* * *

“Minho, thank you so much. It must’ve been a struggle to get all the way here.”

Saewoo stepped off the scooter, expressing his gratitude repeatedly to Minho, who had adjusted their speed and driven more cautiously when Saewoo struggled with dizziness along the way.

The cars behind them had honked furiously, spewing curses, though they fell silent after Minho shot them a piercing glare.

Despite how generous it was of Minho to give him a ride, he even reassured Saewoo, prioritizing safety above all else.

“Oh no, don’t worry. If I’d known it was your first time on a scooter, I would’ve slowed down even more… I’m really sorry.”

Minho looked even more apologetic than Saewoo.

Saewoo, dismissing the idea, lightly patted Minho’s shoulder without hesitation, despite him being a predator, and promised to treat him to a meal next time.

“Really? You mean it? I never forget a promise!”

Minho’s face lit up with joy as he shook Saewo’s hand eagerly. His long tail wagged in circles like an excited puppy.

‘I’ve never met anyone as kind as Minho….’

To Saewo, Minho felt less like a predator and more like an ordinary beast-man.

Perhaps it was because he lacked the sharp predator’s fangs.

Or maybe such a gentle predator truly did exist.

He was surprised at how his guard around Minho had completely disappeared.

“Hey.”

Just then, a voice called from behind. It was Jibeom’s.

“Oh, right!”

It was only then that Saewoo remembered why he’d needed a ride from Minho in the first place and took a deep breath, preparing himself for what was to come.

‘To lie so brazenly to my face… This is all or nothing.’

He quickly scanned the surroundings.

Thankfully, only one of Jibeom’s henchmen was in sight.

He hadn’t come looking for a full-blown fight, but having fewer opponents around made a huge difference.

“Whoa… Who’s that predator? A gangster…?”

Meanwhile, Minho, without a hint of fear, muttered in awe.

“Minho, thank you again for today. I’ll contact you later.”

“Yes, but Saewoo, haven’t you still not found a tenant yet?”

Saewoo tried to dismiss Minho as fast as possible since this had nothing to do with him, but Minho obliviously asked.

“Oh, well….”

Saewoo hesitated, not sure how to respond, when suddenly, Jibeom’s hand gripped his shoulder and turned him around forcefully.

“What’s this? You made me wait here just to flirt with some random guy?”

“W-what?”

Flirt?

He knew it didn’t mean what he thought it did, but it still made him boil inside.

The nerve of Jibeom, acting like this when he was the one at fault, annoyed Saewoo to no end.

“It’s not like that…!”

“It’s not flirting!”

Just as Saewoo was about to protest, Minho jumped in, stealing the moment.

“Saewoo and I aren’t like that! I even have a boyfriend!”

Rummaging through his pockets as if angry on Saewoo’s behalf, Minho pulled out a leather wallet and showed a photo.

“My boyfriend. This is the guy I’m dating!”

The photo showed a man with a pancake-shaped face holding a long tail in his mouth while smiling.

He was clearly another tiger beast-man, like Minho.

“There’s quite an age gap between us. He’s an ’88-born. But he used to be quite the celebrity back in the day, even appearing on TV spinning sammo. Nowadays, he just stays at home; he’s a homebody.”

Minho, revealing more than anyone asked for about his boyfriend, grinned.

He seemed eager to say more but restrained himself.

“He keeps scolding me for talking too much. So, I’ll stop here. Anyway, I have a boyfriend. I don’t even know Saewoo’s surname.”

Minho, speaking with a mix of childlike lisp and firm conviction, put the picture back in his wallet and donned his helmet.

“……”

Jibeom, who had looked ready for a fight, now said nothing.

Faced with Minho’s unabashed demeanor, anyone would’ve lost the will to fight.

“Saewoo.”

“Yeah…?”

Seated on his scooter again, Minho called out to Saewoo before leaving.

“You’ve got it rough, having such a jealous partner. Don’t fight too much! I’m off!”

“Wait, he’s not… my partner! Hold on, Minho!”

Vroom…!

Saewoo wanted to clarify to Minho, but the tiger-man was already speeding away.

“Hmph, looks like that airhead has an eye for people.”

Jibeom, who had been watching with his arms crossed, now stood beside Saewoo.

His sudden change in demeanor was baffling, considering how hostile he had been moments before.

“Minho’s just a student. And stop saying things so recklessly.”

“What things?”

“Do you really need to ask?”

“Look at that. Saewoo’s gotten all bold in just one day.”

When Saewoo shot him a cold glare, Jibeom chuckled and ran a hand through his reddish hair.

Slap! Saewoo smacked his hand away, warning him not to touch.

“Your hand’s getting feistier. But what’s up with your outfit?”

“Don’t mind my clothes. More importantly… come here!”

Saewo, still fuming, grabbed Jibeom by the collar and dragged him towards the building.

Though he felt like making a scene, they couldn’t afford any more attention outside.

He needed a private space, fast.

“Wait…? What’s that?”

Suddenly, Saewoo stopped short at the sight of a large, lumpy bundle near the building’s entrance.

It looked suspicious, as if more than just objects were stuffed inside.

“I’ve been waiting because of this, babe.”

“What? What do you mean…?”

Wriggle.

Puzzled, Saewoo turned his head toward the bundle just as it moved from the inside.

“……?”

Thinking it must be a mistake, Saewoo took a cautious step forward.

Thump.

“Ah!”

Suddenly, the bundle shifted and fell over with a thud.

Startled, Saewoo jumped and instinctively grabbed Jibeom’s waist.

“What is… what is this?!”

“What do you think? A gift.”

“A g-gift…?”

Jibeom, satisfied with Saewoo’s hands on him, signaled to one of his subordinates.

Adjusting his rimless glasses with a nervous expression, the subordinate began untying the bundle.

“N-no… why are you untying it… Ah… ahhh!”

As the bundle came undone, its contents became clear, and Saewoo gasped in horror.

Inside were two beast-men with broad builds, tied up and bruised all over.

“Mmmph…!”

Their bodies, limbs, and even mouths were restrained, and they could only groan and writhe.

“Ugh, it’s noisy. Just take off their gags.”

At Jibeom’s sharp command, the gags were removed.

Watching the beasts cough in discomfort, Jibeom extended his leg and pressed it firmly on one of their shoulders.

“I asked who the building owner is. Aren’t you going to answer?”

“Ugh…!”

“Answer.”

“Ugh… w-we… delivered it… We did… Ah, w-we’re sorry… so sorry…”

Though barely intelligible, the beast’s response was spoken with evident struggle.

‘What… what are they saying? Why is this happening here?’

No matter what their crime might have been, this scene unfolding in front of someone else’s building felt wrong.

Saewoo, who initially intended to confront Jibeom about another matter, decided to step in and put a stop to it.

“Jibeom… please, let’s handle this with words…”

Thwack!

“Speak clearly, you bastard! You want another beating?”

“Argh! Aah! No…!”

Jibeom, unfazed, continued his actions.

As the agonized screams rang out, Saewoo shut his eyes tight, unable to watch.

The hands gripping Jibeom’s waist trembled.

“Talk.”

“Ugh… w-we… we… handed out flyers…”

Saewoo’s eyes shot open at the word flyers.

“What? Just now, you said…”

“We only did what we were told! We’re sorry! Truly sorry!”

“We’re so sorry! Ugh…!”

The two beasts, bound and on their knees in front of Saewoo, begged for forgiveness, tears mixed with blood streaming down their faces as they repeated that they had just followed orders for money.

“You heard that clearly, right?”

While Saewoo stood stunned, his mind failing to process, Jibeom called out with a satisfied expression.

A subordinate, who had been waiting nearby, quickly handed Saewoo a sheet of printed paper.

“These two bastards made some cheap flyers. They admitted to printing them at a local shop and distributing them throughout the beast district.”

“…”

As Jibeom explained, Saewoo glanced down at the flyer, recognizing it as the original draft for a rental advertisement, prepared before it was formally printed.

“The real mastermind is still out there. But these idiots won’t say who ordered it. So I had to rough them up a bit.”

Jibeom emphasized that he never resorted to unnecessary violence and that this level of force was light in comparison.

Saewoo chose not to argue.

After all, these beasts were the ones at fault from the start.

As he observed the two beasts, a strange thought crossed his mind.

“These beastsmen… they’re leopards, right?”

The scent unmistakably suggested so.

“Yes, but get this straight. They’re not from my territory. Never seen them before.”

“Never?”

With Jibeom’s firm disassociation, Saewoo found himself lost in thought.

“Why? You have someone in mind?”

“Well, naturally…”

If it was leopards, only one came to Saewoo’s mind.

A connection not with Jibeom, but…

[Hello, Saewoo.]

… the white leopard beast, Hoyoon.

* * *