Cat Therapy Chapter 3.8

It looked like the kind of filth you would see in a bathroom drain, and tears automatically welled up in Haedong’s eyes. More than being caught on camera, he was upset that Seo Yongwoo had seen it.

As expected, Seo Yongwoo’s eyes narrowed and his expression turned serious.

“Did you throw up?”

Meow…

Flustered, Haedong flattened his ears to the side and lowered his body without realizing it. His face naturally took on a pitiful expression, and he felt intimidated. He had already caused so much trouble, and he didn’t want anyone to see his disgusting hairball. He couldn’t even use his body language carelessly to apologize.

Seo Yongwoo sighed and examined the hairball for a moment, then his serious expression relaxed.

“Ah, I thought you threw up. It’s a hairball, right?”

“……”

“You’re not sick anywhere, are you? Then it’s fine.”

Seo Yongwoo asked several times, then brought some tissues and picked up the black hairball to check for himself that it wasn’t vomit. There was no hint of disgust; he just skillfully cleaned up the hairball. He didn’t scold him like before, nor did he make any veiled threats.

‘Doesn’t he find it dirty…?’

Surprised, Haedong continued to secretly follow Seo Yongwoo even after he had cleaned up the hairball, observing his reaction. He was usually the type to not care what others thought of him, but now it was different. He kept watching Seo Yongwoo’s expression, afraid that he might be disliked.

“Why are you being so self-conscious? It’s just a hairball, it’s natural.”

Just then, Seo Yongwoo spotted the cat on the table and started to nag him gently as he ruffled his fur.

…Meow.
“I was so surprised because you don’t tell me when you’re sick.”

“……”

“Right?”

Haedong felt it instinctively. The words Seo Yongwoo was saying were not directed at a cat, but at Do Haedong himself. Because when Haedong first came to this house, he had never shown any signs of being sick.

The words lingered in Haedong’s heart for some reason, and he followed Seo Yongwoo around. It was a situation that deviated from the script, but he could tell that his affection for him was not an act, but genuine.

‘…This is why I liked being by Mister’s side.’

Although he had been given a harsh time the night before, Haedong felt as if the lump that had been weighing on his chest was melting away.

For the rest of the day’s filming, Haedong decided to follow his heart.

He decided to act and express himself just as much as he liked Seo Yongwoo. Thanks to that, it seemed like many affectionate scenes were captured on camera, but Haedong now acted comfortably without caring about the broadcast. It didn’t matter, because it was his unadorned self.

A few days later, after the broadcast of ‘My Sweet Home’, the reactions were overwhelmingly positive.

Haedong’s wild rampage and troublemaking had drawn a better response than expected. Among them, a meme of the cat using a famous designer’s sofa as a scratching post went viral, along with the six-figure price of the furniture. Seo Yongwoo’s enlightened expression as he walked around with a lint roller all day, saying, “It’s hard to love the fur,” also became popular on websites.

But Haedong hadn’t only caused trouble. He had eaten the special treats and even the water very well, so many affectionate scenes were aired.

[Dodong-ah. Do you know what kind of cat is the best cat?]

[Meeow.]

[A cat that drinks a lot of water.]

The scene where Seo Yongwoo grinned just because he drank water well, and then endlessly petted and adored the cat, was particularly popular. It seemed to have resonated with many people, who said it was the first time they had seen Seo Yongwoo smile, that it showed the greatness of cats, and that even a tiger was just an ordinary cat butler.

However, it was not a welcome scene for Haedong.

…Meow.

Haedong, who was watching the rerun on TV, glanced sideways at the actor sitting next to him with suspicion.

All this time, he had been treating him like a lover. But on the show, he perfectly portrayed the image of a tired yet happy cat butler who was subservient to his cat. Because he knew the real Seo Yongwoo, it felt hypocritical. On top of that, Haedong found it amazing that he could act so nonchalantly even though he knew he was a therianthrope.

The cat, unable to bear it any longer, muttered using his body language.

‘You’re a good actor…’

“About what?”

‘You’re not usually like that… and I’m actually a therianthrope.’

“So what. I like that I only show my true self to you.”

Seo Yongwoo said it nonchalantly, but the look of pride on his face only annoyed Haedong.

On the show, Seo Yongwoo’s role was that of a clumsy and disheveled cat butler. Thanks to the troublemaker cat, he showed a look of resignation, having gone beyond enlightenment. And he did so very consistently. The more Haedong watched the show, the more he wondered if everyone was being fooled. He was exactly like the concept he had adopted for this variety show.

“Thanks to this, I’ll probably be able to shed my original image a bit.”

Seo Yongwoo said leisurely, stroking the cat in his arms. Haedong, watching the reflection in the mirror diagonally across from them, tilted his head, wondering if that was really a good thing.

To be honest, Seo Yongwoo’s reflection in the mirror was the epitome of a classic villain. Even though he was just relaxing comfortably at home.

He was sitting in a recliner sofa, sipping a drink by himself and stroking a black cat, and it felt not romantic but dangerous, as if he were hiding a conspiracy. His rough, indifferent eyes and the subtly arrogant smile on his lips also made it seem like he was up to something. He looked like a perfect villain, to the point where one might wonder if he couldn’t just use that image to succeed as an actor.

‘Why is he trying to shed his natural image?’

Isn’t it actually a strength? Suddenly curious, Haedong shook his body and stood up. Seo Yongwoo was still scratching his neck, but he bit his hand to make him stop and slowly transformed into his human form.

Soon, Haedong was sitting on Seo Yongwoo’s lap, shaking his black cat ears.

“But, Mister.”

“Clothes first, quickly.”

“……?”

He hadn’t even done anything, but Seo Yongwoo looked quite surprised, holding his glass high and leaning his upper body back. His hand, as he passed Haedong the nightgown that was beside him, also seemed urgent.

Without a word, Haedong put on the nightgown and asked what he was curious about.

“Why are you so concerned about shedding your image?”

“About what.”

“It’s just… isn’t it good to keep doing roles that suit you well?”

“……”

Seo Yongwoo was silent for a moment. Instead, he let out a low sigh and also looked at the mirror on the diagonal. He looked at his own reflection for a long time, holding the pale Haedong on his lap and swirling his drink, before downing the strong liquor in one gulp.

“It’s greed.”

He looked only at the mirror and chuckled. His characteristic sanpaku eyes, which had no double eyelids, curved mischievously somewhere. Watching that, Seo Yongwoo’s smile slowly faded. He furrowed his brow, and then stroked the head of Haedong, who was looking only at him, before speaking slowly.

“This is what happens when you live trapped in a villain’s image for years because you’re a predator.”

“……”

“You thought so too when you first saw me.”

Haedong remembered what he had said when they reunited. That he looked like a murderer. He wondered if those words, spoken carelessly, had hurt him. Like the discrimination against black cats for being unlucky…

Just then, Seo Yongwoo spoke with an even more hollow look in his eyes.

“I know those roles suit me well, too. Because I look like my father.”

“……”

His words reminded him that Seo Yongwoo’s father was a chaebol with a gangster background.

Even Haedong, who was indifferent to worldly affairs, knew that negative rumors about Seo Yongwoo’s father were circulating quietly on the internet. That his father had amassed funds by committing evil deeds and had grown his wealth through real estate speculation. That he had married into a chaebol family, his mother’s, and had terrifyingly increased his fortune. The events of decades past still followed Seo Yongwoo like a ghost, lingering as rumors.

At that moment, Seo Yongwoo’s grip on the glass tightened for a second. His face contorted fiercely, but then a slight smile spread across it as he looked at Haedong, who had opened his eyes innocently.

“That’s why I want to break free from it even more.”

“……”

“Because if people’s perceptions don’t change, even my cat might see me that way.”

Seeing that change in expression, Haedong suddenly wondered if the reason he hadn’t inherited the business was because of his gangster father. He was convinced when he saw the un-tiger-like, slight smile he gave while looking at him.

“Mister…”

Haedong’s lips parted as if he had something to say. But he couldn’t bring himself to say anything to Seo Yongwoo. He wanted to comfort him, to tell him that he was fine just the way he was, but he felt that even that might hurt him.

Haedong, too, had always been pained by the prejudice against him for being a black cat. He had been an outsider among his friends during his school days, and even when working part-time, there were many ill-mannered people who looked down on him and propositioned him for compensated dating. Species discrimination often left deep, indelible scars.

But for the first time, Haedong felt a tender empathy for him, who had spoken to him so honestly.

“You don’t seem like that at all, Mister…”

“Then how do I seem?”

“Just… a handsome, well-built tiger.”

Having offered his clumsy comfort, Haedong groomed the back of his hand. It was an instinctive action, as he felt embarrassed even though he had only spoken a part of the truth.

But for Seo Yongwoo, those words seemed to be enough. He smiled unassumingly, then ruffled Haedong’s thin black hair as if messing it up, and got up, saying he had something left to do.

“Go play.”

Seo Yongwoo neatly straightened the nightgown Haedong was wearing and went into his study.

Haedong gazed at his broad back, then moved quietly and brought over a heavy camera. It was a toy that Seo Yongwoo had bought for him, one he had played with from time to time. But this time, there was something he really wanted to capture.

Haedong tiptoed to the front of the study, leaned halfway against the doorframe, and looked inside, holding the camera.

He could see Seo Yongwoo sitting in the middle of the study, which was neatly decorated with stately wooden furniture, wearing glasses. He was looking at a screen carefully, as if reviewing documents. The light was only on his desk, which made his cold, firm face and deep-set eyes stand out even more.

“……?”

Then, as if sensing his gaze, Seo Yongwoo looked up.

When their eyes met, he slowly smiled. His eyes, smiling from behind his glasses, and the slight upward curve of his lips looked somewhat playful. Haedong quickly captured that image in a photo.

“Baby, why?”

“Just because.”

Haedong answered in a hurry, pressed the shutter a few more times, and quickly left the study. Sitting in his favorite corner of the sofa, Haedong wrapped his tail around his instep and checked the camera.

The photo he had just taken caught his eye. Although the study was decorated with a solemn atmosphere, the comfortable clothes Seo Yongwoo was wearing and the smile he wore with glasses perched on his prominent nose created a refreshing atmosphere that, while contrasting, blended well. In the photo, he looked less like a scary villain or a predatory tiger, and more human. A human who knew kindness.

Those were the eyes that had always looked at him.

‘My favorite expression of his…’

Haedong was startled by a sudden lurch in his chest. It wasn’t as if anyone around him could hear his thoughts, but Haedong felt sensitive and flattened his cat ears, looking around. Fortunately, Seo Yongwoo was nowhere to be seen.

After confirming this, Haedong looked at the photo again. He didn’t understand why he had suddenly taken a picture of him. But looking at the smiling face in the photo, the words he wanted to say to him filled up to the brim of his throat.

‘Besides being a villain, this kind of gentle look is plenty handsome too…’