I may be a sick Sparrow, but I am still the Landlord Chapter 20

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“Ha… I feel a bit better after eating.”

Saewo was walking out of a third-floor tempura restaurant, having eaten more than usual.

He trailed closely behind Jibeom, who was casually chewing on a toothpick.

“Next time, I’ll pay.”

Saewoo, who had grabbed Jibeom’s collar, spoke after Jibeom had paid for their meal again.

Jibeom glanced back slightly, raising an eyebrow.

“No, don’t worry about it…”

“…?”

“Just start talking informally with me.”

“Huh? Oh…”

Although they’d known from their first meeting that they were the same age, Saewoo found it difficult to speak informally to Jibeom.

Seeing Saewo’s slightly troubled expression, Jibeom tapped the brim of Saewo’s hat.

“Then start with the way you address me.”

“…”

Under Jibeom’s expectant gaze, Saewoo averted his eyes.

“What’s with that? You were fine saying ‘Mr. Jibeom’ earlier, weren’t you?”

‘Oh no… he actually heard that…’

Since Jibeom hadn’t actually been asleep, of course he’d heard it.

Now embarrassed by what he’d said earlier, Saewo’s cheeks turned slightly red.

“What? Did you say something?”

“Huh?”

“Didn’t you just say something? I didn’t catch it. Say it again. What was it? Huh?”

“…”

Although he hadn’t said anything, Jibeom acted oblivious.

Eager to get a response from Saewoo, he leaned in close.

Since people were watching, Saewoo finally pulled Jibeom’s earlobe close and whispered.

“Mr. Jibeom.”

“…Damn.”

“Huh? Wait, why are you swearing all of a sudden… Oh! Mm…!”

Just as Saewoo had obliged and called him “Mr. Jibeom,” Jibeom cursed and then abruptly wrapped his arms around Saewo’s waist, pressing their lips together.

Saewoo, startled, grabbed Jibeom’s arm and tried to push him away, but Jibeom didn’t budge.

Surprisingly, it was Jibeom who pulled away first.

“Ugh, this hat’s in the way.”

“Put me down…!”

“Hold onto your hat. It’s going to fall off.”

“Ugh…”

Aware of what was under the hat, Jibeom’s words were almost like a threat, so Saewoo reluctantly held onto his hat with his resisting hands.

Peck.

Expecting another intense kiss, Saewoo shut his eyes tightly, but instead, Jibeom’s soft lips just brushed the tip of his nose.

“You’re adorable, you know that?”

Peck, peck.

Jibeom planted a few more light kisses on Saewo’s cheek and lips before grinning widely.

“Yeah, call me Mr. Jibeom for now, then eventually ‘Jibeom,’ ‘darling,’ or even ‘honey.’ Isn’t that right, babe?”

‘What… Honey? No way… why would I be the one to call him that…?!’

Though he couldn’t bring himself to say it out loud, Saewoo’s face turned red with embarrassment.

As usual, Jibeom was completely shameless.

It seemed best to just play along and wait for the right moment to make a quiet escape.

But before that, Saewoo had one question.

“Uh… Mr. Jibeom.”

“Yeah, babe? What’s up?”

Saewoo, having given up on getting down, lowered his head and spoke quietly.

“The white leopard person we met earlier… who are they? They seemed to know me…”

Jibeom stopped in his tracks.

As expected, it was a sensitive question.

Saewo felt a bit guilty toward Jibeom.

After all, his involvement had caused the original storyline to change entirely, and he felt somewhat responsible for the consequences.

Though Jibeom’s life was more stable than in the original story, leading toward a hopeful ending…

[Wow, he’s treating you with such care. You’re lucky, Saewo.]

Hoyoon’s gaze on Saewoo had been unsettling.

When Hoyoon had mentioned seeing him again, it didn’t sound like an empty promise.

Saewoo wanted to learn about the relationship between Jibeom and Hoyoon and prepare for anything that might come.

“Hm… so, you’re more interested in him than in me, huh?”

Once again, Jibeom twisted Saewo’s words to suit himself.

“No, that’s not what I meant…”

As Jibeom resumed walking, Saewoo grabbed his collar again.

The sounds around them gradually faded, suggesting they’d moved to a quieter part of the area, away from the others.

They stopped near the end of a department store hallway, by a large vending machine.

Jibeom set Saewoo down and dusted off his jacket.

“He’s someone I used to work with. Total creep and a jerk.”

“You mean… you?”

“What?”

“Oh, no, nothing.”

It might’ve been a hasty response, but Saewoo couldn’t help thinking it.

‘Isn’t that… exactly like him?’

If he had said the same to Hoyoon, he’d probably have gotten “Jibeom” as the answer, too.

Clunk.

Meanwhile, Jibeom pulled a bottle of water from the vending machine.

Seeing Saewo’s questioning look, Jibeom raised an eyebrow.

“If you need to take medicine, you’ll need water, right? You brought your medicine, didn’t you?”

“Medicine?”

“You said you take it after lunch. …Did you forget it?”

It wasn’t that he’d forgotten; he hadn’t thought to bring it.

He hadn’t expected to have lunch out with Jibeom and hadn’t brought his medicine along.

“I’ll be fine. I can just take it at home.”

“It’s 30 minutes after meals, though. You should take it on time.”

“It’s okay if it’s not exactly after 30 minutes…”

“What? You should be taking care of yourself!”

Jibeom, seemingly annoyed as if it were his own medicine, opened the bottle.

“Fine, then I’ll drink this.”

“Yes…”

Gulp, gulp. Jibeom drank more than half of the bottle in one go, exhaled deeply, and then placed something in Saewo’s hand.

“What is this?”

“Your cap.”

“…”

It was the cap from the water bottle, not the red one from before but a soft sky-blue one.

Jibeom chuckled, remarking how well it matched Saewoo’s outfit.

Apparently, a bottle cap was Jibeom’s idea of humor.

“I don’t find this funny at all…”

Feeling oddly emotional, Saewoo placed the cap on Jibeom’s shoulder and walked off in the other direction.

“Hey… babe. I was just joking. Where are you going?”

“The restroom.”

“Want me to come with you?”

Ignoring him, Saewoo dashed into the restroom.

Thankfully, there was no sound of footsteps following.

Whoosh.

He quickly finished up and washed his hands.

Just as he looked in the mirror, the stall door behind him opened.

“Oh…”

“We meet again, Saewoo?”

“Why are you… here?”

Hoyoon, whom Saewoo thought had left, suddenly reappeared, leaving him bewildered.

A sense of unease washed over him.

“Oh, I had some unfinished business.”

Hoyoon smiled and locked the restroom door with a loud click, causing Saewoo to second-guess what he’d heard.

“Saewoo, I won’t beat around the bush… just take it the easy way…”

“Ah! Don’t come any closer!”

Beep! As Hoyoon took a step toward Saewoo, he let out a shout, hoping the noise would reach Jibeom outside.

“Whoa, calm down. What do you think I’m going to do?”

Hoyoon looked surprised, but the faint smile on his face gave him the air of a classic villain.

‘Oh no, has this character’s role as the villain finally been activated…?!’

Seeing Hoyoon approach him again, Saewoo, frightened, shouted instinctively.

He froze.

“What did you just say? A… Villain? Are you talking about me?”

As if that word had pressed a button, Hoyoon, clearly angered, shot back with flashing blue eyes.

“…Excuse me?”

“Hah… This is absurd. A villain? Are you calling me a villain?”

“D-Did I say that…? Ha, haha… Is there… something on me? Maybe I got something on me earlier… My goodness, look at me….”

Saewoo, stammering out excuses, took a step back while glancing around.

Fortunately, he spotted a window not too far off.

Smirking, he made a leap for it.

“That’s right! Villain! That’s exactly what someone like you is!”

Saewoo shouted defiantly at the dumbfounded Hoyoon as he flung the window open.

He took a few quick swipes at the air, wary that tape might be stuck there, before transforming into a small sparrow.

Poof!

“Where do you think you’re going?”

At that moment, Hoyoon pulled out a pop-up net from his pocket and hurled it with precision.

“Tweet?!”

The startled sparrow flapped its wings frantically, trying to change direction—

But it was too late.

With a swift motion, the large net fell over the sparrow’s head, trapping it.

“Tweet, tweeeeeet…!”

(W-What is this…?!)

Thud…!

Falling to the ground with the net around him, the sparrow let out a long, pitiful cry.

He flapped and struggled, but escaping on his own was impossible.

In the meantime, Hoyoon casually approached and, with ease, lifted Saewoo out from the net.

“Tweet, tweeeeeet!”

“Saewoo, that’s why I told you to listen when I was being nice….”

Hoyoon began to speak, flashing a sly smile at the squirming sparrow in his hands, but then he hesitated, surprised.

“What the… is this?”

“Tweet, tweeeet….”

“A bald spot…?”

Tiny tears welled up in the little bird’s beady eyes.

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