219 - Upki Girl

< Rice Cake Stick > Honestly, I didn't mean to touch it. Even if Seowon is clueless about most things, he's not the type to be sly in situations like this. “Hick, I'm sorry!” Seowon quickly withdrew his hand from my aroused state, as if touching a medium-rare steak. —I almost feel like he brushed it with his fingertips while retracting.— Lying face down, he blurted out his words as if spitting them out. “Wow, this is crazy. I swear to God, I didn’t know it was that part. I swear.” “...” “I knew something felt off. Oh, I’m sweating. Phew~” “...” “Aren’t you hot, Manager? It felt really warm there. Like freshly made rice cake sticks.” Rice cake stick warmth, what on earth? “Oh, I shouldn’t have said that, should I? I’m truly sorry...” Rising from Seowon’s waist, I awkwardly lowered myself to crouch on the floor. How should I describe this feeling? It’s not exactly embarrassing, but it certainly feels awkward. I can’t get mad since it was a mistake, but laughing it off might lead to more "mistakes" in the future, which worries me. Seowon, who had been mumbling to himself, stopped talking when I didn’t respond. Even in the darkness, I could distinctly sense his panic. I felt like I should say something, but no words came to mind. Just as I was about to say, “Uh...,” to break the silence, Seowon added an explanation, almost in a defensive tone. “I get it. I’ll take responsibility. So please don’t scold me. I swear I didn’t know. It’s my first time touching a guy’s... well, if you think about it, you should be responsible for me, but I’ll just concede and take responsibility.” “No, you don’t have to go that far...” “You’re mad, aren’t you? But seriously, it wasn’t on purpose. If I had intended to do it, I would’ve reached inside your clothes, not touched it over them.” “Yeah. I know it was a mistake, you don’t need to explain further.” Awkwardness filled the air between us. But really, if it was intentional, he would’ve reached inside? What kind of logic is that? “You can take the bed. I’ll sleep on the floor.” “No, you should sleep there.” “Why? Are you leaving? You’re just waiting for the right moment to escape, aren’t you?” “No, I’m not going out. Just need to clear my head for a bit.” “Then I’ll face the wall and sleep with my back to you. Think it over. I promise, I won’t even make a pillow out of your arm or touch a hair.” “Okay, don’t worry about me, just sleep.” I need to calm down this “rice cake stick” before going to bed, don’t I? Late realization brings about a sense of wounded pride and self-loathing. This is definitely going to lead to a wet dream... The room turned silent enough to hear the hum of the refrigerator fan. A moment later, Seowon nervously called out to me. “Hey, Manager...” “Yeah.” “Never mind... It’s nothing.” “Yeah.” “I really did touch there, didn’t I?” “Yeah.” “Oh, it really happened. But I was so flustered, I already forgot what it felt like. Don’t worry, I just remember it being warm like a rice cake stick.” Look at this guy. At first, I didn’t realize it, but he keeps talking about rice cake sticks, and I’m starting to feel a certain way? It wasn’t that soft, though... I’m slightly offended, feeling an odd urge to brag. I kind of understand now the feelings of those who started the First Bosom War. “I won’t tell the others.” “Yeah, don’t. You shouldn’t.” “If I tell them I touched yours, they’ll all want to touch too. I can’t let that happen, like everyone taking turns at a water fountain.” “Mentioning water makes me thirsty. Want to drink something?” “Yes. My mouth’s all dry too.” —Patter, patter! Huh? As I opened the door and walked to the kitchen, I heard something scurry away behind the living room curtains. Judging by the sound and its shape, it seemed like Kongnyang. The kitten, who hadn’t left its travel cage since arriving, had seized the quiet moment to explore. Is it hungry? The kids had set out water, food, and a litter box next to the open cage door, so there was nothing to worry about. I took a water bottle from the fridge and returned to the room to inform Seowon. “Hey, I think Kongnyang’s out and about.” “What! Really? Where? Where?” “Looks like it hid behind the living room curtains when it heard me come out.” “It won’t come in here, right? Close the door fast.” “That kitty is skittish enough from mere footsteps; it’s not going to come all the way in here.” “Did you see its eyes glow?” “I didn’t.” “Cats’ eyes at night are really creepy...” “Here, drink.” “Manager, I’m not fooling around, but my heart’s pounding like crazy. Would you sit with me and hold my hand for a second?” “Okay, alright. But have some water first.” “Yes.” After opening the bottle cap for him, I sat down on the bed. Seowon handed me his hand and I gently took it. His hand was colder than mine. “Hey, maybe not clasp our fingers?” “Your hands are always warm, Manager.” Twitch. Damn. Is this a conditioned reflex? Now, even hearing the word “warm” makes my heart skip. We stayed silent for about 10 seconds or so. “Ahh...” “What?” “No, just, wait a moment, Manageeeeer...!” “What’s wrong? Why?” Like he was on a scary ride, Seowon suddenly gripped my hand tightly, making odd nasal sounds and twitching. But I hadn’t done anything. I was just staying still. “Oh, no... Hmph!” < Rice Cake Stick > As if he was ticklish, Seowon squirmed once, then finally released my hand, using both hands to cover his mouth. “Are you okay? Are you hurt somewhere?” Alarmed, I quickly turned on the light to check on Seowon’s condition. He was squeezing his eyes shut, still covering his mouth. “Seowon, look at me.” Only then did he open his eyes slightly, as if realizing something was amiss. He alternated glances between my left and right hand, then suddenly his body tensed, and his pupils darted around. “...Manager, why is your hand there...?” He asked cautiously, as if he had seen a ghost, wishing desperately that what he saw wasn’t reality. “Huh? Then where else would my hand be?” At that, he grimaced, seemingly in pain from a fierce internal battle, and muttered quickly. “Uuuuugh... between the legs, between the legs...” “Between the legs? My rice cake stick?” “No, not that, my legs. Check between my legs quickly! I don’t know what to do...!” I turned my gaze toward Seowon’s lower body covered by the blanket. Ahhh! The contour of Seowon’s lower abdomen was rising and falling considerably under the blanket! No way?! I lifted the blanket. As expected, the creature Seowon mistook for my hand beneath the blanket was actually the kitten, Kongnyang. With a pink nose and fully snow-white fur, it was a mixed-breed tabby cat. Even under the sudden bright light, its eyes narrowed, but it continued diligently kneading Seowon’s unfortunate area with crossed forelegs. So this is the famed cat massage, the ‘kneading’! “It’s true, isn’t it? It’s the kitten, right...?” Seowon, unable to confirm with his own eyes, asked me. “Yeah.” “Uuuuuuugh, quickly get it off me...” Seowon’s official pajamas were black dolphin shorts. His legs, stretching out from under them, trembled from thigh to toe as if paralyzed. The tiny kitten, only as big as a palm, seemed highly amused by the faint vibration, enthusiastically continuing its kneading massage. This sight was too precious to keep to myself. Should I turn on the live-stream camera? “Ah, come on. Hurry and...!” Seowon urged me. Suddenly, with an exasperated nasal sound, he arched his back like a bow, and the startled kitten bounced about 30 cm back. Look at it, executing a perfect landing as if it’s an actual cat. “Aaaaaah... Attacked by the kitten...” Seowon hid immediately behind my back, while Kongnyang mewed in a delicate voice, looking at us as if blaming Seowon for pushing it away. “Nya~ Nyaa~” “What do you expect me to do? Oh, I really thought I was having a heart attack. See? I told you it could come into the room.” That was Seowon and Kongnyang’s dramatic first meeting. *** [Day 2 at Uppity-girl Dorms with Hammer and Kongnyang] “Uwaah! Lightlight unnie, come out quickly! Kongnyang is gone!” “Really?” What could have happened during the night? The Uppity-girl dorm became noisy early in the morning. Kongnyang, who hadn’t budged from its cage when the members fell asleep last night, had vanished. Hongee and Yona, who followed them into the living room, couldn’t locate the kitten either. “It’s not under the sofa.” “Oh, the food is untouched too.” “Where could it be? Maybe with Myeondangdang?” “Mangchi, you’re the dog-nose, you find Kongnyang.” At that moment, everyone’s gaze focused in one direction... “Oh? There’s Kongnyang!” “No way. Was Kongnyang with unnie all night?” What on earth happened? Seowon, who had been afraid of cats, came out holding Kongnyang. “Please take it... It kept crying every time I put it down, so I had to sleep holding it...” “It’s a choosing! That’s what this is!” “Choosing?” “It means Kongnyang chose you as its human!” “So jealous!” Kongnyang choosing Seowon as its caretaker? How did this happen? According to the pre-negotiation with the members, all cameras were turned off after 2 a.m. Luckily, the manager hyung had filmed the scene with one camera. Upon checking, it was revealed that Kongnyang, active in the early morning, entered Seowon’s room. Though there was some commotion initially, Seowon eventually felt Kongnyang’s sincerity and accepted the role as its caretaker. [Seowon: What could I do? It wouldn’t stop following me and wouldn’t let me sleep. Turns out the more I watched it, since it’s a kitten, it wasn’t as scary as I thought. Not that I like it, just saying.] Haha, look at this guy. Even during the interview, Kongnyang, snuggled in Seowon’s arms, seemed disinterested in parting from him. It cried whenever anyone else held it, creating a bit of a dilemma. [Writer: How do you feel?] [Seowon: It’s annoying.] [Writer: Hehe. You could pretend and say something nice.] [Seowon: Annoying is annoying. I just hold it because I don’t want to hear it cry.] Yet Seowon kept stroking Kongnyang’s head. Indeed, he seemed like a tsundere. [Seowon: Can I change this kitten’s name?] [Writer: What would you like to change it to?] [Seowon: Rice Cake Stick.] [Writer: Rice Cake Stick?] [Seowon: Yeah. The fur’s all white, and when I hold it, it’s as warm as a freshly made rice cake stick. It feels nice to touch too.] Perhaps Kongnyang—no, Rice Cake Stick—liked the new name as it purred contentedly. *** “Riya, Rice Cake Stick pooped on my clothes.” “What? Cats usually don’t poop just anywhere.” “Yikes, it’s throwing up too.” An incident erupted just before filming was about to end. < Rice Cake Stick > While filming at the Han River Park for Mangchi’s walk, Rice Cake Stick, nestled in Seowon’s arms, suddenly started having diarrhea and vomiting. “Ah... we should have this one checked.” The writer urgently called the partnering animal hospital. In just a few hours, Rice Cake Stick’s energy seemed to plummet, and its refusal to eat since yesterday indicated something was wrong. The other members continued filming at the park as only Seowon and I rushed to the vet. The vet’s expression didn’t look good during the various tests. “Hmm…” “Nyaa~ Nyaaa!” Despite appearing too weak to even breathe, the kitten cried with all its might as soon as it was separated from Seowon’s embrace for the checkup, like a baby taken from its mother. Once the tests were complete and the kitten was back in Seowon’s arms, it went eerily silent. However, the vet’s expression darkened further upon checking the test results. With a soft hiss, he began explaining to Seowon. It was the feline infectious disease commonly known as panleukopenia. “Is it curable?” “Well, we need to start treatment, but... it’s got quite a high mortality rate.” “How high is it?” “For kittens, it’s about... 70 to 80 percent.” “What?” That’s practically incurable. A subsequent blood test confirmed that the kitten's chances of recovery were extremely slim. The vet didn’t say it outright, but his demeanor suggested that tonight would be critical, and we needed to prepare ourselves. Seowon seemed to realize this too, as he couldn't bring himself to speak. He just held Rice Cake Stick, gently rocking it like an infant, before finally finding his voice. “We need to treat him quickly. What do we do?” “Since it’s an infectious disease, isolation is necessary. We can only monitor him while administering injections and fluids. It’d be good if he ate something, but he hasn’t eaten anything since yesterday, has he?” “Yes. I think he didn’t like the food. Wouldn’t he eat something like canned food?” “Do you want to try giving it to him, Seowon?” Since there were no other cats at home, keeping him at the hospital or taking him home didn’t make much difference, so after putting him on fluids, we brought him back to the dorm. At midnight, Zen, the temporary caregiver for Rice Cake Stick, would arrive and all filming would wrap up, but Seowon already seemed uninterested in the broadcast. The production team explained the situation to Zen and decided to extend filming. Ultimately, only Mangchi returned to Zen, and just before parting, the little rascal still attempted to mount my leg. You little... “Even if you don’t want to, you need to eat this. You need this to live. Just survive, and I’ll give you whatever you want after that.” Seowon didn’t let go of Rice Cake Stick even once. He spent all night feeding him canned food with a syringe, forcibly feeding the reluctant kitten, and taking care of his bathroom needs. The entire Uppity-girl team stayed up, wide awake, through the night. By 7 a.m., everyone, myself included, was nodding off, unable to fend off sleep. Then, I was abruptly woken by Seowon’s voice. “Hey, Rice Cake Stick is up!” Wow. The kitten, which hadn’t moved all night, got up on its own, drank water, and headed to the bathroom. After coming out, he even enjoyed some kibble. Following that, he energetically jumped around, playing with Seowon’s ponytail or sitting on her lap, giving kneading massages and looking lively. The members and production crew were in an uproar. “Seowon unnie did it in the end! She’s a saint!” “A saint!” “A saint! A saint!” “Yawn, let’s get some sleep now. I’ll wake everyone at 10, so go get some rest. Seowon, you'll sleep with Rice Cake Stick, right?” “Yes. I’ll sleep in my room.” After playing for a while, Rice Cake Stick curled back into Seowon’s arms, looking serene as though smiling in his sleep. And he never opened his eyes again. *** [It is said that when a person dies, the pets that went ahead come to greet them. On that very far-off day when you come to the heavenly realm, I’ll be the first to rush out and welcome you – Rice Cake Stick] <End of Episode 8 of “Let’s Live Well, Mongun Cat.” ‘Take a Look’ End> <End of Rice Cake Stick>