The Cat Who Lost His Roar
A cat sat with one hind leg hoisted high, licking its belly.
Lick, lick, lick.
The cat that had been grooming so diligently began to slow.
Liiick... lick.
It stopped altogether and went still — still in that pose, hind leg cocked in the air.
That was when it came.
Gurgle. Grrooowl.
A tremendous noise, and it was coming from the cat's own stomach. The cat let out a long, weary sigh.
Ugh, I'm starving. I'm so hungry even licking is hard.
It gave up on grooming and flopped onto its side. A white coat, speckled here and there with black spots.
This was none other than Jjaek — the boss One-eye had been searching for so desperately.
Rumble, rumble, crash.
The belly that had been merely gurgling now sounded like a thunderstorm rolling through. He'd gone hungry yesterday. He'd eaten nothing today, either. Of course it was making that kind of racket.
Why won't this stomach of mine shut up?
Jjaek scowled and opened his mouth.
"Hey, One-ey...e."
He started to speak, then let out a heavy sigh.
"Ah. He's not here."
That was right. One-eye was gone now. One-eye, the rest of the family... and the snug little home that had been Song-i Park — he couldn't go back to any of it.
Song-i Park was a park full of trees. When the leaves caught the morning sun and sparkled, it was truly beautiful. In the blazing heat of midday, those same trees made shade. Take a nap on a rock under that leafy canopy and you'd sleep like a king. Tufts of grass sprouted around it just so, screening the spot from view — everyone's favorite hangout. Jjaek had loved that place too.
But Jjaek never slept on that rock himself.
If I sprawl out there, nobody else will come.
So Jjaek took his post up in the tree. That way his underlings could rest easy on the rock below.
Well. The tree's not bad either.
Climb up and you could see the whole park at a glance. That was why Jjaek went up there — to keep watch. His underlings probably figured he just liked being up high.
In other districts, Jjaek was called an invader, a thug, a menace. But in the Songi District, he was the boss. And he looked after his crew.
"Whew... I hope that kid's doing all right. If I'd known it would come to this, I would've trained a successor in advance."
When Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi had gone on about successors, Jjaek had sneered. He'd thought those two were past their prime — laughably so. In the end, that arrogance had been his poison. After Hoesaegi had thoroughly flattened him, Jjaek had lost a great deal.
Whew. Our reputation's been driven into the dirt.
There were no longer any gangs who feared the infamous Jjaek crew. Jjaek himself was nothing more than a washed-up street tough.
Rumble, crash, rumble-crash.
His stomach roared even louder than before. Jjaek let out a long sigh and pushed himself to his feet.
"Where am I supposed to wander today..."
Trying to roam places where no cat would recognize him meant there was no end of things to worry about. And going somewhere new brought its own problems.
"Fighting those guys is a pain, too."
Trudge, trudge. As Jjaek walked, listless, a raw red wound showed on his face. Scratch marks stood out clearly across his body as well. The traces of fights.
"Whew. Please, let there be nobody."
In all the time he'd spent roaming the streets, he had never once wished for there to be no cats around. That was a certainty. These days, though, every time he went looking for a meal, he hoped there wouldn't be a single cat in sight.
Hah. I'm tired of fighting. Just tired.
Jjaek had lived as if winning things by force was the whole of the world. And now he was thinking like this. If any cat who knew him heard that, they'd immediately ask if he was sick. But Jjaek genuinely thought he was tired of fighting.
Looking back on it now, the reason I kept losing to that Silver Rain guy was all because of his voice.
He thought of Hoesaegi as he walked.
The voice was one thing, but those fierce eyes of his... ugh, let's not think about that.
Just the thought of it sent a shiver through his whole body. The most important thing in a fight was seizing the initiative — and Hoesaegi, who radiated charisma from every inch of him, only had to flick those eyes open and every cat would freeze stiff. If he so much as let out a single aaong, they'd tremble like leaves.
I picked a fight with a guy like that, figuring he'd gone weak just because he'd retired... of course I got the stuffing beaten out of me.
Jjaek trudged on, remembering the day Hoesaegi had pounded him to a pulp.
If I'd had even half of that Hoesaegi bastard's look in my eyes, I wouldn't have ended up like this.
Jjaek twisted around to glance at the wounds on his flanks and back. But Jjaek's eyes weren't charismatic like Hoesaegi's. They were the kind of eyes that just looked like trouble — the kind that invited a fight just by looking at them. So whenever Jjaek so much as opened his eyes wide, everyone came looking for a quarrel.
He did, however, have a powerful weapon. Not as as Hoesaegi's, but a mighty yowl all the same. A blood-curdling cry — that had been Jjaek's weapon. Bare his teeth and let out a KYAAAAOOK! and other cats would take a step back, at least. That much raw energy had poured from his voice. And so Jjaek had always seized the initiative with that ringing, piercing yowl.
Until recently, anyway.
Whew...
Sighing as he walked, Jjaek swept his gaze around. At the same time, his pink nose twitched and twitched. Confirming there was no one about, Jjaek cleared his throat.
"Let's give it a try..."
Holding onto hope, Jjaek opened his mouth. He bared his teeth and roared.
And yet.
Gyaook. Geuyaook. Gyao...
It was not the ringing, terrifying yowl that used to make rival cats wet themselves. A paltry, powerless, mumbling cry spilled from Jjaek's mouth.
"Hah... I thought it'd come back after a few days."
That was why he'd believed that if he just toughed it out a little longer, he could go home — back to his precious Song-i Park. He shook his head slowly from side to side, sinking into despair.
"I'm really alone now."
He couldn't go back looking like this. Which meant he would never see his underlings again, and he could never return to the snug home that was Song-i Park.
I want to sit up in that tree and watch the kids playing below...
His already fierce face crumpled even further. Jjaek slowly started walking again.
At least let me get a drink of water.
He swayed as he went, as if he might collapse at any moment. As he walked, Jjaek kept glancing around.
Nobody here.
A look of relief settled over his rough-hewn face. A short while later, Jjaek plunged his head into a puddle and lapped at the water. Before long, though, something gritty started getting into his mouth. Sand, mixed into the water. Jjaek was still thirsty, but he stopped drinking.
"Ptew, ptew."
He spat out a mouthful of foam to get rid of the sand. The foam hit the ground. It wasn't clear, and it wasn't white. It was a thick, yellowish foam.
Jjaek trudged on again. After walking a long while, his nose twitched.
"Th-that smells good."
Just catching the scent seemed to put strength back into him. His steps quickened. Jjaek followed the smell with purpose, and at last he found a mouthwatering meal. A bowl of neat, savory kibble gleamed invitingly. Beside it, clean water lapped nearly to the brim.
The corner of Jjaek's mouth curled up. He bit into the kibble at once.
The rich flavor bloomed through his mouth —
"H-hhk!"
Tears dripped from Jjaek's eyes as he held the kibble in his mouth. They rolled down.
"I-it's good. It's so good."
Jjaek chewed, tears falling. It had been three days since he'd found that dried-out pollack head — the first decent thing to fill his belly in ages. He had every right to cry. And he hadn't even finished that pollack head three days ago.
"I barely got a few bites before the local tom stole it."
The claw marks on his face and back were wounds from fighting that territorial cat. Someone had been watching Jjaek from a distance — but Jjaek, completely absorbed in chewing the pollack head, had had no idea. In the end, he'd been caught off guard by the local tom and lost it.
I have to eat carefully.
After that, Jjaek had grown even more cautious. Even when he found food, he started watching his surroundings more warily than ever. On top of that, for some time now, Jjaek hadn't been able to eat in big gulps. He had to chew little by little, or he couldn't swallow. That was exactly why the local tom had been able to steal the pollack head from him. If he could have bolted it down or crunched through it fast, the way he used to, there would have been no reason to lose it. But he couldn't eat like that anymore.
He wanted to wolf it down — but it wouldn't go down his throat. He had to chew for a very long time just to swallow, and eating that slowly meant the local cats would spot him and attack. Attacked if he did, attacked if he didn't — a wretched state of affairs.
But today was different. The kibble in front of him was small and soft. It went down easily. His throat didn't even hurt.
Heh. It doesn't hurt.
So he could eat quickly. And there was no sign of the local toms anywhere around. And so, for the first time in a long while, Jjaek ate his fill.
Buuurp!
Having finished the kibble, Jjaek belched and lapped up the water beside it, too. After a plentiful meal for the first time in ages, Jjaek headed back to his new den in high spirits.
Heh heh heh. I ate my fill today, so...
He'd have his strength back. In that case, let's just try...
Jjaek cleared his throat. Then he let out a low cry.
Gyagok, gyagok, gyagogo...
As he cried, the corners of Jjaek's eyes drooped lower and lower. At last he struck the ground with a forepaw.
"Ghhk... hhkk?"
He'd been trying to let out a proper roar, but a strange voice had come out instead. Even stranger than a moment ago.
This is the end.
Jjaek collapsed onto the ground and wept. He lay there crying, lamenting his lot — and before he knew it, he was snoring, fast asleep. The aftermath of a full stomach, for the first time in a long while.
The next day, Jjaek woke and sat staring blankly up at the sky. Clouds drifted across the blue. He smiled at a fat, spread-out cloud. It was an unbearably sad smile.
Looks like One-eye.
Jjaek and One-eye had always stuck together. One-eye had lost an eye in an accident when he was little. After that, he'd been teased for having only one. Naturally, he hadn't been able to join a gang, either. Jjaek had taken that One-eye in. Anyone who mocked him, Jjaek had beaten to a pulp. That was the history between them.
Well, at least he won't be getting picked on now, so he's probably doing fine. Who'd dare pick on that kid!
Jjaek tried to think well of it. But a sigh escaped his mouth anyway.
Hah...
Whether the sigh came from sorrow at his own circumstances, or from worry for One-eye and the others, it was hard to say. It could have been both.
That day, Jjaek lay looking up at the sky until the sun went down. To be precise, he was looking at the clouds floating above. When he looked at the clouds, it felt as if One-eye were right there beside him. So he looked, and looked, and looked again. Until the sun set and darkness fell. Even after the sun had gone, he didn't stop looking up at the sky, picturing the image of One-eye that sat so deep in his heart.
That was when it came.
Gurgle.
His stomach made a sound, and he let out a sigh.
What is with this stomach, making noise every single day? Why am I hungry again?
Ugh. Sadness was sadness, but hunger was something he couldn't bear.
I ate yesterday, so if I could just not be hungry today — no, even tomorrow — how great would that be?
Thinking that, he stirred and got moving. His feet carried him, of their own accord, toward the place he'd had last night's feast.
No way it'd still be there, right? — and, at the same time — Please be there. Please.
Those contradictory thoughts circled in his head, but as he drew closer to the spot, the latter began to take over. Maybe because he was thinking it — he already seemed to catch the scent.
Sniff, sniff, sniff.
Strength flowed into his tail, and a little tune hummed from his nose all by itself.
It smells even better than yesterday.
Having eaten a little yesterday, Jjaek had his strength back — and he ran.
Pat-pat-pat.
As he ran, Jjaek thought, Please let there be nobody. I absolutely cannot fight with a voice like this.
Perhaps his wish was granted — not a single cat appeared along the way. You'd think cats would be swarming a meal that smelled this good.
There it was!
Jjaek walked the rest of the way with his hips swaying, all the way to the food. Then, with a glad heart, he lowered his head.
Lapping. Glistening. Food so glossy it shone.
Th-that looks delicious.
Chomp. Jjaek took the food in his mouth.
And then.
"Hn?"
The food melted against his tongue and was absorbed. It slid down his throat as smoothly as drinking water.
"I-it doesn't hurt!"
Every time he'd eaten, his throat had twinged — but now it didn't hurt at all. Chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp. Jjaek ate the soft, water-smooth food in a frenzy.
Meanwhile, watching Jjaek from afar, One-eye's eyes welled up.
"Hhk, B-Boss!"
To the sobbing One-eye, Hoesaegi said,
"One-eye-ong. Jjaek's got sharp ears, ong."
Gasp! One-eye snapped his tears off. But they wouldn't stop. They kept falling, and the sobs kept coming from his mouth. Flustered, One-eye's eyes darted around — then whoosh! He clamped his little cotton-ball paw tight over his mouth.
But there was no need. Lost in longing, Jjaek thought as he ate:
Thinking about One-eye, it feels like he's right here beside me. That kid — how happy would he be if he were here right now? We could share food this good.
Lee Jun, waiting for Jjaek to finish eating, looked at the emptying food bowl and said,
"Looks like he's done eating, so we should go get him soon."
"Hyungnim, I'll go get him, ong."
"N-no, sir. I-I'll escort him back."
When One-eye stepped forward, Hoesaegi shook his head.
"One-eye-ong. If you show up, Jjaek will run, ong."
If the King Boss shows up, he'll run even faster, though?
One-eye wanted to say that, but his mouth simply wouldn't open.
"That's a no-go. You go near that guy and he'll run like hell."
That was exactly what I wanted to say. One-eye nodded vigorously at Gkamnyangi's words.
"That so, ong?"
Hoesaegi said this as his golden eyes flicked wide open.
That was when it happened. A flinch. Far off, Jjaek — who had been eating — shuddered from head to tail.
"See? Of course. Can't you tell he's gone stiff?"
One-eye had gone pale, all four legs trembling.
"Then who's going to bring him in, ong?"
"I'll go get him."
"Hyungnim? He'll run."
"That's right, ong. That one hates people something fierce, ong."
"Does he? I think it'll be all right. I'll try first — if he runs, you guys can catch him."
Having said that, Lee Jun looked at the three of them and went on.
"You three look faster than him, anyway."
"Obviously, ong."
"Obviously. You think I can't catch that guy?"
"I can run fast, sir!"
"Right? Then I'm counting on you!"
Nod, nod. The three of them nodded with resolute faces, and Lee Jun nodded back, then walked toward where Jjaek was.
As Lee Jun drew closer, Jjaek turned his head. Seeing Lee Jun, Jjaek began to ease away, preparing to flee. One step, two steps backward — and Lee Jun stopped where he was, going no farther, and spoke.
"Jjaek. Your throat hurts, doesn't it?"
A halt. The cat who'd been backing away stopped. Then he looked up at Lee Jun, his eyes full of fear.
"You can't eat properly, and your voice is coming out strange. Isn't that right?"
In that instant, Jjaek's eyes grew wet.
"You ran away because you were afraid your friends would notice."
Watching Jjaek nod slowly, Lee Jun continued.
At the word fix, Jjaek — who had lowered his head — lifted it and looked up at Lee Jun.
"I mean I'll make it so your real voice comes out again."
The moment Lee Jun finished speaking, tears welled and fell from Jjaek's eyes, drop by drop.
"You had it rough, huh. Come here."
Lee Jun bent his knees and sat down, and Jjaek walked slowly toward him.