I Died And Turned Into A Cat - Chapter 8

Ch. 8 A Cat That Becomes A Person (1)

The day was bright.

The morning rays that fell on my face were stronger than moonlight, and I slowly opened my eyes. I let them fall close again. I wouldn’t let go of this good’s night sleep so easily yet. Unlike the damp grass, the bedding I lay in now was soft and cozy. Nothing was more pleasurable than to be lazy like a cat.

I deliberately let my mind wander more, and when I blinked my sleepy eyes I realized that someone was hugging me. I snuggled closer into the heat. It was probably the body warmth of the man. The kind, warm, nice person. If were really a cat, I would want to be raised by someone who had hands as gentle as he did.

I cracked open my eyes, and the hazy image of the man swam into view. He had eyelashes as long as a woman’s, and a straight, perfect nose. I didn’t draw people, but if he was a model, I would draw him. Beneath his nose were his soft, parted lips. I lifted my paw to touch him, when I suddenly realized what I was doing.

“Mmmm…!” I scolded myself, and withdrew.

My mind was probably still muddled from sleep, and I stretched luxuriously on the bed. I didn’t know it at the time, but I returned to my original, long-limbed form.

I continued to doze under the soft sheets and the morning sun coming through the window. My paw remained at my side as I watched the sun with half-closed eyes. Good, good. I was becoming as sentimental and carefree as an old man. Clearly, I had become more laid-back since I became a cat.

“…Hmmm.”

Suddenly, the man’s hand drifted down to my leg. The warmth surrounding me diminished, and I frowned as I instinctively searched for it.

I realized that the touch on my leg didn’t feel right. It was oddly different from the sensation when he petted me…why did it feel so smooth? I turned my head to look down where he was touching me.

And I saw it. Not a cat’s leg, but a sleek white leg.

Was this a dream?

My eyes gradually moved upwards, from my ankles, to my calves, thighs, stomach, and…breasts?

My chest was furless and naked under the sunlight. Oh my god!

“…Kkya—kyyaaang! Mya…mya?” (Kkyaaaag! What…what is this?)

It was not a dream. A sharp scream escaped me, and I hurriedly clamped my mouth with my hand. I had somehow turned back into a human, but what was more surprising was that I was still speaking the words of a cat. But how?!

I frantically racked my brain. Why did I turn into a human when it hadn’t been a month yet? And why did a cat sound come out of me, not a human one? The angel of death told me that I would naturally come to know how to turn human. The transformation was dependent on my own will…

I remembered my dream last night. I dreamed of lying in my own cozy bed with my laptop beside me. My cheeks were pressed against the cool, soft sheets, and I slept so long and no one woke me up. Yes, I was definitely a human in my dream. I dreamed that I was like that every day.

“Nya nya.” (Oh.)

I opened my mouth and cried out, but it was still the sound of an animal. Why was I in this state? Humans should speak like humans!

I frowned as I recalled further information from the angel of death.

‘It may be awkward first when you transition between the human body and the cat body. Switching between walking from four feet to two feet, as well as talking like a cat and a human, will be difficult to differentiate initially. But you’ll soon get used to it. Humans are very adaptable.’

That detestable angel of death had never mentioned how the transformation was automatic! I didn’t expect to be finding myself in this situation!

“…Kitty,” the man murmured.. He probably stirred when I was making cat sounds. He turned over and lifted an arm to rub his eyes.

I quickly pulled a sheet and wrapped it around my naked self. The fact that this vessel didn’t come with a clothing option was a terrible oversight. I tumbled out of bed, avoiding the man, and fell to the floor.

“Nya!” (Ow!)

Kuung! I hit my jaw against the floor. I didn’t have the same natural flexibility in my human body as I did in a cat’s. How long would it take to get used to this?

My jaw throbbed painfully from its impact with the floor, but I had to think of escape first. I tried to get up, but my legs were weak and uncoordinated.

“Nya nya miii!” (Damn it!)

I didn’t have time to be upset as the man was starting to get up, and I hurriedly rolled underneath the bed. Fortunately, there was a fair amount of space and it was clean and free of dust.

I couldn’t believe the shameful situation I found myself in—hiding naked under a bed, garbed in only a single sheet. My face was glowing red.

“…Kitty! Hmmm, kitty?” the man called out. He stretched, and the bed springs creaked over my hiding place. He slowly climbed off the bed, wondering if the black cat he had brought back was somewhere in the apartment.

I watched as his feet moved towards the living room, and I buried my face in my hands. What would he do if he saw me like this now? A woman hiding naked under his bed…he would think I was a total pervert. I’d rather die than get caught! Even though I was furless now, it felt as if it were standing on end.

I stayed as still as a dead person, barely inhaling any breath. Luckily, the man hadn’t noticed that someone was under his bed.

“Kitty?” he continued to call out, scratching the back of his head. I bit the end of the bedsheet, unable to answer.

Why did I become a person? Because I was dreaming that I was one! I was naked! Let me be a cat again! I hated this body. I violently took out my frustration on the bedsheet with my mouth, as I already had the habit of using my teeth rather than my hands while living as a cat.

“Myag!” (Aaahh!)

As I thought about how I would die of embarrassment if I was discovered like this, I felt a strange energy covering my body. My limbs turned numb as if I were falling into deep water, and my skin shone with a white light. The hiding place I was in became bigger—no, I was becoming smaller.

“Nyang?” (Huh?)

I suddenly realized that I was standing underneath the bed. With wide eyes, I studied my front paws, black fur, and thin hind legs. This was it! Thin hind legs that looked like a chicken’s!

I was relieved that I didn’t have to reveal my ugly side. I also didn’t want to show my face because I wasn’t a cat, but thank god. At least in this moment, the cat form was more preferable than the human form.

“Where are you, Kitty?” the man continued to call out.

“Myaong! Nya nya!” (Here! I’m a cat!)

The man padded back to the bedroom when he heard my call, and I crawled out from under the bed. My butt was on the floor as I pulled myself forward with my front paws. Just like a proud cat.

“There you are,” the man said, and leaned down to pick me up. “Hm, why is the sheet here?”

As he lifted me in his arms, he found the sheet sticking out from under the bed and picked it up. He place on the bed and tilted his head, when the doorbell rang.

Ding dong.

He walked out onto the front as he cradled me in his arms. He must have a scheduled visitor, as he opened the door without checking the intercom.

Standing outside was a man with bslick lack hair. He adjusted his rimless glasses as he stepped inside the residence. I was surprised to find myself relieved that the visitor was a man, not a woman, and, embarrassed, I lifted my foreleg and rubbed my face quickly.

“Good morning,” the bespectacled man greeted.

“You came early.”

The two seemed to be close friends. Mr. Glasses glanced towards me where I was being held at the man’s chest.

“What’s with the cat?”

“Oh, I told you. The girl I’m caring for.”

At this words, I began to rub my face at a quicker face. Rubbing and rubbing out of embarrassment. I worried that my face would turn red but it didn’t, and I felt like I was just making my face feel itchier. The two men stared at the cat that looked like it was fully absorbed in cleaning itself.

” …She’s a cat?” Mr. Glasses said.

“I caught her yesterday.”

“Well, I should expect something crazy from someone like you.”

“Beautiful, isn’t she?” the man said.

Me, beautiful? My paws shot to my face and began rubbing my cheeks again. I was so embarrassed that my face just automatically burned. The two men laughed lightly at me.

“She’s quite cute,” Mr. Glasses agreed.

“Right?”

“Are you going to raise her?”

“I’d love to, but…” the man’s voice trailed off regretfully. “I’ll have to ask around and find out if she has an owner. She’s way too pretty to be a street cat.”

The man’s large hand stroked my head. He smelled so good. Was he wearing a wood-scented cologne? I put my pink nose to his wrist and gave a small sniff.

“Oh, they put things up in places like hospitals,” Mr. Glasses suggested.

“Put up what?”

“Missing posters. There’s even one at the animal hospital right in front of this place.”

“Really? Then I should try going once.”

“But not now. The shoot was moved up in schedule. Is this a good time now, Tae-il?”

My ears twitched and I looked upwards at the man holding me. I heard the man’s name.

“Nyang?” (Tae-il?)

“What?” he replied.

“Nyang, nyang.” (Your name is Tae-il.)

“What do you think she’s saying?”

“Saying?” Mr. Glasses said skeptically. “When a cat goes ‘meow meow’, it just means ‘meow meow’.”

Tae-il didn’t respond to the fact that meowing was commonplace with cats, but he often made eye contact with me. As he stared into my eyes, he spoke up as if he thought of something.

“Oh, what should I name her? Just calling her kitty is just weird.”

“She must have a name already, right?”

“Well, even if it’s for a short time, I just want to be able to call her something.”

When a human gave an animal the kind of affectionate gaze that Tae-il was giving me now, it meant that the human really cared for their pet. Maybe that was why dogs were loyal to people and cats acknowledged the person that raised them. Tae-il’s expression was like pouring on me like warm honey.

“Then just name her anything, like Butterfly or something…” Mr. Glasses said.

“Nyang!” (No!)

I made a sharp outburst at the lack of sincerity in the name, then promptly turned my head away. Mr. Glasses pointed at me with wide eyes.

“…Did she just say no to me?” he said incredulously.

“She’s very smart, isn’t she?” Tae-il responded with a note of pride.

Tae-il ‘s fingertips tickled my chin and cooed that I was a smart girl. I loved his eyes and voice, and I rubbed my nose on the tip of his hand. Touching a part of his body was the best I could do as a kind gesture.

“You can name her later, but we have to go to the shoot now,” Mr. Glasses insisted.

“You came an hour early and you’re still rushing me.”

“The model is in a hurry, so what else am I supposed to do?”

“Last week the location was also suddenly pushed forward…This isn’t the first or second time you’ve done this.”

“I’m sorry. Then please do me this favor, Tae-il.”

He finally yielded under his friend’s apology, although his expression was still slightly disgruntled.