Churu for the Angry Guide

31

After finishing work, Seojun headed to the guiding room instead of his quarters. Receiving guiding whenever he had free time was his most important daily routine.

Today, as always, Seojun’s expression was bored as he sat alone on the sofa in the guiding room. There was nothing to smile about in his repetitive daily life. Yet, he always put on a bright smile in front of others, which only added to his fatigue.

Massaging his stiff neck, he fiddled with the small guiding machine. As he was about to turn it on, his eyes suddenly went to Geonho’s room door.

The door to his hyung’s room, which was always open, was now tightly shut. Geonho hyung hadn’t set foot in the room since the cat left.

Seojun put down the guiding machine and walked heavily towards Geonho’s room door.

Creeak.

As he slowly opened the door, the first thing he saw was the unmade bedding. Usually, the housekeeper who came every other day would have made the bed, but Geonho had said not to touch his room. Even though he himself didn’t come in.

Because of this, traces of the cat remained all over Geonho’s room. All the toys and the pillows stacked like a wall at the edge of the bed were still there.

The pillows were stacked to prevent the cat from falling while sleeping. As if it would get hurt falling from this height.

“He really doted on it.”

Seojun chuckled and sat cross-legged on the floor instead of the bed, taking a deep breath.

A faint cat smell was mixed in the unventilated air. It was a scent that could only be detected by an esper with a sense of smell more sensitive than animals.

Squeak―

Seojun took out a mouse toy from his pocket. It was the toy the cat used to chew and suck on every day.

Squeak, squeak―

He had been carrying the mouse toy with him ever since the cat disappeared. For no particular reason.

Squeeeak―

He looked up at the ceiling while pressing the mouse toy hard. After staring blankly at the plain, empty ceiling, he let out a small, hollow laugh.

No matter how many times he went over it, he couldn’t help but laugh. It was so ridiculous.

“The signs of being a beastkin were so obvious…”

Looking back now that he knew the truth, there were many suspicious things. Acting as if it understood human speech, or secretly taking snacks from their hiding places. Sometimes it even closed the room door by itself when it wanted to be alone.

These weren’t behaviors a normal cat would exhibit. Yet, despite seeing all this, they never imagined it could be a beastkin.

Seojun had naturally assumed his hyungs had done a beastkin test before bringing in the cat. It was such a basic thing that he didn’t even need to ask. So he never had even a shred of doubt.

He rubbed the bridge of his nose with his fingertip and inhaled deeply. The cat smell was now almost gone. Just opening the door for a moment had made the scent fade.

It was a smell that would disappear anyway. Seojun maintained an indifferent expression with this thought. The hand pressing the mouse toy gradually relaxed.

“…”

At that moment, a single white hair caught Seojun’s eye.

A white hair had fallen at his feet. Seojun stared blankly at his feet before slowly picking up the hair. He had always just glanced at the cat, never properly touching its fur.

It looked like it would feel nice. Touching just one strand like this, he couldn’t tell. Whether it was good or bad.

He blinked quietly while holding the white hair between his fingertips. At that moment, a sudden loud crying sound came from the previously quiet living room.

Meooooowww―!

An incredible screaming sound continued without pause.

Nyaaah! Meooooowww!

It was at a level that could be mistaken for an emergency alarm. Siwoo, transformed into a cat, was trying to escape from Jihan’s arms while screaming at the top of his lungs.

“Calm down. Calm down.”

Jihan firmly held the struggling cat with his telekinesis, making shushing sounds. Although it was meant to calm him, it had no effect whatsoever.

Meooooowww! Hack!

Siwoo, who had been screaming at the top of his lungs, suddenly burst into a cough. He thought he could escape in a cat’s body, but he had underestimated the esper’s quick speed.

He should have run away from the very first meeting. Siwoo chewed on deep regret as tears fell. His throat hurt, causing the tears.

“Guide-nim, are you crying?”

‘Who’s crying!’

Jihan peered at the small white face with a worried expression. Siwoo’s clothes were held at his side. Unfortunately, with the underwear on top, Siwoo threw a bigger tantrum while struggling.

‘Hold my clothes properly!’

“Don’t cry. Your fever might go up.”

Despite his worried expression, there was a hint of amusement in Jihan’s voice. He even tensed his mouth corners as if trying to hold back laughter. Noticing this, Siwoo’s eyes nearly rolled back in anger.

‘Who! Do you think! Is making me cry―!’

He had been betrayed after giving guiding. Consumed by anger, Siwoo just screamed madly, not even realizing where he had arrived. He had no room to look around.

‘Let go, you bastard! I’m not going to jail! I can’t!’

He admitted he had wronged the Baekya Guild. However, he wanted to believe it wasn’t a crime serious enough to go to prison.

‘Did I threaten him to raise me! He’s the one who said he’d raise me first!’

Pearl-like tears pooled in his fierce eyes and fell. Jihan, who had been holding back laughter, tilted his head and examined Siwoo more closely.

“What? Are you really crying?”

‘Get your head away!’

Siwoo snarled at Jihan, who was bringing his face close. His widely opened mouth was also wet with saliva. The elevated body temperature due to his smaller size was overwhelming.

Feeling like he might lose his mind if this continued, he tried to return to human form. As he was about to close his eyes and exert force on his body, a familiar sound caught his attention.

Squeak―

Siwoo reflexively turned his head towards the sound. At the same time, his eyes met with Seojun, who was standing at the threshold.

He was shaking the mouse toy. With a welcoming smile no less warm than Jihan’s.

“You really found him.”

Siwoo frowned as he looked at Seojun pretending to welcome him. Now even his fear had turned completely into anger.

Hiss!

‘Don’t touch me!’

He bared his sharp teeth at Jihan, who was touching his face. Nevertheless, Jihan persistently rubbed Siwoo’s eyes, wiping away his tears.

“Why are you crying so pitifully? It’s making me sad too.”

Siwoo inwardly scoffed at Jihan’s shameless response. He felt like turning back into a human right away and punching him.

‘Spit out the guiding, you son of a bitch.’

With no strength left to scream, he cursed with his eyes. As smooth hands rubbed his hot eyes and nose bridge, his body felt even heavier. Jihan’s touch on his face was so incredibly gentle that it made him angry how relaxed he felt.

“I’m not going to eat you, so relax.”

Jihan sat on the sofa, stroking the bristling white fur. He firmly supported the soft bottom and touched the trembling front paws.

Did I scare him too much?

He had deceived and brought him here partly with the intention of punishment. But he didn’t expect him to be so frightened as to tremble like this.

“Seojun, give me that.”

He reached out to Seojun, who was standing quietly to the side, looking down at the cat. He meant to ask for the mouse toy Seojun was holding.

However, Seojun showed no reaction. He just stared blankly down at the trembling cat.

“Seojun?”

Only after Jihan called again did he take his eyes off the cat. Responding a beat late, Seojun handed the mouse toy to Jihan.

“Here.”

Then he took another step towards the sofa. He took a deep breath and lightly scratched the tip of his nose.

“To the secretary…”

He was about to ask if they shouldn’t contact him. However, Seojun, with his gaze fixed on the cat, didn’t finish his sentence. Even the usually talkative Jihan was silent.

Squeak.

They both just quietly watched the cat tightly hugging the mouse toy.

Siwoo was clutching the mouse toy as if afraid it would be taken away. In this vast guiding room, this toy was the only thing he could lean on. Just hugging it calmed his rapidly beating heart a little, though it hurt to hold it so tightly.

As he buried his face in the soft toy, the squeak― squeak― sound grew louder. Even that annoying sound now gave Siwoo great comfort.

Squeeeak―