* * *

Though Jeongseo was known for having a big appetite, it was hard to finish such an enormous amount of food.

The dining table was filled with dishes, and Jeongseo looked up at Pyo Yoontae, who let out a small sigh.

“You could’ve just taken it easy. Why go to all this trouble?”

“How could I? Yoontae, you’ve never brought a friend over when your mom was around.”

Pyo Yoontae opened his mouth to respond but closed it again, unable to find the words.

As Pyo Yoontae took his seat at the table, Jeongseo followed and sat beside him.

‘Then does that mean I’m the only one of his friends who has ever met his mom?’

The thought made Jeongseo feel oddly proud, and a smile tugged at his lips.

“Thank you for the food! It looks amazing!”

At his cheerful remark, Han Jaehee smiled softly, her eyes curving in a way that startled Jeongseo—it was exactly like Yoontae’s.

When he had seen her the night before, he didn’t think they resembled each other much, but now her smiling eyes were unmistakably similar.

“Is there something you want to say? Or… do you have any foods you can’t eat? I should’ve asked in advance, but I got carried away and forgot…”

Jeongseo, who had been staring at Han Jaehee absentmindedly, hurriedly waved his hands and shook his head.

“No, no! It’s not that. Please, speak comfortably to me.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, absolutely!”

While Jeongseo grinned brightly and chatted with Han Jaehee, Pyo Yoontae watched them silently from the side, his expression far from pleasant.

It irritated him to see Jeongseo talk so casually and openly with someone, even if that person was his mother.

Logically, he knew there was no reason to be upset, but the feeling wouldn’t go away.

“Are you taking the bus home, or should we ask the driver to drop you off?”

“I’ll take the bus!”

It didn’t feel right to bother their driver on a Sunday.

Pyo Yoontae nodded, as though he had expected this, and asked,

“It’s 8:36 right now. What time’s the bus?”

“9 o’clock! Not much time left!”

Only then did the three of them start eating in earnest.

Although they couldn’t finish everything, Han Jaehee’s cooking was delicious.

Jeongseo regretted not being able to eat more.

---

On the way to school, Jeongseo gazed out of the bus window, holding his phone to his ear.

“Ah, so Grandma told me to wear a hat because she was worried something bad might happen to me as a rare species.”

After the recent incident was resolved, Jeongseo had been curious and decided to ask his mom.

It made sense, but knowing it was because he was a rare species made Jeongseo feel conflicted.

He rested his forehead against the chilly bus window, the cold spreading through his body and raising goosebumps.

“Does that mean I have to start wearing a hat again?”

“Hmm… No, you don’t have to if you don’t want to. Back then, you were younger, and now the laws and protections for rare species are much stronger. Crimes targeting rare species have decreased significantly. As long as you’re careful not to broadcast that you’re a stoat, you should be fine.”

Jeongseo sighed in relief, fiddling with the tips of his ears.

“Got it! Thanks!”

“Okay, take care at school, and call if anything happens.”

At the mention of “if anything happens,” Jeongseo felt a twinge of guilt but masked it with a casual reply before hanging up.

He still hadn’t told his mom or brother about his allergic reaction to the hair dye.

Since everything had turned out fine, he decided it was best to keep it to himself.

Jeongseo used to believe hiding something or lying was never acceptable, no matter the circumstances.

But this year, he was beginning to realize that being honest all the time wasn’t always practical.

The more people entered his life and the more experiences he had, the more his values seemed to shift.

As he mulled over these thoughts, the bus stopped.

He moved to the back door, ready to get off, and saw someone standing at the bus stop through the glass. His eyes widened.

With a metallic click, the back door opened, and Jeongseo leaped off with a bright smile, his white hair fluttering in the air.

“Yoontae!”

Pyo Yoontae stood leaning against a bus stop pole, his hands tucked into the pockets of his black padded jacket.

“You waited for me?”

“I came out early, so I thought I’d wait. Aren’t you worried about not covering your hair?”

“Nope! The laws are stronger now, so crimes against rare species are almost nonexistent!”

“That’s good to hear. Still, be careful, and let’s go home together after school.”

Pyo Yoontae instinctively reached for Jeongseo’s white ear but stopped midway.

Although the swelling had gone down, it might still hurt.

He started to withdraw his hand, but Jeongseo tilted his head toward him.

It was a reflex from how often Yoontae touched his ears.

At first, Jeongseo flinched to avoid the touch, but now he leaned in as if inviting it.

Pyo Yoontae suppressed a small smile, gently stroking the rounded ear.

“There’s still some snow near my house. I made a snowman with Seobok. Want to see it?”

Jeongseo leaned closer, enjoying the sensation, and pulled out his phone to show pictures.

Pyo Yoontae looked down at him with a soft expression, responding calmly.

The night before, after Jeongseo left, Yoontae had briefly regretted not being more open about his feelings.

Emotions could change at any time, and Jeongseo had a habit of being overly friendly and spreading his attention around.

That anxiety was why he had come out early today.

But seeing Jeongseo smile at him and cling to him now filled him with a sense of relief.

As Jeongseo chattered on, they passed through the school gates.

A chilly morning wind whipped through the air, and a student chewing on an ice cream bar stopped when he noticed Pyo Yoontae.

He was about to greet him when he spotted the white-haired figure beside him and froze.

“No way… Hayan?”

Most students knew that Hayan and Pyo Yoontae didn’t get along, even if it wasn’t openly discussed.

Rumors about Hayan being pushed to second place by Pyo Yoontae had spread throughout the school.

So the sight of the two together stunned the onlooker.

His gaze shifted to the rounded white ears on the other student’s head.

“Jeongseo!”

The ears perked up as Jeongseo turned around, smiling brightly. It wasn’t Hayan after all.

“Oh, hey, Hyunsoo!”

“Wait, your hair…?”

“Ah!”

Hyunsoo pointed at Jeongseo’s head, prompting him to laugh sheepishly and run his fingers through his hair.

Since he had always worn the hat his grandmother made for him, no one at school knew about his white hair.

Hyunsoo inspected him curiously, then clapped his hands as if something clicked.

“Did you shed your fur? But wait… weren’t you a stoat?”

While Hyunsoo pondered whether stoats could turn white, Pyo Yoontae wrapped an arm around Jeongseo’s shoulders, pulling him closer.

“It’s cold. Let’s go inside.”

Ignoring Hyunsoo entirely, Pyo Yoontae guided Jeongseo toward the school building.

While he had anticipated reactions like this, the thought of more people showing interest in Jeongseo left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Still… it would pass soon enough.

But that was Pyo Yoontae’s misconception.

Last year, the rumor had spread across the entire school that the reason Seo Jeongseo had been wearing a strange furry hat was that he had actually undergone a “shedding” of his white fur.

Even third-year students couldn’t help but glance toward Class 4 of the second grade as they passed by.

In a small school like this, even a student with long hair cutting it short could draw attention.

A change in hair color, however, was bound to cause an even bigger stir—something Pyo Yoontae hadn’t anticipated.

“Wow… Your white hair is seriously so pretty. But is it supposed to have these streaks?”

Leaning against the hallway window, Yeonwoo gazed at Jeongseo with sparkling eyes.

Jeongseo, looking embarrassed, rubbed the back of his neck and shook his head.

“It’s because I tried to dye it, but it didn’t work out…”

“Dye it? Don’t dye it. It looks perfect the way it is now.”

Having spoken with Jeongseo a few times, Yeonwoo had grown comfortable enough to chat with him even without his other friends around.

At this point, Yeonwoo didn’t seem to care about Pyo Yoontae at all—after initially stealing a few glances, he now didn’t even bother looking his way.

While Yeonwoo and Jeongseo were talking, the back door of the classroom opened, and Hayan walked in.

Spotting Jeongseo, Hayan briskly strode over.

* * *