TGMC 10

chapter 10

Preparing a Surprise

“I’ll go inside first. See you all tomorrow.”

Assistant Manager Jo Yoon-jung, working as a marketer at an advertising agency, stepped out of the office with tired eyes.

While waiting for the elevator to descend, she looked out the window.

The night sky was dark, and the rain was pouring heavily.

At that moment—

Boom!

Thunder rumbled across the sky.

‘Oh no… I didn’t bring an umbrella.’

She had checked the weather forecast before heading to work, and it didn’t mention any rain.

So she hadn’t brought an umbrella, and now the downpour caught her off guard.

‘Nothing seems to go right.’

She muttered under her breath as she stepped into the elevator.

The elevator was packed with people. She worried if it might exceed the maximum capacity, but thankfully, it started descending with her inside.

Ding.

The elevator reached the first floor.

Yoon-jung stood frozen in front of the main entrance.

She didn’t want to get soaked, but it was impossible to dodge the heavy raindrops and run straight into the subway entrance.

‘Maybe I should buy an umbrella.’

She considered stopping by a convenience store, but then she remembered the disposable umbrellas lying around at home.

‘Might as well just get wet.’

Braving the rain, she ran toward the subway entrance.

“Huff… huff…”

She was out of breath within minutes. Sitting at a desk all day had taken its toll.

‘I really should exercise…’

But every day after work, she’d just go straight to bed. That was why, for years, she’d only talked about exercising without ever actually doing it.

Even if she tried, it would probably last just a few days.

Tap, tap, tap.

She passed through the ticket gate and descended to the platform.

But the train was already packed with commuters who had finished work.

‘Ugh.’

She let out a sigh.

Life felt repetitive, like running on a hamster wheel.

Shoved this way and that in the crowd, she finally boarded the train.

Inside, most people were absorbed in their phones.

Some were watching videos. Others were reading. And some were chatting via messenger.

Yoon-jung pulled out her phone from her pocket.

Whenever life felt exhausting or stressful, she’d mindlessly scroll through YouTube Shorts.

Standing there, flicking through videos, her finger paused on one.

‘So cute.’

A kitten had just woken up and was yawning.

Its wobbly little steps were adorable.

Watching the tiny kitten on the screen, she muttered to herself,

‘I’m the only one without a cat.’

Since moving out on her own, she had often thought about adopting a cat.

But she was timid. She didn’t have the courage.

She doubted her ability to take proper care of one.

So instead of adopting, she satisfied her cravings for cute cats by watching videos.

She even tapped the heart button to “like” the video.

Scrolling to the next Short, she noticed it was set in the countryside. A cat was tussling with a snake.

‘Ew, gross.’

From the start, it was thrilling.

The cat was stealthily hunting a snake hiding in the bushes, its nose smudged with black dirt.

After a fierce battle, the cat emerged victorious.

Then, carrying the snake’s corpse, it headed somewhere.

‘Where is it going?’

Yoon-jung’s eyes widened as she watched.

The cat had placed the dead snake in front of a restaurant’s door.

‘Is that okay?’

A tense moment, then—

The restaurant lady stepped outside and saw the snake.

“Eeeeeek!”

A piercing scream.

And the man filming the video was holding back laughter.

The Short ended there.

After the video, Yoon-jung burst out laughing.

She laughed so hard her shoulders shook.

But only for a moment.

She realized people around her were staring.

Oh, right. She was still on the subway.

Her face turned bright red.

She buried her face in her hands and quickly subscribed to the channel she had just watched.

Then, she shared the video link in her friends’ group chat:

—Guys, check this out. Hilarious. Heehee!

Next, she explored the channel.

Videos were sporadically uploaded.

The first video was titled: <Rescued a stray cat family from an abandoned house.>

While commuting, she watched the first video.

A young man’s voice mimicked cat sounds, and the mother cat moved her kittens into a box, seemingly understanding him.

The YouTuber had successfully rescued the stray cat family.

Meanwhile, the mother cat was struggling to care for the tiny kittens that couldn’t even open their eyes, and she herself looked exhausted and skinny.

Seeing that scene tugged at her heart.

For Yoon-jung, who was already drained from work, the video was a comforting balm.

‘Should I call my mom?’

She considered it but decided to watch the next video first.

The YouTuber took the cat family to a veterinary clinic.

[So, we decided to name the mother cat Jeomsuni.]

Her hand tightened around the phone.

What? Jeomsuni?

There were plenty of pretty names, so why that one?

She was furious.

‘Give me back my emotions!’

After the Short of Jeomsuni bringing the snake to her mom was posted, the channel started getting more attention.

The subscriber count, which had barely increased by one or two a day, began rising noticeably.

Some subscribers binge-watched all the videos she had uploaded.

The video with the most comments was the one where the YouTuber took the cat family to the veterinary clinic.

Subscribers flooded the comments section, complaining about the cat’s name:

• What’s with Jeomsuni! Seriously!

• There are so many pretty names, why Jeomsuni?

• Sorry we couldn’t protect her, sob.

Occasionally, a normal comment would defend the name, but such comments were quickly drowned out by the barrage.

The YouTuber replied to each comment.

The reason behind naming the mother cat Jeomsuni was simple: the black smudge by her nose was her trademark.

While responding, a subscriber asked a new question:

• Jeomsuni’s kittens have grown into little troublemakers. Have you named them yet?

The three kittens had grown into mischievous little cats, full of curiosity and always exploring.

No proper names had been given yet; for now, they were collectively called the little ones.

• I haven’t named them yet. I’ll think of some names soon.

After replying, she was about to move on to other tasks when another comment appeared almost immediately:

• No! This time, don’t name them alone—make sure to consider subscriber suggestions!

She scratched her head.

She already had names in mind:

• The first: a mix of white, black, and brown fur → Samsaek-i (Tri-color)

• The second: mostly black → Kkamang-i (Blacky)

• The third: patchy fur → Eolluk-i (Patchy)

But revealing her choices might spark another wave of complaints.

‘Maybe I should ask for opinions.’

Hosting a naming contest on the YouTube community could work.

Subscribers might come up with even better names.

• I’ll post in the community soon. Thanks for the feedback.

After replying, she got dressed.

Today, she had plans in Seoul.

Entering the kitchen, she found it empty.

They had moved all the old appliances out while redoing the wallpaper and flooring.

“Mom, are you ready?”

“Just a moment. Almost done.”

Her mom, excited for a day out in Seoul, had been up since dawn, preparing herself.

She picked out a neat coat but the sleeves were frayed.

“When did you buy this?”

“Hmm… maybe five years ago?”

“When was the last time you bought clothes?”

“The last time I bought a dress from home shopping, but it was poorly made. I almost returned it, but since it was shipped from overseas, I’d have to pay half the price in return fees. So I gave up and just wear what I have.”

Her mom hadn’t bought anything from department stores or outlets in a long time, mostly wearing old clothes.

Looking inside the wardrobe, most items were faded, outdated, or worn out.

Today, the shopping trip might take a while.

“Shall we go?”

“Alright. Let’s go. But you can still use the old fridge, washing machine, and rice cooker, right?”

“They’re over ten years old. Since we’re redoing the flooring and wallpaper, let’s just replace everything with new ones.”

Even with her sudden lottery windfall of 1.8 billion won, her mom seemed hesitant.

But continuing to use the old appliances wasn’t ideal—they were noisy and could break at any time.

It was better to replace them now. Spending the money didn’t feel wasteful at all.

After three hours of driving, they arrived in Seoul and headed to a department store.

Her mom’s eyes lit up with excitement, clearly enjoying the shopping trip.

She browsed appliances that would have been purchased as part of a dowry:

• A washer-dryer combo (wash tower)

• A refrigerator that makes ice automatically

• A robotic vacuum

• A kimchi fridge

Her mom paused at the kimchi fridge, inspecting it carefully.

While she liked other appliances, she hesitated because of the price.

If they left it like this, they might return home empty-handed.

That wouldn’t do.

“I think I need to use the restroom. Could you head to the women’s clothing section on the 2nd floor and browse for a bit?”

“Are you really okay?”

“Yes, it’s nothing. I’ll contact you after I’m done. Go ahead and browse.”

She sent her mom off to the 2nd floor, then returned to the appliance section.

She quickly purchased the fridge, TV, wash tower, dishwasher, and kimchi fridge.

Several million won went through payment in an instant, but she didn’t feel it was wasted.

She asked the staff, “Can I choose the delivery date?”

“Of course. When would be convenient?”

She planned to surprise her mom: coordinate delivery with their upcoming New Zealand trip, set everything up while her mom was away, and then reveal the surprise once they returned.

A perfect scenario was already forming in her mind.