* * *

“Eggs…?”

For a moment, Jibeom’s pupils quaked as if struck by an earthquake.

Drunk or not, he couldn’t believe Saewoo had taken the joke about “laying eggs” so seriously.

While Jibeom remained frozen, unable to respond, Saewoo fidgeted with his hands and murmured softly,

“I need to build a nest for when my partner comes to lay eggs with me…”

Then, he went back to adjusting the nest, saying that it had to be made nicely so his partner would like it.

He fiddled with the shape, muttering incomprehensibly about how it was his first time making one and how instincts must really take over, despite him wondering if he could do it properly.

“…Wait a second.”

While Saewoo was busy, Jibeom watched him blankly until something suddenly clicked.

“A partner to lay eggs with? Who are you laying eggs with?”

“Huh? With my mate, obviously…”

“So you’re saying… this mate—are they a bird beastman? A woman, maybe?”

Blink. Blink.

Saewoo’s wide, innocent eyes looked back at Jibeom, as if confused by the question.

“Hah… So, you’re saying you want to pair up with a female bird beastman and lay eggs?”

Jibeom couldn’t believe what he was hearing and asked again for clarification.

Saewoo, though flustered by the word “pair up,” blushed and nodded affirmatively.

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“Not with me?”

“Huh…?”

At Jibeom’s gesture toward himself, Saewoo’s expression grew troubled.

“But… predators can’t lay eggs. And you…”

Saewoo’s gaze drifted to Jibeom’s pants.

Since they were both crouched under the table, the thick outline of Jibeom’s thighs—and something else—stood out prominently.

“…You have a… club.”

“Hey!”

Startled, Jibeom hastily crossed his legs at Saewoo’s blunt comment about his anatomy.

“What the…!?”

Jibeom was dumbfounded.

Saewoo, completely drunk, was spewing whatever came to mind without filtering it.

But despite his intoxicated state, he wasn’t entirely incoherent. He wasn’t acting completely out of it either, though his guileless honesty was something Jibeom hadn’t seen before.

‘Wait. Could this be… an opportunity?’

Jibeom remembered how Saewoo would always draw a line in their relationship, saying: “Serious relationships… they’re a bit too much for me…”

At the time, Jibeom had wanted more, but Saewoo was overly cautious, even though he didn’t seem to dislike being kissed or spending time together.

Still, Jibeom had chosen to respect Saewoo’s boundaries, knowing that pushing too hard might scare him away.

But now?

There’s a saying: drunken words are sober thoughts.

This might be the perfect time to hear how Saewoo really felt.

“Alright, let’s try a hypothetical.”

“……?”

“If I weren’t a guy and instead a bird beastman woman, would I make a good mate?”

Saewoo’s face scrunched up in thought.

Jibeom had expected a quick answer, but Saewoo seemed to seriously ponder the question.

“…Does it really take that long to decide?”

Even though Jibeom had already made a big concession in his hypothetical, his pride was beginning to sting.

“No… club, right?”

Oh. So the “club” was the dealbreaker.

Jibeom, who had always been proud of his “club,” felt a pang of hurt.

“Hey, stop calling it a club! There are plenty of nicer words you could use.”

“Nicer words…”

Saewoo tried thinking of alternative terms, but none seemed “nice” enough for him.

“Anyway, that’s not the point. Would I make a good mate or not?”

Realizing Saewoo was veering off track, Jibeom steered him back to the question.

Finally, after what felt like forever, Saewoo nodded.

“Yeah, I think you’d be good.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

Though it had taken a while, the straightforward answer was satisfying.

Jibeom couldn’t hide his grin.

“Baek Saewoo.”

“Yeah?”

“There’s something you don’t seem to know.”

Saewoo blinked, confused, sensing he might’ve missed something.

“You don’t need to be a bird beastman to lay eggs. Predators can lay eggs too.”

Narrowing his eyes mischievously, Jibeom lied with a straight face.

“…I’m not stupid.”

As expected, Saewoo wasn’t so easily fooled.

Deciding it wasn’t worth the effort, he refocused on making his nest.

‘Guess I can’t trick him…’

Still, Jibeom didn’t mind.

Even though Saewoo wasn’t falling for his lies, the fact that Saewoo had admitted he’d make a good mate made Jibeom feel elated.

He felt confident that, with a little more effort, he could push their relationship further.

“Alright, fine. I’ll compromise and help you make your nest.”

“Ah…!”

When Jibeom tried to crawl further under the table, Saewoo quickly raised his hands to stop him.

“Why? I can’t?”

“Nests are sacred spaces only mates are allowed to enter. Especially predators—they’re dangerous.”

The sheer seriousness of Saewoo’s response was enough to make Jibeom wonder if he’d sobered up.

“So… if your mate were a predator, what then? Would it still be a no?”

Saewoo’s gaze screamed, ‘That would never happen.’

But Jibeom wasn’t giving up. He heaved a dramatic sigh and added:

“I didn’t want to say this, but I didn’t want you to be confused. The truth is… I used to be your bird beastman mate. But one day, I woke up in this sexy predator body. Isn’t that just wild?”

“W-What…?”

Saewoo’s eyes widened in visible panic.

Unbeknownst to Jibeom, his impromptu story hit a nerve for Saewoo, who actually had transmigrated into this world.

“Oh? This is working.”

Jibeom, completely unaware of Saewoo’s true intentions, celebrated inwardly and decided to press on further.

“So, you see, the way this happened is…”

Swish.

Before Jibeom could finish, Saewoo suddenly leaned in.

“What the…?”

Sniff.

Saewoo moved so close that Jibeom could feel his breath, and without warning, began sniffing him.

Sniff sniff sniff.

The loud nasal sound was almost comical.

Saewoo, inhaling like a dog catching a scent, eventually looked up at Jibeom.

His watery, dazed eyes trembled slightly, as if even he couldn’t make sense of what was happening.

“Why…? Do I smell?”

“Yeah…”

“Like a predator?”

“……”

No matter how predator-like he smelled, Jibeom thought they’d gotten used to each other by now. Apparently not.

Feeling a bit awkward, Jibeom took a small step back—but Saewoo instantly closed the gap.

“It’s not a predator smell… Did you wear cologne?”

At Saewoo’s soft question, Jibeom tugged at his shirt and sniffed it.

Since it was his own scent, it didn’t smell like perfume or anything unpleasant to him.

“I didn’t. You hated it when I wore cologne before, remember? After that, I stopped wearing it for you.”

“Then why do you smell so good…?”

“What? I smell good?”

“Yeah…”

Saewoo was deeply confused by the scent emanating from Jibeom, who was a predator.

It was undeniably pleasant, but it wasn’t a mouthwatering food aroma, nor was it a floral fragrance.

It was something indescribable.

Sensing his moment, Jibeom leaned in closer to Saewoo.

“It’s weird, right? No nasty predator smell, just a nice one.”

“……”

“That’s it. That’s the proof that I’m your mate.”

Jibeom’s clear explanation made Saewoo flinch visibly.

“But…”

Saewoo’s face betrayed his turmoil.

He seemed to sense that something was off, but he couldn’t bring himself to deny it outright.

“Why can’t you admit it? That I’m your mate, dear little wagtail?”

Slide.

Without further hesitation, Jibeom pushed into Saewoo’s nest.

The space that Saewoo had carefully crafted suddenly felt cramped with Jibeom’s presence.

Normally, Saewoo would’ve loudly protested about the inconvenience, but instead, he merely shifted aside a bit, not resisting.

If anything, he clung to Jibeom, as though drawn by the scent.

“You like it that much?”

“Yeah, I like it… Where’s it coming from?”

As if trying to locate the source, Saewoo tugged lightly at Jibeom’s collar and brought his nose close.

The sly action made Jibeom chuckle lowly as he tilted Saewoo’s chin upward.

“Here.”

Then, he planted a light kiss.

“……!”

Saewoo’s eyes widened at the soft touch of Jibeom’s lips.

But he didn’t pull away or run. Instead, as if testing the reality of it, his lips trembled slightly.

“Wanna check for yourself?”

“…Yeah.”

Jibeom barely suppressed his laughter as Saewoo nodded.

No sooner had he asked than Saewoo parted his lips and shyly slipped his tongue forward.

* * *