The Story of That Day (2) (feat. Seo Taehyun)
“J-Jihye…?”
“Meow~.”
Jihye stood there wearing a white shirt paired with a pink A-line miniskirt, cat ears perched on her head.
She clasped her hands together like paws and let out another soft meow.
What the hell is going on right now? Why is Jihye doing cat cosplay? So the “cat” she wanted to show me…?
While my mind spun with questions, Jihye began crawling slowly toward me. With her hips raised and moving on all fours, she looked exactly like a cat—minus the tail.
I just stared blankly until she climbed off the bed and stood in front of me.
“Hehe, surprised?”
“Huh? Uh… yeah.”
“What do you think? Our house cat. Cute, right~?”
Jihye looked up at me, cheeks faintly flushed, her eyes practically begging me to say yes. I had no choice but to nod.
Honestly, she was adorable. So adorable that I felt a strong urge to pull her onto my lap and pet her head right then and there.
“Y-yeah…”
“What’s with that lukewarm reaction~?”
“No, it’s just… you know…”
“Jisu said guys would definitely fall for this. Was she wrong~?”
She must have taken my stunned silence as disapproval, because disappointment flickered across her face. Afraid she’d think her carefully planned event had failed, I quickly waved my hands.
“N-no, really. You’re super cute, babe. I mean it.”
“Really? You’re not just saying that because you’re worried I’ll be disappointed, are you~?”
“Of course not. You’re cuter than any cat I’ve ever seen.”
“Hehe, then want to pet me~?”
“Huh…?”
“Our house cat is a total lap cat, you know.”
Jihye took my hand and led me to the bed, gently pushing me down to sit. Once she settled on my lap, she let her hair down and guided my hand to the top of her head.
“I love it when people pet me, so you can go ahead and stroke as much as you want~.”
“Babe…? Can I really do this?”
“Meow~.”
Instead of answering, she meowed and shook her head side to side, looking exactly like a cat demanding attention.
“Then… I’ll pet you.”
“Meow~.”
I didn’t get a direct yes, but the situation made it clear I was supposed to pet her. Actually, I had to. With her occupying my lap, the only thing I was allowed to do was exactly what she wanted.
So soft…
The first thought that hit me as I carefully ran my fingers through her hair was how incredibly soft it was. Not a single tangle—her hair slipped between my fingers like silk. Worried I might mess it up, I stroked gently, trying to be as gentlemanly and careful as possible.
“Mmm~ Hyun’s hands are so gentle~.”
“R-really? My hands are all calloused from working out…”
“Are they? I can’t really feel it~.”
“Yeah…?”
“Maybe it just means you’re always this gentle with me~.”
The way she said it so naturally made my heart lurch. I couldn’t find any words to reply.
Even the smallest things I did without thinking made Jihye happy. Whether we were walking hand-in-hand on a cold winter day or I lent her my scarf when her neck looked cold—she always reacted like I’d given her the world. That was exactly why I had to be so careful. I was terrified that the same girl who rejoiced over tiny kindnesses would be deeply hurt by even a small mistake.
“By the way, what should I do with the toy I brought…”
“What~? Weren’t you planning to play with me using that?”
“W-what are you talking about…! You’re not even a real cat, how would we play with this…”
“Meow~.”
“Seriously, stop messing around…!”
“Okay~.”
Watching Jihye giggle, I let out a quiet sigh. I felt like an idiot for actually bringing a cat toy because I thought she was going to show me a real cat. I’d heard cat-ear seduction was trending lately, but I never imagined I’d experience it firsthand.
I wondered what Jihye had thought when she saw the toy. I desperately hoped she didn’t assume I was going to treat her like some perverted couple would.
“Anyway, this kind of cosplay play isn’t bad~. It’s fun.”
“R-really?”
“Yeah! What about you, Hyun?”
“Me? It’s not bad, but… I’m just not used to it, I guess.”
“Hehe~. That’s fine! I feel a little embarrassed too~.”
“I-I see.”
She said that, yet she’d pulled it off so naturally. Compared to the wild stories I’d heard from those perverted couple friends, this wasn’t as intense—but it still packed a serious punch. Actually, thinking about it, those guys were the weird ones. Their cosplay stories were enough to make my head spin.
Those perverts would’ve jumped straight into roleplay in this situation.
One pretending to be a cat, the other playing along and keeping the scene going. My mind automatically started replaying what they would do. Just imagining my friends enjoying their secret games already made me feel guilty, but that wasn’t the real problem.
The real problem was that I was starting to picture Jihye and myself in their place.
“Hyun~. By the way, what did you put in your pocket? Something weird keeps poking my butt.”
“…Sorry.”
“Hyun?”
I quickly pushed her off my lap. Jihye turned to look at me in surprise, then froze when she noticed something. I’d tried to hide it as best I could, but it was probably obvious to her too—the way my pants were straining noticeably at the crotch.
“Sorry, Jihye. I just need a minute to clear my head.”
“Hyun? W-wait…!”
I left Jihye behind and stepped out of the room. My heart was pounding. I’d imagined doing that with her, and the desire had flooded my mind so intensely that if I’d been even a second slower to regain control—if she’d pressed against me even a little more—I probably would’ve stripped her without asking.
“Calm down… I can’t do that.”
Of course I was a guy. A healthy twenty-year-old guy who wanted to get closer to the girl he loved and eventually have sex with her. But even with those desires, this wasn’t the way. We hadn’t even gone beyond kissing yet. Suddenly pushing things this far felt like I’d be doing something wrong to her.
“Hyun…”
“Ah, babe. Sorry… I must’ve startled you when I pushed you off. It’s just…”
When I heard Jihye’s voice, I stopped thinking and turned toward her. The moment I looked at her face to explain, I couldn’t say a word. Clear disappointment and sadness were written all over her expression.
“Hyun. You’re… such an idiot!”
“Babe…?”
With those words, Jihye slammed the door shut.
*** (Han Haru)
“And that’s how I ended up having no choice but to leave her place.”
“…”
“I know. It was a huge mistake… That’s why I came to ask you what I should do.”
After finishing his story, Taehyun let out a deep sigh. The only thing I could say to him was one thing.
“Dude, what the actual fuck. Are you brain-dead? Seriously… Did you trade your brain for muscles or something?”
“…I’ve got nothing to say.”
“Jihye must feel so sorry for herself. She didn’t just set the table—she literally handed you a spoon and fed you, and you kicked it away?”
I wasn’t usually the type to talk to friends like this, but how was I supposed to stay calm after hearing that? If I hadn’t already known how Jihye felt, maybe I could’ve brushed it off. But Jisu had told me Jihye wanted to take things further with Taehyun, so my anger only grew.
“Seriously… Ha. Be honest. You don’t even like Jihye, do you?”
“What the hell are you saying?! Don’t cross the line.”
“Then why the fuck did you push her away and run?!”
“…”
“Let’s think logically. You realized midway that she was trying to seduce you, right?”
“Yeah.”
“And you wanted it too, didn’t you?!”
“…I did.”
“Then just do it, you idiot! What’s the problem?!”
I was genuinely asking because I couldn’t understand. If two people were into each other, wasn’t that all that mattered? They’d been dating for three months—not exactly brand new—and neither of them was uninterested. Jihye had basically asked him outright in a perfect setting. And he turned her down?
“Ha… Man. This is seriously fucked. Are you a virgin? No, you’re not.”
“…I’m not, but this would’ve been my first time with her.”
“Still, you can tell how she feels, can’t you? Or do you not even have that much sense?”
“It’s not that I don’t… Ha, I really don’t know.”
“What don’t you know? You’re screwed. She’s probably been sulking ever since. Am I right?”
“…Yeah. I texted her today and it seemed like it.”
“Aigoo… What am I supposed to do with this muscle-brained gym rat?”
I sighed and rubbed my forehead. Jisu had already been making a fuss about setting these two up. At this rate, they weren’t going to get together—they were going to break up. The only way to fix this was probably to take them on a trip and create the right atmosphere. While I was seriously thinking of solutions, the clueless gym bro started protesting with an aggrieved look.
“Then what was I supposed to do in that situation…”
“What do you mean ‘what’? Just go with the flow naturally.”
“Even if you say naturally, I need to know what to do.”
“Ha… Want me to tell you what to do?”
“Yeah. Tell me.”
“You already fucked it up anyway… Alright, I’ll explain assuming I received that kind of event from Jisu.”
When Taehyun nodded, I began to let my imagination run wild.