Moonlight streamed through the window, falling upon a figure below. Hwang lay in bed, unable to fall asleep. His body bone tired, but his mind wide awake. Today had been another unfruitful day of searching for his master’s runaway daughter, Seung Mina. The rebellious minx had him searching all over Europe, and to no avail. He had managed to find a room at a nearby inn for the night, which he was grateful for, since the past few nights he had to camp out. After a hot meal and bath, he had went to bed, but was unable to fall asleep.

His mind lingered on Mina, her radiant smile ingrained in his memory. That girl could cause him such heartache, but he empathized on how she felt. She was a fiery spirit who didn’t like to be contained, feeling suffocated by her overprotective father, who loved her dearly. So he had sent Hwang, his best student, to find her. So here he was in a foreign land, lying in bed at a western inn, unable to sleep. He lets out a long sigh, feeling rather lonely, and missing her – very much. If she only knew what power she had over him…

“Meow!”

Hwang glances up at the window sill and sees a beautiful black cat with shimmering eyes looking down at him. She meows again, looking at him intently, beseeching him to let her in. Her voice was so plaintive, how could he say no?

Hwang gets up and opens the window, letting her in. He picks her up and closes the window, sitting back down on the bed. He scratches her behind her ear, eliciting a purr, content to be in his arms. Hwang softly smiles, endeared by her sweetness.

Damn, I really must be lonely, he thought, rolling his eyes. But looking at the lithe creature in his arms, he somehow felt comforted, her purrs soothing his ravaged soul. He gently lies back down, cradling the precious feline in his arms, slowly drifting off to sleep, with thoughts of Mina in his head.

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