TGMC 06

chapter 06

<I Rescued a Stray Cat Family from an Abandoned House>

Yu Hoseok, now forty years old, is the director of the one and only Love Animal Hospital in the military.

He used to work at a large animal hospital in Seoul, but after being buried in endless work and unable to properly care for his own dog, he quit.

After some time of wondering what to do next, he returned to his hometown, opened a new animal hospital, regained some leisure in his life, and was now able to fully enjoy his happiness.

Director Yu arrived at work at 10 a.m.

The nurse casually mentioned that there was an appointment for one stray cat and three kittens.

Since this was the countryside, it wasn’t unusual to have stray cats roaming freely in yards.

It seemed that one of the cats had given birth, and the mother cat had been brought in.

Shortly after, the client who had made the appointment arrived at the hospital.

As Yu checked the registration form entered by the nurse while sitting in his office, he guessed that the guardian of the stray cat was probably an elderly lady.

The mother cat’s name on the form was Jeomsuni — a common nickname for a cat with a spot on its face.

However, the voice he heard from outside was that of a young man.

Curious, he tried to peek out by opening the office door, but the door opened, and the guardian walked in.

He looked to be in his early thirties.

His face seemed unfamiliar. If he were from the hometown, they might have crossed paths before, but since he looked like an outsider, he was probably not a local.

Of course, who the guardian was didn’t matter much to him.

What mattered more were the cats he had to care for.

“Jeomsuni…”

Calling the cat’s name, Yu’s gaze naturally fell on a large apple box.

‘They brought a stray cat family in an apple box?’

It was surprising, but true.

Inside the box, the skinny mother cat and her three kittens, clinging closely to her to nurse, were huddled together.

“You brought the cats in a box?” Yu asked.

“Yes, I just rescued them yesterday,” the guardian replied.

Yu nodded at the explanation.

Both the mother cat and the kittens looked scruffy, but there was one unusual thing.

They were unusually calm for strays.

Normally, mother cats are extremely cautious, especially with kittens, and catching them usually requires coaxing them into a cage.

Yet…

Yu swallowed the rest of his thought, but the question kept lingering in his mind.

‘How did the guardian get the mother cat into an apple box? There’s no way she would have gone in willingly…’

As if reading his mind, the guardian spoke.

“Jeomsuni moved the kittens into the apple box first, and then she went in herself quietly.”

“……”

Yu’s head throbbed at the absurd explanation.

It was an illogical situation. At first, he thought it might be a joke, but it didn’t seem that way.

“Haha, well, that’s possible. Sometimes, even stray cats can be friendly toward humans,” he said.

If the guardian was telling the truth, Jeomsuni must indeed be a very tame cat.

Yu was about to take Jeomsuni out of the apple box for her examination when she suddenly hissed and fluffed her fur.

Yu wore a slightly displeased expression.

“…Maybe she’s not that tame after all.”

“Jeomsuni, we’re here to check if you’re healthy. You shouldn’t be hissing,” the guardian scolded, but the reaction was the same.

Jeomsuni even hissed at the guardian.

‘She behaved like that and still went into the box quietly?’

No matter how he thought about it, the guardian’s explanation earlier seemed like a joke.

“I’ll hold her by the scruff of her neck. Please hold her tight so she can’t move,” Yu instructed.

“Yes, Director,” the guardian replied.

After about five minutes of struggle, Yu finally managed to secure Jeomsuni.

It was a victory, but one full of scratches and marks.

“All of them — Jeomsuni and the kittens — are malnourished, but it’s not life-threatening. They don’t seem to have any other health issues. For now, just make sure they get proper food and water,” he reported.

The checkup results were good.

They were skinny simply because they hadn’t been eating properly.

Actually, I already knew Jeomsuni wasn’t sick before coming to the hospital.

Even after drinking the water Bangul had prepared, there was no change.

The real reason I came to the animal hospital was for vaccinations.

Although Bangul had healing powers, it wasn’t all-purpose.

To protect Jeomsuni and her kittens from contagious diseases like panleukopenia, calicivirus, and herpes, vaccinations were necessary.

“We’ll give Jeomsuni her first vaccination today. The second dose will be in three weeks. The kittens should get their first shot between six to eight weeks old, so you can bring them in when Jeomsuni gets her third dose.”

“Thank you, Director.”

“No problem. Oh, may I ask you something?”

“Yes, what is it?”

“I don’t think I’ve met you before. Are you not from around here?”

“Oh, I live in Seoul, but this is my hometown. I came down yesterday to see my mother and found the cats at my grandmother’s abandoned house, so I rescued them.”

“I see.”

“Yes. My mother runs the Happy Restaurant. Do you know it?”

His eyes widened.

“Yes, I know Happy Restaurant. I went there once before — your mother’s cooking was great. I didn’t realize you were her son.”

“Haha, I take after my father more than my mother. I’ll be visiting from time to time, Director.”

“Okay, take care on your way back.”

After finishing the first vaccination, I returned home.

The restaurant was quiet today as well.

I wondered if it was okay for it to be this empty.

Still, I entered the restaurant and explained everything to my mother.

“Alright. I’ll take care of Jeomsuni and her kittens. Be careful on your way back.”

“Yes. I’ll contact you as soon as I resign.”

“Okay. Son, see you again.”

Then I said goodbye to Bangul and Hoya as well.

[Jeomsuni… That name is so plain. You should have given her a prettier name. Doesn’t it feel weird, Jeomsuni?]

Hoya grumbled about the name being boring.

Bangul, on the other hand, looked sad that we had to part, even briefly.

[You must come back quickly. I was so happy to have someone to talk to and see.]

I had grown attached too.

“Alright. I’ll come back as soon as possible. Take care.”

[Yes, sir!]

[……Don’t rush back too much. You could have an accident.]

Hoya secretly worried about me.

I patted his head and got into the car.

It was time to sort out my life in Seoul.

I went to work early in the morning.

After discussing my resignation with the team leader, I submitted my resignation letter.

The company let me go without hesitation.

I once thought they couldn’t operate without me, but that was just an illusion.

There was nothing to hand over.

My resignation was accepted quickly, and I could leave the company I had worked at for two years without issue.

After leaving, I started tidying up my surroundings.

The officetel I had been renting still had time left on the lease, but after talking with the landlord, I was able to move out early.

Next, I contacted a senior I knew from university.

He worked at an architectural office.

“Long time no see. How’ve you been?”

“I’m fine. You too?”

“I’m always the same. What’s up?”

“I want to remodel my grandmother’s abandoned house across from my mother’s restaurant. It hasn’t been lived in for a while.”

“Really? How do you plan to remodel it?”

“I want to turn it into a pension.”

“Then you could operate it as a rural guesthouse.”

“There’s the sea right in front, and a reservoir nearby. It shouldn’t be bad. Could you handle the remodeling?”

“No problem. If you enter it as a rural housing improvement project, you can get low-interest loans after completion and approval. I think the rate was about 2%.”

Money wasn’t a real concern, but getting a low-interest loan seemed wise.

My brother would visit the site for inspection in a few days.

After deciding to meet again to discuss it, I returned to the officetel and started packing.

“Soon, my life in Seoul will be over.”

No regrets.

In fact, I already missed Bangul, Hoya, and Jeomsuni, even though I had just left.

Moving to the countryside meant I could live happily with them from now on.

The thought alone brought me peace.

‘I hope they’re doing well.’

I turned on my phone and rewatched the video I had taken while rescuing Jeomsuni’s family.

Sneaking into the abandoned house, finding the cats in a large room, Jeomsuni protecting her kittens despite being skinny, persuading her with Hoya’s help, feeding her cooked fish, and finally getting her into the apple box safely — it was like watching a short film.

‘Maybe I should edit this video. Add subtitles, make it exciting, and upload it to YouTube…’

I quickly got to work.

I edited the video, cutting slow parts and adding pacing.

The scene of meeting Jeomsuni’s family was made dramatic.

The dialogue in cat language was subtitled exactly as Hoya had translated.

The highlight was Jeomsuni moving her kittens into the box one by one, then finally getting in herself.

It’s rare to see a wary stray cat voluntarily enter a box and be rescued safely like that.

‘Let’s upload it to YouTube.’

I wondered how people would react.

I went to my empty channel, titled the video:

<I Rescued a Stray Cat Family from an Abandoned House>, and uploaded it.

I didn’t know how many views it would get, but I planned to manage the channel casually while living in the countryside.

Since video editing was how I earned my living, YouTube would be perfect as a hobby.

Click.

The video was posted.