* * *

“It’s because I was too harsh on Yoontae when he was young. Imagine how much it must have hurt him.”

“Even now, this old lady is trying her best to make things right… but just listen to that brat’s tone!”

“Yoontae’s always been a bit blunt, you know. He even transferred schools and moved down here for me, so don’t be too hard on him. By now, he probably realizes he went too far.”

As Jaehee gently soothed her, mother-in-law’s anger seemed to dissipate, and she said nothing more.

“Oh, like he’d ever think that way? Right, Grandma?”

“Sora, he’s your little brother. Don’t talk about him like that.”

Jaehee was kind and always gentle, and because her health declined after giving birth to Yoontae, she was always especially accommodating to him.

Though she said her illness wasn’t his fault, she couldn’t stop the neighbors from whispering about it back then.

She was kind-hearted, gentle, and sensitive, full of compassion for everyone around her, and perhaps because of that, she could never take anyone’s side.

Or maybe she clung to a certain ideal of a loving family.

Whatever the reason, to Yoontae, it seemed like Jaehee was someone who scattered her affection everywhere.

Even today, if she’d realized how uncomfortable Yoontae felt about his grandmother coming along, she could’ve just chosen to bring one person.

Instead, she waited until he was in the car headed to the airport before informing him they’d stop by to pick up his grandmother too.

With the car already in motion, Yoontae had no choice but to go along.

Having grown up with no one he could fully rely on, Yoontae often thought to himself:

One day, he would create the perfect place for himself.

A place where he’d surround himself with only a few things he truly cared about and spend his life cherishing them, dedicating all his affection to just those.

But finding people or things he could truly devote himself to was no easy feat.

Even as a child, his sharp instincts could read the hidden intentions of those who approached him with kindness.

An alpha, a scion of wealth, a powerful shifter.

People always gathered around him, hoping to benefit, deluding themselves into thinking they could gain something, or that he could be used to fuel their vanity.

Gradually, Yoontae withdrew more and more.

As he brushed off the petty, selfish people around him, he realized:

Affection, time, and attention are finite resources.

The more you spread them thin, the more shallow your relationships become.

Giving away affection here and there only makes life emptier.

So, it was better to reserve all his resources for what was truly precious.

The more people clung to him like flies, the more deeply he engraved in his mind those memories of a cold, white snowy mountain.

Whenever his thoughts grew tangled, he’d picture those pure, dark eyes, and he’d feel his mind ease just a little.

That person was the only one.

So when his mother said she needed to go to a care facility, Yoontae saw it as an opportunity for himself.

He suggested Dangang not for her sake, but for his own.

It might seem pitiful to still hold on to a first love he met only briefly as a child, but for Yoontae, that boy was the only thing he had left.

‘So I wish he’d just be honest with himself.’

With that thought, Yoontae grasped the door handle.

As the door to the room creaked open, three heads turned toward the entrance.

Looking at each of them, Yoontae’s lips curved into a faint smile.

“Excuse me, but I think if I eat any more, I’ll end up feeling sick, so I’ll be going.”

Jaehee’s eyes widened, but Yoontae ignored her and grabbed his coat, walking out of the restaurant.

He heard his grandmother’s scolding voice from behind him, but he didn’t look back.

He simply hailed a taxi and headed for the bus terminal.

Since there was no direct train to Dangang, an express bus with no transfers was a better option.

When he checked for tickets, there was one at 7:20 p.m.

Though there was a bit of a wait, it was still far better than enduring any more time back there.

As he booked the ticket, his mother called, but he didn’t answer.

All he wondered was if Seo Jeongseo had eaten by now.

After that, no one else called him.

After all, they all knew he’d return home eventually.

When Yoontae finally arrived home, it was past 11 p.m.

His mother was already there, and the moment he walked in, she wore a hurt expression.

“How could you just leave like that and not even answer your phone? Do you have any idea how worried Grandma, your sister, and I were?”

“Wasn’t it easier for everyone without me around?”

He replied indifferently, brushing past Jaehee, whose face fell in disappointment.

“How could you say that! Can’t you just get along with your grandmother a little? She feels genuinely sorry for everything that happened.”

As he was heading to his room, Yoontae stopped and turned to look back at her.

“Really?”

Standing beneath the fluorescent light, his shadowed face and sharp yellow eyes glinted, causing Jaehee to avert her gaze.

“…Of course, Grandma treasures you, too. You’re her precious grandson.”

She could’ve at least hid her uncertainty before speaking.

Yoontae looked at her in silence, and she let out a small cough.

With a soft sigh, Yoontae turned to the kitchen, poured a glass of water, and handed it to his mother.

“Take care.”

When she took the glass, Yoontae went straight to his room and locked the door.

Finally, in a space he could truly call his own, he felt some of the tension slip away.

By the time he’d showered and changed, it was almost midnight.

Lying on his bed, he absent-mindedly fiddled with his phone and suddenly felt a surge of irritation when he saw there was still no message from Seo Jeongseo.

He knew that Seo Jeongseo rarely reached out first, but after the abrupt end to their last conversation, did he not even feel curious?

It annoyed him that he seemed to be the only one thinking about it.

But reaching out now would seem too late.

“Jeongseo must be sleeping by now.”

Jeongseo was the type to go to bed by midnight at the latest.

Just in case, Yoontae sent him a message on KakaoTalk, but there was no read receipt.

As he lay on his back, staring at the ceiling, Yoontae turned toward the wall, and as he did, his ears and tail emerged.

A sleek black tail dropped over the edge of the bed, gently swaying in the air.

“Hmph, he’s not looking.”

With a quiet murmur, the end of his tail flicked quickly.

Scrolling through his chat history, he saw that he’d sent far more messages than he’d received.

“Jeongseo, you seem to be really interested in me these days. Do you like me?”

“Hm? Not at all! Thanks!”

He remembered that cheerful, straightforward answer from before.

His black tail shot up and slapped down on the bed with a thud.

It had been an answer devoid of even a hint of hesitation or consideration.

The tail continued to smack the bed, again and again.

As soon as Jeongseo opened his eyes that morning, he felt inexplicably tense.

Was it because he had finally acknowledged his feelings for Pyo Yoontae?

The morning felt different from usual.

He’d seen a message from Yoontae on his phone but couldn’t bring himself to open it.

Instead, he just headed straight to school without replying.

He even got on the bus earlier than usual and ended up waiting aimlessly in front of the locked school gates until the security guard unlocked them.

The empty classroom felt quiet and chilly.

Jeongseo set his bag down at his desk, sat stiffly, and drifted into his thoughts.

When Yoontae was around, what did he normally say?

Why did these trivial things suddenly make him so anxious…?

---

[I feel an awkward tension around him. I want to leave a good impression, but I’m terrified he’ll notice my feelings.]

---

“Stop it, stop overthinking!”

Jeongseo muttered under his breath, clutching his head.

The “10 Signs You’re Falling in Love” article he’d read last night was wreaking havoc in his mind, roaming freely through his thoughts.

Lost in this internal struggle, his gaze unintentionally shifted to the classroom door.

He recognized a familiar figure through the half-open door.

“Why didn’t you read my message, Jeongseo?”

Yoontae strode in with his hands in his pockets, plopping down right next to Jeongseo.

The closer he got, the stronger his familiar scent became, making Jeongseo’s heart race uncontrollably.

“What’s with the red face again? Don’t tell me…?”

Seeing Jeongseo’s cheeks flush from his face down to his neck, Yoontae looked at him with concern.

His eyes even widened slightly as he grabbed Jeongseo’s shoulder, leaning in close to Jeongseo’s neck.

Yoontae’s warm breath tickled his neck, and Jeongseo jolted upright in surprise.

“What—what are you doing?!”

Jeongseo, his face even redder now, yelled in embarrassment.

Yoontae muttered softly, “I don’t smell anything. Are you sure you’re not coming down with something?”

“No, I’m fine!”

With his heart still pounding wildly, Jeongseo sat back down, trying to calm himself.

In the midst of this overreaction, a thought flitted through his mind.

“If you’re starting to feel differently, maybe you’re not just friends anymore… or maybe it’s a chance to become something more.”

Jeongseo realized for sure—he truly liked Yoontae.

The certainty of his feelings left him completely unsure of what to do with this unfamiliar sensation.

It was hard to even look Yoontae in the face, so Jeongseo kept his gaze fixed forward, his cheek tingling from Yoontae’s closeness.

Yoontae leaned on his hand, staring at Jeongseo with a strange look in his eyes.

“Why are you acting so weird this morning? Did you eat something bad?”

“…It’s nothing. I just… have a lot on my mind, that’s all!”

“What kind of thoughts?”

Yoontae’s gaze was intense, as if he were determined to uncover whatever was bothering Jeongseo.

But there was no way Jeongseo could answer honestly.

Desperate to change the subject, he quickly blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

“Have you, um, found your first love yet?”

The random question made Yoontae tilt his head, and he watched Jeongseo, who seemed unusually tense for so early in the morning.

Yoontae thought to himself—was Jeongseo still trying to keep his promise to help him find his first love?

After a brief pause, Yoontae’s eyes narrowed with a slight smile as he answered, “Yeah, I think I’ve almost found them.”

Jeongseo’s eyes widened as he looked at Yoontae.

* * *