* * *
Sweating nervously, Saewoo froze in place, cold sweat dripping as he faced Jibeom’s intense stare.
“Pi… pii…”
“Trying to get out through the window, were you?”
“Piii…”
“And now you’re asking for help?”
“Pi…”
“What if I say no?”
“…”
Jibeom’s tone was cold each time Saewoo tried to explain himself, though he didn’t look particularly furious.
In any case, Saewoo had no good excuse; it was obvious he’d been trying to escape.
But what was up with the adhesive-covered transparent film on the window?
Did they actually anticipate he’d try to fly away and set up a trap?
“You’re totally caught. I put tape on the window just in case.”
“Pi?!”
It was true. Saewoo’s eyes widened, his wings fluttering in tiny protest.
“So, why were you trying to run away? Huh?”
Jibeom raised his lip in a slow smirk.
Saewoo knew Jibeom was a twisted piece of work, but not to this degree.
Saewoo squawked in frustration, protesting loudly.
“What are you crying about?”
“Piii! Piiiiiiii!”
“Keep that up, and I won’t pull you free.”
“Pi…”
At Jibeom’s words, Saewoo went quiet, giving a pitiful chirp.
His crown and feet were stuck tightly, and he was terrified his feathers might pull out.
He really just wanted to get free.
Besides, he understood by now that whining in front of Jibeom wouldn’t do him any good.
“Hold still, so you don’t get hurt.”
“Pi…”
Jibeom moved closer, gently gripping Saewoo’s body.
His hold wasn’t tight, but wrapping his hands entirely around Saewoo’s small form made Saewoo tense up.
Thunk.
“Piii!”
Luckily, his feet came off easily since his talons hadn’t stuck too hard to the adhesive.
But the crown of his head was another story.
“What’s this stuff made of? Why is it so… stubborn…”
Even with Jibeom pulling, the adhesive didn’t budge, and pulling any harder risked ripping out all of Saewoo’s feathers.
“Piiiii…”
Saewoo whimpered in pain, fighting back tears as his head throbbed.
He had no choice but to endure.
But was enduring all he could do?
Even Jibeom seemed surprised at the tape’s resistance.
“I told one of the guys to tape it, but maybe he thought it was to block bugs. Then why didn’t he tape it the other way… sigh…”
Jibeom sighed.
The tape wasn’t just there to keep Saewoo from flying away.
Earlier, while Saewoo had been unconscious, Jibeom had asked one of his men to cover the window with tape in case Saewoo tried to escape.
He hadn’t expected this kind of misunderstanding since he hadn’t given any additional instructions.
Rip.
“Piiiii!”
In the meantime, Jibeom carefully adjusted his strength to pull Saewoo free.
“Piiii! Piiii!”
(It hurts! I said it hurts!)
As the pain in his head grew unbearable, Saewoo let out a louder cry, spraying Jibeom’s face with tears.
“Ugh, I’m being as gentle as I can. Bear with it a little…”
If Saewoo were bigger, freeing him wouldn’t be nearly this hard.
“Okay, it’s coming… off…”
Thunk…!
“Piii!”
In a split second, he was finally freed from the adhesive.
His head and body were intact, and he looked fine.
But just as Jibeom felt relieved, he froze, noticing something.
“Uh…”
Jibeom fell silent, unable to speak.
“Pi?”
(What… is it?)
Saewoo’s eyes were puzzled, trying to read Jibeom’s expression.
His head hurt a little, but he felt okay.
“Pi-pip.”
He pecked at Jibeom’s fingers, telling him to let go. Instead of releasing him, Jibeom moved to the wall mirror, holding Saewoo up to it.
“Pi…?”
(Huh…?)
Jibeom stifled a laugh as he extended his arm so Saewoo could see himself in the mirror.
Saewoo froze, staring at his reflection.
His usual gorgeous, vibrant red feathers were replaced by a glaring white, bald patch on his head.
It was… a bald spot.
“Pi… pii…!”
(A b-bald spot…!)
Realizing what had happened, Saewoo squawked loudly.
The adhesive had pulled out all his feathers from the crown of his head.
“Hahaha!”
Jibeom burst into laughter, showing all his teeth as his shoulders shook.
Meanwhile, Saewoo stared, frozen in shock, his beak slightly open, eyes wet with unshed tears.
Saewoo could hardly believe it. He’d lost his beautiful feathers in one go.
The whole situation felt surreal.
Sinking down, Saewoo collapsed onto Jibeom’s palm, exhausted.
To an outsider, it might look like he was just taking a break, but he was utterly defeated.
He sat there, staring at his reflection in the wall mirror, until tears started to fall.
“Pi… pii…”
This wasn’t like his earlier loud wails of pain.
Now, he was softly crying with a sorrowful look in his eyes. Jibeom finally noticed.
“What, are you… crying?”
He looked at Saewoo, confused.
“Pii… pii… hiii… hic…”
But Saewoo kept crying, his chest feathers damp with tears.
Jibeom, visibly flustered, hadn’t expected this much emotion.
“Why… are you crying over this?”
“Pik…!”
Saewoo shot him a tearful glare. His puffy eyes and downcast look made him look pitifully adorable.
“It’ll grow back, you know…”
When Jibeom said it so casually, Saewoo turned his head away in defiance.
“…Babe?”
“…”
“Are you… sulking?”
“…”
Every time Jibeom tried to make eye contact, Saewoo turned away, making it clear he was upset.
Jibeom held back a chuckle, trying to keep his composure.
“You know, that shiny spot is kinda cute… oof.”
Saewoo didn’t let him finish, biting down on Jibeom’s finger.
He wasn’t trying to hurt him, but he certainly wasn’t holding back.
“That hurts.”
“Pi-pi-pip!”
(Serves you right!)
“Oh? Not as bad as what you went through? Alright, alright, no broken bones or anything, right?”
“Pii! Piii! Pik-pik!”
Saewoo, irritated by Jibeom’s blunt remark, pecked his hand fiercely with his beak.
However, being smaller and weaker than even a fingernail, his peck left no trace, disappearing as quickly as it landed.
Watching quietly, Jibeom sighed and said:
“…Enough. Change back to your human form. Let’s have a warm cup of tea and talk.”
Drip, drip…
“Peep… peep…”
But it backfired.
Saewoo had no intention of returning to his half-human form, and tears continued to stream down his face.
He couldn’t bear to see himself with a patch of missing feathers in his human form, which would be far more shocking.
‘I’m only in my twenties, and I don’t want to see myself with this big patch missing…!’
While as a sparrow, it was just a missing patch, in his human form, it would probably look as glaring as a bald spot.
Just the thought horrified him, and he resented that black panther shifter all the more.
“You’re so prickly. …Here, try wearing this.”
Unable to bear watching Saewoo cry any longer, Jibeom sighed and reached for something.
“…?”
Click.
He placed a bottle cap from a drink on Saewoo’s tiny sparrow head.
The red plastic cap fit snugly, perfectly covering the patch.
* * *
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Hhhhhhhh cute
Now I know why he was wearing a bottle cap