* * *

“Darn it…”

Still dressed in his salon cape, Saewoo rushed off in frustration as he called Jibeom.

The phone barely rang three times before Jibeom answered.

• Oh, I was just about to call you.

“Where are you!”

Saewoo shouted in a high-pitched voice before Jibeom could say more.

• What’s with the sudden yelling?

Despite his words, Jibeom didn’t sound annoyed.

In fact, he seemed pleased that Saewoo was reaching out first, his chuckles subtly audible over the line.

• Where am I? Hmm… our cozy little nest?

“What? What nest…!”

Saewoo was irritated by Jibeom’s teasing, even in such a situation.

“Wait, you didn’t go inside my house, did you?”

• Would I do that when you’re not home? I’m outside the building.

Why had he come to his place without saying a word?

Whatever the reason, Saewoo found it convenient.

“Stay right there! I’m coming over now!”

• Really? Okay, I’ll just stay put here until you arrive. Hurry up.

“Like I’d believe that! Don’t move a muscle, you sneaky predator!”

Saewoo shouted and hung up, taking off running without further thought.

There was always the chance Jibeom would catch on and disappear before he got there.

“Hah, haah! Haa…!”

But soon, he was out of breath, sweat pouring down his face.

It was no surprise, given his normally sedentary lifestyle.

Even though his respiratory condition wasn’t severe, the urgency had him almost coughing.

“Ugh…”

Saewoo stopped running and repeatedly wiped the sweat trickling down his forehead, suddenly realizing he was still wearing the salon cape.

“What is this… oh, right!”

He remembered running out of the salon mid-session.

“I’m losing it…”

He’d acted without thinking in his anger.

The salon owner must have been bewildered.

He hadn’t meant to be so disruptive.

Should he go back to apologize immediately?

“Ugh… but when will I even make it back there…”

He turned to head back, only to realize how far he’d come.

The salon wasn’t even visible; instead, an uphill slope loomed in front of him, making his vision blur.

He hadn’t noticed the incline while running, probably because adrenaline had dulled the effort.

“Maybe there’s a bus nearby…”

Vroom.

“Huh…?”

Screech.

Just then, as he considered taking a bus, a scooter stopped in front of him.

Its body, almost entirely covered in leopard print except for the handles and tires, had an imposing look.

The large driver was also wearing a helmet with a matching pattern.

“What the…”

“Saewoo!”

He was startled by the cheerful voice and hesitated.

The driver took off his helmet to reveal Minho.

“Hello?”

“Wait, Minho? Student? What are you doing here…”

Saewoo was taken aback by Minho’s sudden appearance. E

specially since this wasn’t an area frequented by prey species, Saewoo felt more wary than relieved.

“Oh, I was just passing by to check on my new dentures. There’s a workshop nearby.”

“Workshop?”

“Yeah. I get the dentures from the clinic, but I asked for a custom touch-up.”

Customizing dentures?

The idea was odd, but looking at Minho’s scooter, it made sense.

“And the tortoise craftsman here is better at it than the ones in predator areas. Though he’s super slow. I waited over three months this time…”

Minho’s face fell, and the long tail peeking out from his clothes drooped dejectedly.

‘What… do I need to comfort him?’

Before Saewoo could process his thoughts, Minho’s yellow eyes brightened as he smiled.

“But it’s ready in two days! I’m so excited!”

He seemed thrilled, bouncing slightly, making the scooter rock in response.

“Oh, I see… congratulations.”

“Thanks! Hey, where are you heading, Saewoo? I can give you a ride!”

“No, I couldn’t possibly ask that…”

“Don’t worry! If you’re going home, it’s perfect. I have an errand nearby, too.”

“Oh…”

Saewoo hesitated for a moment. It wasn’t just about accepting Minho’s help; his home and the salon were in opposite directions.

And while he ran his errand, Jibeom could escape.

After a quick debate, Saewoo nodded.

“Then, just this once, if it’s not too much trouble…”

“It’s never trouble! Here, take this helmet.”

Minho placed a helmet that felt more like a pot lid on Saewoo’s head.

It wasn’t as tight as a bottle cap, but its odd shape made him feel strange.

“Hold onto my waist tightly.”

“Okay, but… I’m in a rush, so don’t go too fast, please…”

“Got it!”

Minho chirped before starting the scooter and accelerating boldly.

The wind whipped across Saewoo’s face, making the salon cape flutter wildly.

“Saewoo!”

“Y-Yes?”

The gusts delayed Saewoo’s response.

“Your outfit looks so cool!”

‘This isn’t a fashion statement…’

Explaining was impossible now.

He decided that once he sorted things out with Jibeom, he’d return to the salon and apologize profusely later.

°❀•°❀°•❀°

“…Did he just call me a predator bastard?”

After ending the call with Saewoo, Jibeom stared at his phone, incredulous.

He could hardly believe what he’d heard.

Although Saewoo would grumble occasionally, he’d never spoken so boldly before.

‘He always gets shy when I tell him to drop formalities because we’re the same age. He’s grown a lot, Baek Saewoo.’

Despite thinking him cheeky, Jibeom found the change surprisingly appealing.

Maybe even delightful.

This was how connections deepened, wasn’t it?

“Guess I’ll catch the bird and get the egg, too.”

Jibeom pocketed his phone with a hum.

Sss…

His expression turned serious as he looked up at the building exterior.

It had seemed decent when he first saw it.

Not too old, with bigger windows compared to the surrounding buildings.

“Boss, I brought the papers you requested…!”

Just then, an assistant in glasses came running up, sweating as he handed over the documents.

It was a detailed blueprint of the building’s layout.

The assistant caught his breath before explaining.

“As you can see, the first floor can be used for commercial purposes, so a shop can be set up there. The second floor has two studio apartments, while the third and fourth floors are two-bedroom units… excluding the fourth floor, there are three total units. The studios are quite spacious, with balconies, walk-in closets, and separate kitchens. The overall condition is pretty good.”

Even without listening to all the explanations, Jibeom could tell from the papers that it was a valuable property.

The listed price had been reasonable, and with such features, it would likely attract plenty of shifters.

“However, as you know, with our kind’s larger builds, studio living can be quite inconvenient. It’s not very popular.”

So, that explained why it was priced so competitively.

“Understood. Good work.”

Jibeom handed the blueprint to Sooha, seemingly satisfied.

“Oh, and, hyung…”

As Sooha carefully folded the blueprint neatly, he swallowed nervously before speaking.

“Someone requested to see the blueprint before we arrived.”

“Who? Not those guys?”

“Uh…”

Jibeom’s gaze shifted somewhere—toward the building’s entrance.

Two large sacks of rice leaned against the entrance steps, bulging as if filled with heavy contents.

Looking at them, Jibeom smirked and glanced at his wristwatch.

“Let’s talk about that later. They’ll be here any minute now.”

A smile formed on his face, one filled with anticipation.

He was eager to see how Saewoo, who had kept him waiting, would react.

Vroom.

A scooter’s engine roared from a nearby street not far from the building.

Naturally, Jibeom’s attention turned in that direction.

“What’s that?”

Screech.

A flashy leopard-print scooter came to a stop.

Knowing that tiger shifters sometimes customized their vehicles like that, Jibeom initially paid it no mind—until a familiar voice made his eyes widen.

“Am… am I finally here?”

“Yes, we’ve arrived, Mr. Sparrow.”

“Ha… finally….”

Saewoo, with a pale face under his helmet, slowly stepped off the scooter.

It must have been his first time riding one, as he looked completely drained the moment he dismounted.

Seeing that Saewoo didn’t even have the strength to remove his helmet, Minho stepped in to help him take it off.

“What… did you bring with you?”

Jibeom’s eyes gleamed dangerously, a grinding noise escaping between his teeth.

* * *