The Forgotten Bond

The rain fell softly and bittersweet over the rooftops of Seoul, like tears no one could see.

Eun-ha sat on the bench at the entrance of the school where her friend used to wait for her.

Joo-seon.

Even the name hurt to think about.

Three months earlier

Joo-seon was quietly sitting on the same bench as always, waiting for Eun-ha.

— "It's hard to believe I finally made a friend this semester. Or that I made a friend who understands me more than my own family."

— "The sun looks nice today... like an egg yolk," he said, looking up with half-closed eyes.

I wonder what's for lun—

His thoughts were interrupted by a sweet voice. It was Eun-ha.

— "Joo-seon! You're here!" she said cheerfully as she approached. "Your class ended early, right?"

— "W-well... yeah. Our teacher had an appointment," Joo-seon replied.

— "Well, I guess you got lucky then, huh?" she said, sitting down next to him on the bench.

He replied with a soft smile, and a comfortable silence settled between them. Then, he pulled an old, worn-out book from his backpack.

— "What are you reading?" Eun-ha asked.

— "Nothing," he answered, looking away.

— "Hmm... okay."

Suddenly, a voice in the distance called out:

— "Hey, Eun-ha! Come here!"

She looked at Joo-seon for a moment but eventually stood up and went to meet her friend.

— "Hey, Min-ha. How are you?"

— "I'm good. Did I interrupt something?"

— "No."

Min-ha fell silent for a few seconds, looking straight ahead as they walked. Then she said:

— "You hang out with that weird guy?"

— "He's cool," Eun-ha replied.

— "Maybe... silly?" Min-ha suggested.

— "Maybe."

— "Speaking of silly... did you see the book he was reading?"

— "Did you catch the title? I asked, but he wouldn’t tell me," Eun-ha said.

— "Not really. It just looked like a silly book... about cats."

— "About cats?"

— "See? I told you he was weird," Min-ha smiled.

— "Seems like I only make weird friends," Eun-ha replied with a laugh.

— "Hey!" Min-ha protested, laughing too.

The two spent the afternoon together until nightfall.

Eun-ha returned home after saying goodbye.

The sky was already covered in gray clouds. The street glistened, damp under the shy light of the streetlamps.

When she arrived, her mother was in the kitchen with her stepfather, laughing at something he was saying.

Eun-ha murmured a “I’m home” and went straight up to her room, her thoughts stuck on the conversation with Min-ha.

She knew Joo-seon was different.

But maybe that was exactly what she liked most about him.

The way he looked at the sky, as if he heard music.

The way he talked about small things like they were big.

And that book...

She wished she knew what was inside that book.

That same night

Joo-seon's room was dark, lit only by the soft glow of a desk lamp.

The slightly open window let in the muffled sound of the city.

He was sitting on the floor, a light blanket over his shoulders, as if seeking shelter from something greater than the cold.

In front of him lay the old book he guarded so carefully.

The leather cover was worn, marked by time and fingers.

But under that warm and lonely light, the title finally revealed itself, as if it had been waiting for that moment to be read.

“The Seven Lives of the Chosen” — he read softly, as if afraid to wake someone.

He ran his fingers over the faded golden letters. With a quiet sigh, he opened the first page.

Chapter 1: The Forgotten Bond

Not all who depart are meant to disappear.

There are souls marked from birth, destined to return... not as humans, but as guardians between worlds.

They are the ones who died with hearts too full.

Full of unspoken love, unhealed wounds, or broken promises.

Those who feel too much.

Those who love in silence.

Those who leave without being understood.

These are reborn in the bodies of cats.

Not all cats are lost humans...

But all lost humans are cats, wandering in silence, waiting to fulfill the mission they left behind.

Only one in seven is the Chosen One.

And only the Chosen One will die... at the hands of the one who pretends to protect him.

Joo-seon frowned. His heart tightened.

With each line, he felt stranger… more exposed.

As if those words had been written for him.

He slowly closed the book, his eyes fixed on the last sentence.

— “...the one who pretends to protect him.” — he whispered.

A chill ran down his spine.

A distant thunder broke the silence.

He looked toward the window.

The rain was falling again.

As if the sky already knew what was coming.

L I N A S T U D I O

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***