[Matching a taxi 8 minutes away……]
“Please, please just……”
Was it because it was so close to midnight? Even after calling for a taxi, more than five minutes passed without a match.
Meanwhile, the tiny kitten panting in his palm let out a weak retching sound. Even after that, it continued to gag and feebly struggle, its little paws twitching as if all strength had drained from its body.
As Sesame’s condition worsened by the second, Sa-yoon’s vision blurred white.
“Sesame, it’s okay, it’s okay……”
He whispered in a low voice, afraid that speaking any louder might startle the kitten. He wasn’t sure if he was reassuring Sesame or himself. Even though he rubbed the tiny body ever so gently, it felt as if there were no bones inside, its form growing increasingly limp.
It felt like something truly awful was about to happen. In the end, Sa-yoon jumped to his feet. He had to walk quite a bit to reach a main road where taxis passed, but he couldn’t just sit here doing nothing.
At that moment, his phone vibrated. Was it the taxi match? He grabbed his phone like lightning.
[Sa Shin-jae]
Right. There was one person. The only person near his house who would understand this situation and give him a ride.
His hand trembled as he pressed the answer button.
“Hyung, did you get home safely?”
“……Shin-jae.”
“Why does your voice sound like that? What’s wrong?”
Hearing the concern in Shin-jae’s voice, it felt like he was about to break down in tears. Sa-yoon bit his lip hard before letting go.
“Please, help me.”
“I’m coming right now.”
***
“Haa……”
“Hyung, drink this.”
As yet another sigh escaped him, a bottle was suddenly thrust in front of his eyes. A citron-flavored drink from the convenience store. But right now, he wasn’t in the mood to swallow even a sip of water.
“It might take a while. You need to replenish your sugar levels.”
Sa-yoon was about to shake his head, but when he heard that added explanation, he took the bottle. It was warm—probably fresh from the heated display case.
“Thanks.”
Without a word of explanation, Shin-jae had rushed over and taken Sa-yoon and Sesame to the largest 24-hour animal hospital nearby.
“It’s my fault.”
Sesame had undergone an X-ray and ultrasound, which confirmed that he had ingested a foreign object. Now, he was under anesthesia, undergoing an endoscopic procedure.
“Hye-yoon told me that Sesame recently figured out how to open the lower cabinet. He must’ve been getting into it and trying to tear open snack bags.”
His younger sibling, who had come home late, had called him. Apparently, torn remnants of an empty snack bag had been scattered across the floor.
“I thought the snack bag was placed too high, so I moved it lower for convenience….”
He had assumed someone had placed it out of reach on purpose, but it turned out they had put it there specifically to keep it away from Sesame. And of all days, the accident happened on the very day he remembered and moved it.
“I knew he was obsessed with food because he had been starving before.”
That was the part that made Sa-yoon blame himself the most. He had been too careless. If he had paid just a little more attention, this wouldn’t have happened.
“He’s just a baby, full of curiosity… I’m a failure as a guardian.”
Sa-yoon clenched his fists tightly. He was still so shaken that his hands wouldn’t stop trembling. He couldn’t forget the sensation of Sesame’s limp body in his palm.
“Hyung.”
A warm hand settled over his trembling fist.
“Think about it. The day you first met Sesame—it was the weekend, and it was raining just like today. He was malnourished, all alone without a mother.”
Shin-jae carefully pried open Sa-yoon’s fist. Red nail marks were imprinted on his palm, and Shin-jae gently rubbed over them, as if soothing the pain.
“If you hadn’t rescued him that day, he might not have made it.”
At those words, Sa-yoon looked up. Beyond the glass entrance, fine rain drizzled down.
That was true. Back then, Sesame had been so weak that he hadn’t even been able to run away despite his fear of people. All he could do was tremble in place. The kitten had been so young that the best Sa-yoon could do was get him some nutritional supplements.
“But he survived.”
And now, unlike back then, there was actually something they could do to help. The situation was better than before.
“Hyung, your hands are freezing.”
Shin-jae took Sa-yoon’s hands entirely, placing them on his thigh and gently massaging them.
“……Yeah.”
The quiet reassurance helped him gather himself. He reminded himself that it was lucky they had caught it in time. That it was fortunate they could resolve this with an endoscopy instead of full-blown surgery.
“Thanks.”
“Accidents happen. Instead of blaming yourself, let’s just hope the procedure goes well, okay?”
Shin-jae pressed lightly on Sa-yoon’s palm before giving it a squeeze. Sa-yoon squeezed back tightly.
Time crawled by. Eventually, the vet emerged, holding the foreign object they had removed from Sesame’s stomach. The procedure had gone smoothly, and all that was left was for him to recover.
As relief washed over him, Sa-yoon’s legs nearly gave out, and Shin-jae had to steady him.
As Sesame woke up from the anesthesia, he let out weak, whimpering cries the moment he saw Sa-yoon. Though he couldn’t understand the exact words, it was clear the kitten was complaining—pouring out all the distress and pain he had endured. Sa-yoon patiently comforted him, murmuring, “I know, I know,” over and over.
Only when he saw Sesame stretching out his little paws, splaying his toes wide, did he finally feel at ease.
“Sesame, are you resting well? Hyung will come back later, okay?”
The mischievous little kitten would be staying in the hospital over the weekend. Since it was early Saturday morning and he was still so young, the vet had decided it would be best to monitor his recovery for now.
By the time everything was settled, it was already 3 AM. As they stepped out of the hospital, the early morning rain was still falling.
“I put you through so much trouble today. Thanks, really.”
“What about you, hyung? How are you getting home?”
“I’ll just call a taxi. You must be exhausted, so go on ahead.”
In truth, more than a taxi, what he really wanted was a cigarette. But instead of leaving, Shin-jae suddenly made a different suggestion.
“Hyung, if you don’t mind, do you want to crash at my place?”
“Huh?”
“It’s close by anyway. And you’re coming back tomorrow as soon as the hospital opens to check on Sesame, right?”
Well… that was true.
“Besides, it’s more convenient for me too than dropping you off and then heading home.”
It seemed Shin-jae had automatically filtered out the option of a taxi, leaving only two choices: either go with him or go with him. And judging by his expression, if Sa-yoon refused, he’d just insist on giving him a ride home instead.
Having learned from past experience, Sa-yoon chose the faster, easier route.
“Then I’ll take you up on that offer.”
***
“Hyung, aren’t you tired?”
Sa-yoon’s eyes narrowed as he saw Shin-jae coming down the stairs. The sleepwear Shin-jae was wearing looked suspiciously similar in pattern and color to the ones he was wearing. From a glance, it almost looked like they were wearing matching sets.
Well, pajama brands do tend to sell similar styles… Trying to rationalize it, Sa-yoon simply nodded.
“Yeah, I’ll sleep in a bit.”
Every time he closed his eyes, he kept seeing Sesame’s limp body in his hands. If he tried to sleep now, he was almost certain he’d have nightmares.
“What were you watching?”
So, instead, he had chosen to escape into a movie. The massive TV mounted on the living room wall was large enough to be overwhelming.
“Oh, this? Traces. Have you seen it?”
As Shin-jae walked closer, a soft scent of baby powder surrounded him. It was completely different from Sa-yoon’s own scent.
Does he use a different brand of toiletries upstairs? Usually, people use the same products throughout the house. The thought struck him as odd, but before he could dwell on it, Shin-jae had already settled himself right next to him.
“Haven’t seen it yet. Let’s watch together.”
“If you’re tired, you should go sleep first.”
“I’ll stay until I get sleepy.”
“Then let’s do that.”
Since the movie had only just started, Sa-yoon rewound it back to the opening scene. And so, their late-night movie session turned into a second screening.
“That reed field scene is stunning every time I see it.”
Midway through the film, the two protagonists went on a date in a vast field of reeds. Captured in a wide shot, the golden sunset bathed the reeds in a shimmering glow. It was one of the most visually breathtaking scenes in the movie.
“I bet it’s beautiful in real life.”
“You’ve never seen one before?”
“No.”
“In person?”
As Shin-jae nodded, Sa-yoon pulled out his phone. Luckily, there was a reed festival running until next week. It wasn’t too far either. The timing might be close to the end of the season, but still…
“Let’s go together. To see the reeds.”
He wanted to go with him. He wanted to show Shin-jae the scenery he had never seen before.
“Sounds great.”
Shin-jae immediately agreed—without asking for a date, time, or any details. For a brief moment, Sa-yoon had the odd illusion of seeing a transparent tail wagging behind him.
[“Was it all a lie? Who the hell… who the hell are you, really?”
“I just… I just wanted you to like me… I wanted to be involved with you somehow… Was that so wrong?”
“You’re seriously creepy.”]
Before they knew it, they had reached the breakup scene, where the female lead was exposed for all her lies.
Sa-yoon turned his head away from the screen—only to catch Shin-jae sneaking glances at him. No, not even sneaking anymore. Shin-jae was outright staring at him.
“If you’re sleepy, you can go to bed.”
Was he just staying out of politeness? Maybe the movie didn’t suit his taste. But as soon as Sa-yoon spoke, Shin-jae shook his head.
“Hyung, if I…”
He trailed off, wetting his lips with the tip of his tongue.
“What if I lied to you, like that woman did? What would you do?”
“What else? I wouldn’t see you again. That’d be betrayal.”
The answer came to him immediately, and he said it without hesitation.
Shin-jae’s expression turned… strange. He looked as if he had lost his words.
Oh no…