The Third Vow
There are times when a newborn baby cries loudly for no apparent reason, then suddenly falls asleep. I think it’s because expressing emotions consumes an enormous amount of a person’s stamina.
Soft, steady breathing.
Right now, Aju—who had just poured out all the sorrow she’d been holding back—was sleeping peacefully in my arms. For someone so small, she had been carrying such enormous feelings all this time…
“If you want to cry, cry anytime. If you want to smile, I’ll make you smile.”
I would stay by Aju’s side. I would reassure her, accept all her sadness, and in the end, give her laughter.
“…I guess I won’t be able to tell her about this bankbook today.”
I slipped the bankbook—the original reason I’d come—back into my pocket and carefully lifted Aju, laying her down on the bed.
“Mmm…”
The moment her body touched the mattress, Aju instinctively shifted into a more comfortable position. I was about to leave when—
“Ugh…”
She desperately grabbed the arm I was pulling away. The trembling in her grip carried a clear anxiety: if I let go of this hand right now, she might never see me again.
“…What do I do?”
No matter what, I couldn’t shake off her hand and return to my own room. At the same time, sharing a bed with her on the very night I’d come to this house felt… a little much.
While I stood there, caught between options, the sound of Aju’s bedroom door opening reached my ears.
The one who opened it wasn’t a person. It was a cat.
“What the—why are you here?”
<<…Don’t underestimate a cat’s hearing.>>
“Well, you are a cat right now.”
Considering how loudly Aju had been crying just moments ago, anything with ears would have heard it. With a cat’s hearing, it probably sounded like she was sobbing right next to him.
He might have even overheard the conversation we had before she started crying.
“Then why didn’t you come sooner?”
<>
“So now it’s okay for the culprit to show up shamelessly?”
<>
“Hey, hey, I was joking. Hurry up and help me.”
<>
Daeho leaped onto the bed in one smooth motion and sat down beside Aju’s hand, which was still clutching my arm. He gave me a small nod as a signal. The moment I tried to slip free—
“Huu…”
Aju let out a pitiful sound and reached for me again… only to grab Daeho instead.
“Mmm…”
The sensation must have been completely different from before. But Aju didn’t seem to care at all. She simply pulled him closer.
I was finally free, but now Daeho had been caught.
“You okay with this?”
<>
“That’s a relief…”
<<…>>
Daeho quietly stared at Aju’s face as she hugged him. I wondered what he was thinking right now.
His little sister was crying because of him, and the only thing he could do was let her hold onto him…
“I don’t think there’s much point in me staying here. I’ll head back to my room first.”
<>
“You can open it yourself anyway.”
<>
“…Fair enough.”
It did sound pretty tiresome to have to jump every time he wanted the door open.
With that thought, I took one last look at the sleeping Aju and turned to leave.
That’s when it happened.
“Daeho… oppa…”
“…” / <<…>>
Was it just sleep-talking from a dream? Or had she sensed something science couldn’t explain?
While hugging what looked like nothing more than an ordinary cat, Aju called out to Daeho as if she were reuniting with a brother she hadn’t seen in a very long time.
Neither of us could say a word in response. We could only listen as she continued.
“Stay with us…”
We had no choice but to hear the true feelings Aju probably never intended for anyone to hear.
---
It was late enough that the moon hung large in the sky and all the outside noise had faded.
Only then could Daeho and I finally return to our room.
After hearing Aju’s sleep-talking, neither of us could bring ourselves to leave her side. It wasn’t until she had fallen into a deep sleep and the strength in her arms slowly loosened that we were able to slip away.
“Let’s get some sleep too. I’m exhausted.”
<<…Hey.>>
“What?”
Maybe it was because I had absorbed all of Aju’s emotions, but fatigue was crashing over me. My eyelids felt incredibly heavy. I was about to lie down when Daeho stopped me.
<>
“How would I know?”
<<…>>
“Why are you asking all of a sudden?”
The fact that Daeho had turned into this form in the first place was already a mystery. There was no way I could know how long this state would last.
After hearing my obvious answer, Daeho stayed quiet for a moment.
Then, staring at the room we had just left—Aju’s room—he spoke.
<>
Honestly, I had thought about it too.
Even if they couldn’t speak, there were plenty of ways for the current Daeho and Aju to communicate. Writing with his paws would be difficult, but he could type on a computer.
The reason I hadn’t brought it up despite knowing that was simple.
It was because—
“You don’t want her to go through losing family again, right?”
<<…Yeah.>>
The truth was, both Daeho and I already knew that the other understood. We hadn’t been friends for over fifteen years for nothing.
Still, the reason he was saying it out loud now…
…was probably because the sight of Aju crying earlier had carved itself deeply into both our hearts.
We had made her cry out of necessity, but we both hoped with everything we had that a situation where she had to cry would never come again.
<>
“Yeah, I’m with you on that. But how? Just so we’re clear, I’m against deliberately putting Aju in danger.”
<>
“Your sister’s in danger and you’re yawning like it’s nothing… Haaam. See? You infected me too.”
<>
“Alright. Sleep well.”
<>
“…”
Did this guy start ordering me around way more after he became a cat?
I can’t even hit him…
Since he’s a cat, maybe he’d survive if I threw him out the window…
“Sigh…”
I don’t know. My head already hurts just thinking about Aju. I don’t have the mental space for useless thoughts like this. My brain was never that great to begin with.
Let’s just sleep.
…
..
.
That’s what I thought, so why am I still unable to fall asleep?
<<…Zzz.>>
Daeho, since this was originally his house, had curled up like a proper cat and was sleeping soundly.
It wasn’t my first time sleeping here, so it shouldn’t be uncomfortable. So why can’t I fall asleep…
“…There’s only one reason, isn’t there.”
The image of Aju crying wouldn’t leave my head.
Until now, I had only ever made her smile. This was the first time I’d seen her cry so desperately. That image refused to leave my mind, making it impossible to sleep peacefully.
“I won’t ever create a situation where you have to cry like that again. This… I’ll make it a vow too.”
So far, I had made two vows to myself.
I will not lie in front of Aju. And I will never cry in front of Aju.
The first was when I made a promise to Aju’s mother. The second was when Aju worried about me after I lost to Eunhye.
And now… a third vow was being engraved into my soul.
“I don’t know if this one can be achieved through effort alone. But like always, I’ll try even harder.”
People can change and accomplish anything if they put in the effort. The version of myself who had gradually changed while staying by Daeho and Aju’s side was living proof.
So I would keep trying.
So that Aju would never have to cry again.
“Ah… My head finally feels clearer…”
Maybe because of this new vow. The complicated thoughts that had been overheating my brain suddenly organized themselves. The fever in my mind cooled, and I slowly began to drift into sleep.
If I stayed like this, I’d definitely be able to sleep until morning…
Or so I thought.
~~~
“…Choi Hwayeon.”
Why did the phone have to ring at exactly this moment?
I was finally about to fall into a really good sleep… Sigh…
“Who the hell is calling at this hour? The only people who would call me are Daeho, Aju, Mom, and Dad.”
Daeho was currently a cat, Aju was asleep, and my parents went to bed early, so it couldn’t be them.
Then who…
“…Huh?”
The person calling me wasn’t in my contacts. But I recognized the number.
Even if I had deleted it… it was the number I had called multiple times during my military service.
“Why is she calling me now, of all times? Choi Hwayeon.”
Choi Hwayeon. My ex-girlfriend who broke up with me on the day I was discharged three days ago.
We hadn’t been in touch at all, and now she was suddenly calling me. In the middle of the night, no less…
“…Tsk.”
I didn’t know the situation, but it was probably a drunk, impulsive call.
I had no intention of playing along with that.
We were already over. I didn’t see any reason to reconnect.
“Go to sleep. You always slept so much—why are you still awake at this hour?”
I set my phone to silent, turned the screen face-down, and rolled over to the other side.
This way, I wouldn’t have to worry about any sounds or the light from the screen waking me up.
So… time to sleep.
When I wake up tomorrow, I’ll tell Aju about the bankbook right away… and then…
Ah, what should I do… I haven’t really thought about…
Mmm… Zzz.