The café had been closed for nearly half an hour, yet somehow the closing tasks were taking twice as long as usual.

Mostly because none of the eight cat hybrids could seem to stay focused for more than thirty seconds whenever their manager was nearby.

The moment the office door opened, the entire café shifted.

Heads turned immediately. Ears perked. Tails flicked faster against chair legs and countertops.

Wooyoung was the first to move, abandoning his side work completely to drape himself across the front counter closest to the office. At the same time, San practically appeared from the kitchen doorway, still holding a towel he’d forgotten to put away minutes ago.

Yunho nearly tripped over stacked chairs trying to join them, orange tail swaying excitedly behind him while Mingi slowly wandered over from the register area, drawn in by the sudden movement of the others like a giant curious housecat.

Even Yeosang, who usually pretended not to care, drifted closer while wiping down menus that were already clean.

Hongjoong looked up from the register immediately despite acting the busiest out of everyone, sharp eyes tracking every movement while Seonghwa quietly fixed the crooked apron strap that had twisted during the shift without even being asked.

Meanwhile Jongho simply moved closer to the office area without saying much, broad arms crossed as he leaned against the wall nearby.

It happened every shift now.

The café could be chaotic, loud, overwhelming — but somehow the second their manager stepped into the room, all eight of them unconsciously gravitated closer.

San hovered at one shoulder trying to steal attention first while Wooyoung interrupted constantly from the counter, dramatic and loud whenever focus shifted away from him for too long.

Yunho kept trying to show off random things he’d done during the shift, practically bouncing from one topic to another while his ears twitched excitedly anytime laughter appeared anywhere near him.

Mingi mostly lingered quietly nearby, huge tail sweeping slowly across the floor while he listened to everyone else talk over each other. Every now and then he’d lean down slightly just to hear better whenever the café got too loud.

Seonghwa stayed close in quieter ways — fixing wrinkles, straightening things absentmindedly, brushing lint off sleeves while pretending he wasn’t hovering.

Yeosang acted detached about the entire thing despite somehow always ending up nearby anyway, silently observing everyone else’s desperation for attention with barely-hidden amusement.

Hongjoong at least attempted to maintain control of the situation, though even he kept getting distracted watching the interaction from across the counter instead of actually finishing the registers.

And Jongho stayed near the edge of everything, calm and quiet while still clearly choosing to remain close instead of finishing the closing checklist.

The café had only hired its new manager a month ago.

Yet somehow the eight catboys of Purradise had collectively decided that wherever their manager was…

That was where they wanted to be too.