ETVHC 10

“Let’s make a plan.”

I said it out loud to shift my focus.
Pulling out the notebook I’d bought along with some stationery, I jotted down a brief record of today’s events.

“This is a total dead end.”

Every idea I’d come up with had already been blocked.
Even a checkmated chess piece wouldn’t feel this cornered.
The dream of creating a peaceful guild was already falling apart.

Maybe I should just look for someone who can protect me.
There were game characters who were kind and stayed neutral early on.
If I give them what they need, maybe they’ll like me enough to join my guild.

Childish? Maybe. But if I racked my brain, there were probably more characters I could help than I first thought.

If I do that, we could build some bonds, and—aside from Kang Gun-hoo—end up with a cheerful guild.

On the notebook page I listed every quest and event I could remember in chronological order.
A lot of the details were fuzzy or uncertain, but I organized the main story as best I could.

But this isn’t just about fixing today’s problems, is it?

Plenty of big events were still to come.
Besides, since I’d mostly played from Baek Woo-jin’s perspective, I hadn’t even seen all the storylines.

No—first focus on the quest to build a decent guild.
Once that’s done, I can figure out how to handle the bigger crises later.

When I added the side events that revealed each character’s past, the immediate priorities became clear.

Tap, tap.

A faint, teasing sound kept repeating, like raindrops brushing a window.
I tried to ignore it so I could keep organizing, but it became too distracting.

It’s not Baek So-hyuk, and Kang Gun-hoo wouldn’t come all the way to my room… so who—?

Outside the window sat a brown-tinged cat.
It looked a bit hefty, and the way it tapped the glass was almost practiced.

“Here for a meal?”

The unexpected visitor was far too adorable to ignore.

“Mee-ow.”

The meow came so perfectly timed I almost believed it was answering me.

“So cute.”

The words slipped out before I realized it.

“Wraaow.”

“Come on in.”

I had nothing cat-friendly in my inventory, but leaving it outside felt wrong—it might wander off disappointed.
When I opened the window, the cat hopped in with quick confidence, strolling around the room as if it owned the place.

“Hold on a sec.”

But the cat, of course, didn’t understand and followed me right to the fridge.

Guess it’s wondering what I’ll give it to eat.

It seemed to like me anyway, which made me a little proud.
I took out some fish and set it in a pan, and the cat practically sang with excitement.

“Just a little longer.”

Soon it leapt onto the table and tapped my hand with a paw, impatient.

Bang.

The cozy moment ended abruptly.
Baek So-hyuk opened his door, scowling as if a noise outside had woken him.

“What is this…?”

His voice was raspy with sleep.
From his baffled look, it seemed he’d forgotten any plan to pretend he didn’t know me.
He glanced between me and the cat, exhaling in disbelief.

“Now you’re letting monsters into the house.”

Muttering like a sigh, he turned and slammed his door again—apparently not worth arguing.

Wait… monster?

The cat met my eyes and gave a low rumble, batting at the sizzling fish.

Pop.

Wings burst from its back.

I did think its tail was unusually big and thick…

Looking closer, I saw more signs: its size was twice that of a normal cat, its claws were razor-sharp, and its tail was thick and reptilian.

I stayed frozen, the sound of the fish frying suddenly loud.

I honestly thought it was just a well-fed stray.
Back in ordinary Korea, who would look at something like this and immediately think “monster”?

I tried to justify myself, but it felt hollow.
Now that I’d noticed, the creature was obviously no regular cat.

Slurp, slurp.

Unbothered, the “monster” twitched its tail and tasted the fish.

“Kitty, is it that good?”

Since things had gone this far, I decided to call the monster “Kitty.”
It might eat and disappear, but still.

“Myaaow.”

Its cry was so perfectly catlike.
After licking the plate clean, Kitty rolled onto its back and rubbed against my legs, purring like any house cat.

“So cute. Come again and I’ll give you something tasty.”

I’d always liked animals, but never felt confident about keeping one.
Even so, seeing this—monster or not—being so affectionate made me smile.

“I’ll open the window for you.”

I opened it, expecting Kitty to slip out as naturally as it had come in.
Instead, it turned away, pretending not to notice.

“Not leaving?”

“Wrrrow.”

The sound was nothing like its earlier sweet mews.
Sharing a room with a monster felt odd, but I couldn’t bring myself to chase out something so cute and cuddly.

“Fine, I’ll leave it open. Go out whenever you want.”

As if it understood, Kitty came closer again.
Eventually it hopped onto my bed, curled up at my feet, and promptly fell asleep.

“Seriously… are you really a monster?”

A fleeting worry crossed my mind—What if it suddenly attacks me?—but it quickly faded.
It was just too adorable for that.

It was a dream.
I knew it by the perspective alone.

Like watching a movie, I saw Baek Woo-jin moving before me, while I myself couldn’t move—pinned down as if by sleep paralysis.

What’s he doing?

I muttered silently as I watched.
A younger Woo-jin, wearing a school uniform, was searching the bookshelf—just like I had earlier.

He really does look like a kid like this.

This scene never appeared in the game.
Was this some kind of memory of the body I now inhabited?

〈I put it in the book I read yesterday…〉

His voice echoed as if underwater, words hard to make out unless I focused.
I squinted to see which book he pulled out.
Demian.

What a coincidence.

Not exactly thrilling to share reading tastes with the villain.

〈Found it.〉

Of course, what he retrieved was a family photo.
Judging from the middle-school uniform, it was from when both his parents were alive.
He brushed the photo with gentle fingers for a long time, as if it was something precious and dearly missed.

Remembering how miserable his life had been when his father was alive, I could understand why he cherished the warmth of the family he’d later found.
That photo might be proof he’d escaped a wretched childhood.

You’ll wear the picture out.

Naturally, my advice didn’t reach him.
Seeing how much he loved his family raised the question: where had things gone so wrong?

Knock, knock.

Woo-jin flinched visibly.
He hurried to slip the photo back into the book, careful not to crease it.

〈Come in.〉

The door opened slowly.
The face that appeared belonged to Baek So-hyuk.
If it had been their mother, she’d probably have just barged in.

“Woo-jin hyung, they’re saying we should eat out today. Is that okay?”

So-hyuk’s voice was clear.
His face looked like a younger version of the one I’d seen in reality, which made me smile a little.

He really did look gentle back then.

For once, I could enjoy the story as a detached observer—though it would have been better if my life weren’t constantly at risk.

“Okay. I’ll get ready and come.”

“Mm.”

So-hyuk didn’t even step inside; he said what he needed and left.
When he was gone, Woo-jin’s expression as he touched the book seemed to vanish, like something erased with an eraser.
I tried to step closer for a better look, but suddenly I couldn’t breathe.

Gasping against the pain, I opened my eyes—
and found a ball of fur right in front of me.

“Kitty?”