Chapter 39 (1/2)

Jagyeom seemed to have thought about it for a long time. He wasn’t sure if he was doing the right thing by telling Myohan. Myohan looked at his hands for some time, and then he recalled what O Shin had said about how he had already given the answer.

He thought about what Jagyeom had just said and about what O Shin had said. Then he suddenly jumped to his feet.

“….The god distributed time.”

“What?”

“He gave two out of the 24 hours of a day to each animal, and they have power over their time.”

And the god took pity on the cat who didn’t get any time, so he granted the power to the twelve animals.

“Ha.”

He laughed. He could finally put the puzzle together. If that god had really given them power over time, then each of them got two hours a day in which they didn’t change into animals.

And, according to that theory, Myohan, who was the cat, held control over the twelve.

“I would stop transforming once I find the twelve.”

O Shin had told him even though he wouldn’t get to find out why he transformed. He would be able to put a stop to it.

He laughed like crazy. And then he went to Jagyeom. The rat was frowning as he couldn’t understand what Myohan was saying. He looked up at him.

“Jino lied at noon.”

He started to fold his fingers one by one. Starting at 11 p.m., two hours, another two hours, and then more two hours. His lips curled up.

“More exactly, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.”

“How can you tell?”

“You don’t turn into a rat during Ja Time, from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m.”

Jagyeom’s eyes widened after hearing about Ja Time. He muttered about the twelve animals, and then he exclaimed, just like Myohan had a minute ago.

“Yes, the twelve zodiac animals. But then, there must be more about time…”

“First, we must get more proof.”

His theory was perfect. Jagyeom didn’t turn into a rat during Ja Time, and Jino didn’t turn into a horse during O Time. But two examples weren’t enough. Both Jagyeom and Myohan couldn’t remember clearly when Jino didn’t transform, especially if it had been between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

“And how are you going to do that?”

“We must test it on the other boys, excluding you and Jino.”

Myohan started to do the math again. Now was the Ja Time of the rat, and Jagyeom wasn’t going to transform even if he took a shower. Sul Time, the time of dog, had passed already, and there was the Sa Time of snake, but they couldn’t make it snow. Their only option was Myo Time, the time of the rabbit. It was from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m.

“Are you going to kiss Myo Cheong again?” Jagyeom asked, wishing to get no as an answer. Myohan was surprised that he knew what he was thinking, but then he recalled someone and smiled. Jagyeom frowned and backed off from that sly smile.

“Why are you smiling like that?”

“We don’t have to bother to wait till 5 in the morning.”

“Then…”

The twelve zodiac animals didn’t transform during the two hours each of them had. Now was Ja Time, the time of the rat. It would last from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. Myohan thought about it again and then tapped on the door.

“After the rat comes the cow. Ja Time is followed by Chook Time, the time of cow.”

Chook Time. It was when Chookjae, who was now in the living room, wasn’t supposed to transform.

Myohan gave Jagyeom some clean clothes and went out to the living room, acting like everything was completely fine. O Shin, who was sitting on the sofa with a bored look on his face, followed him with his eyes.

Myohan decided not to say anything, at least for now. Sajun, who had been sitting quietly, which he almost never did, suddenly asked, “Would you like to take a shower with me?”