Predator Alert chapter 7

“Food?”

The dog tilted its head. Realizing that it understood, Jeongseo quickly went inside, grabbed some clothes, and rummaged through the fridge.

Since he’d never kept a dog before, there was no way he had any dog food.

But he had to hurry before the scared dog ran off.

‘I think I remember hearing that you shouldn’t feed dogs things like sausages.’

Jeongseo’s eyes landed on some eggs he had boiled the day before.

That should be okay, he thought.

He quickly grabbed the eggs and went back outside.

Thankfully, the dog was still standing in the yard, looking quite hungry.

Jeongseo peeled the eggs and put them into a red plastic basket that had been on the porch, then approached the dog.

The dog growled but, having already caught the scent of the eggs, didn’t run away and sniffed the air instead.

Since the dog was still on edge, it was best not to approach too quickly.

Jeongseo placed the basket a few steps away from the dog and backed off.

The dog kept its eyes on him, then cautiously approached the basket and began devouring the eggs.

Realizing the amount wasn’t enough, Jeongseo filled a small aluminum pot with water and placed it nearby before peeling the remaining eggs.

“You can stay with me if you want.”

The dog probably didn’t fully understand him, but some emotions would surely get through.

Jeongseo, being both human and animal, could sense the feelings of other creatures and could share his own feelings with them as well.

“You can leave if you want to.”

As the dog drank the water, Jeongseo threw the peeled eggs into the basket.

“But your owner won’t come back.”

If they were looking for you, they’d have been here by now.

At that moment, the dog, which had been crushing the eggs with its teeth, stopped moving.

It lifted its head and stared at Jeongseo.

As if it understood completely, the dog froze for a moment, staring intently at Jeongseo.

Its black eyes seemed filled with a deep, hopeless sadness.

°❀•°❀°•❀°

“Park Jeonghan.”

“Yes.”

The male student who had been sitting in the hallway stood up and walked to the teacher’s desk.

Receiving the paper the teacher handed him, Park Jeonghan returned to his seat with a slightly puzzled expression.

“Seo Jeongseo.”

Jeongseo, who had been gazing out the window, stood up and took the paper the teacher handed him. The paper read, “201x Year March High School National Joint Academic Assessment Results.”

Jeongseo’s report card showed a mix of 7s and 8s, with even a 9 in one subject: math.

His grades were always like this, so it didn’t bother him much. His mind was still occupied with what he’d overheard on the bus that morning.

‘Pyo Yoontae is looking for someone he says is his first love. Isn’t that crazy? Who would’ve thought he’d be such a hopeless romantic?’

That was what Jeongseo had overheard on the bus that morning.

First love?

It was surprising enough that he was looking for someone, but the fact that Pyo Yoontae had a first love was almost shocking.

Sitting back down, Jeongseo glanced more at Pyo Yoontae than at his own report card.

As always, Pyo Yoontae’s expression was unreadable.

First love and Pyo Yoontae.

The combination of those words felt as unnatural as eating chicken feet with marshmallows.

Could what those kids were saying this morning really be true?

Jeongseo narrowed his eyes and stared at Pyo Yoontae.

If it’s true, what kind of person could be Pyo Yoontae’s first love?

“Why are you staring at me like that?”

Pyo Yoontae turned his head slightly. His neatly combed black hair fell softly over his forehead.

His face, which often looked fierce when expressionless, softened as his eyes drooped.

The sunlight streaming in through the window made his golden eyes shine even more brightly.

As Jeongseo found himself unable to look away, Pyo Yoontae curved his eyes and asked,

“Are you suddenly feeling attracted?”

The crude words made Jeongseo’s face flush with anger.

Pyo Yoontae was only handsome when he kept his mouth shut.

That was the conclusion Jeongseo reached as he turned his head away.

For someone like him to have a first love, to be a romantic—it couldn’t possibly be true.

“You can keep staring if you want, Jeongseo.”

Pyo Yoontae, having casually invaded Jeongseo’s desk, sprawled out languidly.

The faint scent of coldness, reminiscent of winter, wafted through the air, causing Jeongseo’s nose to twitch.

Now that he thought about it, this must be Pyo Yoontae’s pheromone scent.

Jeongseo, being a recessive omega, rarely experienced heat, almost like catching a cold by accident, but he was still sensitive to pheromones.

Who would have thought Pyo Yoontae’s pheromones would smell like this?

Despite his perverse remarks and delinquent behavior, his scent was calm, almost chilling to the point that it made the tip of Jeongseo’s nose sting.

It was said that pheromones were generally influenced by the most memorable experience before they manifested.

Did something unforgettable happen to Pyo Yoontae in winter?

Feeling it didn’t quite suit him, Jeongseo glanced down curtly, only to meet Pyo Yoontae’s eyes.

Under the intense gaze that seemed to ensnare him, Jeongseo quickly turned his face away.

A black panther was still a black panther.

Though Jeongseo stubbornly avoided looking at Pyo Yoontae, he felt as if the air around them grew denser.

The scent, which initially seemed just cold, gradually began to evoke a snowy dawn.

It was so cold and damp that Jeongseo shivered, recalling a night walk in the dead of winter.

The scent grew more complex and intense, beyond what words could easily describe.

Each breath made his lungs ache with cold, yet at the same time, his body began to heat up.

For some reason, it was strange how his breathing became a little labored.

Jeongseo, who had lived in the countryside and rarely met others outside his family, had never been exposed to such strong pheromones.

There were alphas at school, but since he didn’t hang out with them, he’d never experienced such potent pheromones.

Could it be that Pyo Yoontae didn’t realize his pheromones were this strong?

Jeongseo’s face flushed, and his breathing became erratic.

“Hmph…”

Pyo Yoontae’s finger brushed against Jeongseo’s earlobe.

The icy sensation that spread from the touch made Jeongseo’s shoulders flinch.

“Jeongseo.”

Pyo Yoontae’s voice came from right beside his animal ear, though Jeongseo hadn’t noticed when he’d gotten up.

The warm breath that flowed into his ear made it feel stuffy.

“You’re an omega.”

With those words, the pheromones clinging to Jeongseo’s body dissipated in an instant.

Jeongseo, eyes wide, couldn’t help but look back at Pyo Yoontae.

Pyo Yoontae was smiling.

It wasn’t a full grin, just a slight curl of his lips, but it left Jeongseo feeling breathless.

It wasn’t as if he’d been hiding the fact that he was an omega, but it suddenly felt like he’d been exposed for something he shouldn’t have been.

“Do you have a problem with me being an omega?”

Feeling a strange emotion, Jeongseo instead puffed out his chest confidently and tilted his chin up.

If he showed fear now, Pyo Yoontae would just tease him even more ruthlessly.

Pyo Yoontae, still wearing that enigmatic smile, lightly tapped Jeongseo’s pursed lips.

“No, I like it.”

Before Jeongseo could ask what he liked, Pyo Yoontae stood up.

It wasn’t until he casually walked over to the teacher’s desk that Jeongseo realized the teacher had called him.

While Pyo Yoontae and the teacher talked, none of it registered with Jeongseo.

“I like it.”

“I like it.”

“I like…”

Instead, Pyo Yoontae’s words echoed in his mind.

His heart pounded fast.

Did he mean he liked him because he was an omega?

‘Why?’

Jeongseo’s head filled with questions.

‘I heard he came to find his fated mate.’

The story he’d heard recently came back to him, but Jeongseo shook his head.

A fated mate was supposed to be one’s first love.

But since he and Pyo Yoontae had never met before, that couldn’t be the case.

Just then, Pyo Yoontae returned to his seat, and Jeongseo turned toward him, intending to ask the question he hadn’t had the chance to before.

“Hey, Pyo Yoontae.”

“What is it, Jeongseo?”

The soft voice that called his name felt strange today. Jeongseo’s lips twitched.

“Do you want to mate with me?”

“…”

Pyo Yoontae stared at Jeongseo with a peculiar expression, then burst into laughter.

Jeongseo couldn’t understand why he was laughing when he’d asked seriously.

He thought it was a reasonable assumption. Jeongseo squinted, scrunching up his nose.

The ears on top of his head tilted back slightly.

“Why are you just laughing?”

“Man, this is crazy.”

Pyo Yoontae muttered quietly, reaching out to play with Jeongseo’s hair.

“Is this the original color?”

“Yeah. It’s always been this color.”

“Since birth?”

Jeongseo hesitated for a moment before nodding.

There was no need to tell him that his hair turned white in winter.

Jeongseo didn’t like that his hair turned white in winter, just as much as he disliked his small size.

He was a ferocious predator, after all, even capable of catching mice, but when his hair turned white, his grandmother and mother would find him so cute they’d tie a ribbon in it and take pictures of him all day long.

He could only imagine how much worse Pyo Yoontae, who already loved teasing him, would act if he found out.

“Why are you asking?”

Pyo Yoontae continued to stroke Jeongseo’s hair, eventually lightly pinching the tip of his ear.

The thin skin flexed gently under his fingers.

“I just wondered how it would look if it were a bit lighter.”

“A lighter color?”

As Jeongseo tilted his head, wondering if lighter hair was Pyo Yoontae’s preference, the classroom door suddenly slammed open.

Everyone’s gaze turned toward the front door.

More accurately, all the students in Class 4 except Pyo Yoontae looked toward it.

Standing there was a male student with fluffy white hair and glasses, huffing as he looked around the room. As he drew closer, the name badge on his chest, which read “Hayan,” became clearer.

Did his hair have to be that bright to match Pyo Yoontae’s taste?

But surely he wasn’t coming for him, was he?

Jeongseo blinked in confusion.

Hayan, now right in front of them, glared as if he wanted to kill someone.

Not at Jeongseo, but at Pyo Yoontae.

“Hand over the mock exam results.”

The head of Class 5 extended his hand, as if it was only natural to demand what was his.