Another overtime. He was used to it at this point, but thinking about his miserable slave job was still frustrating. He looked up, and the gloomy sky seemed to be sympathizing with his current predicament.
He sighed and lowered his head, continuing to walk. There was no need to be pity partying when he would still do the same by the next day.
It was quite fortunate that his place was near his current company, although he did walk about fifteen minutes. It was better than his other colleagues.
Kang Jaeyi was a typical office worker who was working to make ends meet, not having enough savings. At least, he did not have a huge debt under his name. And his place was his own, an inheritance from his parents.
Jaeyi let out a heavy sigh again, the dark circles under his eyes becoming darker, giving him a somewhat gloomy vibe. The way he walked was fast but still appeared lifeless, like a zombie.
The route he was taking was a path he walked every day, something he could traverse with his eyes closed. Or maybe that was an exaggeration?
His mind wandered when he suddenly paused. Jaeyi was hungry and exhausted; he just wanted to come home immediately, but he found himself walking towards a heap of trash around a trash box.
Jaeyi's gloomy eyes stared at the not really small but emaciated black cat lying at the trash can. Just one look to realize that it was a dying and starving cat.
He should be moving on; Jaeyi was not one to empathize with a cat. He was not really a pet lover. After all, His life was already in shambles to take care of another mouth to feed.
Yet, why was he finding himself sad and squatting in front of it?
"You're miserable too, huh?" Jaeyi's voice had a dark tone to it and was even hoarse. But strangely, it was not grating to the ears and somehow pleasing.
The cat's breathing was faint. Jaeyi knew that even if he rushed it to the vet, assuming there was still one open at this hour, the cat would not have made it.
Jaeyi stared at it. There was nothing he could do. Should he bury it? But it was still alive; should he wait for it to die? While thinking of these thoughts, Jaeyi failed to notice when the black cat suddenly opened its eyes.
Its eyes were pure black. It looked up at Jaeyi; a strange determination flickered in its eyes.
Just as he was lost in thought, the black cat lying on the ground suddenly jumped at him. Jaeyi was shocked, and he was late to react.
The cat had already bitten the back of his hand.
What the...
Jaeyi stood up, his face twisted in pain. He tried to pull the cat from his hand, but oddly enough, its grip was too strong. This dying black cat was too strong for its condition.
"Hey! Don't vent your anger to the world on me!" While he was pulling the cat away from his hand, Jaeyi reprimanded it, frustrated at this sudden event.
The black cat hugged Jaeyi's hand as it kept biting on it. Jaeyi's blood flowed, but strangely, none dripped on the ground but went into the cat's mouth.
Jaeyi cursed in his mind. This was driving him crazy. He was torn between just slapping the cat or slamming it to the ground. However...
He looked around. What if someone saw him? If he were recorded slamming a cat, everyone would just think of the cat's condition instead of him, who was being bitten by it.
Jaeyi did not want to be penalized for animal cruelty.
Ah, seriously! Jaeyi was so exhausted and hungry that he was already seeing white. Wait... He frowned. Why was he getting dizzy all of a sudden? He was feeling weak. Huh?
Was it rabies? Jaeyi rubbed his face, forgetting the pain for a moment, and now getting anxious about rabies and the abnormality around him.
He failed to notice just how the cat was sucking his blood, and the extremely malnourished cat seemed to be gaining weight.
Jaeyi nearly stumbled until he collapsed on the ground. His whole world seemed to be shaking or something. What was this?
"Rabies...?" Jaeyi muttered in a slurred voice. Wait... I need to get an ambulance. His mind was slowing down because of nausea.
Since he could not take the cat off him and he might be condemned for animal cruelty, he chose to call the ambulance. Jaeyi struggled to take his phone out of his pocket, but before he could hold it, the phone slipped out of his hand.
His hand was shaking; his whole body was so weak. Jaeyi tried to get it, but his knees finally gave out, and he could only slump on the ground.
Jaeyi looked at the greedy cat, who was now looking at him. He blinked. Why was he seeing things already? He seemed to see a slight bulge at the cat's head? Was that... horns?
Huh? Jaeyi was truly out of it because of rabies. The cat was also looking at him with such an expressive gaze, as if it were mocking or sneering at him.
Jaeyi's breathing slowed down. Was this how he died? Exhausted and starving around the heaps of trash, bitten by a dying cat?
Damn it. Jaeyi looked up and saw the sky flash, followed by loud thunder. It seemed there would be a thunderstorm.
The sky was indeed gloomy...
Jaeyi closed his eyes and let the darkness consume him.
When he thought he was dead, Jaeyi opened his eyes.
He frowned, still feeling groggy. Jaeyi opened his eyes before closing them again, repeating the process. His eyes finally adapted to the light. Jaeyi groaned, feeling so weak.
He looked around and saw the familiar room. Did he just slump onto his bed, dead tired, forgetting to eat? That was Jaeyi's first guess, as it happened too many times.
However, it was not for long before memories of what happened slowly returned.
"The cat!" Jaeyi got up abruptly, prompting him to groan at the sudden movement, massaging the space between his brows.
What happened to the cat? Also, why was he in his room? Who brought him here, and why not in the hospital? Questions immediately flooded Jaeyi's mind.
His gaze instinctively looked at his right hand, where the cat bit him last night. Jaeyi's mind widened again.
"Huh? Where's the wound?" Jaeyi touched his hand and looked at it, at the palm and then at the back, vice versa. There was no wound.
Was what happened last night a dream? But if it was... What was a cat doing in his place...?
Jaeyi paused, staring at the cat sitting on the chair and looking at him. The two stared at each other.
"You..." Jaeyi pointed at it. "How did you become fat?"
That was his first reaction and one he noticed first. The black cat, which was extremely malnourished, was now so fat and boasted a silky fur.
Or was it a different cat... but... Jaeyi's gaze landed on the small horns at its head. Huh? Was he still affected by rabies?
Under his dumbfounded face, the cat rolled its eyes.
The cat rolled its eyes... Jaeyi blinked once more.
"Just my luck! I encountered an idiot for an heir. Oh, my apologies, my lord. I failed your mission!" The cat lowered its head and began rambling.
Jaeyi blinked countless times.
"You just talk... a cat's talking!" Jaeyi rubbed his head. Was he dreaming? He must be!
The cat lifted its head and narrowed its eyes, staring at Jaeyi as if he were the dumbest creature it knew. Jaeyi shuddered at the gaze.
How could the gaze of such a small creature be so intimidating?
The cat sighed. "This is truly unfortunate, but the contract's already established." It looked at Jaeyi as if judging his whole being, then sighed again. "Human... Oh, not anymore. Listen to me, heir."
Heir? Not human anymore? Jaeyi could understand all of them but was slow to comprehend. His mind was stuck on the fact that there was a talking cat with horns in front of him who was staring at him with contempt.
"The previous Demon Lord, my great master..." The cat sighed, shaking its head with sorrow before it continued. "Has fallen. Now, it's your time to take over the great master's title and become the Demon Lord of the Abyss! This is an opportunity that everyone has been coveting since time immemorial."
The cat's proud posture made Jaeyi's lips twitch.
"Human, no... heir to the Great Demon Lord, sovereign of the abyss! This one urged you to master your inherited powers and grow stronger! Avenge the fallen master and ascend as the sole ruler of the abyss."
Jaeyi stared blackly at it, the words not registering to him or that what it just spouted was truly unbelievable and even sounded absurd. It was especially so coming from a talking cat with the voice of a child.
The cat narrowed its eyes.
"Don't stare at me like an idiot, heir. This is not a suggestion but a real mission."