I pulled my coat closer to my body as the first snow of that night fell from the dark evening sky. It was winter and the temperature dropped to negative five degrees Celsius. All my life, I had lived in a tropical country, so the weather in Seoul was a shock for someone like me who only knew two seasons.
I looked around me and noticed how empty the road seemed. It was already midnight and only a very few establishments were still open. I was also the only person walking along the street which made me a bit anxious.
As I turned around the corner, I noticed a guy coming out of some sort of underground building. He was wearing a black puffer jacket and brown oversized pants. Half his face was hidden by the flap of a black bucket hat. I could have breathed a sigh of relief to see another sign of life that night only if I hadn't noticed the way his lips curled to a smile—a sinister smile—while looking at his phone. I shivered not from the cold, but from the sudden fear.
I went past the guy in quick long strides due to the fear he would do something to me. My hand reached for my phone in my coat's pocket and prepared myself to dial the police. And he must be interested in me (in a very scary way) because he started following me!
My heart was pounding hard and my tears were about to fall. Thoughts clouded my mind like, "Is he going to kill me?" and "I'm not ready to die yet. Not when I'm far away from home!"
I was ready to run when something caught my attention and stopped me in my tracks.
A cat's cry.
Choosing between whether to save myself from imminent danger or look for the cat which could be hungry and cold was the biggest dilemma I ever encountered in my 25 years of existence. I had always been proud of myself for being a troubleshooter and an effective decision-maker, but at that moment, I was just frustrated with myself.
The cat continued crying and I noticed the guy following me had also stopped walking. So with all the courage I could muster, I turned around to learn my fate—was I about to die?
Apparently not.
I saw the guy kneeling on the cold ground, scouring the bush, and was like, "meow, meow, meow."
Okay. That could not be weird because I would likely do the same but I thought he was some bad guy. Or was I the one being weird?
He immediately found the cat which I noticed was freezing. So after finally convincing myself (for like ten seconds) that he was harmless, I went back and approached him.
"The cat must be cold and hungry," I told him.
He looked up, surprised. But it was probably me who was more surprised upon seeing his entire face. The light coming from a nearby lamppost helped me see his face clearly. He was handsome in an intimidating sort of way. I mean, staring at his sharp features, especially his eyes—yes, his eyes—suddenly made me feel embarrassed.
But the cat was the priority! I should not be afraid of a random stranger!
He stood up with the cat in his hands. It was a kitten! Probably around a month old. Its fur was white, but a bit dirty and its eyes were a bit watery. Oh, poor cat!
"It's ill," I said. "We should take him to the vet. Is there somewhere nearby?"
It took him seconds before he answered. He was staring at me as if I was some kind of unusual species.
"Uhh...Yes. There's one." It took another second before he pointed at the direction where I came from. "Somewhere there."
So we took the cat to the vet which fortunately was still open. The vet, a good lady named Dr. Choi just had an emergency patient who explained the clinic operating until late in the night.
I waited for our cat's turn (yes, I became possessive of her) with the guy who wasn't scary after all. He was smiling while trying to play with the cat. His eyes were fascinating too. They would turn really small when he smiled. It was kind of cute.
Dr. Choi told us to leave the cat in her care until she gets well. I could not take her in on her condition since I might become busy in the coming days while the guy said he had five other cats (FIVE!) and they might get infected if he took home the sick one. So I gave her my number and asked her to update me about the cat.
I checked the time and learned it was already past one in the morning. With the adrenaline from earlier subsiding, I began to feel tired and sleepy. It was a long day.
"Are you heading home?"
I almost jumped when the guy suddenly spoke. He was going scary again.
"Ah, yes." I looked around and noticed the place felt more isolated than before. The vet was the only establishment open.
"I'll accompany you. It's too dangerous for you to walk alone at this hour." He offered.
As much as I would like to decline, I decided that it would indeed be better to have some company, like a guy with five cats.
"What's your name again?" I asked him when we arrived in front of my apartment.
"Jaebeom."
