* * *
“Here. If you’re not eating the dumplings right away, put them in the freezer. And when you grill the eel, it’ll smoke a lot, so make sure to open the windows, alright? Be careful with your hands, too.”
The old lady handed Saewoo a plastic bag containing the dumplings and eel, her concern evident.
“I’m really sorry for causing so much trouble today, Grandma….”
Saewoo hung his head low, unable to meet her eyes out of guilt.
No matter how he thought about it, he had acted way too thoughtlessly in someone else’s business.
From the old lady’s perspective, she must have been utterly bewildered.
“No need to apologize… Just stop crying. What’s a grown man doing, crying like this? It breaks my heart. Geez… And if you’re not feeling well, you should say something. Tsk, tsk…”
The old lady, seeing Saewoo’s slumped shoulders, tried to comfort him, then leaned in and whispered.
“Saewoo, but how did you end up like that with that guy— I mean, that fine young man?”
“…Huh? N-no, it’s not like that….”
Saewoo quickly denied it, but his face flushed like that of a newlywed groom.
Seeing that reaction, the old lady smirked knowingly.
“Alright then. Get home safe.”
“Yes, Grandma. I’ll come by again.”
“Alright!”
She cheered energetically, raising a hand as if to pat Saewoo on the back—only to hesitate awkwardly when she caught Jibeom’s sharp gaze.
Instead, she simply waved.
As the car drove away, Saewoo watched the old lady disappear into the distance and suddenly had a thought.
‘Wait… Didn’t Jibeom say he was going to greet Grandma…?’
Screech.
Just then, the car came to a stop at a red light after pulling onto the main road.
Seizing the moment, Saewoo turned to Jibeom, curious about what he had meant by ‘going to greet Grandma’—only to freeze.
“Hmm-hmm~ Hmmm~ Hmm.”
Jibeom had been humming an unrecognizable tune with an expression of pure delight.
On any other day, Saewoo would have asked what had put him in such a good mood, but today… he didn’t need to ask.
“Hmm~ Hmm-hmm~ Hmmm~”
But as the humming grew louder, Saewoo gave up and decided to just ask.
“…Why….”
“Why’d you do that earlier?”
Jibeom beat him to it, throwing out the question first.
Saewoo had a feeling this was coming—Jibeom had been waiting for him to ask.
“…Do what?”
Feigning ignorance, Saewoo averted his gaze, pretending to focus on the congested four-lane road ahead, the rush hour traffic ensuring a long wait at the signal.
“Oh, playing dumb now, huh? Alright, fine.”
Jibeom didn’t press further, but from his satisfied expression, it was clear he was more than pleased with Saewoo’s reaction.
Instead, he reached into the console box and pulled something out.
“You left this at home.”
“…Oh.”
It was a pack of medicine—leftover pills from Jibeom’s place.
But why was he giving it to him now…?
Saewoo felt a bit confused.
Normally, he wouldn’t have thought much of it, but today was different.
“Is the medication you’re taking working?”
As soon as Saewoo took the medicine, the light changed.
Staring straight ahead, Jibeom asked casually.
Not sure what he was getting at, Saewoo stole a glance at him.
“Yes. It’s only been a few months, but there haven’t been any side effects, and it’s working fine.”
“You sure? That… whatever doctor, are they really trustworthy?”
“…You mean the pigeon doctor? And yes, they’re not a quack. They even recognized my symptoms the moment they saw me.”
“…What? Your heat cycle?”
“Yes, so—wait, huh? H-huh?!”
Saewoo’s eyes widened in shock as he turned to Jibeom.
He… he knew?!
Jibeom, thoroughly entertained, smirked mischievously before casually dropping the next bomb.
“Why are you so surprised? I figured it out when you were curled up in my arms like a baby, remember? How could I not know? You were practically singing about wanting to make a nest with me.”
“……”
Saewoo pressed his lips together, refusing to say another word.
And here he thought Jibeom had let it slide without teasing him.
“Our little fledgling… How are you going to survive being this clueless?”
“…What?”
“Mmm. Guess I’ll have to take care of you myself.”
Slurp, munch.
Jibeom even made exaggerated eating noises as he laughed, showing all his teeth.
“Stop teasing me! And it’s not ‘take care of,’ it’s ‘put to use.’ And that doesn’t mean you should put me to use!”
Flustered, Saewoo quickly corrected him, but Jibeom just kept on teasing.
“Who else could handle such a feisty little fledgling?”
“…You little—”
“Mm. Guess that means I’ll have to.”
Screech.
“…Oh.”
Before they knew it, they had arrived in front of Saewoo’s place.
As soon as the car stopped, Jibeom unfastened his seatbelt and leaned in close.
“Don’t you think?”
Then—thunk—he pressed his forehead against Saewoo’s, his lips dangerously close.
Thump-thump…
Saewoo’s heartbeat pounded in his ears.
There was no trace of that enticing scent he had smelled during his heat, and yet…
…Or maybe the aftereffects of his heat still lingered.
Saewoo clenched the bag of food in his trembling hands and shut his eyes.
If it was just another kiss, like the countless ones they’d already shared, maybe his racing heart would settle…
BZZZZZ!
At that exact moment, his phone vibrated loudly in his back pocket.
“…Don’t pick up.”
“…Ugh.”
Jibeom’s voice, tinged with irritation at the interruption, sent a shiver down Saewoo’s spine.
He cracked his eyes open just a little, only to find himself face-to-face with Jibeom’s piercing gaze.
With a gulp, he squeezed his eyes shut again.
BZZZZ! BZZZZ!
“Ugh, ngh….”
Saewoo tried to ignore it, but with the phone vibrating right against his backside, it was impossible.
Wincing at the intensity, he finally gave in and fished the phone out.
“…Just a second….”
Mumbling an apology, he checked the caller ID.
[Min (=◕ᗜ◕=)∫ho]
“…Minho? Who the hell is that?”
Smack.
“Huh—?!”
Jibeom, scowling, snatched the phone from Saewoo’s hand.
Panicked, Saewoo rushed to explain, afraid Jibeom might lash out at Minho like he had before.
“W-wait! No! Minho is—he’s that… that airheaded tiger Beastmen…!”
Twang!
In that moment, disaster struck.
The rubber band securing the styrofoam food container suddenly snapped, launching a kimchi dumpling straight into Jibeom’s mouth.
Thud! Smack!
Like it had a mind of its own, the dumpling delivered a perfect uppercut before disappearing back into the container.
“Ugh—?! W-what was that…?”
Saewoo blinked in confusion.
He was sure he had just seen a dumpling fly out, but now it was gone.
“…Took a hit, huh. Did Grandma put something in those dumplings…?”
Meanwhile, Jibeom, utterly dumbfounded, rubbed his lips where he had been ‘attacked’ and wordlessly returned the phone.
“…Ah. The call ended.”
At some point, Minho had hung up.
As the phone finally stopped its frantic vibrating, Saewoo cautiously looked at Jibeom.
“…Are you okay?”
“…Yeah. Just… kinda lost my energy all of a sudden.”
Jibeom let out a faint smile at the somewhat absurd experience—one that would be hard to explain to anyone.
“…….”
Meanwhile, Saewoo was growing a little anxious.
‘So… does that mean… we’re not… going to continue what we were doing earlier…?’
His heart, which had been racing just moments ago, now fluttered like a startled bird.
Even so, the thought that this might be the end left him feeling slightly disappointed.
“Then… I’ll just… be going now….”
Though he was feeling downhearted, it seemed like Jibeom had no intention of making any further moves, so he reached for the passenger door handle.
“Yeah, get home safe.”
“…….”
Jibeom, too, didn’t seem inclined to stop him. His farewell was casual, almost indifferent.
Just in case, Saewoo turned around quickly to glance at him, but Jibeom’s expression was no different from usual.
“What?”
“…Nothing. I’ll get going. You should head in, too.”
Jibeom’s face carried a look that asked what the problem was, which only made Saewoo feel more frustrated.
Hastily, he mumbled a goodbye and pulled open the car door.
‘Tread… Tread…’
Saewoo had barely taken a few steps, plastic bag in hand—
Grab.
“……!”
In an instant, strong arms seized his waist, spinning him around.
“Wha—! Mmph…!”
A familiar scent filled his senses, and before he could react, Jibeom was kissing him.
Warm breath rushed in through the gap of his parted lips.
Saewoo instinctively resisted, his clenched fists weakly thudding against Jibeom’s chest, but the struggle lasted only a brief moment before his arms found their way around Jibeom’s broad back.
“Mm….”
Thud. Thump.
The plastic bag slipped from his grasp, landing on the ground. His sneaker-clad heels slowly lifted off the pavement, his back arching.
To anyone watching, their position would have seemed uncomfortable—awkward, even—but to Saewoo, it was anything but.
If anything, the firm grip holding him in place made him feel an overwhelming sense of relief.
“Ha… Hah… Haa…”
Only after what felt like an eternity did Jibeom finally release his lips, leaving Saewoo gasping for breath.
His dazed eyes blinked weakly as Jibeom gently wiped away the moisture from the corner of his lips.
“…Are you still feeling uneasy about us?”
“Ah….”
Caught off guard by the question, Saewoo’s flushed face burned even redder.
His long eyelashes quivered, and after a brief hesitation, he buried himself in Jibeom’s chest.
“What was that?”
Muffled words spilled from his lips, barely comprehensible—something along the lines of “I still feel abuddened….”
Jibeom burst into laughter, his playful chuckle ringing through the quiet night.
Meanwhile, from a distance, a black sedan that had been silently observing the scene began to move, slipping away into the night.
* * *
