UR Chapter 19

Chapter 19

“Huh? Why is my face like… huh? Why are you here…?”

He had definitely felt that ticklish, strange sensation sweeping down his waist—a thrill that had left him tingling—but the only thing in front of him now was a cat. And not just any cat: it was Weoong, the oversized cat, raccoon-sized, that had been following him around all day.

I-bom jolted upright without thinking, shaking his head quickly to chase off the lingering sleep. His wide-open eyes were now completely free of drowsiness.

“Weoong-ah… when did you get here?”

The large tabby cat, its fur a mix of golden and orange stripes, looked up at him with a haughty expression and lifted the corners of its mouth in a smug little smile. Beneath its rounded snout, a sharp fang peeked out adorably—well, not really adorably. The tooth was pretty sharp. Sharp enough that someone seeing it for the first time might mistake it for a small predator.

“The door was closed, though… how did you get in?”

I-bom spread out his palm and gave the cat’s head a good rub. Its fur was softer than he expected, wrapping around his fingers with a pleasant texture. As he patted it, the cat’s fluff compressed under his hand, and its ears perked straight up with a little flick. The so-called “Mazinger ears.” If he remembered correctly, that meant it was feeling annoyed.

“Ah—sorry! Did I make you uncomfortable?”

I-bom quickly withdrew his hand, a sheepish look on his face. He knew in his head that dogs and cats were different, but out of habit, he had pet it like he would a puppy.

“Mrowr.”

As if it fully understood what he’d said, the cat gave a slight shake of its head and responded immediately. Thankfully, it didn’t seem too bothered. With its size, I-bom had expected a deep, thunderous meow, but instead, the cat swayed its body gracefully and let out a silky, purring sound as it rubbed up against him playfully.

“I-bom oppa. We should start closing up—oh, you’re awake?”

The door had opened without a sound, and Somi’s face appeared in the gap. It was past 1 a.m., and the dark circles under her eyes had settled deep, but her voice was still full of energy.

“Huh? Why is he here?”

Then she spotted the big cat lounging next to I-bom and widened her eyes.

I-bom shook his head and replied to her question.

“I have no idea. Didn’t you open the door for him?”

“As if. And cats don’t just stroll in because someone tells them to, you know.”

Somi raised one eyebrow in disbelief. Her sharp eyes scanned the cat from head to tail. I-bom, seeing that the cat didn’t want to budge, picked it up and placed it gently on the sofa before forcing his heavy body to stand up.

Just before leaving the break room, he opened the side door slightly and gave the cat a brief nod.

“By the way, Somi… why are we closing already?”

I-bom asked as they walked down the hallway. The cat was the cat, and closing time was closing time. It was still strange—a huge animal, big enough to reach his waist when standing, appearing inside a tightly shut break room—but what interested him more was why they were finishing up early tonight.

“The boss said we’re closing an hour early today.”

As they walked briskly down the corridor, untying their aprons, Somi answered casually.

Through the slightly ajar door, the large cat followed the two chatting coworkers with a calm, slow gait. Without realizing it, it withdrew its extended front claws—claws far too sharp and massive to belong to any ordinary cat.

---

In the quiet hours of early dawn, when no one was around, even the streetlights had yet to flicker on—it was pitch black. The only light in the dark neighborhood, the glowing sign of Happy Bunny, flickered once before going pop and shutting off. The bugs that had been buzzing merrily around the neon lights now hovered aimlessly, confused and without direction.

“Thanks for your hard work—!”

“Get home safe!”

The part-timers, now changed out of their uniforms, bowed politely and dispersed, each heading their own way. I-bom also waved and began walking toward home.

“Oppa, get home safe. You looked tired today.”

“Yeah, you too. See you tomorrow.”

He’d already let I-seol know he’d be home earlier than usual, and the boss wasn’t the kind of person to cut his pay for leaving a bit early, so it felt like he’d earned some free money. Sure, a lot of bad things had happened today, but with all the good things that had followed, it didn’t feel like such a terrible day after all.

“Huh?”

Just as he was happily swinging his bag and heading home, his steps halted. A long, dark shadow stood still in the path ahead. Even under the weak, flickering light of a broken streetlamp, its presence was overwhelming. When he looked up and stared, a pair of bright yellow eyes met his gaze, shining vividly even in the dark.

“Wh-what the—!”

He shouted instinctively. As he calmed his racing heart and looked more closely, he realized—it was the big cat he’d last seen in the break room. Honestly, it looked more like a tiger.

“Jeez, you scared me… Wh-what are you still doing here? Didn’t you go home?”

I-bom’s voice rose in volume.

“Or… do you not have a home?”

“Meow.”

Just like in a cartoon, the cat’s eyes sparkled with exaggerated sadness, looking up at I-bom with the most pitiful expression. Moved without realizing it, I-bom stepped closer. His approach was cautious and gentle.

“…Were you… waiting for me?”

“Mrowr.”

What was he supposed to do? I-bom hesitated. His place really wasn’t suitable for keeping a cat.

“…Well, it’s late, so… come with me for tonight.”

---

Clatter clatter.

The harsh wind shook the old wooden window frames violently.

I-seol sniffled, trembling under a tightly wrapped blanket.

So scary.

When she sniffled again, her cold nose started dripping with clear snot, only to suck it back in again. Trying to hide her fear, I-seol shut her eyes tightly.

Winter always brought trouble to their home. It was a small brick house, roughly patched together with thin slate and bricks to cover the holes. Maybe once upon a time it was a decent house, but now, old and worn, it looked as shabby as a grandfather’s underwear full of holes, beaten down by time.

The house groaned with every gust of wind as if it were full of holes, and when it snowed, it became unbearably cold. When it rained, the wallpaper would bubble, and bug antennae would peek out from between the cracks in the concrete walls.

In textbooks, they said homes were supposed to protect you from rain, wind, heat, and cold. But I-seol’s home was hot when it was hot, and even colder when it was cold—that was the problem.

‘Let’s move! This house sucks!’

Whenever it got too much, I-seol would throw a tantrum and lie down in the yard, bawling. The house was too old and prone to breaking down—it made life difficult. Her older brothers didn’t understand because they were hardly ever home. But for I-seol, an elementary schooler who spent all day there, the discomfort was constant.

She knew. She knew her younger oppa was working hard, running around to earn money. But still, she didn’t like it. And what she didn’t like was still what she didn’t like.

She wished they could move soon—into a nice, big house with a yard big enough to raise ten dogs. Her friends said the new 60-story apartments in Manwol-gu were the best, but she didn’t want to live there. You couldn’t run or raise dogs in an apartment, so that was a firm no.

Click.

At that moment, she heard the sound of a key turning in the lock, followed by light, quick footsteps. I-seol’s ears perked up under the blanket.

The most distinctive trait of those with dog blood was their sensitive hearing and sense of smell. I-seol’s hearing was practically animal-level. The light footsteps were unmistakably those of her younger oppa in sneakers. But as she listened closer, she could hear something else—slap, slap—a sticky sound following alongside his steps.

Is it a rat?

Aji Village wasn’t a place where outsiders roamed, but since it was connected to Manwol Mountain, animals from the mountain would sometimes wander through.

I-seol poked her head out of the blanket… and froze.

‘Hey, Kang I-seol, did you hear about the super giant rat? Someone saw one on Manwol Mountain recently.’
‘What?! That’s scary!’

The teasing words of Park Ye-chan, a classmate who loved to scare I-seol, echoed in her head. A super giant rat? Even if Ye-chan was bluffing, Aji Village was the kind of place where wild animals could easily show up, so I-seol’s face went pale.

“I-seol, are you still up?”

The moment she heard her younger oppa’s voice, she threw off the blanket and bolted out of the room. What if a rat was standing next to her oppa, eyeing him? That terrifying thought pushed her into action.

“Oppaaaa!”

“What’s wrong?”

Barefoot, she dashed across the small yard—and found her little oppa standing there with a baffled look… and beside him was a cat.

A cat with big, round, adorable eyes—and one so fat and huge it was hard to believe it was actually a cat.

“What… is that?”

I-seol pointed a trembling finger straight at the cat.