The Lie
"It's more ordinary than I thought."
That was Yuna's comment after I brought her into my studio apartment and she took off her shoes. It really was an ordinary place, even to me. The furniture was just there, nothing particularly eye-catching. Aside from the computer and its surrounding parts being a bit high-end, it was plain as could be.
"So you were expecting something special?"
"Not really... but you seemed so embarrassed that I wondered if there was something to hide."
Even if there had been something embarrassing, I would've cleaned it all up before you came.
"Oh. But your computer looks pretty nice. Did you build it yourself, oppa?"
"Yeah. I did. How could you tell?"
"The case just gave me that vibe."
She wasn't wrong. I'd picked a case that screamed "custom build." The side panel lit up with acrylic lighting, so anyone interested in PCs would've noticed right away.
Then a tricolor ball of fur poked its head out from under the bed.
"Yuna."
I called her name and pointed under the bed. The moment she spotted Lara, her expression lit up like a sunrise. ...She looked happier to see the cat than she had been to see me. A little disappointing, but I couldn't blame her. No mere human could compete with the king of cats.
"Whoa... she's like a little cotton ball. So tiny. So cute."
Yuna stared at Lara like she wanted to devour her, huffing and puffing with excitement. Calm down, please. At this rate, even Lara might get scared.
She slowly lowered herself and began crawling toward the cat. ...Wasn't she being a little too defenseless? She'd always had moments like this. Like she forgot there was a guy around. Same thing when she was drunk.
From my angle, as she crept forward on all fours, I could almost see up her skirt. My eyes drifted there naturally, but I forced myself to look away. Right. I'm a gentleman. Yuna is precious. I have to protect her.
I shifted to the opposite side, just in case.
"She's running away. Hnn..."
"She's still a little scared. But you'll get along soon. She's a total dog-cat."
As Yuna approached, Lara slowly retreated back under the bed. That was only at first, though. She'd started rubbing against me within a day. Maybe she hadn't outgrown her kitten phase yet—either full of curiosity or completely fearless. She didn't seem to understand that humans could be scary.
"I didn't want to use this strategy right away, but... I have no choice."
Yuna sat on the floor, rummaged through the paper bag, and pulled something out. The ultimate cheat code for befriending cats: Churu. She tore open the packet with her hands and slowly extended it toward Lara.
Drawn by the delicious smell, Lara began to show interest.
"Oh... she's coming. She's coming this way? What do I do, oppa?"
What do you mean, what do you do? You're the one who called her over. It seemed like Yuna had only heard about this trick secondhand. The way she panicked the moment Lara actually approached made me chuckle without meaning to.
Lara inched closer, step by step, as if entranced. When Yuna leaned back as far as she could, the cat finally started licking the Churu.
—Lick, lick, lick, lick.
It must have been her first time tasting something like this. After the first bite, Lara devoured the treat at lightning speed.
"Oh. She's eating it."
I was a little surprised too, watching Lara accept the Churu from Yuna. She'd eaten the canned tuna I'd given her, so of course she'd go for Churu. As she ate, her guard seemed to drop, and she gradually scooted closer to Yuna.
Before long, the first tube was empty. Lara licked her lips, ears perked, and stared straight at Yuna.
"Meow."
With that intense gaze, I could guess exactly what she wanted.
"She wants more, doesn't she?"
"Yeah. But giving her too much at once probably isn't good..."
She was right. Lara was still young, and too many treats would make her skip her regular food.
"Oppa, can I pet the king cat?"
Yuna looked at me with pure longing in her eyes. She didn't need my permission, and with that face, how could I possibly say no?
"Sure. Of course. As long as Lara allows it."
Yuna carefully reached out and touched the top of the tiny furball's head with her fingertips. Lara didn't react at all. She didn't seem to see Yuna as an enemy. Maybe because she'd been given treats. What a convenient cat.
"Uhh..."
Yuna slowly extended her hand further and gently stroked Lara's head. Her trembling fingers showed just how nervous she was.
"Huu... I'm so happy. She's so soft. So cute."
The moment she made contact, Yuna started muttering like a prayer. Had she joined some religion that worshipped cats as gods?
Lara didn't reject the touch. She simply accepted it, looking almost like she was enjoying it. Maybe she could tell Yuna meant no harm. Still, seeing Yuna so happy made me happy too.
I sat on the edge of the bed so I wouldn't interrupt their moment. By then, Lara and Yuna had moved far from the bed and were playing together.
"Oppa, can I play with Lara?"
"Yeah. Go ahead. You don't have to ask me."
At this point, wasn't Lara the one playing with her? I was just happy watching two cute things together. It was the kind of combination that made me smile just by existing.
Yuna pulled out a toy from the paper bag this time—an oden skewer on a stick—and waved it around. Lara's eyes were already sparkling as she stared at it.
"Lara, watch this~!"
Yuna swung the toy in front of Lara. The little cat's head followed every movement, and soon she started batting at it with her tiny paws. The two of them began running around the small apartment. Since it was on the first floor, I didn't have to worry about noise complaints.
I was half-watching them while fiddling with my phone when Yuna suddenly came running back toward me after circling the room.
"...Ah?"
With a strange yelp, she tripped right in front of the bed. She must have stepped on something slippery. The problem was that I was sitting on the bed. She fell forward onto it—thankfully—but in my direction.
Wait, hold on. The situation was so sudden that I couldn't react in time. Before I knew it, Yuna and I were tangled together on the bed.
"Aaaah! I'm so sorry, oppa!"
When I came to my senses, Yuna was on top of me. I could feel the soft warmth of her entire body and the pleasant scent coming from her. Our eyes met as she scrambled to get up.
Whoa. My heart was racing. I thought it had stopped for a second.
"A-are you okay?"
Yuna had jumped off me in an instant and asked worriedly, as if she thought she'd hurt me.
"Yeah. It's a bed, so I'm fine. I should be more careful."
"I'm sorry. I got too excited and wasn't paying attention."
Yuna couldn't meet my eyes, clearly embarrassed. ...What had she slipped on? I looked at the floor and saw the plastic wrapper from the toy she'd opened earlier. I picked it up and tossed it in the trash.
The sudden physical contact made the atmosphere awkward again. I tried to lighten the mood.
"Are you thirsty? You've been running around a lot."
"Ah, yeah. I think I am a little thirsty."
Yuna answered in an awkward tone. There was nothing to drink in the house—not even water. I'd been buying bottled water, but I'd run out.
"I'll go grab something. You can keep playing with Lara."
"Oh. Okay, oppa."
I grabbed my wallet and headed to the convenience store. I didn't realize at the time that I'd left my phone on the bed.
*
Aww... so embarrassing. I never imagined I'd end up falling on top of oppa while playing with Lara. I'd been so excited waving the toy around that I hadn't even noticed the plastic on the floor.
"Running around like that is a little tiring."
I sat down on the bed where oppa had been earlier, exhausted. The moment I did, the bed vibrated with a soft buzz. Without thinking, I looked toward the source.
Oppa's phone was lying there. ...He must've forgotten it.
The second I glanced at the screen without any real intention, I doubted my own eyes.
> [Nia (Nya_12)'s channel is currently live with Just Chatting!]
"This... is Unnie Seo-yeon's stream ID...?"
Oppa had clearly told me he only watched VTubers. My mind filled with question marks.