By Zephyria 
Why, how he died, he wanted to know everything right now. Filled with curiosity and impatience, Song Hyun-soo unconsciously gripped the hem of his pants tightly.
“Wow, as expected, our actors’ visuals are amazing. I can’t wait to see the work on screen!”
A staff member who had taken a few photos checked the camera screen and exclaimed. The actors’ filming seemed to be over. Next was the cake-cutting ceremony for the protagonist, Yoon Joo-ho.
Taking advantage of the commotion, Song Hyun-soo moved away from the center of the group. He ignored Yoon Joo-ho’s suspicious gaze and quietly slipped out of the restaurant, picking up his padding.
Slide.
As he opened the sliding door, the snowflakes had grown thicker in the meantime.
The cool air, rushing into his face and lungs, seemed to tell him to calm down. As he slowly took deep breaths, his head and heart seemed to cool down a bit.
Hoo. He let out a long sigh and turned the corner of the restaurant towards the smoking area.
“Why are you standing there instead of going in?”
It was the voice of the aunt from ‘Honey’s place’. She had come out and was standing in front of the Samcheongi family’s house.
“Come here. It’s been a while.”
Song Hyun-soo also turned his head in the direction she gestured. A small cat was perched on the fence of the vacant lot.
Song Hyun-soo squinted and approached the aunt.
“Auntie, isn’t that the one with the booger… the spot next to his nose?”
“Why wouldn’t it be? It’s snowing, and he’s looking so pathetic.”
She glanced back at Song Hyun-soo and clicked her tongue, shaking her head. Then she looked down at the food bowl.
“He’s not eating much.”
“Why is that?”
“He’s waiting for his mother and siblings.”
“What? Is the tricolor gone? Did she abandon her kitten?”
Song Hyun-soo’s voice rose.
“Who abandoned him? She’s passing on her territory to him. She must have thought he wouldn’t be able to feed himself.”
“What about the other kitten? There were two that weren’t adopted. Where did they go?”
Song Hyun-soo looked around. He bent down and peered inside the house, which was covered with a plastic curtain.
“Even before its mother left, that one started wandering around on its own. It left home not long after.”
“Isn’t it too young for that?”
Inside and around the house, Song Hyun-soo couldn’t find any trace of another cat. The one on the wall was still so small, it looked like a baby that couldn’t possibly survive alone. At least, that’s how it seemed to Song Hyun-soo.
“Cats are like people, each one is different. The quick ones find their territory before they’re even 12 weeks old, and the slow ones… well, that one’s up there doing that.”
His aunt, her arms crossed tightly, watched the creature on the wall with a worried expression.
“The sibling that left earlier comes by here every now and then to eat. I suppose it’s when it’s hungry. Since it shows up even occasionally, I wonder if this one waits for it more… wondering when it’ll come again.”
Unable to watch any longer, his aunt walked over to the wall. Despite her coaxing and calling for it to come, the cat, which had been slinking away, was eventually caught by her hands. With a slightly rough touch, she brushed the melted snow from its fur. Then, she placed it under the eaves, out of the falling snow.
The cat spun around a few times in place, then began to drink some water. His aunt crouched beside it, stroking its back.
“Oh, you troublesome little things. I’m the one to blame for taking you in, who else could I blame?”
“Still, it lets you touch it. This one wouldn’t come to me when I tried to pet it. I thought it hated people.”
Sitting next to his aunt, Song Hyun-soo extended his hand towards the cat. As always, it looked at him with curious eyes but hesitated. It would cautiously take a step closer, only to startle itself and retreat several steps back.
“It’s not like that inside. It’s just timid. It loves human hands so much.”
Watching the cat rub its small head against his aunt’s palm, her words seemed true.
“But.”
“Yes?”
“Where did you get such nice clothes?”
His aunt from ‘Honey’s place’ scanned Song Hyun-soo’s padding jumper with a suspicious gaze. Song Hyun-soo straightened his back from his seated position and proudly showed off his jumper.
“Ah… this? It’s nice, right? Pretty, isn’t it?”
“It looks expensive. You don’t seem like you’re in a position to be wearing something like this yet.”
“Joo-ho Sunbae gave it to me because he wasn’t wearing it anymore.”
“The Crown Prince?”
“Yes.”
Swoosh. His aunt clicked her tongue and tilted her head.
“That’s not the Crown Prince’s style.”
To think that his aunt from ‘Honey’s place’ would know.
“Right? But what can I do? He gave it to me because he wasn’t wearing it. I have to believe him.”
Heup. His aunt pushed herself up, putting strength into her knees.
“It’s just timid and keeps to itself, but there’s one more that likes human hands.”
His aunt muttered something incomprehensible. She then warned the kitten not to get into trouble again if it went outside, before calmly returning to the restaurant.
Song Hyun-soo thought it would scurry inside as soon as his aunt left. Surprisingly, the cat remained seated, looking up at him. Its small face, tilted to one side, had unusually large, glistening eyes.
Its mother left, its only sibling left too. Is it lonely? Is that why it’s not going?
Forgetting that he had intended to look up news about Myung Do-hoon as soon as he came out, Song Hyun-soo extended his hand to the cat again.
“You don’t have to be scared. It’s a bit much for me to say, but I’m an easygoing person.”
The cat, after tilting its head a few times in hesitation, cautiously walked over. And for the first time, it nudged Song Hyun-soo’s hand with its nose, sniffing. It was as astonishing as witnessing a miracle. He let out a silent cheer, not wanting to startle the cat.
Finally deeming it safe, the cat rubbed its head against Song Hyun-soo’s palm.
“See? Not scary, right? There’s a person named Yoon Joo-ho inside. Someone like that is scary. You have to avoid them well, okay?”
A smile spread across his face, filled with warmth and pride, yet a part of his chest ached inexplicably. It was a throbbing pain, as intense as a toothache that could induce a headache.
As if enjoying the petting, the cat, which had been rubbing its head, turned and rubbed its back against him too.
Song Hyun-soo gathered his courage and gently lifted the cat. He succeeded in holding it in his arms.
He carefully cradled the cat inside the right breast pocket of his jumper, wrapping it gently.
While Song Hyun-soo searched for news about Myung Do-hoon, the cat poked its face out from inside the jumper and watched the falling snow.
Myung Do-hoon, currently imprisoned at Chuncheon Correctional Facility, was found dead in the prison bathroom this afternoon. The cause of death is presumed to be suicide, as he appeared to have hanged himself with the top of his prison uniform.
Mr. Myung was reportedly awaiting a special amnesty for the Lunar New Year and had expressed anxiety about receiving death threats.
A note, believed to be a suicide note, expressed resentment towards the correctional authorities for not properly investigating the death threats he received, as well as his perceived unfair sentence.
Mr. Myung, one of the key perpetrators in the so-called ‘X-boy Scandal,’ had angered the public by insisting on his innocence throughout the trial, a claim the court did not accept.
It was also revealed that he had accumulated over 10 billion won in hidden assets, which he used to extort and exploit victims for sex trafficking, claiming he was merely following orders from the powerful elite.
Choi Hong-seo had died, and Lee Seo-kyung of ARA Group, Myung Do-hoon’s strong backer, was murdered and died during her trial.
And now, Myung Do-hoon, who had been feeding off Choi Hong-seo, had also died.
While the direct cause was suicide, Song Hyun-soo understood.
The death threats Myung Do-hoon had been receiving in prison.
It must have been Choi Hong-seo’s lover, Lee Hae-sung of ARA Group, who drove Myung Do-hoon to take his own life. It had to be.
A hot lump welled up inside him.
Now, could Choi Hong-seo, could that one, find even a little solace for his grievances?
Could he find some peace in that distant place?
If only this had happened sooner, if only the sons of bitches who deserved to die had died earlier. Then, innocent people wouldn’t have had to die.
Stroking the cat in his arms, Song Hyun-soo lowered his head. The cat looked up, meeting his eyes. As if understanding his feelings and offering comfort, its pupils were filled with a warm, glistening light.
“It’s okay. I’m not sad. I’m just overwhelmed.”
As he stroked the cat’s nose with his thumb, Song Hyun-soo forced a smile. It was then that he heard a familiar voice from behind him.
“There he is again, hugging a cat.”
It was, of course, Yoon Joo-ho.
Turning, he saw Yoon Joo-ho just rounding the corner.
“Are you following me, Senior?”
“Aren’t you the one who was waiting here, knowing I’d come out for a smoke?”
“I’ll give you credit for that confidence.”
“It’s not confidence.”
Yoon Joo-ho said, putting a cigarette to his lips.
“It’s certainty, based on accumulated data.”
“Yes, yes.”
Watching Yoon Joo-ho look into his cigarette pack and rummage through his outer pocket after putting the filter in his mouth, Song Hyun-soo offered his lighter from his own pocket.
“Here. Lighter.”
Yoon Joo-ho, turning his head towards him, saw the cat peeking out from Song Hyun-soo’s embrace and chuckled. He reached for the lighter but stopped, furrowing his brow.
“Did you cry?”
“What, who cried?”
“……”
Yoon Joo-ho didn’t believe Song Hyun-soo. He gently grasped Song Hyun-soo’s jaw, which was trying to avoid his gaze, and scanned every inch of his face as if searching for evidence.
He seemed to conclude that Song Hyun-soo had indeed been crying.
He moved the cigarette from between his lips to his hand and firmly grasped Song Hyun-soo’s shoulder.
“Did someone give you hell during filming? Who was it?”