Chapter 13
Hyunoh shook his head hard, trying to drive away the thought that had surfaced without warning.
Come to think of it, does she work in the morning and then come straight to class? She’s living busy.
Even though she must have been tired, she listened to the lecture far more diligently than the others, whose eyes were half-dead. It was completely different from the bored, dry impression she usually gave off.
But that was the end of his impression.
His thoughts didn’t develop beyond mild curiosity.
Hyunoh categorized Shin Yeonjae as just one of the many types of people you find at university.
The kind who works hard at everything.
There are always students like that in college. The embodiment of Her—mione, practically.
Pretty enough, if only she didn’t wear glasses. Works part-time, studies hard, probably involved in student council or clubs too. The type who plays the hardest yet still gets the best grades.
Usually, kids like that also come from good families.
When his thoughts reached that point, he lost interest.
Thinking that the composure she had shown while standing up to the returning male student at the drinking party must have come from someone who usually got what she wanted and had never been truly humiliated in her life—it made sense.
Hyunoh made that rough assumption, and just like that, he stopped being curious about Shin Yeonjae.
Even so, for a while, he found himself conscious of Yeonjae every time he came to class.
She was always alone.
He had never once seen her on the phone or texting someone. It didn’t seem like she was alone just because it was a general education class.
That fact surprised him a little.
With her looks and that kind of personality, wouldn’t she be popular with other girls? For some reason, that detail subtly bothered him each time he noticed it.
* * *
In truth, Hyunoh had a habit of not being able to ignore people who were alone. If it was a disease, then it was that kind of disease.
That was how he had become friends with Dohan in the first place. And it wasn’t just people—it was the same with animals.
Dohan saw that side of him in a positive light.
“It’s not a bad thing, is it?”
Hyunoh thought differently.
It’s not bad, but it can be troublesome.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t be spending a fortune at a veterinary clinic right now.
It was his first time ever stepping into an animal hospital. After every necessary test and treatment was completed, the final bill displayed a terrifying amount that made his eyes nearly pop out.
Fortunately—if that word even applied—his bank account balance was decent for a college student who used a debit card.
If not, he would’ve been humiliated at the payment desk with an insufficient balance.
Wow. I guess I’ll be living off nothing this month.
He wasn’t even joking. At this rate, he might really be eating rice soaked in cold water starting tonight.
Completely unaware of Hyunoh’s internal suffering, the cat in his arms lay comfortably as if it owned the place, lifting its unbandaged leg to scratch its face.
Whatever. Sick one comes first.
Hyunoh looked down at the cat in his arms—“Amugae.”
Name: Amugae. Not a dog, but a small cat.
It was the name Hyunoh had given it.
There were plenty of people on campus who fed stray cats, but because Amugae was so small, it was always pushed around in fights with the other cats.
Sometimes someone would notice it and set aside a bowl of food just for it, but the moment they turned their backs, another cat would steal the bowl again.
That was probably why he hadn’t been able to just walk past, even when he had meant to.
He had never deliberately waited in places where Amugae often appeared.
But whenever he happened to run into the cat on his way somewhere, he would give up his original destination and detour to the nearest convenience store.
He’d buy a can of tuna made for cats, set it right in front of Amugae, and watch it eat to make sure no other cat stole it.
That was how they built their own little bond.
Then one day, Amugae disappeared for an unusually long time.
When two weeks had passed, a thought finally occurred to Hyunoh.
Did it leave?
And then—
No. Without even saying anything?
He felt worried and a little disappointed about Amugae vanishing without so much as a sign.
But only briefly.
It wasn’t as if losing a cat that drained his wallet almost as much as cigarettes every day was something to be sad about.
Yet not long after he thought that, Amugae reappeared.
Dragging one hind leg behind it.
Hyunoh hurried over and examined the injured leg.
He quickly found the wound—dried blood crusted along a torn patch of flesh. Even at a glance, it looked like it had been injured for quite some time.
“Hey, you little punk. If you were going to leave your big brother, you should’ve at least lived well. What is this?”
Amugae ignored the scolding, instead scratching at the tip of his shoe as if to say, Enough talk. Give me food.
“Wow, look at you. The nerve.”
In that moment, Hyunoh had already scooped the cat up.
Normally, he would’ve done whatever Amugae wanted. But not today. Food could wait—treatment came first.
Without hesitation, Hyunoh rushed to the veterinary clinic near the school.
And so now—
He was trudging back toward campus with Amugae in his arms.
What remained was an empty bank account, a distant and uncertain future, and…
At least Amugae got treated.
That was enough.
He hated dwelling on things once they were done. It wasn’t like a human would die from skipping a few meals. He had more than enough friends he could mooch off of.
With his mind lightened, Hyunoh headed straight to Amugae’s usual spot as soon as he arrived on campus.
The moment he set the cat down, Amugae—who had been lying in his arms as if it owned him—darted straight into the bushes.
Unbelievable.
Still, judging by how it ran, it seemed much better than before.
Watching the spot where Amugae had disappeared, Hyunoh suddenly worried.
I’ll be broke for a while. What about Amugae’s food?
Even when it had all four healthy legs, it had its bowl stolen constantly.
If no one fed it, now that it was injured, it would probably starve every day.
…Should I steal a can of human tuna from someone’s dorm room?
And he had been planning to take a leave of absence after this semester. If he did, who would take care of Amugae?
But the worry didn’t last long.
Because a new caretaker appeared.
* * *
“Where have you been all this time?”
The crouching figure of a woman was someone he had never seen in this spot before.
“Did you hurt your leg? Looks like you went to the hospital. Who treated you?”
Listening to her, it almost sounded like she was truly communicating with the cat.
Hyunoh’s steps slowed.
Looking closely, the back of her head seemed familiar. Long straight hair. A girl…? Wait.
Shin Yeonjae?
He recognized her instantly.
And yet, despite recognizing her so quickly, he felt awkward—he wasn’t close enough to greet her.
So he stood a short distance away and quietly watched.
Amugae calmly ate while letting Yeonjae stroke it.
Oh? So you’re a male after all?
For a brief second, he felt wronged by how different Amugae looked under her touch compared to his own.
But that feeling soon turned into relief.
Knowing there was someone besides him feeding Amugae lightened his heart.
Unaware of his presence, Yeonjae chattered away at the cat.
“Why are you so grumpy? Are you sulking because I was late? Nooo. You were the one who disappeared for a while. Do you know how much I searched around here? Okay, okay, I’ll come right away next time. I promise.”
Listening quietly, Hyunoh couldn’t help but laugh.
She spoke as if the cat understood every word.
Didn’t know she talked this much.
Either way, it was a relief. Judging by the way she handled it, this wasn’t her first time feeding it.
With a lighter heart, Hyunoh soon turned away.
When he arrived at the classroom, he sat down earlier than usual.
Meanwhile, Yeonjae must have lingered at the spot much longer. She didn’t enter until about ten minutes after class had already started, quietly slipping in through the back door.
The door he had found himself glancing at often opened—and she walked in casually, tidying up the snack packaging Amugae had finished.
The hand that had been spinning his pen idly paused for just a moment.
So she can be late too.
He had thought she was the type who would risk her life for grades. But maybe not.
She was strange enough to pour alcohol on a senior without blinking.
He had expected her to always be surrounded by friends, yet she was always alone.
Despite her pretty looks…
Wait. Why do I keep calling her pretty?
…Despite her looks, she sometimes made blank, absent expressions. That was strange too.
When the professor called for discussion, she pressed her lips shut—so he’d thought she was quiet to an extreme. But in front of Amugae, she talked nonstop.
He couldn’t quite figure her out.
So this was curiosity.
A small curiosity toward the girl who had been taking care of the same cat he had, just at different times.
Or maybe it was something called interest.
No. What interest? They barely even properly knew each other.
The pen started spinning again.
He had no idea that at some point, the corners of his lips had curled up in a faint smile.
Time passed quickly, and the semester soon ended.
Hyunoh took a leave of absence after that semester, and naturally forgot about Yeonjae.
* * *
He met Yeonjae again in a major course he took after returning to school.
