Chapter 91
Chapter 91
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 91
Chapter Title: Diet Determination and Treat Temptations
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Gray pounced on Shadow, who was lounging under the table, and let out a sharp cry of protest.
"[It is mine, meow!]"
Shadow, however, continued to munch rhythmically on the piece of kibble in his mouth, completely ignoring the accusation as if he were suddenly deaf. Just moments before, two pieces of food had tumbled to the floor when Gray swatted at the table, and Shadow had been quick enough to scoop them up before Gray could react.
"[You ate my portion!]" Gray yelled, his fur bristling with indignation.
"Then you should just eat some of Shadow's," their owner suggested with a chuckle.
"[There is none left! There is absolutely nothing on the floor!]" Gray replied, peering under Shadow's bowl with eyes that were wide with a heartbreaking sadness. When his owner pointed toward Shadow's actual food bowl, Gray made a face of deep disappointment and trudged back to his own station to crunch away at his remaining share.
Suddenly, two pieces of kibble fell into Gray's bowl from an unexpected source. Sapsari, feeling a wave of pity for the hunger-sharpened cat, had decided to share from his own bowl. Gray looked at the dog, offered a brief meow of thanks, but then immediately placed the two pieces back into Sapsari’s bowl.
"[I am fine, Sapsari. You should eat it yourself!]" Gray declared before walking over to the water bowl to slake his thirst. His belly was nowhere near full, so he was attempting to fill the void with water instead.
Watching this, Sapsari felt a surge of emotion, touched by what he perceived as a magnanimous act of self-sacrifice. He assumed Gray was worried about his hunger, but Gray was actually thinking something far more cynical: 'I have completely lost my appetite. Sapsari's food tastes absolutely awful.' He couldn't understand why his owner fed the dog such tasteless kibble, and he had to rinse his mouth several times to get rid of the lingering flavor.
* *
In the world of cats, a promise was a matter of great importance. While Gray and Shadow didn't quite understand the human concept of a "diet," they had agreed to it, and they intended to see it through. They stopped complaining about their smaller portions, even though they were constantly enduring a nagging sense of hunger.
As the days passed, the two cats went out to the park every single day to run. Despite the heat and their empty stomachs, these two former rulers of the turf carried themselves with a swagger that suggested they didn't know the meaning of the word "quit."
During one of their runs, Kkakongi came bouncing up beside them, his long ears flapping with every step. "[Brothers! It has been a long time since I saw you running like this! Are you playing a new game?]"
"[We are running to become cool and sleek!]" Gray answered, imagining himself dashing across a vast plain.
"[We are running to become faster climbers!]" Shadow added, remembering his days scaling cliffs like a professional. Kkakongi, who had always admired the duo, sparkled with excitement and tried to keep up with his short legs.
Soon, Jamongi joined the group during his evening walk, his words pouring out like machine-gun fire as he expressed his joy at seeing them. "[Big brothers! I am so happy! I ate something incredible today. My sister gave me a bowl of cool, savory broth because of the heat!]"
The moment Jamongi spoke, Gray and Shadow stopped dead in their tracks, their pink noses twitching as drool began to spill from their mouths. The abstract description of soft white meat and savory broth unleashed their sealed-up appetites, leaving them staring at the sky with lonely, longing eyes.
*
That night, Shadow bolted upright from his sleep, his sharpened sense of smell detecting something enticing in the apartment. "[I smell something delicious, meow... it is coming from over there!]"
Following Shadow’s gaze, Gray spotted a stray treat that had become stuck in a dusty corner of the shelf. The two cats rushed over, but Shadow found that his paw couldn't quite reach the prize, and his body was too bulky to squeeze into the gap. Gray, possessing slightly longer and thinner legs, managed to fish the treat out after several tries.
Shadow let out a loud cheer of triumph—"Kyaaaooong!"—but the sound immediately brought Lee Jun into the room. Before the cats could snap their hard-earned prey in half, Lee Jun snatched it from their paws.
"[Give it back! We hunted that ourselves!]" the cats insisted, their eyes gleaming with the thrill of the chase. They believed that food they found on their own shouldn't count toward their diet agreement.
"Ugh, look at how much dust is on this. It's gross," Lee Jun said, dropping the treat into the trash can. The cats' pupils shook with a mixture of shock and betrayal as they flopped sadly onto the floor. However, they were former bosses for a reason; they learned from their failure and realized that they had to remain silent if they wanted to keep their future prizes.
The next day, they found another snack under a cushion. Recalling the lesson, they tussled over the treat in tiny, whispered meows. In the heat of the tug-of-war, the treat snapped in half, sending both cats tumbling backward. They both grinned in satisfaction, convinced that the piece they held in their paws was the bigger portion.
*
As the diet continued, the cats' obsession with food grew increasingly fierce. While they respected each other's kibble bowls, they became competitive over every treat, always comparing their shares to see who had the larger piece.
To Go Gi-jin, who was unaware of the diet agreement, it looked like the two close friends were starting to bicker and grow grumpy. "It seems like they are getting a bit irritable lately. I never thought these two would start fighting over trifles," he remarked to Lee Jun.
"They are just trying to ensure they get the bigger piece of every snack," Lee Jun explained.
Go Gi-jin felt a deep sense of pity for the cats, believing that there was nothing better in life than eating and sleeping well. As the days went on and the cats began to look more haggard in his eyes, he decided to take matters into his own hands when a touchy Pomeranian appointment kept Lee Jun busy in the exam room.
He headed to the hospitalization room with a liquid treat in his pocket. "You two should eat this and try to hang in there!" he whispered, offering a Churu packet.
Gray initially tried to act proud, planting his front legs firmly and declaring that he would not break his diet, but he couldn't stop a drop of drool from falling from his mouth. When a drop of the savory liquid hit his tongue, his resolve shattered instantly. Gulping down the treat, his eyes went wide with delight. "[This is incredible! I had forgotten how much I love this flavor!]"
From that day forward, the cats began to trail after Go Gi-jin relentlessly, gazing at him with wistful and affectionate eyes. Go Gi-jin was deeply moved, believing that the cats were finally opening up to him and showing him true love. He didn't realize they were simply urging him for more "contraband" snacks.
* *
"That is very strange," Lee Jun muttered a week later as he placed Gray on the scale.
"What is the matter?" Go Gi-jin asked, feeling a slight pang of guilt.
"It seems we have hit a plateau. He was 6.4 kilograms last week, and he is the exact same weight today. Shadow is also stuck at 6.6 kilograms," Lee Jun noted, scratching his head in confusion. He wondered if he needed to cut their kibble further or increase their exercise intensity.
The cats leaped up in alarm, nodding vigorously when Lee Jun suggested that cutting their food further might be too rough on them. He decided to stick with the current plan for a bit longer, unaware of the secret Churu feedings.
Then, a period of heavy rain began, trapping the cats indoors. Determined not to give up their kibble or Strong Brother’s treats, the cats began to run laps inside the hospital and the apartment throughout the night. The sound of "zoomies" kept Lee Jun awake, forcing him to arrive at work with bleary eyes and a desperate need for coffee.
As Lee Jun watched the rain through the window and considered buying a cat wheel, Go Gi-jin entered the hospital. The cats immediately sidled up to him, purring loudly.
"Director, have you noticed how much closer these two have become to Teacher Go lately?" Jang So-ra asked with a smile. Lee Jun looked over to see Go Gi-jin cradling the cats and rubbing their foreheads, while Gray and Shadow wore expressions of absolute, blissful happiness.