Predator Alert chapter 16

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“Stop following me!”

Shouting abruptly, Jeongseo turned away from the bus stop and headed toward the riverside.

However, he underestimated just how swift and agile the black panther could be.

Ultimately, Pyo Yoontae caught up with Jeongseo, grabbing his shoulder as soon as he reached him.

Jeongseo wanted to run faster, but he was already at his limit.

His heart pounded, and his breathing was so labored it felt like it would stop.

In the end, Jeongseo gave up running and collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily.

Heat surged through his entire body, and Jeongseo loosened his school tie. As the tightness around his neck eased, he felt slightly more alive.

“Haa, ha, I told you… haa, not to follow me!”

“Huff… It’s because you… keep running away, haa… This is exhausting.”

It wasn’t just Jeongseo who was tired.

Pyo Yoontae also bent his knees, breathing heavily.

Seemingly overheated as well, he took off his school shirt altogether.

For a while, only the sound of their labored breathing filled the riverside.

Once his breathing finally settled, Jeongseo shot a glare at Pyo Yoontae.

“I was never bothered by not having friends at school.”

Pyo Yoontae fanned himself with his black short-sleeved shirt, leaning against the railing. His body tilted slightly toward Jeongseo as he looked down at him.

“Besides, they were people I wouldn’t see after three years anyway…”

Jeongseo awkwardly pulled his legs together, sitting cross-legged.

His cheeks, exposed through the gaps in his disheveled bangs from running, flushed slightly red.

“They don’t like me either…”

Jeongseo’s voice trailed off weakly, his shoulders slumping in sync with his drooping words.

Unlike his usual upbeat self, there was a hint of sadness in his tone. A brown tail he hadn’t noticed before lay limp on the ground.

“So I was fine being alone and didn’t think much about it, but now, it’s bothering me!”

Jeongseo always kept himself separate from the other students.

Viewing them as if they were people on the other side of a screen, he had convinced himself that not having friends was normal.

Since it was just a high school he’d pass through for three years, he saw no need to get attached, so it was natural he didn’t care about having friends.

Besides, most of the kids his age had been friends since they were young, so it was difficult for Jeongseo to fit in as someone who had just shown up.

So, it hadn’t mattered.

Jeongseo’s reality existed only at home, where his brother, mom, dad, and now Seobok were—his world outside of school.

But ever since Pyo Yoontae showed up, that boundary had slowly started to crumble.

Unlike Jeongseo, Pyo Yoontae had no trouble fitting in with the other kids, which made Jeongseo inevitably compare himself to him.

Jeongseo clenched his lips and lowered his head.

His round ears seemed to droop along with his head.

“…And every time you tease me about not having friends… it’s embarrassing.”

Pyo Yoontae had made friends not long after he arrived, but Jeongseo was still alone.

He could guess how that must look to Pyo Yoontae.

Pyo Yoontae, watching Jeongseo who had completely wilted, rubbed the back of his neck with his hand.

For once, he looked a little troubled.

“I wasn’t really trying to embarrass you when I teased you.”

“…Really?”

“Yeah, well… I’m kind of an asshole, you know.”

Jeongseo’s black tail lightly hit the ground, but he kept his head down. Pyo Yoontae called his name awkwardly.

“Seo Jeongseo?”

“You’re right. You’re always messing around, being mean, and your personality is awful.”

…Damn. Pyo Yoontae cursed inwardly.

He knew all too well that his personality wasn’t great. There was no reason for it to be in the first place.

But for some reason, this time, it left a bitter taste in his mouth.

If it had been anyone else saying that, he wouldn’t have cared.

Pyo Yoontae, dissatisfied with the sight of Jeongseo’s adorable head, squatted down.

As he leaned in to see Jeongseo’s face, Jeongseo stubbornly turned away.

“Yeah, Jeongseo. I’m a real piece of trash.”

Jeongseo’s ears perked up, as if agreeing with him.

Pyo Yoontae frowned slightly, realizing that even he was convinced by his own words.

“Huff… I’m sorry. And you’re not friendless, are you? I feel wronged.”

“What do you have to feel wronged about?!”

Just as Jeongseo thought Pyo Yoontae was apologizing, he immediately shifted to pleading for sympathy, which made Jeongseo narrow his eyes and glare at his sideways.

In response, Pyo Yoontae exaggeratedly drooped his mouth as if he were sad, letting his triangular black ears peek out from his head.

With his ears folding to the side, Pyo Yoontae rested his chin on Jeongseo’s shoulder.

The unexpected action made Jeongseo’s eyes tremble.

“Didn’t we agree to be friends, Jeongseo?”

The faint scent of winter lingered in the air.

Going beyond just resting his chin, Pyo Yoontae reached behind his and wrapped an arm around Jeongseo’s waist.

Jeongseo flinched at the sensation of his hand on his side.

Though he was aware they were a bit too close, Jeongseo didn’t push his away.

In fact, maybe “couldn’t” was a more accurate description.

Strangely, his heart started beating fast again, and the heat he had managed to cool earlier came rushing back.

“…Then why do you tease me about not having friends…?”

Unaware of the redness spreading across his cheeks, Jeongseo puffed his cheeks and mumbled.

His black pupils, set against his yellow eyes, narrowed slightly and then widened.

“Even if I tease you for not having friends, you should still say you do. Promise me you’ll do that from now on.”

The hand resting on his side gently rubbed over his school vest. Feeling a bit strange, Jeongseo nodded without saying anything.

“And if anyone else says you don’t have friends, you tell them you’re friends with Pyo Yoontae.”

“…Okay.”

“And if anyone else asks to be your friend, you tell them you can’t because you’re already friends with Pyo Yoontae.”

Jeongseo, who was nodding in agreement, suddenly paused.

“Why that?”

“Because it’s best to only have one friend.”

“…Why? Isn’t it better to have more friends?”

Even the chickens at home and the goats with the red roofs all lived in groups.

Jeongseo tilted his head, unable to understand.

Pyo Yoontae pulled Jeongseo even closer with the arm around his waist.

“Why? Because if you have too many friends, I’ll get jealous.”

Jeongseo wriggled under the pressure of Pyo Yoontae’s pheromones, which had grown stronger, but Pyo Yoontae nuzzled his head against Jeongseo’s neck like a spoiled child.

The black ears brushed his chin lightly, tickling him.

“…That’s a lie. You wouldn’t really be jealous. You have plenty of friends.”

“No, Jeongseo. They’re just people I know. But friends…It’s only you.”

Pyo Yoontae’s soft, low voice made Jeongseo’s lips twitch into the beginnings of a smile.

His brown tail, lying on the pavement, tapped Pyo Yoontae’s waist.

“Will you hang out with me today? Don’t go home right away.”

“…I guess I can, just this once!”

Jeongseo’s hesitation was brief, and his voice was full of confidence when he answered. Pyo Yoontae chuckled softly, tucking his ears back.

“Let’s go then.”

When Pyo Yoontae, who had stood up first, offered his hand to Jeongseo, he took it.

Their hand sizes, like their physical statures, were different.

Pyo Yoontae’s hand, gripping Jeongseo’s, was firm.

“Where do you want to go, Jeongseo?”

“There’s a snack shop if we walk a bit further. Or some other place to eat. I’m hungry after all that running.”

“Already?” Pyo Yoontae laughed, while Jeongseo rubbed his flat stomach.

Cherry blossom petals fluttered over the heads of the two as they walked side by side.

During cleaning time, for some reason, the class president brought the phone bag earlier than usual. Jeongseo quickly finished cleaning the east stairs and played with his phone in the hallway.

He had plans to hang out with Pyo Yoontae after school today, and since Pyo Yoontae had bought his food and drinks last time, Jeongseo wanted to pay this time.

At some point, his desire to hang out with Pyo Yoontae outweighed his goal of finding Pyo Yoontae’s first love.

Opening his bank app to check how much allowance he had left, Jeongseo was shocked to see he only had ten thousand won. His pupils trembled.

‘Why… Why is there so little left?’

Though it was almost time for his monthly allowance to come in, it was still strange to have so little left.

“Ah!”

As he tried to figure it out, Jeongseo recalled buying Seobok a new bag, and then there were the fees for changing Pyo Yoontae’s phone wallpaper, as well as spending more money on snacks recently.

The realization hit him, and his fingers hesitated as they scrolled down the screen.

Jeongseo rolled his eyes in confusion before cautiously sending a message.

[Mom, are you busy?] 5:01 PM

Not even a minute had passed when his mom called back.

Jeongseo quickly picked up the phone. Luckily, it seemed his mom wasn’t busy.

“Hello!”

Yes, baby. What’s going on?

“Well, Mom, it’s just…”

Jeongseo hesitated because he had never asked his mom something like this before.

“Can I get my allowance for this month today… by any chance?”

Allowance? Are you short on money?

Startled by the question, Jeongseo quickly waved his hand at the empty window and responded.

“No, no, it’s not that. I’m going out with a friend, but I ended up putting all my money, except for bus fare last week, into my savings account! And since tomorrow’s allowance day anyway… I was wondering if I could get it just one day early…”