Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: The Cat (2)
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I arrived at the villa the man had told me about an hour after setting up the appointment via text.
A moment later, the door opened, and a man appeared.
He had dark circles drooping all the way to his chin, his clothes were disheveled in some way, and he looked utterly exhausted, like he hadn't slept for days.
His hands, covered in wounds, held a cat carrier.
"Ah, you came. Sorry about this. I've just been dealing with a lot of tiring stuff lately..."
He greeted me with an awkward smile.
"No worries. If anything, I should apologize for contacting you out of the blue..."
"No, no. It's just that my situation's urgent... I got transferred to the Seoul headquarters all of a sudden, so I really... really don't have time."
He let out a sigh as he carefully set the carrier down on the floor.
I instinctively peered inside the carrier.
It was dark because it was nighttime, so I couldn't see much, but two glowing yellow eyes shone brightly in the shadows.
"So I have to find a good home for this little one... and then you contacted me right on time..."
"Yeah, I saw your post and reached out. Seoul headquarters—sounds like a great move. Why the cat, though...?"
"...Well, truth is, the company dorm I'm moving into doesn't allow pets."
"Oh..."
"...Anyway, take a look first. ...Leo?"
When I called its name, the two eyes finally moved forward inside the carrier.
There was a pitch-black cat curled up inside.
Its fur gleamed with a healthy sheen, and its round eyes glowed with wariness.
As I leaned down to meet its gaze, Leo let out a sharp "Hiss!" and retreated to the farthest corner of the carrier. It looked terrified.
It wouldn't even make eye contact with me.
'Cute.'
It looked even better in person than in the photos.
It seemed healthy, and it wasn't as big as I'd imagined.
I couldn't help but smile. But the cat's owner looked surprised instead.
"Huh? What's going on? I've never seen it act like this..."
He said, flustered.
"...Leo's usually fearless. No fear at all. It even approaches strangers without hesitation and shows its claws—it's got a bit of a wild side... but today it's strangely docile. Why's it so scared?"
The man tilted his head, genuinely puzzled.
I tried to play it cool, but inwardly, I felt a little guilty.
Could this guy sense my special powers or the aura from all the stuff I've been through? Animals are supposed to be sensitive to that kind of thing sometimes.
Or maybe it was just because I was a stranger.
"It's fine. Probably just nervous around strangers. I'll take good care of it."
"Yeah, please do."
I reaffirmed my intent to adopt it, speaking gently.
The man nodded eagerly.
He handed me some of Leo's toys, food, and a memo with care instructions.
"Really... thank you so much."
He thanked me repeatedly, then hurried off.
Not even a goodbye to Leo.
Well, he did look exhausted. Probably busy with moving preparations.
I picked up the heavy carrier and headed back to my place.
Leo was still huddled in the corner, on high alert.
I had no idea if living with this skittish black cat would go smoothly, but oddly enough, even its fearful demeanor reminded me of myself, and I didn't mind.
If anything, I wanted to bond with it quickly.
"Leo. It's okay to come out."
Back at my place, I carefully opened the carrier door, but Leo had no intention of emerging.
Instead of hissing like before, it just stared blankly at the back wall, curled up tight.
It was even shivering.
"It's not cold in here..."
Was it just struggling to adjust to the new place and person?
That sight somehow looked pitiful, and I started to worry.
"Leo? You aren't hurt anywhere, are you?"
As I cautiously reached into the carrier to check, that's when it happened.
Leo whipped its head around and chomped down on my hand.
I felt its small, sharp teeth sink into the back of my hand.
"Ow...! Nope."
I almost let out a reflexive groan, but there was no pain at all.
I pulled my hand out and checked—no bite marks, not even a scratch.
My cheat-enhanced body apparently couldn't be dented by cat teeth.
Well, cheat or no cheat, how much could a cat's bite really hurt anyway.
But what surprised me more was Leo's reaction.
Seeing no response from me after biting, Leo stared at me blankly, looking confused.
Then, as if suddenly sorry, it uncurled and rubbed its head against the back of my hand.
Like it was apologizing for the bite.
I gently stroked Leo's face with my finger.
"...Nice."
It had been an impulsive decision to bring it home, but I was glad I did.
It washed away some mental exhaustion I hadn't even realized I had.
Watching the same creature that had been wary and biting me just moments ago now nuzzling my hand guiltily—it made me burst out laughing.
'Brought it home for the best.'
I slowly withdrew my hand so as not to startle it, prepared some water and food, and set them in front of the carrier.
Then I sat on the sofa at a distance, watching Leo.
For a while, Leo stayed inside, refusing to let its guard down.
"Come on out. It's safe. Food's right here."
After some time, as I spoke, it poked its head out.
"Yeah, go ahead and eat."
It glanced at me once, then cautiously approached, nibbling a few kibbles and lapping at the water.
As I watched intently, it didn't run away anymore and continued eating quietly.
It was still trembling, but at least it was eating.
Once Leo finished and started grooming itself, seeming a bit more settled, I slowly extended my hand again.
Leo flinched reflexively but didn't react as sharply as before.
When I kept my hand still, it hesitated for a moment, then approached and accepted the touch, almost resigned.
"Hm. Pretty chill, huh?"
The memo had warned about hissing and glaring.
But it wasn't doing any of that—not even making eye contact, just peeking at me with its ears pinned back.
Aside from that initial startled bite, it was unbelievably docile.
The soft black fur felt wonderful under my fingertips.
It was tense at first, but as I gently stroked its neck and back, it started to relax and lean into it.
Purr.
It even let out a little rumbling purr.
The meow's a bit unique.
"Guess this is that purring thing?"
It seemed to like my touch.
I quietly petted Leo, sinking into the warm, peaceful feeling I hadn't experienced in so long.
Amid the monsters, exploration teams, and the complicated, dangerous reality, this little life seemed poised to become an unexpected comfort and sanctuary for me.
A few days passed, and I ran into Han Sora at the company.
She was still as bright and energetic as ever.
"Hey, Minjun! How've you been? You look great!"
"Yeah, thanks to you, sunbae."
"Huh? Because of me?"
As Han Sora looked puzzled, I smiled and pulled out my smartphone.
It was her photo of her cat 'Dust' from the department store that had given me the courage.
Now it was my turn to show off.
"Sunbae, after seeing that cat photo you showed me last time... I ended up adopting one too. Name's Leo."
I carefully showed her a photo of Leo sleeping soundly.
A black furball curled up into a round shape.
"Huh? What's this?"
"Oh, look closer—head here... tail there..."
At first, Han Sora scrutinized the screen, unable to spot Leo.
I got it—I'd done the same.
Leo's fur was such an inky black that when it slept with its eyes closed, it was hard to find.
"Oh my gosh! For real? So cute! A black kitty? Good job! Cats really are the spice of life!"
"Tell me about it."
I could relate now.
I showed her more photos of Leo.
Han Sora practically snatched my phone, flipping through the pics and exclaiming nonstop.
Her enthusiasm lifted my spirits too. We chatted animatedly about cat cuteness for a bit.
"But sunbae, are all cats like this?"
A question popped into my head.
"Leo here's kinda unique. Sometimes when it's in a bad mood, it growls like a dog—'grrr.' And its claws and teeth are so sharp... the scratcher I bought and the plastic bowls are already torn to shreds."
Han Sora tilted her head at my words.
"Growling? Like a cat? That's... pretty rare, isn't it? Scratchers getting wrecked is normal, sure... but Dust has never damaged a bowl once."
She looked genuinely puzzled. So Leo's behavior wasn't typical.
But she soon shrugged it off with her usual positivity.
"Well, cats have personalities just like people! Leo must be the tough type."
"Hm..."
Seo Ji-hyun, who had approached unnoticed, was staring at my phone.
With a somewhat serious expression.
"Its paws are large for its size. It'll grow big."
"Oh. I see..."
Seo Ji-hyun examined each photo carefully as she said that.
Our Leo was a hit.