Mesugaki and the Cat
"Ah, thanks so much for all the donations, everyone. And thanks for watching."
I'd never had any intention of dipping out or going idle, but how the hell had these viewers been watching streams up to now to jump straight to that conclusion?
"No plans to go idle here? I'm gonna wring every last won outta you losers~?"
"Yaong!"
No, seriously, going idle just 'cause you made a bit of cash? That seems straight-up retarded to me. They're throwing money at me hand over fist—why the fuck would you quit? With money, you don't have to eat weird-ass ramen anymore. With money, you can buy clothes that don't stretch out around the neck. With money, you can live somewhere nice. Money, money, money. Why would anyone stop earning it?
"Your wallets are still looking plump, so why would I~?"
"Hey now, no money? Dig through those wallets—if anything turns up, you're banned."
Sure enough, staring at the chat flooding up, I picked some random viewer and checked their profile.
[Don't Bully Me]—now that's a username begging to be messed with. Temp bans: 0. Permanent bans: 0. A pure, untainted ID. Not a single temp ban or permaban. A good little viewer.
"Damn, you're squeaky clean... Virgin?"
Of course they'd seen it a ton. This concept was straight-up back-alley thug mode. I slicked my hair back with one hand like a delinquent, plopped Neiro on my chest.
"Hey, you got 500 won?"
I smirked with just one corner of my mouth, villain-style. Channeling memories of getting shaken down by back-alley punks back in the day. That overwhelming terror from when I was a kid, the psychological crush of that tight space. I embodied that nightmare. From today on, Shin Jaejun was a back-alley thug.
"Yeah? How about 5,000?"
The viewers, already sensing what I was up to, started holding their tongues. Smart move. Once I latched onto you in my money-crazed state, I'd squeeze till your wallet was dust.
I shot a glare at the slower-scrolling chat, propped my elbow on the desk, and rested my chin on my right hand.
"Asked if you got 5,000 won~?"
"Yeah? Then how about 50,000?"
She had it, but figured I'd just take it anyway, so no response. Hey, talking won't save you either~.
I gently stroked Neiro's back with my other hand, petting her chin.
"Aeoong~."
"How much to settle this? You got 5,000, not sure about 50k—whatever you wanna give."
Normally, these assholes would've spewed every curse in the book, but now they were going all meek and quiet. Viewers hide behind anonymity to spew whatever—why the sudden good behavior?
"Hurry up and pay. C'mon."
"Aeoong."
"Neiro's begging for it too~?"
Saying that, I hovered my mouse on the right, gun barrel to their head—ready to ban. Not permanent, but a warning shot to show viewers I meant business. They were all waiting to see how this played out. Pay up or get out—decide.
Don't Bully Me donated 15,000 won!
"Arigato for the 15k~! But it's a bit short~? Still, since you paid, I'll let it slide this time."
I'd prepped lines to squeeze more if it was under 10k, but this satisfied me enough to spare her. To honor my "mercy," I clicked elsewhere with the mouse.
"Fuck off with 'what about me.' I could be a bully—why assume not? Short-shaming me?"
It pissed me off a bit thinking they were dissing me, but yeah, I was small, so what could I do? Staring at the chat, one line caught my eye.
"Hm? Oh, just opened the door 'cause of scratching sounds, and there she was."
Straight truth—no lies. Heard scratching, slowly opened, and up popped a head, licking her paw.
"Nah, tried closing the door, but she forced her way in?"
Truth was, I could barely feed myself—zero plans for a cat. Tried shooing her, but she was too damn cute, so I let her crash temporarily. Neiro was purring, either sleepy or comfy, kneading bread-paws before dozing off.
"Churu? That's cat treats, right?"
At "churu," Neiro snapped her head up from bread-making, eyes sparkling. This girl zones out baking till treats are mentioned? She's got my money-hungry vibe.
"Dude, met her today—think I got churu stocked?"
Treats, huh... If I kept Neiro as a pet, expenses would pile up. Food, snacks, cat furniture—at least 100k a month. Needed to think hard.
"Aeoong..."
Sigh. Neiro went back to bread paws, then licked my left hand, acting all cute. How do you resist...? If it were a cockroach, I'd squash and torch it, but her cuteness kept punching my heart. No family, kinda lonely—maybe one cat's fine? Never got people keeping pets beyond their means—irresponsible. But now I get it. Whatever happens later, I could just starve a bit, right?
"Nyang!"
"So cute..."
"That 'cute' was for the cat, right?"
Dunno who it was for, but I'd let it slide. Glanced at the time—not even 9 yet.
'Grab some cat food and treats?'
Not too late—pet shops still open.
"Hey, killing the stream for a sec."
"No! Grabbing Neiro's treats and food—street stream! Why?!"
Crazy bitches.
[Stream has ended.]
Killed the stream, changed clothes. Still summer, but nights chill—threw on a zip-up gym shirt over my tee. Wait, mart run means taking Neiro—how? Too heavy to carry easy, so pondered.
[Stream has started.]
"Where? Right here."
I slowly unzipped the gym shirt, flashing my chest. Neiro lounged comfy, staring at my phone.
"She's right here, see?"