Cat Therapy Chapter 3.5

Something has felt off since last night, and the heat in his body hadn’t gone down at all. It could be a simple cold, but aside from the fever, there were no cold symptoms whatsoever, leaving only one thing to suspect.

A male’s heat.

Originally, male felines do not have a specific mating season. However, when a female goes into heat, they can be affected by her pheromones and experience a rutting fever. Simply put, it meant that a male could go into heat at any time of the year.

And for therianthropes, who evolved from animals, physical contact with someone they like could also trigger a rutting fever. In other words, it happens when there is someone they feel sexual desire for, so naturally, gender didn’t matter.

‘Is it really a rutting fever?’

Because of Haedong?

They had been engaging in frequent physical contact recently, but was it because he had been feeling intense sexual desire continuously?

Seo Yongwoo was lost in thought. It was, in fact, his first time being with a man, so he was confused.

To be honest, it would be a lie to say he hadn’t felt any sexual desire until now. Even though Haedong was a man, his body lines were quite to Seo Yongwoo’s taste. A slender yet firm build and a pretty neckline. On top of that, he was very flexible, so sometimes when Haedong stretched like a cat in his human form, the line of his waist and his upturned bottom were particularly…

“Ah… Hah.”

Thinking that far, Seo Yongwoo pressed a hand to his forehead.

Indeed, it wasn’t an impossibility. But even if it really was a rutting fever, he couldn’t do anything with a kid who wasn’t even prepared. Recalling Haedong’s terrified face from last night, Seo Yongwoo hurriedly searched for his phone and sent a message to his manager.

[Seo Yongwoo: Get me some pheromone suppressants]

[Seo Yongwoo: As soon as possible]

[Manager—Shin Sungbo: Oh]

[Manager—Shin Sungbo: Hyung, is this because of the upcoming film festival? Yes, I’ll get them for you!]

Since he had to go to the film festival after the variety show filming, the manager seemed to naturally assume he needed them for then. Seo Yongwoo always took medicine before going to places where he would meet various therianthropes.

However, Seo Yongwoo found it awkward to explain that it might be because of the cat at home, so he vaguely stated only his purpose.

[Seo Yongwoo: A stronger dose than usual. Please get it as quickly as you can]

The read receipt on the manager’s end disappeared, but there was no reply.

Seo Yongwoo didn’t press any further. Just then, Haedong woke up and was approaching, meowing with his tail held high.

Tossing his phone roughly onto the sofa, Seo Yongwoo first petted the cat rubbing its cheek against his leg to his heart’s content.

“You’re awake? You’re so warm and toasty. A regular little heater.”

Mrow, meow.

At the affectionate voice, Haedong meowed briefly with sleepy eyes. Pleased by this, Seo Yongwoo headed to the kitchen to make him something tasty, all the while thinking to himself that he hoped Haedong would stay in his cat form for the time being.

Waking up in the morning and receiving praise. After completing this familiar routine, Haedong jumped onto the sofa, stretched out long, and leisurely began to groom himself.

Just then, something caught the sensitive cat’s eye.

‘A gnat.’

Haedong spotted the small insect and his sleepy eyes widened. As if by instinct, the cat quickly followed the bug with his eyes, and then he noticed the phone that had been carelessly placed in the corner of the sofa.

At that moment, a message arrived on it.

He was usually too lazy to open his phone and check every single message, and true to Seo Yongwoo’s indifferent nature, the words of the newly arrived message were displayed sequentially.

[Manager—Shin Sungbo: Um…]

[Manager—Shin Sungbo: Hyung, don’t tell me you’re in trouble because of Mr. Dodong…]

‘…Me?’

Haedong, who had already forgotten about the gnat, froze in place with a flinch.

‘Is there any reason for Mister to be in trouble because of me?’

Normally, he wouldn’t have cared much what others thought of him, but since it was Seo Yongwoo, it weighed heavily on his mind. Standing there in a daze as if in shock, Haedong suddenly jumped backward away from the phone, as if wary of it.

‘…So what if he is.’

It was a thought he had habitually used back when he worked part-time jobs. A thought he had every time he met someone who was prejudiced against him.

Struggling to repeat the same words to himself, Haedong fled towards Seo Yongwoo, who was preparing breakfast. He was in the kitchen, making simple tuna canapés.

“Again. I told you the kitchen counter is dangerous.”

…Meow.
Haedong ignored his words and deliberately stuck close to Seo Yongwoo. Knowing that he wouldn’t listen, Seo Yongwoo gave up and just took out a large salad bowl, placing it for the cat to get inside.

Even while seeing the same consideration as always, Haedong couldn’t take his eyes off Seo Yongwoo at all. He knew the man liked him, but he didn’t know what to do if he was causing trouble for him.

Before long, there was only one day left until the broadcast filming.

Perhaps because of that, Seo Yongwoo seemed a bit on edge. He kept getting calls regarding filming preparations, and he said staff would be coming over at dawn to install broadcasting equipment like cameras in the house. Haedong also felt quite uncomfortable with the changes in his territory, but since it was a scheduled event, he silently let it pass.

However, something other than the change in environment kept bothering him.

“How come you took your nap in the hammock today?”

“It’s just, it was a little hot.”

“……?”

Strangely, it seemed like Seo Yongwoo was gradually putting some distance between them. Having spent a considerable amount of time with him, Haedong keenly noticed the small change.

Now, when Haedong sat next to him on the sofa, Seo Yongwoo wouldn’t even let him sit on his lap; he would just sit there awkwardly before leaving. When they ate, he sat on the opposite side, not next to him, and he even slept separately during naps.

‘…Why is he suddenly like this?’

It had been natural for them to be close, sharing body heat, so for Seo Yongwoo to distance himself felt not just very suspicious but also hurtful. And here he was, only pretending to like him all along. For him to feel upset that the scary tiger was leaving him alone… Haedong found it strange to be feeling these emotions.

‘It was an ambiguous relationship, not really lovers, anyway…’

In truth, all Seo Yongwoo had done since bringing him back was on the level of taking care of a child.

As soon as he brought him back, he had washed him from head to toe, and then he fed him delicious food to fatten him up nicely. Then he took him on dates to quiet, nice places and even let him enjoy the flower blossoms.

Was all of that just preparation for the broadcast filming?

Well, it made sense. The reason Seo Yongwoo had first suggested going on dates was ‘to show a friendly appearance on the show’. He was used to people being nice to him with some other motive, but still, seeing Seo Yongwoo change like this made Haedong upset.

He was afraid that once the broadcast filming was over, his relationship with Seo Yongwoo would end too.

The mere thought made his chest ache, but Haedong tried hard to think of it calmly.

‘It could happen, so what.’

He familiarly pulled out the habit of living without expectations. Haedong chastised himself for leaning too much on Seo Yongwoo, who wasn’t even family, and tried to calm his heart. It seemed better to prepare himself in advance so it wouldn’t be as hard when he eventually had to leave.

‘I guess it’s because we’re both male…’

Pondering various possibilities, Haedong suddenly recalled the time Seo Yongwoo had acted strangely in bed. He wondered if his own cold rejection at that time had made Seo Yongwoo realize he was also a male, making him become more guarded.

Of course, there were times when male feline therianthropes became sensitive.

‘A rutting fever… that’s ridiculous.’

He considered the possibility, but it was ridiculous to think that a rutting fever was triggered because of him. They had engaged in some suggestive physical contact a few times, but unless one was an animal, such short-term contact alone wouldn’t lead to a rutting fever.

After thinking for a long while, Haedong rustled around in bed, but eventually, as was his habit, he went to where Seo Yongwoo was. He was washing up, so he sat on the vanity shelf in front of the shower and waited.

Before long, Seo Yongwoo came out wearing a bathrobe.

“Baby, were you waiting?”

“……”

Seeing Haedong, he just smiled as if finding him cute, unlike his usual self. Watching him with a dissatisfied look, Haedong was suddenly struck by a question and asked bluntly.

“But, Mister.”

“Yeah.”

“You’re a male tiger… is it okay for you to keep living with me like this?”

At the question, Seo Yongwoo, who was about to start his skincare routine, casually brushed back his slightly damp hair and smirked.

“Now you’re curious about things like that?”

“…You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

His tone was like he was teasing a child, so Haedong turned his head away as if uninterested. He was suddenly reminded of the paparazzi photos from the dating scandal article.

In those photos, how did Seo Yongwoo look to his real lover?

At the very least, he wouldn’t have been treated like a child. For the first time, Haedong was so sick of being treated like a child that he hated their age difference. Then, a sense of crisis arose from this thought of his.

‘Was I the only one for whom Mister became special…?’

In fact, all felines, including tigers, do not give their hearts away easily in any relationship before meeting their lifelong mate. That’s why there’s a saying that a cat has nine lives but only one heart, and if you can steal that one heart, you can capture the cat forever.

On top of that, tigers were said to be the most independent, so the weight of their feelings could be different. It was palpable just from watching Seo Yongwoo carefully trying to maintain a physical distance from Haedong.

Just then, Seo Yongwoo spoke while leisurely drying his wet hair.

“I wasn’t originally the type to keep anyone by my side…”

As he spoke, Seo Yongwoo leisurely observed the scene through the mirror. Even with Haedong there, he habitually looked for his skincare products; it was a sight that showed having him around had become not just familiar, but a matter of course.

“But strangely, with you, it was okay.”

“Why…?”

“Well. Maybe because I brought you in as my cat at first.”

“…A cat.”

Haedong, who had murmured those words, looked down at his own feet. He was perfectly transformed into his human form, yet he was still treated like a cat. He hadn’t asked hoping for a specific answer, but he was certain that this was not the answer he had wanted.

Haedong’s black tail began to twitch with displeasure. Despite this, Seo Yongwoo just smiled as if finding it cute and ended up patting his cheek.

Seeing that relaxed demeanor, Haedong swallowed his dissatisfaction and spoke as if it were nothing.

“Isn’t it something like this?”

“Like what.”

“They say as men get older, their female hormones increase. So you too, Mister, are becoming a more affectionate tiger, keeping your territory simple…”

“That I’m getting old and my stamina is declining?”

He’d understood his roundabout words as if he were a mind reader.

As Seo Yongwoo cut him off and murmured in a low voice, Haedong, intimidated by that quiet presence, glanced sideways.

Fortunately, Seo Yongwoo’s face was expressionless. Perhaps because he was an actor skilled at his craft, there were times when it was impossible to read his mood when he was expressionless. Still, his ears, tail, and tiger eyes weren’t showing, so it seemed okay for now. Tense and shrinking into himself, Haedong forced himself to say.

“That could be the case.”