Chapter 13: Chapter 13 - A Cat And A Vet (2)

Ch. 13 A Cat And A Vet (2)

I stood on all fours in a state of alert. He freed me for now, but I didn’t know if he would restrain me again. The vet circled the examination table in excited curiosity.

“Miiiii…!” I was so frightened that I cried out like a kitten. It was a sound that came out of my body instinctively.

“My, you’re agitated. Why don’t you calm down?”

“Kyaak!” I screamed at him.

“Let’s work together. I don’t have any interest in picking on the sensitive guy.”

“Ha! You?”

“You don’t think? Then I’ll call in the handsome owner and let him know that the kitty he picked up here is really weird.”

How could a human have such an evil smile? It was like he had a full accounting of everything that I worried about and knew exactly how to torture me—the fact that I didn’t want to be discovered, that I had a strong crush on Tae-il, and so on.

I didn’t like people who were quick-thinking. People who were moderately easy-going and not too calculating were just my type. Just like Tae-il.

“Are…you going to report me to an upper officer?”

I snorted in displeasure. I really hoped that the vet wasn’t a bad guy.

“So you really understand me?”

“…”

“You do, don’t you? What amazing intelligence. “

“…I didn’t say anything!”

“You seem to like the man from before. Do you recognize him as your owner?”

I thought over it for a moment and then nodded. That’s right. Tae-il was my best ally, although to be fair he was the only one I had. The vet was the worst devil in the world, and his hands were still holding me tightly. At least he didn’t suggest dissection anymore, and so I didn’t run away. Even after I calmed down, however, the fur on my back remained standing for a while.

“Let me help you,” Si-yul offered.

“Why?”

“To live as that man’s cat. Let me help you.”

“…What’s the catch?”

“What are you so unsure of? I’m a doctor, and I won’t lie.”

He did sound sincere, but I glared at him suspiciously. He asked me to live with him earlier, but this time, he wanted to help me live with Tae-il. There was something capricious about him. Just like a cat.

“I don’t have any ulterior motive other than wanting to observe you more.”

“…To dissect me?”

“Of course not! I want to raise you, but you seem to hate me now. That man out there is a good man, isn’t he? I’d be happy to see you from time to time as his cat.”

Si-yul pulled away his hands and placed them deep in his pockets, a gesture of surrender and trust. What was up with him?

“Your owner is more than welcome at the clinic.”

Si-yul was acting nice all of a sudden, but I was still careful not to turn my eyes from him. I already knew from experience that he was a man that could capture and subdue me at any moment.

Despite my upright tail, shining eyes, and threateningly exposed claws, Si-yul was being gentle.

“I apologize. I regret being hated. I really do want to get along with you.”

“Sure…”

“Oh, how about this? I’m going to tell your new owner that you’re fine, and I’m won’t tell anyone else about you either. I’ll pretend you’re just a normal cat.”

“…Really? “

“Yes.”

It would be a little easier to pretend to be a cat with the help of a veterinarian. Although Si-yul tried to ease the tension during negotiation, one of my front paws remained lifted in preparation to flee. I was still wary that this vet was trying to loosen my guard with his talk.

“In truth, I don’t want to cause a big stir,” he said. “I just want to get a sense of who you are. But what’s most important, the more interesting something is, the greater the need to preserve it.”

Judging from that, the vet seemed to be the type of person that cherished things and had a sense of justice. Of course, that didn’t change the fact that he was also dangerous or sneaky. He was a bad partner, but I knew I had no choice.

“I hate you…” I started.

“You’re candid.”

“You’re scary.”

“I don’t mind. First, well…Let’s be on friendly terms.”

I really hated this vet, but there was nothing I could do about it now. I forced a stiff nod.

***

“The tests are complete. The results are…very interesting,” Si-yul said to Tae-il after he brought him back into the room.

Tae-il looked worried. “What? Are there any problems?”

“Oh no, she just so healthy that it’s interesting. She’s very intelligent.”

After the dramatic confrontation, I stayed quiet as the vet handed me over to Tae-il. I was immensely relieved as I was exchanged from the devil’s arms into the angel’s, and I buried myself tightly against Tae-il’s chest. I almost wished I could tell him about how this obscene vet treated his cat. However, I couldn’t give him even a shadow of a hint I was anything but ordinary. Although I didn’t want to be noticed by anyone, I had already failed with the vet.

“That’s good,” Tae-il said. “How about feeding her? Any recommendations?” He supported my bottom with one hand as my claws dug possessively into his shirt.

“Oh, well we’re just having our fifth anniversary promotion. If you join now, you can get a discount. We bring out snacks and samples for each kind of food, so you can select which one you want to buy a lot of. The cat is sure to come running towards you.”

“Oh, really?”

Despite Si-yul’s goodwill, Tae-il didn’t even realize that this was still a business transaction.

“Of course, and since this little black lady is already a little familiar with me, I hope you can come to me as much as possible.”

“Ah really?”

“Your cat has a very sensitive personality and likes to hide a lot, and she gets stressed when strangers put their hands on her.”

“I see. This clinic is the closest anyway.”

Tae-il gently patted his cat. He never had one before, but he didn’t think they were usually so timid.

My claws pricked through his shirt, but he simply kept stroking me and murmuring, “Good, good.”