Chapter 30: Chapter 30 - The World Against The Cat (1)

Ch. 30 The World Against The Cat (1)

Once Tae-il finally returned to Korea from his overseas business trip, he went straight to his apartment and collapsed in exhaustion. He was worried about Bow Meow, but he needed to close his eyes.

He only had a light nap before waking up around dawn. Although he only had Bow Meow for a month, he felt an aching loneliness at her absence from his bed. He had dreamed that she was wandering around, lost, before being cruelly snatched away.

“Haaa…”

Tae-il sighed and his stomach turned in worry. If only he had properly locked the door before he left.

He had several calls he missed while on the plane, but due to time zone differences and his exhaustion, he didn’t call back immediately. As soon as morning came, he dialed his phone. He fervently hoped that the person he was calling had found his cat.

“…Hello? This is Shin Tae-il. I received a call from you last night?”

[Ah~! Yes, that’s right. Because of the cat.]

Tae-il’s heart rate jumped and he was suddenly awake. “What? A cat? Do you have Bow Meow?”

The woman on the phone replied in a confused manner.

[Hm? No, a veterinarian took her.]

“…Who?”

[I have his business card, so, um…it’s Doctor Kang Si-yul.]

“Oh!”

[He seemed good with cats, and he even gave me the reward…Did I make a mistake?]

No, Tae-il didn’t think so. His other missed call came from the vet.

Tae-il then called Si-yul directly.

***

Si-yul’s first words when he picked up the phone was “She’s safe.”

He informed Tae-il his cat was fine, but admitted that he brought her to his home because he didn’t know when Tae-il would return from his business trip.

But the cat in question cried without ceasing for its owner. The mournful sounds of ‘Nyaa nyaa nyaa’ echoed all night in the apartment, and Si-yul hadn’t slept a wink.

[Sorry, I didn’t know your return date…]

“No, it’s alright, thank you!” Tae-il said gratefully.

[She’s rather distraught right now. I can’t even touch her, so you should come over to pick her up.]

“All right, I’ll be right there.”

When Bow Meow had run away from Tae-il’s apartment, it was Si-yul who guided Tae-il step-by-step on what to do. They made a post on the Internet with a reward attached, put a flyer in the clinic, and checked in with a network of other animal hospitals to see if she was admitted. Because of this, Tae-il had no unpleasant feelings towards Si-yul. Tae-il bought a thank you gift and hurried towards the vet’s home.

Once Si-yul’s door opened, however, Tae-il found himself unable to speak for a stunned moment.

“Uh, your face…”

Tae-il, who was typically example of a well-mannered person, couldn’t help but point directly at Si-yul’s face.

“Is that serious?” Tae-il asked.

“Ah…” Si-yul was conflicted on how to explain it. He could tell the truth and say that the scratch marks on his face were Bow Meow’s work. However, the scratches were too large to be a cat’s, especially the large diagonal lines across his nose, forehead, and cheeks. No matter who saw it, it looked like the work of a human hand. Si-yul had cuts on the cheek before, but it was the first time they were so obvious. He was somewhat embarrassed about it. At least he was off for the day, because it was unlikely the wounds would heal in a day or two.

“What happened…?” Tae-il asked.

Si-yul gave an apologetic smile. “Well, it’s what women do. Anyway, you can look inside.”

“Ah…”

“Nyang!” (Master!)

I bolted out the open door and threw myself into Tae-il’s arms. I buried my head in his neck and gave a baleful, hoarse cry, and he stroked my furry cheeks with a finger and cooed softly at me.

Just the sight of Si-yul made my stomach ache and made me fear for my life. He pretended to be gentle, and it was only after I was safely in Tae-il’s arms did I look back and shout curses at the devil.

“Hihyahyanyang! Syaanyang!” (You bastard! You sneaky pervert!)

Yesterday’s grudge was so sore that I could not forget it. The fierce anger was unfamiliar to Tae-il, who only knew the good cat version of Bow Meow.

“Why is she so angry? I’ve never seen her like this,” Tae-il said with his brow furrowed.

“She had been outside for many days, and so she may have some anxiety. As long as you bring her home, she’ll stabilize and calm down.”

“Her throat sounds kind of hoarse…”

“She was crying for you all night while looking for you.”

“I’m sorry, and thank you for keeping her in your home. How can I—”

Si-yul gave a generous smile. “Don’t worry, I did it because I wanted to. How about we have a cup of coffee instead?”

Tae-il already had a gift he had to give to Si-yul, so he stepped inside the apartment at the invitation.

I just wanted to go home already.

***

Unexpectedly, the two young men clicked with each other.

Tae-il looked around at the framed pictures on the walls in admiration.

“You seem to be quite knowledgeable about photography,” Tae-il observed. “This photographer doesn’t seem to be well-known…”

Si-yul smiled and shook his head. “I brought them from home. It was my older brother’s hobby…I just inherited these pieces.”

“But you have great taste. Oh, do you take your own pictures?”

“No, I just like to see the finished works. I hear that you’re a photographer yourself.”

Si-yul paused as he lifted his coffee cup to his mouth, suddenly realizing his mistake. He heard about Tae-il’s profession from Hae-in. If Tae-il asked him how he knew what he did, he would get in trouble.

Fortunately, Tae-il didn’t seem to notice, and after looking around the apartment for a while, he sat down at the table.

The whole time, I kept myself firmly glued to Tae-il’s arms. I refused to step on the floor as if it were made of spikes. My fur raised in warning and I gave another angry yowl at the vet.

“…Keuooong!” (…Perverted jerk!)

“She’s still angry,” Tae-il said, looking down at me.

“I think it’s part of a doctor’s job to be hated,” Si-yul said in explanation.

What a shameless, nasty human being! He wasn’t just a liar, he was a pervert too! I gave another shrill cry from my throat, and I hit the table with my tail. I could never lead a free and quiet life and long as he was around. At this point, our relationship was more like a bitter feud.

Tae-il took a sip of his coffee, and then he spoke up as if he remembered something.

“Ah, doctor, I did some reading after Bow Meow ran away from home. There’s a microchip or something you can place inside your pet. It has location tracking and electronic registration, right?”

At that moment, the war of nerves between Si-yul and I died down, and instead I looked up at Tae-il, once again moved by how much he thought about my wellbeing. Our relationship had always been this way, and once again I was grateful for having met him.

“Ah, you’re a little mistaken. It is a microchip the government is pushing to register animals, and it can be placed internally or externally. But neither one of them has a tracking function.”

“Really?”

“Because there is a growing population of pets, the government is pushing for this kind of registration.”

“I see.” Tae-il nodded vigorously.

Myself, on the other hand, was terrified at the thought of being cut open and having an electronic chip placed inside me. It was not easy living as a pet.

Against my expectations, it turned out that Si-yul would be my savior from this horror.

He continued his explanation to Tae-il. “Placing something inside a body as small as Bow Meow’s could be a risk. It would be best to wear an external chip.”

“But you said it can’t even track her location, so how does it work?”

“It helps her to be identified if someone does find her. If we look up the unique number that is in the chip, the owner’s contact information will show up on the database.”

Tae-il nodded in understanding. “I see.”

However, Si-yul explained that since the microchips could be only be checked at the animal center or clinic, they were more inefficient.

“It’s much more efficient to put on a collar and nametag with a number on it. Well, that’s my personal opinion, anyway.”

“I know what you mean. But cats don’t wear name tags very often, so I was thinking of her having a microchip.”

“A small, anxious animal like Bow Meow would be under extreme stress in the process of placing a microchip in her body. It would be better to give her a collar. Ah, make sure it’s a little loose.”

Si-yul looked at me, communicating with his eyes that even if I turned into a person, I could still breathe.