Predator Alert chapter 2

Pyo Yoontae had a very nasty and unpleasant personality, so much so that his handsome face and sturdy build seemed wasted on him.

It was the fourth day since Pyo Yoontae had transferred schools, and it was clear that he had some sort of phobia of predators, as he refused to speak to any carnivorous animals.

There weren’t many large predators like lions or tigers in this rural town, but even small and cute carnivores like cats, foxes, or wildcats received no conversation from him.

Cats are practically relatives, aren’t they?

Moreover, few small herbivores dared to approach a big predator like a black panther, which led to Pyo Yoontae being ostracized at school.

Just like himself. But at least people avoided him because he was a scary predator; they disliked Pyo Yoontae simply because of his nasty personality.

Sure, he was big, but that was beside the point.

Jeongseo glanced sideways at Pyo Yoontae, who sat next to him. Despite the weather not being cold, Pyo Yoontae was only wearing his school shirt.

Though he seemed to be looking at the blackboard, his expression was far too bored to suggest he was paying any attention to the lesson.

In the midst of this, without realizing it, Jeongseo found himself admiring Pyo Yoontae.

‘His side profile is really… handsome.’

There were hardly any people with such looks in this rural area.

Pyo Yoontae had an especially graceful line from his forehead to the tip of his nose. Jeongseo subtly touched his own nose. He didn’t think he was ugly, but his nose was a bit on the lower side.

‘Would it get higher if I massaged it? But why does Pyo Yoontae’s face feel strangely familiar?’

From the first day, there was something oddly familiar about him. Maybe he had seen him on TV. After all, Pyo Yoontae was quite well-known.

There were occasional news reports about him dining with famous celebrities, and his Instagram was just as popular as any other influencer’s.

He was the son of a chaebol family, and with his good looks, even people who weren’t into social media had likely heard of him.

However, while seeing him on TV hadn’t left much of an impression, seeing him in person gave Jeongseo a sense of déjà vu, as if they had met somewhere before.

As Jeongseo was pinching his nose, deep in thought about the strange familiarity he felt towards Pyo Yoontae, he heard a mocking voice.

“You don’t actually think doing that will make it taller, do you?”

At some point, Pyo Yoontae had turned to look at him. His one-sided smirk clearly showed his contempt.

Jeongseo’s ears flushed red as he tried to play it cool and lowered his hand.

“My nose just hurts, that’s all.”

Despite his curt reply, Pyo Yoontae continued to stare at him.

Every time Jeongseo glanced sideways, his gaze met those piercing yellow eyes, making him feel uncomfortable.

“Why are you staring at me like that? I’ll bite you!”

Jeongseo bared his teeth in an empty threat, but Pyo Yoontae just gave a relaxed smile, seemingly unfazed by the attempt at intimidation.

“Jeongseo, you’re so short, so why do you sit in the back row?”

His tone was playful as he asked if Jeongseo could even see the board. Jeongseo glared at him and folded his ears back diagonally.

“What does it matter to you? Don’t talk to me!”

Despite the hostile stance, Pyo Yoontae remained calm. His gaze lingered on Jeongseo’s folded-back ears.

‘Is it because we’re in the countryside that he walks around with his ears and tail exposed?’ he wondered, realizing that only Jeongseo did so. Everyone else managed to keep theirs hidden.

‘Could it be that he can’t hide them?’

That couldn’t be right, Pyo Yoontae thought, as he rubbed the tip of Jeongseo’s rounded ear with his finger.

“Why do you always have your ears out? Trying to be cute or something?”

The brown ear trembled slightly, perhaps ticklish. Even though weasel predators were rare, Pyo Yoontae had seen some before, but Jeongseo was much smaller than the others he’d encountered, probably because he was still young.

“Or are you just a little kid who still can’t hide his ears?”

Jeongseo slapped Pyo Yoontae’s hand away roughly, his face turning red. He looked more angry than embarrassed.

Pyo Yoontae glanced down at Jeongseo’s waistband, half-expecting his tail to pop out and tear his pants again. He noticed the poorly sewn patch on the trousers.

‘No wonder his pants rip so easily, with such bad sewing.’

He should really just buy new ones.

“Stop talking nonsense. You think I’ll let it slide just because you’re a black panther?”

“And what if you don’t?”

Muttering a curse under his breath, Pyo Yoontae grinned widely, dimples forming on his cheeks.

Jeongseo glared at him, his lips quivering in frustration.

He looked like he wanted to say something, but no words came out, only a face full of resentment.

“If you keep talking, Seo Jeongseo, Pyo Yoontae, do you want to teach the class?” the teacher snapped.

Jeongseo quickly muttered, “Sorry,” and turned his head away sharply.

His round cheeks twitched, clearly indicating how angry he was.

‘Whether big or small, I never liked predators. Maybe because he looks like a little rat, he just makes me want to poke at him.’

Pyo Yoontae’s yellow eyes glowed with a dark, sinister light.

However, he couldn’t afford to get too distracted. He had a clear reason for stubbornly returning to this countryside place, and besides, Pyo Yoontae’s patience was wearing thin.

He pulled his gaze away from Jeongseo.

But unconsciously, he licked his dry lips, feeling the lingering frustration of having to give up on prey that was right in front of him.

❀❀❀

After school ended, Jeongseo packed his bag. There wasn’t much to carry, but his bag was unnecessarily large. Most of the space was reserved for bringing food to school.

As Jeongseo stuffed his empty containers into the bag, Pyo Yoontae watched him silently.

“You sure eat a lot for someone so small.”

‘Why does he care?’ Jeongseo seemed to have decided to completely ignore Pyo Yoontae, as he zipped his bag shut without even looking at him.

‘Wow, now he’s not even paying me any attention.’ Pyo Yoontae murmured in disbelief.

Just then, their homeroom teacher walked in.

“Alright, everyone, great job today! There are no special announcements, so let’s head home.”

The teacher spoke quickly, as if in a hurry.

A girl in the middle of the classroom stood up and called for everyone to bow, and as soon as they finished, the students rushed out of the classroom.

Jeongseo also walked out into the hallway with a light step.

“Ugh, why is Class 5 still not done yet?”

“I don’t know. I heard their teacher got really mad today because someone found a lighter in the classroom.”

Jeongseo overheard the chatter of the students from the next class as he left the school.

Eavesdropping was bad, but if he didn’t, Jeongseo had little opportunity to hear about what was happening at school.

Besides, his ears were naturally sharp, so he couldn’t help it. That’s just how it was.

°❀•°❀°•❀°

The house where Jeongseo lived was in a remote area, far from Dan-Gang County. Because of this, he had to take a bus for almost an hour, and even then, he had to walk another 20 minutes to reach home.

Jeongseo’s head bobbed in rhythm with the bus as it jolted down the winding mountain road. With his brown schoolbag strapped across his chest, he dozed off.

“Hey, kid! Wake up! This is the last stop!”

The bus driver’s shout made Jeongseo jerk his head up, her ears perking up as well. He let out a big yawn, rubbing his eyes as he got up.

“Thank you!”

“Alright.”

As soon as Jeongseo got off, the bus engine shut off. In about 20 minutes, that bus would depart again.

Eager to get home and rest, Jeongseo hurried his steps but suddenly stopped.

“Oh, right. I need to buy sausages.”

He turned around and walked into the small store next to the bus stop. An elderly lady was watching TV, having left the door slightly open.

Jeongseo picked up some sausages and garlic ham from the small open fridge. He briefly glanced at the string cheese nearby, then grabbed three of those as well.

“Granny! I’m ready to pay!”

With a screech, the sliding door fully opened, and the elderly lady came out, glancing at the items in Jeongseo’s hands.

“Just give me 10,000 won.”

“I know it’s 12,000 won.”

Jeongseo took out one 10,000-won bill and two 1,000-won bills from his wallet. Although he could have paid by card, he still found cash more convenient.

It was easier to know exactly how much money he had left.

“I’ll give you 500 won back. Don’t leave yet!”

The elderly lady opened the cash drawer and fished out a 500-won coin.

“Dear, don’t go near Gangsan Hill for a while.”

Gangsan Hill was just a 20-minute walk from Jeongseo’s house.

It was a path he sometimes visited for fun, so he tilted his head in curiosity as he took the 500 won.

“Why?”

“There’s a very large dog roaming around there. It’s as big as a bear.”

“A real dog? Not a shapeshifter?”

Because it was the countryside, it wasn’t uncommon to see shapeshifters in their true forms.

Jeongseo himself often walked around in his true form when he went for nighttime strolls.

The elderly lady shook his head with a serious expression.

“No, it’s a real dog. They say it charges at anyone who gets close, so be careful. Lock your gate tightly.”

“I will. Thank you!”

Jeongseo put the items into his bag and left the store.

A big dog, huh?

Did it escape from someone’s house?

He was a weasel, fast and agile, but just in case, he decided to avoid Gangsan Hill for the time being.

It would probably either return home soon or someone would report it, and it would be captured.

After a 20-minute walk, Jeongseo arrived home.

“I’m home!”

He called out loudly, but there was no reply.

Unfazed, he crossed the yard and flopped down onto the wooden floor.

The wind was still chilly, perhaps because spring was still shy.

Shivering, he quickly went inside, turned on the electric blanket, and lit the stove.

Before long, the blanket warmed up, and Jeongseo threw himself onto it. But instead of a human, what landed on the blanket was a very small weasel.

The weasel had a brown back and a white belly, and as it rubbed its long body against the soft blanket, its tail flicked in the air.

The cozy warmth and the faint smell of her grandmother filled his nose, and a contented purr escaped from his lips.

“Ku-gu-guk, ku-guk.”

‘Ah, this feels so good.’

Stretching his long body in front of the warm stove, all the irritation he felt towards Pyo Yoontae earlier in the day seemed to melt away.

He just had to get through one more day of school, and then it would be the weekend.

The thought of not having to see that black panther for two days made him happy, but there was still something nagging at his mind.

‘I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before.’