Churu for the Angry Guide

13

“I’m back!”

‘Then give me food!’

Siwoo threw the food bowl at Geonho, who had just returned from work, and let out a sharp meow. Geonho, used to this, smiled and went to fill the bowl with cat food before even changing his clothes.

“Are you hungry again? I left you plenty before I left.”

‘Give me more! Hurry!’

Even Siwoo’s angry meows sounded cute to Geonho. He chuckled, saying “Alright,” and presented a heaping bowl of cat food.

“Enjoy your meal.”

‘Don’t touch me while I’m eating.’

When Geonho tried to stroke Siwoo’s back, he hissed this time. Siwoo’s sensitivity was increasing day by day.

“Hyung… is he really okay?”

Seojun, who had been watching this, glanced at the two from the sofa. He had been receiving guiding while Geonho and Jihan were handling a gate.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, he seems much sharper than on the first day.”

Seojun frowned with his gentle eyes, looking worried. Seeing this, Siwoo made a strange “Meow” sound while eating. It was actually a curse.

He wished they had left the oily Yoo Jihan instead. Being in the same space with this unpredictable youngest made him even angrier.

Although it didn’t really affect him since he stayed cooped up in Geonho’s room regardless of who was there, he still disliked it.

‘Ah, I’m so frustrated.’

This inexplicable situation of being unable to return to human form was causing Siwoo great stress. He was gorging on food to cope with it. No matter how much he ate, he felt empty inside.

“You’ve finished already?”

Geonho marveled at Siwoo, who had devoured a large amount of food in an instant. The small-bodied creature had an extraordinary appetite.

“Let’s see. Did it all go in well?”

Geonho crouched down and stroked Siwoo’s now bulging belly. Seeing how he sprawled out right after eating, it seemed he might turn into a pig. It would be trouble if he got any cuter than this.

“It all went in here. So plump.”

‘I told you not to touch.’

Siwoo glared at Geonho stroking his body but didn’t resist strongly. As long as he controlled his strength well, Geonho had a nice touch, and Siwoo felt languid whenever he petted him.

“But why aren’t you gaining weight? You eat so much.”

Geonho tilted his head as he kneaded Siwoo, who was limp like a wet towel. He had been feeding him plenty of cat food, tuna cans, and treats for a whole week. Yet somehow, his body remained the same.

“I think he’s gained a bit.”

Seojun, leaning on the sofa, responded to Geonho’s muttering. In fact, he hadn’t really looked closely enough to tell if Siwoo had gained or lost weight. He wasn’t interested enough to look in detail.

“His belly is really sticking out now.”

“No, it’ll be back to skinny soon after he poops.”

Siwoo glared at Geonho and hit him with his tail. A grown man should watch what he says.

Geonho chuckled, thinking Siwoo wanted to play, and gently tapped his tail. Then, feeling his still thin body, he sighed.

“Is he stressed?”

“What could he be stressed about?”

Seojun laughed softly, with sincerity. It was the funniest thing he’d heard recently.

From his perspective, that ill-mannered cat was being treated too well. Eating his fill of high-quality cat food and treats every day without even performing tricks. There was even a whole box of toys piled up for him.

How could he have so many complaints while leisurely eating and sleeping without doing anything? Seojun didn’t like the constantly angry cat.

“Should we order a scale?”

Scale? Geonho looked at Seojun with an interested expression. Seojun, with his gentle face, said he would order one now and opened his phone.

“That’s a good idea.”

Geonho hugged the feather-light Siwoo and patted his bottom. Weighing him daily would allow them to accurately check if he was gaining weight well.

“Eat a lot and become a pig. I’ll give you lots of delicious things.”

Siwoo pushed away Geonho, who was showering him with kisses on the cheek, and demanded treats irritably. If he couldn’t at least enjoy food, he couldn’t bear this situation at all.

Could there be something wrong with his body?

Siwoo tried to return to human form several times a day. But every time he opened his eyes, all he saw was snow-white fur instead of human skin.

At this point, he didn’t have the guts to confess he was a beastkin and ask for help. Nor was he so lacking in conscience.

“Let’s have some treats after you digest a bit.”

Siwoo momentarily cleared his mind as he jumped to catch the fishing rod toy Geonho was waving. It wasn’t a situation that would be resolved by constant worrying. For now, all he could do was wait for his body to return to normal.

No matter how he thought about it, stress seemed to be the only cause.

He had been very tired from adapting to the unfamiliar center environment. Siwoo hoped that stress was indeed the cause. If so, his body would recover naturally as he ate and rested as much as he wanted, like now.

‘Ah! You startled me!’

Siwoo, who had been focused on hunting the toy, rolled backwards when he saw Jihan appear out of thin air. He had flipped over in surprise.

“Ah, hyung! I told you to come in through the door.”

“Sorry, sorry. I forgot.”

Geonho, hugging the startled Siwoo, burst out at Jihan.

It wasn’t the first time the cat had been startled because of Jihan appearing out of nowhere. In fact, Jihan was deliberately avoiding using the door more because he found the reaction amusing.

“I brought food, so forgive me.”

Jihan smiled, waving the takeout food in both hands.

“Wow, hyung. I’ll enjoy it.”

Seojun turned off the guiding machine and ran to the kitchen to unwrap the food. Geonho wasn’t paying attention to the food as he was busy comforting the panting Siwoo. Yet when it was actually in front of him, he always ate the most.

“Were you that surprised? Should I scold that hyung for you?”

Geonho gently rubbed Siwoo’s chest, ignoring the delicious smell. He felt like laughing at the pounding heartbeat but held it in.

“Geonho, come and eat.”

“Hyung, eat before it gets cold.”

At Jihan and Seojun’s urging, Geonho got up, pretending to be reluctant, and went to the dining table with Siwoo in his arms. Siwoo also seemed unwilling to get down, resting his cheek against the firm chest muscles while glaring at Jihan.

‘Use the door, you parasite.’

Siwoo meowed lowly with a fierce gaze. Hearing this, Geonho lifted Siwoo’s paw to hit Jihan. Jihan willingly accepted the soft blow.

This peaceful evening continued for a while. It was only a time of ordeal for Siwoo.

Even though he had filled his stomach with cat food, saliva pooled in his mouth at the sight of the food laid out on the table. With spicy, salty, and stimulating foods right in front of him, he desperately wanted to walk on two legs again.

“Uh-uh, this isn’t for you.”

Geonho blocked Siwoo, who was sniffing at the table, and quickly emptied his plate. As expected, Geonho ate the most and the fastest among the three.

“…Geonho hyung, outside.”

Suddenly, Seojun stopped using his chopsticks and looked at the guiding room door. He seemed to have heard something outside.

“It’s not our hyung.”

Geonho, who had sensed the presence in the corridor before Seojun, said casually. Jihan also belatedly detected the sound of footsteps approaching the door.

‘Ah, that looks delicious.’

Only Siwoo failed to notice the sound. He was busy swallowing his saliva while looking at the food.

Knock knock.

Even the knocking sound was outside Siwoo’s interest.

“I’m coming in.”

The one who opened the door gently and entered was the secretary. Geonho had recognized his presence just from the footsteps. It was both an Esper’s and an animal’s intuition.

“Oh, you were having dinner.”

The secretary approached the dining table with a bright smile.

“Don’t mind me, please continue eating. I have some information to deliver…”

The secretary’s gaze, which had been scanning the guiding room, fell on Geonho’s lap. The information seemed to be an excuse; he appeared to have come to check on Geonho.

“That… doll is very cute.”

The secretary trailed off, looking at the white furball Geonho was holding preciously. The doll was so intricately and delicately made that he almost mistook it for a real cat.

“Hey, he’s calling you a doll.”

Geonho chuckled and stroked Siwoo’s head with a proud face. He looked as if he himself had been complimented.

“Secretary, have you eaten?”

Seojun stood up, making room for the secretary. However, the secretary just tilted his head slightly, staring intently at the cat doll.

Just as he was thinking, ‘No way, it couldn’t be…’

Meow.

A meow that shouldn’t have been heard came from the doll’s mouth.

‘Never seen a cat before?’

Siwoo, with a sulky face, provoked the secretary who was staring at him. He was already struggling with just looking at the delicious food, and the stare was bothering him.

“Is, is it a real cat? No, what are all these supplies…”

The secretary’s eyes moved frantically, his mouth agape. The moment he saw the pet supplies scattered all over the spacious guiding room, the back of his neck stiffened. Even at a glance, it didn’t look like they were just temporarily caring for it for a day or two.

“Are you in your right mind?!”

At the secretary’s sudden outburst, Siwoo, who had been eyeing the Kkanshyo shrimp longingly, flinched. Siwoo was particularly vulnerable to loud noises.

Simultaneously, Geonho frowned and gave the secretary a cold look. Jihan also furrowed his brows slightly and said playfully:

“Secretary, you’re scaring the doll.”