A few moments later Sumin led him to the place where animals needing intensive care were kept. There he introduced Sihon to a mean, sick cat fitted with a feeding tube. Sumin explained that she refused to eat normally, so they had no choice but to force-feed her glucose and a liquid diet. His expression dropped when Sihon asked what had happened to her.
According to Sumin, the cat had been brought in with severe signs of jaundice, her eyes and gums completely yellow. After several tests, plus the initial treatment, the medical fees for the first day alone came to a whopping six hundred thousand won. The cat was already in critical condition, so they had to hospitalise her, and after a few days the bills had climbed to several million won. At that point the owner started ghosting the clinic and never came back.
Sumin would even have been willing to work out a payment plan with the owner, if only she had told him that money was a problem. After the owner disappeared, the cat stopped eating altogether, no matter what delicious treats he offered her. Sumin reckoned that she must have known she had been abandoned, even though she could not speak. Sihon was genuinely surprised that Sumin had been caring for her all this time despite the exorbitant cost and the fact that there was no insurance for pets.
Sumin revealed that he had asked Sihon for help because the cost of caring for her was becoming overwhelming. Even so, he had no regrets about taking her in, knowing he could save her rather than turn his back on her. Then he asked Sihon to work his calming magic so that he could change the cat's feeding tube. Sihon decided to take a look at her before calming her, and Sumin warned him to be careful, because she might bite or scratch.
As Sihon gradually approached, the cat began to growl at him, and then the next moment she turned docile and let him pet her. Sumin was absolutely bewildered and could not believe that the same cat who usually bit and scratched him was suddenly acting sweet. Sihon gently explained that cats were simply wary of strangers. What he did not say was that no animal in the world can resist a druid's touch.
Since she was calm, Sumin decided to change her feeding tube, but Sihon told him to give her a treat instead. Though taken aback by the request, Sumin pulled out a treat, even while doubting that she would eat it. Besides, he was still afraid she would scratch and bite him as usual, but Sihon urged him to go ahead.
As Sumin brought the treat closer, the cat looked at Sihon as if asking permission, and Sihon nodded to tell her it was all right to accept it, because Sumin was a good person who cared for her. With his confirmation, the cat happily nibbled the treat without scratching Sumin at all. Sumin was completely stunned and wondered why she had suddenly changed her mind.
Sihon said it must be because she finally recognised him as a good person. Overwhelmed with relief that she was able to eat at last, Sumin gently comforted her and told her to get well soon so they could leave the stuffy hospital behind. Watching them, Sihon could see the scars on Sumin's hands, the ones he had got from desperately trying to keep this cat alive.
The scars seemed like engraved medals of honour, and Sihon could feel the gentle energy flowing between the cat and Sumin, born of a warm, caring heart. The cat had already finished the treat and even mistook Sumin's hand for food, finally registering him as a guardian.
The following day, in Tracker's waiting room, Jaesu was happily enjoying Sihon's rain ASMR. Leo pointed out that he might be the only person in the country listening to rain sounds during the monsoon season. Jaesu let them know that they simply did not understand the vibe. Siu, who was also scrolling through his brother's channel, reasoned that Sihon must have run out of content to film if he had resorted to filming the rain.
Even so, Jaesu revealed that a lot of people were commenting favourably on the post. Siu pointed out that his brother's content was all over the place, since the channel had started as a plant channel and now had dieting tips, animals and even ASMR. Jaesu insisted that it was still on point, because the channel description was about healing in the countryside.
Just then their manager barged in to tell them to start packing for their next schedule. As everyone headed out to prepare, Siu noticed Jerome sleeping in the corner and tried to wake him, but Jerome did not respond. Worried, Siu walked over and realised that he looked a bit ill. Shortly afterwards the team rallied around him, and after checking his temperature Siu discovered that he was burning up.
Worried that the situation might take a turn for the worse, Jaesu suggested taking him to hospital, but Jerome weakly assured them that he was fine. He believed it was a simple cold that would clear up once he took some medicine. Siu told him to check into a hospital if the fever did not break soon. Jaesu backed him up and told Jerome not to push himself too hard, since that might make the illness worse than it already was.
He offered Jerome some fever reducers while nagging him for always being sick for half the year. Accepting the medicine, Jerome warned him to shut his trap, while Siu reminded Jerome that he might not be able to join them on the trip to the countryside if the fever persisted. Jerome refused to let anything stop him from going to film their group content.
Jaesu then teased him, asking whether he really wanted to show the fans the sickly, worn-out version of himself when they were used to seeing his handsome face. Irritated, Jerome fired straight back, and the two of them fell into another round of bickering while the other two members watched, already exhausted by their endless squabbles. Despite the commotion in the background, Siu was deep in thought, worrying about Jerome's health.