The interview room Kim Min-woo entered and the situation that followed.
In a room shrouded in darkness, a man cautiously took a step forward.
In his hand, like everyone else, was the ‘Butterfly’ rule card.
- Do not make eye contact.
- Use polite manners and formal language.
- Bow your head, and stay silent for 3 seconds while slowly turning your back.
- Absolutely no physical contact.
“Ha… what is all this…”
The man sneered.
There’s a saying that even a dog has it good, but this was clearly over the top.
Why does a cat need to be bowed to?
“Try lowering that 660,000 won by even a little. I’ll report it straight to the Labor Department!”
But still, 660,000 won was something he could endure.
The man, leisurely scanning his surroundings, froze his gaze on something in the corner of the room.
A form crouched like a shadow.
It was too large to be called a cat.
A foreleg as thick as a forearm, sleek black fur, and…
Eyes that seemed like they would suck you in.
“Uh?!”
The man instinctively flinched.
His brain screamed that he had to run, that it was dangerous.
But… 660,000 won.
And the kids at home waiting for him, clinging to his ankles.
He gritted his teeth and slowly followed the rules, bowing his head.
His breathing was cautious.
But at that moment…
“…Hm?”
The trembling eyes met his.
No, the Bakeneko swallowed his gaze.
The cat didn’t move, but its stare was intense.
It felt like those eyes were penetrating deep into the man’s memories.
As though it was peeling away the layers of his life, one by one.
“Uh… uh… uh…”
His mouth opened, but no sound came out.
Light vanished from his eyes.
His skin turned pale, and then, he knelt.
A twisted smile.
A breath as if sobbing.
“Ha… hahaha…”
The cat quietly rested its chin on his knee.
The man, with a gaze full of love, reached out.
“So cute… really… so lovable…”
And then, he petted it.
A forbidden gesture.
From the tips of his fingers, vitality began to drain away slowly.
“…I… I’ll give you everything… for you…”
Click.
The emergency button in the observation room was pressed, and when the door opened, two agents entered.
The man made no resistance.
The rule card that fell from his hand landed with a soft thud on the floor.
And the first line of the rule card, blown by the wind, was visible.
- Do not make eye contact.
[Observation Log]
Subject Name: Bakeneko
Experiment Subject: Experiment Participant #33
Date: 20XX March 4, 10:37 AM
Experiment Objective: To measure the contact response with Bakeneko
[Summary]
- The subject entered the room after thoroughly familiarizing themselves with the rules.
- The initial response was almost textbook, but the subject voluntarily attempted eye contact.
- Afterward, the subject exhibited rapid physiological and mental deterioration, entering a state of self-dissolution.
[Conclusion]
- Bakeneko maintains an inherently hostile reaction towards humans.
- The previous rules have proven ineffective in cases such as this, with only Kim Min-woo being an exception.
- Therefore, Kim Min-woo is the only subject capable of special interaction with the entity.
[Action Required]
- Further long-term observation and behavioral data collection on Kim Min-woo is necessary.
- Prepare a report for higher-ups, classifying him as a ‘sole responder.’
All cases recorded in this document are classified as sub-research logs for the upper project [Evolution].
All of the above records are to be treated as confidential.
Leaks are strictly prohibited, and verbal mention of any related facts is also restricted.
(Refer to Article 9-1 of the Confidentiality Agreement for penalties in case of violation.)
On the day I passed the interview and finished my high-paying part-time job, my bank account rejoiced with a shout.
“Yummy, master! Nom nom nom!”
Until now, I had only enjoyed meals worth 100,000 or 150,000 won, filled with my blood, sweat, and tears,
but suddenly I was filled with a massive meal worth 660,000 won.
That day, my bank account danced with joy.
[Payment was successfully processed.]
But the joy lasted only a moment.
As it happened, today was the day for the interest payment.
Like a ghost, the money vanished.
As a result, even the brief happiness evaporated in an instant like cotton candy.
As long as the automatic payment was linked, I wondered if the day would ever come when my bank account would know fullness.
My heart ached.
“Sorry, bank account… I’m sorry I’m so useless.”
No matter how many times I apologized, it never felt like enough.
Ding-
My phone rang mournfully.
Since I had no real relationships in my busy life, I was sure it was just another text asking for money.
“Please, stop taking it!”
There was no end to where the money was going.
Sighing, I checked the message, only to be met with an unexpected joy.
[Congratulations on being hired as a regular employee! Please report to the same location at 8 AM tomorrow.]
“Nice!!”
I shouted with joy.
All I had done was pet a cat, but apparently, the interviewers liked me.
“Surely that guy couldn’t forget my touch.”
Throughout the petting, the cat seemed deeply absorbed in my touch.
Until the moment I left the interview room, the cat never took its eyes off me.
It was like a dog waiting for its owner to return.
“Is this the kind of cat they call a ‘dog-cat’? I really like it.”
As a person who was paying,
I decided to treat the ‘butterfly’ with utmost respect from now on.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
I tensed up, thinking it might be a creditor, but quickly shook off the thought.
Strangely, since moving into this place, no creditor had come to visit.
Could it be…?
“Is it Eunseo?”
It was one of the few neighbors in the villa, Jeong Eunseo.
“Yes! Sorry for coming so late, but are you free?”
“Of course!”
I hurriedly looked into the mirror, checking if my hair was messy.
“Ah, geez!”
The man in the mirror looked as though he could eat someone alive with his fierce gaze.
“Even I think I look scary.”
I had heard this since I was young—how I looked fierce.
Anyone who made eye contact with me seemed frightened, and as a result, I found it difficult to interact with people.
“But Eunseo was different.”
Unlike others, she had approached me first and greeted me.
Her demeanor, treating me normally despite my appearance, touched me deeply.
“Have you been waiting long?”
I opened the door while trying to hide my nervousness.
Eunseo looked at me with her round eyes, like a little rabbit.
“No, I’m the one who came late, hehe.”
“It’s not late at all, it’s fine.”
I reassured her as I checked the time. It was 11 PM.
It was late, but who would reject a visit from such a beautiful woman?
“What brings you here?”
“Well… you know that book I lent you? I was wondering if you’ve read it.”
She lowered her head and stuttered slightly.
Her nervousness was rather cute.
‘Was she really this serious about a ghost story?’
This was bad.
I hadn’t read a single line of the book yet.
I had been so busy after the interview, with shopping and working out.
“Y-Yes, I’ve read it!”
I couldn’t disappoint her.
“Really?!”
Eunseo’s eyes lit up like a child receiving a gift.
“Which ghost story did you like the most?”
“Well… there were so many interesting stories…”
I stalled, quickly thinking.
Did I know any ghost stories?
Ghost stories were usually tales of strange and scary things that couldn’t happen in real life.
I didn’t believe in ghosts, but I vaguely recalled something I had seen today.
“Uh… the cat?”
The huge cat I had seen at the interview—the butterfly.
If there were ghost stories related to everyday life, I thought there might be something about cats.
“Ah! You mean the Bakeneko on page 184?”
“Yes…! That’s right! B-Bakeneko!”
Luckily, it seemed there really was such a story.
“Bakeneko, you see…”
Eunseo excitedly opened the book she was holding.
It was the same book she had lent me, with red letters on a white cover.
In the illustration in the book, there was a cat with two tails.
“It may look cute, but you have to be careful. It’s a dangerous one that sucks the life out of humans. Plus, it’s very smart and thinks it’s superior to humans…”
She continued her enthusiastic explanation.
“This isn’t in the book, but if it grows more tails, it’s said to transform into a human. It’s hard to distinguish, but one characteristic is that the transformed cat, when in a good mood, makes a ‘gya-ruru’ sound! Isn’t that interesting?”
Perhaps because I was about to face a ‘cat’ in my new job?
I felt a strange curiosity.
It wasn’t just because a beautiful woman was explaining it.
“Wow… Eunseo, your explanation is really easy to understand.”
“Really? I’m glad. I got a little too excited, didn’t I…? I’m happy you understand, Min-woo! Can we talk about it again sometime?”
“Of course!”
After a brief farewell with Eunseo, I was left alone, smiling to myself.
I had a slightly fun imagination.
‘A cat that transforms into a human…’
The butterfly I met today was clearly not an ordinary cat.
Its graceful and noble posture almost made it seem like a person.
What would it look like if such a beautiful cat transformed into a human?
I went to bed imagining that.
And as I fell into a deep sleep, I vaguely heard a sound near my ear.
Gya-ruru~
“Huh?”
What was that? It sounded like someone called my name.
But perhaps it was just the exhaustion.
I brushed it off and fell back into deep sleep.