I’d gotten given up for adoption many times in the past for sharpening my claws wherever I pleased. People don’t like it when cats dig their claws into furniture or wallpaper.
“Meow, meow. Eung… U, ung.”
Sorry, I won’t do it again… so please don’t kick me out….
“Looks like this one knows he did something wrong.”
“He’s saying he won’t do it again.”
That’s when my owner reached his hand out to me.
I squeezed my eyes shut without meaning to, but he only picked me up. Then he ran his fingers along the claw marks carved into the door.
“Baby, you’ve grown.”
“Maang?”
What do you mean?
I tilted my head. My owner smiled as he looked at the claw marks on the door and continued.
“Look closely. This is the mark from three days ago, and this one’s from today. See how the height’s different?”
Huh? It really is. The more recent marks were scratched a little higher each time.
He stroked my head and said,
“I guess you grew from being fed so well.”
“Even so, growing in just a week? Isn’t that a stretch?”
“He’s right. The cat is a fully grown adult. I don’t think it’s likely he’d grow at this point.”
I couldn’t hear a word the two of them were saying.
I grew. I actually grew!
I’d been so upset about how tiny my true form was. I knew black-footed cats were small as adults, but I’d been even smaller than that. I had no way of knowing for sure since I hadn’t measured myself properly, but just hearing it made me happy.
I had so many memories of being miserable over being small. There’d even been times a stray cat passing by mistook me for a kitten.
It seemed like eating well and sleeping well during my week at the mansion had let my body grow. I’d thought my growth plates had closed for good, but apparently they were still open. They say it happens sometimes even after you’re fully grown — turns out that was me!
“It’s probably just that you’ve been running around so much your jumping ability got better, not— ow! Are you hitting me too now?”
“Wouldn’t it be better if it were me hitting you? Please read the room for once. Is it because you’re a dog that you have no sense of these things?”
“Hey, what does that have to do with dogs! And I’m not a dog! I’m a wolf!”
There was a commotion behind us, but I was too busy showing off to my owner.
“Aung, nyaang, eu, euung.”
Owner, I think I grew. It’s really high up. And I scratched it up nicely too. Right?
“Quiet.”
The hallway fell silent in an instant. Caught up in the excitement, I clamped my babbling mouth shut too.
Huh, wait…? Wasn’t he not supposed to get mad?
I looked up at my owner with wavering eyes. Then he gazed down at me with soft eyes and gently scratched under my chin.
“Not you, baby.”
“Eung?”
Not me?
“I can’t hear baby’s voice properly because of you two.”
My owner, who’d been petting me, turned around and spoke quietly to the two men who’d been putting on quite the comedy routine.
“My apologies. I’ll see that it’s corrected.”
“No, this one started it—”
Changgyu bowed at once, but Yeongho, who’d been the one hit, grumbled and pointed a finger at Changgyu, unable to contain his frustration.
“Quiet.”
When my owner gave the firm command, he shut his mouth without so much as a whimper.
Guess he really doesn’t have any sense, being a dog and all. I knew he was canine, but a wolf? He’s nothing like what I imagined a wolf to be. Eh, whatever. Owner, you’re not mad at me, right?
When I meowed at my owner to get his attention, he looked down at me and gave a short laugh. Without scolding me at all, he looked quietly at the door and said,
“Want to look inside?”
“Meow!”
Finally, he understands what I’m saying!
All that lingering in front of the door paid off.
“There’s nothing to see in there.”
“Aung!”
Nothing to see? Then what was all that I saw? Hurry up and open the door already.
I looked up at my owner with my eyes burning. He just held onto the handle, glancing at me once more, then chuckled as if he couldn’t help himself and swung the door wide open.
The place that I hadn’t been able to properly look around that other day, since I’d been too overwhelmed, was now open to me.
My owner held me close and walked in slowly so I could take my time looking around, but my head whipped this way and that, busy as could be. All those dazzlingly sparkling things stole my attention — I couldn’t help myself.
Calling this “nothing to see”! You’re rich so this is all normal to you, but not for me!
I stretched my neck out from his arms, looking ready to leap out any second as I looked around. Wanting to see even a little more, I climbed up onto his shoulder, and my owner lowered his body without a word. He even gently supported my bottom, worried I might lose my balance.
But I was too distracted by the sparkling things in my sight to notice that consideration.
Everything’s sparkling! All of it expensive! If I had a few of those… no, even just one, my fortune in life would get a little better….
Using him as a perch, I twisted and turned my body this way and that to look closer. He didn’t try to stop me or put me down, just laughed quietly.
Wanting to see even closer, I leapt down from my owner’s shoulder. I landed lightly on top of a cabinet. Overcome with desire, I found myself tapping at the cabinet’s glass with my front paw without realizing it.
I’d made it into the room, but it was a feast for the eyes only.
If I make it really obvious that I want it, would my owner actually give it to me? Just looking is way too disappointing….
I sat on top of the cabinet, flicking my tail back and forth, agonizing to myself. That’s when my owner’s low voice fell from above.
“I guess baby really does like sparkly things.”
“Eung! Ang! Miyaong!”
Yeah, I love it! I love expensive things! I love money even more!
I brightened at his words and looked up at my owner with shining eyes. Since I couldn’t speak directly, all I could do was communicate through body language. And my owner, as always, picked up on my feelings right away.
“Want a closer look?”
I cried out softly, thrilled. As it turned out, it wasn’t the type that opened upward but a drawer. He gripped the bottom and pulled it open, and the watches inside came into view. My owner showed them to me so I could get a good look.
Alright, now how do I ask for one of these….
“Baby, do you want it?”
“Eong?”
You’ll give it to me?
There was no need to even worry about that. My owner had already caught on the instant he saw my reaction that I wanted it.
Just as I thought, he’s a total pushover despite how he looks! Handing something this expensive straight over to a cat.
I had absolutely no intention of turning down a gift. My owner watched me, eyes sparkling with excitement, then unfastened the watch from his own wrist.
“How about this one?”
I didn’t know why he’d give me the one he was actually wearing, but it was just as expensive as the ones inside the cabinet. Happy with anything at all, I eagerly bit down on the watch he held out to me.
“Aung!”
Thank you!
Behind us, Yeongho stretched out a hand as if it pained him to watch and muttered,
“Executive Director, why would you give such an expensive watch to a cat—”
“Auung!”
Cats like watches too!
To properly flatter my owner for giving me the watch, I leapt into his arms. My owner picked me up easily, and I flipped over to show my belly, rolling around in his arms. The corners of my owner’s usually blunt mouth softened.
Just for today. Enjoy it all you want.
I proudly bared my belly, telling him he could touch it as much as he liked. It was somewhere my owner usually coveted touching. My belly was a sensitive and precious area, so I wasn’t exactly thrilled about being touched there, but with what might’ve been worth hundreds — no, tens of millions of won — held in my mouth, I felt generous enough to allow it.
“It’s nice that you like it, but don’t bite down too hard. You’ll hurt your teeth.”
Oh, right! Can’t let the watch get scratched!
I loosened my bite and carefully held and licked the watch instead.
Mm, that expensive smell~!
It must’ve been a watch he wore often, since it carried my owner’s scent, but what did that matter. Who doesn’t like free things. Meanwhile, my owner, seeing me flipped over with my belly exposed, slowly reached out his hand.
His touch landed on my belly, but I didn’t pull away. He stroked his palm down my belly and scratched at the back of my neck with his fingers. It was a touch that knew exactly the spot where a cat goes weakest. Every time his fingertips brushed against me, my spine tingled and all the strength drained out of me.
My owner watched me, then let out a low laugh.
“You’re cute.”
“Angnyang?”
Cute? Me?
Throwing away any pride a predator might have, putting on this act over a single watch did give me a moment of secondhand embarrassment about myself. But the thought of money made it not matter at all.
There’s no room for pride in front of money. I learned the hard way that life gets miserable without it. If acting cute gets me money, I’ll do it as much as it takes. I even have a track record of begging from people as my true form when I was little, putting on the charm.
This is just the same situation as back then.
