It's Home, Ong!

Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi clung to each other, their voices thick with tears.

After two long days, the home they had missed so desperately stood right before their eyes — so close that if they simply toppled over, their noses would brush against it.

If we just leap over this, Hyung-nim will be there, ong.

H-Hyung-nim's scent!

The cats' shoulders puffed up with strength, as if they'd just been granted an army of ten thousand. Their faces kept tilting skyward of their own accord — and that wasn't all. Enormous grins kept climbing up their cheeks, cheekbones rising toward the heavens.

"Heehee, heeheehee."

"Heheheh."

The cats gazed up at the front gate with expressions that said they owned the entire world. All they had to do now was hop over the wall. Something like that was no problem at all for the two of them.

And yet neither of them made a move to go inside Golmokjib. They just stood there, staring at the gate.

They stayed like that for a while. Then Hoesaegi spoke first.

"Gkamnyangi, ong, you go in first, ong."

"N-no. Hoesaegi, you go in first."

"No, ong. If you go in first, I'll follow, ong."

"Y-you will?"

"I will, ong."

They could have just gone in together, but they kept insisting the other go first. In the end, Gkamnyangi prepared to go in first.

But Gkamnyangi just paced in circles. All he had to do was hop right over. He stood there swallowing, gulp after gulp. Hoesaegi, for his part, just stood there smacking his lips.

Whoosh!

They stood taking the blade-sharp wind of a midwinter dawn.

Tremble-tremble-tremble!

When short-furred Gkamnyangi started shivering, Hoesaegi sidled over and draped his tail across Gkamnyangi's back — just as he had the night before, and the night before that. Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi, pressed snug against each other.

Without either of them going first, they opened their mouths at the same time.

"What do we say to Hyung-nim, ong?"

"What do we say to Hyung-nim?"

The same words tumbled out, and their heads turned toward each other. Their eyes met.

"Gkamnyangi, ong? You were worrying about that too, ong?"

"You too, Hoesaegi?"

"That's right, ong. Hyung-nim will be worried, ong."

"He will, won't he?"

When they'd been kidnapped, they had clung to the hope that Hyung-nim would surely come find them. But now that they were actually home, they couldn't figure out what to say to him.

"Hyung-nim said we mustn't follow strangers, ong."

"He did. And whenever we went outside, he put the Ttalkkak around our necks."

Whenever the three of them went out, Lee Jun fastened GPS tracking collars around their necks. He'd made them promise never to lose those collars, swearing he'd come find them no matter what if they ever got lost or something happened. Remembering that, Hoesaegi answered Gkamnyangi in a feeble voice.

"But we didn't put on the Ttalkkak, ong. Hyung-nim's going to scold us, ong."

"He will, won't he?"

Before they knew it, both of their mouths had puckered into sulky little pouts.

It wasn't that they were afraid of being scolded by Lee Jun, or that they felt hurt by it. If you make a promise, you keep it. But the two of them had broken that promise. What worried them was that Hyung-nim would be disappointed in them for breaking it.

Hoesaegi let out a heavy sigh and brought up something else that was weighing on him.

"He said we have to come back at mealtime, ong."

That, too, was a promise they'd made with Hyung-nim.

"Yeah, but we couldn't come back."

"That's right, ong."

They'd already broken two promises with Hyung-nim.

"He said we have to tell him before we go anywhere, ong."

"Yeah, he did."

That made three. They'd broken three promises.

That was why the two of them stood trembling outside the home they had missed so desperately — Golmokjib — unable to go in. Right in front of the home they had fought hunger and cold to return to.

If Lee Jun ever found out, he'd be utterly beside himself. But to the two of them, it was a matter of the utmost importance.

They'd lifted a front paw to touch the gate. They'd tensed their hind legs, ready to jump inside. But—

"Hyooh! What do we even say to Hyung-nim, ong?"

"Aigoo! That's what I'm saying."

In the end, even after coming all the way home, the two of them just crouched down in front of the gate. Pressed together as tightly as they could get — hip to hip, flank to flank — with Hoesaegi's plush tail draped over Gkamnyangi's back.

They were still shivering. But something was different now.

The comfort of being in front of home. The familiar alley. The knowledge that Hyung-nim was right behind that gate. Those things warmed the two of them through. Their bodies were still freezing, but their hearts were the warmest they had been in two days.

Whether it was that, or whether the thought of being home had finally let the tension drain away, their eyes began to flutter shut. They started nodding off.

As the two of them sat huddled together, their heads drooping, Sapsaree was dozing in the living room — pressed right up against the window, no less.

"Hyung-nims…"

Even in his sleep, he was searching for Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi. Lee Jun, who had been sitting beside him steeped in worry, looked at the sleep-talking Sapsaree with a pained expression.

"You poor thing. You must be so worried about Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi, you're crying ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠even in your sleep."

It was true. A single tear was rolling down from the corner of Sapsaree's eye.

"That's right. How heartbroken and helpless must he be? Those rascals vanished right in front of his eyes!"

Go Gi-jin, dark circles under his eyes, let out a sigh of lament. Lee Jun sighed along with him, looking at Sapsaree, and remembered two days ago — when Sapsaree had wept that he'd recognized the culprit from the start, that if only he'd told Lee Jun, his hyung-nims wouldn't have been taken.

Sapsaree, it's not your fault. That bastard is the one who's evil.

Lee Jun wiped Sapsaree's eyes with a soft gauze towel. A chill seeped into his fingertips. And no wonder — until thirty minutes ago, Sapsaree had been pacing the yard, calling out for Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi.

Go Gi-jin ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had gone out into the yard, scooped him up, and brought him inside. And then, a little later, Sapsaree would go back out into the yard again. He had to notice the moment his hyung-nims came near, he insisted.

And there was another reason Sapsaree kept going out to the yard. All the cats from the Sarangbang had gone charging outside, saying they were going to find news of Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi. Sapsaree had been holding down the yard so he could hear that news even a second sooner.

But that wasn't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠what was on Lee Jun and Go Gi-jin's minds. With the two of them missing, they couldn't bear the thought of Sapsaree getting sick from wandering the freezing yard on top of everything else — so they kept bringing him back inside.

And so Sapsaree, Go Gi-jin, and Lee Jun had been repeating the same cycle over and over. Sapsaree would go outside, Lee Jun or Go Gi-jin would bring him in, Sapsaree would go back out, and the two of them would bring him in again. The three of them had been at it, sleep forgotten. It had gone on like that for two nights, and only now was Sapsaree finally dozing.

"We got that bastard's license plate, so now we just have to catch him."

The kidnapper had been clever. The security camera in front of the house hadn't caught the license plate — he'd covered it. If he'd covered the plate on a main road, someone would have noticed, but it was a quiet alley with barely any foot traffic. Of course he'd thought of all that when he covered the plate right in front of Lee Jun's house.

Fortunately, the dashcam of the neighbor's car parked in the resident-priority parking zone out front, along with the dashcam of Lee Jun's own car that had been parked there a few days earlier, had captured the vehicle believed to belong to the kidnapper. The same car that the security camera had shown loading a cage. Luckily, they'd been able to get the plate number from the dashcam footage.

"But what if that scoundrel already sent our babies off somewhere else?"

Lee Jun's molars clenched. His eyes flashed.

"Then all bets are—"

All bets are off. I'll use every means at my disposal, and I won't let that bastard get away with it. That was what he was about to say when Sapsaree, who had dozed off with tears still on his face, snapped his eyes open. He shot to his feet and bolted for the kitchen, shouting—

"It's the hyung-nims! The hyung-nims are here!"

Woof woof woof!

Sapsaree's booming bark. Go Gi-jin startled and leapt to his feet.

"W-what's the matter? D-did the kids come back?"

"What? Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi are here?"

Lee Jun shot to his feet and ran outside. Go Gi-jin ran after him. Sapsaree had already gone out through their private kitchen door into the yard, and right behind him Lee Jun and Go Gi-jin burst through the front entrance.

There was no time for shoes. The two of them ran barefoot.

And then—

Woof woof woof woof!

"Hyung-nims! Hoesaegi Hyung-nim! Gkamnyangi Hyung-nim!"

"H-Hoesaegi, is that you? G-Gkamnyangi!"

"Aigoo, you little rascals! ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Get over here, now. Come here, you kids!"

Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi, nodding off, met their longed-for family in a dream.

Sapsaree himself.

Sapsaree was barking and beaming, circling around them with a bright smile — but strangely, tears kept welling from his smiling eyes. Hoesaegi tilted his head and asked.

Sapsaree, ong, why are you smiling with tears bubbling out, ong?

But Sapsaree didn't answer. He just looked at them and smiled, bouncing up and down.

Gkamnyangi, ong, Sapsaree's acting strange, ong. He's smiling and crying, ong.

I know. That's really weird. But Hoesaegi, why are you bubbling with tears?

I'm not crying, ong. You're the one crying, Gkamnyangi, ong.

Me? I'm not crying.

No, ong, this is cold, ong. It's water, ong.

You're cold too, Hoesaegi. Ugh, it's freezing! But Hoesaegi — Hyung-nim is crying too.

Hyung-nim is crying, ong? Why, ong? But Gkamnyangi, ong — where is Hyung-nim, ong? I miss him, ong.

Where else would he be? He's at our Golmokjib. Our Hyung-nim!

Oh, that's right, ong. He's at Golmokjib, ong. Hyung-nim, ong!

They called for Hyung-nim so loudly it made a mockery of all the worrying they'd done about whether he'd be disappointed in them — the worrying that had kept them from even going inside. Gkamnyangi shouted too.

Hyung-nim! Hyung-nim!

Hoesaegi kept calling.

"Hyung-nim, ong!"

The cry from the dream had spilled out into the waking world. Hoesaegi woke at the sound of his own voice. At Hoesaegi's cry, Gkamnyangi, who'd been dozing beside him, opened his eyes too.

"H-Hoesaegi, Hyung-nim can hear you!"

They still weren't ready to face Hyung-nim. If Hyung-nim heard them now, it would be so awkward.

"Hyu… oong!"

Just as Hoesaegi was about to shout even louder, his voice died in his throat. Gkamnyangi's nose twitched and flared. Hoesaegi's ears flicked rapidly back and forth.

The scent of the family they'd missed so much. The voices of the family they'd longed to see came pouring into their noses and ears.

"You kids — you came back?"

"Hyung-nims! Hyung-nims!"

Udada-dada-da. Tap-tap-tap-tap. Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!

The sound of someone rushing toward them, and at the same time — the front gate of Golmokjib burst open.

And there they were. The faces of the family they'd missed so desperately.

Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi's eyes grew slowly, steadily wider. Lee Jun, Go Gi-jin, and Sapsaree filled those round pupils that couldn't possibly get any bigger.

H-Hyung-nims, ong. Sapsaree, ong!

Hyung-nims! Sapsaree!

They were sure they'd shouted those words. And yet—

"Hic! H-hiccup."

"E-eeeeeeeng."

The two of them burst into tears, sobs bubbling out of them. Because it had been so hard. Because they'd been so scared. And because they had missed them so, so much.

With all of that in their hearts, Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi melted into Lee Jun and Go Gi-jin's arms.

"Waaaaaah!"

"Bweeeehhh!"

Held in those warm arms, Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi only felt more overwhelmed, and they cried even harder.

"There, there. You did so well. You went through so much."

"That's right, that's right. You made it home. How hard it must've been for you!"

As the hyung-nims they'd missed so much patted them, the tears flowed even more. The cats who had bravely escaped that terrifying place. The remarkable cats who had spread their fame even in a place they'd never been. They poured out their tears, nestled deep in their hyung-nims' arms.

From the crack of dawn, a festival broke out at Golmokjib.

Sapsaree took the floor.

"Our hyung-nims came home! It's so, so good!"

"Aye-oh-ho-ho!"

The cats cheered with all their might. It was dawn, of course, so they kept their voices small. Sapsaree said it again.

"It's so, so good?"

"Aye!"

"Let's give our proud hyung-nims a Paw Clap! Paw Clap!"

Pat-pat-pat-pat-pat-pat-pat.

The cats clapped their front paws together, crying "Aye-oh-ho!" Every one of them was beaming.

"B-Bosses, thank you for coming back."

"We're so happy you returned."

"I believed you would come back, Boss."

The Sarangbang cats rejoiced at their return.

"Of course they did! They're our hyung-nims!"

As if he'd never been crying at all, Sapsaree swaggered with pride. But Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi could tell.

Sapsaree's eye corners are all smooth and shiny, ong.

Sapsaree's eyes are all puffy.

How much must he have cried, worrying about them? That warm heart made their own eyes prickle with heat.

It had only been two days, but Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi had come to understand so much. How grateful they were to have a home this warm. How grateful they were that there were those who waited for them. Just being here, in this place, together with the family they loved — that itself was an enormous blessing.

Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi's mouths curled into smiles.

"Thank you, ong."

"Thank you."

Dong-dong-dong-dong-dong!

Just as the cats were clapping their paws with all their might, Lee Jun and Go Gi-jin appeared. Soon after, bowls of kibble mixed with rich, warm broth were set down in front of every one of them.

A cheer burst from Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi's mouths.

"F-food, ong."

"Food."

"Eat this, and then eat some more."

"That's right. Eat plenty, now."

Before the two of them had even finished speaking, Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi buried their faces in the bowls — slurp-slurp-slurp, splash-splash-splash — inhaling the food in a frenzy.

Lee Jun and Go Gi-jin looked down at the cats with aching expressions. Lee Jun especially.

That bastard! He didn't even feed our kids!

His eyes flashed as he contemplated just how he was going to deal with that son of a bitch.

Aigoo! He didn't even feed the kids! Let's see if I let that bastard off easy.

Go Gi-jin, who hated the very idea of going hungry with a passion, cursed the nameless kidnapper.