Humans really love to brag.
Just look at social media these days.
Some brag about how they made easy money from stocks,
while others show off their foreign cars, laughing with the price tags still attached.
But they are wrong.
Right now, at this moment, I am above them.
This is what I call,
“True effortless living.”
My workplace is the cat’s room.
My duties include petting and complimenting the cat.
There are no bosses, no mandatory company dinners, and absolutely no overtime.
“This is the life… no, this is the cat’s life.”
All of this is a benefit that I enjoy thanks to the cat, so I’ve made a decision.
From now on, I will live as a cat person, not a dog person.
So, from now on, it’s not “dog life,” it’s “cat life.”
“There you are, Butterfly.”
As soon as the cat heard my voice, it slowly rose and approached.
It rubbed its face against my leg, then licked my cheek with its rough tongue.
“Hey, that’s a bit ticklish.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at the affectionate gesture.
I didn’t expect such a large cat to be so affectionate.
Generally, cats treat humans as their servants and only come to them when needed,
but this one always greets me first, which feels different.
It must have been a dog in its past life.
“Were you really a dog in your past life?”
At that, Butterfly looked at me coldly.
It seemed to be saying, “What did you just say?”
It must have some pride as a cat.
Of course, it’s impossible, but for a moment, I wondered if it could really understand me.
But there was one thing I was concerned about.
The fact that Butterfly doesn’t eat meals separately.
When I first received the management schedule, I was taken aback.
There was no designated meal time in the daily plan.
I worried something might be wrong,
but the staff member beside me smiled and said,
“Don’t worry. This cat eats a lot at once, so it only needs a meal occasionally.”
At first, I didn’t quite understand, but over time, I just accepted it.
Anyway, these days, I’ve been feeling extremely happy.
“Maybe it’s because I haven’t overexerted myself lately…?”
Surprisingly, while spending time with Butterfly, I could feel my body gradually improving.
The chronic back pain that had followed me like a shadow every time I worked hard has almost disappeared, and it’s much lighter when I wake up in the morning.
“Or maybe it’s because I don’t have to worry about money anymore? Heh.”
Today, marking the 30th day since I started working here,
the weight of the debt that had been crushing my shoulders is much lighter.
“Meow~”
While I was lost in thought, Butterfly slowly approached and meowed.
Its quiet gesture of rubbing its head against my leg felt like it was reassuring me, saying, “Things will get better.”
“Are you comforting me?”
“Meow~”
It could be my imagination, but it seemed like Butterfly was nodding.
“Thank you. I’ll make a lot of money and live a proper life. I’ll date and meet lots of beautiful women.”
But there was still one real worry that I couldn’t share.
My mother, who is lying in the hospital.
My father passed away, and my mother, left alone, overworked herself to pay off debts and eventually collapsed due to illness.
She’s still in a hospital bed, unable to get up, and I want to raise money for surgery to make her healthy again.
I gently petted Butterfly’s head.
“Thank you so much.”
All the hope that made me believe this could be solved was thanks to Butterfly.
[Crackle… Ah! Ah! Can you hear me?]
Just as I was lost in my emotions, a distorted voice came from the speaker.
[Kim Min-woo, could you come out for a moment?]
It was one of the staff members managing the place.
“Butterfly, I’ll be right back.”
I petted Butterfly’s head and quietly stood up.
And just as I was about to take a step…
“Don’t go.”
•Huh?
It sounded like someone called my name.
I reflexively turned around.
But there, was the familiar cat.
As always, Butterfly just sat quietly, gazing at me.
…Was it my imagination?
I forced a wry smile.
Maybe I was just a little tired.
But then,
Butterfly’s tail, for a moment, just for a brief moment, seemed to split into two.
I rubbed my eyes and looked again, and as always, it was just one.
‘It must have been a mistake…’
I left the room like that.
However, the subtle feeling of being watched from behind
never faded away.
Kukung—
The heavy soundproof door opened, and Kim Min-woo walked in with a relaxed expression.
He greeted with a bright smile and a casual hello.
“Nice to see you again. Hello.”
The staff member was momentarily at a loss for words.
He was perfectly fine today.
Too fine.
In fact, it made her skin crawl.
‘How can he be so calm… Is he even human?’
The staff member quickly checked the checklist in her hand and marked it.
[No abnormalities in the subject’s condition – V]
She marked it, but her heart was far from reassured.
Cold sweat trickled down her spine.
“Have you noticed anything unusual while interacting with Butterfly recently?”
“No. In fact, I think we’ve become closer. Lately, she even licks my cheek. It’s cute, but a little ticklish.”
“…I see.”
That wasn’t something you could call ‘cute’…
The staff member muttered to herself.
The Bakenecko is a cruel creature that sucks the life force from humans.
Once you make eye contact, it’s over.
Contact meant death.
Yet, this man was being affectionately treated by the creature.
Just that fact didn’t make sense.
“So, how is your health? Any issues with sleep, meals, or fatigue?”
“No, actually, I feel even better than before. I’ve been sleeping well lately, and the chronic back pain has almost disappeared. It’s a bit embarrassing, but I’ve started taking better care of myself recently… haha.”
Kim Min-woo laughed nonchalantly.
Seeing that ordinary smile, the staff member’s fingers trembled.
A person who should be weakening and dying was growing healthier.
‘Could it be…?’
A sinister thought crossed her mind.
Could he be a special agent from the Abnormal Creatures Bureau?
But she quickly shook her head.
If that were the case, he wouldn’t be so careless.
Plus, after several rounds of verification, Kim Min-woo was just a “young man supporting his single mother.”
The only unusual thing was his eyes.
His eyes were too piercing.
They were human eyes, yet just making eye contact made her feel fear.
Somehow, it felt like she was looking at a creature.
But, she couldn’t judge a human by their appearance.
The staff member repeated the thought to herself, almost like she was reassuring herself.
‘He’s normal. That man is… just an ordinary human.’
She glanced at the next experiment plan on the table.
Contact with creatures other than Bakenecko.
It was an order from above.
They wanted to expose him to other creatures as well.
Since there were no meaningful results from just the Bakenecko, they were instructed to move to the next phase.
The staff member carefully asked without raising her head.
“Mr. Kim Min-woo… Have you ever interacted with any animals other than cats…?”
BEEEEE—!!
A piercing siren cut through the conversation.
Red warning lights blinked loudly from the ceiling.
The staff member instinctively jumped to her feet.
Her lips were dry, but she didn’t show it as she opened her mouth.
“Mr. Kim Min-woo, I think it’s time for you to leave early today.”
“Is something happening? The siren is going off…”
“No, it’s nothing. We have a drill scheduled for internal evacuation today, and I failed to inform you earlier. You don’t need to stay, you can leave early. Don’t worry, you’ll still get your compensation.”
“Oh! Thank you. Really, this is… no, it’s like ‘cat life’!”
Min-woo stood up with a bright smile and left.
He casually added,
“Well then, I’ll go say goodbye to Butterfly. Greeting is the basics of social life, right?”
The staff member couldn’t respond.
Was he really going to say a kind farewell to that monster?
Even after Min-woo left the room, the staff member remained frozen in place.
“What exactly is that man…?”
He turned his body to move, but unknowingly ran his hand over his own knuckles.
For some time now, the chill wouldn’t go away.
Nevertheless, the staff member hurried.
There was a more urgent issue at hand.
The siren pierced the air, sounding sorrowful.
“…I hope it’s just a malfunction again.”
But his intuition was shouting that this siren was different from the usual.
“Is something really wrong?”
Walking down the empty hallway, I mumbled to myself.
Normally, someone would be here, but today, there was not a single sound.
Early departure was usually a good thing, but something about it felt off.
“Could something have happened to our Butterfly?”
He was obedient and kind to a fault.
In just a month, I had grown attached to him.
Maybe now, because of that strange siren, something has happened to Butterfly… I worried.
“I was told the staff would take good care of him after I leave…”
I wanted to believe he would be okay.
“Still, follow the manual when leaving.”
I opened the manual I was given.
In the digital age, it felt strange to be using paper documents, this company was quite peculiar.
No, it was strange that the building was so massive that a manual was needed just to leave.
“This place really has a lot of rooms…”
The structure of the building was like a maze, and the corridors that opened up each day were different.
Having to manually check the “allowed zones” that changed every day seemed outdated.
But this manual also had information about Butterfly.
What snacks he liked, which parts of him to pet, and his behaviors when tired.
It was like the “rules” I had been given on interview day.
I followed the designated route to the elevator, thinking about what to eat after work and what shows to catch up on.
But then—
“Ah?!”
My foot slipped.
I almost lost my balance from stepping on something hard.
“What is this…?”
I bent down and saw “something” scattered on the floor.
Pieces covered in blood.
A person’s… arm.
Leg.
Fingers.
“Ugh…!”
My stomach turned.
As I turned my head, an even more horrific scene came into view.
A trail of blood stretched across the hallway to a half-open door at the end.
There were sounds of someone crying, groaning, and…
Something continuing from the blood…
And then,
“AAAARGH-!!”
A scream that tore through the throat.
“…!”
At that moment, my body froze instinctively.
I—I just wanted to leave work.
I cautiously turned my head.
And I saw something I shouldn’t have seen.
A cage.
Inside the cage, a giant dog-like “monster” was…
Holding a person’s head in its mouth.
“A dog? No, this is… what is this…?”
It seemed like a toy,
Shaking, biting, and tossing the person’s head around, as if playing with a ball.
Its eyes met mine.
It seemed to be smiling.
At least, that’s what it looked like.
But what was even more chilling
Was the humans who were watching this scene and doing nothing.