It's Samsaek-i
"Give me back my Myorang-i! We have to raise him at our house!"
"He's not Myorang-i, he's Samsaek-i. And you can't take him home."
"He is Myorang-i! He's my cat, so why can't I take him? Give him back!"
"Not Myorang, Samsaek-i. And cats aren't owned by people. Besides, Samsaek-i lives here, so you can't take him."
"Ugh, what! Give him to me! Give him! I want him!"
"No, you can't."
"..."
Dojin felt dizzy watching this argument unfold between a six-year-old child and a twenty-four-year-old adult.
To an outsider, it might have looked like an adult teasing a child.
But Dojin could tell that Seungwan was one hundred percent serious right now.
"Seungwan is totally serious, isn't he?"
"Right? Sigh... This is driving me crazy."
At his girlfriend's confirmation, Dojin squeezed his eyes shut.
He felt it would be better to just not look at the sight.
But he couldn't escape reality forever.
Meow!
Meeeeeow!
"Look at this. Samsaek-i's family is getting anxious. Little friend, please put Samsaek-i down now."
"No! I don't want to! Myorang-i is my little brother! I'm taking him with me! Right, Mom?"
"Ju-Junsang. I told you that's not Myorang-i. He looks a lot like him, but he's a different cat. Put him down quickly and apologize to the older sister."
"No! He is Myorang-i! Look closely, the pattern here and the shape of his ears here are exactly like Myorang-i's! I hate you, Mom! Why are you lying?"
"No, it's not a lie..."
"You're trying to stop me from raising Myorang-i again, aren't you? You lied and sent Myorang-i here, and now you're trying to stop me from taking him back!"
"I told you that's not it. Myorang-i crossed the rainbow bridge."
"No, you're lying!"
Meow!
Screeech!
"...This is a total mess."
The child who had been arguing with Seungwan was now fighting with his mother.
The problem was that even in the midst of this, he had no intention of letting go of Samsaek-i, whom he was clutching in his arms.
Because of this, Bo-ri and Samsaek-i's siblings were growing anxious.
Bo-ri, in particular, seemed exceptionally anxious, perhaps because she had buried her other kittens not too long ago.
At this rate, she looked ready to pounce on the child at any moment.
In the end, Dojin had to step in to resolve the situation.
"Now, now, let's everyone calm down first."
With those words, Dojin stepped between Bo-ri and the child.
He was blocking Bo-ri just in case she decided to leap forward.
Meow.
He thought he heard a disgruntled sound from Bo-ri behind him, but Dojin pretended not to hear anything and spoke to the child.
"Hello there. My name is Baek Dojin. What did you say your name was, little friend?"
"...Junsang. Jeong Junsang."
Squeeze.
As he spoke, Junsang tightened his grip.
He seemed to think Dojin was going to take Samsaek-i away by force.
Consequently, an uncomfortable cry escaped from Samsaek-i.
Dojin glanced at Samsaek-i and continued speaking.
"Oh, that's a cool name. How old are you?"
"Six."
"Oh, so does Junsang go to daycare? Or kindergarten?"
"I go to Samgwang Kindergarten. The Dalle Class."
"Oh, wonderful. But Junsang, how did they tell you to treat babies at kindergarten?"
"They said we have to treat them gently. Babies are weak, so they get hurt even if you squeeze them just a little bit."
"Right? But the cat you're holding right now is also a baby kitten. If you hold him that tightly, it hurts him. Look, he's struggling because he's in pain right now."
"Huh?"
Startled by Dojin's words, Junsang looked down at Samsaek-i.
Right at that moment, Samsaek-i squirmed.
"I-I'm sorry, Myorang-i."
Thinking that the cat was hurting because of him, Junsang gasped in surprise and set him down on the floor.
Meow!
Finally free, Samsaek-i quickly scampered behind Dojin.
He had taken refuge where his family was.
However, Samsaek-i's behavior seemed to be a huge shock to Junsang.
The child's expression grew visibly despondent.
Did he really think the cat would just stay still after being set down? Even after he was holding him so tightly?
It seemed unlikely, but the boy was only six years old.
It was highly possible he simply didn't know how to control his strength.
While Dojin was wondering how to comfort the child, fortunately, a woman stepped forward first.
"I'm so sorry, Mr. The Baek. My son has caused you trouble."
The woman, who had been standing behind Junsang with a sad expression, spoke.
She was the child's mother and the YouTuber who had messaged Dojin asking if she could visit today. Dojin shook his head to show it was fine.
"Ah, Kkulnyang-i. It's alright. We were a bit startled, but in the end, no one got hurt, and... I understand where he's coming from."
As he spoke, Dojin looked at Junsang.
Unlike before, his expression now carried a hint of pity.
He had already heard the reason why the child was being so stubborn.
"You said it's been a fortnight since the kitten crossed the rainbow bridge?"
"Yes. After Myomyo suddenly passed away, he was the only family left..."
She choked up as she spoke, clearly still trapped in the lingering shadow of grief.
Well, it's only natural when a cat you've raised for ten years disappears.
The YouTuber Kkulnyang-i was quite famous in this field.
The fact that she had over 1.3 million subscribers and averaged 600,000 to 800,000 views per video was almost secondary.
For a whopping ten years.
Ever since she rescued a stray kitten from the streets, she had consistently uploaded videos of her life with her cat for a decade.
As she grew famous, many similar YouTubers cropped up, but Kkulnyang-i was the only one still active.
That was partly because Kkulnyang-i loved cats so much, but it was also because her cat, Myomyo, was truly special.
A dog-like cat who loved baths and was incredibly affectionate. People didn't say she must have accumulated virtue for five generations in her past lives for nothing.
Myomyo was a magical cat who turned not only cat lovers but even those indifferent to cats into fans.
Because of this, Kkulnyang-i's channel had recently been flooded with comments of condolence and support.
Myomyo, who had lived with Kkulnyang-i for ten years, had finally crossed the rainbow bridge due to chronic renal failure.
Ten years old isn't young for a cat.
Still, it wasn't quite old enough to be considered a senior cat.
A ten-year-old house cat was equivalent to a human in their late fifties, just before their sixtieth birthday.
The unexpectedly early parting had thrown Kkulnyang-i and her subscribers into a state of panic for a while.
The final farewell video was so difficult that Kkulnyang-i hadn't even filmed it herself; her editor had filmed and edited it for her.
Was that two months ago? It was such a big deal that one of her fans even livestreamed the funeral.
But not long after letting go of their longtime family member, another painful tragedy struck Kkulnyang-i's family.
Myorang-i, the only kitten Myomyo had ever given birth to, also contracted feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) and crossed the rainbow bridge in just three days.
It was a bolt from the blue for those who were only just beginning to accept Myomyo's absence and adjust to daily life.
The shock was even greater for those who had found comfort in looking at Myorang-i, who closely resembled Myomyo.
The prime example of this was Kkulnyang-i's son, Junsang.
"When my son first told me he found Myorang-i, I didn't believe him. I thought there was no way. But seeing him today, they really do look alike."
This was the reason they had visited Sekki House today.
As the rescue video of the calico kittens uploaded a while ago became famous, Junsang had also watched it.
Junsang immediately told his mother, and Kkulnyang-i left a message for Dojin through her YouTuber account asking if they could visit.
Since Dojin already knew of Kkulnyang-i, he had accepted the request.
"Is that so?"
At Kkulnyang-i's words, Dojin looked at Samsaek-i.
The little guy had fled to a high shelf mounted on the wall to escape Junsang's hands.
Meow.
"Ugh!"
As if he had been watching Dojin the entire time, Samsaek-i let out a cute meow the moment their eyes met.
At that, groans of adoration erupted from all over the classroom.
Not just Seungwan, but Dohee, Junsang, and Kkulnyang-i all clutched their chests as if their hearts had skipped a beat.
Dojin was the only one who remained unfazed by Samsaek-i's display of affection.
To him, this was a daily occurrence.
Samsaek-i is pretty affectionate for a cat, but everyone is overreacting.
Dojin, who was always surrounded by calico cats showing off their charms, didn't even realize how smug his thoughts were.
Just then, Kkulnyang-i, recovering from Samsaek-i's cuteness attack, asked hesitantly.
"Um... do you have any plans to put him up for adoption...?"
"I'm sorry. I don't think that's for us to decide. We're just living together because the opportunity arose. Well, if Samsaek-i wants to follow you of his own free will, I won't stop him, but..."
Looking back and forth between Samsaek-i and Junsang, Dojin looked back at Kkulnyang-i.
It was a silent gesture asking if she hadn't just witnessed what happened.
Kkulnyang-i nodded in understanding.
"Sigh. I suppose so. Actually, it's for the best. Thinking about Junsang, it might be better not to adopt a cat for the time being anyway."
"For Junsang's sake?"
Dojin tilted his head, recalling how the boy had been crying and throwing a tantrum while clutching Samsaek-i just moments ago.
Realizing the meaning behind his gesture, Kkulnyang-i let out a deep sigh.
"Since last year, Junsang has been acting strange. His body would turn red, and sometimes his hands and feet would swell up terribly. So we went to the hospital for an examination, and they said he has a cat hair allergy."
"An allergy?"
Dojin replied in disbelief at Kkulnyang-i's words.
Who was she?
Wasn't she a YouTuber who had raised a pet cat for ten years?
Yet her child had a cat hair allergy?
Junsang had even lived with Myomyo his entire life since birth.
Finding out about the allergy only now was bound to be baffling.
Kkulnyang-i smiled awkwardly, understanding Dojin's reaction.
"The doctor said it's a temporary drop in immunity due to growth hormones. He said if we wait a few years, his immunity might improve and it could disappear naturally..."
"That must have been difficult. Especially with a pet cat at home."
"Yes. So back when Myomyo and Myorang-i were around, we kept him on allergy medication. We also tried to keep him away from them as much as possible."
That was no easy task.
Even for a full-grown adult, taking medication consistently was a hassle. For a mere six-year-old child to take allergy medicine...
No matter how well his mother looked after him, it was obvious the child himself would find it difficult.
"Did he take it today as well?"
"Yes. He asked for it himself, saying he had to go see Myorang-i."
Dojin nodded at Kkulnyang-i's words.
He had asked because he remembered Junsang being perfectly fine despite holding Samsaek-i earlier, and as expected, the boy had taken his medicine beforehand.
But Junsang, who must have been listening to their conversation, suddenly chimed in.
"No, Mom! I don't hurt at all! So let's take Myorang-i home. Think of how sad Myorang-i will be without us!"
"Junsang, I've been telling you, that cat isn't Myorang-i. He's Samsaek-i."
"No! He is Myorang-i! You saw him too, Mom. He's my little sister, so how could I not know?"
"Hmm?"
Listening to the mother and son's conversation, Dojin realized something was off and asked Kkulnyang-i.
"By the way, was Myorang-i a female?"
"Yes. She looked so much like Myomyo that they were called two peas in a pod."
"Hmm... Hey, Junsang. If I show you proof that Samsaek-i isn't Myorang-i, will you believe me?"
"Huh? How could there be such a thing? He's Myorang-i, so there's no way."
"Right, if Samsaek-i were Myorang-i, there wouldn't be any proof. But he's Samsaek-i, not Myorang-i."
With those words, Dojin reached out his hand toward Samsaek-i.
Instantly, a sound echoed from the shelf. Patter!
After a leap as if he had been waiting for this, plop.
Dojin caught Samsaek-i as the cat burrowed into his arms, then slipped his hands under the kitten's front paws and lifted him up high.
He then presented Samsaek-i's rear right in front of Junsang's eyes.
"You lived with Myomyo, so you know how to tell male and female cats apart, right? Now, look closely. Is Samsaek-i a girl or a boy?"
Junsang, who had looked bewildered at Dojin's words, inspected Samsaek-i's rear, and his expression quickly began to sour.
He realized that unlike a female cat, whose anus and genitals are close together with almost no fur in between, Samsaek-i was the exact opposite.
"Huh? Why...? Myorang-i is a girl... Why..."
"I told you, this guy is Samsaek-i, not Myorang-i. Calico cats are often mistaken for females because of their multi-colored fur, but he's a brave little boy."
Due to chromosomal characteristics, male cats usually only have solid or two-toned coats.
However, since Samsaek-i possessed a tri-colored coat of black, white, and gray, he was frequently mistaken for a female.
"You see now, right? He's Samsaek-i, not Myorang-i."
"..."
"It seems Junsang really loved Myorang-i a lot. But you have to let her go now. If Junsang keeps looking for Myorang-i and missing her like this, Myorang-i won't be able to cross the rainbow bridge in peace."
"But..."
As Junsang began to tear up at the thought of Myorang-i, Dojin slipped a Churu treat into his hand.
"Our Junsang is an older brother, right? Let's help Myorang-i leave peacefully, like a good older brother. Instead, would you like to play with the other kids here today? The cats absolutely love this Churu."
"..."
Looking back and forth between Dojin and the Churu in his hand, Junsang reluctantly nodded.
Then, he slowly walked toward the center of the classroom.
A lot of Samsaek-i's family members were gathered there.
Once Junsang was out of earshot, Kkulnyang-i, who had been watching the conversation, spoke up.
"You're very good with children."
"At my previous job, the employees' families would visit from time to time. Since I was on the younger side, I ended up taking care of the kids a lot, so I got used to it."
"No wonder..."
Nodding in understanding, Kkulnyang-i looked around and said,
"But the facilities are truly wonderful. There are so many structures that cats would love, and it's so spacious that they won't get stressed."
"Haha, we did go through some trouble to build this."
Thanks to an employee who was dead serious about the playroom, the construction had taken up much more of the schedule than expected.
Consequently, the video showing the creation of this space was currently receiving a great response on his channel.
"If it's not too much trouble, could we visit again sometime? Seeing Junsang, I think he's going to miss this place."
"Anytime. There aren't many people around here anyway, so as long as you let us know in advance, you're always welcome to visit."
"Thank you. Ah, by the way, about filming..."
True to her nature as a YouTuber, she brought up filming the moment she saw a good location.
Since Dojin was also a YouTuber, he fully understood her position.
To be honest, who could resist filming this?
Even Dojin, who had built this place himself, felt the urge to film it every time, so how could anyone else resist?
"Yes, that's fine. However, while the kids and I are fine, please blur the faces of the staff. And please edit out anything that might cause issues beforehand."
He didn't mind for himself, but for the staff—especially Dohee—it wasn't the right stage to reveal their faces.
If her brothers, who were always plotting how to leech off their sister, saw her, they would surely storm this place immediately.
"Yes, don't worry. I'll make sure to blur them thoroughly. I'll also send the edited footage to you, Mr. The Baek, for final review."
"I'd appreciate that. Next time you come, feel free to bring your husband and friends along too."
Pleased by how Kkulnyang-i showed him clear respect, Dojin spoke with a smile.
Since this was an area with very few people, it was half-joking.
However, Kkulnyang-i's reaction upon hearing those words was quite serious.
"Oh? Um... in that case..."
She hesitated for a moment, gauging Dojin's reaction, before continuing.
"One of my YouTuber acquaintances raises a cat suffering from depression. Would it be alright if I came with them next time?"