* * *

“Uh… yes, that’s how it seems. Listening to Saewoo, things sound quite complicated…”

The squirrel beastmen lawyer with large glasses seated before them was visibly still rattled by Jibeom’s intimidating aura, having fainted earlier.

Thankfully, he quickly recovered, and they moved to a café on the first floor.

“From what I can see, there doesn’t appear to be anything significantly wrong with the property contract itself…”

The lawyer examined the contract and related documents Saewoo had brought, looking thoughtful as he muttered. Saewoo only looked more puzzled.

“No issues?”

“Yes, and this clause here—Saewoo, you personally reviewed and stamped it, correct?”

“Which…?”

Saewoo listened intently, though he didn’t fully grasp the technical jargon.

In essence, the lawyer explained that if Saewoo wanted to sue the real estate agent, it would be a long and arduous process.

In short, it would be easier to simply list the property for sale or lease the space to predator beastmen.

“I see…”

Saewoo sighed heavily.

He had suspected as much after his recent visit to the police station, but hearing it confirmed was disheartening.

In the end, Saewoo reluctantly agreed to the lawyer’s suggestions.

“Saewoo, please don’t worry too much. I looked into it, and considering the location, you could sell it off quite easily.”

“Thank you…”

Looking at the lawyer’s kind smile, Saewoo responded with a downcast expression.

Saewoo’s shoulders slumped even further.

His dreams of becoming a property owner had collapsed in less than a week, leaving him deeply disappointed.

Glance.

Saewoo subtly turned to look beside him, where Jibeom sat at the next table with his arms crossed and eyes closed.

He looked so relaxed, Saewoo wondered if he might be asleep.

‘What’s he doing here…?’

In truth, Jibeom’s sudden appearance puzzled Saewoo. It seemed too convenient to be a coincidence.

On top of that, the identity of the white leopard beastmen he had briefly met continued to nag at him.

What was their connection with Jibeom?

From what Saewoo had read, it seemed likely the white leopard had taken over a troubled area from the original storyline.

No matter how much Saewoo intervened, the flow of events had deviated wildly from the original plot.

So, what had Jibeom been doing during that time?

Had he been in a territorial fight and lost to the white leopard, or had he noticed the risks and let it go?

Saewoo’s curiosity about the changes from the original storyline only grew.

“Um… Saewoo? Are you listening?”

“…Yes?”

Caught off guard, Saewoo had been staring intently at Jibeom.

The squirrel lawyer carefully tried to catch his attention.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I was… lost in thought.”

“No worries. It wasn’t anything urgent.”

The lawyer nodded in understanding and glanced briefly at Jibeom.

“Is… is he… sleeping?”

Perhaps still a little shaken by his earlier encounter with Jibeom at the fountain, the squirrel nervously pushed up his large glasses.

Saewoo just shrugged in response.

“So… what is your relationship with him?”

The squirrel seemed to interpret Saewoo’s shrug as confirmation and, glancing nervously toward Jibeom, asked hesitantly.

Saewoo was momentarily stumped, unsure how to explain.

After seeing Jibeom’s scent-marking at the fountain, it was understandable that the squirrel might have misconceptions… but Saewoo himself had no idea what to call their relationship.

“Oh… if it’s difficult to say, don’t feel pressured. I understand. I… don’t usually get along well with cat-type beastmen myself. Especially predators…”

The squirrel swallowed hard, hinting that he might have had a bad experience with cat-type beastmen.

After a moment’s thought, Saewoo decided to respond, carefully choosing his words.

“Mr. Jibeom may be a predator, but… he’s a bit different from others.”

“Really?”

The squirrel beastman’s eyes widened, as if hearing something completely new, at Saewoo’s remark.

“In what way…?”

“Huh?”

Saewoo faltered when asked.

Different?

How was he different?

He couldn’t even remember why he’d said that without thinking.

Besides, he hadn’t even known Jibeom for a week.

Sure, he knew about Jibeom as the villain from the original novel, so it wasn’t as if he was a complete stranger.

‘But in the novel, he was such a flat character….’

Yes, Jibeom fulfilled his role as the “villain” and exited the stage pretty quickly, as an “unwanted element.”

Maybe that’s why it was hard to explain what set him apart.

[…That’s harsh. Am I just a meal ticket to you?]

[Eat your food, and take your meds.]

At that moment, Jibeom’s words echoed in his mind.

That alone seemed like a perfect way to describe Jibeom.

“He’s really attentive about meals.”

“…Huh?”

The squirrel beastman looked puzzled, unsure of what that even meant.

“He’s quite concerned about whether people are eating regularly. Oh, not his own meals—other people’s. Usually, asking ‘Have you eaten?’ is just a polite formality, right? But he… Mr. Jibeom, really makes sure of it. Ah… come to think of it, I haven’t interacted much with other beasts either. Haha.”

Saewoo scratched his reddening cheek, laughing awkwardly as he realized how trivial it sounded—wasn’t that just like any other predator who’d invite someone to a meal?

“I see…”

The squirrel beastman seemed to find the explanation strange, averting his gaze.

“…!”

Then his eyes widened again.

He saw Jibeom silently shaking his shoulders as if holding back laughter, lips pressed together tightly in amusement.

“…Um.”

The squirrel beastman tried to signal to Saewoo that Jibeom was awake, but as soon as his eyes met Jibeom’s, who was glaring from the corner of his eye, he froze completely.

“Anyway, that’s why I find myself making sure to eat properly, too. I mean, are all beasts like this?”

Meanwhile, Saewoo continued recounting Jibeom’s behavior with a serious face, completely lost in thought and unaware of the squirrel beastman’s reaction.

‘Now that I think of it… all the beasts I’ve met so far have claimed to be vegetarians and promised they wouldn’t devour anyone….’

He remembered that, like Jibeom, the building owners—a weasel and a bobcat beastman, as well as a snow leopard beastman he’d just met—had said similar things.

Reflecting on it, he wondered how many times they’d had to reassure people, likely because of prejudice and misunderstandings about predators.

‘A building just for beastmen….’

Saewoo looked at the contract lying on the table, lost in thought.

“All done?”

A voice suddenly cut in, startling Saewoo.

Jibeom’s voice struck him like lightning, and he turned quickly in surprise.

‘Wait, how long has he been awake?’

Though he hadn’t expected Jibeom to be asleep, he’d been so quiet that Saewoo had completely forgotten he was there.

Now sweating, he wondered just how much Jibeom had heard.

“Yes, I… I’m done…!”

The squirrel beastman, sweating even more profusely than Saewoo, quickly stood up.

“Well then, Mr. Saewoo, I’ll follow up later or… something. Next time, maybe with Mr. Jiho… or not. Haha…! Anyway, I’m in a bit of a rush, so…!”

“Huh? Oh, thank you! Take care!”

As if escaping from someone, the squirrel beastman practically fled, looking as though he really did have something urgent to attend to.

“Got it all sorted?”

Jibeom’s gaze followed the departing squirrel beastman, an amused expression lingering on his face.

“Sorted… yes, I think so.”

“Good. Did you eat?”

Though he was the one asking, it sounded like he wasn’t that curious about the answer.

“Not yet…”

“Really?”

Hearing Saewoo’s response, Jibeom’s lips curled into a smile as he held his hand out to him.

“Then let’s go get something to eat.”

‘Ah, as expected… beastmen really love to eat….’

With that simple thought, Saewoo took Jibeom’s hand and rose to his feet.

* * *