I had accidentally smashed an expensive piece of porcelain, but he didn’t scold me for it. He even seemed to think I liked shiny things, because he gave me a new decorative piece — shaped like a vase, but made of a material that wouldn’t shatter like pottery. It looked like it might be gold.
Of course, it was possible it only looked expensive to my eyes and wasn’t actually worth much. There was no reason to give a cat something valuable. Still, it was a spoil of war earned here, so I’d better hold onto it.
Even a few thousand won is money, right? I am unmistakably a Suin — a human. What I need is money. People betray you, but money doesn’t.
Whether I sold a gift I was given was my own business to decide, wasn’t it?
Thinking about selling something my owner had given me for cash did prick my conscience a little. He probably thought I was an ordinary cat — but on the inside, I was human.
Then again, I had never once said I was a cat.
I said I was a predator! And I asked to be let go more than once. He was the one who took me as collateral, and he was the one who wouldn’t release me. And when I told him to take responsibility for me, he was the one who clearly nodded his head.
So it was fine. This was fair compensation.
Just look at how much I fawned on my owner. When he came home, I kept him company because he would have been bored otherwise. I disliked being touched or fussed over by others, but I made a special exception for my owner.
His hands were large enough to wrap around my whole body, but they were surprisingly gentle. Every time he touched me, he always stroked me with care. Just because I pressed up close to him and acted affectionate didn’t mean he rudely went for my belly or kneaded my paws.
For all their size, his hands had never once felt unpleasant.
There were times he would touch me when I was distracted, but when I startled, he’d move to a different spot as if to say he’d leave that part alone. It was worlds apart from the ones who used to chase me around insisting on touching me.
It must be because we’re both Feline that he understands me so well.
So it would be nice if he gave me more shiny, expensive things like this one…
I knew perfectly well where the things that would actually fetch money were kept inside this house. I moved naturally and settled myself in front of the large door. Changgyu immediately fell in step right behind me. Following me wherever I went like this — I suppose that’s why I called him my attendant.
When he noticed me crouching low and wiggling my backside, he rushed to speak.
“Please don’t do that. How about using this instead?”
“Eng.”
No.
I turned my head away without a second thought. Changgyu was worried I would leave claw marks on the door again. Recently, my owner had someone come in and replace the door handle in this room with a round one I couldn’t open. Probably because of the time I’d gotten inside and slashed his clothes to pieces.
Thanks to that, opening the door had become much harder. Even when I sat outside crying that I wanted in, no one would open it for me.
So I had changed my approach.
I just want to look at the watches in this room again. You never know — if I show interest, my owner might give me one. Given the way he’s been acting all this time, he seems more than capable of that. Probably… well, if he doesn’t, I’ll just have to be disappointed.
“Are you missing the Executive Director? In that case, what about over there?”
I looked up at Changgyu with an expression of pure disbelief. Because on the day my owner had been out and I’d slashed his clothes and been found sleeping inside his drawer, Changgyu had gotten the idea into his head that I’d been missing him and had curled up around something with his scent on it.
It was so absurd I almost snorted. But if that’s the misunderstanding he had, shouldn’t he be opening the door for me more readily? Different rooms were unlocked, at least.
The room Changgyu was gesturing toward was my owner’s bedroom — the one place I absolutely refused to go.
It was the place where his scent was strongest of all, which made it the most problematic of all. Pheromones came with it in that room. Living alongside him had become familiar enough over time, but whenever pheromones suddenly hit me, tension crept in on its own.
Just thinking about my owner’s pheromones again made my fur feel like it was standing on end.
My owner’s pheromones are unusually strong.
Among Suin, pheromones were a powerful weapon. The stronger the pheromones, the stronger the instincts — because it was evidence that the blood of a beast ran deeper than that of a rational human.
So stepping into that room frightened me. And I wanted to hold a clear line for myself.
If I crossed that last line and then got cast aside, I’d be the one who got hurt. I like this life… but it can’t go on forever, can it…?
“Are you not going in?”
No, I’m not.
Why did everyone tell me I couldn’t go anywhere else, yet push me toward my owner’s room?
I fixed my gaze on the door in front of me. Changgyu must have had a bad feeling, because he hurried off to grab something — but I had already jumped.
Screeeek—!
Seeing the clean, sharp claw marks left on the door filled me with satisfaction. They show up even better on black. And there are plenty of other marks here besides today’s.
The truth was, leaving marks on the door had been an accident the first time.
My plan had been to slip away from Changgyu, get inside, take one of the watches in my mouth, and then act sweet and coaxing toward my owner to get him to give it to me. But I hadn’t known the door handle had been changed, and I’d already launched myself high into the air. I’d stuck flat against the door and left a long drag of claw marks all the way down as I fell.
Changgyu set down the scratching post he’d brought with him.
“The Executive Director will scold you.”
“Ang-ang, e-ong.”
Scold me — as if.
I’ll admit my tail had tucked itself down the first time I’d made a mess, out of the instinct that came from memories of being returned from household after household. It was easy to imagine how he would react to claw marks, from past experience. But my owner was lenient.
When I’d been nosing around the kitchen window and accidentally knocked a cup off and broke it, he’d been too busy worrying about me to say anything else. And after I’d been running around wildly and slipped and knocked my head on the floor, he’d laid down carpet runners all along the corridor.
My scary-looking owner was soft as they come underneath.
He only furrowed his brow when he was worried about me. He’d even seemed pleased when I left claw marks all over the place, as though I were claiming every corner as my territory.
He’d stroked me afterward and asked if I’d had fun playing — what more could I say.
So I held my head up without a care and extended my claws. I gazed with satisfaction at the marks I’d left. My claws really are sharp. I carefully licked my hardworking paws and claws clean.
I heard a sigh from behind me, but I pretended not to notice.
That should be enough. I’ve left more marks here than anywhere else — he’ll figure out I’m curious about what’s inside. He knows I like shiny things, so he’ll show me the inside of the room!
Having finished what had become something of a daily routine, I made my way back to the living room.
I sprawled out lazily on top of the cat tower that had become my designated spot, watching the butterflies flitting around outside and batting my paws at the air. These days were peaceful and comfortable — but there was one thing that was a problem.
“Ung-nyang.”
I’m bored.
That was it. Boredom. Exploring the mansion was a novelty for a day or two — by now I’d seen all of it. No matter how much I acted like a cat, I was a Suin.
A human, to be precise. And when I was human, I’d never stopped moving. Now there was nothing to do — far too nothing. This is why balance matters, I suppose.
It was a privileged problem to have, but lying around listlessly all day was dull. The Changgyu behind me was as stiff and expressionless as a stone statue, and no fun at all. When I looked bored, all he ever did was toss a stuffed toy at me. Sometimes he would dangle a toy prey for me to chase, but it held no real interest.
Is that why my owner left him with me and took the other subordinates? That man was infuriating to deal with, but occasionally he’d do something funny that made things entertaining.
At some point, I had started waiting for my owner to come home sooner. When he came back, I could eat something delicious, and there was an enjoyable hunting session waiting for me. Of course, it was me doing him the favor of playing with him, because he would be bored otherwise.
Just then, the sound of a car came from outside. I poked my head out, and there it was — the black car my owner rode in — and I could see him stepping out of it.
Oh — he’s back!
I jumped to my feet. I didn’t go racing over to greet him like a dog would its owner, but I positioned myself where I’d be most visible when he opened the front door and came in. My tail had shot straight up to greet him, curving slightly at the tip.
I could hear the sound of my owner talking to someone, and a little while later the front door opened. I had only peeked my head out from around the corner as if half-hiding myself, but my owner spotted me immediately and spoke to me.
He closed the front door and opened the inner door, welcoming me.
I had no current plans to escape — but watching him carefully lock up every door reminded me that I couldn’t afford to stay this relaxed. At the rate things were going, by the time I actually made up my mind to leave, I might not be able to get out at all.
