Chapter 33: Chapter 33 - The Words of A Man In Love With A Cat (2)

Ch. 33 The Words of A Man In Love With A Cat (2)

By the end of the second half of the soccer match, Tae-il had drunk himself to sleep. He hadn’t had enough rest lately due to his travelling, and the alcohol had caught up to him.

This was all part of Si-yul’s plan. He woke up and confirmed that Tae-il was soundly slumbering.

Then, Si-yul slowly padded to the bedroom where I was burrowed. He walked at a leisurely pace, while I only grew more tense as his footsteps came closer. I took out my claws and waited with bated breath.

I was a woman ready to scratch.

“Hey.”

As soon as Si-yul’s face appeared below the bed, I quickly retreated like a snail. My body reacted instinctively again, and because I failed to prevent Tae-il from getting close to Si-yul, I felt powerless.

“Hey?” Si-yul repeated.

“…”

“Miss Bow Meow?”

“Kaaok!” (Go away!)

The only thing I could do was spit at him fiercely and fume under the bed. For some reason he wanted to talk to me, but I wouldn’t oblige to his wishes.

Unfortunately, Kang Si-yul was a man who was good at screwing with my mind.

“Oh, by the way, I made sure that your owner was alright. He’s good-looking too…”

Si-yul peeked his head under the bed, confirming with his ears that the volume of growling was increasing. My reaction to him becoming close to the person I liked confirmed to him that I was not just a cat.

“You deserve to fall in love for sure, and he’s not bad for someone like you.”

“…”

“He’s truly a genuine and nice person…maybe I’ll introduce him to some pretty juniors of mine.”

“I-I don’t like that.”

“Oh! So you really are a woman.” The sarcasm in his voice was plain.

I debated a moment whether to entertain the subject with him. I pricked my ears, sensing that Tae-il was still asleep in the living room.

“Don’t pretend that you’re thinking about me when you treated me like an animal!” I hissed at a slightly louder volume.

“So what am I supposed to treat you like? Are you a human or an alien? A monster? A goblin? What are you?”

He only listed a bunch of freaky lifeforms. I shuddered at the thought that I was in that category.

“Whatever you are, I’d like to get to know you more.” Si-yul gave a smile so sincere that it was scary.

Why was he so fixated on me? Was it the desire to observe? Was he driven by scholarly passion? Or was he after a rare creature? Did he want to dissect me? There was not a muscle in me that did not tremble.

“Are you going to strap me down?!” I yelled in fear.

“…It was a mistake. Dissection is not my hobby.”

“I’m not gonna believe you anymore! Go back home!”

Si-yul looked at me patiently. “I’ve been thinking about how to win your favor. How about this? I’ll help you get along with your owner.”

I had been distracted for a moment at his scary smile, and I did not immediately register what he said.

What did he say he would just do?

“What?”

“I’ll introduce you to him. As a human.”

I watched Si-yul’s smile slowly change into a more serious expression.

I thought about his suggestion. It was such a temptingly sweet offer…

Si-yul nodded. “I’ll say that I know you, and I can arrange a date. What do you think?”

“A person…” I trailed off longingly.

“Yes, you can meet person to person. Why do you think I’m getting to know him? It’s all for you.”

I could approach Tae-il as a person? My heart beat in my chest, but it was a different feeling to the anxiety I had before.

But it was only for a moment.

I suddenly came to my senses and vigorously shook my head. It was only a matter of time before I fell back into the devil’s trap!

“You’re just trying to make fun of me again,” I said with a scowl.

“I’m not making fun of you. I want to help you,” Si-yul insisted. “There must be some reason why you wish to be like a human being. Whether it’s kissing or dating, I can help you —you like to imitate human behavior, so which one of them do you want to do? Though I don’t think you want to get married…but if it’s about love, I’ll help you out. I’ll give you as much advice as I can.”

He was pretending to be nice again, but I held on to my fragile reasoning.

“No, you definitely have some kind of ulterior motive!”

“Yes, I do.”

I took a step back. The walls seemed to close in on me, and as Si-yul tried to get closer, I gave a threatening growl. Even in the dark, I had to protect my borders.

Si-yul smiled to himself. An animal that knew there was no such thing as a freebie?

He let out a burst of laughter, and I became even more alert. Tears shone in his eyes from glee, before he finally calmed himself.

“I just want your trust,” he explained.

“…My trust?”

“A small gift for getting to know you. I really regret what I’ve done before. Let me apologize and make up for it. I want to help you.”

I stared at him nervously. “What…what are you going to do with my trust?”

“I want to be your friend. That’s it.”

My shoulders relaxed a little, but I was still on guard. Si-yul kept trying to offer me sweet treats to get past my walls. He knew money or gifts wouldn’t work—I didn’t eat, and I hated clothes now. All he could do was talk about Tae-il.

“Well? I can help you so that you can hold hands with your owner, or even kiss him. So do you trust me? I’ve already done your checkup, and you seem human enough to not be detected.”

“Kkeuaag!”

Si-yul had touched a sensitive nerve. I had been going along with his conversation like I was under hypnosis, and I yelped as soon as I remembered he kissed me.

I scuttled away from him, and he clicked his tongue in defeat. It was the word “kiss” that had sent me off in a fright.

“You’re a mysterious thing,” he said.

I turned my gaze back to Si-yul again. I was worried about the hungry look in his eyes.

“My heart beats when I see you. Sometimes I can’t breathe because I want to know more about you.”

Know me…as a human? And dissect me too? That only served to send shivers down my spine.

*

Si-yul’s heart kept beating when he thought of Hae-in’s human form. It wasn’t love—she was an animal after all, and she had slapped him. But he had a desire to see her human shape again…

He was a man who didn’t believe in love at first sight.

This thrill was simply a curiosity for something new.

Thus was Si-yul’s mind.