I may be a sick Sparrow, but I am still the Landlord chapter 18

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“Hello, Saewoo?”

Although he was unfamiliar, the man knew Saewoo’s name.

“Who… are…?”

“I’m Song Hoyoon. Nice to meet you.”

“Oh, I’m… Baek Saewoo.”

Hoyoon, smiling warmly, reached out to shake Saewoo’s hand, who awkwardly introduced himself in return, still feeling bewildered.

‘Jinho said the person he introduced would be thirty minutes late… Or did I misunderstand?’

Saewoo hadn’t even checked the contact information Jinho sent.

But judging by the scent alone, this person definitely gave off the air of a predator.

“You’re surprised because I’m a predator?”

Hoyoon, reading Saewoo’s thoughts, stepped closer, his smile unfaltering.

“Yes… Jinho didn’t mention that….”

More than anything, hadn’t Jinho warned him to avoid predators around his neighborhood?

If he intended to introduce a predator, Jinho would’ve at least given a heads-up.

This made Saewoo even more wary.

‘If he’s a predator, which type…?’

He could rule out species like the weasel or lynx.

Based on his appearance and scent, that much was clear.

Beyond that, however, Saewoo had no idea.

He hadn’t encountered many predators, so identifying them by scent alone was a challenge.

“Don’t worry; I’m a vegetarian. I won’t eat you.”

“……”

[I told you, I won’t eat you.]

Saewoo suddenly remembered Jibeom saying the same thing.

Was it a habit for predators to say such things?

Now that he thought about it, Hoyoon even had a similar scent to Jibeom.

Sniff sniff.

Without realizing it, Saewoo widened his nostrils to catch the scent.

“Pffft… Saewoo, no need to sniff so obviously. Judging by your reaction, am I the first predator you’ve met?”

“Yes, I mean… yeah….”

Hoyoon grinned, tucking his fine hair behind his ear, which only added to his refined, almost breathtaking presence.

“Care to guess what kind of predator I am?”

“Uh….”

Hoyoon gave him a bright smile, locking eyes with him.

Saewoo, feeling flustered, gulped. He never expected such direct flirting outside of Jibeom.

Perhaps it was a predator trait.

“Uh… are you, by any chance, a fox?”

“A fox?”

“Yes, I mean, a polar fox. Your hair is so white….”

Saewoo had never seen a polar fox beastmen before.

In fact, there were many beastmen species he hadn’t met.

Online, he’d read about various types and just assumed they all lived somewhere.

“Well, I do live up north… but I’ve never heard of a polar fox. And no, I’m not a fox. I don’t have anything in common with those… promiscuous types.”

“……”

For someone saying that, Hoyoon had a rather sultry smile.

It wasn’t just Saewoo who thought so; nearby beastmen all turned to glance at him as they passed.

Hoyoon’s appearance was striking.

“Can’t think of any other guesses?”

“Um… well….”

What other white-furred predators were there?

Saewoo tried to think, but his mind was blank, filled only with images of white rabbits or cats.

“Hmm….”

Watching Saewoo earnestly try to guess, Hoyoon inspected him closely, his sharp gaze trailing over his features.

‘He’s got that cute, clueless look. I really want a closer look at his face….’

Hoyoon suddenly reached out, perhaps finding the red hat obstructive.

“Saewoo, you know this hat doesn’t suit you, right?”

“Huh? Oh…!”

Hoyoon swiftly snatched the hat from Saewoo’s head.

“Wait, no…! Ah!”

Just as Saewoo reached for his hat, a large hand seized it and pressed it firmly onto Saewoo’s head again.

“Ugh…!”

Hoyoon’s strength was enough to crumple him slightly in place.

“Keep your hands off.”

A familiar, ominous voice came from above.

Saewoo didn’t need to look up to know.

It was Jibeom, glaring at Hoyoon with an unmistakable fury.

“Finally decided to show up, huh?”

“Scram.”

A sharp sound of teeth grinding echoed in the air, carrying a predator’s pheromones.

Just that alone made Saewoo’s legs give out, causing him to collapse to the ground with a thud.

“Uh, ugh….”

“For heaven’s sake, come here.”

“Eek…!”

Jibeom lifted Saewoo up by his waist with one hand, holding him securely by his side, like someone scooping up a pet dog.

Saewoo’s face flushed bright red in embarrassment at such an awkward scene.

“You really spoil him, don’t you? Saewoo must be lucky.”

From earlier, Hoyoon had been acting as if he were an old acquaintance of Jibeom, swaggering around with an air of familiarity.

Meanwhile, Jibeom seemed deeply irritated by this, exuding a predator’s pheromones left and right.

Although they would mostly affect prey animals rather than other predators, he was clearly furious.

“Oh, I should get going. It was fun. See you again, Saewoo.”

Quick to sense the tension, Hoyoon winked and made a hasty exit, his long, white tail swaying beneath the edge of his coat.

“Wait, is that… a white tiger?”

“No.”

As Saewoo murmured in shock, Jibeom firmly corrected him and helped him sit on the edge of the fountain.

“He’s a white leopard.”

“A white… leopard?!”

Saewoo’s surprise was clear.

He had assumed the article he read referring to a ‘white leopard’ had been a typo, but apparently not.

But then, that means…

Beep!

Lost in thought about the mysterious relationship between the two beastmen, Saewoo was interrupted when security guards began running toward them, blowing whistles.

“Hey, step back! We got a report of an assault by a predator!”

As the surrounding beastmen retreated, the guards pointed their batons at Saewoo and Jibeom.

“Oh, for heaven’s sake. They think I attacked someone?”

Annoyed, Jibeom grabbed Saewoo by the shoulder.

“This is why I can’t stand leaving without marking my scent.”

“Scent…? Wait, what– mmph…!”

It all happened in an instant. Jibeom tilted his head, pressing his lips against Saewoo’s slightly parted mouth, and without hesitation, slipped his tongue inside.

His slick tongue explored Saewoo’s mouth, brushing over the roof of his mouth before Saewoo even had a chance to pull away.

“Ngh…!”

Chills ran up Saewoo’s spine, and he instinctively clenched Jibeom’s collar, his trembling fingers turning a faint pink.

“Uh… um… excuse me?”

The security guards, who had rushed over, froze in shock at the unexpected sight of them kissing.

They stopped in their tracks, casting awkward glances at one another.

“So… this isn’t an assault?”

“Y-yes, it appears not. Ahem.”

One of the guards coughed, blushing as he waved his baton, unsure of what to say.

They had responded to a report, but with no sign of the kiss ending, they decided it might be best to move along.

“Uh… let’s… just… leave…”

“Right. Let’s… leave them be.”

As curious onlookers began to gather around, wondering what was going on, the guards couldn’t handle the pressure and quickly withdrew.

“Hah… Haaah…!”

Finally, their lips parted, leaving Saewoo gasping for breath. He exhaled deeply, his face as red as the hat he was wearing.

“Oh… but you held up well. Seems like you’re getting better at this, huh?”

“…”

While Saewoo looked exhausted, Jibeom seemed satisfied, having driven the guards away and left his scent behind.

“What are you looking at? Got a show or something?”

Noticing the nearby beastmen whispering, Jibeom shouted in irritation.

He especially didn’t like how one trembling squirrel beastmen was staring at Saewoo.

Pulling the still-breathless Saewoo firmly into his arms, he glared at the squirrel.

“You gonna stop staring, or what?”

“Uh, um… isn’t… that Baek Saewoo…?”

“What? And who the hell are you?”

At the mention of Saewoo’s name, Jibeom looked displeased.

As he glared at the squirrel, Saewoo, finally coming to his senses, feebly tapped Jibeom’s chest.

“That… that’s… someone I… have an arrangement with…”

“What? With this flimsy little rodent…?”

Despite Saewoo’s clarification, Jibeom’s golden eyes gleamed fiercely, making the squirrel tremble and faint on the spot.

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