The Cat's Tale
The cat slipped away from the restaurant and moved through the buildings and alleyways with practiced ease, as if the paths were as familiar as its own fur.
Its destination had long been decided.
Born and raised in this city, in these very alleys, the cat knew the surrounding geography better than most taxi drivers.
With its cheese-colored coat rippling in the wind, the cat arrived at a house with a wide yard.
Along one side of the yard stood several small shelters built for animals no larger than cats.
Meow.
The cat’s cry echoed across the yard, and soon someone emerged from the house.
“What’s this? You went back there again?”
The woman, still bleary-eyed from sleep, let out a wide yawn and walked over to the cat.
“What on earth keeps drawing you there?”
She crouched to the cat’s eye level and stroked its head a few times. As if answering the question, another soft meow followed.
“A kitten? What kind of kitten?”
It was as though she and the cat were truly conversing.
Whether real communication was happening or not, the woman continued the exchange for quite some time.
“Oh… I see? They sound like nice people. But what do you mean by ‘kitten’? Ah, it looks like you, but much smaller?”
There was only one possibility.
A child.
The “kitten” the cat spoke of was not a feline at all, but a human child.
“You’re going again tomorrow? You’re not sure? Come on, that means you’re going.”
The woman chuckled softly, gave the cat one last affectionate pat, and stood up.
As she had guessed, her ability allowed her to converse with animals.
To some it might have seemed extraordinary; to others, ordinary. Either way, she was content with it.
She used to be far busier, but hunter life had never suited her, so she had settled here with her yard and her animals.
Of all the creatures she cared for, cats were her favorite.
Before her ability awakened, she had preferred dogs, but once she could understand their words, cats became far more charming.
There was something irresistibly appealing about their slightly cynical, tsundere nature once she could truly hear what they were saying.
This particular cat was the most precious and special of them all.
It had been the very first cat she spoke with after gaining her ability.
She had raised it since it was a kitten, which only deepened their bond.
“You want me to come with you next time?”
She had been about to tidy the yard when the cat made the suggestion.
“We can’t just drop in on someone else’s house. Though you did say it’s a restaurant… Well, going together isn’t difficult. But before that…”
In an instant, the woman’s gaze changed.
The affection in her eyes remained, yet a quiet resolve now flickered beneath it.
The cat, which had been sitting and licking its front paws while chatting with her, seemed to understand the look. It began inching backward, hesitant.
“You. Bath time today.”
Even without their shared ability, any cat that had learned the word would have hesitated. With their perfect communication, the effect was doubled.
While some cats tolerated water, this one was not among them.
Knowing escape was impossible, the cat still tried to retreat.
“If you want to see that kitten—the child—again, you need a bath. You might make it sick otherwise.”
At those words, the cat finally gave up and stopped backing away.
It couldn’t bear the thought of the person who fed it and stroked its favorite spots falling ill because of it.
“I might as well bathe everyone while I’m at it. Gather them all.”
Since she had made up her mind, she figured she might as well wash the whole group.
Being closest to the woman, this cat held the highest rank among the others.
“Fine. I’ll give everyone a Churu. You get two.”
The cat, which had been dawdling, suddenly moved with lightning speed.
For the Churu.
Or perhaps, to fulfill its human’s request.
─┼
Jungwoo had only served a handful of customers all day.
It was far quieter than expected, likely because of yesterday’s sinkhole; people seemed to be avoiding the area entirely.
‘Of all the places for a sinkhole to appear…’
Rather than hoping for more customers, Jungwoo simply wasn’t the type to endure such idleness well.
It wasn’t mere boredom; without something to do, the day felt empty and unrewarding.
This lull would probably last a few days at least.
Even if repairs were completed perfectly, no one could guarantee what might happen next.
Standing at the door and glancing toward the sinkhole site, Jungwoo noticed a group of cats hurrying somewhere in unison.
“Where are they all off to together…?”
Had cats always moved in packs like that?
Seia, too, watched the procession with curious eyes.
“Daddy! The kitties are going out to play!”
“Haha, so they are. Must’ve found something fun.”
“Something fun…”
Seia’s gaze instantly filled with envy.
Should she have played hide-and-seek yesterday after all?
No, that was hindsight talking.
“Our Seia wants to play, doesn’t she?”
“Yeah… I wanna play hide-and-seek with the kitties.”
Hide-and-seek with cats.
Jungwoo could already picture how quickly Seia would be found.
Cats didn’t go easy on anyone.
The more they liked you, the faster they’d track you down.
He tried to imagine Seia playing hide-and-seek with cats, but the reverse—Seia searching for the cats—refused to form in his mind.
“But the cats will find you way too easily.”
“Really? Are kitties that good at finding people?”
“Mm-hmm. Cats are incredibly sharp.”
“Then… how about freeze tag?”
Freeze tag, huh.
Once again, Jungwoo pictured the scene in his head: Seia’s short legs fleeing from the cat who was “it,” then shouting “freeze!” the moment one got close—only for the cat to simply sit down beside her and wait.
‘What am I even thinking?’
It wasn’t possible in the first place.
With a soft laugh, Jungwoo gently delivered the cold truth.
“Even Daddy couldn’t beat a cat at freeze tag.”
“C-cats are amazing…!”
Well, the only cats Seia had seen so far were the calm ones that visited the restaurant.
She had yet to witness just how agile and swift they truly were.
“Ah, that’s right.”
An idea struck him.
He could put on a nature documentary about cats on the restaurant TV.
Jungwoo himself had often found himself staring blankly whenever such programs came on while channel-surfing.
The same had been true when he was young.
Rather than a regular cat documentary, he decided on one about Pallas’s cats.
Their appearance was similar, and they were just as adorable.
Seia’s gaze, which had been fixed on the window, soon turned toward the television at the sound of meowing.
“Whoa! It’s a fluffy kitty!”
Her eyes sparkled as she watched the cat with its incredibly thick fur.
Completely captivated by the round, fluffy creature, Seia didn’t notice Jungwoo’s proud smile before he returned to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
He readied the well-marinated chicken for frying and returned the room-temperature pickled radish to the fridge.
Knowing from the start that the radish needed more time to properly ferment, Jungwoo had sliced it quite small.
He picked up a piece and tasted it; the crisp texture and sweet-tart flavor danced on his tongue.
“Mm. Not bad.”
“Whoa, a rabbit!”
While Jungwoo prepared dinner, Seia was engrossed in a scene where a cat hunted a rabbit.
“Nooo, rabbit…! But the kitty…”
Seia wavered between the two animals.
The rabbit plush in her arms seemed to demand she cheer for the rabbit, while her memory of the cat she had met yesterday urged her to root for the feline.
“Kitty, if you come to our house, Daddy will give you meat.”
Usually she would offer the meat herself, but hearing her say “Daddy will give it” was oddly endearing.
Cheering for the rabbit one moment, the cat the next—Jungwoo watched his daughter with a warm smile, finding her more adorable with every passing second.
Ding—
At the familiar chime, several people stepped into the restaurant.
Seia, absorbed in the documentary, didn’t notice the new arrivals.
“Welcome…”
Before Jungwoo could finish greeting them, the elderly man raised a finger to his lips and spoke in a low voice.
“The little boss is concentrating.”
Park Geon-su and Seong Ye-eun had been looking forward to today.
They had figured out yesterday that today was Seia’s birthday and had cleared their schedules without needing to discuss it.
“Dinner isn’t ready yet…”
“That’s all right. It’s still a bit early for dinner, so we came early on purpose.”
Park Geon-su and Seong Ye-eun took seats on one side of the restaurant.
While Park Geon-su spoke with Jungwoo, Seong Ye-eun quickly claimed the spot with the best view of Seia.
When Park Geon-su finished his conversation and returned, he paused to look at her.
“……”
It was the very seat he had been eyeing since they entered.
And she had taken it in the brief moment he was away.
He considered using his authority as guild leader, but Seong Ye-eun wouldn’t listen to such things anyway, so he reluctantly sat across from her.
Just then, the chime rang again.
Looking toward the door, Jungwoo saw the muscular landlord standing there, arms laden with packages, gazing in their direction.
“Nooo! Rabbit!”
Seia’s voice, which had briefly been drowned out by the landlord’s arrival, once again filled the restaurant.
The documentary ended with the Pallas’s cat successfully hunting, proudly displaying its fluffy yet majestic form.
Though the rabbit’s fate was unfortunate, the cat’s captivating presence had completely won Seia over.
“Fluffy kitty is so cute!”
Seia, momentarily downcast by the rabbit’s demise, brightened again at the sight of the cat.
When the documentary finished, she finally noticed the visitors.
“Grandpa! Big sis!”
Seia hadn’t forgotten that today was her birthday, and the arrival of these welcome faces filled her with joy.
“It’s good to see you, little boss.”
“It’s been a while, hasn’t it, sweetheart?”
Both elderly men wore gentle smiles as they received Seia’s cheerful greeting.