Chapter 1 : Just Breathe And Get 660,000 won

“So jealous…”

Whenever I scroll through social media, it’s full of successful people—celebrities, influencers, kids born with silver spoons.

Their daily lives feel like a completely different world compared to mine.

“I wish I could live like that too.”

Doing whatever they want, living comfortably without worrying about money.

Those kinds of people probably have beautiful women around them too.

If you’ve got money, the pretty girls naturally follow.

I wonder when I’ll get to meet women like that…

“Haah, it’s cold.”

As if mocking my miserable situation, cold wind seeped in through the cracks of my shabby villa.

Windows so old they wouldn’t even shut properly, and wallpaper moldy in every corner.

Still, for a two-room apartment near Seoul at just 200,000 won a month, it was insanely cheap.

“You won’t find places like this even in the countryside.”

Thinking about it, it was odd how there were barely any neighbors despite the price.

Well, it was old, but at least it was quiet.

Dding—!

My beat-up phone buzzed with a familiar alert.

[Mr. Kim Min-woo, your loan interest payment is due…]

Another one of those endless payment reminders.

“Sigh… I’ve got to get to work again today.”

Just breathing made the interest pile up.

If I wanted to get out from under this debt, I couldn’t afford a single day off.

Rubbing my tired eyes, I opened a job search app.

Having dropped out of high school, my options were limited.

Day labor jobs were all I could get—construction, manual work, whatever paid.

But I was still far from paying it all off.

“Isn’t there some cushy job that pays well?”

Scrolling through the listings with a faint hope, my eyes suddenly widened.

“I found it…!”

It was a high-paying gig a friend once mentioned.

“Great reviews too… 660,000 won for a day?”

I always made sure to check ratings and reviews carefully when picking jobs, and this app had never steered me wrong.

[Don’t do this job! The employer’s personality sucks. So I’m going to keep doing it. Haha]

[Just pass a simple interview and the work is easy. I thought it was a scam, but the employer is just super rich.]

[So sweet. This is a totally amazing gig!]

[After doing this job, I can’t go back to anything else… I’ve been ruined for normal work.]

Reading the reviews made me even more confident.

‘No way something with reviews like this could be shady, right?’

I hesitated for a second, but the 660,000 won daily wage was too tempting.

The job? Just take care of the employer’s pets.

This was the definition of a cushy job.

After all the grueling labor I’ve done, I deserved a gig like this at least once.

As soon as I applied, a text arrived instantly.

[Please come to this address by 8:00 a.m.]

A brief message with the time and location.

“I’d better get moving now.”

The current time was exactly 7 a.m.

The place wasn’t far, but I’d have to hurry if I wanted to wash and get ready.

I quickly got up, finished getting ready, and stepped out of my shabby villa.

“Good morning~!”

Just as I closed my door, a clear voice called out from the side.

It was one of the few neighbors—my next-door neighbor. Her name was… Jeong Eun-seo, I think?

We hadn’t seen each other much, just a few brief encounters, but she greeted me like an old friend.

‘Damn, she’s really beautiful.’

Every time I saw her, I couldn’t help but be stunned by her looks.

Her long, soft black hair shimmered in the morning sunlight.

Her white, flawless skin looked like polished porcelain.

The moment our eyes met, I found myself drawn into her deep, dark pupils.

She was mesmerizing.

The slight upward curve of her eyes gave her a cute charm whenever she smiled.

Honestly, she wouldn’t look out of place as an idol or famous actress.

‘She must be really popular, huh?’

A bitter sigh escaped me before I even realized it.

To someone like me, buried in debt, she felt like a distant, unattainable figure.

Then, something in her hand caught my eye.

“Collection of Modern Ghost Stories”

The white cover was marked with blood-red letters, printed in a chilling font.

I spoke without thinking.

“You like ghost stories?”

Jeong Eun-seo beamed as if she’d been waiting for the question.

“Yes, I love them! Do you like them too, Min-woo?”

“…Yeah, I guess I do.”

That was a lie. I’d never been interested in them.

But to keep the conversation going, I was willing to say whatever it took.

“Really? Then I’ll lend you this book! You should give it a try.”

Her eyes sparkled as she excitedly handed the book to me.

When I took it, her soft, cold fingertips brushed against mine.

A sudden jolt, like static electricity, shot from my fingers to my head.

I stared at her, dazed, like I was under a spell.

“Oh! Sorry, I guess that was static.”

She gave a shy smile and pulled her hand back. That finally snapped me out of it.

“N-No, thank you.”

I quickly averted my gaze.

With a light smile, she walked down the stairs.

There was something cheerful in her step.

Watching her back, I became sure of one thing.

‘Is this a green light?’

She initiated the conversation, and now she was lending me a book she cherishes?

At the very least, she clearly had some level of interest in me.

It gave me the motivation I needed to get through the day.

I had to pay off my debts quickly and start living like a proper human being.

With a strange mix of hope and excitement, I headed toward the bus stop.

“Damn, this place is huge…”

The location turned out to be a massive building right in the middle of the city.

I was expecting either a rich person’s mansion or a small pet shop, but this was nothing like what I imagined.

Maybe because it was so quiet, the building had a bit of a creepy vibe.

“Please wait here.”

After confirming my job application, a staff member led me to the waiting room.

“Park, you’re here again?”

“Of course. I’m definitely getting picked today!”

The waiting room was already packed with people.

Probably because the pay was way too good for the amount of work involved, the competition was fierce.

‘Only three people will be picked out of all of us?’

Out of the dozens here, only three would be selected.

The interview process was simple.

It tested how precisely you could follow the rules for caring for the employer’s pets.

Apparently, if you did well in the interview, you could even be hired full-time—not just for a day.

‘660,000 won a day… How much would that be in a month…?’

“Kim Min-woo, your turn.”

Lost in happy thoughts, I was jolted back to reality when my name was called.

“These rules are weird, right? You’re not allowed to make eye contact with the cat? And you have to keep your head down? Lie flat on the ground?”

“That’s insane.”

“That’s not all. You have to speak formally to the cat… seriously, what the hell?”

The others in line were grumbling as they read the list of rules they’d been given.

Come to think of it, I hadn’t even looked at my own set of rules yet.

Anyway, it’s probably the same content, but I decided to take a look just in case.

Assigned Entity: Cat

Name: Nabi

Traits: Loves being petted on the back.

Feels happy when praised a lot.

“Huh?”

I tilted my head.

The rules were so different from everyone else’s.

No avoiding eye contact, no bowing, no using formal language—none of those weird rules.

‘Did I get a different set of rules?’

I’d clearly heard everyone was given the same instructions, so it felt odd.

It seemed like something was off, but I didn’t feel the need to raise my hand and ask.

‘If there’s a mistake, it’s the one who gave the rules who’s at fault. I just need to follow what I got.’

It felt like I had received an easier set of rules, but I didn’t want to stir up unnecessary trouble.

With a secretly delighted heart, I opened the interview room door and walked in.

Inside, a single cat sat elegantly.

A small CCTV camera hung from the ceiling—likely observing me.

‘Whoa, it’s bigger than I expected… Is that a tiger?’

The name “Nabi” made me imagine a cute, cuddly cat, but this thing was almost the size of a large dog.

Not fat either.

Rather, it was sleek—almost like looking at a sculpture.

But the truly amazing thing was its eyes.

‘Why are its pupils so beautiful?’

Sparkling brightly, yet deep and profound.

Just making eye contact felt like I might get pulled in.

As expected of a rich person’s pet—there was something different about it.

“Nabi, hello.”

As I carefully greeted it, the cat softly meowed as if it had been waiting.

“Myaaa~”

The creature slowly walked toward me, made eye contact, then slowly blinked.

Was it just my imagination? Somehow, making eye contact made me feel calm.

It gently approached and rubbed its face against my leg.

Typical feline affection.

‘It said it likes being petted on the back, right?’

Naturally, I reached out and stroked its soft back.

A warm, plush sensation pleasantly tingled at my fingertips.

It was like squeezing a stress-relief plushie—

If this was the job, I could do it forever.

‘This really pays 660,000 won a day?’

Honestly, I wanted to become a full-time employee right away.

“Wait, what’s going on?”

“Why is the Bakeneko so calm?”

The researchers monitoring the interview room through CCTV froze.

They’d seen how many humans this “entity” had “fed on” before.

“What’s with that guy? Why isn’t the Bakeneko recognizing him as prey?”

“It’s more than just not seeing him as prey. It’s showing affection. Like it’s meeting one of its own kind.”

Shock washed over their faces.

They immediately pulled up previous observation logs.

[Experiment Log 1084-BN]

• Experiment Zone: 6-B
• Date: February 15, 20XX
• Subject: [Bakeneko]
• Threat Level: B

[Experiment Objective]

Observe how the Bakeneko stores absorbed human lifespans in its tails,
and determine whether that lifespan can be “transferred” to a third human.

[Background]

• The Bakeneko absorbs the target’s lifespan through contact or direct eye contact.
• Once enough lifespan is accumulated, its tail splits or multiplies,
  and the entity may take on human form.
• Maximum tails observed: 4
• Estimated lifespan required per tail: equivalent to 200–250 average humans

[Observations]

• The entity shows extreme hostility toward humans and acts on this instinct.
• Direct eye contact results in immediate aggression and forced lifespan absorption.
  Avoiding eye contact and bowing the head can delay or prevent attacks to a certain degree.
• The feeding reaction is irregular. If the entity is satisfied through feeding alone,
  survival chances increase. However, it may imply needs beyond simple biological urges.
• Voluntary physical contact by test subjects is strictly forbidden.
  Contact alone can result in lifespan absorption through the touched area,
  causing immediate and fatal biological damage.

Further details require clearance Level A or higher.

“Kim Min-woo… That guy might not be a normal human. Is he… connected somehow?”

The researchers looked at each other, stunned.

“Should we report this to upper management?”

“No, let’s observe a bit longer. We’ve never seen a case like this before.”

Their eyes gleamed with curiosity.