SATURDAY 50

“Hmm…? Yes….”

I was puzzled, but since Mr. Taeseon looked so troubled, I didn’t ask further. He was the type to heal quickly even when injured. Although his recovery was fast, I was worried because he would still suffer for a few days.

“Go to sleep now, it’s late.”

“Yes….”

I suddenly felt at ease. It was as if I had taken a bunch of medicine after suffering from anxiety.

“Kyark. Woo, kkyau.”

Lili cried in a voice that sounded much better than before, alternately kneading the pillow with his front paws before eventually lying down on it. His posture was like he was wrapping around my head, so I felt a warm, soft touch as if a hot water bottle had been placed on the crown of my head.

“Lili, are you going to sleep there?”

When Mr. Taeseon asked, Lili only slightly lifted his head and answered.

“Woong.”

“….”

Mr. Taeseon, who was quiet for a moment, looked at me.

“Does Lili understand human speech?”

“Surely not…. But there are times when it feels like he understands a bit. He even answers.”

“Inyoung brought a genius cat.”

At the unexpected comment, I burst into laughter. After laughing, I saw Mr. Taeseon’s face. Ever since he ‘recognized’ me, there has always been a look of unease cast somewhere over Mr. Taeseon’s expression.

He tried to hide it, but in truth, even if it wasn’t that obvious, I could notice it quickly. I was sensitive to even small changes in a person’s expression and atmosphere. Because if I didn’t grasp the atmosphere at home quickly, I would end up facing something bad.

“…Good night, Mr. Taeseon.”

I reached out and cautiously touched Mr. Taeseon’s cheek. Even though I knew it was okay now, the thought crossed my mind that he might make that cold expression again, call me disgusting, and slap my hand away. It soon disappeared into his quietly smiling face, though….

“Good night, Inyoung.”

“Yes….”

As if by magic, sleepiness washed over me. Lili slid down a bit further and lay using my neck as a pillow, making my whole body feel warm and toasty. I laughed again because Lili was tickling my face with his tail as if playing a prank, and after giving his tail one long stroke, I slowly blinked my eyes.

I could feel the breath of Lili and Mr. Taeseon. Mr. Taeseon was looking at me with his eyes open, perhaps not yet sleepy.

Usually, I was the type who took a long time to fall asleep. But today, almost as soon as I closed my eyes, I fell asleep.

After confirming that Inyoung was deeply asleep, Lee Taeseon cautiously stood up. Lili, whom he thought was sleeping, slightly lifted his head and stared at Lee Taeseon with only one eye open. Even in the dim darkness, his stripes, yellow eyes, and indifferent appearance made him look just like a character from a cartoon.

“I’m glad you’re here.”

He muttered in a small voice. Lili opened his other eye and stared up at Lee Taeseon, gave a long yawn, and then tried to go back to sleep.

He was truly glad Lili was here. While he had failed to recognize Inyoung and had done stupid things, Lili had stayed by Inyoung’s side. Although the wounds are gone now, there was even a time he had scratched Lee Taeseon’s face to block him while he was attacking Inyoung.

He was angry at Lili back then, but now he only felt gratitude. When he lightly stroked the crown of his head with his fingertip, Lili frowned deeply, curled up even more, and flicked his tail.

Inyoung groaned for a moment as he was hit on the forehead by the busily moving tail, but there was no sign of him waking up. After watching for a moment with relief, Lee Taeseon left the bedroom, leaving the door slightly ajar.

His steps were headed for the study right next door. Usually, it was his habit to keep the door completely closed, but thinking Inyoung might wake up and look for him, he left it halfway open and turned on the bright lights. The sliced light leaking from the study illuminated the dark hallway. Exactly as much as the path one would walk from the bedroom to the study.

Sitting down at the desk immediately, Lee Taeseon opened his laptop. After entering a complex password, a neatly organized screen was displayed. On a clean desktop where everything was gathered in folders, a single website link sat alone.

When he clicked the icon, it connected directly to a certain website. The homepage, which appeared to be used by a shaman, was crude and childish. The page name was ‘Lotus Flower Shrine,’ and the face of a woman dressed in shamanic robes holding a fan along with a phone number were displayed in large print.

Below that was a reservation board, and checking the number of posts by date, it was quite successful. Posts like ‘Can I make a reservation?’, ‘I want to make a reservation~~’ were uploaded in a row. They were all private posts, so he couldn’t read them.

Lee Taeseon looked around the homepage, which was plastered with colors so vivid they hurt his eyes and sparkling effects, with a pained expression. It was a design that clashed excessively with Lee Taeseon’s aesthetic sense.

Right next to the reservation board was a review board. Several “best” reviews appeared in bold letters, and below them were rows of posts saying things like it was truly accurate or that it gave them goosebumps…. He couldn’t tell if actual customers had written them or if a viral marketing company had been used.

It didn’t seem worth reading particularly.

Placing his hand on the mouse and moving his finger slowly, he examined the face of the ‘Lotus Flower Fairy.’ Her appearance was somewhat awkward as if she had been edited; he wondered if she was in her late 30s or around 40. Even without touching the photo, she seemed like she would be pretty.

This woman’s real name is Seong Yun-jae, the spiritual daughter of the ‘Shaman.’ To be precise, she was once a spiritual daughter.

The results of the investigation he had been conducting bit by bit since he first learned about Inyoung were now perfectly compiled. The Shaman’s name is Shin Myeong-hwa, her age is 62 this year, and while she has been playing the role of a shaman for 30 years, she is actually a fraud who has never even received a spiritual initiation.

She runs everything solely with knowledge picked up here and there, and her silver tongue makes it easy for her to bewitch people. There was more than one person who had been bewitched by Shin Myeong-hwa and squandered their family fortune.

While accumulating wealth like that, she approached a wealthy landowner and predicted a misfortune. The misfortune, of course, always happened. Because Shin Myeong-hwa hired people to make it happen.

From then on, the name of Shin Myeong-hwa, the Shaman, gradually became known through word of mouth, and wealthy people looking to amass more money were each anxious to invite her to their homes.

Doing so, about twenty years ago, she received a proposal from the former chairman of Jegang Group, Inyoung’s now-deceased grandfather. It seemed a considerable amount was offered. The Shaman, who had looked around the house, judged it suitable after seeing the family’s personalities, intelligence, and money, and nested there.

“….”

Lee Taeseon stared silently at the photo on the homepage. Somehow, she seemed to resemble the Shaman. Since they weren’t blood-related, there was no reason to look alike, but….

Just then, the study door opened quietly, and Inyoung, looking warm as if he had just woken up, poked his face in while blinking his sleepy eyes.

“Why are you awake? You should sleep more.”

It was early dawn, and the sun hadn’t risen yet. For Inyoung, who was unwell, it was a time when he should be deep in sleep. Furthermore, it hadn’t been long since he fell asleep. Lee Taeseon stood up and cautiously approached Inyoung.

Grabbing Inyoung’s arm as he stood in the hallway, Lee Taeseon grew tense. Fearing Inyoung might flinch again. However, perhaps thanks to not being fully awake, Inyoung made a soft sound like “nnng” and felt comfortable even as his small body was slowly pulled into a hug.

Then, small pitter-patter footsteps were heard, and Lili came over and repeatedly rubbed his body against Inyoung’s ankles. Lee Taeseon waited until Lili had finished leaving his scent to his heart’s content before picking Inyoung up.

“Eh….”

Lili expressed his dissatisfaction with a small voice that was barely audible.

With a dazed face, Inyoung reached out both arms and wrapped them around Taeseon’s neck. Then he buried his head deeply into his shoulder.

“Are you sleepy?”

“Yes….”

“Shall we go and sleep?”

“Yes….”

Since he had come to the study at just the right time, Taeseon thought about showing him the Shaman’s spiritual daughter, but it didn’t seem like a good idea. Lee Taeseon carried Inyoung back to the bedroom just as he was. There was work to do, but it wasn’t so urgent that it had to be done right this second. The only reason he had left the bedroom earlier was….

After laying Inyoung down and placing Lili on the bed as well, Lili quickly went to the nape of Inyoung’s neck, rested his head there, and closed his eyes. His tail gave one final flick before becoming still, and he seemed to fall into a deep sleep right then.

While gently stroking Lili’s head, Inyoung blinked his eyes slowly. Taeseon watched Inyoung intently. Earlier, the reason he had gone through the trouble of leaving the bed wasn’t because of work. He simply needed a place to escape. Every time he holds and touches Inyoung, he thinks—does he have the right to do this.

“Mr. Taeseon…?”

“…Yes.”

“Aren’t you sleeping?”

The sight of him speaking with mumbled pronunciation was lovely. Why did he ever think this person was Yoon Inha? Inyoung says it was because of the Shaman’s spell, but surely, such an idiotic thing couldn’t be. It was his own fault for not trying to believe or look properly.

“I should sleep.”

“Mm….”

Inyoung lightly gripped the blanket on Taeseon’s side.

“Inyoung.”

“Yes.”

“…Is it okay if I lie down next to you?”

At that, Inyoung smiled softly.

“What kind of thing is that to say…. Why wouldn’t it be okay.”

“….”

At that one sentence, which was no different from the Inyoung he knew, Lee Taeseon felt a pain as if his chest were being constricted.