* * *

“Be careful not to get the wound wet. No need to come back to remove the stitches; they’ll dissolve in about a week. I’ll prepare some anti-inflammatories for you.”

Jibeom received the medical supplies and prescription with his bandaged hand.

Sooha was taking care of the bill, and down the hall, Saewoo stepped out of the doctor’s office.

“Hey, Baek Saewoo.”

“……!”

Saewoo flinched at Jibeom’s call, clearly not expecting him to be finished so soon.

He paused as if debating something, then quickly scurried over and tugged on Jibeom’s coat.

“Let’s go. Quickly….”

He couldn’t bring himself to properly look at Jibeom and kept his head lowered, urging him to leave.

“What’s up with you?”

Something seemed off.

Jibeom couldn’t see Saewoo’s expression clearly, but the tips of Saewoo’s once-pale ears were now a deep red, and his neck had turned an appetizing shade of pink.

“What happened? Did that chicken bastard do something to you?!”

“W-What? No, no! It’s not like that…!”

“Not like that, my ass! That damn chicken…!”

Jibeom was ready to burst into the doctor’s office, but Saewoo threw his arms around his waist, holding on with all his strength.

“It’s not like that! I-I’m just… hungry!”

That was the only excuse he could think of to calm Jibeom down, and thankfully, it seemed to work.

The fiery Jibeom settled down almost instantly.

“…Hungry, huh? Fine.”

“Let’s go, quickly.”

“Alright, sweetheart. What do you want to eat?”

Maybe it was the way Saewoo had clung to him and mentioned being hungry that made Jibeom smile, drawing him into a close embrace.

As Saewoo slipped into Jibeom’s warm arms, he subtly pulled away, mindful of the doctor’s earlier words.

“And for the record… he’s not a chicken; he’s a pigeon.”

“Chicken, pigeon, whatever. Just tell me what you want to eat.”

“A… pigeon-chicken hybrid, seriously….”

“Prawn, then? Or maybe, since it’s cold, seed dumpling stew? Oh, or fish cakes? We could grab some from a food cart.”

As they walked out of the hospital, Jibeom kept mulling over the menu options, seemingly in high spirits.

Even though his hand was still bandaged, he acted like it didn’t hurt at all.

Saewoo couldn’t help but worry about the injured hand that was resting on his shoulder.

Click.

As they stepped outside, Sooha was already at the car, holding the door open.

“…Beep.”

“Huh…?”

That’s when Saewoo heard a sound near his ear.

It was a whistle-like noise, more like a bird call than an actual whistle.

When he turned toward the source, he saw Jinho, looking furious.

“Why is Jinho here… Oh no!”

Only then did Saewoo remember his promise to Jinho that he’d completely forgotten about.

“U-Udon!”

“Udon? You want udon?” Jibeom asked, following Saewoo’s gaze. His cheerful expression quickly darkened.

“Why the hell is that guy here….”

Jinho hadn’t come alone.

Beside him stood the main protagonist from the original novel, the eagle beastman Ye Taekwon

“Baek Saewoo! What’s going on? You haven’t been answering your phone! Do you know how worried I was?”

Jinho stormed over, panting furiously.

Despite his anger, his smaller stature made him look more like a child throwing a tantrum.

“I’m sorry, Jinho. I forgot. Something came up….”

Saewoo glanced nervously at Yeo Taekwon, who was glaring at him.

He couldn’t believe he hadn’t remembered even once despite everything that had happened.

He felt deeply guilty.

“Ah, never mind. You’re safe; that’s all that matters. When I heard you were in the hospital, I thought you’d gotten seriously hurt.”

“I’m fine, really. But… how did you find me?”

“Oh, I tracked your scent all over town. It was a hassle, honestly. I’d have been lost without Taekwon’s help.”

“Oh….”

Saewoo looked at Taekwon, who had approached silently, feeling more and more uncomfortable.

“I’m so sorry. Because of me….”

“It’s because of me.”

Saewoo was about to bow in apology, but Jibeom pulled him back by the shoulder.

“Something happened. Because of me.”

Jibeom held up his bandaged hand for Jinho and Taekwon to see.

Jinho nodded understandingly, but Taekwon’s expression remained cold and unchanging.

“What happened? Why is Yoon Jibeom here with Baek Saewoo?”

“Ah… well….”

Taekwon’s direct question put Saewoo on edge.

It seemed like the moment he had been dreading all day had finally arrived.

The villainous complication threatening the main couple was none other than Yoon Jibeom.

Even though Jibeom had left his former organization and cut ties, he and Taekwon had a long history as bitter rivals.

Saewoo knew this and had wanted to avoid them running into each other.

Just as the tension reached a peak, an alarm suddenly went off.

Beep!

It was Jinho’s phone alarm, reminding him about the udon shop’s closing time.

He grabbed Saewoo and Jibeom’s hands and exclaimed brightly.

“Come on! Let’s eat udon first!”

❀❀❀

According to a female friend who introduced Saewoo to the world of beastman from the original gritty BL novel, it had quite a dedicated fanbase.

Though the audience was niche, given that beastman stories cater to a specific crowd, this story became a hit for its dark and emotionally devastating narrative.

No wonder.

The main character was a small, white-headed shrike beastman, endearing and cute.

And yet, the novel put him through relentless trials, suffering heartbreak and shattering both body and soul by the end.

Having finished the novel, Saewoo couldn’t help but believe the author must have a sadistic streak.

How else could they subject such an adorable, precious creature to so much agony?

Especially seeing how cheerful Jinho was in this world.

That’s why Saewoo felt his greatest accomplishment upon arriving here was giving the main couple a happy ending.

“Ah—so that’s how things turned out. I really… I’m sorry, Saewoo. I didn’t consider your situation and only thought about it from my perspective. But it’s a relief to hear everything got resolved.”

From across the table, Jinho, who had listened to Saewoo’s entire story from beginning to end, patted his shoulder and said he’d done well.

“Jinho…”

Saewoo was suddenly overwhelmed with emotion, memories of everything he’d endured from the moment he became possessed flashing before him.

If he had known things would turn out like this, he would have told Jinho everything from the start instead of hiding it.

Although this was separate from what Ye Taekwon knew.

Even though Ye Taekwon hadn’t said a word the entire time Saewoo was talking, he didn’t hide his displeasure.

“Saewoo, how’s the udon? Is it good? Try this too.”

Jinho handed Saewoo a tofu pouch while he was eating udon.

“Oh… no, Jinho, you can have it.”

“Actually, I had some chocolate earlier that Taekwon gave me, so I’m a bit full.”

“Really?”

Seeing how well Ye Taekwon was taking care of Jinho suddenly made Saewoo feel reassured.

It was comforting to see that they were getting along so well, and he slid the tofu pouch onto Jibeom’s plate.

“I’m full. Jibeom, you should eat more.”

Saewoo already felt bad enough for dragging Jinho and Ye Taekwon into eating together, and then serving udon to Jibeom, who had trouble using his hands, made him feel even guiltier.

So, Saewoo focused on giving Jibeom foods he could scoop up with a spoon rather than picking them up with chopsticks.

Jibeom nodded and stuffed the tofu pouch into his mouth, quietly chewing.

‘Good, he’s eating well… that’s a relief.’

Despite Saewoo’s worries, Jibeom didn’t interrupt Jinho’s conversation or complain about the food.

When Jinho first invited him to eat together, Saewoo had been at a loss about how to refuse, but Jibeom had willingly suggested going for udon.

He must not have been happy to see Ye Taekwon again, but he acted as if Saewoo’s awkward situation didn’t bother him at all.

Even at the udon shop, where he couldn’t properly use chopsticks, he never uttered a single complaint.

When Saewoo cut the noodles for him and offered side dishes, he ate everything obediently.

It made Saewoo wonder where the troublemaking delinquent who constantly caused mischief had gone.

It felt considerate.

Saewoo’s discomfort had eased significantly thanks to Jibeom’s thoughtfulness.

Screech.

Then, all of a sudden, Ye Taekwon, who hadn’t made a sound while eating his noodles, stood up from his seat.

Saewoo flinched at the loud scraping noise of the chair dragging across the floor and looked up.

In a few strides, Ye Taekwon walked over to the restaurant’s kitchen and came back with something in his hand.

“What… what is that…?”

Saewoo, Jinho, and Jibeom all stared at him in confusion as Ye Taekwon placed a child’s fork in front of Jibeom.

“Imagine needing help eating because of one little knife cut. Use this.”

Crack.

‘Oh no… this is bad…!’

Saewoo broke into a cold sweat as the fierce tension he’d been dreading surged in the air.

* * *