Cat Therapy Chapter 2.3

Haedong bared his teeth with a grinding sound and ignored him, and over Seo Yongwoo’s monolid indifferent eyes, his thick eyebrows bent into an inverted V as if feeling hurt. Then, he scratched the cat’s chin with one finger and tilted his head diagonally downward slightly.

“What···. Did you not miss me?”

“······.”

If people who knew him saw this, they would be shocked enough to gasp. A tiger acting cute. To Haedong who was on the receiving end, it was just torture and a threat. A man with muscles twice as thick and robust chest fussing over him could not possibly not be a threat.

‘I missed, I missed you···.’

Haedong barely expressed it with body language. Rubbing his cheek against the other’s body meant that he had missed him, so when he hesitated and lightly pressed his cheek against the back of his hand, it seemed like Seo Yongwoo understood. He smiled very proudly, and Haedong felt like he was dying because he even had to pay attention to his body’s reactions.

Whether Seo Yongwoo was oblivious or doing it on purpose, he stroked the cat’s head with a face full of satisfaction.

“I bought new clothes today too, so try them on.”

‘It’s annoying···.’

“Come on.”

Even when Seo Yongwoo put the cat down on the floor, the cat just sat there blankly. He did not want to turn into a human. He was afraid that if they could communicate with words, Seo Yongwoo would become even more annoying.

“Shall I dress you?”

“······.”

Still, he could not ignore the tiger’s words, so Haedong pondered for about two more times, and only after slyly licking the tiger’s calf that smelled fresh after washing up did he slowly change his form and stand up naked. Seo Yongwoo draped a nightgown over that body. Haedong picked out a comfortable one among the various new clothes with an annoyed face.

While trying various clothes against Haedong’s body like that, Seo Yongwoo asked.

“What do you want to do with someone you like?”

“I. Just···.”

Here it comes.

In a sense of crisis, Haedong’s cat eye corners stood up sensitively. It seemed like Seo Yongwoo was trying to go on the date he had been mentioning since yesterday, but even if it was for the broadcast, he did not feel like it. Haedong fiddled with only the high-quality t-shirt and forced out the words.

“Spending each other’s time while respecting each other’s territories···.”

“Is that a date?”

“For a cat, it is a date.”

“Not for a tiger. Something else.”

Then, what on earth is a date for a tiger.

The common date for feline beastmen is to settle in sunny spots and groom each other, but Haedong absolutely did not want to groom a large beast like a tiger. Absolutely not.

Haedong thought of the safest place possible and explained diligently.

“I want to go to a peaceful place that is quiet but has a moderate number of people and an open surroundings.”

“Okay. Let’s go eat something delicious.”

Is this not just the tiger deciding on his own.

Haedong felt a bit dissatisfied, but since it was correct anyway, he obediently nodded his head. He did not have a choice anyway, and because of the gourmet food Seo Yongwoo fed him day by day, he had started to look forward to the menu a little now.

Haedong put on loose gray training pants, a white t-shirt underneath, and a hoodie. He originally hated wearing clothes, but since the size was large and worn loosely, it was quite okay.

At that moment, Seo Yongwoo casually asked while grabbing the car keys.

“Then, do you like mountains or the sea?”

“Home.”

“Do you like a house in the mountains or a house by the sea?”

“···A house in the mountains.”

Haedong immediately chose the quiet mountain. Since this house was at the foot of the mountain anyway, he thought they would eat and come back home.

Actually, the two-story modern house with an unusually high ceiling and clean white-tone interior was the best territory. Located at the foot of the mountain and quiet too, Haedong sometimes went out to the front yard to bask in the sun. When he smelled the flower scent and lay flat on the grass, he thought there was no better paradise than this.

Whether Seo Yongwoo did not know the cat’s feelings or just ignored them, he wrapped one arm around Haedong’s shoulder from behind as if escorting him and said.

“Got it. Let’s go.”

To Haedong who wanted to be alone, it was a level of outstanding drive that was despairing.

Even though he had come back from busy work, he did not meet friends. He kept getting contacts from women too. He could not understand why on earth he was doing this with him. Haedong followed the tiger grudgingly with a cowed feeling and asked.

“But Mister··· do you not have any friends by any chance?”

“Why would a tiger need friends.”

It was the expected answer. Whether he did not know it looked arrogant or did not care even if he did, Seo Yongwoo’s expression was calm and composed.

From what Haedong had observed so far, as a famous actor, Seo Yongwoo seemed to receive many invitations to various parties or events. However, he only attended places related to work and rarely had private gatherings. He did the minimum social activities and spent most of the rest of his time at home, so he also seemed like a mysterious person. Because of that, baseless rumors often arose about Seo Yongwoo in internet communities.

‘This is why there are prejudices against tigers···.’

He seemed sincere about wanting to escape the prejudice, but then he should go out and show a normal life with other people.

He wanted to say that it was because of this personality of only guarding his territory that he had no friends, but Seo Yongwoo suddenly threw out a question.

“Then, do you have friends?”

“I am a cat.”

“So.”

“Of course not···.”

Haedong spoke timidly but obediently followed Seo Yongwoo out. Inside, he kept repeating 100 million, 100 million. Debts breed debts, so he had to pay it off as soon as possible. Knowing that he could not repay such money even if he sold his organs, he had no choice but to kill the cat’s nature.

Fortunately, the date that Seo Yongwoo mentioned was more ordinary than expected.

In the early evening, he drove to a restaurant that was quite far away, combining it with a drive. He could not tell if the destination was really an ordinary place, but Haedong had no choice but to follow obediently for now.

While driving, Seo Yongwoo often asked out-of-the-blue questions.

“But why did you take so many canned tunas?”

“Because they are delicious···.”

“Man.”

At the simple answer, Seo Yongwoo let out a hollow laugh.

He would have been better off stealing gold bars or luxury goods, but Haedong had hugged an armful of canned tunas to the point where it was burdensome to carry. Whether he could not hold back what he liked at all or had great greed. He was an incomprehensible thief.

Moreover, it was strange that the kid had worked hard at a bar even after stealing. It was not polite to ask a cat about personal circumstances, but since it was his own cat, he slyly asked out of curiosity.

“Then, where did you spend the stolen money.”

“······.”

For a moment, Haedong’s expression hardened gloomily.

Seo Yongwoo saw that expression and did not expect an answer. It was clear that it was not spent on himself. He could tell just from the hard-working appearance when he had gone to catch Haedong.

It was probably the most hidden intimate circumstance, so it would be almost impossible to hear the answer.

Hearing a cat’s inner thoughts was like that. Just like cats were the most numerous beastmen among the British, entering the house would be more difficult than war.

Around the time he had become accustomed to the silence like that, Haedong muttered insecurely, albeit small.

“There was debt on the house··· so I paid that off first.”

“···Debt?”

“······.”

Seo Yongwoo, inwardly surprised, asked back. He had not expected him to actually say the reason, but Haedong quietly nodded his head in acknowledgment. His yellow cat eyes that were revealed sank gloomily, as if it was a story that was hard just to say.

Still, whether because he had pride or because of guilt, Haedong bothered to say.

“···This is not me asking for sympathy or forgiveness.”

“I know.”

“······.”

“It is words said to pay for the theft.”

He felt Haedong staring at him blankly as if he could not understand after hearing those words.

Seo Yongwoo reached out one hand and roughly stroked Haedong’s sparse hair. Even though he was a cat who could not do what he disliked even if he died, it was admirable that he had revealed his personal circumstances and followed him around persistently. He did not like that he was faking liking him. Still, he could not hate a kid who was trying hard.

In the meantime, he drove the car and arrived at the restaurant.

Haedong looked around unfamiliarly at the large building built with exposed concrete in an irregular shape and the serene natural scenery around it.

“Is this an art museum?”

“A place to feed you.”

Seo Yongwoo bluntly said and unbuckled Haedong’s seatbelt before getting out of the car.

He had wondered why such a cool building was standing alone in the middle of nature, but the answer came right away. This place seemed to be popular among wealthy feline beastmen.

The beastmen walking around were clearly feline just from a glance at their haughty demeanor.

The restaurant they entered following Seo Yongwoo had an impressive artificial waterfall in the center. The interior was divided into quiet private rooms, and the two of them were also guided to one of those rooms. The meal was a Korean course cuisine, and Seo Yongwoo familiarly ordered various course dishes mainly focused on seafood.

Then, Seo Yongwoo deliberately sat in the seat next to Haedong.

“······.”

Haedong glanced at Seo Yongwoo with eyes full of awkwardness, and when he suddenly turned to the side, their eyes met. Throughout the time they stared at each other, an unusual tension flowed.

Haedong barely asked with his lack of conversational skills.

“···Why are you sitting?”

“What. Do I eat standing up?”

“No···. Sit.”

He clearly knew he was asking why he was sitting next to him, but Seo Yongwoo acted more shamelessly than the cat. Since tigers were born as kings of the mountains and ruffians for generations, it might be his innate nature.

Haedong felt burdened by the tiger whose muscles were solidly trained draping his arm over the back of his chair, but he quietly twisted his body as much as possible to the opposite side and huddled up tightly. Even so, the firm forearm with the shirt sleeve rolled up kept touching.

‘Is his body naturally warm···.’

Haedong’s tension gradually relaxed. From the time he had lived as a cat, he had liked one thing about Seo Yongwoo’s characteristic high body temperature, and perhaps because they had lived together and grown attached, the sense of rejection was not as great as he thought.

In the meantime, the dishes came out, and Haedong ate them one by one. To this extent, it felt not just ordinary but like a basic date, so his mind was relieved. Moreover, the food was plain and delicious, so it was quite good.

When the meal had continued for a while, a middle-aged woman who was neatly dressed in a shirt with a gold name tag entered the private room.

“Mr. Yongwoo, I heard the movie filming is ending, so it has been a while since you came. Does today’s food suit your taste?”

“Here is always beyond expectations. Of course it suits.”