chapter_0658

658 – Winter Cat

658 – Winter Cat

“Hehe.”

Looking at the envelope that had fallen to the floor, I started to feel good.

Was it because I felt so fulfilled, thinking I had done it?

I even started giggling like Gaeul when she’s happy.

“Woong?”

Gaeul tilted her head and picked up the bag of bungeoppang.

She put the bag back on the bench, so I subtly pushed the bag again.

“Heehee.”

This is really fun.

Why is it so fun?

I covered my mouth and chuckled, and Gaeul tugged at my sleeve, looking restless.

“Juin, boong-woo-ppa annya.”

“Bungeoppang?”

“Neang. Boong-woo-ppa itto.”

Gaeul pointed to the bag, saying there was bungeoppang left.

But there wasn’t a single bungeoppang in the bag.

“Gaeul, there’s no bungeoppang in here?”

“Ikku namatto.”

Gaeul opened the bag and showed me the inside.

There were a few bungeoppang crumbs left inside.

Shake, shake, shake—

Gaeul shook the bungeoppang crumbs into her mouth.

The crumbs scattered everywhere, and about a third of them stuck to her chin and cheeks.

“Gaeul, are you done now?”

“Neang! Daetto!”

Gaeul put the bungeoppang bag on the bench.

It seemed like she meant I could throw it away as I pleased.

To throw the bag further, I put a small stone inside.

“Hehe.”

I threw the bag with all my might, and Gaeul ran to pick it up.

When I threw the bag she brought back, Gaeul ran to get it again.

Bom exclaimed in admiration at our endless game of throwing and fetching.

“Wow, this is an infinite game.”

“Infinite game?”

“Yeah. If Gyeoul, who likes to throw, and Gaeul, who likes to fetch, meet, it becomes an infinite game.”

“Ah-ha.”

Gaeul is a dog Beastmen, after all.

She liked fetching thrown objects as much as I liked throwing them.

Thanks to that, we could play to our hearts’ content with what we both liked.

“Jjuing!”

Gaeul giggled and brought the bag back.

I was about to throw the bag again, but Saebyeok was staring at me, so I decided to let her have a turn.

“Saebyeok, do you want to do it too?”

“Yeah. I want to do it too.”

Saebyeok threw the bag without hesitation.

Just seeing her tail wagging made me happy.

“Saebyeok, now I know why you sometimes drop things.”

“Right?”

“Yeah. It’s really fun to release your instincts.”

I knew it was fun, but I didn’t know it would be this much fun.

I couldn’t contain my joy and swayed my body as if dancing, and Haneul poked my shoulder.

“Master…!”

“Yeah?”

“There’s something just as fun for cats as throwing things…!”

“Wow, what is it?”

“Hunting…!”

Haneul said, pointing to the pond in the park.

I knew the satisfaction of hunting fish quite well.

‘Will it be more fun than before?’

I didn’t hesitate for long.

I immediately ran towards the pond and used the agility unique to Beastmen to snatch a mackerel.

“Hehe.”

The mackerel wriggling in my arms filled me with satisfaction.

I was happier than when I usually hunted, so much so that I started showing off to the people around me.

“Mister, look at this. I caught a mackerel.”

“Hmm.”

Master stroked my head, saying I did well.

The flapping mackerel started to stimulate my instincts even more.

**

I didn’t know instincts were this good.

I ran around the park with the fish in my arms.

I just realized now, but it seems cats also have an instinct to show off their prey.

“Sophia, look at this. It’s a mackerel.”

“Yes, it looks delicious.”

“Yes. I caught it, yap!”

“Oh-ho…”

“Ah, Ensia!”

My family took my boasting well.

Even though it was, in a way, a boastful act, my family accepted it with smiles.

My family is so kind.

I was running around the park with joy when I spotted Park Tae-san Master walking with our Master in the distance.

“Master.”

“Ooh!”

Park Tae-san Master waved at me.

I waved back at the ever-cheerful Park Tae-san Master.

“This is a mackere—where are you going?”

“Dunno! Hyungnim said he’s going somewhere for a bit?”

“Is that so?”

Curious, I followed Park Tae-san Master.

That’s how we arrived at the portal to my hometown.

“Uh…”

The hometown portal, hidden by magic and buildings.

Seeing this, Park Tae-san Master turned to look at our Master.

“Hyungnim, what’s this?”

“Just go in for now.”

“Aye.”

Park Tae-san Master stepped into the hometown portal without any suspicion.

My eyes widened at the sight.

“What is it?”

“Adaptation.”

“Adaptation?”

Adaptation to a world without Mana… or rather, with little Mana.

But I didn’t understand why he suddenly called Park Tae-san Master.

“Is Park Tae-san Master helping too?”

“Yeah. I’m planning to wipe out the research lab all at once.”

“Wipe out?”

“The more we take care of, the more the research lab increases, so we have to leave it and deal with it all at once.”

“Ah-ha.”

He’s planning to deal with the research lab all at once with everyone’s help.

And he’s adapting the people who will help beforehand.

Our Master was quite a planner.

“Thank you…”

I hugged Master tightly.

I was just grateful to our Master for helping my world without any compensation.

I would definitely repay Master someday.

**

Even when Gyeoul rested, she followed her feline instincts.

It was to rest in a box like Saebyeok.

‘Cozy.’

When I go into the box and bask in the sunlight, my mind becomes peaceful.

To enjoy the sunlight even more, Gyeoul turned her face towards the sky and discovered a tall, lush tree.

‘Tree.’

The moment Gyeoul saw the tree, she was overcome with the urge to climb up.

It felt like it would be so happy to sit and rest on a tall tree.

“Hmm…”

How much better would it be if I put a box on the tree and rested inside it?

It was something she would never normally do, but Gyeoul couldn’t resist the urge and immediately walked out of the box.

“Eucha.”

Gyeoul put the box on her head and climbed the tree.

Thanks to her light body, she was able to climb to the top of the tree easily.

‘Around here…’

Gyeoul placed the box on a thick branch.

Then she immediately went inside the box and settled in.

A high place and a cozy box.

The two combinations that stimulated her instincts gave Gyeoul great comfort.

“Good.”

Swaying, swaying.

At that moment, when her tail came out of the box.

Gyeoul could feel Hanyeoreum approaching her.

“Gyeoul, what are you doing there?”

“I’m, resting.”

“Hmm… Resting is good, but isn’t it too dangerous there?”

At Hanyeoreum’s words, Gyeoul poked her head out of the box.

Certainly, the height was so great that it seemed dangerous to lose balance and fall.

“Yes, it looks dangerous.”

“Right? Shall we come down first?”

“Yes.”

The tree and the box were so good, but it wasn’t enough to ignore her family’s words.

Gyeoul was about to go down the tree when she suddenly froze in place.

“…I can’t go down.”

“Huh? Why?”

“I’m scared.”

“Ah.”

It was a little scary, but it was a height that she would normally climb down the tree well.

But now, for some reason, her arms and legs were trembling so much that she was scared.

‘What, what is it…’

Cats aren’t usually afraid of heights, are they?

Gyeoul couldn’t bear the fear and went back into the box.

“Aigo.”

Hanyeoreum scratched her cheek as she watched Gyeoul.

She brought a Haeju stone because she was hit by an impulse amplification item, but she couldn’t use it because she was on the tree.

“Gyeoul, shall I go up?”

“If two people come up, the branches might break.”

“I’m not that heavy…?”

“Yes, but I’m anxious…”

“Then will Gyeoul jump down?”

“Me…?”

Gyeoul poked her face out of the box.

Gyeoul looked down and shook her head firmly.

“Won’t I die if I jump from here?”

“Of course, I’ll catch you. And you won’t die at this height, will you?”

“Uh, um…”

After thinking for a while, Gyeoul made a fierce expression.

Hanyeoreum expected Gyeoul to be too scared to do it, but unexpectedly, Gyeoul jumped off the tree without hesitation.

“Iyap!”

Gyeoul stretched out her arms and legs with her unique shout.

It was like a flying squirrel gliding.

“Oh.”

I thought she would be terrified, but Gyeoul was surprisingly brave.

Hanyeoreum knew very well where that bravery came from.

It was faith in her family.

Thump-

Hanyeoreum caught Gyeoul perfectly.

Thanks to her natural reflexes and Gyeoul’s light body, there was no chance of a mistake.

“Caught you!”

“Heehee.”

Gyeoul, who was hugged by Hanyeoreum, naturally rubbed each other’s cheeks.

Hanyeoreum enjoyed Gyeoul’s cheeks and then used the Haeju stone she had brought.

“Heok.”

Gyeoul, whose impulse had disappeared, opened her mouth wide.

It wasn’t shame for not being able to control her instincts, but a new realization.

‘Just because it gives you satisfaction doesn’t mean it’s all good.’

If I acted recklessly on the fulfillment that instincts give me, I might end up in a scary situation like just now.

It’s good to move according to instincts, but it’s also important to control instincts well depending on the situation.

‘Does that mean it’s not good to trust instincts too much?’

Because I’m a Beastmen with strong instinctive parts.

It seemed important to go back and forth between reason and instinct.

Gyeoul gained a new understanding of instincts, but decided to follow her instincts for now.

It was to hug Hanyeoreum tightly.

“Hehe.”

Expressions of affection for family didn’t have to be rational.

Author’s Note

Thank you so much for reading today, PIA1747014585384!

Thank you for your comments and recommendations! It’s always a source of strength!

I’m so sorry for being late…………………..

I overslept………………………………..