* * *
Saewoo, struggling to contain his anger, eventually felt dizzy, swaying as he grabbed the table for support.
“Oh, are you okay?”
Startled, the tiger shifter grabbed his arm to steady him.
“Ugh… my blood pressure… it shot up, and now I’m dizzy…”
Saewoo sat down heavily, closing his eyes in an attempt to regain his composure.
The absurd tenant conditions from the flyer still flashed in his mind.
‘Who would even…?’
He didn’t need to guess—it had to be Jibeom.
He hadn’t shown his face in ages, and now this?
“What on earth is he thinking…”
Saewoo reached into his coat pocket, intending to call Jibeom to confront him.
“Oh, right… my phone…”
Only then did he realize he’d lost his phone, a wave of frustration washing over him.
“Wait… you don’t have a phone? I could try calling it for you?”
Seeing Saewoo’s disappointment, the tiger shifter took out his phone and offered to help.
“Oh, could you? Thanks.”
He hoped the café’s owner would answer, so he could ask them to hold onto it.
The tiger shifter dialed Saewoo’s number.
“It’s ringing.”
“Oh…”
Relieved to hear the ringtone, Saewoo waited, but no one picked up.
Perhaps the person was too busy to answer.
“I’m sorry… it looks like—”
“Hello?”
Just then, the tiger shifter reacted with surprise and looked at Saewoo.
“Yes? Who… is this? Um… what?”
“What? Is it the owner? Can you pass me the phone?”
“Wait… I, uh…”
The tiger shifter took the phone from his ear, looking dazed.
“What happened? Did they find it? What did they say?”
“Well… uh…”
Saewoo took the phone to check, but the call had already ended.
“Let me try calling again.”
“Uh… maybe you shouldn’t…”
“Huh?”
As Saewoo started to dial again, the tiger shifter, with an anxious expression, shook his head.
Meeting Saewoo’s questioning gaze, he whispered, looking a bit hurt.
“Just now… some guy… he said he’d… crack my skull open…”
“What? A guy? ‘Crack your skull’—what does that even…?”
“I… I’ve never heard anyone say something like that to me before…”
“Oh…”
The tiger shifter’s voice started to tremble, as if on the verge of tears.
Saewoo felt guilty for involving the innocent shifter in this strange situation.
“Look, I’m sorry about that. Whoever that jerk was… I apologize on his behalf.”
“Huh…? But why would you…?”
The tiger shifter, eyes wide with surprise, stared at Saewoo.
Even without teeth, his yellow eyes had a feral glint, reminding Saewoo a bit of Jibeom.
“It’s because you took on grief that wasn’t yours because of me.”
Saewoo still wasn’t sure who had picked up his phone, but if he could talk to them, maybe he could get it back.
“And I still need to retrieve my phone, and actually… this flyer…”
Suddenly, the tiger shifter grabbed his hands.
“What…?”
“I’m so moved…!”
“Huh…?”
The tiger shifter’s massive hands completely engulfed Saewoo’s smaller ones, his sincerity shining through his eyes.
“If a landlord’s as kind as you… then I’d feel safe living here.”
“Living… here? What do you mean…?”
“Could I maybe… rent a room in your place? I meet most of these conditions!”
“What?”
With his eyes sparkling, the tiger shifter gazed hopefully at Saewoo, whose mind spun with confusion.
Despite his rough appearance, he was shockingly innocent.
‘Wait—no. This isn’t how I should find a tenant. Not like this!’
Snapping out of it, Saewoo replied firmly.
“Actually… uh, I didn’t make this flyer, you see? I’m not looking to rent out a room just yet.”
“But… does that mean… you will be renting a room eventually?”
“Um… well, that is…”
For a moment, Saewoo was at a loss for words.
The tiger shifter wasn’t as clueless as he appeared, and his pronunciation suddenly seemed sharp.
“Then, when you’re ready to rent, I’ll be first in line!”
“First in line…?”
“Yep! I’ll wait at the top of the list, so please let me know, Mr. Saewoo!”
“Wait, you haven’t even seen the room… And, uh, ‘Mr. Saewoo’…?”
Saewoo’s face was a mix of frustration and amusement.
He wanted to give a clear refusal and escape the situation, but the tiger shifter still held his hands tightly.
“I may look big, but I’m actually very well-mannered. Please, please, Mr. Saewoo…”
Time kept slipping by as Saewoo grew anxious, watching the sunset glow through the café window.
After a moment, he came to a reluctant conclusion, realizing he had no other choice, and nodded.
“…Alright. I’ll let you know when the room is available.”
“Really? Yes! Thank you!”
As soon as Saewoo agreed, the tiger beastman cheered, drawing attention from the others in the café, and Saewoo’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
[Ho Minho 010-XXXX-XXXX]
“Thank you!”
Minho, whose name started and ended with “ho,” handed Saewoo a note with his contact info and left, his striped tail flicking playfully.
Saewoo also learned he was a freshman at a nearby university.
“Ah… Maybe that’s why he seemed so fresh. It’s a good age to be.”
Muttering to himself like an old man, Saewoo folded the note and tucked it into his coat pocket.
“Ugh… what should I do now?”
He thought of calling back, but something Minho had said made him uneasy.
What if he was a scammer hoping to cash in on a lost phone reward?
Or worse, what if he ended up dealing with a dangerous predator?
“Alright. Let’s just move my stuff first.”
After a quick debate, Saewoo decided to take his heavy thermos home first and then think about calling later.
Though he’d been flustered earlier, on reflection, it actually seemed like good timing.
There wasn’t anything critical on the phone, and he was already thinking of replacing it.
The only issue was that he’d be cut off from Jibeom and hadn’t memorized his number…
“Not that it’s a problem. It’s not like he ever calls me.”
He huffed, thinking about Jibeom, who hadn’t shown up for days.
“Is that… him talking about me?”
It was then, amidst the gust of wind, that Saewoo heard Jibeom’s voice.
At first, he thought he was imagining it.
But before he could take a few more steps, someone snatched the thermos out of his hand.
“Ah!”
Startled, Saewoo turned his head and found Jibeom standing there in a long gray coat.
“J-Jibeom?”
“Why are you pretending not to know me? Forgotten my voice already?”
Jibeom, his tone blunt, turned and headed for the building entrance, giving the thermos an idle shake as if wondering what was inside.
Saewoo, dazed for a moment, snapped back to his senses.
“Jibeom!”
He called out in a sharp voice, brows furrowed in irritation, his cheeks puffed with indignation.
Jibeom glanced back and grinned before casually strolling back over.
“Hey, babe.”
His expression was shamelessly smug.
“What the…”
“Want to grab something to eat?”
“Eat? Now?”
“Yeah, don’t you think it’s about time we had a meal together?”
It was true they hadn’t eaten together in a while, but food wasn’t the issue right now.
Saewoo steeled himself and raised his hand, stopping Jibeom from coming any closer.
“Forget food! The flyer! You’re the one who put it up, aren’t you?”
“The flyer?” Jibeom asked, feigning ignorance as he took hold of Saewoo’s cold hands.
“Why are your hands so cold? Never mind food—how about we go to ‘our nest’ and catch a nap instead?”
With that infuriating smoothness, he kissed the back of Saewoo’s hand.
Saewoo’s face flushed a deep red, cheeks puffed in frustration.
“Our… nest? Don’t play dumb!”
Saewoo snatched his hand away, flustered, his face burning. Jibeom’s smirk faded.
“Huh… Here I thought you wanted me to play along. Guess you wanted me to admit it?”
“What? Admit what—?”
Saewoo froze as Jibeom held up his phone and then suddenly pulled him close by the waist.
“My… my phone!”
Before he could even celebrate finding it, he found himself face-to-face with an intensely annoyed black panther, glaring down at him.
“Who was it?”
“Huh?”
“Who was that guy you called twice? Don’t tell me… You’ve been with him this whole time? Without me?”
“Wait… so that call… it was you?”
“Was it?”
Jibeom’s face took on an icy expression, filled with suspicion.
* * *
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Lol calm down tiger no one’s stealing your man 😂