Cat Therapy Chapter 1.6

As much as that, no matter how identical a long-haired black cat he brought, it would be exposed as fake in no time. Rather than that, it would be better to bring Haedong back for now, wait for the controversy and public interest to die down, and then prepare other countermeasures.

Soon, his sister said with a sigh.

“…Then keep him until this variety show filming ends. When you go on hiatus after filming that, follow my opinion.”

“Your opinion, noona? Anyway, if it’s not my countermeasure, there’s no answer, so what are you going to do.”

“You’re the one who didn’t even think of reporting the thief in the first place.”

“……”

On that part, he had nothing to say. In fact, it was just that reporters were annoying, and reporting Haedong was the easiest method, but Seo Yongwoo did not want to do that.

Because he was his cat.

On top of that, if the guy’s identity was revealed, public opinion would become even more uproarious, and he did not know what would happen to the young one’s life. Knowing how terrifying people’s hardened words or perceptions could be once set, he did not want Haedong to go through that.

Then, with a sudden thought, Seo Yongwoo paused. It felt unfamiliar that he was thinking of another person like this.

Seeming to notice that sign, his sister said with a face full of pity.

“Father’s will was to please live like a tiger. Is that so hard?”

“Who’s judging who. You’re the one meeting a wolf pup.”

“Is that comparable to the guy who brought home an unlucky black cat?”

“…Say that one more time.”

Rarely, Seo Yongwoo bared his fangs and threatened. His sister was considerably startled and made a face as if it was absurd, but she glared back at him just as murderously. Meanwhile, the manager sitting between them hesitantly said things like, um, please calm down, but the two did not even pretend to hear.

The one who reacted belatedly was his sister. His sister gathered her belongings and sneered at her younger brother.

“If you have any sense left, answer tomorrow’s contact on time. This is the last warning.”

“Shut up and get out of my territory right now.”

Seo Yongwoo pointed toward the entrance without even looking and said. He told the manager who was handing over documents to go for now in his own way nicely, but since his patience had reached its limit, a subtle growling sound mixed in. The manager did not know what to do but said he would contact tomorrow and left the house.

“……”

Soon, silence fell inside the house.

Seo Yongwoo leaned his neck fully against the sofa backrest and looked up at the ceiling with tired eyes. Out of stuffiness, his thick Adam’s apple rippled. Because of the controversy, what on earth was he doing? Seo Yongwoo slowly opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling.

He felt exactly like a tiger in a zoo enclosure.

No matter the circumstances, it was ridiculous that he was just a spectacle to watch. It was a familiar sensation for Seo Yongwoo, who had lived as an actor for a long time, but he found himself pathetic for gradually wanting to rebel and go in an unreasonable direction.

And yet, his mind did not change, which was also strange. After all, he did not want to sue Haedong, nor did he want to throw his cat back out on the street.

“Ha…”

Soon, Seo Yongwoo rose from his seat with a hollow laugh. It was to see his cat, who was the culprit of this incident.

Come to think of it, the bathroom had been quiet since earlier.

*

Knock knock knock.

“Dodong.”

No sound of water came from the bathroom.

Even when Seo Yongwoo knocked on the door, only a frantic rustling sound came from inside. That much would not have been heard without the sensitive hearing of a beastman.

‘What mischief is he up to now.’

Seo Yongwoo scowled fiercely between his brows and considered just opening the door, but he exercised patience and clenched his fist to thud heavily on the door. It was his own last warning.

Thud thud thud.

“I’ll wash up.”

Haedong answered hurriedly from inside. Seo Yongwoo did not believe those words and flung the door open. He felt that Haedong’s voice was trembling faintly.

“……”

As soon as he opened the door, his eyes met something cat-like that startled and widened its eyes roundly. Seo Yongwoo was also inwardly surprised and examined him closely.

Haedong was still fully clothed and huddled with his knees in the bathtub. In the bright light, it was all visible that the kid was covered in grime, and his pale face and reddened delicate eye corners looked pitiful. Seo Yongwoo approached him with a sigh.

“Why are you hiding and crying.”

Before opening the door, he had thought of scolding him because of all sorts of suspicions, but a worried sigh came out first. At that simple question, Haedong made a face as if he wanted to run away right then.

He had probably heard the raised voices with his sister outside. It would have been scary with the tigers fighting, saying he was a thief, to report him, to chase him out.

He thought of soothing him, but Seo Yongwoo was not the type for such tenderness. Still, seeing the small guy huddled in the bathtub with teary eyes made him worry, so he went closer. When he crouched down crookedly right next to the bathtub, his large build cast a shadow over Haedong as much as his size.

“What did you do right to cry.”

“It’s because I did wrong…”

The kid was watching his reaction but answered back well.

But seeing the frightened eyes brimming with tears, Seo Yongwoo could not bring himself to nag more, and with a sigh, he grabbed a towel hanging on the side and roughly wiped Haedong’s tears.

“I won’t report you, so just wash up and sleep.”

“Uh, that…”

Perhaps because Seo Yongwoo’s touch was rough, Haedong could not even answer properly.

Still, seeming relieved, his face had settled from the earlier sensitivity. He looked very tired and exhausted, and the hand pushing away Seo Yongwoo’s arm had no strength. Looking at his grubby appearance, it was clear he had worked endlessly in the bar warehouse. No wonder, he recalled the day he first brought the cat home.

He could not do more with the crying kid. It would be better to roughly wash him and put him to bed. Having decided that, Seo Yongwoo explained slowly in a gentle tone.

“If you heard the talk outside, you know what the situation is, right?”

“A little, yes.”

He was clearly speaking nicely, but Haedong tensed up fully. As Seo Yongwoo spoke in his characteristic slow tone, the sound echoed in the bathroom space, making his voice sound even heavier.

“I’m going to do the variety show filming again, so just live as the mischievous cat like before.”

“……”

“And don’t reveal your identity anywhere, and unconditionally follow what I say.”

This time, Seo Yongwoo sat on the edge of the bathtub. His characteristic three-white eyes looking down at Haedong stood sharply. He was giving considerable consideration to the circumstances in his own way, but Haedong’s face was drained white as if he was being threatened.

“And after that, well…”

Seo Yongwoo fell into thought for a moment.

Anyway, the additional movie filming would end soon, and he planned to go on hiatus then, so by that time, public interest would have died down. Then, he could send Haedong away and make an excuse that the cat was left with family due to work.

The agency said they would find a similar cat to Haedong, but he absolutely did not want to let another cat by his side. Already, for Seo Yongwoo, the cat was only Dodong.

‘If only this guy had been a real cat, I would have raised him to the end.’

If so, he would have given affection and taken care of him for life himself. No, even if he was a beastman, if he had not been a thief, he might have grown fond of him as beastman to beastman. He was the type who grasped situations well and was transparent in his own way. On top of that, his face was somewhat to his taste.

At that moment, Haedong, who had been silent throughout, asked hesitantly.

“Do I really have to pretend to be a cat… even for the broadcast…?”

“Why?”

“……”

He said no more, but Haedong’s expression fully revealed his discomfort. As if trying to hide his expression, he awkwardly lowered his gaze and looked elsewhere insincerely, which only made his dislike more obvious.

In fact, for a beastman to pretend to be an animal was a humiliating thing.

Unlike beastmen, animals were much more instinctual and had intelligence around three or four years old, so they were sometimes treated like children by beastmen of the same species. To Haedong, it probably sounded like pretending to be a lisping child making short-tongued sounds.

Seo Yongwoo naturally recalled the cheeky thing Haedong had said earlier.

‘Living as a cat is hard, so I don’t think I can do it anymore.’

At the time, he had brushed it off because he was preoccupied, but it was somehow a subtle statement.

“Was living as my cat that hard?”

It was not sarcastic but genuine curiosity, but Haedong leaned his body to the opposite side of the bathtub as if frightened. Contrary to his timid demeanor, his words were honest.

“It was, hard.”

“…What on earth?”

Not believing it, Seo Yongwoo asked again with a face that said he absolutely did not understand. He clearly only had memories of treating him well.

Seeing that, Haedong instead made an aggrieved face and said.

“You keep prowling around when I’m trying to rest, and even when I ignore you, you keep talking to me. You groom my whole body by kneading it, suddenly pick me up saying let’s sleep together, kiss out of nowhere… And once, you stared at my chest so closely, saying what that bump was.”

“……”

On that, Seo Yongwoo had nothing to say and could not open his mouth. He had not known cat nipples were that small. After that day, a scratch from the cat remained on his indifferent eye corners, making his impression even rougher.

Haedong, still humiliated, muttered while hugging his knees tightly.

“Even when I’m there, you shower and come out naked every day, keep patting my butt…”

“That, you liked too.”

“Ah, no, I didn’t.”

Seo Yongwoo burst into an absurd hollow laugh. For sensitive feline beasts, casually invading each other’s territory was discourteous in itself. But Haedong had many complaints even though he had deceived him by pretending to be a cat all that time. Finding that ridiculous, he asked lowly in a mocking tone.

“So, bringing home a stray cat and treating him well seemed perverted.”

“…A little.”

As expected, it would be better if he just kept his mouth shut. Seo Yongwoo lowered his head and laughed like a sigh. In fact, he could not hide his tired demeanor, so the atmosphere naturally grew heavy. Seeming to sense that keenly, Haedong huddled automatically.

“Dodong…”

At the end of a long sigh, Seo Yongwoo spoke lowly. No matter how young and green the guy was, he was in no mood to accept such whining. The stress from the misunderstandings he had received so far was severe enough, and he had no intention of considering the circumstances of the guy who had made a big blemish on his actor life and even committed theft.

Seeing his attitude, it really would not do.

“It’s strange.”

“What’s…?”

Seo Yongwoo deliberately let out a long hollow sigh with a leisurely smile. He scanned Haedong from face to whole body with his eyes, then twisted his mouth into a smile.