Hello Vet! How are you?

Swaying,

Gray One sat on Hyung’s shoulder, looking around and speaking.

『I want to fly again!』
『Hehe, I found swooping down fun.』
『Yes indeed. Coming down was fun too.』
『But there’s a strange smell.』

When Kkamnyang wiggled his nose and spoke, Gray One also sniffed and replied.

『Indeed. It’s a smell I’m smelling for the first time, but I can endure it.』

Gray One had heard from hyung that they could find a lot of food here.

‘I can endure it because there’s food to be found.’

For the sake of his park companions and friends, this level of hardship was nothing.

Kkamnyang felt the same way as Gray One.

『I’m fine as well.』

As long as he could endure the smell, food would eventually appear, so he had to endure.

But this was harder than expected.

“So cute!”

“So adorable!”

The people had been calling them by strange names.

『I am Gray One!』
『I am Kkamnyang!』

Gray One and Kkamnyang corrected the crowd who had gathered around them, calling them by the wrong names.

“Cute!”

“Cutie!”

『I am Gray One!』
『I am Kkamnyang.』

Again, people used another name for them.

『…… I am Gray One!』
『I am Kkamnyang…….』

Answering every single time was getting tiresome, but correcting them was still necessary.

“Oh my God!”

“Ow my God!”

『My name is not Oh my God. I am Gray One.』
『Not Oh my God, I am Kkamnyang.』

The cats kindly kept on correcting them.

But as the repetition grew, they tired out.

『Call us whatever you want.』
『Go ahead and call me Oh my God.』

They resigned to it.

Whether they were called Cutie or Oh my God, it didn’t matter.

『They’re giving us a lot of food, so I’ll endure.』
『As long as the food’s pouring in, I don’t care what they call us.』

The cats watched with satisfaction as treats continued to fill their bags.

Meow-ho!

“What are we talking about?”

“Oh my God!”

Despite the strange calls, people gave them plenty of food.

『Haha, our friends will be thrilled.』
『We could give some to our sea friends as well.』

The cats were delighted, both to be free from the narrow bag and to have received so much food.

However, as soon as they got into the car, they felt even better.

『Run!』
『This is exciting!』
『The air is so fresh!』
『It’s clean.』

As they enjoyed the breeze blowing through the open window, the cats felt a rush of exhilaration.

The destination they reached was even more exciting.

Sniff sniff.

『This place has so many fascinating smells!』
『The people here are incredibly friendly.』

As people shouted “Oh my God”, they approached the cats, showering them with treats.

『Look how much we’ve already accumulated.』
『This is a big deal. How can we carry it all?』
『Let’s ask Hyung to exchange it for paper.』
『Let’s do that. Paper treats are the good ones!』

Initially disappointed to receive paper instead of food, the cats had begun to appreciate its value.

***

The accommodation provided by headquarters was a mansion.

A mansion with a view of the sea and a swimming pool.

The group, led by Lee Joon, couldn’t help but have their jaws drop in awe as they entered the mansion.

“Amazing!”

“Incredible.”

“Wow. Absolutely amazing, you know!”

“Alright, kids, let’s head out now.”

“But I wonder if they’ll be scared of the new place, though.”

As Lee Joon unzipped the carrier holding Gray One, Go Gijin also opened the carrier holding Kkamnyang.

“Feel free to roam, guys.”

The cats dashed out of their carriers, zooming to the window to sniff around.

『There’s a nice smell.』
『It seems like a good place.』

The cats weren’t disturbed or scared by the new location.

Seeing this, Go Gijin, seemingly reassured, smiled.

“You guys really are something else. You were so calm on the plane and here as well, despite it being a new place.”

Then, he turned to Lee Joon.

“Hyung, it seems like Gray One and Kkamnyang were born natural travelers. They weren’t startled on the plane, nor are they afraid of unfamiliar places.”

“Not only that, but they handled the fans at the airport like celebrities.”

As Lee Joon listened to the conversation between Go Gijin and Gwak Soo-ho, he looked at the cats.

“I never realized they were so popular. It felt like looking at stars.”

“They are stars. They pose well with the fans for photos too. Are there any other animals like them?”

“That’s true! I’ve taken tons of pictures of animals, but none pose as well as they do.”

“Our Gray One and Kkamnyang are indeed amazing.”

Agreeing with Gwak Soo-ho, Lee Joon reflected.

‘It couldn’t have been easy traveling all this way, yet not a single word of complaint, all for the sake of getting their friends’ food.’

Though they claimed it was fun, cats naturally dislike unfamiliar places and smells.

Yet these cats had endured all that to reach this point.

‘They truly are incredible.’

Gray One, who sacrificed himself for his companions.

Kkamnyang, who left the group to avoid burdening his companions.

They were leaders who always put their companions and friends first.

Now, these leaders had traveled far and wide to procure food, showing what true leadership meant.

Lee Joon suddenly felt a lump in his throat.

At that moment, the cats meowed playfully.

『How much food have we gathered, doctor?』
『I’m curious about how much the new people gave us.』
『I’m sure I gathered more.』
『Don’t be ridiculous. The people here adored me more.』
『No way. They all worshiped me.』

Listening to the cats bickering over who had more popularity amused Lee Joon, and he chuckled.

『Is that really so important?』
『Of course. I’m stronger.』
『Didn’t you see how everyone admired me?』

In a social group, popularity translated to power, to influence.

For Gray One and Kkamnyang, determining who was more popular was a significant matter.

Seeing the cats being competitive, Lee Joon, who had almost shed tears with the sentiment, drew back his emotions.

『Alright, just a moment.』

With a chuckle, Lee Joon began counting the sheets in their bag.

This time, each sheet represented one pouch of treats.

After witnessing what had happened at Incheon International Airport, Sharon had arranged it so each fan could only give one bag to the darling duo.

Considering the size of Gray One and Kkamnyang’s bags, this measure was in place to prevent any unsavory competition to give them more treats at the scene.

For fans who wished to give more, there was an option to contribute to a donation account.

“A total of 320 bags.”

『How much is that? Oh, how much did I get?』
『That’s right. Did I get more?』

“No, it’s simply what you two collected together.”

『That’s impossible. It was in my bag.』
『My bag was more filled.』
『No, it wasn’t.』

As their bickering continued, Lee Joon lifted the cats with a smile and spoke.

“What does it matter? The important thing is you’ve secured enough food for your friends.”

At Lee Joon’s words, the cats broke eye contact and turned their accusing glares into sheepish looks.

『Y, Yes.』
『Well, I suppose that’s true.』

“Cute little guys. Now, let’s eat and have a good rest today.”

***

The cats’ popularity at the filming site was immense.

When these celebrity-status cats displayed their splendid performance, the people on site cheered.

“Look at everyone’s faces when they see our darlings. Their eyes are all wide, not knowing what to do!”

The normally proud Americans treated Gray One and Kkamnyang like honored guests, causing Go Gijin’s shoulders to rise with pride.

“I’m feeling so proud.”

“So proud indeed. Even among all those staff, they stand their ground.”

With affectionate eyes, Lee Joon watched the filming cats and then turned to look at Gwak Soo-ho.

Gwak Soo-ho captured the scene with confidence, unfazed by the staff around him, his camera steady.

“Gwak Soo-ho is impressive. And I’m grateful to him.”

Gwak Soo-ho often said it was thanks to Lee Joon that he was living a new life, expressing his gratitude.

Lee Joon felt the same way about Gwak Soo-ho.

After all, it was Gwak Soo-ho who filmed the cats, leading them to this point.

Then, Gwak Soo-ho, looking in Lee Joon’s direction, made eye contact.

Lee Joon waved at him with a smile.

At the moment Lee Joon waved, Gray One and Kkamnyang were filming a scene where they lay on a bean bag, hugging a treat bag.

Seeing Lee Joon wave, the cats sprang up, lifted their front paws, and waved back at him.

The cats thought they were waving back to Lee Joon, but the staff at the filming site became overly excited.

“Oh my God.”

The staff exclaimed, their faces brimming with happiness.

Just sitting there, the cats were unbearably cute, holding the treat like two cotton balls in their paws, waving it above their heads.

On top of that, performing the signature butt dance of the park cats.

“Doom-chit Doom-chit!”

“Doom-chit Doom-chit!”

The staff clapped along, mimicking the cats’ dance and loving it.

While capturing the staff’s delight alongside Gray One and Kkamnyang, Gwak Soo-ho murmured.

“Man, feeling so patriotic.”

***

Gwak Soo-ho’s patriotic pride reached its peak the day after filming concluded.

Seeing Gray One and Kkamnyang with hats and backpacks, Gwak Soo-ho released a sigh of contentment.

“Sigh, I have no regrets. I can’t believe I’m posting such a video on my channel.”

“I feel the same way. Just the thought of them walking outside with the national flag of South Korea attached excites me.”

Before coming to the US, Lee Joon had asked Gwak Soo-ho to film a video.

It was a video of cats proudly displaying the national flag of South Korea on their walk.

“But how did you come up with such an idea?”

“Many people in the comments on Soo-ho’s channel didn’t know Gray One and Kkamnyang were Korean.”

“Well, many people find the videos through algorithm recommendations.”

“Exactly. So I wanted people to know they were from Korea. After this commercial airs, they might think the cats are American.”

“That would be terrible. They’re our cats.”

“Exactly. It would be a problem. Soo-ho, remember to close up on the national flag of South Korea when you film them.”

“Naturally, I’m incredibly excited right now!”

When recording events after the shoot, the cats always showed up with the national flag of South Korea patch.

Gwak Soo-ho captured all these moments.

“When these videos release, it’ll feel fantastic.”

“Agreed.”

“Soo-ho, since these clips aren’t related to the commercial, can you upload them right away?”

“I sure can. Planning to stay up all night for it.”

With plans to edit and upload the videos overnight, Gwak Soo-ho replied with determination.

Lee Joon’s idea and Gwak Soo-ho’s efforts soon bore fruit.

Voyaging out amid much attention, Lee Joon and the team returned to a grand welcome.

Gray One and Kkamnyang’s popularity had soared much since their departure.

Though the cheers were quieter, the crowd was enormous.

Everybody came together, clap hands in approval to meet their return.

Despite the large turnout, the journey home was incident-free and safe.

All thanks to the fans’ considerate care for the cats’ safety.

Yet with the intense atmosphere came a sense of pride etched across Gray One and Kkamnyang’s faces upon reaching home.

[I am truly popular. Everyone loves me.]

[Hmm, sure, they love me. Didn’t you see? They all waved at me.]

[What nonsense. They waved at me.]

Their bickering was interrupted by Go Gijin who warmly scooped up the cats and said.

“You guys truly get along well. How do you never fight? You adorable things!”

Rubbing his head against the cats, the cats shrieked in protest.

[S-Save me! Hyung, help me!]

[S-Save the cats! Vet-nim!]