* * *
Sooha kept glancing into the rearview mirror as he drove, stealing looks at Jibeom and Saewoo in the backseat.
From the moment they got into the luxury sedan, Jibeom hadn’t let go of the small, bird-like Saewoo, cradling him in his arms the entire time.
“Cou… cough!”
The tiny frame emitted surprisingly loud coughs, startling Sooha every time.
“What the hell… Why won’t it stop?”
He even tried giving Saewoo water, but the coughing persisted relentlessly.
At this rate, it seemed like the little guy might collapse if he didn’t get medicine soon.
Growing anxious, Jibeom slammed his foot against the driver’s seat.
“Drive faster, damn it!”
“Y-Yes! Right away!”
Sooha panicked and pressed harder on the gas.
Tires screeched as the car swerved sharply, making the whole vehicle lurch.
“Ugh…”
Saewoo grimaced, nauseated by the sudden movement, furrowing his brow in discomfort.
Seeing him in pain, Jibeom’s expression twisted into something feral.
“Do you have a death wish? Drive carefully, you idiot!”
“I-I’m sorry!”
The beastly growl in Jibeom’s voice nearly made Sooha burst into tears as his hands trembled on the wheel.
He had to drive fast, but carefully?
This was no ordinary driving job—it was pure torture.
“Hey, babe”
Jibeom called out to Saewoo with an oddly gentle tone, though Saewoo was too occupied coughing to respond.
It was getting worse—Saewoo could barely react to anything now.
“What the hell… What am I supposed to do?”
Jibeom bit his lip in frustration.
The helplessness of watching Saewoo suffer was driving him mad.
After a brief moment of thought, Jibeom shot a glance at Sooha.
“Hey.”
“Y-Yes, sir?”
“Hold your breath.”
“Huh…?”
Before Sooha could question him, Jibeom tightened his grip around Saewoo and began releasing his pheromones.
“Gasp!”
Sooha flinched, hastily clamping his hand over his nose.
The scent wasn’t just for marking—it was powerful, like a predator paralyzing prey before devouring it.
“Haa…!”
The instant the pheromones hit him, Saewoo’s coughing ceased.
His eyes widened in fear, pupils dilating as if staring down a predator.
Jibeom cupped Saewoo’s pale cheek with his hand.
“Look at me. You’re okay.”
Jibeom’s voice was soothing, but the oppressive weight of his pheromones said otherwise.
Saewoo trembled uncontrollably, trapped between terror and submission.
Jibeom sighed, his breath steady as he inhaled and exhaled slowly in front of Saewoo.
“Follow my breathing.”
Terrified that not doing so might actually kill him, Saewoo mimicked Jibeom’s breathing.
“Good boy.”
Jibeom praised him, but tears spilled down Saewoo’s face.
“Why are you crying?”
Without waiting for an answer, Jibeom leaned in and licked the corner of Saewoo’s eye, making his long lashes quiver.
He let out a slow breath, watching Saewoo shiver beneath him.
“I told you, I’m not going to eat you.”
Despite his words, Jibeom buried his nose into Saewoo’s neck and inhaled deeply.
The scent was intoxicating—irresistible.
“We’ve… arrived!”
With a shuddering breath, Sooha announced their arrival, his body drenched in sweat.
The moment the car stopped, Jibeom threw the door open and carried Saewoo out, charging through the entrance and up to the fourth floor of the building.
He paused briefly, catching his breath.
“…Are you okay?”
Jibeom checked on Saewoo, his mind filled with nothing but concern.
Thankfully, Saewoo’s expression had relaxed; without the suffocating pheromones, he was slowly regaining composure.
“We’re at your place now.”
“My… home?”
Saewoo blinked, finally coming back to his senses.
Though still cradled in Jibeom’s arms, he recognized that they were in a different location now.
‘At least the front door is properly shut…’
Relieved that his earlier worry had been unnecessary, Saewoo let out a small sigh.
“What’s your door code?”
“…”
Saewoo pursed his lips, reluctant to answer.
“Fine. I won’t look.”
Picking up on Saewoo’s hesitation, Jibeom held him close to the keypad and turned his head away.
Saewoo cautiously entered the code, glancing at Jibeom to ensure he wasn’t peeking.
Beep. Beep-beep. Click.
The door unlocked, and Jibeom pushed it open.
“…Ah.”
The inside of the apartment looked the same as it had that morning—a chaotic mess, but nothing was damaged or missing.
Still, the realization that they had returned so soon left Saewoo feeling strangely hollow.
Meanwhile, Jibeom carried Saewoo to the mattress and sat him down before rummaging through the shelves.
“What are you doing…?”
“Where’s the medicine?”
Jibeom’s tone was brisk as he searched the bathroom shelves next.
Saewoo suddenly remembered the reason for their rush back home.
“My… bag. Over there…”
“Here?”
Saewoo pointed toward the large canvas bag tossed carelessly on the sofa.
Jibeom dug through it and pulled out a packet of pills.
“These?”
“Yes.”
Without delay, Jibeom grabbed a water bottle from the kitchen island and handed both to Saewoo, who eagerly tore open the packet.
He emptied the pills—at least eight of them—into his palm.
“You’re seriously taking all of those?”
Jibeom raised an eyebrow in disbelief.
Saewoo nodded nonchalantly, popping the pills into his mouth and downing them with gulps of water.
“Finally…”
Relief washed over Saewoo’s face as the medicine took effect.
“Feeling better now?”
“Yes. It’s just my midday dose… I missed it earlier, so it got bad, but I’m fine now.”
“You take that every day?”
“Yeah.”
Saewoo’s expression was casual, as if it were no big deal.
‘Every day… He has to take that many pills…?’
Jibeom stared at Saewoo in silence, his eyes scanning the room.
He hadn’t noticed earlier, but now the disarray stood out—an unopened mattress, unpacked boxes, and clutter everywhere.
It was as if no one had lived here for more than a day, despite the signs of a recent move.
“Why…?”
Saewoo’s uneasy gaze snapped to Jibeom, unnerved by his sudden quiet.
“…Nothing. Just rest.”
Jibeom stood up abruptly, surprising Saewoo, who clenched his fists.
This was the same unpredictable guy who had acted like a madman earlier—so why was he behaving so calmly now?
‘Is he really going to leave…?’
Saewoo’s eyes followed Jibeom anxiously as he headed toward the front door.
But just as he feared, Jibeom stopped in his tracks.
Saewoo’s hand inched toward the broken lamp he had used as a weapon earlier.
But before he could grab it, Jibeom turned and caught his gaze.
“By the way, what did you say your name was again?”
The shameless grin on Jibeom’s face left Saewoo completely dumbfounded.
“What? A black panther therianthrope?!”
That evening, Saewoo tidied up his place after Jibeom had left and gave Jinho a call.
Since he had abruptly run out earlier, he thought it best to explain what had happened so far to avoid worrying his friend.
“Wait, forget that… How did a wild beast even end up there?”
Jinho was puzzled, focusing more on the encounter with the beast.
Saewoo, too, found it bizarre since dangerous therianthropes were usually kept under strict management, far from residential areas.
“…From what I hear, this seems like a serious misunderstanding. This isn’t something you can resolve with words alone. I’ll ask Mr. Taekwon for help. What’s the name of the therianthrope again?”
“Ah… You don’t have to go that far…”
Saewoo hesitated, trying to avoid getting further entangled with the protagonist couple, a consequence of the original plot.
“What are you saying? A friend’s in trouble—this is exactly when I should step in! Don’t worry about it.”
“Jinho…”
At Jinho’s firm response, Saewoo felt a twinge of emotion ripple through his heart.
After all, the main couple already had their happy ending, so it couldn’t hurt to borrow a bit of help now, right?
“His name… is Yoon Jibeom.”
“Yoon Jibeom? Hmm… I feel like I’ve heard that name somewhere. Okay, I’ll check into it and get back to you. For tonight, make sure you lock your doors tight!”
“Got it. Thanks.”
After hanging up, Saewoo let out a small sigh.
When he signed the lease, he had hoped for a peaceful life.
But things were already feeling off on the very first day.
“Whatever, let’s just call it bad luck and move on.”
Ding-dong.
The doorbell rang.
Startled, Saewoo flinched, his heart pounding.
Was Jibeom back already?
He hesitated, unsure if he should open the door.
The doorbell rang again, this time more insistently.
With no other choice, Saewoo shuffled to the intercom.
“…Who could it be?”
On the screen, unfamiliar therianthropes were peering directly into the camera.
* * *
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Beloved Person
I’m glad he has a good relationship with the og mc