The Kitten's Choice
Jungwoo finished his request and glanced around the area, just in case. He scanned the surroundings with a faint hope, but as expected, there was no sign of Seia—not even a trace.
Where on earth had she disappeared to?
With worry heavy in his eyes, he trudged toward the restaurant. Just then—
“Boss?”
“Ah, hello. You two are together today?”
He found himself face-to-face with Seong Ye-eun and Yuhyeon.
“Ah, yes. We work at the same company.”
“So you’re colleagues.”
He had been about to ask what was going on, but that would have revealed his connection to the Sajeol Guild.
“By the way, what brings you here at this hour? You’re not at the restaurant.”
“Ah, well…”
What was he supposed to say? That he’d lost Seia? Why would he burden customers with something like that?
“It’s… a bit of a personal matter.”
Of course, he could have asked the two for help. He could have told them Seia had vanished and begged them to search. But this wasn’t the sort of thing you shared with customers. They were regulars who visited often, yet they were still customers. If he wanted to grow closer to them, this wasn’t the way to do it.
“Is the child all right?”
Yuhyeon’s question made both Seong Ye-eun and Jungwoo flinch. Seong Ye-eun knew the reason. Jungwoo couldn’t bring himself to explain what had happened to Seia.
“Ah… yes. She’s fine.”
The answer was clearly incomplete, but Yuhyeon simply nodded as if he understood.
“You should head back to the restaurant. Your mind needs rest as well.”
“…Yes. I understand.”
Did he know something? Either way, Yuhyeon’s words had helped Jungwoo.
Jungwoo turned back toward the restaurant. Seong Ye-eun shot Yuhyeon a resentful look.
“You knew everything, so why did you have to say it like that?”
“Say what?”
“Seia… The client who just reported her missing said she disappeared a little while ago.”
“It’s fine.”
What did he mean by “fine”? He needed to explain.
“Tell me properly. Why is it fine?”
Seong Ye-eun felt a flicker of displeasure. What if his casual reassurance meant he simply didn’t care?
“I gave the child a magic stone last time.”
“A magic stone? Why would you…?”
“She said she wanted to use magic.”
Magic? The word caught her off guard until she remembered Seia calling hunters “magicians.” Yuhyeon was the hunter most skilled at handling mana with delicate precision. He must have embedded that ability into the magic stone so Seia could use magic herself.
“Well, I suppose you handled it well. It’s for Seia, after all.”
“There’s nothing to worry about.”
“But why bring it up? Does it have some other ability?”
“Not intentionally, but… thanks to my ability, I can tell exactly where that magic stone is right now.”
“Wait, does that mean…?”
“Yes. Seia is at the restaurant.”
“Really?”
“I have no reason to lie.”
“…No, you don’t. So what are you going to do now?”
“I’m heading to the restaurant. Just in case.”
Yuhyeon’s expression remained as blunt as ever, yet Seong Ye-eun could sense the concern for Seia beneath it. She didn’t press him further.
It wasn’t difficult to catch up to Jungwoo’s weary steps. Before long, they spotted his retreating figure trudging along.
“Boss.”
“Ah, yes. We meet again.”
“Let’s go to the restaurant together.”
“For a meal…?”
“At any other restaurant, there wouldn’t be another reason. But…”
Seong Ye-eun trailed off, then finished with an unfamiliar smile.
“Seona’s Restaurant is a little different.”
“That’s… really comforting to hear. Thank you.”
Though the smile was uncharacteristic of her, Jungwoo felt a small measure of strength from it.
The restaurant drew closer. For some reason, his heart began to race the nearer they got, even though it was a place he visited every day.
“Ha, haha.”
When the interior finally came into view, Jungwoo let out a relieved laugh. Seia was asleep, leaning against the window. She clutched something tightly to her chest. As they drew nearer, he saw what it was—a tiny kitten nestled in her arms.
Where had the cat come from? Perhaps the time Seia had been missing had been spent meeting this little creature.
They could ask her later.
“Seia’s asleep?”
“Ah, yes. She must have been tired.”
“She does look it.”
Step by step, they approached. At first, the kitten seemed asleep too, but as they got closer, they saw it was awake—wriggling and stretching its paws, trying to escape Seia’s embrace.
And then—
“Seia… ya.”
They could see her clearly now. Tear tracks streaked her peacefully sleeping cheeks.
It could have been nothing. But in a world where hunters existed, nothing was ever truly nothing. At least they had confirmed it had nothing to do with them. That was enough.
The bell chimed as Jungwoo entered the restaurant. He went straight to Seia’s side. Where had she found such a cute kitten? Small and precious—just like Seia.
“What’s with the cat? Did you adopt it?”
Seong Ye-eun, now seated across from him, asked naturally.
“Ah, no. I don’t even know where she got it.”
“Looks like she was chosen, just like in the stories.”
“Chosen… I suppose that’s what happened.”
Could a kitten that could barely stand have made it all the way to the restaurant on its own? No. He hadn’t heard the details from Seia, but one look told him everything. For whatever reason, she had gone somewhere and come back with an extra mouth to feed. It wasn’t that the kitten had chosen her—she had chosen it.
At least it wasn’t nighttime. If this had happened after dark, Jungwoo might not have kept his composure.
He had planned to scold her properly this time, but seeing the tear tracks on her cheeks made his heart soften.
“Children love animals.”
“They do. Seia adores the cat that visits almost every day.”
“Actually, I know someone in the Sajeol Guild.”
“Ah… I see.”
“Yes. I’ve mentioned Seona’s Restaurant to them before. They said a request came in today.”
“So that’s why you came today…”
“Yes, something like that.”
Jungwoo offered a faint smile at that. People seemed to care about Seona’s Restaurant—and Seia—far more than he had realized.
Just then, Seia stirred. Her eyes fluttered open.
“Ah, Daddy…?”
When she opened her eyes, the people she loved were gathered around her. Was this a dream too?
The pretty big sister. The magician uncle. And Daddy.
“Seia, you…”
Jungwoo had been about to scold her with a stern expression—why hadn’t she listened to him? What if she’d gotten lost on an unfamiliar road and couldn’t find her way home?
“Daddy… hic…”
Realizing it wasn’t a dream, Seia burrowed straight into his arms. This warmth wasn’t a dream. It couldn’t be.
Faced with Seia sniffling and clinging to him, Jungwoo couldn’t bring himself to scold her anymore. Today, Seia had probably learned the most important lesson of all.
The sound of her sniffling in his arms gradually faded.
“Are you okay now, sweetheart?”
“Yeah… Where did you go, Daddy…?”
“You disappeared suddenly, so I went looking for you.”
“Hehe…”
“So, where did you go?”
“Well… the kitty took me.”
“The kitty?”
It wasn’t common, but it happened sometimes—stray cats or dogs seeking help from people. The kind of heartwarming stories that popped up on YouTube all the time.
“I see. But remember what Daddy said? You shouldn’t follow people you don’t know.”
“But the kitty isn’t a person, and I do know it.”
“…That’s true?”
“Pfft. It is.”
“Indeed.”
Both Seong Ye-eun and Yuhyeon nodded in agreement with Seia. Even Jungwoo had to admit her logic wasn’t wrong.
“Still… the only people you’re allowed to follow are the ones here, Grandpa, or the market grandma.”
“What about the kitty…?”
“The kitty…”
“The kitty brought me back home.”
“Huh? Really?”
“Yes! Really!”
That… made sense? It was hard to believe, but he had to trust Seia’s words.
“Whew… Then from now on, you have to tell Daddy first, and you can’t go far. Got it?”
“Hehe. Okay!”
Seia beamed, delighted that her little walk with the kitten had been permitted.
“Now then, next is…”
Between Jungwoo and Seia, in that tiny space, a small life wriggled.
The kitten squirmed. Thankfully, it didn’t seem to be in any serious trouble.
“What are we going to do about this kitten?”
“I followed the kitty and found a baby kitty. It was really cold, so I brought it home.”
“Hmm… So what does Seia want to do with it?”
This was the important part. Would she ask to keep it?
“I want to take care of the kitty and bring it back.”
“…Really? You don’t want to keep it?”
“I do want to keep it… but Seia can’t even feed the kitty or give it a bath yet.”
“So you want to feed it properly and then send it back?”
“Yes. Or else…”
She glanced at him cautiously, her desire to say she wanted to keep it written all over her face. Her fidgeting fingers, her slightly curled posture, and her gentle gaze said it all.
“Or else?”
“Ugh… Never mind. Seia’s a good girl!”
It was only natural to want to keep such a kitten. Even Jungwoo felt the pull.
“All right. We’ll send it back, and you can become better friends with our cheese-colored kitty. Okay?”
“Yes! Cheese kitty!”
It seemed they had reached a good conclusion, but there was one thing Jungwoo didn’t know. Seong Ye-eun spoke up in his place.
“Um, Boss. Do you know this?”
“Know what?”
“If a kitten gets touched by humans, the mother won’t take it back.”
“…Really?”
“Yes. Really.”
“Aah! Then—!”
Seia’s eyes lit up with sudden joy. But this time, Seong Ye-eun took Jungwoo’s side.
“Seia, you know the big sister who raises cats, right?”
“Ah! Kitty sister!”
“That’s right. We can leave it with her.”
Seia looked disappointed, yet she was also glad the kitten would have a place to return to. After all, she wanted the kitten to be happy.