The Cat's Instinct
On a weekday, the department store was packed, a sea of people surging through the aisles. I couldn't help wondering if everyone had simply ditched work to wander around, but it soon occurred to me that plenty of folks were using vacation days or had their own reasons for being free.
Surely none of them were doing public-service work like Yuyeon, and calling her a jobless bum felt off anyway—she was technically employed, even if the job was public service. Still, I clung tightly to her hand, terrified of getting separated.
I didn't have a phone in my own name yet. Of course, I'd memorized Yuyeon's number down to the last digit, so even if I got lost or ended up a missing child, I could still reach her. But that didn't stop the knot of anxiety in my chest.
"Nabi. Let's go over there—over there!"
"Huh? Where are we going?"
"To the place that sells the stuff Nabi likes!"
I'd never once told Yuyeon my actual preferences. Puzzled, I let her tug me along, only to find myself standing in front of a pet shop.
Rows of dog and cat supplies filled the display windows. A sigh slipped out of me before I could stop it. Even if I was a beast-person who'd only recently turned into a cat, there was no way I'd be interested in the junk they sold here. I was human. My body might have changed, but my dignity and sense of self remained firmly intact.
"Yuyeon! Let's skip this and go eat something tasty instead."
"Huh? You're not going in, Nabi?"
"I'm not a cat or anything..."
I grumbled and tried to pull away, but something on the shelf caught my eye and held it fast. Right in the prime display spot sat rows of Churu, gleaming under the lights.
Churu. The legendary treat that drove every cat in the world mad. No cat on earth disliked Churu. If one existed, it wouldn't be a cat at all—just some monster wearing a cat's skin. My gaze drifted toward the packets as if pulled by an invisible thread.
"Ahem, ahem! On second thought, it wouldn't hurt to take a quick look inside..."
Yuyeon let out a soft, amused laugh at my blatant flip-flop. Her eyes sparkled like she'd just discovered the world's most entertaining toy.
"Even my grown-up little Nabi shows this side sometimes—like a real kid!"
"Hmph..."
Flustered by her teasing, I spun on my heel to flee. There was no reason to step into a pet shop and endure that kind of humiliation. But the moment I turned, my body betrayed me.
"Hah!"
Before I knew it, I was standing right in front of the Churu display, staring blankly. My ears perked and twitched on their own, and the tail I'd tucked carefully under my coat whipped back and forth with uncontrollable frenzy. Anyone watching would have sworn I'd strapped a tiny motor to it. Thankfully, the coat hid everything from view, but I stood there dazed, completely mesmerized by the packets. Part of me wanted to sweep every single one into my arms.
Come to think of it, I'd never actually eaten Churu in my entire life. So why was my body reacting so instantly? Had I somehow eaten it in a past life or when I was very young? No matter how hard I searched my memories, all I could recall was cat food. Nothing else had ever touched my tongue.
That made sense, though. Before Yuyeon started her public-service job, our household budget had barely stretched to cover one bag of kibble. Fancy cat treats were out of the question.
Was this the hidden instinct carved deep into a cat's bloodline? Strange habits I'd never experienced as a human kept bubbling up without warning. The symptoms grew far worse whenever I was fully in cat form. I'd catch myself lifting a paw to groom my cheek or scraping the floor after using the litter box, trying to bury the evidence the way a cat would. Actions I'd never performed as a human now overrode my rational control the moment my body became feline. My fixation on Churu was probably just another extension of that same instinct.
"Nabi, what are you so desperate to eat?"
Yuyeon stepped closer, her voice gentle and warm. I answered with absolute sincerity.
"I want all of them."
It was the honest truth. I wanted every variety on that shelf poured straight into my mouth.
"Eek? You can really eat all of that, our Nabi?"
"Yeah."
"Then let's see..."
With a mischievous grin, Yuyeon peered at the prices below the display. She was probably checking the cost against her wallet. A moment later her face lit up.
"Oh, they're cheaper than I thought!"
A single basic Churu cost around a thousand won. Premium brands ran three or four times that, but Yuyeon generously grabbed one of every flavor. Even though she only picked one of each, the sheer variety filled the basket to a satisfying degree. My mind raced ahead: with this much, I could eat until my stomach was ready to burst.
We filled the basket, paid, and I smiled in triumph. That amount of Churu should last a month if I rationed carefully. If I binged, it wouldn't even last a week—but I wasn't the kind of cat who lost all self-control.
"Now, shall we go eat something really delicious?"
"Yeah."
If we'd come all the way to the department store, we had to eat something worthy of the name. We headed to the food-court floor, where the air was thick with mouthwatering aromas. But once again, instinct called.
"This... this is...!"
My feet stopped on their own in front of a conveyor-belt sushi restaurant. Of course—cats couldn't resist fish. That was why strays always loitered near beaches, reservoirs, and fishing spots. The moment a fisher looked away, a cat would snatch the catch right off the line. That was the deep-rooted wild instinct of a cat. Sashimi was calling my name.
"Oh my. You even know the expensive stuff..."
Yuyeon laughed in disbelief as she watched me stand frozen, staring at the sushi banner.
"Ah... no...! Let's just go eat something else...!"
The words tumbled out in a rush, but my feet refused to move. They might as well have been glued to the floor. In the end, I could only make a pitiful face, torn between reluctance and longing. My head said no, but every single cat cell in my body screamed for that fish scent, overriding my reason.
Yuyeon watched the battle between my pride and my instincts with a fond, gentle smile.
"Nabi! Let's go in. How much can sushi possibly cost anyway? Unni's treating you properly this time!"
"Really?"
"Yeah. Don't hold back—eat as much as you want, our Nabi!"
Buoyed by her confident promise, I straightened my shoulders and strode into the restaurant with dignity. Inside, plates of sushi glided endlessly along the conveyor belt, their glossy surfaces catching the light as they circled past. My eyes darted left and right, tracking every plate, unable to look away.
"Heh..."
Saliva pooled in my mouth. I swallowed hard. I wasn't a baby; I couldn't go around drooling.
"Nabi's favorite sushi!"
The moment we sat down, Yuyeon plucked a plate from the belt and set it in front of me—a beautiful salmon nigiri, the bright red flesh marbled with delicate orange fat. My gaze locked onto it and refused to budge.
"Nabi... you don't have to stare at it like that. It's not going to run away."
"It just looks so delicious I can't look away!"
"Really?"
Yuyeon smiled—and then lifted her phone to take a picture.
"Ah, my portrait rights!"
"Come on, Nabi~ If Unni's buying you sushi, one photo's fine, right?"
"Ugh..."
She had a point. I had no choice but to sit still and pose. She claimed she'd only take one shot, but that was a lie. After snapping several, Yuyeon finally started eating. I, too, ate sushi until I was stuffed.
Throughout the meal, Yuyeon wore a quietly pleased expression, sipping tea while she watched me. But the peace didn't last. When the receipt printed at the register and she saw the final total, her face froze.
"Eek...!"
Apparently my cat-level appetite had casually exceeded her entire month's food budget. Her eyes trembled as if the ground had just quaked beneath her. I quickly looked away, pretending to admire the department store's ceiling lights while gazing at some distant mountain only I could see.