Chapter 32: Churu Revelations

“Here.”

Jinhyang held out a stick of churu right in front of my nose.

As she waved it up and down, it felt like she was teasing me.

“No way, even so, I’m not a real cat, so why would I eat something like this?”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Unlike a cat, I can eat something more delicious when I want.”

Listening to my words, Jinhyang tore off the end of the stick and brought it to her nose to smell.

“Well, I guess a person wouldn’t eat something like this.”

“Exactly. How could a person eat churu-like stuff, churu-like… Huh?”

A scent wafted up from the stick, reminiscent of the sea.

It smelled as if it contained the essence of the Atlantic Ocean, capturing my attention.

‘Did churu always smell like this?’

I grabbed Jinhyang’s hand and leaned in towards the torn part of the stick to sniff.

As I sniffed, I could feel Jinhyang’s gaze on me from above.

“What are you doing?”

“It smells better than I thought. They must have made it quite well.”

“Is this what you consider a good smell?”

Jinhyang attempted to bring the churu back to her nose, and I felt a sudden urgency.

“Wait a moment!”

I pulled on Jinhyang’s hand towards me.

Normally, I wouldn’t have the strength to overpower her, but she willingly lowered her hand.

“…”

The unique seafood smell of the churu returned.

As I brought it to my nose and sniffed, my mouth began to water.

Of course, I didn’t actually want to eat the churu.

I just liked the smell.

Some scents could stimulate appetite just by their aroma.

‘Just the smell, just the smell.’

Or maybe I could just take a small bite.

“Be honest with me.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“I know you want to eat this.”

As Jinhyang waved the churu in front of me, I followed the movement and replied.

“…Why would I eat cat treats?”

With the delicious—no, good-smelling treat wavering in front of me, it riled up the predator’s instincts inside me.

Just like the fishing rod Yoon Bora had waved.

‘I think I could catch this.’

I bent my legs and lowered my stance.

Just as I was ready to leap at the churu Jinhyang was holding, she said, “Then I’ll throw this away.”

She started to retract the churu.

I couldn’t help but feel urgency in that moment.

“Th-Think about it, Jinhyang.”

“What about?”

“Even tasteless food should be tried at least once to know it’s bad.”

“…So?”

Jinhyang crossed her arms and looked at me.

“I’m sure churu will taste bad, but don’t you think I should try it at least once? I’m trying to prove that I’m not crazy for cat treats.”

After hearing my words, Jinhyang paused for a few seconds before responding.

“Why do you only seem to think clearly at times like this?”

“…I’m smart by nature!”

“Ugh, ahem…”

Jinhyang showed a rare look of surprise at my response.

“It’s true! I may have dropped out of high school and my education level is low, but I’m not that dumb!”

“Okay, okay. Enough already.”

“Of course, I didn’t do well in studies, but I have a natural talent…!”

“I said enough already!”

“O…!”

I turned to Yoon Bora for support, but she just chuckled and avoided my gaze.

‘What did they think of me until now?’

I made mistakes often, but it was natural for a newbie to make mistakes.

Feeling unjust, I continued to look at Yoon Bora, and she awkwardly approached Jinhyang, saying, “Um, unnie, don’t tease her too much. Just give it to her.”

“Yeah… I guess I should.”

Jinhyang held out the churu to me.

Her actions seemed too cunning, as if trying to brush the situation aside.

“Right now, it’s not about the churu! It’s about treating me like a fool! I mean, you’re treating me like a fool… a fool…”

I accepted the churu that Jinhyang offered.

Bringing it to my nose and sniffing, my excitement subsided and my appetite began to rise.

‘…What good would it do to be angry?’

The anger of the masses rarely reaches those in power.

At this point, it was far more beneficial to just eat the churu.

“Can I eat this?”

“…”

“Then, I’ll just have one bite?”

“Sure…”

As I squeezed the stick, the contents oozed out.

The tempting white flesh was irresistibly beautiful.

As the surface area of the filling expanded, the aroma intensified, capturing my attention.

“Can I eat this?”

“…Do as you like.”

The first lick was just a tiny amount.

Smaller than a crumb, yet the concentrated flavor contained within was richer and deeper than any delicacy in the world.

“Wow…”

I can’t believe this flavor exists on Earth.

This processed food surpassed everything about fish.

‘If I eat this in one bite…’

Would I be able to maintain my sanity?

Would my tongue go numb?

With that anticipation, I swallowed and squeezed out a longer portion of churu, about ten centimeters.

Then I shoved it into my mouth.

Nom nom—

As I chewed the churu a couple of times, I found myself completely frozen in place.

The taste of fish spread throughout my mouth, making me feel as if I were freely swimming in the sea.

“…!”

An ultimate flavor that no human language could describe.

It was a taste that would make chefs who dedicated their lives to fine dining feel ashamed.

Right now, I held the pinnacle of gourmet flavor in my hands.

“Oh my. Look at her pupils dilate. Harang?”

Yoon Bora waved her hands in front of my face.

That was when I snapped back to reality.

“Bora.”

“Huh?”

“Y-You should try this too.”

I squeezed the churu and pushed it into Yoon Bora’s mouth.

I couldn’t be the only one to experience this fantastic flavor.

I wanted her to feel the thrill I had experienced.

“N-No, thanks.”

“Why not? This is seriously, seriously amazing! W-What should I say? Anyway, just try it!”

“H-Harang, I’m fine!”

Yoon Bora held my face and pushed me away.

Since my arms were shorter than hers, I ended up waving the churu right in front of her face.

Flap flap—

As the stick shook, churu splattered across her face.

“Ah! How wasteful!”

“H-Harang, I’m sorry! Save me!”

“Okay, okay, just take your hands away, Bora.”

“Ugh, fine.”

As Yoon Bora pulled her hands away, she looked at me suspiciously, but I had no intention of forcing churu on someone who didn’t want it.

“Bora, can you lift me up?”

“Huh? Like this?”

As Yoon Bora picked me up, it was a perfect opportunity.

I quickly licked the churu off her face.

“What should I do about that…”

I thought I heard Jinhyang’s voice from the side, but I decided to ignore it.

She was just missing out on this amazing taste.

After work, I sat on Yoon Bora’s lap, giggling.

Yoon Bora was also sitting on the sofa, laughing, and soon Raxy joined us.

“Harang, what did you do today?”

“I ate churu.”

“Uh, I see…”

Raxy stroked my tail and asked again.

“Harang, was the churu tasty?”

“Yeah. Raxy, do you want to try one?”

“N-No, I’m fine.”

“This is really delicious…”

Why do people avoid trying food they think will be bad?

Feeling disappointed, I pulled another churu out of my pocket.

Crisp—

It was nice that my sharp teeth could easily tear the stick.

‘Better save it.’

Just a little bit.

I licked it, taking only tiny bits, while the two sisters began to chat among themselves.

“Raxy.”

“Uh?”

“Today, Harang gave me a kiss.”

“What?”

When did I do that?

As I licked the churu, I looked up at Yoon Bora, who hugged me with a giggle.

“A while ago, you had churu on my cheek, and Harang licked it off.”

“…!”

Raxy’s eyes widened.

She looked as if she were mimicking my face when I first tasted the churu.

‘Well, it was wasteful.’

I just thought I shouldn’t leave food behind.

The bourgeoisie really has a different mindset.

Looking up at Yoon Bora with respect in my eyes, Raxy suddenly rushed in.

“H-Harang, can I have churu too?!”

“Huh? Didn’t you say you didn’t want any?”

“Suddenly, I got hungry and want to eat it now!”

Suddenly?

Maybe seeing me enjoy the churu made her hungry.

Without hesitation, I handed her a churu.

“Raxy, you won’t regret trying it.”

“U-Okay!”

As soon as Raxy accepted the churu, bang!

The churu burst, scattering its contents around her mouth like a shotgun blast.

It seemed she had failed to control her strength.

“H-Harang, you got churu on your lips! Oh no? But there are no tissues?”

“Ah! What a waste!”

I quickly tried to approach Raxy to lick off the churu, but—

Whoosh~!

Yoon Bora pulled me back, preventing me from doing so.

“What’s going on?”

I looked up at Yoon Bora in confusion, but she was only looking at Raxy.

“Raxy, that’s not okay…”

“…”

Somehow, Raxy looked deflated as she took out a tissue to wipe her lips.

‘Huh? Didn’t she say there were no tissues?’

I found it a bit suspicious, but I didn’t think much of it.

She must have found some somewhere. It’s not like there were no tissues in the house.

“Ugh…”

After wiping her lips, Raxy stared at the churu for a long time.

She cautiously brought her tongue close to the churu, but then made a strange sound, scrunching her face.

“Does it not taste good?”

“I-I don’t really like it.”

“Really?”

Could it be that it’s not to her taste?

As I looked at Raxy with curiosity, she patted my head and said,

“Harang.”

“Yeah?”

“Um…?”

My sister told me to get a box for Harang. She put it in Harang’s room, so do you want to check?”

Churu and a box.

A box for the churu?

A box for the churu…?!

“……!”