Predator Alert chapter 5

“Everyone, you did well on the test today. Remember, it’s just a practice exam, so don’t be too disheartened.”

Normally, the students would have rushed out of the classroom, but today, most of them remained.

They were all staying to grade their practice exam papers.

Rubbing his eyes, Jeongseo began heading toward the door, not caring about the test.

He glanced over at his seat, but it was empty—he must have already left.

Come to think of it, Pyo Yoontae had seemed unexpectedly diligent in answering the questions.

Being the son of a major company’s CEO, maybe he was good at studying.

These thoughts crossed his mind as he reached the shoe rack, which was more crowded than usual.

Jeongseo bent down to take out his shoes, glancing around.

‘Was it always this crowded here?’

There were unfamiliar faces standing awkwardly near the entrance, possibly students from other grades.

He wondered if there was some kind of event going on.

Just as he was about to leave the shoe rack area, he heard a voice.

“Yoontae! Are you heading straight home after this?”

Jeongseo’s head turned in the direction of the voice as soon as he heard his name.

Then, he realized why there were so many people gathered here.

Everyone was glancing at Pyo Yoontae.

Even a girl from the same grade, rumored to be quite pretty, was speaking to him in a friendly manner.

He had soft, wavy hair and was smiling brightly as they chatted.

Just a few days ago, he and he had been in similar situations.

But now, the rapidly changing circumstances left Jeongseo silent.

He didn’t know what had happened, but one thing was clear—Pyo Yoontae now had plenty of people to talk to, aside from him.

Other students, sensing that he was open to their attention, began to approach him cautiously.

Jeongseo watched this scene blankly.

A strange feeling of discomfort pressed down on his chest, making his feel uneasy.

As he tried to figure out what this unfamiliar emotion was, he accidentally locked eyes with Pyo Yoontae.

His expressionless face slowly curled into a smile.

At that moment, he felt an embarrassing gap between his solitary self and the Pyo Yoontae surrounded by people.

This had never happened to his before.

Jeongseo quickly turned his head and hurried out of the shoe rack area.

He definitely didn’t like Pyo Yoontae. Now that he had plenty of friends, he probably wouldn’t talk to his anymore.

“Who’d be jealous of that?”

Anyway, all the kids at school were rotten.

Jeongseo stomped his feet as he exited the school gates.

“Ah!”

A sudden force nearly knocked his off balance, and his shoulder felt heavy.

At the same time, a dense, cold scent filled his lungs.

Startled, Jeongseo’s tail instinctively burst out, his entire body bristling.

“What are you doing after school, Jeongseo?”

A low, resonant voice tickled his ears. It was Pyo Yoontae.

The boy who had just been at the shoe rack was now draping his arm over his shoulder.

Jeongseo shouted in surprise.

“You almost made me fall!”

“Did I? Where are you going now?”

Seeing him walk beside his so casually, Jeongseo frowned in discomfort.

“I’m going home.”

“But Jeongseo, your tail’s out again.”

Before he could react, he felt his hand cover the base of his tail, making his jump.

His face flushed all the way down to his neck as he frantically covered the torn spot on his pants with both hands.

As the distance between them grew, the wintery scent began to fade. Jeongseo scrunched his nose and yelled.

“It’s your fault! Why did you sneak up on me like that? And are you crazy? Don’t touch me!”

She was mortified, worried that his underwear might show, but Pyo Yoontae was laughing as if he found it all amusing.

“You’re still such a baby.”

“Stop being annoying, seriously.”

Trying to tuck his tail back in, Jeongseo realized that doing so might make the tear more visible, so he just kept his hands over it as he walked.

It was fine since he was heading home anyway, but Pyo Yoontae was the problem.

Afraid he might say something embarrassing again, Jeongseo walked with cautious, narrowed eyes, constantly on guard.

Despite this, he didn’t distance himself too much, so Pyo Yoontae playfully flicked his brown ear. It twitched in response.

“Didn’t your parents teach you to hide your tail and ears?”

Contrary to his expectations, Jeongseo didn’t snap back, but just glared at him sulkily.

“My mom and grandma are human, so they couldn’t teach me.”

His expression showed irritation, but his voice remained calm.

“…Human?”

“Yeah, I don’t remember, but I guess I was left alone in the snowy mountains as a baby. My grandma found me and took me in, afraid I’d freeze to death.”

‘That’s why I never learned how to hide them properly. ‘

Caught off guard by the weight of his past, Pyo Yoontae found himself at a loss for words.

His yellow eyes wavered slightly as he glanced at him, then he tilted his chin up.

“But now that I can hide one, I’ll soon be able to hide both. It’s not that I didn’t learn, and I’m not a baby.”

His bold, sparkling brown eyes left Pyo Yoontae silent for a moment.

His gaze lingered on his ears perched atop his head, and the tail swaying with each step. As he watched his quietly, Jeongseo began to feel awkward.

“Well, it’s not that sad of a story. Oh…!”

His large hand gently pinched the tip of his left ear. It didn’t hurt, but he tried to brush him off, thinking he was teasing his again.

“Instead of thinking about hiding your ears and tail, it might be easier to think of them as becoming part of your body.”

“…Huh?”

“Think of your ears as becoming part of your hair and your tail as…”

Pyo Yoontae’s hand touched the base of his tail, then lightly trailed down to his lower back.

Even through his clothes, the touch made him shiver.

“…As part of the flesh here.”

Dropping his hand, Pyo Yoontae looked directly at him.

“It’ll be easier if you think of it like that.”

“Oh… I see.”

Jeongseo hadn’t expected him to explain it so kindly.

He’s mean and a bit of a pervert, but maybe he’s not all bad.

Jeongseo gazed up at him with a new perspective. No one had ever told his this before.

While some had teased his by pulling his tail, no one had ever helped his like this.

All the wariness he had felt earlier disappeared, leaving only pure and clear eyes.

Feeling a bit overwhelmed by his gaze, Pyo Yoontae tried to look away, but Jeongseo quickly smiled and lifted the corners of his mouth.

“You’re actually a pretty nice guy. Thanks! I’ll give it a try like you said!”

Pyo Yoontae suddenly felt like he couldn’t breathe, his chest tightening with an unfamiliar, tingling sensation.

He found it so strange that he covered Jeongseo’s face with his hand.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

“Stop smiling, Jeongseo. You’re making me like you.”

Damn it, what’s with that smile?

He cursed inwardly. Unlike himself, he felt an unexplainable heat rising.

Feeling like his face was distorting weirdly, Pyo Yoontae squeezed his face even tighter.

“Take it back! You’re not a nice guy! Take your hand off my face right now! Hey!”

Jeongseo’s small face was completely covered by his hand, and he struggled to shake him off with his tiny hands. But he only let go after the warmth that had engulfed him subsided.

As a red handprint appeared on his pale face, Jeongseo glared at him with genuine anger. Pyo Yoontae, as always, looked down at his with a subtle, condescending gaze.

“Of course, you’re like that!”

Jeongseo shouted, storming off in a huff. his tail was wildly swishing back and forth.

°❀•°❀°•❀°

Jeongseo stood in front of the mirror, dressed in comfortable clothes. He squeezed his eyes shut and muttered to himself.

“Ears become hair, tail becomes hips. Ears become hair, tail becomes hips.”

As Jeongseo groaned and his body began to curl up, he suddenly opened his eyes wide, straightening up as well. But contrary to his hopeful expression, his ears and tail remained firmly in place.

“It’s not working…”

He tapped the tip of his ears with his fingers, and then eventually flopped down onto the bed. It seemed like it wasn’t easy after not tucking away his ears and tail for such a long time.

Looking back, until he entered high school, Jeongseo spent more than half his days in his true form.

When his grandmother went to the field, he would turn into a weasel and follow, helping his grandmother by enthusiastically digging the earth whenever he planted seedlings.

Weasels have slender, long bodies that are excellent for burrowing, so his grandmother was very pleased.

“Those were good times…”

After his grandmother passed away two years ago, his mother and brother occasionally came by to take care of him, but the sense of loneliness was something he couldn’t escape.

Feeling a sudden sting in his nose, Jeongseo curled up again, and when he stretched out once more, he had turned into a small weasel.

He rubbed his small brown body against the soft blanket, scratching his itchy ears with his hind leg.

‘Maybe I should go for a night walk since it’s been a while.’

It was still a bit chilly at night, but he felt like going out. In his weasel form, Jeongseo darted out into the yard and headed towards the mountain.

The night mountain could be dangerous, but for someone as agile and equipped with sharp teeth and claws as himself, it posed no real threat!

°❀•°❀°•❀°

The weasel trembled on the branch of a tree.

‘Go away!’

Below the tree, a dog almost as big as a wolf was growling at him menacingly.