Chapter 57
Chapter 57
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: Swallowed by the Sand
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The sand was swallowing me whole, yet Benevolent Brother was just laughing.
Gray felt a profound sense of betrayal as Lee Jun's laughter spread far and wide across the vast puddle-like expanse.
It was the first time he'd felt this way since getting to know Lee Jun.
His body trembled with betrayal, and as his four legs flailed about, they sank even deeper with a squelch.
Gray's face turned pale as he cried out.
["H-Help meow! The sand's trying to eat me meow!"]
"Khahaha! Ah, this is insane. Gray, you're really making me laugh for real."
Far from rescuing him, Lee Jun laughed even harder than before.
At that sound, Gray fell into despair.
["I b-believed in you meow!"]
There was truly no one he'd trusted as much as Benevolent Brother since he was born.
As resentment piled onto the betrayal, tears welled up in Gray's golden eyes.
That was when it happened.
Swoosh!
His body floated up.
["Huh...?"]
Before he could even think, Gray's body landed on Lee Jun's shoulder. Shadow was on the opposite shoulder.
"How's that? Pretty cool, right?"
Cool? What was cool about it?
Gray couldn't comprehend what Lee Jun was saying.
But he followed Lee Jun's gaze and looked out into the distance.
Endless blue water stretched out, crashing up and down with a rhythmic whoosh.
["Th-the blue water's... dancing meow!"]
It was both fascinating and frightening, so Gray clung tightly to Lee Jun's shoulder with all four paws as he spoke.
["The water's rising up..."]
Shadow cried out in surprise too.
"It's called waves."
["Waves? What's that meow?"]
"It's the ocean moving. You know the little pond in the park? When the wind blows, ripples form on it, right?"
["Yeah meow. When the wind blows, the water moves meow."]
"Exactly. It's like that, but here there's so much water that the waves are bigger."
["Can we eat it meow?"]
"Eat what?"
["The water meow. I wanna try it meow."]
["Me too. I wanna taste it."]
Sniff sniff sniff sniff.
Gray and Shadow's noses twitched eagerly.
The Sogeum-iy, fishy scent tickled their noses, and the cats' mouths curved upward.
["It's whisker food scent meow. Gotta be delicious meow."]
"Whisker food?"
["The crunchy, chewy stuff we ate last night meow!"]
"Oh, shrimp?"
["Shri... shrimp meow."]
["Shrimp... I wanna eat it again."]
The cats etched the word "shrimp" deep into their hearts.
["But that place is scary meow. The sand tried to eat me meow."]
["It's a real monster."]
"No way."
Lee Jun said that and set Gray and Shadow back down.
["N-No meow! Save me meow!"]
["Urk, are you trying to kill me?"]
The cats desperately clung to his legs, so Lee Jun plopped down onto the sand.
Only then did the cats on his thighs let out sighs of relief.
"There's no way the sand would eat you guys."
["It pulled my leg meow!"]
"It's because there's so much soft sand. Like this."
Lee Jun plunged his hand into the sand and pulled it out as he explained.
"And see how it just goes whoosh? Wanna try?"
The cats tilted their heads, then gingerly placed one paw on the sand.
Since their bodies were on Lee Jun's thigh, they didn't look too scared.
First one front paw.
Then both front paws on the sand, and soon the cats were comfortably waddling around, their four paws sinking in and out.
["My paws disappear and reappear meow."]
["Amazing."]
Now that they'd discovered the fun of the sand, the cats waddled about freely.
"They wouldn't have even noticed their paws sinking if they'd been running around like usual."
It was a mishap born from caution in the new environment, but thanks to it, the cats had learned a new game.
As Gray and Shadow roamed the beach freely, the park cats joined in the fun.
"Whoa, what a sight. What a sight."
Kwak Su-ho walked over to where Lee Jun stood, marveling.
"Look at their faces. They love it, don't they?"
"Yeah, I've never seen a pack of cats frolicking on the beach in my life. Though I also never saw cats lining up like kindergarteners to board a bus."
Kwak Su-ho looked at Lee Jun with a pleased smile and continued.
"Give me your account number."
"Why?"
"Thanks to you, my channel's blowing up."
"My fault? Your channel was already popular."
"Nah, the views are still climbing. We gotta split it."
"What are you talking about? It's because you edited it so well. If anything, donate to Our Yard Shelter."
"That's a given. But don't you need money to feed and care for them properly?"
"I've got enough covered."
"Think of it as their appearance fee. That way I can upload this footage without worries, right?"
Kwak Su-ho was filming the cats even mid-conversation.
"Fine, then. Just enough for their food."
That was when it happened.
A loud thud echoed, followed by Go Gi-jin's voice.
"Brothers, time for breakfast."
"......?"
"......!"
Lee Jun and Kwak Su-ho's eyes shook wildly.
The outdoor table from last night's late dinner was right in front of them.
Go Gi-jin had brought over a massive all-in-one natural wood barbecue outdoor table, complete with grill and parasol.
It would've been tough for four people, yet he'd carried it alone.
"How'd you even think to move that?"
"We're at the beach—gotta eat while gazing at the sea for the full flavor."
Go Gi-jin answered nonchalantly, lit the grill, and placed the prepared meat on it.
As the Hongseong Hanwoo from Go Gi-jin's father began to sizzle, smiles deepened around the table.
"The smell's on another level."
"I've eaten so much beef in my life, but this... Teacher Go, thank you."
"It looks different too. I'm curious what it'll taste like."
The savory aroma wafting from the grill drifted to the cats playing on the sand.
Sniff sniff sniff.
["What's this smell meow!"]
["Smells delicious."]
["I wanna try it meow!"]
The cats gathered around the table, heads raised, sniffing eagerly.
"Director Go, you're too thoughtful. No visible fat at all."
"Told Dad it was for the cats, so he sent the leanest cut."
"Might be a bit tough? But the smell is killer."
Kwak Su-ho, who usually loved fatty cuts, licked his lips.
"Everyone says that at first. But try it once, and you'll take it back. It's really savory and delicious. Ah, this one's done—give it a go."
Go Gi-jin offered a piece of cooked meat to Kwak Su-ho.
"Sure, let's see."
Kwak Su-ho ate it without much expectation, but his eyes lit up.
The meat he'd thought would be chewy was incredibly tender.
Not overly soft, though.
Chewing the springy texture released juices flooding his mouth.
Followed by the deep, rich flavor of the beef.
Kwak Su-ho's eyes went wide.
"Whoa, it's this good?"
"Come on, dig in."
["M-Me too meow!"]
Gray clung to Go Gi-jin's leg.
"Huh, sure thing. Once it's cooled."
Go Gi-jin understood Gray perfectly and chuckled in response.
Moments later, on the wide mat, 53 cats stared at their plates.
The glossy Hanwoo was sliced into bite-sized pieces.
"Eat slowly, everyone."
At Lee Jun's words, the cats dove in and devoured the beef.
Lick.
Gray tentatively licked the unfamiliar meat.
Even just a tiny lick filled his mouth with savory flavor.
Drool trickled out uncontrollably.
He'd planned to savor it slowly, recalling last night's chewy whisker food, but that resolve crumbled instantly.
Nom.
Gray bit into a piece and chewed.
Drool.
The juices trapped in the meat flooded his mouth.
*'D-Delicious meow!'*
Enchanted by the first taste of savoriness, Gray's eyes sparkled.
Brother had clearly said to eat slowly. And Gray always listened well to Brother.
But in this moment, Brother's words didn't register.
Pure instinct took over, and Gray ate piece after piece from his plate.
It wasn't just Gray.
Every cat there was frantically devouring the Hanwoo.
Lee Jun's group was no different.
"It's so good."
"What was all the beef I've eaten before? This is too delicious."
"Haha, Reporter Kim, write about that feeling later. Tell 'em Hongseong Hanwoo is insanely good."
"Got it. Guess I'm the Hongseong Hanwoo ambassador from now on."
"Seriously delicious."
Lee Jun gave Go Gi-jin a thumbs-up.
"Heh, what're you saying? Dad felt bad that's all he could do for you, Brother. Don't worry about meat from now on—I'll hook you up with the best."
"Thanks just hearing it. Alright, once we're done eating, time to give the cats their meds."
Lee Jun had brought digestive enzymes.
Worried about overeating yesterday and today.
The cats took the enzymes from Lee Jun without resistance, then headed to the beach.
The sand, chilly at dawn, was now toasty under the sun.
The cats sprawled belly-down on the warm beach.
["Feels great meow!"]
Gray lay there flat,
And Shadow dug into the sand, burying himself deeper.
Paw paw paw paw.
["So cozy."]
"Like this, even better."
Lee Jun covered Shadow's back with sand. Seeing that, the other cats dug in too.
["Cover me please."]
["Me too, cover me."]
"Got it."
As Lee Jun wandered the beach covering the cats with sand blankets, he spotted some movement.
"Hm? What's that?"
Just as Lee Jun wondered, Gray shot up from his spot, arching his back.
["A weird guy's coming meow!"]
["First time seeing this one."]
Shadow moved in front of Lee Jun, sniffing curiously.
*Hm, neither seems on guard, so probably not dangerous. But what's up?*
Lee Jun snapped a photo with his phone and zoomed in.
"A turtle?"
A turtle was slowly crawling toward them from far across the beach.
Reminded of Star Turtle from school, Lee Jun felt a fondness and approached slowly.
As he walked, something felt off.
*What's wrong? Definitely something's not right. Is it hurt?*
He wanted to rush over, but that might scare it away.
First, he calmed the cats.
"That friend over there looks sick."
["Sick? Can't have that meow!"]
["Benevolent Brother, fix it."]
"I will. So stay put and behave. If it gets startled and runs, I can't help it, okay?"
["Got it meow. So fix it meow."]
["Will do."]
At Gray and Shadow's command, the cats stayed obediently.
By then, the turtle had reached Lee Jun.
A blue sea turtle, its shell shimmering blue.
It looked at least 100kg.
["Hel...p... me......"]
The turtle pleaded in a weak, halting voice devoid of strength.
"Looks injured."
Could be internal organs, but right now, Lee Jun did a quick visual scan.
His face crumpled as he did.
"Ah, damn it!"
A plastic ring was caught around the turtle's neck.
"Disgusting."
Lee Jun sighed deeply and spoke to the turtle.
"I'll get that off, so hold on."
The turtle looked beyond needing reassurance.
Despite its shell, its emaciated body was starkly visible, matching the weakness in its voice.
*'How did it even make it here?'*
Lee Jun swallowed another sigh and carefully removed the ring from the turtle's neck.
Once the ring was off, joy lit up the turtle's eyes.
["Ahahaha, I... live......"]
"Yeah. You did well."
The turtle cautiously turned its freed neck, delighted, then bowed its head to Lee Jun.
["Thank you."]
Lee Jun could only stroke the bowing turtle, unable to reply.
*'We're the ones who messed up, making you suffer. What do you have to thank us for?'*
As the turtle started crawling away, Lee Jun stopped it.
"You, at least get some fluids before you go."
Lee Jun hurriedly called Go Gi-jin.
***
2 PM.
A sedan carrying Namgung Hyun pulled into the Gangneung villa where Lee Jun's group was staying.
The villa caretaker, already notified, greeted him.
"CEO, welcome."
"Old timer, how've you been?"
"Thanks to you, CEO, just fine."
"Where's Director Lee Jun?"
"The guests are at the beach right now. But..."
"Why? Something wrong?"
"Oh, no."
The caretaker held back, recalling the unbelievable scene at the beach.
Seeing that, Namgung Hyun figured the caretaker must've been shocked by the cats playing en masse on the beach.
"Your face says it's something else. Well, I wouldn't have believed these photos either if I hadn't seen them."
Namgung Hyun told the driver and secretary to take the items to the villa, then headed to the beach.
Busy as he was, he'd come to Gangneung for one reason.
The photo Lee Jun sent that morning.
Cats steaming in the sand as a group.
"Couldn't not come after seeing that."
Namgung Hyun hurried to the beach.
There were cats, but far fewer than in the photo. And no Lee Jun.
Jang So-ra, sitting under the parasol watching the cats, greeted him.
"CEO, you're here? We're having a great time, thanks to you."
"Haha, good to hear. Glad. Anyway, where's Director Lee?"
"Oh, over there. Treating a patient."
"Treating?"
Namgung Hyun followed Jang So-ra, eyes widening.
"No way, what the heck is..."
But he soon nodded with a smile.
"As expected of Director Lee Jun."
