Stepping into the field, the first thing Sihoo noticed was a bird. Rubbing his eyes, he watched it flap its wings and ascend from the ground. Its body was lion-like, its head and wings those of an eagle, roughly two meters long. It was unlike any animal or creature in a game Sihoo knew.
Chirr, chirr. The bird’s cry, occasionally heard in the field, clicked in Sihoo’s mind—it was this creature. As he observed it soaring, he noticed something odd. “Huh?”
The bird, small as a black bean in the sky, suddenly folded its wings and plummeted vertically. Screee! Descending rapidly, it thrust its talons toward the ground, like an eagle snatching prey. Sihoo peered at what lay beneath.
Before he could identify the bird’s target, it crashed to the ground, aiming to seize something. The creature below, sensing the attack, scrambled chaotically to escape. Thud, thud. Rustle, rustle. The bird used its front talons to grab at the ground-dweller, spreading its wings to avoid crashing. Flap. A gust tousled Sihoo’s hair.
Graaaw! Like a cornered rabbit, the captured creature screamed. The bird, thinking it had secured its prey, half-spread its wings, staring down at its catch. The animal writhed, twisting to escape.
Sihoo swiftly grabbed a rock and, pulling back his arm, threw it with a twist of his waist. Whoosh! Crack! The rock hit the bird’s head—exactly where Sihoo aimed. Annoyed, the bird glared at him, flapping to take off. Chirr, chirr! As it tried to fly with its prey, Sihoo threw another rock, striking near its eye. The bird dropped the creature and soared away. Flap, flap. Each wingbeat sent strong gusts.
When the bird was high enough, Sihoo approached the dropped creature. Its ears reminded him of a rabbit, but that thought faded. It resembled a large, Sphynx-like cat. The black creature, bloodied, lifted its eyelids weakly, meeting Sihoo’s gaze. Mae. A strange cry, unlike any he’d heard.
Frowning at its wounds, Sihoo muttered, “Oh no, you’re hurt bad.” Carefully lifting the trembling creature, he held it close and returned to the house’s inner room.
At that moment, similar black creatures appeared across the field, stomping and expressing rage. One, holding a staff, looked skyward, then at where Sihoo had vanished, sighing. Tapping the staff, it drew the others near. “%^&*(&” Mae, hae. They shook their heads, as if helpless, and vanished into the shadows. The staff-bearer sighed again, face heavy with worry, and disappeared into the darkness.
Sihoo scrambled to find a towel to wrap the creature, which was bleeding heavily. Cold sweat ran down his body, memories of his parents’ accident flashing. “Kang Sihoo, get it together!” he muttered, shaking his head. “Where’s the cotton?”
Knowing he needed to stop the bleeding before a vet visit, he rummaged through a medicine box, finding cotton and bandages. He pressed cotton to the wounds and wrapped them tightly. “Please, hang on. I’ll get you to the vet. Where’s the blanket?” Digging through a wardrobe, he found his mother’s old knee blanket. Wrapping the creature snugly, he tried to open the front door.
The creature grew limper. Sihoo held it tighter, recalling the nearest animal hospital. Kicking the iron gate shut, he sprinted down the slope, risking a fall that could injure them both. Praying for the creature’s survival, he ran.
Huff, huff. Bursting into the animal hospital, ding-a-ling, the receptionist, Huiyeon, saw Sihoo’s blood-streaked face and the creature’s urgent state. “Director! Come quick!” she called, asking for the towel-wrapped animal.
The vet rushed out, placing it on the treatment table. Unwrapping the towel, his eyes widened like an owl’s. Mae. Shock and confusion filled his expression. Turning to Sihoo, he asked, “This is a cat, right?”
Catching his breath, Sihoo said, “Uh… maybe?”
The vet’s face twisted slightly. In all his years, he’d never seen such a creature—black, with long, drooping rabbit-like ears, Sphynx-like skin, yet cat-like features. When it opened its eyes, its pupils, like jet-black obsidian, shook the vet. What is this thing? Its critical state cut his thoughts short. Spotting deep wounds, he called, “Huiyeon, let’s get an X-ray.”
“Okay!” Huiyeon glanced at Sihoo. “Please wait in the waiting room.”
Sihoo nodded and sat heavily. Staring at his hands, he recalled the creature’s faint trembling—a desperate cling to life. Hope it’s not too hurt. He remembered the moment it seemed to speak: Save me. Shaking his head, he muttered, “Animals don’t talk.” A cat in the waiting room stared, slowly blinking. Mow.
Later, the vet called Sihoo to the treatment room, showing the creature’s condition on a monitor. It needed days of hospitalization. Sihoo agreed, and the vet led him to the creature. “Talk to it, reassure it.”
A needle and IV drip fed fluid into its arm. Sihoo spoke softly, “I don’t know if you understand, but you’re hurt bad, so you’ll stay here for treatment. I’ll visit after school. Yaongi.” He called it “Yaongi” without thinking.
The vet, overhearing, turned his head.
At the counter, Sihoo’s eyes widened at the bill. Huiyeon calmly explained the costs. Nodding, Sihoo paid and left, sighing at the receipt. “Vet bills are this high?” Though shocked, saving a life eased his heart.
Bzzz. A welcome call came—56804’s former owner, Yoon Kanghoon. “Yo!”
“Hey, you sound thrilled,” Kanghoon teased.
Nodding as if Kanghoon were there, Sihoo said, “Of course! You back in Korea?”
“Yeah, briefly. Heard from Hayoon you’re juggling school and the diner?”
A pause. “Hyung?”
“Yeah, not too tough?” Kanghoon asked.
“It’s tough. Feels like four times the work,” Sihoo admitted.
“I’ll visit on a regular day off,” Kanghoon said.
“Really? At the diner?”
“Yup. Hayoon and a new part-timer, right?”
Sihoo chuckled. “Hayoon told you, huh?”
Laughter came through. “Yeah. Got another call, I’ll text later.”
“See you, hyung!” Sihoo said.
Click. Sihoo felt a pang of longing. Running 56804 was hard, but he never showed it, methodically tackling tasks. Customers’ happy faces fueled him. The orange sunset bathed the alley as he climbed home.
Bzzz. A text about his electric bike delivery quickened his pace. Dialing the driver, he said, “Hello?”
“I’m at the hiking trail entrance,” the driver said.
“Sorry, wait a sec, I’m almost there.”