* * *
“Ughhh…”
Saewoo’s head was spinning from his vision continually blurring.
Although he’d already thrown up everything inside him and wasn’t nauseous anymore, his body felt utterly drained.
Even with a wild animal right before him, he just couldn’t muster the energy to care.
“…Get a grip on yourself.”
“Ugh… so noisy…”
“…Unbelievable.”
He was aware someone was holding him up with a strong grip, but all Saewoo wanted was to escape from the hands that bound him.
“Your clothes are soaked. Should I take them off?”
“Ugh… take them off? Uh… let go…”
All he wanted was to escape, not to be undressed.
Reaching out, Saewoo touched something firm yet soft, like leather cushioning—warm and pulsating, almost like a high-tech massage device.
“Ugh… I want to rest…”
His face nuzzled against it, eyes still hazy.
Thump, thump.
A strange, loud heartbeat echoed in his ears, as if he’d just finished a rush of exercise.
Despite everything, the sound of that heartbeat alone calmed his body and mind.
“…I’m going crazy.”
While Saewoo was gradually relaxing, Jibeom’s situation was far from the same.
Watching Saewoo sleep peacefully against his chest made his heart pound and sent a heavy sensation down to his core.
“Damn, I thought the rut was over….”
After that night spent with Saewoo, his rut had supposedly ended, meaning there should be no lingering effects.
Yet, being this close, he was easily excited.
Was it because of this beguiling sparrow, or did his body remember those passionate encounters, even if his mind had cleared?
“Just… don’t blame me later.”
Deciding to pin it on the “damn sparrow,” Jibeom muttered a warning to the peacefully sleeping Saewoo in his arms.
“Ugh…”
Blissfully unaware, Saewoo whimpered and curled up further, his trembling body pressing against Jibeom’s skin.
“Cold… so cold…”
“Cold?”
“Yeah…”
It made sense.
After throwing up in front of the annoying predators, Saewoo had fainted, and Jibeom had quickly brought him back to his penthouse.
The smell of filth was bad enough, but with Saewoo shivering constantly, Jibeom figured he should get him cleaned up and went into the bathroom.
Most beast-people would snap out of it once they felt the cold, but bird-people like Saewoo lost energy rapidly when they got chilled.
So, Jibeom figured it’d be better to soak him in warm water to get rid of the cold first.
“Is this temperature okay…?”
He hadn’t bathed anyone before, so, not knowing what to do, he simply dipped his wrist in the tub to check the temperature.
“Need to get in the water….”
Jibeom briefly considered just dumping Saewoo in the tub but changed his mind at the sight of Saewoo nestled in his arms.
Instead, he slid into the tub, holding Saewoo’s plump bottom to support him as he eased them both in.
“Alright…”
Worried that the heat might startle him, Jibeom settled them in slowly.
“Ugh, hot…”
“Is it too hot?”
Unlike the thick-skinned beasts, bird-people like Saewoo were more sensitive to warm water.
Realizing this, Jibeom quickly turned on the cold water.
After a while, Saewoo’s expression softened, and only then did Jibeom sink into the water up to his chest.
“Whew… this is tougher than I thought.”
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Jibeom let out a deep breath.
“Am I crazy… or what…?”
Recalling everything that had happened, Jibeom chuckled bitterly.
It was absurd—he’d lived alone, never caring for anyone but himself.
The idea of doing something like this for someone was laughable.
Even if his few followers or the predators he’d met earlier made fun of him, they wouldn’t be wrong.
“For a measly sparrow-kin….”
Splash.
“…”
Watching Saewoo breathing steadily in the warm water, Jibeom finally came to a conclusion.
“…This is all the sparrow’s fault.”
Just then, he leaned down, pressing his lips to Saewoo’s damp red hair.
“Huh?”
Hearing Saewoo’s confused voice, he lifted his head to see Saewoo staring up at him, his gray eyes wide in contrast to his crimson hair, now seemingly awake.
“What?”
“Oh….”
“Have you suddenly fallen for me?”
Jibeom asked with his usual relaxed expression, and Saewoo, alarmed, glanced around wildly.
“What? Are you thinking of escaping…?”
Poof!
Before Jibeom could finish speaking, Saewoo suddenly transformed into a sparrow.
He didn’t even have time to react.
Splash!
Forgetting his wet wings, the little sparrow promptly fell into the water.
“I told you, I’m not gonna eat you… Baek Saewoo?”
Jibeom expected the little sparrow to flap his wings and ask for help, but there was no response.
Realizing something was wrong, Jibeom quickly straightened up.
“Where are you? Where did you go…!”
Waves rippled across the bathtub as he frantically searched, but the water had turned murky, and finding the sparrow wasn’t easy.
The soapy bubbles just added to the chaos, and panic gripped him at the thought of the tiny creature drowning like a trapped dumpling.
“Damn…!”
Cursing, Jibeom didn’t waste another second, transforming into his black panther form.
Splash!
The massive black panther dove into the bathtub, golden eyes gleaming as he scanned the water for his target.
Thump, thump, thump…
“There…!”
Seeing the little red sparrow wobbling near the drain, the panther opened his jaws and gently scooped him up before standing up.
Swish…
Emerging from the water, the huge black panther carried the sparrow to the edge of the tub, placing him on the nearby shelf, then transformed back into his human form.
“…Hey! Wake up, Baek Saewoo!”
Jibeom called his name, gently rubbing the soaked sparrow.
He was even smaller when wet, so Jibeom handled him with extreme care, tapping his tiny head with his finger, but still no response.
“What… what the hell….”
Panicked, Jibeom brought the sparrow closer to his ear.
He couldn’t hear breathing or a heartbeat.
His chest tightened with fear.
Without a second thought, he grabbed a towel, wrapped Saewoo in it, and ran out of the bathroom.
Thud.
Quickly dialing a number, he yelled into the phone.
“Get over here! Now!”
‘Wow, where am I…?’
Saewoo was wandering through an endless field of flowers.
The vibrant, dazzling colors of the flowers were intensely fragrant.
Among the countless blooms, there were insects everywhere—a large butterfly, bees, dragonflies, ladybugs, and even some plump-looking bugs scurrying around the ground.
‘Is this heaven…?’
Seeing the nutritious insects around, he thought as much.
Though, as a sandpiper beast-person, he didn’t eat insects directly, but things could be different in his bird form.
Somehow, Saewoo had already transformed into a sandpiper.
Flapping his wings, he perched on a vine branch, pecking at some fruit.
By now, he had long forgotten his life as a human and had fully adapted to his life as a sandpiper.
‘Saewoo. Baek Saewoo.’
Then, he heard someone calling his name.
Names didn’t really matter much if he was going to live as a bird, though… Saewoo didn’t respond to the persistent calls at first, but he eventually turned his head.
What he saw wasn’t a person or beast-person but two golden suns shining directly at him.
‘Ah! So bright…!’
Just as Saewoo squinted against the intense light, he realized that it wasn’t the sun in front of him anymore; rather, it was the golden eyes of a predator.
“Baek Saewoo.”
“Hiiik…!”
Seeing Jibeom calling his name in a flat, unfeeling voice, Saewoo let out a shriek and closed his eyes again.
He wasn’t entirely sure what was going on, but he thought he’d play dead for now and, when the opportunity came, escape as a sandpiper…
“Forget about trying to run away as a sandpiper. If you do, I’ll just tie your legs.”
“….”
Jibeom’s voice was a chilling growl, as if he knew exactly what Saewoo was planning.
* * *
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