Chapter 138: Separation Is the Mother of Creation (2)
“Wanna take a look?”
“Is that really okay?”
Kim Si-woo wanted to give something back to Hong Soo-yeon, who had come all the way to his house out of worry and even cooked porridge for him.
Since she was going to be the lead in this script anyway, seeing it early would probably help her more.
“I’ve written about half of it…”
“I want to see it!”
“Okay.”
After finishing their black tea, Kim Si-woo led her back into his room and pulled out the chair in front of the computer.
“Sit here and read.”
“Okay.”
With an excited expression, Hong Soo-yeon sat down and began reading the unfinished script on the screen.
“An Unfortunate Girl and a Lucky Boy?”
She murmured the title of the upcoming film and slowly scrolled down.
Kim Si-woo stood behind her, quietly waiting for her reaction as she read.
Hong Soo-yeon quickly became immersed—the speed of her scrolling gradually increased.
After about thirty minutes, her finger finally stopped moving. She had reached the end.
“How is it?”
As soon as she finished, Kim Si-woo immediately asked for her thoughts.
“It’s good. A little sad, though…”
Having gotten emotionally caught up in the female lead’s role, Hong Soo-yeon answered with a slightly choked voice.
“That’s a relief.”
Kim Si-woo confirmed that the script had turned out well.
After that, Hong Soo-yeon stayed for dinner before heading home.
***
Kim Si-woo didn’t leave the house until the script was completely finished.
It took another two weeks after Hong Soo-yeon’s visit before he finally completed it.
In total, one month and fifteen days.
That was how long Kim Si-woo had shut himself away at home.
Meanwhile, in Japan, <The Way a Genius Loves> had achieved tremendous success.
The romance between Kirishima Sumire and Honda Daisuke became a huge shock to the public—and the very reason people flocked to see the movie.
Their real-life story also sparked quite a lot of buzz.
“Well… it’s not every day that a childhood friend becomes an actor for the sake of the girl he likes…”
The problem, as they had discussed before, was that their commercial appeal as actors had slightly declined.
Actors with confirmed partners often lost fans, and as a result, their work opportunities noticeably decreased compared to single actors.
“Well… let’s just wait and see.”
Kim Si-woo knew how talented they were, so he also thought this film might actually help them soar even higher.
And <Peerless Joseon>, which was about to begin its first shoot, was progressing smoothly without any need for his involvement.
From location scouting to cameo negotiations, everything was going without a hitch, and both the cast and crew were full of passion and motivation.
“Well… with Ji-young noona there, there shouldn’t be any major problems.”
Most of the actors had already worked with Kim Si-woo before, so there was no need to worry about the set atmosphere.
The only potential concern had been Kim Ji-hyun and Shim Ji-young, who didn’t particularly get along—but even they behaved professionally on set and never let personal feelings interfere.
“I should register the copyright first.”
Kim Si-woo started typing an email to send the script file, only to realize midway that he had almost sent it to Lee Hae-soo out of habit. He quickly stopped.
“I guess I need to find a new lawyer now too.”
All legal matters related to him had been handled by Lee Hae-soo until now, but that was no longer possible.
He still wasn’t confident he could clearly separate personal and professional matters.
In the end, to start looking for a new lawyer, Kim Si-woo got up from his chair and began preparing to go out.
“Huh? Son. What’s this all of a sudden?”
Seeing Kim Si-woo, freshly showered and getting ready to leave since morning, his mother looked at him with wide, surprised eyes.
“I have to go to work. I’ve rested enough.”
“Okay, go make lots of money. And you know… the best way to get over someone is with someone new. Mom thinks Soo-yeon is the best choice.”
“…”
Ignoring his mother’s enthusiastic endorsement of Hong Soo-yeon as daughter-in-law material, Kim Si-woo quickly finished getting ready and stepped outside.
“Where should I go…?”
Once inside the car, Kim Si-woo began searching for a new law firm to hire a new lawyer.
Blue Law Firm—the second most prominent firm in Korea.
There was only one firm considered better than them.
But there was no guarantee he’d find a lawyer there who worked as efficiently as Lee Hae-soo and prioritized him the way she had, so suddenly he felt lost again.
“Hmm…”
After some thought, Kim Si-woo decided to call someone who was an expert in this area.
Ring ring.
The call connected after just one ring.
—Yes, Writer-nim. This is Hwang Ji-yoo.
“Ah, Ji-yoo-ssi. Are you busy right now?”
The person he called was none other than Hwang Ji-yoo—the former reporter who now served as Siwoo Film’s information specialist.
—No, not particularly.
“Then… could you help me find a lawyer?”
—A lawyer?
“Yes. Someone skilled and upright, please.”
—I’ll look into it and call you back.
“Will it take long?”
—No, one day should be enough.
After ending the call, Kim Si-woo suddenly found himself with nothing to do.
Since he was already out, he changed his mind and decided to go for a drive.
“Has my brain rotted or something? Staying cooped up at home for so long made me stop thinking altogether…”
Feeling pathetic for leaving the house without any real plan, Kim Si-woo turned the wheel and headed toward Gangwon-do.
After driving four hours, he arrived at the seaside in Gangwon-do and took a deep breath of the ocean air.
“Sss… Haa…”
The cool sea breeze rushed into his nose and filled his lungs completely.
“Feels refreshing. Is this why people come to the beach when they get older?”
Kim Si-woo walked along the sandy beach, watching the people around him.
Couples holding hands, families carrying children, groups of friends laughing together—everyone on the beach wore happy expressions as they strolled along.
Everyone except him.
He was the only one walking alone on this beach.
“Feels lonely.”
With a bitter expression, Kim Si-woo left the beach after finishing a simple meal nearby.
That’s when a black cat approached and rubbed itself against his leg.
“Friendly neighborhood cat?”
Kim Si-woo looked puzzled at the cat that suddenly came up acting so familiar.
The cat seemed very used to human touch—it even rolled over to show its belly without any resistance when he petted it.
“Sorry, but I can’t take you home. I’m barely managing myself. But I’ll buy you today’s snacks.”
Kim Si-woo gently pushed the cat away, went into a nearby convenience store, bought a handful of cat treats, and came back out.
Sure enough, the cat was waiting right in front of the store, as if it had followed him.
“Smart one.”
Soon, Kim Si-woo sat on a nearby bench with the cat.
He watched in disbelief as the cat kept rubbing against him.
“When did we even meet for you to act this close… Anyway, looks like you’re not starving.”
He tore open the treats one by one and fed them to the cat, who devoured them eagerly.
“You were hungry, huh?”
After filling its stomach with treats instead of regular food, the cat seemed satisfied and kept headbutting Kim Si-woo’s hand.
Headbutting—or “bunting”—was a behavior cats usually reserved for people or things they really liked or trusted deeply.
“Excuse me… is this your cat?”
The cat was so affectionate that passersby even came up to ask if he was the owner.
“No. First time seeing it today.”
“Really? Then… may I take a photo?”
“Sure, go ahead… it’s not my cat anyway.”
A woman took several photos of the cat.
When she reached out to pet it—
Thwack!
With a loud smack, the cat’s paw struck the back of her hand.
“Ouch!”
“…”
Kim Si-woo awkwardly alternated his gaze between the woman and the cat.
The woman looked hurt. The cat, which had just been rolling around showing its belly moments ago, now hissed and glared at her with a fierce expression.
“Hiiing…”
The woman walked away, disappointed that she couldn’t pet the cat. As soon as she was gone, the cat immediately went back to acting friendly with Kim Si-woo, as if nothing had happened.
“Hey, I’m not planning on becoming your owner.”
“Meow~”
The cat responded to his words.
“If you answer one more time, I’ll give you a present. Go on, answer.”
“Meow~”
“…”
The cat really blinked both eyes up at him, as if answering.
“Fine, just this once.”
Kim Si-woo picked up the cat that had responded to him and quickly walked away.
The place he headed to was an animal hospital.
“Let’s get a check-up today.”
“Nya~”
Inside the hospital, Kim Si-woo met a veterinarian dozing at the counter.
“Hello.”
“Ah! Welcome! How can I help you?”
“I’d like a full health check-up for this one. And if possible, neuter him too.”
“Ah, then shall we start with the basic tests?”
“No. Just do everything that can be done. Whatever is needed, do it all.”
“Ah… understood.”
Unlike most people who only ask for basic checks even for their own pets, Kim Si-woo was asking for every possible procedure on a stray he’d just picked up today.
A short while later, in the examination room, the vet asked various questions about the cat’s age and history—but Kim Si-woo knew nothing.
“Um… so this cat is…”
“I found him near the beach.”
“Ah… I see.”
After hearing that the cat had gorged on treats before coming in, the vet made a troubled face.
“I’m sorry, but he needs to fast for at least 6 to 8 hours for the procedures…”
“Ah, yes. Then… is it okay if I leave him here for admission today?”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
“Hey, I’ll come back tomorrow, so sleep here tonight.”
“Meow~”
After finishing the possible treatments, the vet showed Kim Si-woo the total bill—including the check-up, neutering, and hospitalization fees. Without even looking at the amount, Kim Si-woo handed over his card.
The cost was quite high, but Kim Si-woo had plenty of money.
After leaving the cat at the hospital, he returned straight to his hotel.
The next day around lunchtime, when he arrived back at the hospital, he found the exhausted-looking vet and the cat half-asleep after surgery.
“Looks like it was tough…”
“Ah, since he’s a stray, there were a lot of things to prepare…”
“Haha… sorry about that. Anyway, no problems, right?”
“Yes, the surgery went well. The detailed tests showed no major issues. He was showing signs of malnutrition, so we gave him a nutritional injection.”
“Ah, how much is that?”
“It’s on the house.”
“Thank you.”
The amount Kim Si-woo had paid yesterday was more than enough to cover a nutritional shot as a service.
“Can I take him now?”
“Yes, but please be careful not to let the wound get infected.”
“Ah… okay.”
With the cat in hand, Kim Si-woo got into the car and looked at the cat sleeping peacefully inside the carrier.
“Sigh… Should I keep him?”
Other than raising a puppy once when he was young, he had never kept a pet.
No—he had never even considered it.
As he grew older, he had lost confidence in his ability to take responsibility for another life.
“If I’m going to keep him… I guess I’ll need to find a new place to live.”
And his mother and father hated animals.
They especially preferred dogs over cats.
“Maybe it’s time to move out on my own? Ah… but cooking is such a hassle…”
He worried the entire four-hour drive home.
But four hours was far too short a time to resolve that kind of worry.
“Hey.”
“Nya?”
“You sure you can behave? I don’t really like dumb cats.”
“Meow~”
“Seriously… you answer so well.”
The cat lay on his side and let out a weak, tired meow.
“Sigh… I ended up doing it again.”
After breaking up with Lee Hae-soo, Kim Si-woo felt pathetic realizing he kept acting impulsively without thinking.
Just yesterday, he had absolutely no intention of keeping this cat.
But when he saw the cat lying there after surgery, a sudden sense of responsibility washed over him. He couldn’t bring himself to abandon the cat after putting it through the operation.
And so, Kim Si-woo’s sudden cohabitation with the cat began.
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TL Note:
This novel is now translated and finished at Chapter 176
If you’d like to continue right away, the remaining chapters are available on My Patreon Premium tier and Plus Tier, but if you want to read my other 5 translated novels, join the Premium Tier
Link: https://www.patreon.com/cw/Vritratls
For this novel specifically, check the collection under “Genius Writer”
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