* * *

He’d worried that she might still feel awkward after the last time, but thankfully, everything seemed back to normal.

Feeling relieved, Saewoo’s gaze fell on the dumpling container that Jibeom had once rummaged through.

[He went through the dumpling container on his way here. Thought maybe you were in there or something. Just wouldn’t do if you got eaten thinking you were a kimchi dumpling.]

Kimchi dumpling… It had scared him back then, but looking back, he found the whole thing amusing.

“Saewoo, want some dumplings?”

“Huh? No, no thanks….”

“Really? Then why are you smiling at the dumplings?”

“Huh? I… I am?”

The old lady’s comment flustered Saewoo.

He hadn’t realized he was smiling.

“Yeah. So, tell me… you’re not thinking of someone, are you?”

“Huh? Wha… What…?”

The way his heart pounded after being caught so easily thinking about Jibeom was impossible to ignore.

“Oh, customers. Come, come…”

Just as the old lady was about to say more, customers started streaming into the stall.

Grateful for the distraction, Saewoo quietly moved to a less crowded corner.

‘Whew… what is this? Why’s my heart….’

He touched his chest.

He often felt his heart racing, but it seemed worse today than usual.

‘Could it be…?’

As he waited for his pounding heart to settle, a thought crossed his mind.

“Could it be… an arrhythmia?”

If that were true, Saewoo’s spirits sank a little.

He didn’t have a heart condition, though he did have a terminal diagnosis.

Was it just stress, maybe?

He made a mental note to get it checked at his next regular exam.

Sure, he’d been thinking about Jibeom… but so what?

Shrugging it off, he repeatedly checked his phone, turning it on and off, wondering if there might be a message.

Suddenly realizing how strange his behavior was, he snapped back to himself.

“Wha—who am I kidding! It’s not like I’m waiting for his call or anything…!”

He quickly flipped his phone over, insisting he wasn’t waiting for Jibeom to call.

Buzz.

Then, his phone vibrated, ringing persistently.

“Tch.”

Just as he expected, without even checking the caller ID, he answered right away.

“What is it? Haven’t you had lunch yet? It’s way past time to eat.”

With a slight smile tugging at his lips, Saewoo answered in a gruff voice, unaware of his own expression, listening intently.

“Uh…?”

But he didn’t hear the response he expected.

“What, why aren’t you….”

Pulling the phone away, he glanced at the screen, realizing it was a number he didn’t recognize—not Jibeom’s.

“Oh, I’m so sorry! I thought you were someone else… who is this?”

Flustered, he corrected himself, his cheeks blushing with embarrassment.

“Oh, I thought I’d called the wrong number!”

“Huh?”

The voice on the other end was oddly childish, not just young-sounding but with an endearing lisp that made it seem even younger.

“Are you the landlord? Or… are you not?”

“Uh… yes, I am the landlord, but….”

Saewoo had a sinking feeling that this might be some new scam.

“You got rooms, right?”

“Huh? Rooms?”

“A room? The old man who came earlier also mentioned that. And now, another person talking about a room…”

-“Uh, I’m in front of the building now.”

“What? Don’t tell me… our building?”

-“Yup, wanna see the room right away.”

“Wait a minute. Hold on.”

Saewoo was baffled.

Once could be a simple mistake, but twice?

He struggled to make sense of the situation.

-“Oh? Is the door open? Can I come in and take a look?”

The caller, undeterred by Saewoo’s hesitation, pressed on.

“What? What do you mean the door’s open? No, wait! Don’t go inside, stay right there!”

Saewoo hung up and stood up.

He wasn’t sure why all these strangers were showing up at his door, but he couldn’t just ignore it.

“Ma’am, I have to go. Something urgent came up.”

“Oh, already?”

The elderly lady, wiping her hands on her apron, looked disappointed.

Saewoo bowed, apologizing again.

“Yes, I’m really sorry. I’ll be back soon…”

“All right. Anytime. But here, you can’t leave without this.”

“Oh, right!”

Saewoo took the thermos filled with fish cake and broth she’d packed for him.

“Thank you! I’ll be off now!”

“Take care, now.”

Saewoo waved goodbye to her and quickly disappeared into the crowd.

After he left, the lady looked around the table and found Saewoo’s phone still lying there.

“Oh, goodness… He really left in a hurry.”

She picked up the phone and looked outside the stall, but Saewoo was already out of sight.

°❀•°❀°•❀°

“Huff… huff…”

Arriving near the building, Saewoo was panting, weighed down by the heavy bags.

He reached for his inhaler, but stopped abruptly at the sight of a large figure near the entrance.

“Is that… Jibeom?”

The size seemed right, but this figure was shorter.

The clothes didn’t look like what Jibeom usually wore either.

“Wait, could this be the guy I just spoke with?”

He’d assumed, from the gruff voice, that it was a similar-voice beastman.

But…

“Wait… if he’s here for a room, that means he’s a predator…”

Only now did Saewoo realize his oversight.

This area was exclusive to predatory beastmen, so it was a given that the caller would be a predator.

Processing this, he backed away and hid behind a nearby parking structure.

“What… what do I do…”

Saewoo set the thermos down and rubbed his cold hands, anxiously watching the predator from a distance.

Based on the size, it looked like he was a similar species to Jibeom.

‘There’s no way I can handle this alone… and it’s not that old man from earlier either…’

He fumbled in his coat pockets, deciding he’d better call to reschedule or, ideally, cancel any future encounters altogether.

“Huh…?”

Saewoo reached into his pockets, but there was no phone.

He checked his bag too, but it was nowhere to be found.

‘Oh no… I must’ve left it at the food stall!’

He was at a loss. If he went back to get his phone, he’d waste too much time.

As intimidating as this predator was, leaving him outside in the cold would be rude.

If he offended a predator and word got around…

“Maybe I’ll just… quickly tell him it’s not available…”

Bracing himself, Saewoo peeked out from between the parked cars.

The predator was pacing near the building, wearing a black leather jacket and jeans—a young beastman, it seemed.

‘Wait… what’s that?’

While observing him, Saewoo noticed something swaying.

A tail.

Predatory beastmen rarely showed their tails or ears in public, but this one had a long, striped tail waving behind him.

‘Is that… a tiger pattern…?’

Eyes wide, Saewoo spotted the yellow fur with black stripes, gasping.

“A t-tiger!”

His shock made him yell, which echoed across the space between the parking lot and the building.

Naturally, the tiger beastman turned in his direction.

“Ah… oh no…”

Saewoo ducked behind a car, but he was sure they’d made eye contact.

‘Of all predators, it had to be a tiger. Now what…’

He thought of the tiger beastmen he’d encountered at Jibeom’s family estate and how they’d treated Baekseol, a swan beastman.

‘Right… predators are still beastmen too. I shouldn’t jump to conclusions.’

With this thought, Saewoo calmed himself.

He gulped, mustering courage, and slowly stood up.

“Uh, hello? Are you the landlord?”

“……!”

The tiger, now standing by the parking entrance, looked at Saewoo with a gentle expression.

Startled, Saewoo froze, unable to say a word.

“You’re not?”

The tiger asked, unaffected by Saewoo’s reaction.

Saewoo gulped and nodded.

“Yes, um… yes, I’m the landlord…”

“Oh, good! I’m so relieved!”

Suddenly, the tiger grabbed Saewoo’s hand warmly, beaming with a big smile.

“……?!”

Saewoo’s eyes widened in surprise.

The tiger’s smile was wide… and completely toothless.

* * *