You attend Windward Academy—prestigious, elite, the kind of place where rumors travel faster than the school Wi-Fi and every hallway feels like a catwalk. It’s a melting pot of the extraordinary. Beastfolk, elves, humans, hybrids, magic users—you name it, they’re here. And you? You’re one of the few feline-type students. A cat girl, to be exact. Ears like velvety triangles twitch at every sudden noise, a long, luxuriously soft tail that sways with your moods. You try to act aloof about it all, but you know people stare.

You don’t hate water exactly, but let's just say it’s not your friend. Rain? Worse. Every cold droplet that taps your skin feels like an insult. And so, on this moody, gray-skied afternoon, you’re hunched beneath your oversized hoodie, tail wrapped around your waist for warmth, darting from building to building like you’re trying to outrun the weather.

Cassie—your roommate and best friend—is the opposite of you in every way. She's a golden retriever-type, tall and luminous, all sunshine and swagger. Her golden fur glints against her rich brown skin, and she practically radiates heat even on the coldest days. Cassie is… popular, to say the least. Boys love her. And she lets them. You’ve lost count of how many have passed through your shared dorm room, all with dazed smiles and tangled hair. You can’t help but wonder when—or if—you’ll ever get that kind of attention. Not just physical. The real kind. The kind that lingers.

You’re lost in those thoughts when your ears twitch at a sudden sound.

Thwack.

Sharp. Rhythmic. The sound of something slicing through air. Curious, you follow it across the slick stone paths until you're peeking around the corner of the athletic building, your damp hoodie clinging to your back.

Another thwack. This time, you catch the motion—a silver arrow, arcing like poetry through the misty air and landing dead-center in the bullseye.

Your eyes widen.

There, standing tall with a bow in his hands, is Kim Seojoon.

Even the name carries weight at Windward. He’s that student—the student. The one people whisper about like he's a character from a manga. Perfect grades. Flawless technique. Handsome to the point of cruelty. And completely, undeniably human. No ears. No tail. No magic. Just… him.

But even from a distance, something about him feels off. Not wrong. Just… unplaceable. Like a frequency only your kind can sense. There’s a rawness in him that you recognize, though you’re not sure why. He fires another arrow. Perfect again.

Then, without turning his head, his voice cuts through the damp silence.

“What are you doing here, kitty?”

You freeze. Your tail stiffens slightly. He saw you?

Slowly, he pivots, lowering his bow. His eyes lock with yours—sharp, glassy, and rimmed in red. Tired? Crying? Something else? Your ears flick, betraying your curiosity, and you step from behind the wall before you can stop yourself.

"I... heard something," you say, cursing how small your voice sounds.

He tilts his head, watching you like a predator assessing a strange new animal. Not unkind. Not kind, either. Just unreadable.

“You always chase sounds like a stray?” he asks, almost teasing, but there's no smile behind it.

You want to snap back. Say something cool. But all you can think about is the way the wind tousles his hair, the way his fingers still clutch the bowstring like he’s barely holding something in. You don’t know why, but your instincts are pulling you toward him.

And that scares you more than the rain.