“Jooho.”
But someone called Yoon Jooho in a subdued voice first.
Both Yoon Jooho and Song Hyunsoo turned their heads toward the sound.
Yoon Jooho’s manager was gesturing from the corner of the restaurant building.
After signaling that he’d be right there with a jerk of his chin, Yoon Jooho turned to Song Hyunsoo and asked,
“You’re going to smoke, right?”
“…Yeah.”
“Then wait for me. I’ll come back here.”
With that, he flicked away the half-smoked cigarette with his fingertips.
Tossing it onto the ground among the scattered butts, he strode off without waiting for Song Hyunsoo’s reply.
Song Hyunsoo stared blankly at Yoon Jooho’s retreating figure until it completely disappeared around the corner.
Then, despite no one watching, he muttered awkwardly to himself.
“W-what, am I supposed to just wait because he told me to? Huh?”
He kept up the act, as if he’d been unwillingly summoned by some unpleasant senior.
“How long am I supposed to wait? Ten minutes? An hour? A year?”
Still grumbling, he got up and picked up the cigarette butt Yoon Jooho had left behind, tossing it into the ashtray on the washbasin.
Then he scooped up the striped tail that kept following him and nuzzled his nose against it.
“He’s really ridiculous. Right, Jooho?”
Even as he called him ridiculous, a smile tugged at the corners of Song Hyunsoo’s lips.
Maybe it was because he was ridiculous that it made him laugh.
“What are you doing hugging a kitten and talking to yourself in the middle of the night?”
Startled by the sudden voice, Song Hyunsoo flinched, still holding the cat.
It was the Ajumma from Honey’s, carrying a bowl in her hands.
Song Hyunsoo rubbed the back of his neck and gave a sheepish laugh.
“Boring, huh?”
Ajumma snorted and walked past him.
He trailed after her, sniffing the delicious aroma wafting from the bowl she was carrying.
“Ajumma, are you guys raising these cats at Honey’s now?”
“Who’s raising them?”
“You’ve given them a home and feed them regularly.”
“So you’d just ignore a mother with her babies?”
Just like with Song Hyunsoo, the calico mother didn’t react warily even when the Ajumma approached her kittens.
Instead, she slowly walked over, meowing a couple of times as if greeting her.
The Ajumma clicked her tongue as she looked at the cat’s food bowl, still more than half full.
“If you don’t eat, you’re the one who’ll suffer. You’re in no position to be picky, you little rascal.”
Then she set down the bowl she was carrying.
It was samgyetang— chicken soup with thin shreds of hand-torn meat and a rich broth, cooled just enough so the cats could eat it comfortably.
The calico immediately showed interest.
Slurp, slurp.
She buried her head in the bowl, completely focused on eating.
Watching the back of her head, Song Hyunsoo was reminded of Jeong-ho for some reason.
Though the Ajumma acted like she was reluctantly taking care of them, her eyes softened with unmistakable pity as she watched the calico devour the samgyetang.
“Since last summer. The mother was wandering around the empty lot. Skinny as a rail— maybe she lost a territory fight or something. So I started leaving food and water whenever I saw her. Then one day, I noticed her belly was round. Winter was coming… What else could I do? Had to let her fatten up and get through the cold.”
“Ajumma, you’re the calico family’s savior.”
“Savior? Please. If she hadn’t been pregnant, I would’ve ignored her. Just didn’t want bad karma for turning away a mother with babies.”
Despite going out of her way to hand-shred chicken for them, hanging thick plastic curtains to block the wind at the entrance, and even laying down cozy blankets inside, she brushed it off as just not being able to ignore a pregnant animal.
She acted allergic to praise, as if kindness was something to be embarrassed about.
Song Hyunsoo smirked as he stroked the striped kitten’s back.
“Ajumma, you’re a tsundere.”
“What? What dress?”
“No, tsundere. Tsundere.”
“What’s that?”
How could he explain tsundere to an Ajumma who was probably well past her sixties?
Someone who acts cold but cares?
Pretends not to like something when they actually do?
No matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t quite put it into words.
“It’s a thing. A good thing.”
“Are you making fun of adults?”
“Ah, really? That’s nice.”
At least that was the intention behind my words, Auntie.
The aunt, who had been eyeing Song Hyunsoo with a suspicious expression, suddenly glanced downward.
She looked at the striped tail he was holding in his arms and said,
“Next week, when you come for the company dinner, let’s see where that little one is… This one, this one won’t be here. Say goodbye.”
Then she pointed to one of the other little ones— a black-furred one with its left eye covered.
“What about these two? Where are they going?”
“Someone’s already decided to take them.”
“This one too?” Song Hyunsoo pointed to the one in his arms and asked again.
“That’s what I said.”
“…That’s good. It was really affectionate toward people.”
Someday, it would have to become independent from its mother, so being adopted was a good thing.
It would live well, without worrying about heat, cold, clean water, a place to sleep, or food.
Still, the thought of not seeing the particularly affectionate little one anymore made me feel a pang of sadness.
Really, what’s wrong with me? It’s not like I saw it that many times.
“They’re regulars. Both of them already have cats, they said. They kept eyeing these two, so I took the chance to pass them off while they were still interested.”
“I see…”
So bothered that you covered the entrance with plastic for the kittens and even made samgyetang as a special treat for the calico, huh?
Yes, you must have been so bothered. I’ll take care of it for you.
“By the way, you’re an actor too, right?”
“Me? Yes…”
“I knew it. I don’t remember seeing you on TV, but you’ve got that look about you.”
“Really? Haha. Thank you.”
“Are you a rookie?”
“Yes, pretty much. A long-standing rookie.”
“Here, let’s take a selfie.”
A 60-something auntie who might not know the word tsundere but definitely knows selfies.
She pulled out her phone from her apron pocket, deftly switched to selfie mode, stretched her arm out, and made a heart with her fingers toward the screen.
“When you become a top star later, I’ll brag about it. That you were a regular at our place.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to take one with Senior Yoon Jooho instead?”
Song Hyunsoo, still holding the striped-tailed kitten, smiled brightly at the camera and made a V with his fingers.
Click.
The flash went off automatically because of the dim lighting.
“I already took one with His Highness the Crown Prince.”
To check if the photo turned out well, the aunt held her phone at a distance and squinted.
“Yoon Jooho— I mean, you took one with the senior?”
“Yeah, I already took one with him last week.”
She swiped through a few photos and showed the screen to Song Hyunsoo.
“Here, look. What do you think? Turned out well, right? I told my son to develop this, but that brat still hasn’t done it. After all these years, that kid…”
In the photo, Yoon Jooho had his arm draped affectionately over his aunt’s shoulder.
That mouth, which usually spits out nothing but snark, was curved in a faint smile.
With his flawless face smiling gently, he looked like a celestial being descended from heaven.
The aunt, beside him, was making the same heart gesture with her fingers, grinning like the happiest person in the world.
‘So sweet.’
Auntie and Yoon Jooho… A meeting of two tsunderes.
“It looks great!”
“Great? What’s so great about it?”
“Huh?”
“His Highness the Crown Prince’s photos don’t even capture half of how he looks in real life.”
Wait, Auntie.
That’s not what you said earlier.
‘What do you think? Turned out well, right?’ Weren’t those your exact words?
“He’s been adorable since he was little. Never had an awkward phase, that one.”
After taking another look at Yoon Jooho’s face in the photo, the aunt tucked her phone back into her apron pocket.
“Since you’re filming a movie with Yoon Jooho, you’ll be a star soon too.”
“If that happens, I’ll have no more wishes left.”
“Of course it’ll happen! Anything His Highness the Crown Prince appears in is a guaranteed hit. Remember that one guy… the one who looks like a refined chaebol heir… what’s his name? The one who was in the ‘Dracula’ drama with him.”
“Actor Jung Jin?”
Ajumma is so cute hehe. Love the tsunderes!!! 💖 💗 ❤️ 💕
Ofc, the lovely cat and kittens too. 😘🥰💖💕