----
Jiwoo was still thinking about the picture Asuka had sent him when school ended.
The Great Kayden.
The terrifying, famous, allegedly dignified Kayden Break.
Asleep in the sunlight with three cats curled around him like he was their oversized orange pillow.
Jiwoo had nearly dropped his phone in class trying not to laugh.
He had also nearly sent back five more messages about how cute Kayden looked, but then he remembered Asuka's warning.
Do not let Kayden see the photo.
So Jiwoo did what any responsible person would do.
He saved it.
For safety.
Probably.
By the time he left school, his mood had lifted enough that even the lingering soreness from training felt good. His core still hummed faintly from last night's practice. Asuka's force control kept everything steady beneath the surface, and Kayden's sharper rhythm sparked lightly whenever Jiwoo focused too hard.
He was tired.
Very tired.
But happy.
Then he saw the stray cats.
Jiwoo stopped immediately.
"Oh."
A small calico sat near the side of the road, watching him with cautious eyes. Another cat, striped and thin, lingered behind a low wall.
Jiwoo's hand was already in his bag before he thought about it.
"I have treats," he whispered, crouching down.
The calico did not move.
Jiwoo smiled gently and placed one treat on the ground.
"It's okay. You don't have to come close."
The calico sniffed the air.
Then crept forward.
Jiwoo's expression softened so much it was almost painful.
"There you go."
He was reaching for another treat when a shadow fell across him.
"Where did you get that cat?"
Jiwoo looked up.
Wooin stood a few steps away, school bag hanging from one shoulder, eyes sharp behind his glasses.
Jiwoo blinked.
Then looked at the calico.
"This one?"
Wooin stared at him.
Jiwoo frowned slightly, confused. "This isn't my cat. I was just feeding it."
The calico, sensing tension, grabbed the treat and retreated.
Wooin's gaze did not follow it.
"Not that one."
Jiwoo slowly stood.
Wooin's expression was guarded. Too guarded.
"The grey cat," Wooin said. "The one you were carrying yesterday."
Jiwoo's face cleared in understanding.
"Oh. Him."
Wooin watched him carefully.
Jiwoo adjusted his bag strap.
"We were carrying him to the vet. He seemed uncomfortable, and he was still hurt, so we wanted to make sure he was okay."
The answer came too easily.
Too naturally.
Wooin narrowed his eyes.
"To the vet?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
Jiwoo frowned, more confused now.
"Because he was hurt."
Wooin stared.
Jiwoo looked back.
The silence stretched.
Then Jiwoo asked, "Why do you want to know?"
Wooin hesitated.
Just a fraction.
Enough that Jiwoo noticed.
"It might be mine," Wooin said.
Jiwoo's entire expression changed.
The suspicion in his face disappeared, replaced instantly by something open and heartbroken.
"You lost your cat?"
Wooin froze.
Jiwoo's eyes became teary far too quickly.
"That must have been awful. He was so scared when we found him. Wait—do you want me to bring him out so you can check if it's your cat?"
Wooin stared.
"What?"
Jiwoo had already turned halfway toward home.
"I'll bring him so you can take a look. If he's really yours, that's good, right? He can go home."
Wooin did not move.
Jiwoo looked back over his shoulder.
"Wait here, okay? I'll be quick."
Then he ran.
Not at full awakened speed.
Not openly.
But fast enough that Wooin's eyes sharpened.
He stood there, watching Jiwoo disappear down the street.
His thoughts tangled.
If Jiwoo Seo was a tracker, this made no sense.
No tracker would offer to show him the cat.
No tracker would lead him toward its location so openly.
No tracker would look genuinely on the verge of tears because someone claimed to have lost an animal.
Unless it was a trap.
Wooin's fingers tightened around the strap of his bag.
Professor Delein had warned him.
People could pretend.
Kindness could be bait.
Still, Jiwoo's face lingered in his mind.
You lost your cat?
Wooin looked away.
He would confirm it himself.
Jiwoo entered the apartment in a rush.
"I'm home!"
The cats looked up.
Kayden, asleep in the sunlight despite every claim he had made about strategic rest, cracked one eye open.
"Why are you loud?"
Jiwoo slipped off his shoes quickly.
"Mr. Kayden, where's the grey cat?"
Kayden's other eye opened.
"Why?"
"I think I found his owner."
Kayden went still.
Jiwoo was already crossing the room, crouching near the couch where the grey scarred cat had been resting.
The grey cat lifted its head.
Jiwoo softened immediately.
"Hey. Someone might know you."
Kayden stood.
"Wait."
Jiwoo gently scooped the grey cat into his arms.
The cat tensed, but did not attack.
Kayden's ears flattened.
"Jiwoo."
Jiwoo looked at him.
"It'll be okay. I'll just let him check."
"You found this supposed owner where?"
"Near school."
Kayden's tail lashed.
"And you're bringing the cat to him?"
"He said it might be his."
"People lie."
Jiwoo hesitated.
"I know, but…"
Kayden stared.
Jiwoo's grip on the grey cat tightened slightly, protective despite his own words.
"If it really is his cat, then he must be worried. And if it isn't, I won't give him away."
Kayden wanted to say many things.
Most of them involved calling Jiwoo an idiot.
But before he could choose the most effective insult, Jiwoo was already heading for the door.
"I'll be careful!"
"That is the least reassuring sentence you could say!"
The door shut.
Kayden stared at it.
Then turned toward the hallway.
"Asuka!"
No answer.
Of course.
She had stepped out briefly to pick up a few things from the store nearby after telling Kayden she would be back soon.
Kayden's eye twitched.
"Ridiculous brat."
He jumped down from the cushion.
Then paused.
His body was still recovering.
Not fully ready.
Not enough.
But the irritation in his chest was no longer simple irritation.
It felt uncomfortably like concern.
Kayden clicked his tongue and moved toward the door.
Wooin was still waiting where Jiwoo had left him.
He looked almost surprised when Jiwoo returned.
The grey cat was in Jiwoo's arms, tucked close against his chest.
The moment Wooin saw it, his expression changed.
Recognition.
Relief.
Tension.
"That's him," Wooin said.
Jiwoo brightened.
"So he is yours?"
Wooin stepped forward.
"Yes. Give him to me."
The grey cat woke fully.
Its eyes landed on Wooin.
For one heartbeat, everything froze.
Then the cat panicked.
Its body twisted violently in Jiwoo's arms, claws digging into his sleeve as it hissed and thrashed. Wild awakened energy flickered around it in jagged bursts.
Jiwoo startled but held on carefully.
"Hey, hey, it's okay—"
The cat hissed harder.
Wooin's jaw tightened.
Jiwoo looked down at the cat.
Then back at Wooin.
His brows drew together.
"If he's your cat, why is he acting like this?"
Wooin's expression hardened.
"Give him to me."
Jiwoo took a small step back.
"Are you really his owner?"
Wooin's eyes narrowed.
"I said he's mine."
"But he's scared of you."
"That has nothing to do with you."
Jiwoo frowned now.
It was not anger exactly.
Jiwoo rarely reached anger quickly.
But his face had become serious in a way that made him look less soft, less naive.
More like Asuka, just for a moment.
"You're not his owner, are you?"
Wooin said nothing.
Jiwoo held the grey cat closer.
"Why do you want him?"
Wooin exhaled slowly, tension gathering in his shoulders.
"You should just give me the cat."
"I can't."
"If you keep him, you'll be in danger."
Jiwoo froze.
Danger.
That word had changed lately.
Before Kayden, it meant normal things. Bad people. Accidents. Stray animals getting hurt.
Now it meant awakeners.
Hidden worlds.
People who would take, use, threaten, kill.
Jiwoo looked at the grey cat again.
It trembled against him.
"No," Jiwoo said.
Wooin's eyes sharpened.
Jiwoo swallowed, but did not move.
"I'm sorry. I can't give him to you if you're not his owner."
Wooin's face shadowed.
"Then you give me no choice."
The air moved.
Jiwoo barely registered it.
Something struck him from the side—an invisible force, sharp and controlled.
His vision flashed white.
The grey cat was ripped from his arms.
Jiwoo hit the ground hard.
For a moment, sound disappeared.
When it returned, he heard the grey cat hiss.
Wooin stood a few steps away, holding the cat by the collar.
The cat struggled weakly, then went limp as another pulse of force knocked it unconscious.
Jiwoo's eyes widened.
"Wait…"
Wooin turned away.
Jiwoo pushed himself up, body aching.
"Wait!"
Wooin paused.
Jiwoo stumbled to his feet.
"Why are you taking him away if you're not his owner?"
Wooin did not answer immediately.
His back remained turned.
"You don't know what you're involved in," he said at last.
"Then explain it."
Wooin's grip tightened on the cat.
"Forget this happened. Forget the cat."
Jiwoo stared.
"I can't just forget."
"You should."
"But he's scared."
Wooin's jaw tightened.
Jiwoo took one step forward.
"What's going on? Can you explain it clearly?"
Wooin turned his head.
Jiwoo frowned, thinking hard.
That strange power.
The way Wooin moved.
The grey cat.
The man from the alley.
The one Kayden had called an awakener.
Jiwoo's eyes widened slightly.
"Are you related to that awakened uncle?"
Wooin went still.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Jiwoo felt it too late.
Wooin turned fully.
"So you really did interfere with my master."
Jiwoo blinked.
"Master?"
The blast hit before he could dodge.
Pain exploded across his side as he was thrown backward, shoes scraping against the pavement. He crashed near the curb, breath knocked from his lungs.
"Jiwoo!"
No.
That was not Asuka.
That was his own mind remembering how she would sound if she saw him like this.
He pushed himself up.
Wooin raised his hand again.
Another invisible attack shot toward him.
This time, Jiwoo moved.
His body blurred.
Kayden's training screamed through him.
Watch the flow. Feel the timing. Move before the attack fully forms.
The blast tore through the air where he had been.
Wooin's eyes widened.
Jiwoo reappeared to the side, breathing hard.
"I don't want to fight you."
Wooin's expression sharpened.
"Then stop chasing."
"I can't. Not while you have him."
Wooin attacked again.
Jiwoo dodged.
Barely.
Another blast.
Another dodge.
His movements were fast, but messy. Too much energy wasted. Too much panic. Kayden would have yelled at him for every step.
But he moved.
He closed distance in bursts, trying to reach the grey cat without hurting Wooin.
That was the problem.
He was not trying to fight.
He was trying to rescue.
Wooin saw it.
The sloppy approach.
The hesitation.
The lack of proper offensive rhythm.
No hidden team.
No trained tracker tactics.
No coordination.
Jiwoo Seo was not moving like someone trained to hunt awakeners.
He was moving like a boy who had been given power and immediately used it to protect a frightened cat.
Wooin blocked him with another burst of force.
Jiwoo flew back, hitting the ground hard enough to scrape his palms.
The world spun.
He still got up.
Wooin's face tightened.
"Stay down."
Jiwoo shook his head.
"I can't."
"You'll get hurt."
"He's already hurt."
Wooin moved fast.
Not Jiwoo-fast.
But trained.
Efficient.
He closed the gap as Jiwoo stepped forward again and shoved him hard against a lamp post.
Jiwoo's back hit metal with a painful clang.
Wooin pinned him there with one hand, the unconscious cat held in the other.
"What group do you belong to?"
Jiwoo blinked through the pain.
"What?"
"Who sent you?"
"No one."
Wooin's eyes narrowed.
"Don't lie."
"I'm not lying."
"Are you the ones chasing us?"
Jiwoo stared at him.
"Chasing you?"
His confusion was too immediate.
Too real.
Wooin faltered.
Jiwoo looked exhausted, bruised, and completely lost. There was fear in his eyes, yes, but not guilt. Not recognition.
Just worry.
Mostly for the cat.
"Why would I go after you?" Jiwoo asked quietly. "I barely know you."
Wooin's grip loosened.
Memories flickered.
Jiwoo greeting him cheerfully in class.
Jiwoo asking if he was okay.
Jiwoo walking beside him despite silence.
Jiwoo offering to bring the cat out because he thought Wooin had lost it.
You lost your cat?
Wooin's expression shifted.
Understanding came late.
Too late.
Jiwoo Seo was innocent.
Wooin released him.
Jiwoo slid slightly against the lamp post, one hand pressing to his side.
Wooin looked away.
"Don't follow me."
"But—"
"If you keep involving yourself, you'll get hurt."
Jiwoo met his gaze.
"I'm already involved."
Wooin's face tightened.
Then he turned away.
"This is your last warning."
He left.
Jiwoo stood there for a few seconds, breathing hard, pain radiating through his side and shoulder.
He should go home.
He should call Asuka.
He should tell Kayden.
He knew that.
But Wooin had the grey cat.
And the grey cat was going back to the man from the alley.
The man who had wanted to take him before.
Jiwoo pushed off the lamp post.
His legs trembled.
Then he followed.
Wooin returned to Professor Delein with the grey cat in his arms.
The building was quiet, tucked away from ordinary eyes. Jiwoo stayed outside, hidden as best as he could, heart pounding too hard in his chest.
He had followed at a distance, using short bursts of speed whenever Wooin turned corners. It was clumsy. Risky. Kayden would definitely scold him.
Asuka would look at his injuries first.
Then scold him more softly.
Jiwoo swallowed.
Through the window, he saw Wooin enter a room.
Dr. Delein turned.
His face lit with satisfaction.
"You found it."
Wooin stood still.
"Yes, Professor."
Delein stepped closer, eyes fixed on the grey cat with clinical pleasure.
"Good work. I knew I could trust you."
Wooin did not look proud.
He only lowered his gaze.
Delein took the cat and placed it inside a cage.
The grey cat stirred weakly, then slumped against the metal floor.
Jiwoo's fingers curled around the edge of the wall outside.
His chest hurt.
His side hurt.
His palms stung.
But all he could see was the cage.
The cat was back where it had been terrified to return.
Jiwoo's breath shook.
He did not understand everything.
He did not know what group Wooin thought he belonged to.
He did not know what Professor Delein wanted.
He did not know how awakeners worked, or what rules he had broken, or why people kept speaking like kindness was a mistake.
But he understood one thing.
That cat was scared.
And Jiwoo could not leave him there.
Inside, Delein praised Wooin again.
Outside, Jiwoo quietly stepped back into the shadows.
His hand reached for his phone.
Asuka.
Kayden.
He needed help.
And this time, he would not try to do it alone.
----