Rian's house wasn't actually bad. From the outside, it looked like an ordinary house in a fairly remote area, not too big and not too small, with a decent-sized yard and a few trees growing without much attention. The only thing that made the house feel different was one thing. It was too quiet. Rian's farm was quite far from the house. Because of that, the people living around him only knew that Rian owned a farm. They didn't know that the farm had already grown into a successful business. There was no company sign. No logo. No trucks coming and going every day carrying premium produce. To his neighbors, Rian was simply a young man who owned a farm and, somehow, seemed to be doing well enough for himself. And Rian was perfectly fine with keeping it that way. That morning, Rian stood in the living room, looking around. The paint on the walls had started to look dull. Some parts of the floor were already showing their age. Even the sofa he'd bought years ago was beginning to lose its shape. Rian rubbed his chin. “I think it's finally time to renovate.” Jojo, who had been sleeping on the sofa, immediately opened one eye. “You're only realizing the house looks terrible now?” Rian turned toward him with a sharp look. “If you don't like it, get off the sofa.” Jojo immediately closed his eyes again. “I never said I didn't like it.” “You literally just called it terrible.” “I was merely stating a fact.” Rian snorted. He walked over to one of the walls and knocked on it lightly. Knock. Knock. “I want to make a workspace here. Then I'll make the kitchen a little bigger. The bathroom needs renovating too.” Jojo opened his eyes again. “And my dining area?” “The kitchen.” “No. My dining area.” Rian went silent. “Why is it that every time I talk about renovating the house, all you think about is food?” Jojo lifted his head with a completely serious expression. “Because a house without food is a place of torture.” Rian had to hold back a laugh. “Your logic gets more terrifying every day.” But after a moment, Rian's smile slowly disappeared. He looked around the house again. Not because of its condition. Because of the memories that had suddenly surfaced. This house hadn't always been this quiet. There used to be his father's voice. His mother's voice coming from the kitchen. His older sister complaining whenever Rian came home too late. Now, all of it was gone. Rian stood there for a long moment without saying anything. Jojo watched him. The cat didn't make a joke this time. “You're thinking about them again?” Rian didn't answer immediately. Eventually, he sat down at the edge of the sofa. “Yeah.” His eyes remained fixed on the floor. “My parents died when I was still in high school.” “So that's why you've always worked like a man possessed?” Rian let out a small laugh. “Pretty much.” He leaned back against the sofa. “When they died, I honestly had no idea what to do.” Rian took a long breath. “I was still in school. I didn't have money. I didn't have a job. And suddenly, the people I'd always considered home were gone.” His fingers moved slowly across his knee. “At first, I just thought about how to survive.” He gave a faint smile. “So I started doing whatever work I could find. I'd work after school. I'd work during holidays. If there was a chance to make money, I'd take it.” Jojo remained silent. “It's not like I had some huge dream back then.” Rian lowered his head. “I just didn't want my life to end up like that.” He paused before continuing. “I wanted to have enough money someday so I wouldn't have to be afraid if something happened again.” Jojo tilted his head. “And eventually, you got it.” Rian looked around the house. “Now I have too much.” There was a hint of laughter in his voice. “Funny, isn't it?” “What is?” “I used to work myself to death dreaming about having a comfortable house.” Rian pointed toward the living room. “Now I have enough money to renovate the whole thing.” He looked at the empty space beside him. “But there's no one to enjoy it with.” Jojo said nothing. For several seconds, the room was completely silent. Then Rian smiled faintly. “I actually still have an older sister.” Jojo turned toward him. “An older sister?” “Yeah. She's married now.” Rian picked up his phone and opened the screen for a moment before turning it off again. “She lives pretty far away. She has her own family now.” “You don't contact her often?” “Sometimes.” “Why don't you live near her?” Rian shrugged. “Because she already has her own life.” The answer was simple, but Jojo knew there was something Rian wasn't saying. Rian stared at his phone. “I don't want to be a burden.” He gave a faint smile. “She has a husband. Maybe she'll have children someday. I don't want to suddenly show up carrying my own problems and mess up her life.” “She's your sister.” “I know.” Rian took a breath. “That's exactly why I don't want her life to be disrupted because of me.” Jojo stared at Rian for a long moment. “So you chose to be alone?” Rian didn't answer immediately. The question was simple. Yet somehow, it felt much heavier than it should have. “I don't know.” Rian finally smiled. “Maybe.” He patted the sofa beside him. “That's why this house feels like a storage room. It's full of stuff, but there's only one person living here.” Jojo jumped onto the sofa and sat beside him. “Now you have me.” Rian turned toward him. Jojo puffed out his chest proudly. “I'm a permanent resident.” Rian chuckled. “A permanent resident whose food expenses cost more than a human's living expenses.” “That's an investment.” “An investment in what?” “An investment in happiness.” Rian shook his head while laughing. “You shameless cat.” Jojo calmly licked his front paw. “But you've never kicked me out.” Rian fell silent. He couldn't deny it. He had never really felt completely alone since Jojo came into his life. It was strange. Rian used to think that having money meant he would never need to depend on anyone again. Now, after everything he'd worked so hard to obtain, he was beginning to realize that money wasn't what he needed most anymore. What he needed was someone who would still be there when all the work was done. Rian gently rubbed Jojo's head. “We're starting the renovation tomorrow.” “Good.” “I want to make this house more comfortable.” “For us?” Rian smiled. “Yeah. For us.” Jojo immediately stood up. “Then I want my own room.” “What for?” “A fish storage room.” Rian stared at him blankly. “Get out.” Jojo immediately sat back down. “I was joking.” “You don't even look like you're joking.” “Because I'm a professional.” Rian laughed again. For the first time that morning, the house that had always felt too quiet seemed a little more alive. And perhaps the renovation Rian was about to begin wasn't only about fixing the walls, floors, or kitchen. Maybe, for the first time since his parents had passed away, Rian was finally trying to rebuild a home he could truly call home.

Chapter 32 — A House That Was Too Quiet