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It takes Ryu Jaekwan several firm shakes to remove most of the lingering raindrops from his umbrella. He wraps it back into its casing and slots it in amongst the rest of its brethren in the hallway of the bureau’s front entrance. There are a few stray drops of water on his jacket that he brushes off in short order before making his way to the Black Tortoise Team 1 office. Although the building is old, it’s surprisingly well-insulated, so most of the autumn chill from the heavy rains stays outside where it belongs. The agent bobs his head in acknowledgement at a few familiar faces, angling his partial bow deeper in the presence of the superiors he passes by. To his surprise, he spots the glow of lights peeking through the door’s window; it seems he’s not the first person to clock in today. With a short jostle of the handle, the door creaks open.
“Good morning–”
He cuts his greeting off midway when he finds no one to direct it towards inside. However, the lights are indeed on. A quick scan brings up no notes left or anything on their group whiteboard to indicate where the other two might have gone. The only signs that they had been in here is an agency jacket haphazardly crumpled on the sofa–most likely Choi’s doing. Carefree as always, that man.
Jaekwan leans down to pick up the jacket in order to fold it more neatly, but jerks his hand back when the pile of cloth suddenly moves. Was this some kind of dokkaebi trick that Choi had set up as a prank? He watches warily as the bundle continues to wriggle, eyes widening when a small, dark paw frees itself from the mass. There’s a piteous mewl, and Jaekwan swiftly moves to safely disentangle the creature. Once freed, he finds himself face to face with curious dark eyes tinted with a spark of red. It’s an eye color that he’s used to seeing from behind a pair of glasses, and not on a black cat.
Actually, upon closer look, there almost seems to be a ring of slightly darker imprints around the cat’s eyes that look like glasses?
It’s not possible. They aren’t even out in the field at the moment, nor does this smell of the malevolent tinge he typically associates with contamination. But just in case, he hesitantly calls out to the small creature he’s holding in his arms.
“Grapes…?”
There is a soft mewl in response, as if in affirmation. Cradling the cat in the crook of one arm, Jaekwan settles onto the couch and stiffly reaches out to pick up the jacket. He notes the way the size is slightly smaller than the one he usually finds himself folding up for Agent Choi and feels his heart drop.
Oh no.
Oh no, oh no.
Their junior has somehow transformed into a cat. Was this why Choi had run off? To inform the others and figure out how to fix this?
How could he leave their youngest member alone in such a vulnerable state?
Frozen between running to look for help and checking on the younger agent’s wellness in this smaller, furrier form, Jaekwan can only stare down at him.
“Are you able to understand me, Agent?”
Cat Grapes blinks up at him, tail curling lazily to and fro, before wriggling his tiny head under Jaekwan’s palm, nuzzling it. Okay, cute, but this was not getting them anywhere.
He begins to pet Grapes, who purrs softly in appreciation. After some consideration, he asks, “Can you perhaps mewl if you mean yes? And tap your paw to say no?”
A small mewl. Yes.
“Good to hear. Does Agent Choi know about this?”
Another mewl. It seemed that he still understood human speech well enough. That was good. He pauses mid-stroke, deep in thought.
“Do you remember how this happened?”
A single paw bats the hand he’s been using to pet his hoobae, and he resumes the motion. “I didn’t think so. Still, I can’t believe that he’d just leave you here by yourself-–”
“We’re back!” The office door opens, revealing a cheery Agent Choi carrying a drinks carrier. He grins at Jaekwan. “Mornin’ Bronze, I see you’ve met our little Grapes?”
Perhaps startled by the sudden ruckus at the doorway, Grapes leaps several feet into the air before retreating into the small space between the sofa’s armrest and Jaekwan’s elbow.
“Not so loud.”
“Oops, sorry.” Choi lowers his voice to a softer volume, slowly approaching the small ball of fur hesitantly peeking out from behind the safety of the Bronze Wall. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”
Grapes slowly, cautiously inches closer to Choi. The agent reaches out a scar-riddled hand with his palm down and fingers lightly splayed. The black cat sniffs curiously, before finally giving a tentative nudge with his nose. Choi practically coos in response.
“Agent Choi, how did this happen? Did you find someone who can help?”
“Mm? Well it’s a bit of a long story,” he starts, eyes still trained on the cat in fascination. He tilts his head back towards the open doorway. “Grapes, you’re the one who found him so maybe you should fill him in?”
Wait. Grapes?
Jaekwan looks to the doorway, and to his shock he sees a very human Agent Grapes shuffle in, carrying several plastic convenience store bags. He looks a little damp at the edges, jacketless but wearing a long-sleeved button down. The younger man sighs quietly.
“Does he also need to be called Grapes? I feel like things might get confusing.”
Choi hums. “Hmm, what about something like Raisin? Or Grape Seeds?”
“Why is it still grape themed…nevermind.” Their youngest member nudges his jacket aside and settles down on the other side of the sofa, pulling out a pair of small saucers, a water bottle, and a can of cat food. “I found him in a box on my way here. I was worried, considering how much rain there is outside, so I brought him with me. I only realized after I’d gotten here that I should have picked up some supplies to keep him comfortable in the meantime…”
“...and so you went back out.” Jaekwan finishes. Such a simple explanation, and he'd somehow not considered it in his panic at the possibility that Grapes had become a cat. Maybe he's worked with the supernatural for too long. The other two could never find out.
At this point, the smaller, furrier Grapes had hopped over to where Agent Grapes had set down the food and water. After a perfunctory sniff, he was going to town on the offerings. Jaekwan observes his junior as the younger man watches the cat eat, the soft smile and crinkle of delight at the corner of his eyes. “Are you planning to keep him?”
The smile dims at the question. Soleum replies, “I can’t, unfortunately. They don’t allow pets where I live.”
All three lapse into silence as they think, and eventually Choi is the first to propose a possible solution.
“I think I remember Agent Janggu mentioning that he was looking into adopting a cat, maybe I can check in with him?”
“That sounds good. I’ll ask around as well. In the meantime,” Jaekwan watches the cat, belly full, wobble back towards the couch. The food plate is spotless, so he must have been ravenous. He manages to hop back onto the couch without too much effort, surprisingly nimble in spite of how much he’s eaten, and settles back at Jaekwan’s side. It draws a smile to the corner of his mouth. “I suppose he can stay here.”
At least for now, this little bureau office could be his home.