“Our Dawoon.”
Dawoon made a gagging motion and rubbed his goosebump-covered arms vigorously. With that already buttery voice calling him with an embarrassing term of endearment, he snapped awake.
—Hello? Are you listening?
“Please drop the ‘our.’ It’s embarrassing to hear.”
—It’s a term of endearment, what’s embarrassing about it?
Ryu Taeha’s calm laughter came through. Still, after that, he didn’t use the cloying term of endearment much.
—You’re resting well, right?
“Yes, I ate breakfast and slept straight through.”
—That’s a relief. What are you going to eat for lunch?
“Just whatever’s at the lodging.”
—Eat something substantial. Don’t just eat anything. Instant food is bad for your body.
Somehow lately, both the youngest and Ryu Taeha were saying similar things. As if they both had a grudge against instant food, they tried to thoroughly make Dawoon eat only homemade meals.
—If you’re sick anywhere, tell me right away. Got it?
“…Yes.”
After that, Ryu Taeha also recommended things like books or games to pass time at the lodging. Dawoon, who let this go in one ear and out the other, scratched his white cheek.
Somehow he seems to be acting strangely more affectionate… Is it my imagination?
His voice was always soft, but lately it seemed he’d been acting particularly more gentle. Even while he himself was so busy he couldn’t enter the lodging, he frequently called to check on his condition.
It’s a bit much. Since that day’s conversation, Ryu Taeha had started caring for Dawoon as if caring for Ryu Jin.
—Stay at the lodging as much as possible. Don’t think about coming to the field for a while.
When Dawoon delayed his answer, Ryu Taeha repeatedly emphasized in a pleading tone to return to the field as late as possible. This too, Dawoon brushed off with an ambiguous attitude saying he’d think about it.
—Is Mr. Meow doing well too?
Dawoon, who had been answering indifferently, became subtly more proactive when the cat was mentioned.
“He’s doing well. He’s eating well and using the litter box well. He has no energy, but fortunately he’s sleeping well. But I think he sleeps a bit too much.”
—His energy will recover soon too. Don’t worry too much.
Ryu Taeha reassured Dawoon that the cat was just sleeping a lot because he was still young. Dawoon was secretly surprised and put down his worries at the fact that kittens actually sleep over 20 hours a day.
—Are you together now?
“Yes, he’s being held obediently.”
The cat, who had been dozing off while held in Dawoon’s arms, blinked. As if knowing he was talking about him, his eyes opened wide, then he suddenly stuck out his pink tongue and licked Dawoon’s chest.
“Ugh…”
Simultaneously flinching, Dawoon dropped the phone far away.
If he’d licked his chest, it would have been fine. The place the cat’s rough tongue touched happened to be the area where Jeong Dawoon reacted most sensitively.
Dawoon stroked the cat, who had an innocent face with round eyes, and corrected his holding position. He often touched sensitive spots like this even when sleeping at night—it seemed he’d found it fun, which was troublesome.
“Ahem.”
After clearing his throat, he put the phone to his ear again. Then Ryu Taeha continued the conversation like a ghost.
—Should I come now?
“Why would you come? Just work.”
—You made such a nice sound. I thought you were asking me to come.
Nice sound, what. Dawoon rolled his eyes toward the air as if Ryu Taeha were in front of him, disgusted.
“The cat bit me, that’s why.”
—I see. Tell him thanks.
As the bullshit continued, Dawoon pressed the end call button with one stroke. At the same time, he threw the phone far away.
“Won’t someone please take that pervert bastard away?”
The cat, who jumped onto the shoulder of Dawoon shaking his head, meowed and rubbed his cheek. Dawoon, who rubbed cheeks together with him, let out a weary sigh.
Actually, since crying alone that day, dealing with Ryu Taeha had been really awkward.
“So annoying…”
They were never on comfortable terms, but he’d never felt like this before. If before he simply disliked him and felt repulsion, now that bastard was, how to say… kept bothering him.
“No. It’s not me, Jeong Dawoon is bothered. Jeong Dawoon.”
Dawoon shook his head vigorously, conscious of the faint remnants of Jeong Dawoon’s emotions remaining inside him. As if imitating such a Dawoon, the cat also shook his small face left and right.
“Let’s wash up first.”
Carefully supporting the cat stuck to his shoulder, he ran hot water in the bathtub. Sitting on the edge of the warmly heating bathtub, he soothed his unsettled feelings from Ryu Taeha’s one phone call.
Dawoon now had a new goal. To learn about the characters in the novel in detail.
Knowing them better would help prevent the bad ending. Until now, he’d been so focused on the plot that he hadn’t properly thought to understand them.
He wanted to know in detail not just the protagonist Ryu Taeha, but also the past Yeoul had lived through. And Baek Suho, who might appear at any time.
“But will he even appear…”
Dawoon, who had been mulling over the novel’s content that was developing differently from reality, suddenly opened his eyes wide.
Meow!
The cat pressed firmly on his cheek and helped correct his unfocused gaze. Only then did Dawoon look down at the hot water that had risen to just before overflowing in the bathtub.
“Ah…!”
He immediately turned the faucet and drained the water. If the cat hadn’t told him, the water would have overflowed.
“Wow, thank you.”
Dawoon hugged the cat tightly and showered him with praise. It was the moment when he muttered that he should stop thinking and hurry up and wash, pulling down his thin drawers.
Meooow!
‘Yes! Take it off first!’
Suho, whose fur stood on end watching the underwear fly off, shouted loudly. His tail rose high as if it would ascend to heaven, pressed flat against Dawoon’s smooth cheek.
“Don’t want to get in the water? Want to stay out?”
Dawoon, who misunderstood seeing Suho whose voice had suddenly gotten louder, tried to enter the bathtub alone without him. At this, Suho flinched and flailed his legs toward the splashing water, showing enthusiasm for the half-body bath.
Meow! Meow!
‘I’m getting in! I’m doing it too!’
Dawoon, who gained energy from seeing Suho, who had been drooping, act lively, grinned and soaked in the bathtub together. Suho, embraced deeply by Dawoon, put strength into his sore throat and kept swaying his tail.
Actually, his body condition wasn’t good enough to enter the water, but he resolutely participated in the half-body bath. Because he couldn’t miss the opportunity to see Dawoon’s pretty body in detail and touch it directly.
“Are you okay? Not scared?”
Dawoon wrapped around the back of Suho, who was tightly held by him, and gradually poured water over his pure white body.
‘Scared? I’m dying of happiness.’
Grrr, Suho, who purred pleasantly in his throat, slowly closed his eyes at the sensation of his fur getting wet. The warm energy seeping into his body felt very good.
“Seems you like it.”
Dawoon, who chuckled seeing Suho’s expression loosening up, also leaned his back against the bathtub. The spacious bathtub had room left even when Dawoon, who was over 180cm tall, stretched his legs.
Money sure is nice. To have a bathroom with a bathtub inside a private bedroom. Looking at the environment alone, Dawoon had quite comprehensive conditions for happiness.
Though there was a lot of work, he received compensation for it, and thanks to belonging to a famous guild, he was welcomed wherever he went. Compared to his firefighter days when he was cursed at or even sued after saving people, this was excellent treatment.
However, Dawoon was anxious despite being able to enjoy all this. It was because he knew both the end of Sau Guild that Dawoon belonged to and the conclusion of this world.
So there was no way he could just enjoy it. Separate from the environment, his physical condition wasn’t good either.
Dawoon, who had closed his eyes tightly, rubbed his face with wet hands, then looked down at the cat lying on his chest. Seeing the creature peacefully singing a purring song, he felt like all the worries piled up in his heart went down.
Animal therapy really is the best.
Dawoon stroked the soaking wet white back and kissed every corner of the small body.
“Let’s sweat it out and then get out. That way you won’t catch a cold either.”
Grrr. Grr.
A pleasant vibration rang from the cat’s throat. It was the sound the cat made when his mood reached its peak.
Dawoon enjoyed that mysterious sound and deeply soaked his body in the hot water. The warm temperature of the water gave both of them drowsiness.
Especially Suho was quite satisfied just to be lying in a cramped space naked alone with Dawoon.
The two enjoyed the half-body bath with similar expressions. It was a very comfortable time except for Suho intermittently sticking his face into the water like diving, or Dawoon changing positions several times because his tail touched between his thighs.
“Stay still. Why are you so excited?”
Suho, who had mastered the art of swimming alone, flailed his short legs and dove, then soon came up with a puh-. Dawoon, who had no idea he’d gone to look between his legs, just found him cute.
Meow.
‘Because you’re pretty. Seriously.’
As if he hadn’t finished admiring yet, Suho took a breath—hah!—and tried to go back into the water. Dawoon, who stopped this, fished out his soaking wet body.
“You like the water that much?”
‘No, I like you.’
“Should we take half-body baths often?”
‘Yeah, let’s do it every day. Let’s do it exactly ten times a day. No, a hundred times.’
Meow, meow—. Seeing Suho singing away, Dawoon giggled with a curious face.
“They say cats originally hate water. You especially like it, right?”
‘Everyone would if they were doing this with you. So only bathe with me.’
The soaking wet tail wrapped around Dawoon’s neck. Suho, who hugged Dawoon with his tail instead of his short legs, placed his paws on his chest.
Meow.
‘Don’t do things like this with other guys.’
The white face that leaned in as if to even kiss Dawoon meowed chattering away.
‘I’m holding back because it’s me. You know? You’re too lewd.’
Dawoon, who couldn’t possibly know the meaning of the cries, just watched Suho chattering away with his chin resting languidly.
‘And you have no sense of caution. If you’re going to be this pretty, you should act more prickly. With fly bastards swarming around—.’
Suho’s body, which had been chattering away without even breathing, suddenly lost balance and swayed for a moment. He’d tried to knead on Dawoon’s wet chest but ended up missing his footing.
Nyaa—.
Because he was a kitten, his weight was concentrated in his head, so his body tilted forward. Because of that, Suho’s muzzle bumped right into Dawoon’s nipple.
Dawoon flinched, and Suho inwardly shouted in triumph while opening his small mouth with the most innocent face in the world.
