The Cat That Stole the Director's Heart
With a heart full of affection, Nabi smiled.
Writer Yoo Chae-hwa was moved and left the set.
CLUNK!
The sound of the door closing followed, and the footsteps of writer Yoo Chae-hwa faded down the corridor. Only the two of us remained. Tension still had my spine rigid, but I straightened it quickly and transformed into beast-person form. My bones softened and stretched, and the strange sensation of my human body adjusting enveloped me completely.
"Yuyeon! Is it really okay to do it like this?" I asked urgently, glancing at her.
The only thing I could think of as my "long-term pet" was sitting, rolling around, or pretending to point a finger gun while playing "bangya." At best, I'd fetch a toy, shake my tail, and return. But the actions Yuyeon had demanded of me just moments ago were nothing short of a reckless feat that even a regular child would struggle to pull off without losing focus.
Yuyeon heard my anxious voice and curled the corners of her mouth into a gentle smile. Her sparkling eyes held no trace of doubt.
"Nabi! You said you were the smartest cat in the world, right? This is nothing! And there's zero chance of your secret getting exposed?"
"But... isn't it too noticeable?"
"A little aggression is just white noise! Since we're making a scene, we have to make it count! Besides, it's a prime-time broadcast this time! It's our chance to show the entire world just how special and smart our Nabi really is."
"Ugh..."
I groaned under Yuyeon's enthusiastic momentum. But when I thought about it calmly, Yuyeon was completely right. Not a single detail was off.
So what had been the reason our hard-worked NewTube channel hadn't even cleared single-digit views and had collapsed in total failure? Cold logic told me it was because we lacked the intense aggression needed to grab the public's attention in a single glance. It had nothing to do with our planning or directing skills.
I locked eyes with Yuyeon. She nodded firmly. I did the same, my heart pounding. Yes. I was committed. Next week, when the Animal Ranch crew arrived, we'd deliver a show so perfectly shocking it would blow their minds.
Since we were going all-in to escape this cramped single-room villa, pretending to be a slightly clever cat wouldn't cut it. The title of "ordinary genius cat" was too boring. We needed overwhelming genius that would make every viewer on screen open their mouths in shock and lose their minds.
"Nabi! You can do this, right?"
"Yes! Yuyeon, I'll really pour everything into this!"
It was the moment our tearful alliance as a cat-beast-person and a newbie NewTuber was finally formed, to move from this stuffy single-room villa to a sunny, spacious house.
Time flew by in a whirlwind of a week, and finally the Animal Ranch staff arrived at our villa with filming equipment on their shoulders.
"Turn on the internet shopping mall!"
"Unlock my phone pattern lock!"
This was impossible for a cat's cognitive abilities, but Nabi and Yuyeon had no choice but to compromise. It was the starting point of a show that would shake the world.
Heat pressed down on the villa alley as staff carrying massive broadcast cameras and boom microphones descended one by one. At the center of the group, still catching their breath, stood the director who would oversee today's shoot.
Given that it was a variety program meant to capture the purity and emotional depth of animals, the director was a young woman who looked delicate and highly sensitive at first glance.
In truth, gender-based workplace bias and discrimination had long since become relics of the past in today's world, so her bold presence and charisma felt utterly natural.
"No, how did Chae-hwa get this much emotion that she lit up the group chat with a messenger?"
Korean director Kim Yeon-du wiped sweat from her brow and clicked her tongue. How could any cat be so extraordinary? The fact that she had watched countless genius animals through her lens and now called this one the most beautiful and intelligent she had ever seen?
Yoo Chae-hwa was no newcomer to the broadcasting industry. She had worked countless locations and had handled thousands of cats in real life without breaking a sweat.
A mysterious monster cat that had melted a professional writer's sensitivity in one glance... Kim Yeon-du's muttering mixed with doubt was met with light laughter and jokes from the surrounding staff.
"Hey, director, is it possible the body is just fur and the inside is a human-shaped doll?"
"It's definitely overdone because Y writer had another emotional explosion as usual. Chae-hwa always goes all out over small things."
"Yeah, yeah. Smartest cat in the world, huh? Probably just knows how to open a door or two or understands 'owner' and meows a bit."
The staff believed today would be the usual smooth, peaceful everyday documentary level. They had encountered countless clever animals in this industry.
Of course, occasionally there were ghost animals that could understand human speech so clearly it gave you chills during shoots, but cold reality was that they still fell within the realm of beasts. No matter how human-like the cats, they were still limited to the category of cat.
"Everyone, grab your gear and let's go up."
Under Kim Yeon-du's direction, the staff group gripped their equipment and headed to the fourth floor of the old villa where today's subject lived.
"Hello... Come in!"
Yuyeon, the homeowner who had been waiting after the call, had chosen her cleanest and most tidy outfit for today and opened the door with a nervous expression. The moment the camera and lights entered the narrow single room, Yuyeon's shoulders shrank slightly.
The director and staff greeted the neatly organized room while taking it in.
"Nice to meet you. Then, where exactly is today's subject, the genius cat..."
""Meow.""
At that instant, a cat with fur so white it was almost transparent and movements so smooth stepped out from behind Yuyeon's slender legs with graceful poise.
Nabi's appearance caused the eyes of every staff member, including director Kim Yeon-du, to widen instantly. Some couldn't even close their mouths. The visuals were so adorable and elegant they matched exactly why writer Yoo Chae-hwa had thrown a fit and attached so many descriptors. It was believable enough to be mistaken for a doll.
Just as human appearance gaps could be extreme, so too were the visual differences among cats enormous.
There were cats with elongated features that were often called "long-nose" online, looking somewhat comical, while others were like handmade porcelain that made viewers gasp just by looking at them, like angels.
And the Nabi standing on Yuyeon's single-room floor right now was undoubtedly the latter.
"Whoa...! She's really too cute..."
"Oh my, oh my! Check out the fur. Oh my god..."
Amid the staff's excited chatter, Yuyeon suppressed the joy bubbling up inside her and smiled softly.
She knew. The Nabi in her arms was a being with perfectly human-level rational intelligence. That meant there was no chance of the typical animal behavior of screaming and running away in front of cameras or hiding in a corner to hiss. In other words, he wouldn't discriminate against people.
Yuyeon gently lifted the Nabi sitting modestly on the floor with both arms. The Nabi in her embrace maintained his cat-like gentle and quick-witted gaze and looked straight into the lens.
Yuyeon beamed with a smile at the camera and exclaimed proudly.
"Today's subject! Our pride and the smartest cat in the world, our Nabi!"
""Meeeow~""
Nabi responded to the staff's greeting with a call of his own. Kim Yeon-du's hand itched. It wasn't like her usual self... but seeing Nabi that Yuyeon was raising made her want to hug it so badly she couldn't stand it.
Yuyeon noticed the director's feelings. She couldn't help but notice.
If someone loved cats, no one could resist hugging this adorable, adorable Nabi right now!
Yuyeon smiled and said.
"Would you like to hug it once?"
"Sure!"
Yeon-du snatched Nabi away from Yuyeon as if taking it.
""Meow~"~"
The adorable cat meow.
But she didn't resist. Instead, she dove into her arms like she was acting spoiled.
"Haaaaah!"
Yeon-du melted completely in Nabi's cuteness.