Chapter 61
Chapter 61
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: Protecting Dust (2)
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In the end, I came home carrying Han Sora's cat, Dust, in its carrier.
My heart was already pounding before I even opened the front door.
I wondered if the two guys at home would accept this new guest without any fuss.
"Leo, Daeho. Come here."
"Grrr..."
As soon as I stepped inside, I called Leo and Daeho first.
The two, who sauntered over without knowing why I'd called, soon spotted the unfamiliar cat carrier in my hand and fixed their gazes on it with simultaneous interest.
I held back Daeho, who was sniffing curiously, and spoke in as solemn a voice as possible.
"Look here. Starting today, we're cat-sitting my colleague's cat for a few days. Its name is Dust. You two aren't allowed to growl at it or pick fights, got it? If you do, both of you are getting punished. Understand?"
At my words, Leo and Daeho, my two live-in companions, both let out a low "Grrr..." almost in unison.
I couldn't tell if they understood or were just annoyed.
They sure knew how to respond.
Then, from inside the carrier came a very small, timid "Meow..."
Why are you responding too?
Hearing a meow in our house felt a bit awkward, though.
Leo's meows were a little unique.
"...Alright. Dust, come on out."
Anyway, to check if the three could adapt well—and more importantly, since Han Sora had said Dust hated being cooped up in a cage—I quickly opened the carrier door.
I'd been told it had a fierce personality, so I expected it to bolt out and hiss the moment the door opened.
But something was off.
Even after I opened the door wide, it wouldn't come out.
"Dust, come on. It's okay now."
I peered inside and coaxed it, but the cat didn't budge.
Wondering what was wrong, I looked deeper into the carrier and saw it huddled in the farthest back corner, clinging tightly and refusing to emerge.
Han Sora had clearly said it hated cages the most.
Maybe it felt the cage was safer after being intimidated by the auras of my two housemates.
Or perhaps it was just overwhelmed by the unfamiliar place.
"This won't do."
Seeing Dust stubbornly refusing to leave the carrier, I formed a hypothesis.
I beckoned to the prime suspect, Daeho.
"Daeho, go hide behind the sofa over there. I think it's scared of you and can't come out."
At my words, Daeho gave me the most wronged look in the world, as if to say why pick on me, letting out a small "Grrr..." in protest before reluctantly slinking behind the sofa with its tail drooping.
Sorry, Daeho.
Tigers are a different species, after all.
Even so, Dust still wouldn't venture out.
Only after I sent Leo up onto the TV stand did Dust finally poke its head out cautiously, inching forward hesitantly.
After a long hesitation, Dust managed to get all four paws outside the carrier.
"Dust, what kind of cat gets scared of other cats?"
Where did that "fierce personality" story come from?
Gone was the ferocious hissing from inside the cage; now out in the open, Dust was trembling and desperately clinging to my leg.
As if it had found the safest refuge in the world.
I chuckled in disbelief and stroked its back.
"Animals usually bond over shared meals..."
I decided to prepare food to help the three get along.
I filled Leo and Daeho's bowls with the fresh raw meat I'd bought yesterday, and for Dust's bowl, I used the premium dry food I'd splurged on for Leo before.
But once feeding time started, whether intimidated by Leo and Daeho devouring their meat heartily, Dust wouldn't touch its food bowl and just watched me from my leg.
With a sigh, I picked up a single kibble and carefully brought it to Dust's mouth.
"Meow..."
It sniffed it tentatively, then cautiously took it into its mouth.
Seeming to like the taste, it finally began crunching away.
Leo in our house is the weird one.
He insists on meat when there's kibble this delicious.
Watching two cats gorge on meat and Dust daintily nibbling kibble on the side, I foresaw a rough three days ahead.
And the next morning, I hit a snag right away.
Specifically, having to leave Dust—which had glued itself to me like a sticker—home alone to go to work.
Since last night's meal, Dust hadn't left my side for a second.
Wherever I went in the living room, it followed; to the bedroom, it trailed; even sleeping, it clutched my arm.
Anyone seeing it would think I was the real owner.
"What am I gonna do with you..."
The cause was obvious.
Leo still reigning like a king throughout the house, and Daeho, now big enough to fill the sofa.
To Dust, overwhelmed by their presences, I was the only safe haven.
Looking at them now, Leo and Daeho had grown quite large.
After getting ready for work, I gently pried Dust from my leg and set it on the floor.
"Dust, I'm heading to work. Stay home just a bit, okay? I'll be back soon."
At my words, Dust trembled all over, gazing up at me with eyes on the verge of tears.
But the real culprits, Leo and Daeho, didn't spare Dust a glance.
They were engrossed in a new toy.
The paper talisman I'd infused with my energy for fun—they were growling over it, chewing and tearing at it eagerly.
For the record, thanks to Bora's advice, I'd been practicing my talisman skills steadily, and now I could fling them decently far.
I still didn't quite get the knack of infusing energy, but it was more than enough for cat toys.
Confirming the two were more focused on the talisman than Dust, I finally left the house with a relieved heart.
As soon as I arrived at the office, a new rescue mission dropped for our Team 10.
But this one was different—a joint operation with the police.
According to Team Leader Park's briefing, a suspect in a major case had dodged the police siege by willingly jumping into a nearby monster phenomenon.
"Securing the suspect and assessing the internal situation are the main objectives."
A criminal fleeing police into a monster phenomenon.
Riding in White Tiger's scout vehicle to the scene, Bora said in disbelief,
"Does that even make sense? Jumping feet-first into what might as well be the road to hell just to escape the cops? No idea what they were thinking."
Park Sunja, in the driver's seat, glanced at us in the rearview mirror and added,
"Support team info says the suspect's main charges are drug trafficking and chronic use. Can't rule out they weren't in their right mind."
Drug offender. That made some sense.
High or in withdrawal, their reason impaired—they could make that irrational choice.
For reference, Han Sora was on personal leave, so Park Sunja was coordinating with Rahee.
At the scene, several police cars had already cordoned off the narrow alley entrance with police tape.
A police officer in charge approached us on sight, and after Park Sunja's brief chat as rep, we ducked under the yellow tape.
The officers' grim faces and tense atmosphere.
"This way."
"This alley?"
"Yes."
And finally, we faced the infamous monster phenomenon ourselves.
It was a very narrow, dark alley between old villas.
But the odd part was the view inside the narrow alley.
Where the alley should logically end at another building's wall, a massive, alien indoor space shimmered unnaturally.
Like peeking through a narrow door crack into a vast cathedral—space itself was warped.
"Support team, any info on this phenomenon?"
Park Sunja asked via comms, and Rahee's voice replied.
"Sorry, info's too sparse. If we had more, we could cross-reference other phenomena..."
We'd have to enter to find out.
We exchanged glances, nodded with resolve.
No choice.
To gather intel and catch the suspect, we had to step into that bizarre, twisted space.
At that moment, I had no idea.
What was happening at home right then.