Side Story 16
“Guide-nim said he would send it away today.”
Seojun tilted his head slightly upon hearing the secretary’s words. Honestly, he was a bit surprised. Although Siwoo had said he would think about it for a week, Seojun thought he would keep living with the kitten. After all, he loved it so much that he carried it in his mouth all day.
“Let’s go inside first.”
Seojun led the secretary into the residence. Having grown somewhat attached to the kitten, he felt a bit regretful. However, he wasn’t as depressed as the secretary. He just thought it would feel a bit empty for a while.
Worried about how Siwoo would be doing, he entered the residence, but the atmosphere felt unusual from the moment he walked through the entrance hallway.
“Hyungs… what are you doing?”
Wondering who was emitting such a gloomy energy, he found Geonho and Jihan sitting far apart at the kitchen table, exuding a downcast aura. With the living room sofa gone, the kitchen table was the only place to sit.
Both of them just stared blankly into space even when Seojun arrived. It was understandable for Geonho, but even Jihan didn’t greet the maknae. He wasn’t in the mood.
“Is Guide-nim in his room?”
The secretary asked while placing the travel carrier on the table. Jihan, finally showing a reaction, nodded.
Siwoo was now saying his final goodbyes to the kitten in his room. Geonho and Jihan had immediately made way when he said he wanted to be alone with it.
It had been over an hour since Siwoo went into his room. After a while of hearing him meowing in his original form, it was now quiet.
The conversation seemed to be over, but he wasn’t showing any signs of coming out. Geonho and Jihan were lost in their own thoughts, just waiting for Siwoo to come out first.
This is probably the right thing to do, sending it away. It’s Siwoo’s decision. But he looks like he doesn’t want to part with it. Such thoughts crossed their minds.
“Why not just keep it?”
Seojun looked at his hyungs with an incomprehensive face. The secretary seemed to share his feelings as he glanced at them.
“What’s the problem? The leader isn’t even against it.”
“Han Siwoo said he won’t keep it.”
Geonho, who had been quiet, spoke up. But Seojun looked even more perplexed.
“Why? Guide-nim liked it the most.”
“He said he wants to like us more.”
Jihan conveyed the situation instead. He too had been bewildered when he first heard Siwoo’s decision. But Siwoo was adamant and had clear reasons. After hearing those reasons, he couldn’t strongly oppose him.
“…Guide-nim said that? That he wants to like us more?”
“He said something similar.”
Jihan shrugged and gave a vague answer. Wanting to pay more attention to us means wanting to like us more, right?
Seojun forced down the corners of his mouth that were rising without him noticing and composed his expression. It was a touching statement that made his heart ache, but he didn’t fully understand.
“He could like everyone. There’s no problem. It’s not like we have to live apart.”
“I think that’s hard for him.”
Everyone has different temperaments and energy levels. Siwoo judged that he didn’t have enough capacity to take care of everyone.
For the past week, he had been so preoccupied with the kitten that he hadn’t fulfilled his role as a guide properly. He had made Geonho feel neglected and hadn’t even noticed that Jihan was sick.
Seeing these Espers, Siwoo had become even more thoughtful.
In the future, he would be going out more often for strength training and planning to resume field guiding. This would mean the kitten would have to stay alone in this large house.
What’s the point of bringing in a caretaker? That person wouldn’t be family.
He didn’t share all these thoughts in detail with Geonho and Jihan, but they understood without being told. However, Seojun couldn’t accept it.
“What’s so hard? He’s not raising it alone, we would all take care of it together.”
He couldn’t understand why they were making an issue out of something that wasn’t a problem at all. As Seojun expressed his frustration, Jihan murmured with a smile.
“Our maknae has a simple side too.”
“Why don’t you go talk to him yourself?”
Geonho pushed Seojun’s back with his telekinesis. Seojun was planning to do just that anyway.
He immediately approached Siwoo’s bedroom door. He intended to tell him straightforwardly, without overthinking, to just follow his heart.
“…”
Although that was his intention, somehow he curiously lacked the courage to knock.
“Maknae, are you sleeping?”
Jihan, who had been watching him from behind, asked teasingly. Geonho deliberately sighed loudly enough for Seojun to hear.
Seojun ignored his mischievous hyungs and cleared his throat. He was only hesitating because they were creating such an atmosphere in the kitchen.
While he was contemplating how to persuade Siwoo, the door suddenly opened.
“Is the secretary here?”
Siwoo’s white face appeared through the gap in the open door. Seojun, startled, forgot what he had prepared to say and just nodded.
Siwoo had a calm face. He didn’t look particularly sad. Wearing only a shirt, it seemed like he had just transformed from his original form to human.
“Tell him I’ll come out in 10 minutes.”
“Yes, but… are you okay…?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
As he was about to close the door, Seojun put his foot in the gap to block it.
“What?”
“No, it’s just…”
When he actually tried to speak, the words wouldn’t come out. Contrary to his concern, Siwoo seemed too calm and much more resolute than expected.
“Guide-nim, just… keep it.”
He silently laughed at himself for how poor his final words sounded after all that hesitation. Geonho, eavesdropping from the kitchen, openly mocked him.
“Do you want to keep it?”
Siwoo calmly looked up at Seojun. Seojun blinked and ended his words ambiguously.
“Guide-nim wants to keep it.”
“I’m fine. What about you?”
Well, I… could keep it or not keep it.
After hearing Seojun’s vague answer, Siwoo reiterated that he would come out in 10 minutes. Just then, the kitten lying on his bed meowed, looking for Siwoo.
The door closed, and Seojun stood still, scratching the back of his neck before heading to the kitchen where his hyungs were. Faced with Siwoo who seemed to have made up his mind, he couldn’t think of words to persuade him.
He also thought Siwoo might really be okay with it.
* * *
Meow.
Siwoo climbed onto the bed while buttoning his shirt. He kissed the kitten that immediately burrowed into his arms and rubbed his nose against its crown.
“Let’s stay for 10 more minutes and then go.”
He had groomed the kitten’s entire body while in his original form. His affection for the kitten was thoroughly infused in its dampened fur.
“Go and live as you please. Understand?”
He had repeated similar words countless times while licking it.
Don’t hold back if you’re ignored. Cats don’t endure. If by any chance you don’t like the owner, just let me know anytime. I’ll make video calls regularly.
“Keep being affectionate like now.”
In return, take good care of the person who feeds you. People get depressed easily, so they need someone to comfort them. That was the role and duty that house cats inherently had. Though no one would know.
“Then everyone will love you.”
Siwoo had taken out all the Churu treats he had collected and packed them in a box. Besides Churu, he had also prepared plenty of premium cat food and healthy snacks. These were bribes for taking good care of the kitten.
“If you act like me, no one will like you.”
He was worried that the kitten might have learned from his behavior. The Baekya Guild only clung to him because they had strange tastes. If it had been others, they would have driven him out within a day. He had already been expelled from guilds more than ten times.
He felt melancholic as old memories came back after a long time. Using that as an excuse, he didn’t look at the clock, tightly hugged the kitten, and went under the blanket.
Though he desperately wanted to keep it, he had to hold back. He shouldn’t be greedy.
Siwoo had lived a life where things always went wrong when he was greedy. Even though he was already happy now, he was afraid of being punished if he tried to have more. Even though there was no longer anyone to punish him.
Reassuring himself, he got up with the kitten in his arms. He needed to quickly help the little one meet the family it would spend its life with. Then they would give it a name. The kitten didn’t even have a name yet.
Meow!
As Siwoo got off the bed, the previously docile kitten suddenly started crying loudly. Like when it was first held by Geonho, it climbed onto Siwoo’s shoulder and clung tightly to his neck.
Meow! Meeeow!
“No. We have to go.”
Meeeeow! Meep! Meow!
“Go there, eat a lot, and live well. The house there is spacious and they live very well.”
Siwoo gritted his teeth, trying not to cry. However, tears stimulated by the kitten’s piercing cries pushed their way out without their owner’s permission.
This was a big problem, having said he would leave in 10 minutes.
Siwoo bit his lip, sat down on the floor, buried his face in the bed, and cried silently. He shed more tears because he felt pathetic for making such a decision.
But what could he do? He didn’t have confidence to handle it.
Siwoo hurriedly wiped his tears. The kitten had quieted down after Siwoo burst into tears. It just sat quietly, leaning against his shuddering shoulders.
“I’m sorry.”
He had foolishly grown attached when he couldn’t even stay together. The kitten quietly looked up at Siwoo. Siwoo deliberately avoided its blinking round eyes and composed his breathing.
Let’s just wash my face with cold water and go. Fortunately, my eyes aren’t too red.
As he was thinking this and heading to the bathroom, the door opened abruptly without a knock.
“…”
Siwoo’s lips drooped as he watched Taebeom stride into his room. Seeing him made Siwoo want to cry more. The moment he saw the leader in a formal suit, probably having come in the middle of work, tears poured out.
Taebeom didn’t ask Siwoo why he was crying. He just pushed Siwoo, who reached out his arms asking to be held, into his embrace and calmed him with his consistently composed voice.
“I sent the secretary back.”
Meaning we’ll keep it. Siwoo shook his head and sobbed. He tried to say he wouldn’t keep it, but the kitten wrapped around his neck blocked his words.
“You name it.”
Taebeom pointed to the kitten clinging to Siwoo with his eyes.
“Think carefully, as it’s a name you’ll call for life.”
Taebeom grabbed and lifted Siwoo’s chin as he continued to shake his head, and their gazes locked.
“It’s an order.”
He recited in a firm tone that Siwoo couldn’t refuse, and sat him on the bed. Then he took out a handkerchief and wiped his tears.
Siwoo couldn’t easily stop crying. Whenever Taebeom wiped his tears, he would shed more and press his cheek against the kitten.
“Just do as much as you can.”
“…”
“You don’t need to take care of everything perfectly.”
Taebeom understood Siwoo’s heart completely, even without him speaking. He knew everything about what Siwoo feared and why he hesitated.
A large hand enveloped Siwoo’s white hand. His prosthetic hand was no longer cold. It felt only warm, resembling his heart.
“It’s okay.”
As always, multiple meanings were contained in Taebeom’s brief words. They included both comfort that everything would be alright and a promise to make it so. The meaning contained within was conveyed exactly to Siwoo.
“That’s right, Han Siwoo. Everything’s okay!”
Starting with him, Geonho, Jihan, and Seojun, who had been watching the situation from the doorway, came in and agreed with Taebeom’s words.
They should have done this sooner. They had dumped the heavy decision-making entirely on Siwoo while only watching his reaction. They thought that was what Siwoo wanted. If their emotions had been connected, it would have been different.
“We’ll raise it. We’ll do well without making Guide-nim tired.”
“Yes, Guide-nim. Don’t worry about anything.”
The four large men surrounded Siwoo sitting on the bed and poured out their own pledges.
To prevent Siwoo from hesitating any longer, Geonho went ahead and named the kitten. ‘Siho.’ It was created by combining Siwoo’s and his own names.
Jihan openly jeered, and Seojun completely ignored it. Even Taebeom pretended not to hear as he tidied the handkerchief.
Siwoo just laughed. While preciously embracing the small, delicate body that had become a new family member.
And so, there was one more being to protect. A being they would all protect together by combining their strength.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
Why am I cryinggggg 😭😭😭😭
I know, me too