Predator Alert chapter 11

Because he arrived at school earlier than usual, there weren’t many people in the classroom. Jeongseo stood in the hallway, looking out the window.

This window overlooked the school’s main gate, where a black sedan had just stopped.

The person who stepped out of that expensive car was none other than Pyo Yoontae.

Unlike most kids who walked or took the bus, he was clearly from a wealthy family.

Jeongseo stared blankly at Pyo Yoontae.

Watching him from the third-floor window, there was no way he’d get caught, Seo Jeongseo observed Yoontae’s walk and the bag he was carrying.

But suddenly, Yoontae stopped.

His sharp yellow eyes pierced through Jeongseo.

Without a moment’s hesitation, he locked onto Jeongseo’s gaze, sending shivers down his spine.

“How did he know…?”

Jeongseo pretended not to notice and turned his back.

But he could still feel the prickling sensation on the back of his neck.

As he fidgeted with his phone, a shadow soon loomed over him.

Judging by the large size of the shadow, he could guess who it was.

“Hey, kid, what’s up?”

The low voice made Jeongseo quickly look up.

Sure enough, Pyo Yoontae was looking down at him.

“Who’s a kid? Don’t call me that!”

“Seo Kanghyun calls you ‘kid’ all the time. Why can’t I?”

“Hyung can, but not you. And don’t call my brother’s name so casually. He’s way older than us.”

“Then since I’m way taller than you, does that mean I can call you a kid?”

Jeongseo huffed and puffed, angrily flicking his tail to hit Yoontae’s thigh. This time, it was intentional.

“I really hate you!”

Yoontae almost burst out laughing at the harmless attack but quickly hardened his expression.

“Seo Jeongseo, wait a minute…”

“Don’t talk to me!”

Despite the sudden drop in tone, Jeongseo didn’t notice and stormed off towards his class.

Pyo Yoontae’s eyebrow twitched.

It was faint, but a strange animal scent had wafted over him, so brief it was hard to tell if it was a real animal or a shape-shifter.

‘…Could it be Seo Kanghyun?’

No, it couldn’t be.

He was definitely human.

He had gathered all the information on Seo Jeongseo and his family.

No matter how much contact they had, there shouldn’t have been any animal scent clinging to him.

Yoontae felt a more intense, repulsive emotion than when he first met Seo Kanghyun.

The unclear situation was annoying him.

All his instincts were strangely fixated on Seo Jeongseo, but the evidence in front of him suggested otherwise.

[At that time, Seo Jeongseo was confirmed to be in Seoul. There are consistent hospital records.]

According to records, Seo Jeongseo was in Seoul during the time when he met the white rat as a child.

Although the information was old, the hospital records couldn’t be wrong.

‘I should’ve forced him to tell me his name back then.’

The white rat that saved him when he was lost in the mountains as a child was a creature of few words.

It appeared more often as a rat than in human form, and they spent more time playing than talking.

Even when he asked its name, it would dodge the question and hide.

But he thought he had plenty of time, that he’d find out before leaving, but the white rat suddenly stopped coming.

He waited for it, but eventually fell ill with a severe fever and had to leave the place, never seeing the rat again.

It only remained in Yoontae’s memory.

“…If I could see his true form.”

Maybe he’d find out.

But how could he make him reveal it?

Beastmen didn’t just transform into their true form on a whim.

Especially small animals, which were more vulnerable in their true form, often only revealed themselves in safe environments.

‘If Seo Jeongseo likes me…’

It would be easier to find out.

He hated making things complicated, but if it was Seo Jeongseo… it might be worth it.

A dark glint passed through his yellow eyes.

Yoontae rubbed his chin thoughtfully, a strange expression on his face.

Just as he was about to head inside.

“Yoontae, hey!”

A student with almost white-blond hair waved and approached. he was a rare white deer shape-shifter.

Without even glancing at the girl, Yoontae’s eyes were fixed on Jeongseo’s backside, barely visible through the back door.

His tail seemed to have disappeared.

“Did you see my DM over the weekend?”

Yoontae frowned slightly at the subtle, sweet scent he gave off.

“I deleted it.”

It was an excessively blunt answer, and the deer shape-shifter, caught off guard, asked again in surprise, but Yoontae didn’t feel the need to explain further.

He walked past his into the classroom.

Jeongseo was sitting at his desk, peeling a banana.

He was a notorious snacker, openly munching on snacks.

Where did all that food go, anyway?

Even if he transformed, he’d probably still be small.

“Jeongseo, are you mad?”

Sitting down next to him, Yoontae put his bag down and lay his head on the desk, looking up at Jeongseo.

Watching his cheeks move from below as he chewed was an odd sight.

“What did you do over the weekend?”

Jeongseo pretended not to hear, taking a bite of his banana and glancing at the other students as they trickled in.

Recently, he had been making eye contact with his classmates more often.

Even now.

The class president, who had just entered, made eye contact with him and then glanced at Yoontae. Jeongseo tilted his head slightly.

‘Is it because of Pyo Yoontae?’

As soon as he lowered his gaze, their eyes met again.

Jeongseo’s shoulders tensed slightly.

“I asked what you did over the weekend, Jeongseo. Are you ignoring me?”

I don’t know why everyone is so curious about what I did over the weekend.

After a moment of hesitation, Jeongseo decided to answer.

“I went to the hospital with my brother and then did some shopping for Seobok.”

Thinking about Seobok, who would be home alone, Jeongseo suddenly felt a strong urge to go back home.

Although Jeongseo had never skipped school before, the thought crossed their mind—maybe just this once wouldn’t hurt.

“What’s Seobok? Another secret sibling you’ve been hiding?”

Jeongseo had never talked to Pyo Yoontae about having any siblings, so it was strange that he would mention a hidden sibling.

Jeongseo didn’t respond right away, caught off guard by the odd question.

Pyo Yoontae’s expression grew increasingly annoyed with every passing second, showing his clear lack of patience.

Quickly, Jeongseo pulled out their phone and showed him a picture that their brother had taken of Seobok.

“…It’s a dog.”

“Yeah, but the vet said it’s not just any dog—it’s a wolfdog. It’s huge.”

Pyo Yoontae’s irritated expression softened instantly as he took Jeongseo’s phone, zooming in on the picture before smiling slightly.

“It’s cute.”

“Right? Super cute. Seobok is also really smart. He knows how to sit and shake hands.”

“Not a shape-shifter?”

“Nope, just a regular dog!”

Talking about Seobok got Jeongseo excited, and they shifted their body slightly towards Pyo Yoontae.

“Where did you find the dog?”

“Looks like someone abandoned him. He was wandering the streets, so we brought him home to live with us. Whoever abandoned Seobok deserves to be punished.”

Instead of replying, Pyo Yoontae gave a small nod.

He fiddled with Jeongseo’s phone for a moment before handing it back.

When Jeongseo got the phone back, instead of seeing the photo of Seobok, he saw a message screen open.

[This is Seo Jeongseo.]

A message had been sent to a strange number, making it look as though Jeongseo had sent it.

Pyo Yoontae casually shook his phone as if to explain.

“Sitting next to each other without even exchanging numbers seemed too cold.”

Jeongseo looked down at Pyo Yoontae’s number in mild amazement.

He hadn’t expected him to give it to them.

This was the first time he’d exchanged numbers with someone outside of his family.

For some reason, it felt nice.

Pyo Yoontae might be a little mischievous, but he didn’t seem like a bad person after all.

“Do I need to show you Seobok later?”

“Sure!”

Pyo Yoontae was still lying down, looking at Jeongseo, and Jeongseo couldn’t bring himselves to look away, so he ended up gazing back at him.

There was something intense about Pyo Yoontae’s eyes.

If Jeongseo stared too long, he felt like he might get lost in them, like falling into the Friday night sky. But that feeling wasn’t unpleasant.

Maybe it was because his eyes reminded them of stars.

Without thinking, Jeongseo reached out and gently touched the corner of Pyo Yoontae’s eye.

His sharp gaze trembled briefly before softening into a curve.

When Jeongseo’s hand touched his face, Pyo Yoontae rubbed against it like a child seeking affection.

Pyo Yoontae had expected Jeongseo to be startled and blush, but instead, Jeongseo remained surprisingly calm.

It was Pyo Yoontae who felt a strange, overwhelming sensation, leading him to ask playfully,

“What, do you think I’m handsome?”

“Yeah, your eyes are pretty. They look like stars.”

As soon as Jeongseo finished speaking, Pyo Yoontae abruptly sat up, causing Jeongseo’s hand to fall away naturally.

Jeongseo was surprised by the sudden movement, but Pyo Yoontae was covering his mouth with one hand, staring ahead.

His face, partially visible above his hand, seemed a bit flushed.

“What’s wrong? Why the sudden change?”

“…None of your business.”

Jeongseo glared at Pyo Yoontae, feeling baffled.

He couldn’t figure him out—Yoontae was so unpredictable.

Jeongseo had even complimented him, saying his eyes looked like stars, so why was he acting so strangely now?

It was frustrating.

Jeongseo immediately took back the thought that Pyo Yoontae wasn’t a bad person.

“You’re really mean.”

Jeongseo shot Pyo Yoontae a sullen look before storming out of the classroom.