By Zephyria “Hello, Aunt.”
“If you’re here, you should say so.”
“I’m not here for a meal, so I felt awkward saying hello…”
The aunt chuckled and briefly scanned Song Hyun-soo from head to toe.
“I didn’t know you were the type to care about such things.”
Song Hyun-soo scratched his cheek and smiled back. The aunt, who had come out with new food and water, crouched down in front of the tricolor and said,
“The movie company didn’t have a reservation today?”
“I just stopped by. I had an appointment, and I had some time to spare.”
Song Hyun-soo sat down next to the aunt.
“You seem quite free too, young man.”
“Won’t I be busy as a bee soon? Haha.”
“You’re so bold. I like that.”
The aunt, pouring food into the tricolor’s bowl, turned to Song Hyun-soo and nodded. The tricolor, coming closer, rubbed its body and head against the aunt’s calf, purring contentedly, and the kittens also flocked to the aunt. Except for the one with the smudge next to its nose.
“You must be lonely when two of them are adopted.”
“Lonely? I’m overjoyed to have fewer mouths to feed. Ugh, I wish someone would take the other two quickly too.”
Song Hyun-soo quietly smiled, watching the aunt’s profile as she spoke, feigning annoyance, true to her tsundere reputation.
“But Aunt, what happens if they don’t get adopted?”
“What happens? They become fine stray cats, following in their mother’s footsteps.”
“Does the mother take care of them until they’re independent?”
“It’s no different from humans.”
“……”
“Some mothers pass on their territory to their kittens for independence, while some mothers abandon those they deem unlikely to survive… They’re all different.”
Song Hyun-soo gazed down at the particular kitten that only stayed by its mother’s side. It looked the scruffiest among its siblings and lacked charm, making him wonder if it would get adopted. If it had to live as a stray cat, he didn’t think it would adapt well.
“If you’re so concerned, take one home. You seem to care quite a bit if you came all the way here to see them.”
The aunt, noticing Song Hyun-soo’s gaze, nudged him with her elbow.
“No. It’s not that I’m particularly concerned, I just thought of them as I was passing by.”
“You’re being stubborn. Alright, I’ll accept that.”
“Besides, I can’t raise one in my current place. And… I’m scared too.”
The aunt picked up one of the kittens and held it up in front of Song Hyun-soo’s face.
“Are you afraid this tiny thing will eat you alive?”
“It’s not that, it’s that I won’t be able to take proper care of it. I’ve never raised an animal before.”
“You didn’t even raise a dog when you were young?”
“No.”
Like the vast majority of children, Song Hyun-soo had also wanted a pet. He had begged, and he had thrown tantrums, wriggling on the floor. But just like when he asked for Nike sneakers, his crying and tantrums had no effect. His grandfather, unmoved, asked if he knew how much work and money it took to raise a voiceless animal. His grandfather didn’t bat an eye, regardless of whether Song Hyun-soo was about to pass out.
“Hmm. For someone who hasn’t, they seem to be quite fond of you.”
“They’re fond of me?”
“They instinctively know who’s dangerous if they want to survive.”
“……”
“You probably looked like an easy target.”
She seemed amused by Song Hyun-soo’s bitter reaction.
“It’s fun, like playing with a child, going back and forth.”
“That’s why I called you a tsundere, Aunt.”
The aunt stroked the back of the tricolor eating its food, and Song Hyun-soo played with the kittens, taking videos of them. For a moment, they sat back-to-back, bickering like comedians. Perhaps because it felt like spending time with his grandmother in his hometown, he felt comfortable with the ‘Honey’s place’ aunt, even with her teasing, as if they had known each other for a long time.
“The mother is scheduled for surgery soon.”
Song Hyun-soo turned around in surprise, still seated.
“Surgery?? Is she sick?”
“Spay surgery.”
“Ah…”
The aunt briefly explained that the local government offered a program to trap stray cats and provide spay surgery.
“So Tricolor won’t be able to have kittens anymore.”
“Tricolor?”
“The mother. That’s the name I gave her. Brown, black, white. She has three fur colors.”
“Hmm, you’ll have to let your wife name your children later.”
He never expected to hear the same thing from the ‘Honey’s place’ aunt that one of his SNS fans had said.
“Wow… Aunt, when you say that, it’s a bit much.”
“What’s too much?”
Song Hyun-soo pointed to the restaurant behind him with a confident gesture.
“‘Honey’s place’ isn’t exactly a sophisticated name either, is it?”
“What’s wrong with ‘Honey’s place’?”
“It’s a pork specialty restaurant, so ‘Honey’s place’? I think it’s as one-dimensional as Tricolor, Aunt!”
“Dimension? Wow, you even know words like that?”
“Ah, Aunt, you’re looking down on me. And listen. ‘Honey’s place’ can even sound like ‘kkurrine’ if you’re not careful.”
“What’s ‘kkurrine’?”
“It means ‘bad,’ really terrible. Woooow.”
Making a thumbs-down gesture and a jeering sound, Song Hyun-soo was finally hit on the bottom of the bowl by the aunt.
“You don’t know anything. Our restaurant is called ‘Honey’s place’ because the food is honey-sweet!”
“Ah…”
After being lightly hit by the aunt, Song Hyun-soo felt a sense of realization.
“So that’s why the pig was eating honey on the sign?”
“That’s right! As an actor, how can you have such poor observation skills?”
The pig on the sign was definitely hugging a honey pot, scooping honey with its trotters. I thought it was a cheap imitation of Pooh. I never realized the name ‘Honey’s place’ held such a double meaning. I had to admit defeat, though it was frustrating.
Song Hyun-soo looked bitterly at his aunt’s triumphant face, his gaze shifting to the tricolor she was petting.
“Aunt, I don’t really know, but… is surgery good for the tricolor?”
“If she doesn’t get spayed, she’ll get pregnant again soon after giving birth. It’s hard on her if she’s always pregnant as a stray. These kittens are still too young for surgery.”
Gesturing to the hopping kittens, the aunt finished speaking and picked up the empty bowls and water bottle.
“I have some leftovers from lunch with the family. Would you like some doenjang jjigae and a bowl of bibimbap before you go?”
“No, I have to go now. I have an appointment at 2.”
“Alright, then.”
She turned away coolly without asking twice.
While hugging the striped tail that was rubbing against his calf, meowing to be held, Song Hyun-soo’s eyes searched for the one with the splotch next to its nose. His gaze lingered on the kitten that was nervously hovering near its mother.
■■■
Yoon Joo-ho was lying stretched out on the living room sofa, wearing a dark navy robe over simple loungewear. He had his arms crossed tightly over his chest, the scriptbook flipped open and covering his face.
On the TV opposite the sofa, celebrities on an entertainment show were divided into teams, playing a game. Laughter flowed incessantly at a low volume.
Someone had waited all weekend for today and almost arrived an hour early. Yet, someone else was sleeping soundly, completely at ease. Yoon Joo-ho hadn’t done anything wrong, but a sense of unfairness welled up.
“I didn’t sleep much last night. Barely two hours. Let him sleep a little longer, okay?” Director Bang whispered, lowering his voice. He then gently tugged at Song Hyun-soo’s elbow.
He guided Song Hyun-soo to a room on the second floor. It was Song Hyun-soo’s first time on the second floor, and he followed, looking around.
“Hyun-soo.”
“Yes?”
“Excuse me for a moment.”
Stopping in front of a door, Director Bang turned back to Hyun-soo, pointing at something with an apologetic expression. A door lock had been installed on the door.
“Ah, yes!”
Song Hyun-soo quickly turned around. It was another door with a door lock, besides the one Yoon Joo-ho had come out of after his shower.
Beep beep beep, beep beep, beep, beep.
The lock disengaged only after entering a nine-digit password.