Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Gray's Triumphant Return
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"Gray, let's go."
Lee Jun's low voice echoed from Alley House.
Lately, Gray had been commuting to work with Lee Jun.
Whenever Lee Jun said "let's go," Gray's bushy tail would puff up as he trotted elegantly to the front door.
Then he'd slip neatly into the carrier waiting there.
Watching Gray's graceful morning routine had become a delightful part of Lee Jun's daily life.
But today, there was no sign of that.
[I'm right here, nyang!]
A tapping sound accompanied Gray's voice.
Lee Jun turned toward the noise and chuckled.
Gray had poked just his head out of the carrier.
The tapping must have been from his front paw lightly pawing at it.
"You like it that much, huh?"
[I love it, nyang!]
Gray was thrilled at the thought of heading to Evergreen Park after so long.
Lee Jun smiled at Gray's sparkling eyes.
'Of course he's excited. It's been ages since he was home.'
Lee Jun slung the carrier over his shoulder, grabbed the heavy bags in both hands, and stepped out of Alley House.
As he breathed in the dawn air and walked toward the park.
The cats of Evergreen Park were sleeping in their respective spots.
Even Norangi, who fancied himself Gray's right-hand cat, was deep in slumber.
Nyao~
A tiny mew slipped from Norangi's mouth.
His legs even kicked as if chasing something in his dream.
'B-Big Brother Leader!'
Norangi was dreaming.
Dreaming of Gray returning to the park.
All the cats gathered in one spot, welcoming Gray.
Yay!
Nyao-ho~!
They cheered and circled around him excitedly.
Norangi bounced around, greeting Gray too.
Sniff sniff sniff. Overwhelmed by the long-missed scent of his leader, Norangi was moved.
'Groooar, Big Brother Leader!'
Tears welled up in the eyes of Norangi, who rarely showed emotion.
Then he suddenly woke up.
Norangi realized it had been a dream.
But it felt so real—Gray's scent still lingered strongly.
The corners of Norangi's mouth curled up.
Today was his and Sogeum-i's turn to go meet the leader.
That must be why he'd had such a great dream.
Norangi curled up again, a happy expression on his face.
[I miss Big Brother Leader...]
He'd squeeze in a bit more dream time first.
With that thought, Norangi closed his eyes.
But then.
Sniff sniff sniff.
His long whiskers twitched.
Was he still dreaming? The leader's scent was growing stronger. And now a savory aroma mixed in.
[What is it?]
Norangi's eyes snapped open, fixing on the source of the smell.
Someone he knew was approaching from afar.
[It's Woof Teacher.]
Ah, that explained the leader's scent.
Norangi finally understood the situation.
It was the leader's scent clinging to Woof Teacher.
He leaped down from the tree.
Woof Teacher was a welcome sight to them too, after all.
As Norangi slowly approached Lee Jun.
[How've you all been, nyang!]
Gray's meow pierced Norangi's ears.
He froze!
Norangi's eyes widened twice their size.
[I-Is that... Big Brother Leader?]
[Yeah, it's me, nyang!]
Before Gray finished speaking, Norangi bolted forward.
Soon, thud thud, patter patter, scamper scamper.
The park buzzed with activity everywhere.
Hard to believe these were the same elegant, quiet cats—they came rushing out in a frenzy.
[Biiiig Brothaaar Leeeader~~!]
[B-Big Brother Leader!]
[Leader!]
[Leader! Is it really you?]
[We missed you!]
Before long, cats swarmed around Lee Jun, chattering away.
[I missed you all too, nyang!]
Gray's voice brimmed with excitement.
Lee Jun set the carrier down and spoke up.
"You all know this, but the leader's not fully recovered yet. So what should you do?"
[We can't rush at Big Brother Leader.]
Norangi answered on behalf of the group.
"Right. I trust you guys."
At his words of trust, the cats' expressions turned serious.
Soon, Gray emerged from the open carrier and stepped onto the earth.
The damp grass and soil grains squished underfoot.
Gray's eyes curved into crescents.
'Feels so good, nyang.'
Gray slowly scanned the dozens of eyes fixed on him, one by one.
Some sparkled in the morning sun. Others glistened like morning dew.
Dozens of eyes gazed solely at him.
These were the cats who had visited him two at a time each day.
Naturally, Gray had seen his subordinates daily too.
But being together like this? It had been ages.
Gray, and the cats—they were all thrilled.
Gray approached them in his usual dignified posture.
No trace of the limp he'd had at home.
He had perfectly hidden his weakness.
Lee Jun watched Gray silently.
'Impressive.'
Wild animals with strong instincts hide their vulnerabilities.
Witnessing it firsthand, Lee Jun thought.
'I need to observe patients even more closely from now on. Man, these guys are amazing. That food smells so good, but not one turns away.'
Every single cat focused on Gray.
Just as Lee Jun instructed, none pounced on him.
They only rubbed their heads gently against him as he approached.
The last cat he faced was the white one speckled with gray patches—Sogeum-i.
Sogeum-i stretched his neck out and mewed thinly, his voice misty with moisture.
[...Big Brother Leader, are you okay now?]
[I'm fine, nyang!]
Gray extended a front paw and stroked Sogeum-i's forehead.
[Don't worry about me—make sure you eat well, nyang!]
[...Okay.]
That was when Lee Jun pulled out the prepared items from his bag and said.
"Gray, once you're done greeting everyone, bring the crew over. Time to eat."
[Got it, nyang!]
Gray's eyes sparkled as he turned to the cats.
[Let's eat something delicious, nyang!]
At his words, the cats rose on their hind legs, shaking with excitement.
Mewing and waving their front paws in the air, they looked just like cheering crowds.
Lee Jun smiled.
"What a sight."
Moments later, an even more spectacular scene unfolded.
The cats sat in a neat row, staring at the empty plates Lee Jun had set down.
One person couldn't feed this many cats at once.
When Lee Jun placed meat on the plates, none lunged to eat first or whined impatiently.
They just waited their turn.
No—they were even yielding.
"Mackerel, you eat first."
"No, you go ahead, Norangi."
"Sogeum-i, you're small, so you first."
"Sis should eat first. I can go last."
Gray watched them proudly from a short distance away.
"Gray, aren't you hungry?"
[I'm good, nyang!]
He was probably holding back in case there wasn't enough meat.
'What a good kid. Actually, they're all so cool.'
It felt too good to keep to himself.
Animals had camaraderie too, cherishing and looking out for each other.
Instead of abandoning a sick friend, they comforted and cared for him.
'Such fine fellows.'
What Lee Jun could do here was one thing.
Shorten feeding time.
His hands moved faster.
***
Soon, the delightful meal ended, and the cats even enjoyed Churu treats as dessert.
Satisfaction bloomed on their faces.
[Woof Teacher, thank you.]
[That was delicious.]
[Yummy.]
[Ho hong, I never knew white meat could taste this good.]
[Right? Super duper yummy.]
The park cats, like Gray, weren't new to chicken.
But warm, chewy chicken like this morning's? Few had tasted it.
Lee Jun grinned at their joyful mews.
"Look forward to next week too."
The cats, not understanding, tilted their heads.
[It means we get to eat again in a week, nyang.]
At Gray's translation, the cats jumped in surprise.
[R-Really?]
[For real? We get more of this delicious meat?]
"Yeah. I'll be over there, so chat freely. Call if anything comes up."
The cats surely had plenty to catch up on.
Lee Jun stepped away to give them space.
"Walking the park in the morning like this—it's been forever."
He strolled slowly, reminiscing about walks here with Kongdori, morning and evening long ago.
"Woke up too early; my head's fuzzy."
For this event, he'd risen at 4 a.m. to prepare.
Plenty of chicken to prep, but he wanted the cats to eat comfortably with few people around.
Thus, it was just past 7 now.
He planned to hang out in the park before heading to work.
Gray and the cats had lots of lost time to make up.
"That cafe up ahead opens early, right?"
Lee Jun, who rarely came to the park early, had heard from the dogs at Meongmeong Animal Hospital.
The dogs hadn't said a coffee shop opened early, of course.
They'd mentioned a savory smell in the mornings.
Sometimes even free bread from that aroma.
Lee Jun bought coffee and returned to the park.
"Lots of dogs out for morning walks already."
Seated on a bench, he sipped his coffee, watching them.
At first chuckling 'cute pups,' Lee Jun's gaze sharpened gradually.
'That brown poodle—right hind leg hip dislocation. Not severe yet, but correcting it soon would be good. Oof, why's that one hopping on hind legs? Watch for disc issues later.'
Wherever he saw animals, his occupational habit kicked in—scanning for issues.
Observing them, a peculiar dog caught his eye.
A poodle trudged along, head hung low.
'Why's the poodle so listless? Old age?'
Even seniors perked up in the park—excitement levels varied, but they were lively.
Even sick ones sniffed eagerly upon arrival, but this one showed zero reaction.
It reeked of reluctance.
Thud thud. The poodle passed right by Lee Jun.
'Doesn't look that old... Like a stuffed toy walking.'
Lee Jun's gaze shifted naturally to the owner.
The owner's expression was equally gloomy.
'Matching the poodle's vibe. Something wrong at home?'
But his thoughts stopped there.
[Teacher!]
Jamongi approached from afar, tail wagging furiously.
And,
"Director, out for a walk?"
Jamongi's owner greeted Lee Jun.
"Ah, yeah. Just felt like it after a while. Doesn't walking him morning and evening every day wear you out?"
"No way. His condition's improved so much since we started. Sleeps better at night too."
The owner beamed, then continued as the leash tautened.
"Jamongi, what's up? Something there?"
Jamongi strained forward, sniffing intently.
Lee Jun looked down at the tail-stiffened, nose-twitching pup.
"You smell Gray, huh?"
[H-How'd you know? Gray bro's scent is there. And super yummy smell too.]
The cat group was hidden beyond the bushes from their spot.
"Gray came today."
[Really? Wanna see bro!]
Jamongi bounced in place.
"Oh my, Gray's all better?"
"Nah, not yet. Just out for some fresh air."
Lee Jun calmed the hopping Jamongi.
"He's playing with friends now, so go later."
[The cat bros?]
"Yeah."
[Okay. Will do.]
Jamongi, who yielded to the park cats, nodded obediently.
Their talk reached Gray's ears too.
Gray said.
[That pup found me, nyang!]
The cats already knew of Jamongi's heroics from Meongmeong Animal Hospital, but hearing it together felt fresh.
Gratitude sprouted anew.
[He's Big Brother Leader's savior.]
[Yeah, nyang.]
[Let's thank him!]
[Right. Noisy, but he saved our leader.]
Then Norangi approached Gray.
[I'll fetch him.]
To Norangi, Jamongi was already a hero.
[Go ahead, nyang.]
Norangi dashed to Lee Jun.
"Norangi, what? Something wrong?"
[No, sir. We want to thank this one properly.]
"Oh?"
Lee Jun smiled at Jamongi's owner.
"They wanna say thanks for Jamongi saving Gray."
"Oh my goodness."
Soon, Lee Jun and Jamongi headed to the cats.
Jamongi's owner followed at a distance, wary of startling them.