Ch. 16 A Benevolent Cat (1)

“Bow Meow~?” Si-yul sang.

“…”

“Hey, pretty Bow Meow?”

It was obvious that he was making fun of me. When he was bored, he would pretend to flirt with me like he was Casanova.

I never wanted to respond to that name. That was tantamount to accepting it.

“Your owner thinks the name’s well-suited for you,” Si-yul said.

“Ugh…”

“His naming sense is just as good as his face. He’s such a great owner, isn’t he?”

“Gak! Go away! I hate you!” I spat angrily at him. However, the wretched vet only clutched his stomach and laughed.

I groaned inwardly. A name like Kitty or a Butterfly would have been a million times better than this.

I adamantly remained in the middle of my metal cage. I hated my name, and I hated this cage disguised as a prison. Admittedly it was clean, but it was too cold, and scary, and lonely, and the place held the odor of tears and slobber from the anxious crying of animals.

A whole week in this place without Tae-il?

“Hey, you look grumpy, don’t you?” Si-yul observed.

“…I don’t like it here.”

“But you have to stay here as a cat, I’m afraid.”

“It smells.”

I didn’t mention how the barking, crying, eating, and chattering of the animals on my upper and lower compartments squeezed oppressively on my human mind. Especially since I could sense the loneliness and distress in the cries of the animals.

Then there was the smell. This body had enhanced ears and nose, and it only made the experience that much worse.

I sullenly asked Si-yul when the deadline was.

“Do you want me to take you to my home tonight?” Si-yul replied.

“…What?”

“I’ll bring you back here tomorrow morning.”

It was so, so very tempting. It would be a nightmare to stay in this cage all night.

However, I had no faith that my limbs would be kept intact. If I slept in front of Si-yul, he might dissect me—

“No!” I yelled.

He shrugged. “Alright.”

Si-yul turned his heel and disappeared without regret. A soft cry escaped my mouth, but how could I fall asleep inside the enemy’s house?

I clung onto my stubbornness.

***

I pressed my paws against my ears, but I could not block out the distressed cries of dogs whining for their owners, nor the overwhelming smell of all the animals. Despite my efforts, I did not get a wink of sleep all night.

Sticking someone in a cage all day was clearly an act of torture. Come to think of it, you went to jail for committing a crime. What had I done to deserve this? Life inside the metal cage was too much for a human intelligence to handle.

I endured two agonizing nights of it. There were still five days left.

I looked around my prison. I had tasted the sweet comforts of civilization before, and the yearning for it was driving me crazy. Should I ask Si-yul to tuck me into a soft bed?

No, no, no, I couldn’t forget what a dangerous man he was!

I had to get myself under control. I was making excuses for being an animal, and I couldn’t afford to let my guard down.

“Mr. Kang, what do we do if this cat won’t eat? It’s the third day.”

On the third morning of my stay, a young nurse turned on the lights and started to distribute the food. When she came to my cage, she studied me worriedly and called for Si-yul.

Of course, I hadn’t touched any of what they had given me. At Tae-il’s house, my method was to pretend to eat and then simply dispose the kibble down the toilet.

The nurse frowned. “She doesn’t drink water, either.”

While the other animals cried loudly for their owners, I simply closed my mouth and kept silent. Although the cage had ample space for me to stretch and jump, I had barely moved from my position.

“You can leave her,” Si-yul said. “She’s just grumpy because her owner isn’t here.”

“But sir, some pets die of starvation because they think their owner has left them.”

“She’s not that kind of cat. She knows her owner wouldn’t leave her behind on purpose.”

“Huh?” The nurse looked on confusedly.

“She’s a smart cat, and she’s doing it on purpose,” Si-yul assured her. You don’t have to worry while I’m in charge. I’ll keep an eye on her.”

Since Si-yul knew that I didn’t have to eat, he was indifferent to my hunger strike. However, when there were no other nurses around, he would often come to ask me questions, like whether I could understand what other animals said or felt.

“Just about,” I replied in answer to his question.

“So you hear their language?”

“Um, no. I feel an emotion, like my feelings.”

“Ah. Interesting.”

He would usually come around when there were no other employees, just before the clinic’s opening or close.

“Do you want to go to my house today?” he asked again.

“No.”

I did not trust Si-yul yet.

***

The clinic was idle all day, and Si-yul opened the door of my cage with a click.

“You can come out.”

“…Why?” I asked skeptically.

“You’re not going to run away, are you? You’re welcome to stay in my examination room in the meantime.”

That was very good news. Come to think of it, I had seen some dogs and cats frolic freely in the clinic. Si-yul seemed to think it was no problem to let me out too, considering my intelligence.

Indeed, being outside the metal cage was far less stressful.

“Unyaaa!” (Aaaah!)

Having been locked up in the cage for three days, I stretched luxuriously as soon as Si-yul dropped me on the examination table. I could feel my strength return to me, and a delicious shiver ran from my shoulders to my back to the tip of my tail.

“You’re feeling good?” Si-yul asked.

“Nyang.” (Mmm.)

I started licking the back of my paw. Grooming myself from the smells of other animals was part of the latent animal instinct in this cat’s body.

“It’s alright for today because I’m in charge, but not tomorrow,” Si-yul informed me.

“Nyang, nyang.” (Okay, okay.)

“I need you to sit quietly in my office. Can you do that?”

Sitting quietly was still torture for me, but it was better than a cage, and so I nodded.

I found a corner of the room to settle in. Meanwhile, other pet owners who came in and out of the exam room showed interest in me and asked Si-yul why I was released.

“She’s a very nice, black kitty,” he would explain, and then continue his consultation. I had nothing else to do but to watch this doctor with a sigh. Although Si-yul was an unfavorable opponent for a talking cat, I was surprised to see that he was a very good doctor.

“Doctor! What are we going to do with Carrie? Her foot keeps bleeding…”

“Ah, her toenail is broken. I’ll need to pull it.”

“What?! Then anesthesia…”

“If it’s broken like this, it’s better to just pull it out. It’s better not to use anesthesia in this situation.”

His style of treatment was…rather spartan, in my own opinion, and he suggested as simple and clear a treatment as possible. If someone wanted something unnecessary, he would shake his head and say there was no need to spend a superfluous amount of money.

In the most tragic circumstance, he recommended euthanasia instead of treatment. Although he appeared heartless when he did so, it wasn’t because he didn’t have any humanity. It was the exact opposite, in fact.

I held my breath in the corner and watched as Si-yul spoke to an owner.

“You have to consider euthanasia seriously. If you repeat the operation, your pet will only suffer more. Although your pet can’t speak, he will be in incredible pain. Truth be told, it’s impossible for him to recover anymore. I suggest making the best decision for your pet.”

The pet owner struck him on the cheek for daring to suggest such a thing.

After everyone had left, I watched Si-yul with rare curiosity, my tail waving in the air. I couldn’t help but want to satisfy my inquisitiveness.

“Why did you become a veterinarian?” I asked.

Being a veterinarian meant that he liked animals, but then he recommended euthanasia and got slapped for it. Kang Si-yul was an unusual person to me, but it was apparent that he was guided by what he thought was right.

“Now you’re the one asking me questions,” he said teasingly.

“… if you don’t want to answer me, hmph!”

I was embarrassed that he saw through me so clearly, and I pretended I wasn’t interested in him anymore and turned my head away.

However, Si-yul shared his story as if he found my interest

“My entire family is made up of doctors. My father is a surgeon, my mother is a neurologist, my brother is a plastic surgeon, and my sister is a dentist. “

“So they’re all elite,” I said, awed. “Why are you the only vet?”

“That’s right. I’m the only one out of five.”

“…Wouldn’t it be better to save people? “

No matter how much I thought of it, there was not as much profit in being a veterinarian. Did he not like to study? I considered it for a moment, but I didn’t think he was the type.

The corners of Si-yul’s mouth lifted into a smile as he busied himself disinfecting a thermometer.

“Animals can’t talk. Oh, isn’t that supposed to be normal?”

He pointed his chin towards me. I nodded in agreement, knowing that I was an unusual case.

“So?”

“It still hurts for them somewhere. But the animals don’t know why it hurts, and sometimes people don’t take them to the doctor because they can’t talk. It’s the same with babies. That’s why the number of pediatricians and veterinarians is decreasing.”

“So you became a veterinarian? If you were a pediatrician…”

“I weighed my interests. When I was told not to become a vet at home, I just wanted to do it more. Humans are not the only important life.”

Kang Si-yul meticulously organized his station as he spoke. He seemed to be a good person. He kept my secret all this time, even though he was a loathsome person who was mean and laughed at me.

But I didn’t think he was a bad guy. Many animals were friendly around him, and their sensitive instincts could sniff out who was trustworthy or not.

Since we had to keep seeing each other anyway, shouldn’t we be friends? The thought crossed my mind as I watched him.

We soon became enemies again.