Predator Alert chapter 1

In a small, rural town with little to see beyond a wide river and steep mountains, with a population barely reaching 40,000, a luxurious training center of South Korea’s most famous conglomerate, Heukpyo, was built in Dan-Gang County.

Heukpyo (Black Panther) Corporation, as the name suggests, is a conglomerate led by a family of black panther shapeshifters.

Some criticized the company’s name for its lack of creativity, but most found the straightforward and intuitive name easy to remember.

Jeongseo thought so too. “Heukpyo” was such a cool and stylish name—like a true predator.

Jeongseo watched the construction site, where building was in full swing, from a distance.

In the sweltering summer heat, his brown hair lay flat, and his ears drooped. Sucking on a soda-flavored popsicle, Jeongseo wiped the sweat from his forehead and quickly ran to the bus stop.

The bus that would take him home was about to arrive. Missing this bus meant waiting another three hours for the next one.

❀❀❀

In the year Jeongseo became a high school sophomore, a transfer student arrived with the completion of the training center.

The newcomer was none other than the son of the Heukpyo Corporation, the company that had built the center.

The transfer student’s name was Pyo Yoontae, and he arrived less than a week after the start of the new term.

At a school with only five classes per grade, Pyo Yoontae’s transfer naturally became a huge topic of interest.

A transfer was rare enough on its own, but the fact that the new student was the heir to a major corporation made it even more noteworthy.

Pyo Yoontae was expected to become instantly popular at Dan-Gang High School.

That is, until he spoke his first words from the teacher’s desk.

At around 190 cm tall, with thick, dark eyebrows and sharp eyes, he said instead of an introduction:

“Predators, don’t talk to me.”

The homeroom teacher, as well as all the students in the class, looked at him with bewildered eyes. But Yoontae seemed completely unfazed by their reactions.

From the back of the class, Jeongseo, with his brown ears perked up, thought to himself, “Well, I guess I can’t talk to him either.”

Among predators, there were those who despised their kind, driven by a subconscious instinct to protect their territory.

They saw other strong beings as potential threats. While it was rare for someone to openly display such disdain, it wasn’t unheard of.

Jeongseo, who had hoped to make a new friend, munched on a cherry tomato from the cup he brought.

The homeroom teacher seemed to want to scold Yoontae, but appeared intimidated by his large frame.

“Y-Yoontae must be shy because it’s his first day. But you can’t say things like that in the future. Yoontae, your seat is… yes, next to Jeongseo.”

With only one empty seat left, next to Jeongseo, it was inevitable that Yoontae would sit there. Jeongseo, rather than being surprised, felt disappointed that he wouldn’t be able to chat with his new desk mate.

He stuffed his cheeks with more cherry tomatoes as Yoontae approached. The closer he got, the bigger he seemed.

As expected from a black panther shapeshifter, even in human form, he was unusually large for a teenager.

With a screech, Yoontae dragged the chair out, carelessly threw his bag on the desk, and sat down.

“Cherry…”

Jeongseo almost spoke to him but quickly shut his mouth. It would be troublesome if a fight broke out. After all, a black panther wasn’t an easy opponent.

But if he fought seriously, Jeongseo was confident he’d win.

“I’ll let it slide.”

Jeongseo turned his head towards the window, finishing the rest of his cherry tomatoes. He had packed more than usual, planning to share them with the new student.

“Hey.”

The voice was as low and rough as his appearance. But who was he calling?

Jeongseo pretended to look out the window, but his small ears, perched on his head, slightly tilted toward Yoontae.

“Why are you pretending not to hear me?”

Exactly. Whoever it was, they should respond quickly. He was curious about the conversation.

“Ouch!”

“Are those ears just for show?”

Suddenly, Jeongseo’s ear was grabbed, sending a sharp pain through him. He turned around, frowning, to find Yoontae glaring at him menacingly.

“What, what are you doing?! Didn’t anyone teach you it’s rude to touch someone’s ears?”

“Let go now!”

Jeongseo tried to pull Yoontae’s hand away from his ear. Not only was the new student afraid of predators, but he also had a terrible personality.

In an instant, Jeongseo’s image of Yoontae plummeted.

“Your ears… you’ve got four of them, but ignoring someone talking to you is polite?”

“You were talking to me?”

Didn’t he just say not to talk to him if you were a predator?

Is it okay if he initiates the conversation?

Jeongseo, wide-eyed, looked up at him, and only then did Yoontae let go of his ear.

“Yes, you. Have you lived here all your life?”

Was this how city people introduced themselves?

Jeongseo, puzzled, nodded. Yoontae narrowed his eyes, as if in thought.

“What’s your name?”

The teacher had just told him to sit next to Jeongseo, so he must have forgotten already.

“My name is Seo Jeongseo.”

Seo Jeongseo. What an annoying surname.

“Alright, Jeongseo. Let’s get along.”

For someone who had just warned predators not to talk to him, Yoontae suddenly smiled warmly.

Could it be that, despite his predator-phobia, he found Jeongseo appealing?

Though intimidating due to his size, Yoontae was actually very handsome.

His eyebrows were thick, but well-shaped, and his nose was sharp.

When someone who looked like a celebrity smiled at you, it was hard to stay mad, so Jeongseo decided to forgive him for grabbing his ear.

“Sure, I’ve lived here a long time, so I know the area well. Ask me if you need anything.”

Jeongseo’s shoulders perked up, and his small ears twitched slightly. Yoontae chuckled at the sight and nodded.

“Thanks.”

“Do you want some cherry tomatoes?”

Jeongseo pushed the cup of cherry tomatoes toward Yoontae.

They were small, misshapen, and looked like leftovers.

Seeing Yoontae hesitating, Jeongseo quickly added, “They’re homegrown, so they’re not the prettiest, but they taste alright. They’re a bit bland, but edible. Don’t feel obliged to eat them, though.”

“I’ll have one.”

Relieved, Jeongseo beamed as Yoontae picked up a cherry tomato.

Maybe Yoontae wasn’t so bad after all.

Perhaps he had been nervous earlier, like the teacher said. After all, Jeongseo also tended to say nonsense when he was nervous.

“Yoontae, I didn’t expect you to talk to me first, but I’m glad you did.”

Jeongseo grinned, and as Yoontae toyed with another cherry tomato, one of his eyebrows twitched.

“You’re not a predator. That’s why it’s okay.”

The smile that had spread across Jeongseo’s face quickly faded.

“But I am a predator.”

Yoontae furrowed his brow and gave Jeongseo another once-over.

Despite his small frame, which was even tiny for a herbivore, and his blunt, tiny ears that weren’t hidden, Jeongseo boldly declared himself a predator.

His face was almost cute, with slightly upturned eyes and small, delicate lips.

If he were to draw it, it would look something like this: (OㅅO). His face was exactly Yoontae’s type.

The tiny mole under his lips even made him want to kiss it.

But how could something so small be a predator?

Yoontae tilted his head, puzzled. He looked serious, not joking, with his brown eyebrows furrowing angrily.

“What kind of predator?”

“I’m a weasel. I can even catch snakes.”

A weasel. Small in size but known for its ferocity, with a reputation for being greedy and cunning.

Finally realizing why Seo Jeongseo was so small, Yoontae dropped his smile.

“Weasels are tiny, after all.”

He tossed the cherry tomato he had been holding back into the cup and turned his head away.

Jeongseo, confused by the sudden change in Yoontae’s demeanor, stared at him.

“Yoontae…”

“Thought you were a rat.”

“What? What did you just say!”

The weasel was furious at the thought of being regarded as a mere rat, despite being a predator.

Even as he shouted angrily, Pyo Yoontae nonchalantly pushed aside the cup of cherry tomatoes with his finger.

“And by the way, those cherry tomatoes taste like crap. You can eat them all yourself.”

The cup tipped over, sending the unattractive cherry tomatoes rolling across the desk.

As furious as the tomatoes were red, Seo Jeongseo shot up from his seat, followed by the sound of tearing fabric.

The students who turned around saw Seo Jeongseo, tail thrashing wildly, furiously shaking his brown tail in agitation.

“I’m a weasel! Rats are my prey!”

A hamster sitting in the front row flinched at the outburst.

A small thing, trying to act like a predator. Pyo Yoontae glanced indifferently at the weasel’s stiff, bristling tail.

He thought to himself, ‘This isn’t even a kid anymore, not even able to hide his tail when he’s excited. How old is he, anyway?’

Convinced that it was no longer worth engaging with him, Pyo Yoontae looked ahead with indifference.

Jeongseo, who had been fuming alone, finally noticed the tear in the back of his pants. He needed to stitch it up before anyone noticed, but the bell rang.

The front door of the classroom opened.

“Seo Jeongseo, what are you doing? Sit down. The bell rang.”

The teacher walked in. Reluctantly, Jeongseo sat back down, but his tail, still bristling, swished angrily through the air until the end of the class.