I'm scared...
"Meooow..."
Where are you...? Yeon...
Han Suyeon. That was her owner's name.
"Sara, come out this way. Your owner is waiting for you. Can you hear my voice?"
I'm scared... I miss Yeon...
Hae Dam tried to coax her out in a gentle voice, but Sara was too frightened to do anything except call for her owner.
"Detective, that's a cat meowing, right?"
"Yes. It's Sara."
"I'll call her owner and tell her we've found her."
Ji Jeongwon used Hae Dam's work phone to call the client.
Han Suyeon said she would come immediately and hung up.
Jeongwon checked the map application.
"We're at the foot of the mountain, so it'll take her at least forty minutes to get here."
Sara's voice sounds so weak. I can't just wait here.
Hae Dam took off his jacket.
Jeongwon looked alarmed.
"You're not thinking of going into the water, are you?"
"Yes. I need to bring her back."
"Detective, if Sara managed to get over there, that means she knows how to swim, doesn't it? Why don't we call the client and put her on speakerphone so Sara can hear her voice? Maybe she'll come across on her own."
"Her leg is injured. It's too dangerous."
Just as humans could panic when frightened, animals could also become overwhelmed by terror.
In that state, even hearing their owner call their name might not coax them out. They might retreat even farther into hiding.
Besides, could Sara really swim through water this deep with an injured leg?
Human, don't go! They say there are snakes on that island!
You idiot, it's winter! Snakes hibernate in winter, you stupid cat.
Then why don't you go over there and bring her back yourself?
Excuse me, but mid-February is practically spring. Especially this far south.
Aagh! There'll definitely be snakes! Those creepy creatures that only sleep in winter! Ugh. Human, I really don't want you going over there.
The cats were making an enormous fuss.
Cats were perfectly capable of playing with snakes, so if these three were that horrified by the prospect, venomous snakes must have had quite a hold on the area.
Fortunately, Hae Dam could communicate with snakes, too, and he knew that most of them were quite gentlemanly.
He quickly pulled off his sweatshirt as well.
Now wearing nothing but a thin fleece-lined undershirt on his upper body, he took a blanket from his bag and handed it to the man whose expression made it abundantly clear how little he liked this situation.
"Could you hold this blanket for me? I don't want it getting wet. Please wrap Sara in it as soon as I bring her over."
"..."
Jeongwon accepted the blanket almost automatically.
"You're really going in...?"
"Yes."
"It's too dangerous. It's still cold outside, and you'll catch a cold."
"Sara must be even colder right now."
If the apartment owner weren't here, I could transform into an animal and swim across. It'd be easier to dry my fur afterward, too. But because he's here, he can wrap Sara in the blanket as soon as I bring her back. Having an assistant really is wonderful.
Jeongwon thought for a moment.
Then, seeing Hae Dam remove his shoes and socks, he spoke.
"Keep your socks on. You could hurt your feet if you go in barefoot."
Hae Dam considered that reasonable and put his socks back on.
Then he stepped straight into the stream.
"Meooow."
"Mrrp."
The three strays exchanged a few remarks.
Blackie glanced at Jeongwon and meowed repeatedly, but Jeongwon couldn't understand what the cats were saying.
He simply watched Hae Dam.
Hae Dam swam through the murky current toward the little island floating amid the water.
He showed no fear of being submerged and seemed to be an accomplished swimmer.
His body was rather slender, but remarkably supple. Although he was short, his long arms and legs gave him a lean, graceful appearance.
A shaft of sunlight descended from the clear blue sky, stretching from Hae Dam's body all the way to the island, almost as though it were illuminating the path ahead of him.
And at that moment, Ji Jeongwon heard the second voice that passed through Hae Dam's mind.
It belonged to the past.
To a time long, long ago, when Hae Dam had not yet been human...
A cabin deep in the mountains.
Smuggled animals imprisoned behind iron bars.
A young northern weasel who had escaped alone, only to return.
Despite being hungry and injured, that tiny weasel had opened the cages and freed the other animals.
But it seemed some of them had already died by then.
Hae Dam was thinking about those animals.
Could I have saved them if I'd opened the cages sooner?
Jeongwon found the thought extraordinary.
Wasn't returning to that cabin in the first place an act of courage far too immense for such a small, wounded creature?
That same burning flame still lived deep within Hae Dam's heart, even now that he was human.
The wildflower Jeongwon had finally discovered looked so delicate, so terribly fragile.
Yet it was strong.
And it burned with a fierce, passionate warmth.
Enough to make the cold heart of a lonely man with supernatural abilities, who had shut himself off from others long ago, begin to race.
Someday, in the distant future...
Jeongwon would come to resent that flame, the one that made Hae Dam plunge into a river without the slightest hesitation.
He would resent it so much that he would become the sort of man who grabbed Hae Dam by the back of his collar before he could jump, tied him securely to a safe spot on the bank, and then, with a sigh and a quiet "I'll do it," jumped into the river himself.
But Jeongwon knew nothing of that future now.
For the moment, he simply savored the pounding of his heart.
It had been so long since he'd felt anything like this.
Or perhaps...
Perhaps it was the first time.
"I'm going to a bathhouse to wash up! Please hand Sara over to her owner! I'll see you in the parking lot!"
Hae Dam returned looking like a drowned rat, entrusted Sara to Jeongwon, and immediately dashed off somewhere.
First I'll transform into an animal and shake off all this water. I've got spare clothes in the car, so I can change afterward.
Jeongwon desperately wanted to see that.
But he restrained himself.
Instead, he stayed where he was and waited for Sara's owner.
The three stray cats hadn't left, either. They sat staring intently at the Siamese cat nestled in Jeongwon's arms, completely wrapped in the blanket.
Sara was so exhausted that she couldn't manage even a single meow.
She merely gazed at the three strays through clouded eyes, as though they were having a silent conversation.
Ten minutes later, Sara's owner came running toward them, drenched in sweat.
She abandoned her bicycle wherever it fell and immediately gathered Sara into her arms.
The woman cried for a long time.
Yet even as she wept, her hands never stopped stroking Sara.
Sara narrowed her eyes and looked up at her owner's face.
The cat, who hadn't made a sound all that time, finally let out a faint cry.
"Mew..."
"Yes, yes, it's me. I'm here, Sara. I'm here. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
The woman began crying even harder.
"Thank you so much. You saved her life. I can't thank you enough..."
"I didn't do anything. Please tell the detective when he gets back." This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
"Yes, of course. I'll thank him properly. And I'll make sure to give him something for his trouble. I promise."
The woman was practically sobbing as she spoke.
But the opportunity to thank Hae Dam never came.
She went straight to a veterinary clinic, while Jeongwon headed toward the parked car.
The three cats followed him in a neat little line, drawing amused smiles from passing residents.
He's handsome. Is he a celebrity?
You're not supposed to take cats for walks... But wow, he's handsome.
Are the cats following him because he's so good-looking?
Hae Dam was already in the parking lot.
He had changed his clothes and was talking to Myotam, his face fresh and dry, as though he'd never been in the water at all.
"Oh! Mr. Jeongwon. You're back already."
Hae Dam waved.
Myotam turned around with an indifferent expression, only for his eyes to widen dramatically at the sight of the stray cats.
Clutching his chest, he dropped to his knees.
"Damn it, they're adorable!"
"...!"
"Meow! Meeooow!"
Blackie rushed toward Myotam and immediately flopped onto the ground in front of him.
The tuxedo cat rubbed its fur against the pavement, exposing its belly, then gazed up at him with sparkling eyes and meowed as sweetly as possible.
Blackie even remembered to curl both front paws into adorable little fists.
It was a desperate performance.
Oh, that poor thing. All that effort, and he still won't take you home.
Doesn't Blackie know how hard it is to get adopted off the street? Tsk. Still hasn't given up hope.
I can't watch anymore. I'm gonna cry.
Come on, Blackie. Let's go take a nice long nap.
Jeongwon couldn't hear them, but that was the conversation the shorthair and the yellow tabby were having.
Myotam, meanwhile, had apparently forgotten all about maintaining his dignity.
He crouched down and indulged himself in petting and stroking the affectionate young stray to his heart's content.
He even offered treats, but Blackie showed no interest in food whatsoever.
All the tuxedo cat wanted was more of Myotam's attention.
Jeongwon watched quietly for a moment before speaking in a low voice.
"This cat was acting affectionate toward us earlier, too. It's remarkable, really. Even after being abandoned, Blackie still loves people."
"...Abandoned?"
Jeongwon added another brief remark before Myotam could continue.
"This cat loves people so much. I hope someone who feels a special connection will take Blackie home."
In truth, Myotam was already struggling with a decision.
I've had my eye on this little one for a few days now. Should I just take the cat home? But I can't go around taking strays off the street whenever I feel like it. Some cats enjoy the freedom of living outdoors. Still, a home is definitely a better place to live than the streets...
Jeongwon added the tiniest nudge to that hesitation.
He had a bad habit.
Sometimes, he used the second voice that only he could hear to put other people in difficult situations.
Just as he had done to Secretary Yoon, who had mocked his chamomile tea.
And when he heard someone wavering over a decision, he sometimes gave them the gentlest push, changing the course of their life.
Sometimes the results were positive.
But just as often, they were negative.
Of course, Jeongwon would steer people toward those outcomes even when he knew exactly what would happen.
He was particularly unscrupulous when it came to people he disliked.
That's a nasty hobby of yours...
His second older brother used to tell him that.
But he never made any serious attempt to stop him.
After all, it was the only hobby Jeongwon could enjoy with his ability.