* * *

“What’s that you’re treating so carefully?”

Apparently amused, Jibeom suddenly pointed to the thermos Saewoo was holding.

“Oh, this? Do you want some?”

Saewoo, as if waiting for that question, eagerly offered the thermos, setting it down.

“It’s fish cake and fish cake broth that the food stall lady gave me. Do you like fish cake? It’s really tasty… but ugh, why won’t it… open…”

Saewoo struggled to unscrew the cap, but no matter how much force he used, it wouldn’t budge.

“Let me try.”

Seeing Saewoo wrestling with it, Jibeom reached out his large hand and took the thermos.

Pop!

With barely any effort, he twisted it open in a single go.

“Wow…”

It was amazing but somehow fitting; Jibeom really was like a beast, his strength naturally impressive.

“Thanks. Oh, wait a second. The fish cake pieces are a bit hard to eat, so I’ll just give you the broth.”

“What about the fish cake?”

“Well… they’re kind of big…”

“Not too big for me.”

“…”

Knowing that very well, Saewoo had deliberately omitted them.

Relenting, he decided to give Jibeom a piece.

With a trickle, he poured some of the steaming fish cake and broth into the thermos lid, and the savory aroma wafted around them.

“Hmm…”

Jibeom sniffed at the lid with fish cake in it, and his previously furrowed brows started to relax as if he liked the scent.

“Is this fish?”

“Yes, it’s fish, squid, and vegetables mixed with flour… wait, is this your first time trying fish cake?”

Saewoo widened his eyes, asking curiously.

He knew Jibeom, as a panther, ate meat, but he still couldn’t help but be surprised.

“Usually I prefer meat. There’s that satisfying feeling of tearing into tendons. Soft things don’t really… suit my taste.”

“…”

Chill.

Though it wasn’t particularly cold, Saewoo suddenly shivered.

He knew Jibeom was a predator, but moments like these reminded him of the distance between them.

Still, despite his words, Jibeom seemed interested, gulping down the fish cake broth.

“Isn’t it good?”

Eagerly awaiting his verdict, Saewoo watched him closely.

After humming thoughtfully and chewing the fish cake, Jibeom gave a small nod and tapped the empty lid.

“Yeah, it’s good.”

“Right? The lady makes it all by hand at home and fries it herself. Want another?”

Encouraged by Jibeom’s approval, Saewoo filled the lid again as if pouring another drink before he could even answer.

“…By the way, I didn’t know birds liked fish cake.”

Sipping the second round, Jibeom glanced at Saewoo.

“Birds are omnivores. We can eat meat too.”

“Right?”

Jibeom had assumed bird shifters only ate seeds or fruit, but he’d heard from a raccoon shifter they actually ate fish, meat, even insects.

“I don’t eat insects!”

Almost reading his mind, Saewoo blurted out.

“Oh? I don’t mind them. Just tell me if there’s something you’d like.”

“Ah…”

Saewoo had actually planned out some menus in advance whenever he had dinner with Jibeom…

“Or fish cake works too. Sometimes, I even eat greens.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard that.”

Saewoo had learned that even big cats sometimes ate plants for digestion.

If he ever had dinner with Jibeom, he’d thought of taking him to a popular place for cat shifters that sold herbs cats loved.

“Baek Saewoo.”

Lost in thought, Saewoo was jolted back as Jibeom called him.

“Come here.”

Standing there aimlessly in the coat Jibeom had lent him, Saewoo saw Jibeom’s arm stretch out.

With his height and long limbs, Jibeom easily reached for Saewoo’s hair, and Saewoo was caught off guard.

“What’s this stuff on your hair?”

“…!”

With a gentle swipe, Jibeom brushed off a small speck of white from the end of Saewoo’s hair.

It melted as soon as it touched his warm palm.

“Huh? Snow…!”

“What? Snow?”

Saewoo looked up to the sky.

Under the streetlight, he saw tiny snowflakes drifting down.

“It’s snowing, right?”

Excited, Saewoo jumped up to catch the fluttering snow.

“Hey!”

Startled by Saewoo’s sudden movement, Jibeom instinctively wrapped his arms around his waist.

As Saewoo’s feet briefly left the ground, he tried to catch the rice-grain-like snowflakes without a hint of resistance.

“Look at this…!”

“Mm-hmm…”

Saewoo, marveling at the melting snowflake in his hand, showed it to Jibeom with a bright smile.

What’s the big deal with snow?

Do sparrows usually act like this?

Jibeom, 27 and the same age as Saewoo, couldn’t help feeling bemused at Saewoo’s childlike excitement.

Then again, Saewoo’s petite, sparrow-like presence made it oddly fitting.

“I missed the first snow of the year. So for me, today is the first snow.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, it’s really beautiful.”

Not even noticing the snow on his nose, Saewoo grinned at Jibeom.

“…”

Jibeom quietly looked at Saewoo’s face for a moment, then let him back down onto the ground.

“…You’re beautiful. Like a puff of down.”

“Down?”

“Yeah, soft enough to want to suck on it.”

“What…?”

“Drink.”

Jibeom handed him the thermos lid, and Saewoo blew softly on the broth before taking a sip with his small lips.

“Ah… delicious.”

With the warm broth, Saewoo’s face flushed pink, melting the bit of snow on his nose.

“Give me some, too.”

“Huh, I wasn’t done…”

“We can share it.”

“Oh…”

Feeling unexpectedly pleased, Saewoo poured him some.

Maybe Jibeom would enjoy a cozy street stall more than a fancy restaurant.

Sipping and watching the snow, Saewoo and Jibeom shared the thermos lid, feeling a gentle warmth as the snow started falling harder.

…

After some time, Jibeom suddenly stood up, brushing off his clothes.

“Wait, you’re leaving…?”

Saewoo asked, surprised.

“Yeah, we’ve seen each other, it’s getting dark, and it’s snowing. We’ll have to do dinner another time. Can’t have little sparrows catching a cold on a night like this, right?”

“Oh…”

Usually, Jibeom was unbothered by weather or anything else, but here he was, worried about Saewoo.

Had he matured?

Then again, Saewoo realized he was starting to see Jibeom differently, too.

And maybe that’s why he felt a little disappointed.

“Your coat.”

“What?”

“Are you keeping my coat, or are you giving it back?”

At last, Saewoo understood what Jibeom meant, and he hurriedly slipped off his gray coat draped over his shoulders, handing it over.

“You make a decent coat hanger.”

Jibeom smirked, raising one corner of his mouth as he observed how heavily the snow was falling.

Saewoo, who was standing there awkwardly watching him, started to fidget.

“Um… would you like to take an umbrella? It looks like it’s going to snow a lot…”

“An umbrella? I’ll be fine.”

“But it looks like it’ll turn into a full-on snowstorm…”

“Then I guess it’ll be refreshing.”

Jibeom would probably say the same thing even if it were pouring rain.

“Yeah, it does look like the snow’s going to pile up, so make sure to lock up tight tonight. And if you get any strange calls, don’t answer.”

“Yes…”

As Jibeom lectured him, almost as if speaking to a child, Saewoo’s voice grew a little downcast as he responded, realizing Jibeom was truly about to leave.

He must have sensed that something was off by now, but Jibeom acted particularly indifferent today, perhaps intentionally.

“Well then, I’ll b—”

Suddenly, just as Jibeom was about to leave, Saewoo swiftly grabbed the edge of Jibeom’s gray coat.

“What?”

“Oh, that… uh…”

Realizing that his hand had acted before he’d thought it through, Saewoo felt flustered.

“What? Is there something on my coat?”

When Saewoo didn’t respond, Jibeom casually turned back around.

Their eyes met directly.

Clutching his coat a little tighter, Saewoo spoke softly.

“Just… wait a moment.”

His lowered eyelashes fluttered nervously before he looked up again, locking eyes with Jibeom.

“Do you… want to come inside?”

* * *