Ch. 22 A Cat’s Hardship (1)

The neighborhood of high-rise apartments in the middle of Seoul was completely different from what I knew. It was a concrete jungle, an alien landscape different from the outskirts of the city where I lived. I peeked at Tae-il’s mail to figure out his address, but there wasn’t much I could do to get around with this cat’s body.

“Hmmm.”

The only location I knew how to get from here was the veterinary clinic.

I hesitated for a moment before I stepped outside. Si-yul was the only one who I could talk to, and so I decided to go to him.

I had only taken one small step into this big world. I hadn’t even thought about what I was going to do next.

***

I hid myself behind a large tree across the clinic as I waited for Si-yul.

Today was Wednesday, and Si-yul, who had a full day’s work on Tuesday, only had a morning shift today. The time I spent with him had allowed me to learn his schedule.

“…”

I ran over various scenarios in my head as I stared at the clinic entrance.

If I was lucky, Si-yul will agree to take care of me. I would grovel and pretend to be defeated by him, and ask if he was willing to let me stay in his home. He wouldn’t let a talking cat die or fall into harm after all.

Of course, that didn’t mean that I changed my opinion about Si-yul. I hated that guy! Sure he was reliable, but sometimes he was a pervert!

I licked my paws, a habit of my agitated mind. It was a coping mechanism I used to calm myself down. It felt strange to have to shift my dependency to Si-yul now.

“I’ll be leaving now!” a male voice called out.

Ttallang.

A bell rung as the door of the clinic opened, and Si-yul stepped outside. It was 10:30 sharp when he got off work.

At the end of my wait, I stretched my legs, lifted my tail and walked towards him.

“Mya—” I was about to call out to him, when I was interrupted by another loud voice.

“Oppa!”

Oppa~? Pervert! Was she being flirty with him? I looked in the direction of the sound and saw someone else waving their hand and calling out to him.

(TN: Oppa is a term used by a female person to affectionately refer to an older brother, older male friend, or boyfriend)

I paused and stepped back into the shelter of the tree.

A petite and cute young woman had been standing near an animal clinic for some time. She must have been waiting for Si-yul, too. She looked about university student age, and while she wore heels, she seemed about the same height as me in human form. Unlike myself, however, she had a nasal twang in her voice.

Si-yul waved back and greeted her as if he recognized her. “Ah, you’re here?”

“Yeah, yeah!” she chirped. “How long has it been since you last bought me a meal?!”

“Really?”

“Yeah! It’s annoying, you know? You don’t call often and you don’t answer the phone.”

Si-yul looked sheepish. “It wasn’t on purpose. I’ll buy you food anytime I’m free, but lately I’ve been busy.”

The moment I saw Si-yul act familiarly around this adoring, energetic woman, my heart fell. I had no business standing next to this pretty girl.

The pair started to walk away, and I kept a steady gaze fixed on them.

“I’m sorry to hear that!” the woman said. “But you’ll make it up to me today, right? There are some shoes I want!”

“Alright.”

“Really? Can you buy me a bag too?”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

“Aaaah, Oppa!”

It felt my fur stand on end at how cutesy this woman was acting. I was sick of couples! Her calling him Oppa made me want to die.

I vigorously shook my head. Although Si-yul was my second— and, unfortunately, last—person I could rely on, the fact that he had a girlfriend made my plan impossible.

Life seemed to crap on me whenever I had any happiness or hope in my life. As soon as a seed of love sprouted, it was crushed.

I gave a final glance at the couple walking arm-in-arm and turned away. Si-yul had been my last hope.

Well, who cares! I can do this myself!

With new confidence in my step, I began walking the opposite direction of Si-yul.

***

Peuk! I flinched as a rock hit me.

“A black cat!” a boy cried out.

“Wow!” one of his friends exclaimed.

“Kyaong!” (These damn kids!)

Startled by a stone thrown at me, I arched my back in warning as my fur stood on end.

“Wow, scary!”

“Hey, throw something bigger.”

“Syaaak!” (I’m getting the hell away from here!)

Swearing had become a more frequent part of my vocabulary since I ran away from home a few days ago. The world was tough, and I had no choice but to be tougher.

“Hey!”

“Witch cat!”

“It’s getting away!”

They were only boys, but I was aware of the harm they could inflict. I ran as best as I could with my bad leg, the children hot on my heels.

I swiftly sprung on top of a wall to avoid their reach. The wall was about as wide as a snake, and I bounded from a low roof onto a higher roof in search of a safer place. The necessity of survival forced me to overcome my fear of heights.

“Nya?” (They can’t follow me now, can they?)

The more I used this cat’s body, the more efficient my movements became. I was more flexible, more agile, I could look farther and jump higher. My senses as a cat grew more acute in the face of crisis, and my ability to use this body increased in order to survive.

When I finally made it out of harm’s way, I sighed and sat down on top of a rooftop. My hind leg twitched in pain.

“Hurts…”

The wound that I had gotten from saving Si-yul had not yet fully healed. Though movement was not impossible, I had to limp, and running made my leg throb painfully.

I was a black cat, a symbol of misfortune and doom among humans, who had the misfortune to be limp and crippled. I was forced to avoid people if I was to protect myself from any more harm.

A wave of heartsickness rushed over me as I remembered a gentle hand stroking my black ears. A kind voice echoed in my head.

‘Good, good. This is no place for a pretty cat.’

I remembered how comfortable it was living with Tae-il. When I was at home with him, hunger was nothing more than an annoying ache. Now it stabbed at me with severe discomfort. It could be because I was more integrated with this cat vessel, or perhaps it was amplified by my exhaustion and lack of sleep.

Clearly, everything was much harder.

“Nya…” (Haaa…”)

I looked up into the scorching sun. Although the seasons were in between the border of summer and autumn, it was still closer to the side of summer.

Shimmering heat rose from the baked cement ground, causing the soles of my pink feet to burn, even with this enhanced body. Being out in the sun would wear me out faster, and I had to wait for the night to be more active. I couldn’t sit exposed on the roof any longer.

I explored the vicinity, then jumped from a wall into an empty-looking shaded area.

“Syaaaaak!”

“Aaaaah!”

I was taken by surprise by a large cat that jumped out of the shade. My nose hadn’t detected it or the smell of garbage.

The “real” cat would never welcome a strange black cat that smelled of humans.

“Ah! I’m going!” I cried out as it glared territorially at me.

Three more cats walked out of the dark shade, and I took a hesitant step backwards. There was no way I could fight and win against them.

I ran away, trying to find another place to rest. However, whenever I spied a suitable area, there was already a cat or dog that claimed the spot. I quickly became tired of being kicked out wherever I went. Would I have to resign myself as the neighborhood punching bag?

After scouting around almost all day, I found a quiet neighborhood where there were fewer dogs and cats. The streets were clean and there were not many children.

I liked this! Three days after running away from home, I could finally sleep comfortably.

My gaze turned skywards again, and I saw the sun was slowly sinking below the horizon.

A chain link fence seemed like a good spot, and I settled by it and licked my hind leg. I had lost track of how long I walked, and I was drawn and haggard from lack of sleep. A whole year like this wasn’t ideal, and I needed to collect more energy to become human.

Then I could go home…

“Nyang?”

Suddenly, a strange smell crossed my nose and I lifted my head to scent the air.

I hadn’t been a runaway for long, and the identity of the smell was unknown to someone as inexperienced as me. My ears perked forward as I tried to listen to the environment.

I sniffed the air again. Nothing seemed different, so I turned my ears back. Then suddenly—

A large net dropped over me and caught me like a dragonfly!