The dripping water was gone, but it still hung there damp and limp. The Big Guy stretched out on the clothesline retained none of his former appearance. He looked like nothing more than strands of red seaweed. In her effort to dry him quickly, Julia had completely unraveled Big Guy’s body, which had already come loose. As a result, the Big Guy now was nothing but a tangled mess of yarn twisted however it pleased.
I sat beneath where Big Guy was hanging and tilted my head back to stare up at him.
The Big Guy now was no longer the Big Guy I had loved. His round, fluffy, adorable form was nowhere to be found, no matter how hard I looked. His once plump body sagged hideously, and that unique warmth he’d had was gone as well. But even so, I still loved him. He might be broken like that now, but my love wasn’t something that changed so easily. I clearly remembered the beautiful, happy times we’d shared. I cherished him enough to endure his ugly, pitiful current state and wait for him to return to how he once was.
Big Guy would definitely recover his old form. I believed that. Now, all I could do was stay by his side and encourage him. And I absolutely couldn’t forget to guard him so no one could steal him away.
“Nyaaang—”
Big Guy. Hyung will stay with you, so hang in there.
I encouraged him as I looked up at him.
“It looks like he’ll be like that until he dries.”
A knight who had cleverly hidden himself behind a cornered wall spoke to Simon. Simon scratched his chin as he watched the small black cat that had been sitting motionless for hours in the sun-drenched garden of the Crown Prince’s palace.
The Crown Prince’s cherished cat had caused a huge commotion last night, dragging around a ball of yarn that had gotten soaked and unraveled in water. Dripping wet, he’d come out of the bathroom, dropped the yarn at a maid’s feet, and cried nyaong-nyaong so desperately that the sound was thunderous enough to melt the hearts of anyone listening. After raising such a fuss, the Crown Prince had finally soothed him to sleep—only for the cat to wake up early in the morning, crying yaong-yaong at full volume and urgently pestering the maid.
The red yarn spread out neatly under the blazing sun would dry well in just a few hours. But the cat didn’t seem willing to be apart from it even for those few hours. From the moment the yarn had been hung up, he hadn’t left its side even once, sitting there resolutely. Thinking of the Crown Prince, who would surely be in an especially foul mood by now, Simon clicked his tongue softly. The morning meeting hall without that cat would be filled with icy winds.
The cat’s head, as he sat there, was tilted completely backward. Naturally so—he was staring up at something high above. Sitting there so resolutely with his head tipped back, the cat occasionally tilted his head left and right. Each time the wind blew and the yarn fluttered slightly, he tilted his head in the direction it moved. And when the wind blew harder and made the yarn sway, his perked ears and even his backside twitched. He looked extremely tense, as if afraid the yarn might be blown away.
Is it really that good?
Simon muttered inwardly, thinking again of the displeased Crown Prince.
That yarn the cat loved to death—the Crown Prince hated it deeply. He never showed it in front of his precious cat, of course. But Simon, who occasionally entered the office to deliver reports, had witnessed it several times. The Crown Prince casting an irritated glare at the yarn ball beside the cat, who was sprawled belly-up and sleeping soundly in a basket. And there had also been a whispered story from another knight—that after the cat transformed into a boy and fell into a deep sleep, the Crown Prince had picked up the yarn and tossed it into a corner of the bedroom.
From the Crown Prince’s perspective, it would be best if that yarn disappeared altogether. But if it did, the cat would raise absolute hell.
Man… that’s tough. Really tough.
Simon shook his head slowly.
“…Ah.”
While momentarily distracted, the knight watching the cat let out a small exclamation. Simon quickly turned his gaze toward the cat—and before he knew it, he too let out a breathy, “Huh…” just like the knight had.
Directly beneath the high-hung red yarn, the small black cat lowered his stance and began twitching his hips left and right. In time with the movement, his tail flicked back and forth as well. Then, all of a sudden, he sprang straight up into the air.
Suspended midair, he spread both front paws wide like fans and shashashak— swiped at the yarn. Then he landed lightly on the ground and began twitching his hips again as if ready to jump once more. For a brief moment, sharp claws flashed out from his front paws as he struck at the yarn.
Simon blinked as he watched the cat leap into the air again and swing both front paws toward the yarn.
After jumping up and swiping several times, the cat finally snagged the yarn with the tips of his claws and landed on the ground. Only then did Simon realize the reason behind the cat’s sudden behavior.
Having caught a few strands of yarn with his claws, the cat began pulling down the part that had come loose. He stretched his right front paw upward, hooked it, and tugged down hard—then stretched his left front paw up, hooked his claws, and tugged down again. The knight beside Simon covered his mouth with his fist and let out a pfft of laughter, but Simon didn’t scold him. Simon himself felt like he might burst out laughing at any moment.
The yarn hanging on the line was very long. Perhaps tired from pulling it down repeatedly, the cat sat still for a moment. After alternating his gaze between the part he’d dragged down and the part still hanging above, he suddenly straightened up. Simon held his breath, anticipating the cat’s next move.
The dainty, fluffy black front paw tapped at the yarn on the ground, and the cat let out a sweet cry—“Nyaang— nyang-nyang—”. Simon instinctively understood. The cat was saying something to the yarn. Probably something like, Just hang on a little longer, or maybe, I’ll save you soon.
After speaking to the yarn, the cat grabbed the part on the ground in his mouth and began trotting backward.
“It looks like he’ll succeed this time.”
The knight, completely absorbed, whispered softly. Simon nodded slightly without taking his eyes off the cat.
The knight’s guess was spot on.
After pulling backward for quite some time with one end of the yarn clenched in his mouth, the remaining portion finally fell to the ground as well. Judging by the way it fluttered down, it seemed to be completely dry now. Well, that must be why the cat had pulled it down in the first place.
The cat rushed over to the yarn and swished his tail from side to side in excitement. Then, using one front paw, he dragged the widely scattered yarn beneath himself, gathering it together. The work took a fair amount of time with such small paws, but eventually, a fluffy pile of yarn formed at the cat’s feet.
Simon smiled warmly as he looked at what the small cat had accomplished. He felt so proud he wanted to shower the cat with praise and pet him endlessly.
After piling the fully dried yarn in one spot, the cat dragged over a nearby basket with his front paw. Then he transferred the yarn inside. Seeing him grab the basket with his little mouth and start dragging it along made it clear just how impatient he was. Simon clenched his fist and lightly nudged the knight beside him, who was murmuring, “That’s it. That’s it. Good job,” in encouragement. Keeping his eyes fixed on the cat, Simon whispered,
“Go help him.”
“Yes, sir.”
The knight’s face brightened instantly as he dashed toward the cat, full of determination. Simon smiled fondly, but inwardly offered an apology to his lord.
I’m sorry, Your Highness. I really couldn’t help myself.
***
“Here. All done.”
“Niiyaaa—!”
Thank you very much.
I cried out with exaggerated sweetness toward Julia, expressing my gratitude, then rushed straight at Big Guy inside the basket.
Big Guy—!!
I spread my front paws wide, hugged him tight, and rolled around inside the basket. There was no heaven beyond this. If this place—with a basket and Big Guy—wasn’t heaven, then where else could it be?
That must’ve been really hard. Poor thing.
I comforted Big Guy, rubbing my cheeks and head against him. I’d thought I might never see him again, so having him return safely like this… I would never lose him again. Never.
I was still reveling in the joy of our reunion when my face started to feel oddly prickly. Holding Big Guy, I turned my head and saw the patron quietly watching me. I cried “Nyaaang—” toward him, proudly showing off Big Guy’s safe return.
“…That’s good.”
The patron offered his congratulations slowly. But something about his face was strange. He was clearly smiling, yet the corner of his right mouth twitched faintly. I’d heard that if you’re lacking certain nutrients, you can get muscle spasms under your eyes—maybe the patron was deficient too. Or maybe he was just overworked.
Mm… I’ll think about it later.
I set aside my concerns about the patron’s health and went back to rubbing my cheeks against Big Guy.
Pretty thing. Do you know how worried this hyung was? Let’s never be separated again.
As I enthusiastically showered Big Guy with love, there was suddenly a crack sound. Wondering what it was, I looked over and saw the patron gripping a feather pen so tightly it had snapped.
Huh. Why break a perfectly fine pen like that?
I stared at him, wondering what was wrong with him. The patron quietly smiled again and said,
“What a mistake.”
I gave him a look that said, Well, that can happen in life, then went right back to rolling around with Big Guy.
