This bastard… is this really a cat?
Dawoon lifted the cat up high with suspicious eyes.
In appearance, it was an ordinary—no, an excessively pretty kitten.
Its mysterious white eyes mixed with a blue tinge were fascinating no matter how many times he looked at them. Even the white fur standing up in spikes like a kitten’s gleamed. Seeing how unusually distinct its features were, though he wasn’t sure, it seemed to be a high-quality pedigreed cat.
For a stray cat, it wasn’t skinny and was clean without any grime. The more he looked, the more suspicious it seemed, so he narrowed his eyes and examined the cat more closely.
“You’re a Beastman, aren’t you?”
Dawoon held the fluffy white front paws and asked seriously as if interrogating. He carefully observed whether the cat’s pupils wavered and continued questioning.
“Tell me honestly. You’re a Beastman, right?”
The cat only stared at Dawoon’s lips moving right in front of its nose. Its white eyes like a frozen sea surface followed only Dawoon’s thin lips.
“If you have circumstances and are hiding, confess now. This ahjussi will help you….”
Dawoon couldn’t finish his words. The cat, which had been blinking its eyes prettily, suddenly raised its head and bumped its snout.
At the kitten’s cute behavior of suddenly pressing its lips, the corners of Dawoon’s mouth rose helplessly. Dawoon was the same as other people in becoming soft-hearted in front of cute creatures.
The cat seemed to have taken an interest in Dawoon’s smooth lips and even stuck out its tongue to lick them. Dawoon, who flinched at the rough texture of the tongue, slightly pulled his head back.
“Don’t act cute and just answer.”
He spoke sternly in his own way, but a smile was already hanging on his lips. At the sight of it acting just like an ordinary cat, his suspicions gradually faded.
“You’re really a cat? Are you sure?”
Instead of answering, the cat followed Dawoon’s retreating face and thrust its head forward. This time, it bumped its cheek against his chin instead of its snout and purred like a starting car.
“Ha, this is a funny guy.”
His wariness gradually melted away because of the guy rubbing his face wildly and purring. The cat was so affectionate that even Dawoon, who had no great interest in animals, melted.
Its small body planted its paws on Dawoon’s chest, singing purr, purr, and left its scent. Unable to refuse him, Dawoon naturally held him in his arms and unknowingly leaned his body against the soft fur.
When he held the small cat that fit snugly into his arms, he felt a warm energy he hadn’t felt in a long time.
Ah… it’s warm.
It was a sensation that reminded him of the fluffy warmth he felt when holding his younger sibling.
He wrapped his arms more firmly around the small body clinging to him with its cheek resting against his chest. The purring vibration reached beyond his chest to his heart.
Feeling ticklish, Dawoon chuckled and closed his eyes briefly. Though it was funny that he was hugging a cat that suddenly appeared, he wanted to stay like this a little longer. The nerves that had always been on edge since entering the novel began to relax languidly.
The cat also seemed as comfortable in Dawoon’s arms as Dawoon was, waving its tail pleasantly. Leaning against Dawoon’s flat chest, it purred, then began to bite the slightly protruding area as if nibbling. Dawoon just dismissed it as playfulness and laughed.
“This is proper animal therapy.”
Animal therapy, said to help with mental and physical stability. Though Dawoon had never actually received it, he’d heard about it from colleagues in the past.
Firefighters had a job with frequent accidents, so quite a few colleagues suffered from PTSD. Though rare domestically, he’d heard that overseas they actively used animal therapy for PTSD treatment.
He’d listened without much interest back then, but experiencing the effects firsthand, he understood why it was famous. Just from holding it in his arms for a few minutes, his mind was stabilized and even his fatigue seemed to have disappeared.
“Even the muscle pain seems to have decreased….”
He wondered if it could really be that effective in such a short time, but his heavy body actually seemed to have lightened. The fatigue and muscle pain that hadn’t gone away even after downing painkillers and sleeping for a long time had decreased in an instant.
Dawoon gazed intently at the cat quietly nestled in his arms.
“Do you want to live with me?”
Having gotten a good taste of animal therapy, albeit briefly, he became greedy. He even thought it wouldn’t matter if he was a Beastman.
“Even if I can’t take meticulous care of you, I can make sure you don’t go hungry.”
Dawoon sat up with his knees raised and laid the cat lengthwise on his thighs. The cat, sprawled on its back with its belly exposed, just waved its tail docilely and watched Dawoon.
“You know, what is it. I’ll buy you lots of things like fishing rods. I’ll give you the most expensive food too.”
Dawoon talked as things came to mind while wondering what a cat might like.
Actually, Dawoon’s mind was leaning toward the cat not being a Beastman. Seeing Ryu Taeha’s messed-up jacket made him certain.
Could someone who peed on human clothes be a Beastman? At least Dawoon thought that was impossible. Above all, Beastmen weren’t common enough to meet this easily.
“I’ve never raised an animal before. But I feel like I could raise you well.”
He kept talking to the cat that couldn’t communicate and pressed down firmly on the guy’s plump paw pads.
“I’ll give you lots of snacks, so let’s live together. You like that, right? Churu?”
Meow.
The cat pricked up its ears and rubbed its tail against Dawoon’s body. The tiny thing showed a reaction for the first time, as if it knew the taste of Churu.
“How about it? Tempted?”
It seemed to have quite a bit of experience getting Churu. The cat showed affection while making its already pretty eyes shine.
The more he looked, the more eye-catching they were. It was exactly like looking at the eyes of a divine dragon from mythology. A subtle blue light swirled over the clear white pupils, creating a mysterious atmosphere.
Even though it was still a young kitten, it gave off a strange aura due to its eyes with a strong presence.
Meow.
Hearing the honest meowing sound continuously didn’t seem strange either. It just felt even cuter.
“You’re really pretty.”
Dawoon spread the cat’s hind legs to check its healthy peanuts and corrected his compliment.
“No, you’re handsome. With such distinct features, you’ll make many cats cry.”
Look who’s talking.
The cat, which lightly exhaled through its nose, muttered to itself. Dawoon, who couldn’t possibly know this, carefully picked up the small body without dreaming of the cat’s true form.
“Let’s go buy Churu. And food… and a litter box too.”
Dawoon, who stood up, glanced at Ryu Taeha’s jacket and added his last words. Food aside, it seemed he needed to get a litter box first.
Dawoon first threw Ryu Taeha’s clothes into the bathroom and then opened the dressing room door. He wanted to quickly feed the cat that must have starved since yesterday something.
“Wow… you, this bastard….”
Dawoon, who entered the dressing room, lightly smacked the butt of the cat comfortably leaning on his shoulder.
The dressing room, which had been clean just yesterday, was wallpapered with white fur. He’d wondered where it went, and it seemed to have been hiding here.
“You completely turned it into your playground.”
The drawers were all open, and the clothes that had been neatly hung on hangers had all fallen to the floor. It was a scene as if a thief had broken in.
Moreover, since the clothes piled on the floor were all black, a heavy sigh fell from Dawoon’s mouth.
If you’re going to play with them, at least choose light-colored clothes that resemble you. It was absurd that it had ghostly picked out only the black clothes he frequently wore and piled them on the floor.
Do cats have tastes too? Or does some smell come from the clothes he wore?
“I need to buy a lint roller too.”
Dawoon lightly clicked his tongue and briefly set down the cat that was tightly hugging his neck on the floor. Still, it was a relief there were no injuries. Fortunately, it seemed it hadn’t been attacked by the crows.
“Let me just change clothes and we’ll leave right away.”
The cat stood on only its hind legs and stretched out its front paws toward Dawoon. At the sight of it whimpering as if saying that’s enough, just hurry up and hold me, Dawoon curled his lips in a smile.
“Alright. Just wait a moment.”
After lightly patting its head, he quickly took off his top. When he stripped off his pants along with his underwear, the cat that had been waving its front paws continuously became docile with just its snout wide open.
Dawoon didn’t notice the blatant gaze fixed on his buttocks. In fact, even if he had known, he wouldn’t have made an issue of it since it was a cat’s gaze.
The cat, knowing this, appreciated it even more freely. Even licking its lips slightly.
“Are you balding? Why is so much fur falling out?”
Dawoon shook his head and pulled out underwear from the drawer that had relatively less fur on it. As he bent his upper body lightly and tried to pull the navy blue drawers up over his ankles, the cat suddenly came between his legs.
Dawoon laughed with his shoulders shaking while looking at the cat interfering with his dressing. The cat’s persistent gaze that betrayed that innocent smile was fixed on Dawoon’s lower body.
Meooow.
Its tail moving as if dancing gently tickled the back of Dawoon’s knees.
Dawoon’s knees, very ticklish, bent slightly. Just as he was about to tell it to move aside, the pager that had been quiet all along suddenly rang loudly.
