* * *

‘Wow… unbelievable.’

Saewoo’s eyes went wide.

He knew swan beastfolk often appeared on TV as celebrities and models, but this was his first time seeing one in person.

Dressed in a pure white hanbok, her skin seemed to glow, and her face practically shimmered with radiance.

“You’re…”

The swan woman widened her eyes in surprise as well, just like Saewoo.

He quickly gathered himself and scratched his head sheepishly.

“Uh… I got lost. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but then I heard someone mention my… companion….”

“Companion? Ha, could it be that Jibeom’s brought along his lover…?”

“Wha—Lover? N-no, it’s not like that!”

“Oh, really?”

Saewoo blurted out his protest, and the swan woman chuckled, her eyes twinkling in a way that reminded him of Jibeom.

“Jibeom’s in the inner room with my husband. They’re almost done talking, so you can wait here.”

“Oh, if that’s the case, I could go back and wait….”

“What are you waiting for? Bring out the guest table.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

Saewoo, trying to politely excuse himself, started to leave, but the swan woman’s command halted him.

She tapped a small table with her fan, signaling the bustling tiger beastfolk to step out, leaving the room surprisingly empty and quiet.

Only now, without the towering figures around, did Saewoo notice the room’s impressive size.

“Come, sit here. I’d like to personally serve a rare guest like a small bird, but I injured my leg.”

“Oh… that’s all right.”

As she suggested, Saewoo sat at a respectful distance, stealing glances at her hanbok.

It was so voluminous that he hadn’t noticed her injury before.

“The warm spot here in the guest room is just perfect, isn’t it? You could fall asleep just lying down.”

“Oh? Yes, it really is….”

‘Wait. How did she know I took a nap? Did Jibeom tell her?’

As Saewoo sat, puzzled, the swan woman squinted at him.

“There’s a pillow mark clear as day on your cheek.”

“Wha—there is?!”

Saewoo panicked and touched his cheek, smoothing his hair as if to hide any stray marks. Amused, the swan woman’s lips twitched at his frantic motions.

“Haha!”

Watching Saewoo’s reddened face and flustered gestures, she let out a loud laugh.

‘What’s… so funny?’

Uncertain of why she was laughing, Saewoo could only blink in confusion.

“You’re really cute. I can see why Jibeom brought you along.”

She just called him “cute,” a term Jibeom often used, making the resemblance between them even more uncanny.

It was strange, given that they were so different—a predator and a non-predator, mammal and bird.

Rattle.

Just then, a tiger beastfolk entered, carrying a table for the guest.

“Thank you. Oh, wow….”

As the table was set before him, Saewoo’s eyes widened.

On it were delicately arranged skewers, colorful rice cakes, neatly plated side dishes, and a bowl of pumpkin sikhye.

The plates themselves had a warm, glowing hue, as if painted by hand.

Gulp.

Realizing he hadn’t eaten all day after sleeping in, his throat tightened at the sight of the food.

“I’ve already had my meal, so please enjoy.”

“Oh, yes… Thank you.”

Saewoo hesitated, but the swan woman encouraged him to start, so he picked up his chopsticks.

She watched him with a soft smile as he sampled the food.

“Try the pumpkin sikhye. It’s delicious.”

At her recommendation, Saewoo took a sip of the pumpkin sikhye. Its icy, mildly sweet flavor was refreshing. Now he understood why Jibeom was so fond of it.

“Now then, little bird—oh, my manners! Let’s introduce ourselves properly. I’m Jo Baekseol, the eldest daughter-in-law of this family.”

“Oh, I’m Baek Saewoo. And with Jibeom, we’re….”

[I don’t like it.]

Suddenly, he remembered Jibeom’s clear words: he disliked the idea of being just friends.

[Let’s keep things casual.]

Casual… Even though he’d said it, it felt strange to label it that way.

How would he even explain their relationship to others?

Saewoo wondered what to call it.

“So, you’re not lovers, not friends? Sounds like something unusual.”

Seeing him hesitate, Baekseol chuckled with mischief in her eyes.

“Well… it’s…”

She watched him fumble, then flicked open her fan with a flourish.

“So, business partners, then?”

‘Business partners…? Well, I guess you could call it that?’

After some consideration, Saewoo nodded.

“Yes, that’s right. Though it’s less business and more… well, rice.”

“Rice partners?”

Baekseol’s eyes widened, and she burst out in loud laughter, clutching her stomach, unable to stop.

“…?”

In contrast, Saewoo looked even more puzzled.

‘Is… is that so strange?’

She was laughing so hard that she began tapping her thigh with the fan, and Saewoo, concerned, jumped up.

“A-are you okay? Your leg…!”

“Oh? Ohh…!”

Realizing his worry, Baekseol set aside her fan and casually lifted her skirt just slightly.

“What are you… Oh…!”

Saewoo was about to turn away but froze, his eyes widening as he caught sight of her leg.

“I was mauled by a predator. I heard it was a pack of wolves.”

Baekseol was missing one leg.

Beneath her short undergarments, only the fabric of her skirt flowed.

Her laughter now gone, she covered her leg and spoke softly.

“It was long ago. During a family trip, our guide betrayed us, leading us into a dangerous area where we were ambushed by predators.”

It was a tragic story.

Despite being of the same species, they’d been sold to predators for money.

Baekseol lost her entire family that day.

The brutal reality of the original story hit Saewoo deeply.

---

“The details of what type of beast the Guide was… I can’t quite remember. Was it a swan? A goose? A stork? Maybe even a sparrow, or a shrike…? It’s been so long that I can’t recall,” said Baekseol with a faint, bitter smile, a hint of melancholy shadowing her face.

Saewoo found himself unable to say anything; it felt as if no words of comfort could possibly reach someone who had endured such a deep sorrow.

“…The only reason I survived that hellish place was thanks to my husband, the tiger,” she continued.

Saewoo’s eyes widened.

He already knew she had married into the prestigious tiger family, but he couldn’t quite understand why a swan would be the family’s eldest daughter-in-law.

And besides, a tiger…

“Why did the tiger, another predator, spare me?”

Seeing Saewoo’s confusion, Baekseol chuckled softly and explained succinctly.

“There are herbivores even among predators. They pick peaceful jobs, like a diet of only greens. My husband was a police officer on duty when I was nearly devoured on one side of my body.”

Baekseol went on to describe how she survived and rehabilitated with the care and help of the tiger beastman, eventually forming a bond that led them here.

“Not all vicious creatures are predators. I think you’ve experienced that too, Saewoo.”

“…”

That was true.

He’d seen it himself with the real estate broker, a rabbit beastman.

Who would have thought someone so timid and quick-witted would be involved in something so criminal?

Accepting Baekseol’s words, Saewoo finally decided to ask about something that had been bothering him for a while.

“Forgive me, but could you tell me… how you two ended up together?”

A tiger and a swan.

He understood that different species rarely formed pairs in the beastman world.

Even the eagle and the warbler in his own family had struggled.

So, he was curious: how did she manage to not only get along with a predator but even marry into a family of them?

“Hm, I’d like to tell you more, but… it’ll have to wait. I have to go now, Saewoo.”

“What…?”

Baekseol glanced toward something, and when Saewoo turned to follow her gaze, he saw Jibeom standing in the doorway, watching quietly.

* * *