Chapter 104
Chapter 104
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 104
Chapter Title: Dogs, Cats, and the Language of a 5-Year-Old (2)
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"But if that's the case, what's that around the cat's neck?"
Ding-a-ling—
A bell tinkling softly.
Doesn't look like a regular stray.
- Well, yeah, but cats don't usually roam outside like that, right? Maybe someone around here feeds them. Could be that person put it on.
"That could be."
Su-young-i had a point, but other possibilities came to mind too.
Like, maybe it was a housecat doted on at home that slipped out through an open window for a moment and got lost.
Or, in the worst case...
An abandoned cat.
Didn't really want to think that far.
Meeeooowww...
The bell-wearing cat let out a long mewl as it padded forward, then rubbed its neck against my ankle.
Up close, its fur didn't have much shine.
Kind of dry and dull.
Seemed a bit older.
I lightly scratched its scruff, and a deep purring rumbled out.
Yoon-seul's shoulders twitched at the sound.
"Huh? What's that noise?"
- Purr song.
"Purr song?"
- Yeah, cats make that sound when they're happy. First time hearing it, Yoon-seul?
"Ooh... But Rui doesn't make that sound."
- That's why cats and dogs are different.
Ji-a explained it perfectly at Yoon-seul's eye level.
Dogs and cats were both familiar to humans, but aside from that, they had plenty of differences.
There were even superstitions about them fighting just by crossing paths.
Though that myth was unfounded—plenty of cats and dogs lived together peacefully in the same house.
I kept scratching the cat's neck for a while when suddenly—
Grrooowl!
A stomach rumble from somewhere.
I instinctively shot Yoon-seul a look.
"Hungry?"
"Not me, Yunseul-i... It came from the kitty's tummy just now."
"I knew that. Just checking."
"Eee! Don't tease!"
She wasn't a fan of that kind of joke, this 5-year-old.
She immediately threw a tantrum.
- Boss, looks like the cat's hungry. What do we do?
"Yeah... Guess we should feed it something."
Truth be told, keeping a stray in the shop long-term wasn't ideal.
It'd be a hassle if it kept coming back begging for food.
And if it wandered in while other customers were around, that'd be trouble too.
Cats shed just as much as dogs.
But letting it go hungry in our shop—even if it was a cat—wasn't something I wanted.
No money to spare, but this cat had given us a moment of happiness. No one would punish us for sharing a little food.
"Oppa! Let's feed the kitty with Rui too."
"Yeah, earlier when Su-young-i and Ji-a were eating, Rui scarfed down some sweet potato. Should we give some to the cat too?"
"That sounds good."
I headed to the kitchen and steamed four generous sweet potatoes.
Two for Rui and the cat.
The other two, we could split between us.
While I steamed the sweet potatoes, Yoon-seul lay down with her head on Rui's butt.
The cat followed suit, leaning against Yoon-seul's belly.
The two tiny ones cuddling up made Rui look extra reliable.
"Rui-ya, you gotta come to our restaurant lots."
Woof?
"You know Oppa and Yunseul-i always give you yummy stuff when you come? Su-young-i Unniee doesn't give you any. Right?"
Woof...
"Yeah, yeah. You know. So come often. Yunseul-i will tell Oppa to save meat for Rui."
Meeeooow...
"You too, come often?"
Meow—
"But where'd you come from?"
Meow.
"Eek, from far away. How'd you get all the way here."
I was listening so intently, wondering if they were really communicating, that I nearly mashed the sweet potatoes.
They were done.
I set them on the table, but impatient Su-young-i grabbed one too soon.
- Hot!
- Kwon Su-young, you idiot? Of course it's hot—it was just steaming.
- Hey! That's how you eat sweet potatoes, burning your fingers a bit. What do you know.
- Then why are you tearing up?
- Not tearing up...
Kwon Su-young, caught red-handed after pointless pride.
She sulked off to the bathroom.
Yoon-seul watched, nodded sagely, then paused her reach for a sweet potato and stared at me.
Just the other day, she'd burned the roof of her mouth on eggplant fried in boiling oil. Now she was learning.
Kids really grow up in a blink.
"Oppa will do it for you?"
"Of course. Gotta."
I grabbed a kitchen knife and scored the skin in a circle, just shallow enough not to damage the potato. A crack formed down the middle. Peel it off, and the skin came right off.
- Whoa, life hack.
"Obviously. The dal-guma we're selling today is made from sweet potatoes too. You think I'd peel those by hand one by one?"
Prepping the sweet potato mousse batter takes time.
Peeling hot ones by hand in the meantime? No way we'd open on time.
Maximizing these little tricks was the secret to rUnnieng a one-man shop efficiently.
Steam billowed as the skin peeled off.
The AC blew this way, bending the steam and carrying faint warmth.
Would've been even better in winter.
The bell cat and Rui perked up from afar, eyeing us.
Yoon-seul beckoned, and amazingly, they came over.
"But kitty, why were you riding on Rui's back?"
Meow—
"Comfy up there? Yunseul-i hasn't tried it even once."
Woof...
The bell cat looked smug.
Rui seemed wronged.
That was probably their relationship in a nutshell.
Yoon-seul eyed the bell cat enviously, clearly jealous of the ride.
I sliced the sweet potato into bite-sized pieces with the knife.
Steam rose again.
Looked hot.
"Yoon-seul, be careful eating it. Got it?"
"Yunseul-i knows. So give kitty and Rui a little later?"
"Better that way."
"Got it!"
Thanks to the AC, they cooled fast.
- Boss, is it okay to give sweet potatoes to dogs and cats? Never raised any, so I don't know.
"Pretty sure it is. But raw ones are bad for animals. Unripe sweet potatoes can be toxic. Might make them sick."
Read it in a book somewhere.
Probably from the used bookstore.
"Oppa knows everything. So whatever Oppa says is okay, it's okay."
Yoon-seul boasted about me proudly.
Her deep trust made my cheeks loosen.
I touched one to my lips—cooled enough.
Safe to bite.
"Let's eat."
"Yeah! Yunseul-i's giving to Rui first."
She'd been waiting, jumping up to grab one and head to Rui.
She tried feeding a piece...
Chomp!
"Ahh! Kitty stole it."
Rui's sad face deepened.
Yoon-seul felt bad, grabbed another for Rui...
Chomp!
"Eek! Kitty stole it again. What do we do."
Woof...
Poor Rui today.
No choice—I went over, held pieces in both hands, and fed them one by one.
Finally, Rui got his.
"Ooh...! You feed them one at a time like that. Smart Oppa."
The bell cat, already comfy, took Yoon-seul's pieces fine.
Cats were supposed to be wary, but this one adapted quick and was friendly.
People have different personalities, so do cats.
We all shared bites until they were gone quick.
Everyone rubbed their bellies contentedly.
Su-young-i's fingers were a bit red, though. Minor burn from grabbing the hot potato.
"Su-young-i, hold on a sec."
The first-aid kit in the front drawer had burn ointment. For customers or Yoon-seul just in case.
This was what it was for.
I peeled it open and slapped it on her hand.
Suddenly, she turned cutesy with a sniffle.
- Joo-hyun Oppa! Su-young-i's so touched... Su-young-i wants to be Joo-hyun Oppa's little sis too!
"Don't."
- Huh?
"Don't do that. Only Yoon-seul can. You can't."
- Gah...
- Hang in there, Kwon Su-young. We're not kids anymore.
I shut it down fast.
Indulge her, and she'd try it on others too.
Su-an-ssi would let it slide with her personality. Better I nipped it.
Yoon-seul nodded approvingly at the scene.
"Yeah! Obviously. Oppa's Yunseul-i's Oppa. Not anyone else's."
My little sis approved of my choice.
After the sweet potatoes, Su-young-i and Ji-a took Rui and headed back.
Nice seeing them after a while.
But the problem was the bell cat.
Break time, so okay for now.
But it settled in, sprawling in a corner.
"Hmm... Oppa. What do we do with it?"
"Yeah... Can't chase it off, but..."
Heartbreaking.
Couldn't leave it till customers came, though.
Looked handled by humans.
"And why does it keep putting its paw on Yunseul-i's hand."
It lay elegantly beside her, plopping its front paw on her hand.
I knew what that meant.
- I'm superior to you.
Something like that.
So Yoon-seul wasn't chosen—she was more like a subordinate.
Unaware, Yoon-seul pulled her hand out from under and placed it on top again.
Now her hand was over the cat's paw.
Swoop—thud.
Reversed.
Cat put its paw on Yoon-seul's hand.
Swoop—thud.
Swoop—thud.
Swoop—thud.
It repeated endlessly.
"Eek... Leave Yunseul-i's hand alone."
Meow!
The stare-down continued.
Swoop—thud.
Swoop—thud.
Swoop—thud.
Finally fed up, the cat headed for the door, like it wanted out.
I opened it just in case—and whoosh, it bolted outside.
"Eek! Kitty left."
"Yeah."
It dashed off familiarly.
We watched together.
"Oppa, Oppa. But look."
"Hm?"
"Why'd kitty keep putting its paw on Yunseul-i's hand? Felt weird."
"...Dunno."
No need to explain cat psychology to a 5-year-old. Might hurt her pride.
She's the boss, after all. Gotta look out for her.