Magnificent, Not Cute

Even after they stepped inside the building, Sapsaree stayed glued to Jang Pan-ho's side.

"Heh heh, you rascal!"

Jang Pan-ho was laughing, in high spirits, as he reached out to stroke him — and his fingers found the leash.

A rush of conflicting feelings swept through him at once.

The joy, however brief, of walking with Sapsaree from the entrance of the Community Welfare Center into the building. And the bleak, gut-wrenching dread of that other day — scooping up Janggoon after he collapsed on a walk, racing to the animal hospital with his heart in his throat.

Jang Pan-ho's hand, of course, had gone still.

Sapsaree swept his forehead against the frozen hand, a slow, insistent nuzzle.

"Ah. Yes. Yes."

Jang Pan-ho began stroking him again, and Lee Jun spoke up beside him.

"Would you like to take a little walk with Sapsaree, just out front?"

"A walk?"

"Yes. Sapsaree says walking with you made him so happy."

"That's perfect, Mr. Jang. Come along with me. I'd like to take a turn around with this fellow here — Bangwool-i."

"Ah, I..."

He was about to say he was fine, that it wasn't necessary — but his wife spoke up beside him.

"Go on."

Jang Pan-ho looked at her. Her eyes were aching, pleading for him to climb out of the pain of the past. Meeting that gaze, he slowly nodded.

"I'll be back."

Meanwhile, Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi, who had stepped out of their carrier, crossed the Community Welfare Center at a leisurely, unhurried pace. Before long they leapt up onto a table by the window and settled themselves there.

As Sapsaree headed outside, he told the cats he'd be back, and they answered with a brief meow, their gazes locked on the view beyond the glass. They had arrived in an unfamiliar place, after all — the surroundings had to be surveyed.

But before they could even get a proper look outside, a certain kind of interference began to roll in.

"How can they be this pretty?"

"Good heavens, look at that coat. How do you even keep fur like that?"

"And this one? So sleek it's like silk. Silk!"

"Aigoo, so cute!"

Hoesaegi's whiskers twitched up and down. He did not care for the word cute. Neither did Gkamnyangi.

And when both cats' long whiskers bobbed in unison, another round of admiration burst out.

"Hmm. These fellows have some truly splendid whiskers. They do."

"They sure do. A whole different kind of charm from Sapsaree and Bangwool-i."

"I think so too. They're nothing like the dogs. They're not even trying to be charming, and yet you can't look away."

"That's it exactly. They seem so indifferent, and somehow that's the charm. Hoho."

The elderly residents sank into conversation, stroking the cats who sat on the table gazing out the window.

"So this is why everyone goes on about cats, cats, cats?"

"They're different, all right. So handsome. Magnificent!"

Mrrrowgh!

Nya-hooo!

The moment magnificent replaced cute, Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi let out delighted cries.

"Aigoo, even the way they cry is magnificent. Like a tiger roaring."

"Such a valiant voice. Magnificent!"

"So that's why they call cats little tigers."

At the word magnificent, the cats beamed even wider. Watching those broad feline grins, the elderly residents broke into applause.

"Aigoo, how precious."

"They're just too, too cute. Honestly, I think I like cats better. They're so calming."

"I am not cute-ong, I am magnificent-ong!"

"I'm the dashing Gkamnyangi!"

Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi kindly corrected the elderly residents' assessment.

The elders clapped as they answered.

"Aigoo, how precious — and why is even the voice so cute?"

"The ears are adorable too. Look at these tiny little ears."

"You, you little cutie — want to come home with me?"

"Then you come to my house. Aigoo, so precious."

"I refuse-ong! I am the magnificent Hoesaegi-ong!"

"I'm not going. And I am the magnificent Gkamnyangi!"

The cats scowling fiercely. But their feelings never reached the elderly residents. The chorus of meows and nyaongs only poured more vitality into them.

To be answered. To connect. For people cut off from the world, it was rain after a long drought.

The elderly residents found the cats wonderfully dear for responding to them, and stroked them with gentle, affectionate hands. Fully seven of them were petting the two cats, and still it was weaker and softer than Go Gi-jin stroking them with a single hand.

"Petting them like this, my heart feels so at ease."

"Same here. I think I'd be glad to have them by my side."

While Sapsaree was out on his walk, Jang Pan-ho's wife had drawn near Hoesaegi, and she agreed — her heart, too, felt at ease. As she stroked him, the hollow place inside her began to fill.

She stroked the two cats in turn, and her eyes grew misty. I feel happy — so why do the tears keep coming?

She tipped her chin up slightly, swallowing the tears, when an elderly woman beside her spoke with a sigh.

"I always loved dogs so much, but I never could bring myself to keep one. They say you have to walk them, and there's so much looking after to do. But these ones... I think I could have managed these."

Jang Pan-ho's wife had lifted her head to say that wasn't so, that plenty of dogs were gentle too — and as she lowered it again, a walking cane came into view. It stood right beside the grandmother who had just lamented that she couldn't manage a dog.

Yes. Of course you couldn't.

She nodded. Now that a little room had opened in her own heart, other people's pain could find its way in.

Another grandmother, whose legs made it hard to walk quickly, stroked Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi as she added her own words.

"I'm far too old for it now, but..."

"Me too."

With Sapsaree and Bangwool-i out on their walk and only the cats remaining, the elderly residents praised them without a shred of shame. They never would have gone quite this far if Sapsaree or Bangwool-i had been in the room. But with two magnificent-looking cats sitting as still as dolls, the reaction was only natural.

"But, Doctor. Would it be all right if we held them, just once?" one grandmother asked Lee Jun.

"Would you like to?"

"Ooh, I'd like to hold a cat once myself. But I'm scared they might bite or scratch."

"These two are sweet, so you'll be fine. But are you sure? Cats do shed quite a bit, you know."

"That's nothing. If fur gets on my clothes, I'll just brush it off."

"Then just a moment. Let me ask them first."

"You're going to ask the cats?"

"Of course he is. Would you like it if someone put their hands on you without a word?"

"......"

"I might, actually."

"What a naughty old lady we have here!"

Laughter burst out all around at the grandmother's answer. Jang Pan-ho's wife laughed loudly too. It had been so long since she had laughed out loud that it felt like drinking ice water on a sweltering summer day.

Lee Jun, laughing as well, turned to Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi.

"You two, the elders would like to hold you. That's all right, isn't it?"

Sapsaree had told them that you had to endure a stranger's touch if you wanted to wear the yellow vest. The cats even remembered him saying that was how you earned praise, and they answered in one voice.

"Very well-ong!"

"Fine."

And they were Territory Leader cats. They knew perfectly well how to earn a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠reputation for being magnificent, for being remarkable.

The cats scanned the gazes fixed upon them. Then they started walking.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

They walked toward two grandmothers — the ones who had been watching them with the most ardent eyes. Then, with a decisive little plant, they offered a front paw.

"Hold me-ong!"

"I grant you permission to hold me!"

"Aigoo, how precious. This is what my granddaughter calls being chosen!"

"Hohoho, too cute. Next time, choose this grandma, hmm?"

"Wait your turn-ong!"

"I'll give you a chance."

A Territory Leader must never play favorites. With open hearts, Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi bestowed upon the elderly residents the joy of holding them.

While Sapsaree and Bangwool-i walked with the grandfathers, Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi filled the room with joy for the elders indoors.

Watching a grandmother's face light up, Jang Pan-ho's wife's heart went soft and warm. I wish I could help someone too.

She was grateful to Sapsaree, who had restored the life to her husband's eyes. Something she had not been able to do, something even their children had not been able to do — Sapsaree had done it. And wasn't she smiling like this, right now?

She looked at Lee Jun, who was gazing at the cats with such tenderness. You can feel how much he truly loves this volunteer work.

The way he looked at the elders. The way he looked at the cats. She had received help herself — and now she wanted to give that help to others. Jang Pan-ho's wife, Yoo Eun-joo, felt her heart settle into that resolve.

And beside her, as her heart grew steadier, Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi were in excellent spirits.

"Our Hoesaegi is so magnificent."

"Gkamnyangi is splendid too. So handsome. Look at this coat. It's the best!"

"Of all the cats I've ever seen, Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi might be the most magnificent."

Drunk on praise for being magnificent, Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi's moods soared to their peak.

"I shall grant you a photograph-ong!"

"I shall bestow a photograph upon you!"

The cats struck the finest poses they could muster and had their pictures taken with the grandmothers and grandfathers. The photographer, of course, was Lee Jun.

And so they were basking in their two-cat ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠reign when a sudden murmur of voices rose. The other volunteer teams had arrived.

The volunteer teams were not late. Lee Jun and Kim Kang-hoon had simply come early. And the elderly residents? They had come early because they wanted to see Sapsaree and Bangwool-i.

Coming an hour early, the way Jang Pan-ho had, was the baseline. There were even grandmothers and grandfathers who had arrived ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠two hours ahead and waited. The elders who had come far earlier than the actual session had, until now, been spending their time with Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi — and outside, with Sapsaree and Bangwool-i.

This therapy session had three additional cats and two additional dogs. A short while later, Sapsaree and Bangwool-i returned, and the room bustled with five cats and four dogs.

"Heh heh. I feel truly wonderful."

"It is. It really is."

A noisy, bustling atmosphere. But every cat and dog here had passed their tests. A little commotion like this was nothing they couldn't handle. For Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi, who had once ruled entire packs, it was nothing at all.

Hoesaegi immediately swept the room with a hawk's eye, checking whether any of the animals were startled or struggling to adapt. The dogs are all fine-ong. As for the cats...

His gleaming golden eyes swept the room — and locked onto Gkamnyangi. Gkamnyangi's breath was coming hard through his nose, his eyes had gone unfocused, and he kept licking his nose with his tongue. Strange-ong.

When the breath came hard, the eyes should be wide and sharp; if the eyes had gone slack, the breath should be weak. And licking the nose with the tongue meant tension. Which meant... an enemy? An enemy so powerful it had crushed his spirit? Who could that possibly be?

Hoesaegi's eyes shone even brighter.

Hoesaegi's guess was right. Gkamnyangi was tense. Gazing at a cat sitting elegantly in the distance, Gkamnyangi found himself thinking of Lady Lara.

Lady Lara... Where is she now? What is she doing? Does she remember me?

Thinking of Lady Lara, to whom he had once given his whole devoted heart, Gkamnyangi's eyes clouded with longing. With a dreamy gaze, he drifted back to a day in the past.

As Gkamnyangi drifted through his memories of Lady Lara, his eyes suddenly blazed with light. Even remembering her is dazzling.

On top of that, Lady Lara's oriole-sweet voice calling his name lingered in his ears.

Shadow...

He whispered the name she had given him — and her sky-blue eyes suddenly turned gold. Her beautiful, delicate voice vanished, and a gravelly one slammed into his ears.

"Gkamnyangi-ong, what's wrong with you-ong!"

"H-huh?!"

Gkamnyangi had already been sitting, his legs gone weak — and now his front paws buckled. Hoesaegi's eyes went round as saucers at the sight of him collapsing in a heap.

With eyes gleaming even brighter than before, Hoesaegi shouted.

"Gkamnyangi-ong! Snap out of it-ong!"

And he shook Gkamnyangi wildly with his front paws.

In the midst of being rattled left and right, Gkamnyangi saw it. The cat sitting at the end of the table, watching him, lifting a front paw to her mouth. And then her eyes curved into little half-moons. The way she hid her mouth behind her paw and smiled — it was exactly the way Lady Lara used to smile.

"Ah..."

Even through his rattling vision, Gkamnyangi did not miss that smile.

The Gkamnyangi who had given Hoesaegi such a fright at the Community Welfare Center was still in a daze even after they returned to Golmokjib.

He closed his eyes and thought of the cat he had seen that afternoon. Whenever he looked at other cats, he had always looked at the eyes first. He had searched and searched for a cat with eyes as beautiful as ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Lady Lara's. And until now, not a single one had possessed eyes like hers.

But she — Lady, whom he had met for the first time today — had truly beautiful eyes.

They were not sky-blue, though, the way Lady Lara's had been. And Lady Lara's whole body had shone a pure, radiant white. Lady, on the other hand, had four pitch-black legs, and a body mottled with white and wheat-gold that looked almost unkempt. Even her face, which ought to have been clean and pale, was dark. And yet she was not entirely black, the way he was. Her neck was long, her face small and pointed. And her nose was jet-black too.

Because his own face was pitch-black, he had loved the opposite — a white lady. His own fur was short, so he had preferred long fur. Aside from the eyes, which resembled Lady Lara's, they had not a single thing in common. She did not match his ideal type at all.

And yet he could not stop thinking about her.

I wish I could see her just once more. So I could look at those beautiful eyes. No. It's better like this. She'll only leave a wound and disappear, the way Lady Lara did. No. Even so, I want to see her. No. It's better like this...

For the first time in a very long while, Gkamnyangi spent the night with his eyes wide open.