Chapter 39: Claws and Compromise

Caught between the fear of having my nails trimmed and a moment of embarrassment, I knew exactly what to choose. Embarrassment seemed far better.

“Uh, my hand really hurts, unnie…” I looked up at Yoon Bora with the most pitiful expression I could muster, hoping to tug at her sympathy. For some reason, she always seemed to soften up when I called her “unnie.”

“Oh! Ah, sorry, Harang!” As expected, Yoon Bora flustered and quickly let go.

Seizing the opportunity, I dashed out of her reach, moving toward the highest spot I could find. I jumped onto the table, climbed the cabinet, and scrambled up the wall until I reached the chandelier. One perk of my light body was that I could perch anywhere. As the chandelier swayed slightly, its glass decorations jingling, I felt a strange comfort — until I glanced down.

“Uh-oh…”

A sudden fear crept over me as I clung tightly to the chandelier, realizing just how high up I was.

“Harang, how did you get up there?” Yoon Bora looked up, puzzled.

“I… I don’t know! Can you help me down?”

“Sure! Just jump, and I’ll catch you.”

She couldn’t be serious! That felt like a death sentence.

“No way! I’m not jumping!” I squeezed my eyes shut, shaking my head.

“Hmm… maybe there’s a ladder in the storage room. Harang, I’ll go check, so stay put. Don’t jump until I’m back, okay?”

“Uh-huh. I’ll wait right here.” Trembling, I hugged the chandelier tight, watching her walk off, helpless to even wave.

A moment later, Jinhyang entered the living room and looked up at me.

“Boss… what are you doing up there?”

“I… I have no idea myself…”

Her gaze settled on my trembling arms.

“Just jump; I’ll catch you.”

“N-No way! I could get hurt.”

With a sigh, Jinhyang fetched a chair and climbed onto it, but she still couldn’t reach me, aside from my dangling tail. Grabbing hold of it, she gave it a gentle tug.

“Seriously, just jump; I’ll catch you.”

“N-No, please let go.”

As we continued this tug-of-war over my tail, my bell chimed rapidly, but I held firm.

“It’s okay, Bora’s coming back soon. I promised to wait for her.”

“Where did Bora go?” Jinhyang asked, her gaze fixed upward.

“She went to get a ladder,” I replied, watching as Jinhyang stepped down from the chair and walked over to sit on the sofa, looking up at me with nothing else to do.

We stared at each other in silence for a while until Yoon Bora finally reappeared, carrying a ladder in one hand. Seeing her, Jinhyang spoke up.

“Bora, how did he even get up there…?”

“Looks like he was scared of having his nails trimmed. He just shot up there.”

“Hm…”

Peeking out from the chandelier, I called out to Yoon Bora. “Bora, I’m not scared at all! But, could you help me down?”

“Oh, right! Coming, Harang!” she answered, approaching me as my bell rang gently, an involuntary twitch of relief from my tail.

She set up the ladder right in front of me, climbed up, and extended her hand. “Come here, Harang.”

“Okay.” Trusting her, I let her lift me from the chandelier and felt safe again as she held me securely, carrying me down.

Relief swept over me until, suddenly, Bora tightened her grip around my arm, apologizing. “S-sorry, Harang.”

“Huh? For what?” I asked, confused as to why she was apologizing and holding me in place. Then I felt something fasten around the back of my neck.

“What…?”

A firm grip at the back of my neck made my muscles go limp. It was that choke collar Bora had brought with her before.

“S-sorry, Harang, but it’s necessary…because of your nails.”

Supporting my limp body, she began carrying me firmly.

“Bora! You can’t do this!”

“Someone has to,” she replied, unmoved.

Trying my best to sound intimidating, I repeated what Jinhyang often said. “Bora, do you want to get in trouble?”

But Bora was resolute. “Sorry, Harang. I’ll cover your eyes.”

She pulled out a pair of earplugs, specially crafted by hunters to block out monster sounds, and placed them in my ears, shutting out my protests.

A mix of betrayal, despair, and humiliation washed over me, but my feelings seemed to matter little now.

Yoon Bora’s determination to trim my nails was painfully evident.

Click, click—

At the first snip, my body flinched on instinct, lying prone on the sofa as she worked.

Scratch, scratch—

Every stroke of the nail file sent a shiver down my spine, each scrape worsening my discomfort. With my sensitive hearing, I could sense the tormenting noise even through the earplugs. Though she couldn’t hear it, Bora likely knew I was sobbing silently.

‘I’ll probably end up resented for this,’ she thought. For a moment, she considered sparing me the earplugs altogether, but they didn’t quite fit my large ears. And without them, the sound of my cries would only make it impossible for her to focus.

‘Come to think of it, Harang couldn’t even wear regular earbuds…’

Making a note to get custom-made cat-shaped ones someday, Yoon Bora tried to ignore my suffering.

Scratch, scratch—

Finally, with the last nail done, she released my hand, pulling out the earplugs as well.

“Harang, it’s all over now. Want to sit up?”

But I lay face-down on the sofa, not bothering to look up. Bora hesitated, uncertain if I was hiding tears or avoiding her out of anger. Knowing my personality, the former seemed more likely—ignoring people wasn’t my style. She thought she even heard a quiet sniffle.

Wordlessly, she reached out and gently patted the back of my head, deciding that I just needed time.

The next morning, I jolted awake, immediately inspecting my nails. Last night’s ordeal was fresh in my mind, lingering as a dreadful memory.

‘They don’t look much different…’

Round, half-moon shapes, just as they usually were. But I knew Bora hadn’t done it just to mess with me—there had to be some purpose to it.

Sighing at my neatly trimmed nails, I shuddered, recalling the chill that had crawled up my spine like nails scratching down a chalkboard.

“Ugh…”

I found myself licking my nails instinctively, a basic response to soothe lingering pain. It wasn’t unusual—just a way to ease the discomfort.

As I was busy licking both paws, a voice spoke up beside me.

“Harang, are your nails okay?”

“Huh?”

The unexpected question startled me, my tongue still out as I froze.

‘Did I sleep with someone else last night?’

Falling asleep on the sofa had left my memory foggy. Turning cautiously, I found Yoon Bora lying next to me in her pajamas.

“Harang, you’re going to drool,” she teased, pointing at my hanging tongue.

“Uh… yeah,” I mumbled, giving my nails one last lick before lowering my hand. I still wondered why Yoon Bora was lying beside me, but it was better not to dwell on it. I’d gotten used to her surprises by now.

“Harang, I’m really sorry about yesterday,” she said.

“It’s fine, really. You were just worried about safety, right? I’m sorry too, for resisting so much yesterday.”

“Hehe, thanks.”

She sat up and ruffled my hair, making my ears and head wobble in a strange, ticklish way.

“Harang, want to head out?”

“Sure.”

Holding Bora’s hand, I walked out to the living room, where Jinhyang was sitting at the table, slowly working on her laptop. Bora and I settled onto the sofa, watching her work.

Despite being faster and stronger than Bora as a hunter, it was surprising how slow Jinhyang became whenever she was in front of a computer.

‘So, I’m actually better at something than her,’ I thought with a smirk.

But just as I was feeling smug, Jinhyang turned and looked at me.

“Could you go to the stationery store later? The printer ink ran out.”

“Boss, you’re making me work on a weekend…?!”

“…It’s not work; it’s a favor.”

“Then I’ll pass,” I replied, flopping down on the sofa.

Ordinarily, I’d help, but after yesterday’s ordeal, I just wanted to stay put. I was set on a day of doing absolutely nothing.

“…”

Jinhyang silently reached into her pocket.

‘Huh…?’

She pulled out a laser pointer and pointed it toward the front door.

“Seriously…”

I knew exactly what would happen. There was no resisting it—the moment she turned on that laser, I’d be compelled to pounce.

‘I am a fierce predator, after all.’

Reluctantly, I accepted defeat. The wild instincts within me, buried yet powerful, couldn’t be tamed. If I didn’t pretend to hunt that laser, who knew what chaos might unfold?