At that moment, something gently bumped into Gitaeh’s shoe, making a soft sound.

‘What’s this?’

Gitaeh lowered his gaze.

Meow.

A kitten that Ga-eul had been petting for a long time was rubbing its head against his shoe.

Juhyuk’s animal hospital.

Juhyuk was busy with consultations.

At this time, as the sun was setting, the waiting room was full of customers who had barely made it in before closing time.

Judging that he was in for overtime again today, Juhyuk, who had already turned the sign to “close,” was checking the number of customers waiting through the transparent glass that revealed the waiting room.

Inside, past the sign that had already been turned to “close” and transparent glass, the waiting room was clearly visible, filled with customers waiting on the edge of closing time.
Inside the already closed sign, transparent glass revealed the waiting room clearly, and Juhyuk, judging that today’s on-time departure was out of the question, was in the middle of completing the remaining treatments while checking the number of customers waiting between the visible waiting room spaces.

Rrrr……. Rrrr…….

The phone, stuck in the pocket of his white gown, kept vibrating.

“Come by on the day of the second vaccination.”

“Yes, Doctor.”

Juhyuk, wiping the back of the cat, which was panting after the injection, with an alcohol-soaked cotton ball, took advantage of the brief break to answer the call.

“Why are you calling at this hour, Hanki-tae?”

Juhyuk playfully asked, and a serious voice came across the receiver.

“Hey. How do you raise a kitten?”

“…Why are you asking me that?”

Juhyuk asked, erasing the smiling face. Surely Gitaeh…

-He’s not fond of animals.

He didn’t like them that much.

‘Who asked him to inquire?’

Juhyuk speculated that his friend, who was a veterinarian, might have asked him to inquire, even though he didn’t explicitly ask.

“Did you adopt it? Or did you bring it from the street?”

“I picked it up on the street.”

“Have you ever raised a cat?”

“No.”

“Hmm, if you don’t know anything, there’s too much I can tell you, you know? There are a lot of necessary items, and it’s very different from raising a dog.”

Juhyuk began to explain seriously.

“Just introduce our hospital. If you come during your free time, I can tell you everything. You should also get vaccinations, and since you’ll be visiting the hospital regularly, it’s good to register in advance. Especially for an animal picked up from the street, it’s good to have a checkup. You need to check for any potential diseases or health conditions.”

“…”

“So, who asked you to inquire? Do I know the person?”

Juhyuk asked, thinking of Gitaeh’s acquaintances. He was curious about who might come as his guest.

His friend’s muffled voice came through.

“What are you talking about?”

“What?”

Something was strange. The conversation kept going off track.

With a puzzled expression, Juhyuk asked.

“Who’s raising it?”

“I am.”

“What?”

“I asked because I’m going to raise it.”

“Why?”

Surprised, Juhyuk raised his voice and closed his mouth when all the customers turned to look at him.

With a composed smile, Juhyuk, leaning against the transparent glass, mumbled.

“Why? You’re supposed to hate animals.”

Then, on the other side of the handset, a cynical voice came with a deep sigh.

“Someone likes it.”

“…?”

What does that mean?

At that moment, Ga-eul was drawing in her studio.

Today, she was particularly excited about the real date.

It was very disappointing when he had to leave abruptly due to an urgent matter. Inevitable, but she didn’t show it, but anyway, it was disappointing.
It was too early to sleep, and the time was uncertain to make plans, so Ga-eul chose her studio. For hours, she had been immersed in drawing.

Rrrr……. Rrrr…….

Suddenly, a phone call interrupted her, and Ga-eul checked the caller ID, then smiled with a relieved expression. It was the person she reluctantly parted ways with earlier in the day.

Ga-eul casually put down her brush and quickly answered the phone. Then, in a gentle voice, she spoke, “Yes, President.”

-What are you doing right now?

“I was drawing in the studio.”

-Oh, really? That’s good.

A calm laughter came through the receiver.

For some reason, Ga-eul found herself laughing along, even though she didn’t know why.

“Have you finished work now?”

-Yes.

‘He must have had some work, and it seems to have gone well. That’s fortunate.’

-Yoon Ga-eul.

“Yes.”

“Do you want to see a cat?”

“…A cat? What cat?”

I picked up one on the street.

“Oh? So, there’s a cat in your office now?”

Ga-eul, a little excited, cut off Gitaeh’s words and asked. Then, a hollow laughter came through the phone.

-Yes.

Wow, I want to see. What should I do? A cat.

Sparkling with excitement, curiosity flickered in Ga-eul’s eyes. Gitaeh, knowing that Ga-eul liked cats, subtly made a proposal that she couldn’t refuse.

-If you want to see the cat, tell your mother that you’ll stay out overnight and come out. I’ll come pick you up.

If there’s a cat, it’s worth staying out for a day.