then he heard someone’s voice on the other side of the wall. He stopped and looked up.

“What have I done?”

“You should have woken me up when the alarm clock started to ring.”

That voice miraculously found its way to his ears. He couldn’t see the face, but he knew who it was. It was the voice of that pretty-looking boy he had run into in the bathroom a few days ago.

“You’re going over it?”

“I’m going over it.”

‘What?’

Sajun looked up. Then someone nimbly jumped over the wall.

“…Oh.”

He looked quite startled to see Sajun. O Myohan: the name on his nametag suited him nicely. Sajun’s eyes widened to see those neat eyebrows frowning.

That was what he felt when they met in the bathroom. Pretty eyes that glittered in the sun, light-colored hair, clear cheeks, and a pair of rosy lips that looked like they smelled of flowers. He was breathtakingly charming. Without realizing it, Sajun stretched out a hand to him.

“We’re gonna be late.”

However, Sajun couldn’t put his hand on Myohan’s cheek. Another boy jumped over the wall and pulled him backwards. Myohan smiled and put his index on his lips.

“You never saw us jumping over this wall.”

That was all. Myohan didn’t look back as he walked away, and Sajun couldn’t move on the spot for a long time.

It was the moment Sajun fell in love with Myohan.

After that day, Sajun tried to find Myohan. He waited at the same spot, hoping he would jump over the wall again, and went to every senior class to find out he was in Class 1. Well, as he was in Class 1, he found him on his first try and didn’t have to go to other classes.

It was still too early in the morning. Sajun was standing at the back door of Class 1, hoping to get a glimpse of his crush. He took a deep breath as he felt lightheaded like a little boy experiencing his first love. He had dated a number of girls, but he had never felt like this.

“You look like you’re feeling good.”

He thought Myohan wouldn’t be there. Everyone at the school knew how often he was late to school, and it was too early. Not even the most diligent students were there yet.

“Not really.”

However, contrary to his guess, he heard Myohan’s voice from the classroom. He sounded bored as usual.

“Is it because you found the rat?”

“I told you, he’s not the rat anymore.”

Sajun didn’t know what they were talking about. The other voice had to be that guy Myohan was always with. He had transferred to the school on the first day of the semester. He was a handsome guy who had come at unusual timing, so he was quite famous too.

“The snake’s after you again.”

“No way.”

“No, my gut is always right.”

“Isn’t that my line?”

Sajun peered in through the window on the door, but then, he shuddered. The new boy was looking at him with his black eyes. Their eyes met, but he just turned to Myohan as if there was nothing wrong. Then, he said out loud.

“It makes me jealous.”

Sajun thought he had heard that kind of conversation before. And he felt the snake they were talking about was him. He looked and looked, forgetting all about leaving, but then the new boy put a hand on the back of Myohan’s head and pulled him in.

They kissed. It was quite an awkward scene of two boys kissing each other, but Sajun thought it was beautiful. The new boy’s hand touched Myohan’s light-brown hair. Myohan raised his head a bit for a deeper kiss. They were perfect for each other. Sajun’s gaze met the new boy’s again.

“….Jealous? Ha.” Myohan said unconcernedly.

Sajun looked away, putting a hand on his pounding heart. Those black eyes had been full of envy as they looked at him.

How did he know? Sajun had met Myohan only once. Well, only twice to be exact, but he had seen him properly by that wall. Still the new boy didn’t like him. That was all fine, but the problem was he felt like he had seen those black eyes waver with anger.

He crouched down on the bridge next to his school and looked up at the cloudy sky. Snow had been forecasted. He remembered staying at home when it snowed a lot. But to think about it, it felt like overprotection, hiding from snow.

Yes, it had snowed around this time of year last year. He still could remember the picturesque scene of snowflakes fluttering with cherry blossom petals. He had gotten snowed on. But where?

“Meow.”

He heard a cat’s cry. He turned and saw a cat sitting quite near. He went to it, but it didn’t run away.

‘I like cats.’

He recalled what he said the moment he saw its yellow eyes, but he couldn’t remember to whom he had said it. The cat stood up, its tail still moving gently.

“Kitty, where are you going?”

Without realizing he was acting like a child, he followed the cat. It moved slowly as if it wanted him to follow then it disappeared the moment he reached the school gate.

“….Kitty?”

The cat was gone. He muttered, but he got an answer.

“Sajun?”

He recognized that voice. He looked up and saw a pair of light-colored eyes and rosy lips. Before he could realize he had called him by his name, something cold fell from the sky.

“You just said kitty…”

It was snowing. Myohan was looking at him with surprise in his thick coat. Sajun put out a hand. Snowflakes fell on it. He looked up at the sky.

‘I…’

He could see the new boy standing behind Myohan. He looked like he didn’t like what was happening. The snowflakes felt so cold and strange as they melted on his hand.

He couldn’t remember getting snow on before. When it snowed, he just looked outside through the huge window of his room. He had felt snow only a few times. But why?

‘When I get snowed on.’

Myohan looked so puzzled, probably thinking Sajun had called him.

Sajun didn’t bother to deny it. He put his hand back in his pocket and smiled.

“Nice to meet you, kitty.”

It was what he had said to Myohan many days ago.