Hearing a loud commotion outside, Bae Jung-yoon rushed into the house. Go Hoon froze in place, startled. What the hell? Why is he back so soon?
“…What the hell is this?”
Bae Jung-yoon’s eyes locked onto the wrecked state of the kitchen. The shattered whiskey bottle. The amber liquid spilled all over the floor.
He stood still for a moment, seemingly trying to grasp the situation. Then, without delay, he stepped right into the mess.
The face that always wore a gentle smile was now frozen in a cold, rigid expression. For a split second, it felt like the Grim Reaper himself had come knocking.
“Nyaaang…”
Startled by his aura, Go Hoon tucked his tail between his legs and stumbled backward. At that moment, a crunching sound came from beneath Bae Jung-yoon’s foot.
He had stepped on the broken glass scattered across the floor. But he didn’t flinch—he simply walked straight toward Hoon. There wasn’t the slightest hint of pain in his expression.
Was he injured? That suspicion vanished the moment Hoon noticed a trail of vivid red footprints forming behind every one of his steps. Blood was dripping from Bae Jung-yoon’s foot.
The chilling sight made Go Hoon stare at him with wide, panicked eyes. There was nowhere left to retreat—his back was pressed up against the sink, trapped.
Without hesitation, Bae Jung-yoon reached out and picked Hoon up. Despite the icy look in his eyes, his hands were gentle as he began carefully checking Hoon’s soft paws one by one.
That wasn’t enough—he even ran his palm along Hoon’s belly to feel for any wounds. Completely absorbed in checking Hoon for injuries, it was as if he didn’t even register his own bleeding foot.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
Is that even a real question? The one who needed medical attention wasn’t Go Hoon—it was Bae Jung-yoon, who was bleeding all over the place.
“MyaaAAANG─!”
Finally regaining his senses, Go Hoon flailed, trying to escape Bae Jung-yoon’s grasp. But Bae Jung-yoon held him tightly and wouldn’t let go.
“Kkongddeok, stay still. You’ll get hurt.”
He warned him in a low voice, tightening his hold, and walked out of the kitchen chaos. Once they reached the living room sofa—well away from the scene of the accident—he finally loosened his grip.
The moment he was freed, Go Hoon leapt down from the sofa to the floor. Then he started tapping Bae Jung-yoon’s foot with his front paw. Bae Jung-yoon’s eyes followed him down.
“…I’m bleeding.”
Only then did it seem to register—he had blood dripping from his foot.
A delayed sting must have set in, as his thick brows twitched slightly. But that was it. He didn’t react beyond that. He just stood there quietly, staring down at his foot. Then, suddenly, his eyes sparkled as he turned to look at Hoon.
“Wait, are you… worried about me right now?”
‘Of course I am. Someone’s bleeding right in front of me—what kind of person wouldn’t be worried? It’s not like I’m a psychopath or a sociopath.’
“Awuuung.”
“You’re such a good boy, Kkongddeok.”
Bae Jung-yoon crouched down and stroked Hoon’s back as he praised him.
“Ueeeng.”
‘Now’s not the time for that! Sit your ass down and check your injury.’ When Hoon dug his front paws into the top of Bae Jung-yoon’s foot in protest, Bae Jung-yoon calmly sat down on the sofa. Hoon’s gaze stayed locked on his foot.
When he flipped his foot over, the bloody wound was fully exposed. It looked excruciating. The cut was deep, and blood was still pouring out.
But unfazed, Bae Jung-yoon grabbed a few tissues, wiped away the blood, then pulled out a first-aid kit from the corner of the coffee table. With a pair of tweezers, he began picking out the glass shards lodged in his foot.
A shard soaked in blood dropped onto the stark white tissue with a plop. Go Hoon stared in horror. That chunk of glass had been embedded in his foot the whole time and he didn’t even feel it?
While Hoon hopped up onto the table to examine the size of the shard, Bae Jung-yoon disinfected the wound and covered it with a hydrocolloid dressing.
“Nyaong.”
That’s it? Just that? Judging by the condition of his foot, he probably needed to go to the hospital. But Bae Jung-yoon acted like it was no big deal.
“Uuung─.”
Wandering anxiously around the living room, Go Hoon let out a worried cry. But Bae Jung-yoon simply stared at him, not budging an inch.
Then, out of nowhere, he reached out and picked Hoon up again. His warm body pressed tightly against his chest.
“You were scared too, huh.”
Their chests were pressed together—he must’ve felt how fast Hoon’s heart was racing, even faster than usual. You’d think he’d scold him or say something stern, considering the mess. But instead, he gently stroked Hoon’s back and murmured soft, comforting words.
“It’s my fault. I should’ve taken precautions so you couldn’t mess with that stuff in the first place.”
He blamed himself. Then, his gaze drifted toward the kitchen cabinet. The place where his eyes landed felt cold and heavy.
“Kkongddeok might step on more glass, so I better clean it up first.”
The shadow that had briefly passed over his face vanished completely the moment Bae Jung-yoon turned his gaze to Go Hoon. Seeing the peaceful expression return to his face, Hoon felt a flicker of confusion, wondering if he’d imagined the earlier moment entirely.
With a slight limp, Bae Jung-yoon slipped on his indoor slippers and gently placed Go Hoon down in the bedroom.
“Wait here for just a bit.”
He gave Hoon a soft stroke on the head before closing the bedroom door behind him. Go Hoon reached out his front paws and scratched at the closed door. The sound of claws scraping against it must have carried outside, but Bae Jung-yoon didn’t open it again.
Truthfully, if he really wanted to, he could open it himself. But knowing full well he was guilty, he didn’t dare act recklessly. So Hoon sat quietly in front of the door, deciding to wait. Only after a long while did the door finally open.
“You waited a long time, didn’t you? Kkongddeok-ah, come on out.”
Go Hoon’s eyes instinctively dropped to Bae Jung-yoon’s right foot, now wrapped with a thick hydrocolloid dressing.
When he stepped out into the living room, the kitchen—previously a disaster of shattered bottles and splattered alcohol—had been completely cleaned. Even the bloodstains on the floor and rug were gone.
It looked like Bae Jung-yoon had given up on going to the pool today. He’d put away his bag, stored it in the closet, changed out of his outing clothes, and slipped into something more comfortable.
Then again, with an open wound on his foot, dipping into pool water would’ve been absurd. That realization brought Go Hoon some small relief—but it was short-lived.
He’d hoped that with everything cleaned up, Bae Jung-yoon might sit down and rest for the day. But the man couldn’t stay still. Even though stepping on that foot must have hurt like hell, he continued moving around the house, taking care of chores.
He started by refilling the water in the automatic cat fountain, then dove into cleaning. He wiped the floors with a mop and used a lint roller to pick up long white hairs stuck to the furniture here and there.
Unable to stay still either, Go Hoon trailed after him from place to place. It was painfully clear that over 90% of the injury was his fault. If he hadn’t knocked over the bottle, Bae Jung-yoon never would’ve gotten hurt.
So of course he couldn’t help but worry. He followed closely behind, carefully watching his limping steps. A quiet chuckle came from above his head.
“Why are you following me? Kkongddeok, do you want a treat?”
‘No, dumbass—it’s because you keep walking around on your injured foot.’ He had to know why Hoon was following him, but clearly, he was teasing on purpose.
“Nyaaaang─.”
He let out a disgruntled meow, but Bae Jung-yoon went to the upper cabinet and pulled out a dried capelin treat. Kneeling down, he held out a whole fish, about the size of his palm.
“Here. Eat.”
Go Hoon gulped at the sight of the snack in his hand.
Capelin treats were just dried whole fish, so he hadn’t been particularly repulsed by them from the beginning. Even people sometimes ate dried anchovies as snacks or with drinks.
But today, uncharacteristically, he hesitated. It was only natural—after causing such a mess, how could he shamelessly trot over and gobble up a treat?
“You’re not eating, Kkongddeok?”
Still, the temptation was impossible to resist.
“If you don’t want it, I’ll put it away.”
“Weeeuung.”
‘I’ll eat it!’ Before Bae Jung-yoon could pull his hand back, Go Hoon hurriedly padded over.
Raising his front paw, he firmly pinned down the capelin and sank his teeth into it. Crunch crunch—he tore into the dried fish with gusto. He was so focused on devouring it that deep wrinkles appeared between his brows.
“There we go. You’re eating so well.”
Bae Jung-yoon chuckled quietly as he watched.
“Uwaaang.”
‘What are you laughing at, idiot? Is now really the time for that?’ Go Hoon grumbled in a sharp voice, but his mouth kept steadily chomping through the fish.
Bae Jung-yoon watched him intently, the corners of his lips curved upward in a soft smile that refused to fade. The warm, affectionate gaze he received made Go Hoon feel like his whole body was being soaked in sticky honey.
It was… a deeply strange feeling.
***
Not long after that, Bae Jung-yoon launched into a full renovation of the liquor display cabinet. It was, in every sense, a major operation. Even just unloading the massive collection of bottles from the old cabinet was physical labor.
Replacing the cabinet and reorganizing the liquor took the entire day.
The new cabinet came with sliding doors—and not just that, it had a locking mechanism and required a certain amount of force to open, even for a human. There was absolutely no way a cat’s body could open it.
Go Hoon sat down with his butt planted firmly in front of it, staring up at the new setup. Soft ambient lighting glowed inside the cabinet, giving the kitchen a sleeker, more modern vibe than before.
Bae Jung-yoon had a great eye for aesthetics. You could tell from his home’s interior and even the clothes he wore. And good-looking things are almost always expensive. This cabinet… it obviously cost a fortune.
It left Go Hoon feeling a little sheepish, like he’d just cost the guy unnecessary money all over again.
So now what? His plan to get wasted on top-shelf liquor had ended in failure. No new ideas were coming to mind.
Just then, Go Hoon’s ears perked up sharply. Sensing movement behind him, he turned around—and sure enough, Bae Jung-yoon was standing there, gazing down at him.
