* * *

“Are you really okay with that?”

“Yeah, if anything, I’ll just call that raccoon bastard.”

“Raccoon? Oh, right….”

After Saewoo woke up, Jibeom had even helped him change clothes and carried him to the car.

Maybe it was because he still wasn’t fully awake, but Saewoo quietly dressed and let himself be piggybacked all the way to the car without any fuss.

However, the moment he sipped some water, his eyes snapped open, and he began examining Jibeom’s injuries.

Even after seeing that Jibeom’s hand was already bandaged and treated, he couldn’t help but remain suspicious.

“But isn’t that guy a traditional medicine doctor?”

“Why do you even remember something like that?”

Jibeom raised an eyebrow, clearly annoyed that Saewoo remembered the profession of Go Junwoo, the raccoon shifter.

“Come on, let’s just go to the hospital together.”
“…”

Saewoo, completely ignoring Jibeom’s reaction, looked up at him with eyes full of concern.

His eyelids were puffy and slightly red from crying so much, making him look pitiful—but in Jibeom’s eyes, he seemed adorable.

“Ahem, then… if you give me a kiss, maybe I’ll…”

Peck!

“…!”

Before Jibeom could even finish speaking, a pair of soft lips brushed his cheek and quickly pulled away.

He turned to look at Saewoo with wide, astonished eyes, his face utterly dumbfounded.

“We’re going to the hospital, right? You promised already, and you’re not getting one on the lips.”
“…”

Saewoo looked exceptionally proud of himself.

Faced with Saewoo’s brazen and unexpected move, Jibeom rubbed his face with both hands and let out a sigh of defeat.

“…Fine, you win.”

“Really?!”

“We’ll go to the hospital.”

Saewoo beamed, clearly delighted by Jibeom’s resigned agreement.

Seeing Saewoo happy and energetic after crying so much made Jibeom feel more at ease.

Though he’d rather feed Saewoo a meal before anything else, seeing him so cheerful made Jibeom think, Well, why not?

“The hospital I go to is nearby. Driver, just make a right at that intersection.”

“Huh? Oh, yes, sir…”

The driver, startled, glanced back at them before focusing on the road again under Jibeom’s watchful gaze.

He seems to be getting bolder by the day… Jibeom thought, observing how Saewoo was now speaking to him without hesitation.

Of course, it was much better than when he’d tremble in fear every time he was near.

But still, Jibeom didn’t like the idea of Saewoo casually talking to any random predator.

Oblivious to Jibeom’s thoughts, Saewoo called out to him from his seat, his voice hesitant yet firm.

“And… next time, don’t do that.”

“Don’t do what?”

“I mean… that was my business, but you went ahead and… did all that.”

“Did all that?”

“Like catching and chasing the person who spread those flyers… You got hurt because of that.”

“If I hadn’t caught them, you would’ve blamed me, wouldn’t you?”
“…!”

Saewoo flinched, visibly startled.

How did he know?

Was it that obvious…?

Saewoo began to sweat nervously, unable to offer a proper excuse.

In retrospect, it was strange to think he hadn’t made it obvious.

“Well… it’s all resolved now, right?” Jibeom, looking unimpressed, chuckled softly and ruffled Saewoo’s hair, which stuck up like a baby bird’s.

“I guess, but still…”

“Fine. Next time, I’ll get permission from Mr. Sparrow first.”

Permission?

That meant he’d still get involved if something similar happened again.

Saewoo couldn’t bring himself to tell him not to.

Jibeom seemed to misunderstand the intention behind Saewoo’s words.

What Saewoo meant was that he didn’t want Jibeom to get hurt again, like today.

“What? You don’t like that, either?”

“Well…”

As Saewoo hesitated, Jibeom released a sigh and withdrew his hand from Saewoo’s soft hair.

“Alright, I won’t interfere. After all… ours is a light relationship, just enough to share a few meals together.”

“W-what? Well… I guess so, but…”

It was true, but hearing Jibeom say it so bluntly made Saewoo’s heart sink.

He felt an overwhelming sense of disappointment.

Honestly, even if Jibeom had been the one spreading those flyers, Saewoo wouldn’t have felt deep anger or resentment.

At first, he had suspected Jibeom, but he would have tried to understand him through conversation.

Just enough to share a few meals together?

So, that’s how Jibeom sees it…

Though he had always known, hearing it out loud made the sadness hit differently.

“Sir… we’ve arrived.”

The driver awkwardly spoke up, sensing the heavy mood.

Outside the car window was the hospital’s emergency room.

❀❀❀

When they stepped inside, it seemed like there weren’t any critical patients, as a doctor quickly approached them.

“Is it your hand that’s injured? This way, please.”

“It’s just a cut from a knife.”

“A knife? It doesn’t look like just a cut… Anyway, could the guardian please handle the registration?”

“Oh, okay…”

While the doctor examined Jibeom’s wound, Saewoo registered at the front desk, guided by a nurse.

He filled in basic information like his name, age, gender, and contact number, but left some fields blank.

He didn’t know Jibeom’s address, blood type, or even his birthday.

I really don’t know much about Jibeom, huh… The idea of their light relationship became painfully real.

“Baek Saewoo?”

It was then that someone called his name.

“Huh, doctor.”

“Today isn’t a check-up day. Did you get hurt?”

It was Saewoo’s regular doctor, a pigeon shifter known for his gentle and sincere approach to his patients.

“Is that your friend who got hurt… Hmm…”

The doctor’s eyes landed on Jibeom, instantly recognizing him as a predator.

Saewoo knew his doctor must find the pairing odd—a black panther shifter and a sparrow shifter—but hurriedly changed the subject.

He had something to ask, after all.

“Doctor, I’ve been experiencing sudden heart palpitations lately. Could it be an arrhythmia?”

“An arrhythmia?”

“Yes, it gets worse at night.”

“At night…? Do you feel it more when you’re about to sleep?”

“Whoa, yes, exactly.”

Saewoo was glad he brought it up.

As he explained more, the doctor glanced at Jibeom, who was getting a local anesthetic, and then nodded.

“Hmm, would you mind if I checked you right now?”

“Right now? Oh, sure, just a moment.”

Saewoo hadn’t expected to get examined immediately.

He quickly walked over to Jibeom, who was preparing to have his wound stitched up.

“Go on. I’ll wait.”

Jibeom said easily, preferring that to having Saewoo wait around idly.

“Okay, I’ll be right back.”

As soon as Saewoo left the emergency room, Jibeom’s expression hardened.

“Does it hurt?” the doctor asked.

“…Yes.”

“Pardon?”

The doctor, worried that the anesthesia hadn’t worked properly, looked up in concern.

“No, it’s not that… It just feels like I’m a damn fool.”

“Sorry?”

Jibeom growled softly, replaying their conversation from the car in his mind.

He was angry—at himself.

“…Just over a few meals together.”

“What…? What did you just…?”

Saewoo’s face froze in shock as he blinked at the words that had just come out of the doctor’s mouth.

His brain struggled to process the meaning, and it was hard to comprehend.

“If you get a blood test or a hormone test, we’ll get a more definitive answer, but statistically, there’s a 95% chance it’s accurate.”

“But doctor, as far as I know… bird beastmen….”

“Typically, the mating season only comes once a definite partner is established.”

“…….”

Saewoo felt as though all the strength left his body the moment he heard the word “mating season” again.

The sudden increase in his heart rate and those symptoms, especially before bed…

It wasn’t another illness but…?

‘Mating season?! I’m not some animal in heat, for heaven’s sake!’

Well, technically, he was an animal.

After all, a sparrow is still a creature.

“It’s not that uncommon of a case, actually. Nowadays, people date more and prioritize romance over marriage. Even without an established mate, it’s not unusual for this to happen.”

“No… wait… doctor, I don’t even….”

“Forgive me for bringing it up, but these days, young people sometimes have partners even outside of romantic relationships….”

“Wha—! W-We’re not that kind of partners! We’re just rice partners!”

Saewoo exclaimed in a high-pitched voice, his face turning bright red before the doctor could even finish his sentence.

* * *