By Zephyria 
When he extended his hand, they showed interest. It was just an empty hand. One of them rubbed its head against his palm, another sniffed his hand with curious eyes, bringing its nose close. The remaining one quickly lost interest and started attacking Song Hyun-soo’s sneakers instead of his palm. He was relieved that they all looked healthy.
“But it’s you three again? Where’s Kkot-jjik-i? Huh?”
Looking at their dwelling further inside, he could see the silhouette of the mother cat sitting in front of her house. And the one with a smudge next to its nose was wandering near its mother. It would occasionally glance this way.
Nyang. Nyang.
The one crying to be petted and held was, as expected, the same one from last time with stripes only on its tail. Song Hyun-soo shoved the cigarette pack and the cigarette he was still holding back into his pocket. The striped tail was already lying on the ground. Song Hyun-soo slowly stroked its back from its nape.
“When will you guys become independent? Or is it okay to keep living with your mom?”
With a 20-year cold snap predicted, he was worried about how this family of five would survive the winter. He didn’t know much about the habits of cats, especially stray cats, about when the kittens were old enough to become independent.
“Well, if you stay here, the aunt won’t chase you away, but…”
Song Hyun-soo glanced towards the mother cat. Though she looked somewhat chic and cold, she didn’t take her eyes off her kittens. It was the same last time. She kept checking the situation here even while eating.
Unaware of their precarious situation, the kittens were busy playing with Song Hyun-soo as their playground. They seemed to have no complaints or worries. They didn’t seem to imagine that the human in front of them was someone who could suddenly turn and harm them.
“Mom will protect you well until winter passes, right?”
Yang, nyang.
“I don’t know for sure, but that’s what parents are for.”
Song Hyun-soo recalled Yoon Joo-ho’s father’s interview. He portrayed himself as an innocent victim, and his son, Yoon Joo-ho, as a parricide who abandoned his parents for greed. Every sentence was subtly manipulative.
No, can you even call that subtle? Even a fool like me can see through it.
If he had truly been concerned about his actor son’s image, as he claimed, he wouldn’t have given such an interview. He would have protected his son through silence.
The absolute love of parents, who would jump into fire and water, even give their lives, for their children.
But exceptions always exist.
Parents can also turn their backs on me. Parents can prioritize themselves over me. — That was the first truth of the world Song Hyun-soo encountered upon birth. That I was an exception.
“And, you know. If someone is going through a hard time but still attends script readings diligently, shouldn’t they be praised? How professional! But they call that being tough…”
Song Hyun-soo, who was stroking the back of the striped tail’s head, suddenly playfully rubbed its belly.
“Excuse me, Mr. Striped Tail, what do you think? Say something.”
Yeeowong. Yaong. The kitten immediately got ready to play, engaging in the game. It grabbed Song Hyun-soo’s hand with its front paws and struggled to bite it.
“Right? You think that’s not right either?”
This time, it flipped over and fully attacked his fingers.
“If he hadn’t come to the reading. Then they would have said something about that too. About his professionalism, or how he’s a top star and does whatever he wants…”
The striped tail held onto one of Song Hyun-soo’s fingers with its two front paws and gnawed at it. As he slowly raised his hand, it clung to his finger with all its might. After holding on for a while, it dropped off with a tok and then crouched down before leaping towards his hand. It was quite cat-like.
“They criticize him if he comes, and they criticize him if he doesn’t… What tune should I dance to? Huh? What tune should I dance to?”
As he moved his hand up and down, playing, the kitten’s eyes darted around, following the movement of the prey. Then, in a flash, it leaped up and snatched his hand, clinging to it.
“So you’re a cat too, huh?”
Song Hyun-soo managed a smile for a moment at its cute appearance. But that smile was fleeting.
Dark thoughts and feelings kept surfacing. The interview attacking Yoon Joo-ho by his parents, the media sensationalizing it, the comments from people pouring almost fanatical energy into criticizing and judging someone… He was scared.
Song Hyun-soo picked up the small body of the striped tail. He gently pressed the kitten’s face against his cheek.
“It won’t end until one more person dies.”
Nyang? Yang?
“How can a child do that to their parents? Why don’t they think the other way around? How bad must things have been for the child to send a certified letter to their biological parents? Do they know what happened over the past 30 years? Should a child just endure whatever their parents do?”
Nyang. Nyang.
“Right, Striped Tail. You think I’m right too, don’t you? Smart kid.”
Niyang. Niyang.
Like a puppy barking, the kitten cried out over Song Hyun-soo’s shoulder. Only then did Song Hyun-soo belatedly notice. A dark shadow slowly approaching…
“Do you have a lighter?”
“…”
I’m screwed. For sure. That’s Yoon Joo-ho’s voice.
Why doesn’t that guy make any footsteps? Is he really an angel? A celestial being, or rather, a celestial man?
This time, he was sure he would get properly scolded by Yoon Joo-ho. With a frustrated frown and a silent sigh, Song Hyun-soo quickly composed his expression. He then put the cat down and stood up, turning around.
He clasped his hands politely near his navel, bowing his head so low that his chin almost touched his collarbone. Anyone watching would have thought he was a gangster’s subordinate being summoned and scolded by his boss.
“I apologize, Senior.”
“For what?”
“Your parents, I spoke carelessly without knowing anything…”
Yoon Joo-ho narrowed his eyes as he brought the cigarette filter to his lips.
“Something about enduring whatever parents do… is that what you were saying?”
“I apologize… I have no words, even if I had ten mouths…”
“Do you have a lighter?”
“Yes? Yes, here.”
He quickly took out a lighter from his jumper pocket and flicked the flint to light it. Shielding it with his hand, he held it precisely in front of Yoon Joo-ho’s lips.
Swoosh. He couldn’t see Yoon Joo-ho’s face because he was looking down, but the sound of him inhaling to light the cigarette was vivid. Song Hyun-soo felt goosebumps. Was it because of the cold…
“You didn’t light it for me last time.”
“I have a sin to atone for…”
As the red ember transferred to the tip of the cigarette, Yoon Joo-ho stepped back a few paces, just like last time. One of the kittens, which had shown interest in Yoon Joo-ho’s shoes, hopped back as he moved away and followed him for a couple of steps. Then it trotted back to Song Hyun-soo.
“Why isn’t he playing with us? Is he excluding us?”
After taking a couple of puffs, Yoon Joo-ho gestured with his chin towards the back. He seemed to be referring to the one with the smudge next to its nose.
“It’s not that. He’s just not very social. It’s pitiful to force someone who doesn’t want to come, isn’t it?”
The kitten remained sitting by its mother, gazing endlessly in this direction. It was also the smallest among its siblings. Yoon Joo-ho looked at the kitten and smoked in silence.
Squatting down again and stroking the striped tail, Song Hyun-soo’s mind was racing. He had expected harsh words to fly out, but the delay made him more uneasy.
He wouldn’t just let it go. Was he planning to go all out after he finished his cigarette? Should I just kneel and beg first?
Then, suddenly, the cute face of the striped tail entered my vision. This is it, I thought. This fatal cuteness. No matter how much Yoon Joo-ho had a cold, hard heart like a block of ice, he couldn’t help but soften and melt before this cuteness. If not, he wouldn’t be human.
I was contemplating how to use the striped tail to stir Yoon Joo-ho’s sympathy. Yoon Joo-ho broke the silence first.
“Do you still work at that bar? You were talking about your part-time job earlier.”
“Huh? Yes…”
Yoon Joo-ho’s lips moved, about to say something more.