Ch.2828. Want to Come Over to See My Cat?

A little while later, outside the hospital.

After discussing whether to accept the card or not, we stepped outside. The examination was over, and we felt awkward standing around with the staff watching us.

So now it’s 9 PM.

“…This is such nonsense.”

I was just searching for “recommended cat food” on my phone when I heard a small sigh beside me.

The owner of that sigh was, without needing to look, Hwa Nabi.

“Why are you sighing in the middle of the night?”

“Why, you ask? You forcefully shoved it in even though I said I didn’t want it.”

She pouts while saying something that could be seriously misunderstood by others. I nervously looked around, but fortunately, there was no one nearby.

“Even if you have to say it, why phrase it like that…?”

“I didn’t say anything wrong.”

That’s exactly the problem. Certainly, as Nabi said, there was nothing technically incorrect about her statement.

The truth is, I did practically force the card into her pocket.

Nabi said it wasn’t necessary, that she didn’t need it, but I insisted anyway.

“Then you shouldn’t have asked to borrow money in the first place.”

“…I had no choice. Should I have just left without paying? Imagine if rumors spread that the second daughter of Hwail Group fled a hospital without paying. What would happen?”

Well, it might make the 9 o’clock headline news. Something like “Ms. XXX, second daughter of a famous conglomerate, causes controversy by fleeing animal hospital without paying…”

“I guess people would recognize you on the street.”

“That’s not the kind of fame I need…”

Anyway, we continued walking while chatting about various things.

The main topic was, of course, the kitten we found today.

“I wonder who abandoned this little one.”

The carrier swayed back and forth with Nabi’s steps. It was such a unique shape that I couldn’t help but stare at it.

Inside, the kitten was sitting quietly, curled up in a ball.

“I know. Napoleon is a mixed breed, not something you commonly see on the streets.”

“You mean it’s a rare cat?”

“Well, I suppose it is rare? At least, no one would believe we found it in an alley.”

It seems this isn’t the kind of breed you’d typically see on the streets. That makes it even more confusing. It’s no exaggeration to say someone abandoned the equivalent of a luxury handbag.

“Hey, what kind of person was your original owner?”

I asked the carrier, half-joking and half-serious. But the kitten just tilted its head, as if it didn’t understand what I was saying.

“Pfft, Siwoo. Do you think it’s going to answer you?”

“Well, you never know. It might be a talking cat.”

“If there really were talking cats, that would be international news.”

“We’d be lucky if people didn’t suspect it was an alien.”

Maybe it’s actually a princess from the cat planet who crash-landed on Earth.

…That’s going too far. After briefly making eye contact with the cat, I looked away and asked something I was curious about.

“By the way, is it female or male?”

“Didn’t I tell you earlier?”

“No.”

I nodded. I heard the cat’s breed was Munchkin Napoleon or something, but I hadn’t heard about its gender.

“It’s not 100% certain since it’s still a kitten, but they said it’s likely female.”

“Really? It must be hard to tell with cats.”

“For adults, you can tell right away by looking at their tails, but with babies, it’s difficult because they’re not fully developed.”

I see. You can tell by looking at their rear. I made sure to commit that information to memory. Seems like useful knowledge to use next time.

“Come to think of it, I’m late in asking, but what are you going to name it?”

“I’m still thinking about that. Do you have any good ideas?”

“A name…”

What would be good? Since it was a sudden question, I stroked my chin thoughtfully.

If it were a game character, I could just name it whatever came to mind, but this is a living creature.

So I shouldn’t just give it any random name… This was harder than I thought.

A name that’s too common wouldn’t reflect its uniqueness, but a complicated name would be difficult to call out.

I was caught between practicality and design. As I pondered deeply, one name flashed through my mind.

“…Nabi?”

“Yes?”

It sounded nice, and seemed like a good name, so I unconsciously muttered it. But suddenly Hwa Nabi raised her head and looked at me.

“Huh? What do you mean ‘yes’?”

“Siwoo, did you just call me?”

“…?”

After thinking for three seconds, I realized what she meant.

She thought I was calling her name.

“No, not you. I meant a name for this one.”

Feeling somewhat bewildered, I pointed at the carrier with my index finger. Hwa Nabi nodded as if she finally understood.

Then she froze for a moment before saying,

“…If that’s the case, you should have been clearer. You startled me.”

Her earlobes suddenly turned red as she said this. She seemed embarrassed for misunderstanding and responding.

Though it wasn’t my intention, I had caused the misunderstanding, so I apologized readily.

“Right, sorry. So what do you think? Isn’t it good?”

“Well, it’s ordinary enough, but… isn’t the name a bit… you know?”

“What’s wrong with the name?”

“It’s kind of… old-fash…”

Hwa Nabi stopped right there. Given that she started with “old,” she was probably going to ask if it wasn’t old-fashioned.

That was completely opposite to what I thought. It’s not commonly used as a person’s name, but I thought it was quite a nice name.

“What’s old-fashioned about it? I think it’s pretty.”

“……”

Perhaps because of my casual compliment, the corners of Hwa Nabi’s mouth twitched momentarily.

Then, with her earlobes still red, she kept shifting her gaze between the carrier and my face…

To be honest, it wasn’t unintentional, but seeing her so obviously embarrassed was, how should I put it… kind of cute.

After a while, Hwa Nabi finally spoke.

“Sigh… O-okay. Let’s go with that.”

“What, you mean Nabi?”

“…Please don’t say it out loud.”

“Alright, Nabi.”

“No, I said don’t call that name…!”

“I’m not calling you, I’m calling this one?”

“That’s exactly why I’m saying don’t call it that!”

***

Late night.

“Phew.”

After returning home and finishing my shower, I threw myself onto the bed. As I surrendered my body to the soft bed cushion, I almost felt like my accumulated fatigue was melting away.

I could probably fall asleep right away if I closed my eyes. Just as I thought that and was about to close my eyes—

-Buzz.

I opened them wide. With perfect timing, my phone on the bedside vibrated. Since it rang only once, it was a message, not a call.

I reached out to check who the sender was. Sure enough, it was:

Hwa Nabi♡ [Siwoo!! Did you get home?? (emoticon of a cat with a question mark above its head)]

It was Hwa Nabi, whom I had sent home in a taxi earlier.

But I still can’t get used to this contact name. I could have just saved her name normally, but did I really need to add a heart?

“…Ahem.”

It’s embarrassing even though no one’s watching. I cleared my throat unnecessarily and sent a reply first.

Me [Yeah, you?]

Hwa Nabi♡ [I got home quickly thanks to you! By the way, I paid the taxi fare with the card you gave me earlier. Did you get a text notification??]

Me [Yeah. But you don’t need to report every little thing. I gave you the card for that purpose.]

Hwa Nabi♡ [No way. Money matters should be clear. Including the taxi fare, I’ll pay back all the money I borrowed from you later with interest.]

“Seriously.”

Hwa Nabi has some peculiarly stubborn areas.

Should I call it stubbornness, or clear values? Earlier at the hospital, I had to struggle to force the card on her when she insisted she couldn’t accept it.

Well, as Nabi said, it’s right to be meticulous about money even between close people. But I think she could rely on me a bit in situations like this. It’s not like I’m going to be in financial trouble.

Me [Really? When will you pay it back?]

Hwa Nabi♡ […I’ll give it to you as soon as possible.]

That was the typical repertoire of debtors you see in dramas. It wasn’t a very credible answer, but honestly, I don’t mind if she can’t pay it back. The conversations I had with Hwa Nabi when we met earlier weren’t just empty words.

Me [You can pay it back slowly when you have the means. It’s not like I’m in trouble without that money.]

Hwa Nabi♡ [Okay. But I’ll really pay it back as soon as possible.]

Me [I told you that’s not necessary….]

It was practically the same as telling her to keep it, but seeing her insist on paying it back, I could tell she wasn’t understanding what I meant at all. For a rich girl, she’s quite financially conscientious.

Me [Just take good care of the cat. That’s more important than the money.]

Hwa Nabi♡ [Siwoo. Don’t worry about that. Who do you think I am?]

Me [What are you, some kind of Kang Hyung-wook?]

Hwa Nabi♡ [That person is a dog trainer. They’re different species!]

Me [Dogs, cats, they’re pretty similar.]

Hwa Nabi♡ [(emoticon of a cat with flashing eyes)]

Hwa Nabi♡ [You’d get beaten up if you said that in public.]

“…Is it that serious?”

We’re clearly just exchanging messages, but somehow I could sense her seriousness through the screen.

Since I’ve never had a pet, I wouldn’t know, but I guess it’s some kind of taboo for dog and cat lovers.

Me [Anyway, you’re saying I can trust you with this, right?]

Hwa Nabi♡ [Of course. (emoticon of a cat looking proud)]

Seeing her confidence, she must have some source for it, though I’m not sure what. Maybe she’s had cats before?

Me [By the way, I’m curious about something]

Hwa Nabi♡ [Yes. What are you curious about?]

Me [Have you ever raised a cat before?]

Hwa Nabi♡ [Yes. There’s still a cat at my family home.]

“Ah…”

So that was it. My guess was right, and I couldn’t help but let out a sound of realization.

That explains why she knows so much about cats’ habits and instincts.

Me [But is it okay for you to have another one? What will you do if you move back to your family home later?]

Hwa Nabi♡ [It’s not a big deal. If I take it to my family home, Dubu would be happy to have a new friend.]

Me [Its name is Dubu?]

Hwa Nabi [Yes. Cute, right?]

Rather than cute, it was a name that made my mouth water. It sounds like it would be really soft and smooth to touch… that kind of feeling.

Me [It’s a name that makes me want to touch it.]

Hwa Nabi♡ [Right? Our Dubu has super soft jellies too.]

Me [What’s a jelly?]

Hwa Nabi♡ [Cat toe beans. The flesh under their paws.]

Me [Oh, that?]

I remember hearing about it a few times. From what cat lovers say, it’s supposed to be unbelievably soft. I wouldn’t know the truth since I’ve never touched one.

Me [I heard those are really soft. Is that true?]

Hwa Nabi♡ [Yes. Extremely so. They’re super addictive!]

Me [The way you describe it makes me want to touch them too.]

Hwa Nabi♡ [In that case, would you like to come to my place sometime to see the cats?]

“……”

Me […I don’t think that’s how that phrase is meant to be used.]

Hwa Nabi♡ [Huh? What do you mean?]

Me [Look it up yourself.]

If I said this much, she should understand. Dealing with the truth is your responsibility.

After sending that brief message, I waited for a moment.

Then, after a short pause, my phone started vibrating incessantly.

-Buzz.

-Buzz.

-Buzz.

“…I’ll check tomorrow.”

Deliberately ignoring the messages, I closed my eyes.

…Tomorrow seems like it’s going to start very amusingly.