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7 Lives of a Cat

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The whisper

He kept getting closer, leaning toward Joo-seon’s ear.

— "It’s almost time..." — he whispered.

Joo-seon tried to speak, but his mouth wouldn’t open. Until he whispered again:

Only one among seven is the Chosen.

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

At the hands of the one who pretends to protect him...

Joo-seon woke up in the morning, dazed. His heartbeat was fast. He was afraid of what might come.

---

Days passed, and Joo-seon kept having the same dream. It felt like something was about to happen.

He started avoiding sleep early. He would leave the lights on, distract himself with music, scroll through his phone, or pretend to study.

But sleep always won. And there he was again.

The school bell rang. Min-ha, Joo-seon, and Eun-ha were walking out of their first class of the morning.

— "Hey, Joo-seon!" — called Eun-ha, hurrying to walk beside him.

— "Hm?" — he murmured, distracted, his eyes a little lost.

— "You haven’t talked to me about your book in days. Did you bring it today?"

— "No. I didn’t." — he said, shoving his hands into his coat pockets.

— "Why not?" — asked Min-ha, walking right behind them.

— "I just... I think it’s safer this way." — Joo-seon replied vaguely.

Min-ha rolled her eyes. — "Do you really believe that book is dangerous? It’s just a book."

Joo-seon didn’t answer. But deep down, he wasn’t so sure anymore.

That afternoon, after saying goodbye to her friends, Eun-ha returned home. The sky was already turning orange, the sun sinking behind the city buildings.

As soon as she walked in, the soft smell of cooking rice filled her nose.

— "Mom?" — she called, dropping her backpack in the hallway.

Eun-ha’s mother appeared in the kitchen doorway, apron tied around her waist and a wooden spoon in hand.

— "You're home, sweetheart. How was school?"

— "Normal..." — she said, taking off her shoes. — "My stepdad... Kim Jae-hwan... isn’t home?"

— "Ah, he stayed late today." — her mother replied, returning to the pot. — "A new case at the station. Nothing serious. He said he might be home for dinner, but no promises."

Eun-ha nodded, biting the corner of her lip.

That night, Joo-seon came home early. He ate dinner in silence, exchanging only a few words with his mother.

She noticed his expression, the tired look in his eyes, but said nothing.

She assumed it was just school stress.

When he went up to his room, he sat at his desk and stared at the empty space where the book used to sit.

"I was right not to bring it back," he thought.

But the thought was fragile. A part of him felt he was only delaying the inevitable.

He spent the rest of the evening reviewing some notes, pretending to read, while his mind kept drifting back to that shadow and those words.

"Only one among seven is the Chosen..."

— "What the hell does that even mean?" — he whispered to himself.

He lay down, feeling exhausted. For the first time in days, he managed to fall asleep deeply.

---

The next morning, the house was quieter than usual.

Joo-seon’s mother opened his bedroom door to call him for breakfast.

And then she saw it.

The book.

That cursed book.

It was on his bed. Open.

As if it had just been read.

She froze for a moment, staring at the worn pages and the strange symbols scribbled in the corners.

— "This again?!" — she muttered, storming in and grabbing the book.

She went downstairs with heavy steps, anger growing in her chest.

Joo-seon heard the door slam and her voice calling:

— "Joo-seon! Come down now!"

He appeared in the living room, still sleepy.

— "What is it?"

— "This!" — she shouted, holding up the book. — "I thought you were done with this nonsense!"

— "I... I left the book in my locker at school..." — he said, confused. — "I swear I didn’t bring it home."

— "Are you kidding me? Then what is this?" — she pointed at the object in her hands. — "Did it magically appear here?"

He stayed silent. He didn’t know what to say.

— "Instead of studying, you’re reading about reincarnation, souls, witchcraft?! Your nightmares aren’t enough, now you’re filling your head with this?"

She crossed the room, holding the book.

And without hesitation, she threw it straight into the fireplace, where some embers still glowed softly.

The pages began to darken, curling with the heat.

Joo-seon took a step forward, panicking.

— "No! Mom, stop!"

— "Enough, Joo-seon! That’s enough! You need to study, not dive into these fantasies!"

He said nothing more.

He turned around and went up to his room, heart tight in his chest.

He slammed the door shut and threw himself onto the bed.

"I’ll never see that book again..."

He fell asleep with that thought, his eyes still damp with anger and confusion.

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