The Cat hides its Claws

“I’ll bring him the change.”

“Huh? You’re friends with that boy?”

The school store lady seemed a little suspicious. She was wondering if Myohan was trying to take the money for himself. Myohan nodded and tried his best reassuring smile.

“Yes, I am his friend.”

2-1, O Myohan. Myohan had to show his student ID to get the change. He went out with a few coins and the nametag. O Shin was waiting for them. He had his arms crossed and was staring at something. Myohan walked to him fast and opened his palm. O Shin tilted his hands to see the coins.

“For me?”

“No, not the money.”

He must have been joking, as he said nothing more and looked at the nametag. Then he smiled. A small twinkle appeared in his black eyes. It made Myohan know he had been right again. He closed his palm.

“It’s him, isn’t he?”

O Shin just shrugged. It meant he couldn’t tell him.

“He was afraid of me.”

An armful of snacks and chubby cheeks. The boy had run away as soon as Myohan offered him a hand. Myohan regretted not seeing his face, but it was too late. O Shin heard what he muttered and said,

“People think dogs have a good sense of smell.”

Then he pointed at where Sinsul was, trying to protect his snacks from Seonhan. Sadeol was with them, watching and laughing, and then he saw Myohan and waved a hand happily. Myohan just nodded to him and turned back to O Shin.

“But in fact, the greatest sense of smell belongs to another kind of animal.”

O Shin pointed at the other side, at the boy’s back. He was walking away fast, and he was gone after a second. Myohan narrowed his eyes.

When he caught Sinsul, he had told him he could smell animal scents on the animal boys. If O Shin was right and there was an animal that could smell even better than dogs, then he must have sensed their smells too.

Myohan almost wanted to laugh. The boy had not hurried to pay because he was ashamed of buying too much.

“What are you doing here?”

While they were waiting for Sinsul to return, Jagyeom, Miho and Sajun came out from the cafeteria. Jayeom asked with surprise as soon as he spotted Myohan. Miho looked quite full. Myohan stroked his hair (which made Sajun jealous and O Shin frown), and pointed at Sinsul with his chin. Seonhan had succeeded in taking his snack, and he was angrily jumping up and down.

“What’s that?”

Miho asked, pointing at what was in Myohan’s hand. Myohan showed it to him. Sajun looked at it and said,

“Huh, that’s the name of that gochujang brand.”

The white nametag said ‘Hae Chandeul.’

***

Myohan visited all the classrooms, which he hadn’t done since he caught the rabbit. Of course he excluded his own homeroom, Class 2. He also didn’t go to Class 2, Class 5, Class 6, and Class 10, as his animal friends were in those classrooms and they didn’t recognize Chandeul. He eventually found out he was in Class 8.

Before he went to find him, he headed to the school store. He bought a pastry and the shop lady recognized him. She asked if he had given the money back, and he replied with a smile,

“I’m going right now.”

The nametag was in his right hand, and in his left hand was the pastry he had just bought. The coins were in his pocket. Standing at the back door of Class 8, he tried to put on his best uninterested look, determined not to lose his target right in front of his eyes again.

“Is Hae Chandeul here?”

He was planning to ask one of his classmates to give the things to him later if he wasn’t there. What he had to do at the moment was to let Chandeul know he didn’t have to be afraid of him.

“Chandeul? Someone’s looking for you!”

Thankfully, Chandeul was there. He was sitting in a corner and cowering. He flinched as he got up.

Myohan saw his face for the first time just then. He looked quite mild. His eyes made him look like he was smiling, which exactly matched the animal Myohan had in mind.

Myohan eyed at his pink cheeks, then he offered a hand. Chandeul flinched and looked up at him. They were of similar height.

“You dropped this the other day at the store.”

“Oh, okay.”

Myohan placed the nametag on a hand that was as pink as his cheek. He was thin, but his hands were chubby, which proved he had to be the pig. Still, he’s thin for a pig. Myohan thought so.

“And this is the change you forgot to take.”

“Oh, thank you.”

He gave him the coins. Chandeul’s eyes widened, but then he blinked and nodded. Myohan smiled to hear a thank you. At least he was braver than the rabbit.

“And this is…”

Myohan’s visit had one purpose. Getting the boy to know him.

“For the snack you gave me then.”

Preferably as a good person.

It was a simple algorithm. Taming an animal required feeding, and any animal would think of the person who gave it tasty things as a good person. Plus, pigs were known for their lust for food, so it had to work.

“Um…”

Chandeul was really afraid of Myohan and had run away from him, even though they had never met and had never talked. It was because he thought getting to know him would make bad things happen to him, and Myohan had to make him think otherwise. Of course, he wasn’t expecting Chandeul to think of him as a nice person just because he was giving him a pastry. But maybe it could make him lower his guard at least a little.

Thankfully, he was right. Chandeul looked at him with surprise, but he wasn’t worried or scared.

‘I didn’t see this coming.’

His eyes were saying so.

The bell rang to sound the end of breaktime. As Chandeul took the pastry, Myohan smiled to him, hoping to look just nice enough.

“Bye, then.”

That was all. Myohan went back to his homeroom, without asking Chandeul about anything. Chandeul didn’t try to stop him, either.

“You fed him?”

O Shin, who had been waiting for him, smiled. Myohan nodded as he sat down and took out his schoolbook for the next class. He had carried out step one. Since Chandeul’s guard had been lowered, he was going to be near him and find a chance to cross over his fence.

“Feeding is not a bad way to tame an animal.”

O Shin got nearer and whispered.

“But it won’t work this time.”

Myohan blinked. He couldn’t catch the pig by taming it with food. O Shin was clearly giving him a hint, but he couldn’t know what he meant by that. He just opened his book and looked down as the teacher came in.

***

The school store was crowded again. Myohan went there every day, even though he didn’t even eat lunch. It was to capture his new target.

“You guys really don’t need to be here.”

“I’m always happy to be with…”

“Shut your mouth, now.”

“Cheong, please.”

At first, he was alone, but then the other boys started to join him one by one, and currently there were eight of them. Sinsul went to buy their snacks after losing a game of rock paper scissors; Myohan sat down on a bench and yawned. He took out a hand to wipe a tear, but then he shook his head as a cold breeze blew past. It was too cold to snooze under the sunlight.

“You might catch a cold.”

O Shin said as he did the buttons of Myohan’s coat for him. It was November, but it was way too cold. The temperature was dropping rapidly. As Myohan was particularly weak to the cold, he crouched and frowned.

“I’m about to freeze to death.”

“Do you want me to warm you up?”

“Oh, go and kill yourself.”

Myo Cheong didn’t hesitate to cuss at what Sajun said. Jino wasn’t feeling the cold and was wearing only his gym suit. He even sweated as he tried to stop Myo Cheong. Jagyeom was crouching exactly like Myohan. He angrily muttered to himself.

“Why is it so cold at this time of year?”

“But I’m fine.”

Miho was quite strong against the cold. Maybe it was because of his thick sheep fur. Myohan thought so as he grabbed his red nose. His clear cheeks were also red at the moment.