Predator Alert chapter 17

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‘Why is my brother calling?’

Jeongseo tilted his head in curiosity and swiped to answer.

“Hello…?”

• Hey, baby. You’re going out with a friend today, right? Is it that friend, Pyo Yoontae?

“Oh, yeah!”

Mom must have told him. his brother sometimes made a big deal out of things, but Jeongseo didn’t mind.

• Should I send you more allowance?

“No, it’s fine. Mom already sent me plenty.”

• If you need more, just let me know.

“Okay!”

• Oh, and isn’t your midterms coming up?

The moment his brother mentioned midterms, Jeongseo’s eyelids twitched.

“…Yeah.”

• Remember the promise we made during winter break?

“…Yeah, I remember.”

• Good. I trust you. I’ll hang up now. See you in two weeks.

“…Yeah, bye.”

The call ended, and his stiff reflection stared back from the black screen.

The promise he made with Seo Kanghyun during winter break was about improving his grades.

At first, neither his mom nor his brother cared much about his grades.

After all, Jeongseo had ranked 32nd out of his entire school during his first high school midterms.

His mom and brother, who had been worried, immediately praised him for doing well when they saw the report card, and after that, they stopped paying much attention. And so, Jeongseo stopped studying altogether.

But last winter break, Seo Kanghyun had stumbled upon his latest report card.

The bold number 80 — showing he ranked 80th from the bottom of the year — stood out clearly.

[Jeongseo, I know school’s not your favorite thing, but you can’t just do only what you like. If you study even a little, I’m sure you can get your grades up to 40 or 50 for some subjects by your second year. Promise me, at least for a few subjects, you’ll aim for a 40. You used to be good at studying.]

Kanghyun was rarely ever stern, so Jeongseo had been crushed and had no choice but to agree to his request.

But with his naturally easygoing personality, he soon forgot all about it and continued having fun. He hadn’t studied at all, so aiming for a 50? Even 40 would be impossible.

In fact, he didn’t even know what would be on the test.

While he was sulking in the hallway, clutching his head in both hands, a voice interrupted his thoughts.

“Why are you sitting like that?”

Jeongseo looked up to see Pyo Yoontae standing beside him, holding a broom as if he had just finished cleaning.

“Well, I…”

Suddenly, seeing Pyo Yoontae’s face reminded him that he was ranked 1st on his practice exams and had even surpassed the class president to become the top science student in his year.

His hazy brown eyes fixed firmly on Pyo Yoontae.

“What’s with the stare?”

“Yoontae, you’re good at studying, right?”

Taken aback by the random question, he looked down at him, confused. His round eyes sparkled more than usual, and his ears twitched rapidly.

“Well, yeah. Why?”

Though his casual answer might have come off as arrogant to others, to Jeongseo, it just seemed cool.

His face brightened instantly, and he grabbed his large hand holding the broom.

“Yoontae, teach me how to study. Just a little, please!”

“Study?”

“Yeah, even if it’s just for a short time!”

Pyo Yoontae glanced down at his hand, which was being tightly held, and then at his eager face, before smirking slightly.

“I’ll teach you starting today.”

His drooping brown tail immediately perked up, and Jeongseo nodded eagerly.

“But where should we study? Should we do it in the classroom after homeroom? What do you think?”

As he let out a thoughtful hum, Yoontae absentmindedly rubbed the tip of his brown ear with his free hand.

By now, he was used to his touch, so he didn’t react much, aside from a slight twitch of his ear.

“We can study at my place.”

It was a suggestion he hadn’t expected. His place?

Come to think of it, he had no idea where Pyo Yoontae lived.

Was it one of the high-rise apartments in Jeongjinri, where the wealthier people resided?

He had heard that’s where he might live.

“Where’s your house…”

“Hey, kids! The teacher’s calling us in for homeroom.”

The class president called out to them from the back door, glancing between Jeongseo and Yoontae.

“Oh, right. Let’s go.”

Still holding onto his wrist, Jeongseo led the way back into the classroom. Some of their classmates shot them curious looks, but he didn’t notice.

“You two seem to be getting along well. Jeongseo’s really looking out for Yoontae, huh?”

As the two sat down together, their homeroom teacher smiled warmly.

It was the first time Jeongseo had ever been praised for something like that, so his cheeks flushed slightly, and he gave a shy nod.

The teacher continued looking pleased, then turned back to address the rest of the class as homeroom began.

“My place.”

Pyo Yoontae leaned over and whispered.

The sound of his voice so close to his sensitive ears made his shoulders flinch.

“It’s the Heukpyo Training Center.”

Jeongseo turned to look at him, surprised. He hadn’t expected his to live at a training center.

Could it have been built just for him? No, that seemed a bit far-fetched.

“No one’s home. How about it?”

Yoontae’s eyes curved in a subtle smile, one that seemed somewhat mischievous, though Jeongseo only tilted his head in response.

After a moment of thought, he answered quietly.

“That sounds fun! I’ve always wanted to check out that place.”

He had seen the building from afar and thought it looked impressive, but never had the chance to enter.

He decided he would ask Yoontae to show his around the training center while they studied.

Seeing his bright expression, Yoontae raised his eyebrows briefly before leaning back in his seat.

“Okay, then. Let’s go to my place.”

Though his tone was a bit more subdued than before, his expression didn’t seem bad.

Jeongseo lightly swayed his tail and began thinking about what snacks he should bring along.

For the first time, he was going to visit a friend’s house.

He was already excited, pressing his fingers around his mouth as if he might grow whiskers from the thrill of it.

“Everyone, let’s go home!”

As soon as homeroom ended, the class president stood up and called for attention.

The loud greeting from the students signaled the end of the day, and Jeongseo quickly slung his bag over his shoulder.

“Hurry up, let’s go!”

Unlike him, Pyo Yoontae had only just started packing his bag, and Jeongseo bounced impatiently by his side, urging his to move faster.

Seeing his act more like a puppy than a weasel, Yoontae chuckled as he hastily finished packing.

“Who is Pyo Yoontae?”

At the unfamiliar voice, both Pyo Yoontae and Jeongseo turned their heads.

A man with a green nametag was standing there.

Currently, at Dangang High School, the green nametag meant he was a third-year student.

“That would be me.”

Pyo Yoontae glanced sideways at the man who had casually called out his name, one hand tucked in his pocket. The nametag read Kim Woosik.

“Wow, you look way better than in your picture.”

The man with light brown hair had a particularly dark red streak in his bangs, making it seem like he had dyed it.

With a swagger like a thug who hung around back alleys extorting money, he walked up to Pyo Yoontae, scanning his up and down.

“I’m a third-year, Kim Woosik. You know my uncle is the director of Ocha Construction, right?”

Pyo Yoontae quickly figured out why Kim Woosik had approached him.

He wanted to buddy up, as they were both from wealthy families.

He was about to brush his off when he felt his shirt being tightly grabbed from behind.

He heard a faint hissing sound and turned around to see what it was.

Jeongseo was glaring fiercely at Kim Woosik, wagging his tail side to side rapidly.

It was a clear display of hostility.

Despite his small size, Jeongseo still had the presence of a predator, and the atmosphere he exuded was quite menacing.

Kim Woosik only noticed his then, frowning slightly before bursting out laughing.

“What’s this, Yoontae? You hanging out with this guy?”

For someone who was acting so familiar despite having just met, Pyo Yoontae’s brow furrowed.

But oblivious to the vibe, Kim Woosik smirked nastily and leaned a bit closer to Jeongseo.

“Maybe you don’t know since you just transferred, but this guy’s got a real messed-up personality—AAH!”

Pyo Yoontae didn’t even move.

Jeongseo, who had been standing behind him, suddenly lunged and kicked Kim Woosik in the shin.

As swift as a weasel, Kim Woosik couldn’t dodge and hopped around clutching his shin.

“You crazy little—!”

With his eyes bloodshot, Kim Woosik glared at Jeongseo, but Jeongseo ignored him, grabbing Pyo Yoontae’s wrist and pulling his away forcefully.

“Don’t act all buddy-buddy with Yoontae! He’s my friend!”

With that shout, Jeongseo dragged Pyo Yoontae out of the classroom.

Kim Woosik’s angry voice echoed behind them, but neither of them looked back.

Only when they reached the shoe lockers did Jeongseo let go of Pyo Yoontae’s wrist.

He cautiously scanned their surroundings to ensure no one was following.

Pyo Yoontae knew Jeongseo didn’t get along with many of the students, but he had never shown such open hostility before. Let alone resort to violence.

After confirming Kim Woosik wasn’t chasing them, Jeongseo, looking slightly uneasy, grabbed Pyo Yoontae’s arms and spoke.

“Don’t listen to what that guy said. He’s really bad news.”

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