Cowardly Cat
The roar of pouring water swallowed the ground whole.
Raindrops hammered down in a mad frenzy, as if someone had punched a hole straight through the sky.
On an already frigid autumn day, the rain drove the temperature even lower.
Haa—my ragged breath scattered into the air like white smoke.
Everything around me was pitch-dark. The rain fell so thick that even the streetlights seemed to dissolve into nothing.
To make matters worse, thunder and lightning crashed down at random, and every time they did I couldn’t help flinching hard.
“Haa, haa…!”
Through that absolute nightmare of weather I ran for all I was worth, forcing my way through the howling wind and rain. My clothes were soaked clean through to my underwear—heavy, freezing, clinging to every inch of me.
“What kind of bullshit is this…!”
I shouted it in pure frustration, but my legs never stopped. Slowing down only meant staying longer inside this water hell. No matter how much they burned, I couldn’t afford to ease up.
The reason I’d ended up like this was almost insultingly simple.
One: While I was working my shift at the convenience store, the rain started coming down hard.
Two: Figuring I’d just grab an umbrella on the way home, I kept working.
Three: Customers flooded in.
Four: Sold out.
“Rotten luck!”
I should’ve stocked up the second I sensed a rush coming. But our store had a habit of getting hit all at once, and I’d been so buried in work that it completely slipped my mind. Result: here I was, sprinting home in the dead of night, soaked to the bone.
Pitiful. Truly pitiful.
“Hwaah. Hoo…!”
At least the apartment wasn’t far. I poured everything I had into one last burst and dove through the building entrance. I slammed into the wall more than leaned against it, grabbing my knees and gasping.
“Ugh…”
The exhaustion hit like a truck. Honestly, after all that running I was still completely drenched—clothes, body, everything. Made me wonder why I’d even bothered.
“No… if I’d just walked it would’ve been a guaranteed cold… ugh.”
The second I stopped under the roof, the chill came for me late. Walking or not, standing around any longer was asking for a fever. I hurried up the stairs. Halfway there a bolt of lightning cracked so close I nearly face-planted, but somehow I stayed upright.
I reached the door. Almost yanked it open, then remembered my roommate might already be asleep and eased it open instead.
“…I’m home.”
“Oh. Welcome back.”
Her voice answered right away. Still awake, then.
I stepped inside and found Cecilia somehow wedged into the corner of the room. Why she was over there instead of on the bed I had no idea, but at least she wasn’t asleep—convenient.
“Cecilia… can I ask one favor?”
“Hm? …Ah. You’re completely soaked.”
“Right? Grab me a towel, would you? I’ll just wipe off real quick and dive straight into the shower.”
“O-okay.”
She rose from her spot and started toward the bathroom… only her steps were trembling like a newborn fawn’s. She’d been fine earlier today. What was this about now? Another bout of insomnia? She didn’t look tired, though. Hmm.
“Here.”
“Ah—yeah. Thanks.”
While I was still thinking it over, Cecilia had already come back and held out the towel. I reached for it casually—
and right then a bolt of lightning slammed down nearby with a deafening KRA-KOOM!!
“Nyaak?!”
Cecilia jolted so hard she launched herself at me, arms locking around my body in a desperate hug.
“Hey—wait a second?!”
Something soft and warm mashed mercilessly against my chest. My soaked clothes immediately started soaking hers too.
“H-huu….”
A teary voice trembled against my neck. She clung tighter and mumbled,
“Th-thunder… scary….”
So that was why she’d been hiding in the corner.
Looking at her—already completely wet—I gave up any thought of pushing her away. I just let out a quiet sigh and gently stroked the terrified catgirl in my arms.
“I never knew you had a weakness like this. Loud noises scare you?”
“Loud noises are fine… just thunder is scary….”
“That’s a weird distinction.”
I muttered it half in disbelief and reached for the shampoo bottle. Warm water from the showerhead melted the chill out of my body.
“Hoo…”
“Eunhyuk, you’re still there… right?”
“Yeah. …So stop worrying and go change first. You’re soaked too.”
“But…”
Her murmuring voice came from right outside the bathroom door. She’d been pressing her forehead against it this whole time, insisting we talk because she was scared.
“…The closet’s on the opposite side of the room from the bathroom.”
“I know.”
“If you go over there we can’t talk.”
“…It’s only a few meters. How big do you think a one-room is…?”
“B-but still!”
Right on cue another KRA-KOOM! of thunder split the air. A sharp “Hiiik?!” of a scream followed, then a solid thud against the door.
“…You okay?”
“I-I hit my head.”
Her voice sounded pained. I could picture her perfectly—both hands clamped over her head.
“Ugh. It’s already this scary and—hik?!”
She never finished the sentence. The gods must have had it out for Cecilia today. The storm only grew fiercer and spat out another bolt. Thunder and another solid thud rang out one after the other.
“….”
“Stop knocking on the door without saying anything. Fine. You can stay right there.”
When I answered with a sigh, a tiny “Thank you…” drifted in from the other side. She really was just a cat.
“Still, at least take the wet clothes off. You’ll catch a cold.”
“Okay…”
A soft rustling sound came through the door. The shower almost drowned it out, but I heard it clearly enough.
…
A second later I wondered if I’d been a little too casual about that. Cecilia undressing just a few meters away while I showered…
Yeah. Not thinking about that.
“…I took them off.”
“You don’t have to report it.”
I’d just sworn not to think about it, and then she said that. Weird feeling. Sure, I was the one who’d told a girl to strip without thinking, but the fact that she just… did it…
…No. Drop it. She was too scared to be thinking straight. That was all.
“I’ll finish up quick and we can switch.”
“Okay…”
“Even if I tell you to get under the blanket because you’re cold, you’re not going to listen, are you?”
“Mm… I like it here better than the blanket or the corner…”
“Figured.”
She was acting like a little kid. Normally she had at least a few grown-up moments. This was different. Still, I couldn’t leave her like this forever. I washed as fast as I could, dried off, and pulled on clean clothes. The whole time, every crack of thunder produced a fresh “Kyaak?!” or “Hiek?!” that was honestly kind of impressive.
“…I’m done.”
I cracked the door open and peeked out. Cecilia was curled into a tight ball like a pill bug. Wearing nothing but underwear, her whole body was trembling; her ears and tail had gone completely rigid. She looked so thoroughly terrified that even with all that bare skin on display, worry came first—not anything else. She was more scared than I’d realized.
“Come on, Cecilia. You need to warm up.”
“Uuuh…”
I had to practically drag her upright by the arms, then half-forced her into the bathroom and shut the door. After a short silence the sound of running water started up inside.
“…It’s warm.”
“Good.”
All this fuss over a little rain. I was the one who’d gotten soaked, yet somehow Cecilia was the one suffering.
“Eunhyuk, you’re still there…?”
“Yeah. I’m right here, so just wash up.”
“You won’t leave…?”
“Yes, yes.”
She was being extra clingy today. Honestly, I didn’t mind.
I thought back for a moment to when we’d first met. How wary she’d been of me back then. Just my presence had been enough to turn her pale and make her shake. Eyes searching for an escape route, every muscle locked tight. If alcohol hadn’t been involved that day, I was pretty sure our connection would’ve snapped right then and there.
It stayed like that for a while afterward too. She’d trembled like a major criminal over something as small as me getting a little water on her. Fussed over a single piece of clothing, couldn’t sit still for a second. And… yeah. There’d been that time she freaked out just because my hand almost brushed her hair.
Looking back, those days had been rough. Watching her shake in silence made me feel sorry and worried all at once. The guilt of being the one who made her that scared never quite left.
But now?
A simple head pat was natural. If I rested my hand on her hair she just closed her eyes with a soft, contented purr. Lately she’d even started asking for it herself. Skinship had become routine—holding hands, stroking her hair, rubbing her back. Today she’d even let me touch her ears.
Again: this was the same girl who’d once trembled like a condemned criminal over a splash of water. And little by little she was learning to accept my touch. I wondered if she even realized how huge that change was.
“Eunhyuk~… still there?”
“Of course.”
“Tell me something fun. Anything’s fine…”
“Something fun? Hmm~.”
And that was the biggest change of all. Cecilia wasn’t afraid of me anymore. She hugged me, sniffed me, pushed her head under my hand asking to be petted. Earlier I’d overthought the whole “she took her clothes off just because I said so” thing, but looking deeper—wasn’t that also proof of trust?
She didn’t fear me. When she was scared, she came looking for me. She trusted me. She relied on me.
The cowardly catgirl who’d once sobbed apologies—Cecilia. Technically she was still a coward. Her personality hadn’t flipped overnight. But…
“H-hurry…”
“Okay, okay.”
What I saw now was just a clingy little cat. One who found comfort in my scent, who smiled bashfully under my hands, who relaxed at the sound of my voice. A spoiled, affectionate cat.
Adorable. That was the only word that fit. I wondered if she knew.
“Let’s see… Once upon a time…”
The warm feeling rising in my chest made me a little embarrassed. But I didn’t hate it. With that fluttery feeling I started telling her a fairy tale, and I kept going until her body was thoroughly warm.
Kept going.
Still… I never expected it would turn out like this.
A dim room. The soft feel of the blanket. And…
“Eunhyuk…”
“….”
“Sleep with me…. Please…?”
Cecilia gave my sleeve a tiny tug. Her expression was desperately earnest as she asked me to share the bed.
Outside, the endless roar of rain kept pouring down. The storm still showed no sign of stopping.