Chapter 87

Inn

Six people, no, including the manager, seven people, were walking while carefully holding the cat carrier, drawing attention.

The sight of tall people, like utility poles, surrounding the cat as if guarding it, made it understandable for people to openly watch and monitor them.

“Let’s hurry back.”

“Yeah, we look too suspicious.”

The two older brothers, not only wearing masks but also covering their faces with their hands, moved as quickly as possible without causing shock to the cat. Fortunately, the distance from the animal hospital to the accommodation was short.

The members only caught their breath upon reaching the destination, then one by one entered the accommodation with the camera and cat supplies.

I had to inform my parents of the situation, so I decided to call them outside before entering.

When I told my father that I might bring the cat home, he immediately gave his permission, clearly delighted. Both of them love animals, and since I started living in the accommodation, my parents seemed to feel my absence more. I even heard them say the house felt empty.

After briefly conveying the matter, I ended the call.

I could imagine how much affection Hyun would receive from my parents if he went home. Would they be disappointed if I didn’t send Hyun home?

With a lingering hesitation, I entered, only to be surprised.

“Happy birthday!”

“Lee Won, happy birthday!”

“Happy birthday, Lee Won~.”

The members gathered in front of the entrance with the lights off to greet me. Seohoon was holding a cake with lit candles.

Ah, it was my birthday, right…?

“Thanks, everyone.”

“Surprised! Surprise~.”

“I thought you’d give up on a surprise party because of the chaos.”

While putting a party hat on my head, Baekha’s hand slipped in surprise. She asked in a disappointed tone, looking at the fallen hat.

“What! You knew?”

“My birthday is an easy date to remember.”

April 5th, Arbor Day.

“True, but still! Today’s party is a complete failure!”

It seemed they wanted to see me surprised, but was it that easy?

Well, I had completely forgotten about it when entering the accommodation. I had noticed their plan until I left.

The surprise plan was a success, after all. The biggest contributor to this success was the cat, Hyun.

“Make a wish and blow out the candles.”

As soon as Jeeong’s words ended, a drop of wax fell. I quickly made a wish.

There was only one wish that came to mind: Theora’s success, our becoming successful idols.

Phew?

“Did you make a wish? You blew them out so quickly.”

“I made a short and strong wish. It’s a wish I think about every day.”

“Lee Won, you’re the type to make wishes to shooting stars!”

? What? Oh, the W Live is on. I can tell by Oran’s tone whether the live broadcast is on.

“Don’t you have to make three wishes before it falls? I was going to wish ‘dong-dong-dong,’ but that was the only one-word phrase that came to mind.”

“Indeed.”

Ji-oh frowned and nodded seriously. I’ll try it the next time a meteor falls. Definitely.

I watched the ongoing W Live on the phone. The cottages were sending birthday wishes and emojis non-stop.

“Thank you for the birthday wishes. I feel I can spend the rest of today happily just with your wishes.”

– What do you usually do on your birthday?

“What do I usually do on my birthday? I usually go to plant trees.”

“Really?”

“Since I was born on Arbor Day, it’s like my destiny. I participate in tree-planting events.”

The fans were amazed. They said they knew someone with Arbor Day as their birthday, but no one goes to plant trees.

“Then we should have bought a small pot!”

“It’s okay. We decided to have a meal together on my birthday.”

– Hyun is a gift for Lee Won!

– How did you meet on your birthday? It’s fate!

– Show us the cat~

“Hyun?”

I knew we couldn’t set off fireworks for fear of startling Hyun, and we had to lower our voices when congratulating him.

We carefully brought the carrier, which we had made dark by covering it with a blanket, out of the room Seohoon and I shared.

When I opened the entrance, Hyun, who was inside, looked at me blankly and slowly came out. Seeing Hyun slightly on guard in this unfamiliar place, I made the sound of a mother cat.

“Purr, purr?”

Only then did Hyun rub his head against my knee and start to climb up my clothes with his claws. Although the sharp claws pierced through my clothes and scratched my skin, I could endure it.

The Theora members and cottages watched the cat’s climbing scene in silence. Hyun finally climbed up to my shoulder and settled there.

Purr?

The purring sound came right next to my ear.

“Hyun recognizes Lee Won.”

“Does he see you as a mother cat?”

Jeeong poured the cat food, which had a picture of chicken, into a bowl and offered it to Hyun, thinking he might follow the smell. However, Hyun turned his head away.

“Lee Won, do you want to try?”

Following Seohoon’s suggestion, I brought the bowl close to Hyun to let him smell it and then placed it on the floor. Then, Hyun, who was on my shoulder, slid down and started to eat the food.

“Does he not want to leave Lee Won?”

“I think so too.”

“Hyun is saying, ‘I’ve already chosen Lee Won as my owner. No backing out.’”

Jeeong, Seohoon, and the others subtly encouraged me to keep the cat. Ji-oh, acting like an animal communicator, embellished the words.

“Why don’t you just keep him, Lee Won? We’ll help too!”

“I agree! It would be better for Hyun to live here! Right, Hyun~?”

Oran confidently offered a water bowl, but Hyun growled and chased her away.

Anyway, all the members agreed enthusiastically, which swayed my already wavering heart.

Objectively, sending Hyun home might be happier for him, but I couldn’t deny the desire to be with him.

“Hyun, do you want to live with me?”

Meow?

“It would be nice if he really answered.”

I knew it was foolish to ask a cat who can’t understand, but I asked anyway.

“Hyun, if you want to, meow twice. If not, once. Meow meow.”

“Ji-oh, tsk.”

Seohoon, who was trying to persuade Ji-oh seriously, couldn’t hold back his laughter. The other members also smiled gently without stopping Ji-oh.

Ji-oh’s face, devoid of any smile, was more serious than usual.

“Do you want to live with Lee Won? You have to answer to live with Lee Won here. Understand? Meow meow.”

…Meow, meow-

“…!”

Two meows!

I couldn’t close my open mouth and looked at the members, who were equally surprised and speechless.

“Did everyone hear that?”

“Yeah! Not only us, but the cottages must have heard it too!”

I had forgotten about the live broadcast. The fans were also surprised by the two clear meows they heard. It might be a coincidence, but I wanted to believe it was fate.

“Let’s try one more time! If he meows twice again, Hyun is a genius cat!”

Baekha wanted to confirm it once more. Oran, with one corner of her mouth raised, was clearly amused by our overreaction to the coincidence.

“Lack of faith.”

It was a big blow to hear that I lacked faith, especially from Ji-oh, who probably doesn’t believe in anything.

– Try one more time, Lee Won!

– Is he really a cat?

– He must have a human soul in him! Hahaha

– If he answers twice again, it’s a sure thing…

– Hyun is a genius cat!

“Since everyone is curious, I’ll ask one more time. Hyun, do you want to live with me?”

Meow? Meow!

“What! You answered twice again!”

Because it was the result I secretly hoped for, I felt more moved than surprised.

Even if it was a coincidence, I decided to believe it my way. After all, no one would be harmed by it.

“Hyun, that’s what you wanted. You can’t change your mind now. You have to live with me. Understand?”

After eating the food and drinking water, Hyun curled up between my legs, sitting cross-legged, and purred again before yawning. He seemed very comfortable.

I couldn’t take my eyes off the small life.

– Lee Won… Your lips will split! Hahaha

– How happy must you be… Lee Won and Hyun will live together forever! And me too! ♡

– Heartwarming~ The handsome boy and the cat are so cute~

– Ding! Is this where the genius cat Hyun lives?

“Hyun seems to be the best birthday gift I’ve ever received. Thank you all for being with me. It’s been a happy birthday.”

With a gentle smile, I looked at the camera, and the chat window stopped moving.

What’s going on? I thought it was a technical issue, but the chat resumed.

– Wow…

– What was that…

– It felt like I saw heaven for a moment…? Was it just me…?

– This is what being overwhelmed feels like…

– Did you see the chat stop? Hahaha

– Everyone forgot to chat, it seems. Haha

– I didn’t know you could do this even without makeup

– Thank you again to Lee Won’s parents!!!

– Is he a new species?

“What happened?”

“Everyone, remember what I mentioned earlier?”

Jeeong winked, hinting at a conversation we had before going to the animal hospital.

“Can’t you tell me too?”

“No, Lee Won. That would take away one of our members’ and cottages’ happiness.”

Jeeong, using formal language to prevent me from begging, left me no choice but to agree.

– Yes!!

– Really… How can this be…

– Did he live in a mountain village…?

– Lee Won graduated from XX High School?

– Natural! Natural has appeared!

– This isn’t acting… Incredible!!

“Lee Won, shouldn’t you call your parents? I’ll let the manager know.”

Although his intention to divert my attention was clear, I followed obediently.

“Cottages, that’s all for today’s live broadcast! It was quite an eventful show. I only intended to show the surprise birthday party.”

“I’m sorry. I’ll be careful, so don’t worry too much. We’ll take good care of Hyun with the six of us. The live broadcast seems to have been longer than usual, so have a good night! See you next time~.”

“This was Theora!”

“I’ll be back to the cottages!”

After finishing the closing remarks, I ended the W Live. I carefully picked up Hyun, who had fallen asleep on my knee, and moved him to the room I share with Seohoon.

Seeing the cat cushion Seohoon had bought from the animal hospital on my bed, I placed Hyun inside, and he didn’t wake up.

I quietly closed the door and went to the living room. The accommodation had transformed into a party room while I was away.

The room was decorated with colorful balloons spelling “IWON,” and the table and additional spread were filled with dishes that Ji-oh had likely prepared.

All the dishes were tailored to my picky taste.

“I worked hard, but I messed it up, sorry.”

“Just eat well. Ji-oh worked hard to prepare everything in a short time.”

“Thanks, Ji-oh.”

“Sit down and enjoy the food. That’s what makes me happy.”

“Ji-oh, wow! You’re amazing!”

The brief tussle between Baekha, who clung to Ji-oh, and Ji-oh, who tried to shake her off, ended quickly. Then, the members and I sat down and shared the food together.

It was a happy day being a member of Theora. And from now on, there would be an additional happiness with Hyun.

I was grateful to Hyun-oh for bringing this connection into my life.