Strange Dream
"Aigoo! These damn cat bastards scratched up my car...!!"
The moment I got to the factory, I heard the President's tantrum echoing from outside. The workers inside, treating this like it was just another day in the routine, were chatting away before starting their shifts.
"What's got the boss yelling like that now?"
"Oh, Daesung's here?"
"He was bragging about bringing his new car to the factory, and now he says a cat scratched it and ran off."
"This isn't even in the city—tons of wild animals around here—and he still hauls his shiny new ride in. Gotta give him points for guts."
Aha. So that's why he's pitching a fit first thing in the morning.
"Didn't something like this happen before?"
"Yeah, he was showing off his fancy new shoes and stepped right in some animal crap on the road."
"Puhaha! Right, right, that was it!"
At this point, you had to wonder about the guy's IQ. As we traded these silly stories,
"Kang Daesung!"
The President kicked the door open from outside and called my name. The workers instantly switched gears, acting like they'd been talking shop all along. But they were the ones gossiping—why call me?
"Come out here for work."
"...Pardon?"
The President, huffing and puffing, dragged me to the back of the factory. What the hell was he planning to say way out here?
"You said you lived in the countryside as a kid, right?"
"Yeah, when I was little. But why...?"
"Then you know how to make traps, yeah?"
"...I think I misheard you."
...What the hell is this now? I couldn't follow the conversation at all.
"Sigh, you're so dense. If you grew up in the sticks, you must've caught animals for fun when you were bored!"
"...These days, even rural areas have blazing internet—no one's bored enough to—"
"Shut it. One of those cat shits scarred my baby today. Make some traps and set 'em up so we can take it out."
"What? That's animal abuse."
"Abuse my ass—the abuse is what it did to my car."
I knew he was petty and mean-spirited from all his usual griping, but I didn't think he was this bad.
"No, even so..."
"Shut up. You doing it or not?"
"...And if I don't?"
"Then we're done here."
"....."
So, no cooperation means I'm fired. Sigh. Fucking hell, my life.
"Haa, fine. But if I set it up and nothing gets caught, don't blame me."
"What kinda nonsense is that? If you set it, it'll catch something, obviously."
"...Traps don't always work. Sometimes they just don't snag anything."
"No! That can't happen. It has to catch it! If it doesn't, you must've set it wrong!"
The President was jumping up and down, red-faced with rage. Did he think traps were animal generators or something? They don't guarantee a catch every time. But what could I do? Boss says jump...
"Got it... But what about my work...?"
"Work? Oh, you need time for the traps?"
"Yeah, first time doing this... it'll take a while."
"Hmmm, alright, I'll cut you some slack on that."
At least he was counting trap time as work hours. Though wasn't that the bare minimum...? The way he said it like he was doing me a huge favor... Sigh... whatever.
After chewing me out thoroughly about making sure to catch it, he told me to grab materials from the factory as needed and left.
"Haaa... fuck."
Back in the army, a senior I'd gotten close to promised he'd pull strings at his factory to get me in after discharge. I believed him, met up after he got out first, learned about this place, and got hired smooth as butter. The problem? He'd already quit by the time I arrived. When I asked around, turns out he'd submitted resignation letters multiple times to escape this hellhole, but the President kept rejecting them—no replacement in sight. Only once I showed up could he finally bail.
"Fuck, fuck, FUCK..."
Still pissed me off thinking about it, but what could I do? Water under the bridge. Shaking off the memories, I pulled out my phone to search for simple traps even a newbie like me could make. Settled on a wire trap—cheap materials, effective.
I grabbed some wire from inside the factory and scouted spots where animals might pass. Hiding it in moderate brush seemed best, so I headed there and got to work. Failed a bunch at first, of course. Not exactly handy. But after trial and error, I finally nailed it.
"Phew... alright."
I nudged the trigger with a nearby twig, and snap—the wire whipped up, snaring the branch tight and yanking it skyward.
"Ooh..."
It ate up a few hours, but seeing it work perfectly at the end made it feel worth it.
"Oh yeah, it said bait was needed... What do cats like again?"
Anyway, for the trap to actually work, bait was key. Trap was done, so time to report to the boss.
*
"Oh, this the trap?"
"Yeah. Try nudging that spot with the twig."
"Here...?"
The President poked the trigger, and just like before, the wire snatched the twig and hoisted it up.
"Whoa, whoa! Nice job! This'll snag the cat that scratched my car for sure!"
"But for it to really work as a trap, we need bait..."
"Bait? Oh, right. Cats like fish, so stick some of that in."
"I looked it up—tuna, salmon, chicken breast..."
"Chicken breast. Tuna or salmon's too good for something about to die."
Exactly what I'd expected. No way this cheapskate shells out for premium stuff.
"So where do we get chicken breast...?"
"Don't you work out?"
"Yeah, but..."
"Then slice off some of yours and set it."
Whoa, didn't see that coming. Can't he just buy a pack?
".....Alright."
"Put the bait on, check it whenever you're free. Got it? Tell me the second something's caught. Now get back to work."
He spun on his heel and left to do whatever.
"...Fucking hell."
After setting the bait, I went back to factory duties. Ran machines, hauled heavy stuff, ate lunch... During break, I checked the trap—nothing. The President grilled me about bad setup, but I let it slide in one ear and out the other. Evening came, still empty. He tsked, told me to watch it till tomorrow, and clocked out first. More time passed, other workers left, and as I stepped out for final overtime cleanup,
"----! ---!! ---!!"
"Hm?"
A noise from the trap area. Caught something? I dropped everything and rushed over. What I saw there was
a fox with yellow fur—
*
"Hngh."
My eyes opened to the familiar ceiling. The plain white one in my apartment. What... a dream? Felt kinda familiar, though. Couldn't remember the details. Dreams are fleeting like that, I guess.
Oh right—what was I doing before I crashed? Yeah, ate with Bori, dozed off while she did dishes.
I sat up and checked my phone. 6:30 a.m. Must've been 1 or 2 when we ate. Thanks to the meds, I slept like a rock.
"Yaaawn... Where's Bori... oh."
No need to look far—she was curled up on the futon I'd laid out beside the bed, sleeping soundly.
"...Sleeping on the floor for real."
Already felt bad about that, but seeing her in her maid outfit sprawled on the hard floor made it worse. I slipped out of bed quietly, crept over, and carefully scooped her up without waking her. For her curvy build, she felt surprisingly light. The maid dress hid it, but maybe she was a bit underweight. Good thing she stayed out cold the whole way to the bed, sleeping blissfully. No issues.
Once she was settled, I prepped the futon again, but then a random thought hit me.
Come to think of it, Bori's worn those gloves non-stop since we met.
I sat up and looked at her sleeping form. Sure enough, black gloves still on her hands.
"...Doesn't that feel stuffy?"
They looked like clingy material—probably sweaty. I edged closer to gently slip them off—
Triiiiing!
"!?"
My phone blasted its ringtone. Panicking she'd wake, I yanked my hand back and silenced it fast.
"Whhew... scared me..."
Luckily, Bori just mumbled and smacked her lips, still deep in dreamland. I sighed in relief and checked the caller.
"...Mom?"
It'd been a while since Mom last called.