“So tomorrow is the night broadcast. I’m going to the cat cafe to check out some cats and decide whether or not to raise one myself! Am I doing the night broadcast alone, you ask? Well, I could totally wing it solo, or there might be a guest!”
[Friendless loser Nicang, hahaha]
[Nicang’s night broadcasts have a flair of loneliness]
[It’s obvious she’ll either raise a cat by herself or with Kayak]
[Host, you have no friends besides Kayak]
[But Kayak seems to have plenty of friends besides the host]
[A one-sided love confession is expected to follow]
[Doesn’t really look that way, tsk tsk…]
[Hey, young folks should go out and mingle!]
[Oh, the host doesn’t lack friends; they just pick and choose whom to hang out with]
[I heard that having a few deep, close relationships is better than a bunch of shallow ones]
[Deep and tight relationships are great, huh….]
[Whoa!]
“Why do you think I have no friends?! Seriously, these people…”
Nicang and Seolha Yi shook their heads while looking at the chat.
“Just wait and see who I bring tomorrow; I’m bringing someone that’ll surprise all of you. I totally have more friends than you think!”
*
“Help me!”
“Why did you even try to show off? Just be honest and say you’re broadcasting alone.”
“But the viewers keep poking at me, and…”
Seolha argued back with an innocent face.
Yeah, who falls for those low-level provokes from viewers?
I could sort of understand her feelings, but the current situation was something she brought upon herself. Getting provoked is also a skill, after all.
So there she was, on the verge of getting caught up in the friendless loser frame, desperately reaching out to me. She was begging for me to join her broadcast.
“I’ll just raise a cat and get teased—”
“No way! Please, absolutely not!”
“What’s so bad about getting teased?”
Honestly, that was hard to comprehend. Why would it be such a big deal not having a few buddies? I had lived nearly 30 years without friends. Sure, I have a few acquaintances now, but I still resonate with the lonely old man who lived alone.
Now, look at her. Streamer Nicang, Seolha Yi. Even without many friends, she’s living a pretty awesome life.
At her age, finding someone successful like her is pretty tough. I might not know all the details, but it’s possible she has a bank account with dozens of zeros or even her own apartment or building.
She’s truly a young and rich example of success, just like you’d find in a hip-hop lyric. At least that’s how I see Seolha.
“Hmm… why the sudden showering of compliments? It won’t change anything.”
“If you’re this successful, not having friends isn’t something to be ashamed of. Even if you had friends in college, once you hit the workforce, everyone’s too busy to keep in touch.”
“Having no friends isn’t something to be ashamed of, you know. Until college, we met often, but once you enter society, everyone gets busy and rarely keeps in touch.”
Working in a company, swamped by work and society… Eventually, my own time becomes extremely precious, so I can’t waste it on just anyone.
Naturally, my relationships narrow down, and I end up only meeting really important friends and valuable people. Most people go down that route.
“That’s true, but… anyway! Come hang out with me, okay? Mun Ah is my friend too, right?”
Seolhwa, who seemed convinced by my words, raised her voice again.
“Ugh… that sounds annoying.”
“Oh, come on. Let’s go to a cat café. A cat café! I’m thinking about getting a cat. Mun Ah, why don’t you come and check out the cats? If you like them, maybe you could raise one?”
“Hmm.”
It wasn’t exactly enticing. A cat café? I knew such places existed, but I had never been to one, and I generally held a negative view on pets.
What do you mean pets? Here I am, struggling to take care of myself. Taking care of a pet is like raising a baby! There are costs, but the time and effort required are no joke.
Someone as lazy as me could never take care of one, right? Seolhwa is somewhat more diligent, but on days off, she too has no spare time for anything like that.
“Ugh, no, no! Don’t give me a lecture! Seriously, Mun Ah, you’re younger than me and talk just like my mom.”
“Originally, the desire to raise something is a twisted manifestation of maternal instinct—”
Seolhwa shook her head in protest as she looked at me.
“Just come with me… I don’t want to go alone.”
“Fine, I guess I can go with you…”
I actually intended to go along from the start. I just teased her because her reaction was amusing.
Now I have a plan for my day off. If we go together and hang out, it’s basically like I’m on air, so I could have another day off again.
“You might end up liking it once we get there. Cats are so adorable.”
“I’m not so sure.”
I’ve never found what others deemed cute to be cute. Dogs and cats were the same. Of course, I hadn’t encountered them much lately, but I didn’t think my tastes had changed.
“But you said that, but you have a bunch of stuffed animals on your bed…”
“What?”
“You cuddle with them every night. I saw it last time.”
“W-when did you…?”
Looking at Seolhwa giggling, I found myself speechless. It was all true.
I couldn’t say anything. It was all true.
“I don’t want to go to a cat café…”
“Ah! What’s wrong with hugging a doll to sleep! I hug dolls to sleep too!”
I was just trying to rebel a little out of embarrassment.
*
“Ta-da! Today’s guest is Kayak! Everyone, applause!”
“Hello, I’m Kayak.”
[I knew this would happen, lol]
[Not funny]
[I’ll let Kayak pass]
[The guest is definitely Camilla, haha]
[You said it was a break, hahaha]
[I knew you’d come on]
[Better than being alone with NamS]
[It’s obvious who the host would call]
[Thank you for playing with our host, Kayak ㅠㅠ]
[Kayak is so nice, giving up her break and coming together for the show]
[Hey, if you’re gonna show up, at least give us a heads up! I heard it in the gallery and rushed over!]
The chat exploded when Kayak appeared. Nicang smiled at the anticipated reactions while Kayak, who had stepped back a little, began to engage with the chat.
“Why didn’t I leave a notice… but today is a break, and I came on just to play with Nicang. I didn’t think it was worth leaving a notice since it’s not a proper broadcast.”
“Haha…”
“Today’s main act isn’t me, it’s Nicang! Think of me as a cameraman who tagged along because it was lonely to go alone. Oh, and since I showed up today, the break has been pushed to tomorrow.”
[You said it wasn’t a broadcast, you jerk]
[You’re contradicting yourself, what’s going on?]
[Copying Kayak-style breaks, wow]
[Four-day breaks… exist…!]
[Yeah, when you relax, really relax. Such a good idea]
[So I need to chew on today’s broadcast, got it ^^]
[So where are you two headed?]
“Today, as I mentioned earlier, we’re going to the cat café.”
“Wow.”
Even with Kayak’s unenthusiastic response, Nicang forced the hype up.
[Did Kayak get dragged out? Haha]
[Look at that soulless reaction]
[Wow! Cat café!]
[Does Kayak not really like cats?]
[She prefers dogs over cats for real, lol]
[So do you both like cats more than dogs?]
“A question just came in, Kayak.”
“Yes.”
“Do you not really like cats?”
“Well, I neither really like them nor dislike them? They’re cute, but I’m not at the level of wanting to cuddle or take one home.”
As they walked, Nicang smoothly continued the broadcast while the camera had focused entirely on Kayak now.
“So then, it seems a lot of people are also curious about this. Between cats and dogs, which do you prefer?”
“Well, it seems like many people are curious about this too. Between a cat and a dog, which do you prefer?”
“Hmm… that’s a bit tricky. I haven’t really thought about it much.”
“[So you don’t really like cute things, huh, Kayak?]”
“[But I heard a rumor that you can’t sleep without a stuffed toy of Kayak to cuddle.]”
“[I guess that makes two of us.]”
“[And yet when you actually go to a café, isn’t it the cutest thing you love?]”
“[Lmao, King Dog ㅋㅋㅋㅋ What’s up with that weird wheel in front of the pup?]”
“Or we could go to a cat café and then hit a dog café. Check them both out and decide which one you like more.”
“Is there a dog café nearby?”
“If you look it up, there’s definitely one.”
“Oh, cool. Is it a pet special today?” Just as that chat popped up, the two of them had already arrived at their destination.
“Hold on, guys. I’ll go talk to the boss for a bit. I already got permission to shoot, so there shouldn’t be any issues.”
With that, Nicang walked into the cat café while Kayak waited with the camera.
– Myaang.
“Whoa.”
At that moment, Kayak made a weird sound.
Along with that, a cat started appearing on camera. A cute little kitty covered in pristine white fur, not a single flaw in sight.
“[Wow]”
“[Oh, so cute ㅠㅠㅠㅠ]”
“[It is cute, yeah….]”
“[What was that sound just now?]”
“[Of course, a cat that cute is cute.]”
“[Ugly dogs and cats can’t survive in the pet market.]”
The white cat showed no signs of wariness. It approached Kayak, who was busy with her phone, with a characteristic prancing walk.
Finally, the white cat stood right in front of Kayak.
– Miaang, myang.
It began to rub its face slowly between Kayak’s legs. An obvious sign of affection. It rolled around, showing its belly while looking up at Kayak, meowing continuously.
“[Wow, it’s being so cute.]”
“[Do cats usually do this?]”
“[Where is this place? I wanna go later.]”
“[Usually, they approach cautiously and you can only pet them if you’re careful.]”
“[This cat is acting like a dog.]”
“[Still not gonna pet it? Really?]”
“….”
Overwhelmed by the cat’s affectionate behavior, Kayak found herself moving instinctively. With one hand now free, she set the cumbersome phone aside and scooped the cat into her arms.
And started petting it. Its pink-tinged little paws, its adorable nose, and ears—all of it.
How many minutes passed? From the opposite side, an incredulous voice broke through.
“Wait, but you said you didn’t really like them.”
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