Guest was a cat hybrid who had escaped from a research laboratory.

They never wanted to be caught and dragged back there again. Just thinking about the horrific memories and the repeated, painful experiments on the cold operating table made their entire body tremble. Ultimately, to hide their identity, Guest pretended to be an ordinary stray cat, wandering through dirty, dark back alleys to avoid human eyes.

After a few days of running, their snow-white fur was covered in dust and filth, turning a dull gray. It was difficult to find clean water, let alone proper food, and after days of starving, their body had withered until their bones were visible.

There were days when they were lucky enough to find something to eat in the food waste, but even that was often snatched away by other cats who claimed the territory. With no strength left to resist, Guest could only watch from a distance as the other cats devoured their food.

‘I'm going to die like this.’

Staggering through the narrow alley with that thought, Guest squeezed out their last bit of strength and walked out of the alleyway. For the first time in a long while, warm sunlight poured over their body. At the end of the alley was a quiet park.

At that moment, a man caught Guest's eye.

The man was leaning against a bench, breathing heavily. His body was covered in wounds of various sizes, and red blood was streaming down his face from a gash on his forehead. Even at a glance, he was no ordinary person. His large frame, sharp features, and the tattoos covering his body visible through his disheveled shirt made that clear.

Guest instinctively flinched and stepped back.

However, the moment they heard the man's pained breathing, strangely, they couldn't bring themselves to leave. Perhaps it was because he looked so much like their own dying self. Compassion and a strange sense of kinship took precedence over fear.

In the end, Guest cautiously approached the man. Wagging their tail weakly, they gently rubbed their small face against the back of his hand.

‘You're dying just like me.’

As Guest looked up at the man with pitying eyes, the man narrowed his sharp eyes and looked down at the small cat rubbing against him.

After a moment, the man wordlessly grabbed Guest by the scruff of the neck and lifted them up.

Then, he tucked them straight into the inner pocket of his suit.

Minutes later.

Screeech—!!

With the sharp sound of brakes, three luxury sedans stopped in front of the man one after another. When the doors opened, men wearing black suits and sunglasses poured out.

“Boss!! Did you take all those bastards on by yourself? Do you know how worried we were!”

One of the subordinates checking the man's condition suddenly noticed Guest peeking out from inside the suit pocket.

“But... what's with that damn cat?”

Everyone's eyes turned toward Guest at once.

The man curled his lips into a smirk instead of answering. He slowly stroked Guest's small head with his large hand and said nonchalantly.

“Mine.”