“Hello, Auntie.”
“You could’ve at least said something when you arrived.”
“I wasn’t here for a meal, so I didn’t want to make it a big deal…”
Auntie let out a small chuckle as she glanced up and down at Song Hyunsoo.
“Didn’t know you were the type to worry about stuff like that.”
Hyunsoo scratched his cheek and smiled sheepishly.
Auntie came out with fresh kibble and water, crouching down in front of the calico cat.
“No reservations from the film company today?”
“I was just passing by. Had some time before another appointment.”
Hyunsoo sat down next to her.
“Seems like you’ve got a lot of free time.”
“Won’t last. I’ll be up to my ears at work soon enough, haha.”
“You’ve got a smooth tongue. I like that.”
Pouring kibble into the dish, Auntie glanced over at Hyunsoo and gave a satisfied nod.
The calico cat rubbed against her shin, purring contentedly, and the kittens followed her as well— except for the one with the spot by its nose.
“You’ll feel a bit lonely once two of them get adopted, won’t you?”
“Lonely, my foot. It’ll be a relief not having to wait on them. I just hope someone steps up for the other two soon.”
Hyunsoo looked at her sidelong, amused by how she kept up her gruff act, true to her tsundere reputation.
“But Auntie, what happens if none of them get adopted?”
“What else? They’ll follow in their mother’s pawprints and grow up to be fine strays.”
“Do mothers take care of them until they’re independent?”
“They’re no different from humans.”
“…”
“Some mothers pass on their territory when the time comes, to help their kittens grow independent. Others just abandon the ones they think won’t survive. It all depends.”
Hyunsoo looked down quietly at the kitten that never left its mother’s side.
It was the scruffiest of the bunch, and the least affectionate.
He doubted anyone would want to adopt it.
If it had to live as a stray, he wasn’t sure it’d make it.
“If you’re that hung up on one, why not take it home? You’ve come all this way just to check on them. Must be on your mind.”
Noticing where Hyunsoo’s gaze had gone, Auntie nudged him with her elbow.
“No, it’s not that. I really was just in the area and thought of dropping by.”
“That’s a weird kind of stubbornness, but fine, I’ll pretend I believe you.”
“I can’t keep one in my current place anyway. And… I’m kind of scared.”
Auntie picked up one of the kittens and held it up to his face.
“Scared this little guy’s gonna eat you alive?”
“Not that. I’m afraid I won’t take proper care of it. I’ve never raised a pet before.”
“Not even a dog when you were a kid?”
“No.”
Like most kids, Hyunsoo had wanted a pet growing up.
He’d begged, pleaded, even thrown tantrums on the floor.
But just like when he asked for a pair of Nike sneakers, it was no use.
No matter how much he cried and screamed, nothing changed.
Do you have any idea how much work and money goes into taking care of a dumb animal that can’t even talk?
His grandfather had said, without blinking even as Hyunsoo sobbed to the point of choking.
“Hmm. For someone with no experience, these little ones sure seem to like you.”
“Is that what this is?”
“Even these guys can sense danger by instinct. Survival depends on it.”
“…”
“Guess they figured you were a softie.”
She grinned as Hyunsoo frowned, clearly stung.
“You’re not a kid, but watching you go back and forth is kind of entertaining.”
“That’s why I called you a tsundere, Auntie.”
Auntie gently stroked the calico’s back as it ate, and Hyunsoo played with the kittens, filming them on his phone.
They sat there side by side for a while, bickering like a comedy duo.
Maybe it was because it felt like spending time with his grandmother back home, but no matter how prickly and tsundere she acted, “Kurine” Auntie felt strangely comfortable, like someone he’d known forever.
“My girl’s getting surgery soon.”
Hyunsoo turned around sharply in his seat.
“Surgery? Is she sick?”
“Spaying.”
“Oh…”
Auntie explained briefly that the local government offered a program where stray cats could be captured and spayed or neutered for free.
“So that means Samsaeki can’t have kittens anymore?”
“Samsaeki?”
“The mom cat. That’s the name I gave her— she’s got brown, black, and white fur. Three colors.”
“Hm. Guess your wife should name your kids in the future.”
He couldn’t believe he was hearing the exact same line one of his fans had said to him on social media— now from Auntie Kurine.
“Wow… Auntie, that’s kinda low.”
“What is?”
With a smug gesture, Hyunsoo pointed toward the restaurant behind them.
“‘Kurine’ isn’t exactly the most elegant name either, is it?”
“What’s wrong with Kurine?”
“You run a pork restaurant and call it Kurine? That’s about as one-dimensional as ‘Samsaeki,’ don’t you think, Auntie?”
“Dimensional? Well, listen to you, using fancy words now.”
“Oh come on, you’re underestimating me. And think about it— ‘Kurine’ could totally be misheard as ‘Kurine.’”
“What’s ‘Kurine’?”
“It means gross. Like, totally lame. Booooooo.”
Hyunsoo made a booing sound and gave a thumbs-down gesture, which earned him a light smack on the head from Auntie with the bottom of a rice bowl.
“Shows what you know. Our food is so good it’s sweet as honey— that’s why it’s called Kurine!”
“Oh…”
As the bowl tapped his head, Hyunsoo felt like he’d been hit with a sudden realization.
“So that’s why the sign has a pig eating honey?”
“Exactly! And you call yourself an actor? You should be more observant.”
Sure enough, the restaurant sign showed a pig hugging a honey jar, devouring honey over a plate of jokbal.
He’d thought it was a knockoff Winnie the Pooh or something.
Who would’ve guessed there was a layered meaning behind the name Kurine?
As much as it stung his pride, he had to admit defeat.
As he glanced at Auntie’s triumphant face, his eyes slowly shifted to the mother cat she was gently petting.
“Auntie… I don’t really know much about this stuff, but… is the surgery good for her?”
“If she doesn’t get it, she might get pregnant again right after giving birth. Life’s already hard enough as a stray— having more babies would just make things worse. These little ones are still too young to get it done, though.”
She gestured toward the kittens bouncing around playfully, then picked up the empty bowls and water bottle and stood.
“We’ve got some leftovers from lunch with the family. Want a bowl of bibimbap and some doenjang stew before you go?”
“Nah, I should head out. I’ve got an appointment at two.”
“All right, then.”
She didn’t insist.
Just turned away coolly.
Even as she scooped up a tabby brushing against her calf and meowing to be picked up, her eyes scanned for the one with the mole by his nose.
Hyunsoo’s gaze lingered on that kitten— the one hovering near his mother, looking lost and unsure.
■
Yoon Jooho was sprawled out on the living room sofa, wearing a deep navy robe over a simple set of loungewear.
Arms firmly crossed over his chest, he had flipped his script upside down and laid it across his face.
On the TV opposite the sofa, celebrities on a variety show were split into teams, playing games.
Laughter flowed non-stop from the low volume speakers.
Some people had spent the whole weekend looking forward to today, almost arriving an hour early.
Meanwhile, someone else was comfortably napping in the middle of the day.
Jooho hadn’t done anything wrong, but a strange sense of injustice began to well up inside him.
“I didn’t sleep much last night. Barely got two hours. Let him sleep a little longer, yeah?”
The room manager whispered softly, gently tugging at Song Hyunsoo’s elbow.
He led Hyunsoo to a room upstairs.
Since it was Hyunsoo’s first time on the second floor, he glanced around curiously as he followed.
“Hyunsoo.”
“Yes?”
“Excuse me a second.”
Stopping in front of a door, the manager turned back toward Hyunsoo with an apologetic look and gestured toward something.
A digital lock was installed on the door.
“Oh, right!”
Hyunsoo quickly turned around.
It was a different door than the one Jooho had emerged from after his shower— this one had a keypad lock.
Beep beep beep beep, beep beep beep, beep, beep.
Only after punching in a nine-digit code did the lock finally release.
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