— minho.

@✽ seungwan s. some things didn't change even when minho grew up. lazy weekend mornings after a long, brain-draining week at school became slow mornings on the days minho didn't have to go to the bakery. today was one of the days when minho should have been sleeping in, lying down under the sheets and basking in the rays of sunshine that streamed in through the window.

yet, like a child whose parents had promised to bring them to an amusement park, minho was out of bed as soon as he had woken up, choosing to skip the lazing around that usually followed.

the child-like excitement stayed in his heart as he made his bed, a preemptive action to avoid any nagging from his grandparents since there would be a guest over. seungwan had probably seen his house and room in worse states, considering their long history, but the grandparents would always insist on maintaining a good image and minho knew better than to go against their will.

the morning light fell on the uncreased sheets and the warm patch of sunlight on the pillow seemed to beckon minho to lay there a while longer. minho looked at the scene for a while, but felt no temptation. today, he would return some of the extra winks of sleep he had stolen over the year. he had a lot to look forward to today.

his grandfather opened the door, making a small joke about how he was surprised to see minho awake already, and minho laughed before following him out into the living room.

minho's eyes lit up at the sight of a new figure in the kitchen. "welcome," he said, the corners of his lips naturally curling upwards.

he walked into the kitchen where seungwan was, opening the fridge and beckoning the other over to see its contents. "we talked a bit about this, but you should probably check if there's anything else we need to get," he said, turning to look at seungwan, the smile still on his face. "i can't be the one responsible if the dishes taste different because they're missing ingredients."

@✽ minho l. She wouldn’t have understood this when she was younger. But there was something about weekends and idle mornings with acoustic songs playing through the speakers while she prepared a simple breakfast of oatmeals and fruits. The air felt lighter when she opened the windows to her balcony. She was greeted by her neighbour’s son tying a talisman on their laundry lines, praying that the rest of the day was all sunny and warm. Then, they shared a wave, a small chitchat about the child’s plans and his excitement to go to the swimming pool with his parents that day.

When the boy asked about her plan, Seungwan had the simplest answer at the tip of her tongue. “Meeting up with a friend and cooking delicious food with him.”

Opting for a walk by herself, Seungwan departed from her place with earbuds in her ears, playing songs that made her steps lighter and her heart swelled like a hot air balloon. There were days she would have avoided the Sun like the plague. That morning, she found herself chasing after the rays a few times, standing underneath them to bask in nature’s blessings. Then, she hopped to another spot for another second of happy accidents.

It took her a few minutes longer than it would have taken her to arrive at the neighbourhood she used to live. The gate to her parents’ place was locked, and her father’s old yet trusty car was nowhere to be found. That morning wouldn’t have seemed all that tranquil if her parents hadn’t had to be in Seoul for a wedding reception. If anything, Seungwan should be thankful that when she planned this cookout with Minho, it fell on the same day they weren’t around. The nagging would ensue when they heard from Minho’s grandparents that she had come to visit.

Something about her lack of visiting times back home — something close to that.

The sight of Minho’s grandparents enjoying the morning in the courtyard got her hand shooting upward, waving and greeting them with a cheerful voice. Minho’s grandparents jumped to their feet at the sight of her, and an undeniable comfort blanketed her frame, knowing they still loved to see her as much as she did when she saw them too. Seungwan opened the small gate and held up a basket of fruits she had gotten the day before as a gift for them. They took the chatters inside as Seungwan was ushered into the kitchen with Minho’s grandmother while his grandfather went to his room to wake him up.

@✽ hyunjung k. minho looked back and forth between his cat friend and the suspicious woman. he had always wished to become a cat whisperer ever since he was young, and that power would surely come in handy in times like this.

minho knitted his eyebrows into a frown, a mirror of the one on the woman's face. "you were being pretty loud just now," he said. pointing to his house beside where they were standing, he continued, "i could hear you from inside there." hear the woman shouting for kisses, but minho decided not to mention that for now. the mere thought of it was still making him cringe.

minho paused to think about the woman's words. did she know this cat and his personality, or was she just saying that because of her own ego thinking cats would come flocking to her? but would a cat owner really ask for kisses from their own cat out on the street?

minho decided to put that thought on hold, and moved on to the woman's question. "i'm just a passerby," he said, still on the defensive side and only willing to give the bare minimum of information. "and you're right, this doesn't really concern me." he then crossed his arms and continued, "but there have been a few missing cats in the neighbourhood recently, and i'm wouldn't want any cat-napping happen in front of my eyes."

if he were a cat whisperer, minho would simply ask the cat to confirm his side of the story. alas, he was merely a powerless cat butler, and had to find other means to ensure the cat's safety. stepping forward slightly, he looked expectantly at the woman and asked, "do you own the cat? is there any way you can prove that this cat is yours?"

@✽ minho l. Finally, the torture would stop.

The public humiliation would end.

She found the cat, and she would bring the cat home and have her niece and aunt stop breathing down her neck so she could sit, relax and do whatever she wanted. Maybe not show her face around town for another week.

But, of course, the humiliation wasn’t over. It accelerated to the point where Hyunjung heard the voice of a man before her scolding her. For what? Trying to get the cat to come back? Who did he think he was? Just some guy wandering the streets trying to lecture people on how one should interact with a cat that *she* owned. Maybe he should learn how to approach a stranger trying to get the cat and run.

“What—” She frowned, incredulous. “How would I scare him? He’d do anything for some attention.” She looked directly at the cat, her eyes turning into glares as she shot knives at him with her gaze. She knew the cat. As annoying as he was, he loved to cuddle his owner and would do absolutely anything for a snack. She didn’t have any snacks on hand, something she only remembered and regretted now, but indeed if she called him, he would come.

“And who are you? I’m just trying to get um… This *cat* to come with me.” She refused to repeat Bbo-bbo’s name, especially in front of this guy. “I don’t think this is any of your business.”

@✽ hyunjung k. minho made a new friend today, and he was most pleased.

recently, there had been a cat, one with a cute patchwork of orange and yellow on its fur, loitering around the neighbourhood. minho had never seen the cat around before and he made it his mission to befriend the newcomer. on that day, the bowl of water minho had left outside his house had successfully brought the cat to his doorstep.

the cat had been a most lovely visitor, and after a few minutes of hanging out and petting, minho returned to his house to get his secret weapon to raise their friendship points.

exiting his front door, bag of cat treats in hand, minho heard a woman shouting and asking for kisses. it wasn't too big of a deal to say that it was displeasing, but it was definitely weird, and way too corny for him.

brushing it off, minho continued to make his way across the small frontyard of his house. as he opened his front gates, he was definitely not pleased at all.

before minho's eyes was a grown woman, begging his new friend for kisses.

had it been a child, minho would have let it slide, before advising the child on how they could better interact with the cat. but the person in question was a whole adult, and minho was pretty sure that she should have known better. "hey, excuse me, miss!" minho called out to the lady, though not too loud for the sake of his cat friend. "you probably shouldn't do that, you're gonna scare the poor guy."

[post deleted by owner]

@✽ minho l. “Bbo-bbo! Bbo-bbo!”

Hyunjung felt stupid.

“Bbo-bbo! Where are you?” Here she was, in one of the smallest towns in Korea, screaming out for kisses like an idiot. Her younger cousins just had to give one of the stupidest names to her pet cat, and Hyunjung just had to be the one to look for it in a neighbourhood full of people sitting on their front porch laughing their heads off. This nearly 30-year-old woman was calling for kisses. Hyunjung was going to find this cat and chain him to the front door, so he could never escape again.

If she ever found that cat. She didn’t know why she had to be the one to suffer through finding him when she barely interacted with the cat, which was hardly home as it was. Now that it was gone for more than a few days, longer than he’s ever been away, Hyunjung was pushed out the door to look for him. She better get something good if she does find this cat.

“Bbo-bbo! Get out here!” She yelled out in frustration before catching the swish of an orange tail drinking some water from a bowl. “Bbo-bbo!” She couldn’t help her happy squeal of relief, finding the cat with the weird splotches of orange and yellow along his body she had gotten used to smacking her in the face in the morning. “Come here!”