Churu for the Angry Guide

5

Since learning the taste of treats, Siwoo had realized one great truth.

‘Ah, I’m full.’

The unchanging truth that no one who carries Churu is a bad person. He’d bet that if you asked ten cats, they’d all give the same answer.

“You should drink water too.”

Siwoo, who had been looking indifferently at the water bowl in front of him, raised his head at the sound.

“Come on.”

The man with the fierce expression offered the tasteless water. It was the same man who had roughly embraced Siwoo without permission. The gruff-looking Churu angel.

Just how many cats was he planning to enchant? He had stocked up on precious Churu of various flavors in his black plastic bag.

Seeing the bag full of Churu, not just one or two, Siwoo’s heart pounded. It was a temptation impossible to resist. The man hadn’t just shown them off; he said he’d give them all. If Siwoo just quietly followed along.

Exhausted from hunger, Siwoo felt a surge of willingness to follow anywhere. He completely forgot his superior’s warning about not lowering his guard around Espers. He was too desperate to fill his empty stomach.

The place the man took Siwoo was the guiding room in Building A. It was so large that it seemed like multiple guilds might share it.

“I told you to drink water.”

Siwoo, having eaten his fill as desired, didn’t even glance at the water bowl the man offered. His stomach was too full to drink water now. He was savoring an unfamiliar sense of fullness, with no room for mere liquids.

“You ate salty food, so you need to drink water. Otherwise, you’ll get sick.”

But the man persistently urged him to drink.

“If you don’t drink this, I won’t play with you.”

He sat on the floor to meet Siwoo’s eyes on the sofa and spoke in a stern tone. But such threats wouldn’t move Siwoo.

Siwoo turned his head away as if snorting and pushed the bowl away with his hind legs.

“Ah, this little thing really doesn’t listen, seriously.”

The man chuckled lightly as if giving up, resting his elbow on the sofa and his chin in his hand. With his other hand, he playfully twirled Siwoo’s snow-white tail.

He must really like cats. He hadn’t taken his eyes off Siwoo for a moment.

After bringing Siwoo into the comfortable room, the man provided Churu as promised. When Siwoo was about to cause a fuss because the man deceptively took out just one after saying he’d give them all, the man calmed Siwoo with an expensive tuna can.

He said too much Churu wasn’t good because of the salt content. Spouting such nonsense, he pulled out lots of tuna cans and fish-shaped kibble. True to being a Churu angel, he knew cats’ tastes very well.

Though the kibble was tasty too, Siwoo cleaned out only the expensive tuna cans. It tasted incomparably better than the canned tuna Siwoo occasionally splurged on.

Despite his rough handling and blunt way of speaking, he seemed to be quite a wealthy Esper. The place he had brought Siwoo to was evidence enough.

This was the center’s main building, used only by high-ranking teams. Specifically, Building A, where capable teleporters were always on standby.

He’d heard that the main Building A wasn’t a place you could enter just because you had a high rank. Only those belonging to a select few top-tier guilds could come and go.

For example, like the Baekya Guild.

‘…No way.’

Siwoo looked up at the man with curious eyes. He was talking to himself non-stop. Still playing with Siwoo’s tail.

“This one’s shedding like crazy. Wow, the sofa’s already… You’re sweeping it all with your tail.”

The man giggled, grabbing the white tail like a broom and pretending to sweep the sofa. Seeing this pathetic sight, Siwoo’s suspicions dissipated.

‘Right, that’s impossible.’

This man playing with a cat’s tail couldn’t possibly be an Esper from a top-tier guild. Judging by how he was wandering around alone in the middle of the day with a convenience store plastic bag, he seemed to be in a similar situation as Siwoo.

Meow!

‘Stop touching already!’

Lost in thought, Siwoo narrowed his eyes and raised his paw. He was angry that the man was kneading his tail like rice cake, not knowing when to stop just because Siwoo was staying still. And why was he sniffing it?

“Okay, okay. I’ll stop.”

The man quickly let go and stroked Siwoo’s back instead of his tail. As it wasn’t an unpleasant sensation, Siwoo lowered his paw and observed the man’s face.

As he had already noticed, the man’s appearance looked even more handsome indoors. Hidden behind his fierce expression was an extraordinary handsomeness. If only his sharply slanted eyes had been a bit lower, he would have looked much cooler.

As Siwoo leisurely examined the man’s face, his head gradually tilted to the side.

No matter how he looked, he seemed to resemble someone. Who was it again…

“Isn’t the sofa hard? Want a cushion?”

The man tilted his head sideways like Siwoo and leaned in closer. The moment Siwoo saw the man’s face suddenly so close, his front paws reflexively rose. It was an almost habitual action.

The man snickered and gently bumped his threatening fist against Siwoo’s tiny paw. Like a high-five.

“Wait here quietly. I’ll get you something nice.”

What did he mean by ‘get’ and not ‘buy’? With that rough face, it sounded like he might steal something.

“Don’t go anywhere and drink your water. Got it?”

The man pointed at the water bowl with his thick finger and left the room.

There was no need for a cushion or anything. The sofa was plenty soft enough without it.

‘He really must be an idiot.’

Siwoo sighed at the man’s action of placing the water bowl on the sofa, not even on the floor. What was he thinking, putting it where water could spill?

It was amusing that he had momentarily thought the man might be a Baekya Guild-level Esper. The man wasn’t a bad person, but he seemed a bit lacking in some ways. The fact that he unquestioningly believed Siwoo was just a cat, not suspecting him of being a beastkin, was proof enough.

‘A kind fool, perhaps.’

Still, Siwoo thought he was much better than a bad genius. Despite the poor first impression, he quite liked the man who had filled his stomach.

Siwoo glanced at the tightly closed door and stretched.

‘Thanks, you fool.’

He lifted his chin in satisfaction and hopped off the sofa. He moved carefully so as not to tip over the water bowl. A careless cat would have spilled water on the sofa long ago.

By the way, where did my clothes go?

His eyes, which had become sullen again, sharpened. His clothes hadn’t grown legs and walked away, so someone must have deliberately taken them.

‘I won’t let them off easy if I catch them.’

There was no one in the center poor enough to steal someone else’s clothes. They must have taken them just for fun. Probably to play a prank after seeing him sleeping next to his clothes with stones on them.

Knowing he was a cat beastkin.

‘Pathetic fools.’

It was absurd that there were still people pulling such childish pranks. It was almost the first time since he’d endured plenty of this during his school days.

Siwoo lifted his chin with a huff and leaped towards the high table. His purposeful gait was very quick.

He moved faster than usual, intending to grab lots of Churu and bolt before the man returned. Now that he’d eaten his fill, there was no reason to stay here any longer.

The plastic bag containing the precious treats was carelessly placed on the table.

Siwoo took only one bag containing five long Churu sticks. Though the man had promised to give him everything, he deliberately restrained his greed.

It was his way of apologizing for leaving without saying goodbye. And because other cats needed to eat too.

‘…’

With the bag firmly clenched in his sharp teeth, he looked back at the door one last time. Thinking of the man who had gone to steal a cushion for him, he offered a final word of thanks. Only in his mind, not out loud.

Time to go now.

Transforming into a human would make escape easier, but he couldn’t change without clothes. If he walked around naked holding only Churu, he’d surely be labeled as the Churu pervert in the center.

With nimble movements, Siwoo leaped onto the windowsill where bright sunlight was streaming in. He had made sure to locate the windows as soon as he entered the guiding room.

‘Oh, please.’

He had expected the window to be open, but of all things, they were all locked.

Surprised by this unexpected situation, Siwoo blinked his eyes while touching the glass pane.

Espers, who disliked cramped spaces, usually kept their windows wide open. Especially on nice days like this, all the windows in Esper-exclusive buildings would be open.

‘Why the hell are they locked!’

He tapped the lock with his front paws, which were only useful for hitting, venting his frustration.

Of course, it didn’t budge at all. If he were human, he could have opened it and left right away.

“Need help?”

Suddenly, a voice from behind made his heart sink.

Siwoo’s eyes widened, and he bit down harder on the Churu bag in his mouth as he turned around. The owner of the voice wasn’t the fool who had brought him here.

‘Oh, that person is…’

It was an Esper from the Baekya Guild. His name was… Yoo Jihan, wasn’t it?

“Think that’ll be enough?”

He smirked at the Churu Siwoo had taken and stepped closer. Speaking as if he might give more, he slowly reached his hand towards the window. Seemingly to open it.

As expected, he’s as good a person as his kind impression suggests. Siwoo’s round eyes sparkled as he wriggled his body.

While poised to jump out immediately, he couldn’t take his eyes off Jihan’s face.

It was fascinating how much more handsome he looked than on TV. It felt like seeing a famous celebrity in person.

If he had been a real celebrity, there would have been an outpouring of heartwarming stories about him. That’s what Siwoo thought until just one second ago.

Click.

‘Huh…?’

Siwoo, who had been admiring Jihan’s character, wore a dumbfounded expression. Jihan had engaged even the auxiliary lock on the already locked window.

“How did you get in here?”

He asked, examining the surprised Siwoo closely. With the kindest face in the world.