* * *

“Hmm…”

Saewoo slowly woke up, snug beneath a soft, down-filled duvet.

As soon as he noticed the dimness around him, he felt a rough scratch in his throat.

It must have been from inhaling too much cold air while wandering outside.

He felt a pang of regret—so many places he had wanted to eat at, yet none of them had been open.

How could every single one of them be closed? It was still a mystery to him.

“I’m thirsty…”

He considered getting up to grab some water but closed his eyes again.

He wanted to linger in this pleasantly drowsy state a little longer.

Fidgeting lazily in the fluffy duvet, he suddenly froze, his eyes snapping open at the unfamiliar sensation in the air.

“Huh…?”

Memories of what happened after failing to find a good restaurant rushed back.

The smell of freshly baked fish-shaped buns had lured him, leading to a chaotic sequence of events where Jibeom grabbed his hand and eventually dragged him to his house.

Only now did Saewoo realize why the air felt unfamiliar.

This wasn’t his home—it was Jibeom’s.

With a start, he bolted upright. It was the same kind of down duvet he usually used, so he hadn’t noticed immediately.

Then it hit him.

Not only had he collapsed from exhaustion in his sparrow form, but he had woken up completely naked.

Grabbing the blanket, he wrapped it tightly around himself.

“What an idiot! No matter how tired I was, how could I just fall asleep in someone else’s house—no, in a predator’s den, of all places!”

This was all Jibeom’s fault.

[I’ll toss your wet clothes into the dryer, so don’t bother putting them back on. Just stay in sparrow form or something.]

“Hah! Like I’d listen to him!”

Right after Jibeom had smirked and left the dressing room, Saewoo had been seething, plotting his revenge.

At first, he thought of stubbornly staying as he was, just to spite him.

But he changed his mind.

Turning into a sparrow, he fluttered around the dressing room, causing as much chaos as his tiny form allowed.

Flap, flap.

Peck, peck, peck.

He poked holes in some of the flashy shirts hanging on the racks and scratched others to make them fray.

But whether it was because Jibeom’s shirts were too vibrant or because Saewoo’s beak and claws were too small, his efforts barely left a mark.

Exhausted from his fruitless rampage, he trudged out of the dressing room.

Pitter-patter.

He nearly got caught by Jibeom, but the dryer’s beep provided a timely distraction, allowing him to slip away unseen.

“Phew… Revenge is exhausting.”

Still, Saewoo wasn’t one to give up easily.

As he hopped around looking for more ways to bother Jibeom, a warm patch of sunlight streaming onto the balcony caught his eye.

He curled up between the sunlit pots, letting the warmth calm him down.

After some time, Jibeom’s calls reached him, and his defiant streak reignited. Saewoo snuck off to hide again.

[Hey! You annoying little sparrow! Come out while I’m still being nice!]

Hearing Jibeom’s clearly frustrated voice made Saewoo stifle a laugh.

Being called an “annoying little sparrow” only fueled his determination to keep hiding.

Eventually, he snuck into the bedroom, figuring it’d be the last place Jibeom would check.

“Ah, the soft, down duvet…”

As soon as he saw the inviting bed, he couldn’t resist diving in.

“Why does it feel even cozier than before…?”

He wriggled happily under the covers, thoroughly enjoying the comfort.

[Sorry about earlier. I was… not feeling great.]

Hearing Jibeom’s voice apologizing from outside the bedroom, Saewoo’s irritation softened.

Poking his head out of the covers, he thought, “Hmm, I guess that’s enough…”

Deciding to forgive him, Saewoo crouched behind the pillows, planning to surprise Jibeom when he came in.

Dozing off.

But exhaustion got the better of him, and before he knew it, he’d fallen asleep.

“Right, that’s what happened…”

When he finally woke up, he realized how childish his antics had been.

Jibeom must have found him sleeping in the bed but decided to leave him alone.

For all his flaws, Jibeom did have a considerate side.

Even back at the tiger clan’s main house, Jibeom had shown him subtle kindness here and there.

Feeling guilty, Saewoo climbed off the bed to look for Jibeom but stopped when he felt something warm against his knee.

“…?”

Groping around the side of the bed in the dim light, he realized the warmth was Jibeom himself.

“Ah!”

Saewoo’s mind went blank.

“No way… Did we just sleep? Like, only sleep…?”

His heart raced, pounding so hard it felt like it might burst.

“Ji… Jibeom? Are you asleep?”

Trying to regain his composure, Saewoo cautiously poked Jibeom’s shoulder.

He didn’t stir, clearly in a deep sleep.

“Huh…?”

Upon closer inspection, Jibeom lay with both hands neatly folded over his chest.

“What the… Does he have a habit of holding his own chest while he sleeps?”

Remembering Jibeom’s well-built chest, Saewoo figured it made sense and felt a small sense of relief seeing Jibeom still fully clothed.

Whatever he’d feared hadn’t happened.

Not wanting to wake him, Saewoo quietly got off the bed.

“Where are my clothes…? Oh, there.”

Clutching the edge of the duvet to awkwardly cover himself, Saewoo scanned the room and spotted his neatly dried clothes folded near the curtains.

He quickly dressed and slipped out of the bedroom.

“Wow, time really flew by…”

Through the large windows, he saw the sky painted red with the setting sun.

Their lunch plans might have fallen through, but at least the day wasn’t completely over.

Saewoo headed to the kitchen in search of water.

Warm water would’ve been ideal, but he couldn’t find a dispenser anywhere.

“Cold water might upset my stomach…”

Reluctantly, he opened the refrigerator, intending to grab a bottle of cold water, but paused when something caught his eye—a magnetized photo frame on the fridge.

It held a picture of a family of four.

“Wow… Jibeom actually has a family?”

It felt strange to think of the unruly Jibeom having relatives.

In the photo, Jibeom was unmistakable.

Even with a younger face, his disgruntled expression and sharp eyes were distinctly him.

“Who’s this next to him? A younger brother?”

Next to him was a small, timid-looking boy with glasses, clutching Jibeom’s collar like his life depended on it.

“Hmm… He looks kind of familiar somehow…”

Although the boy bore no resemblance to Jibeom, something about him struck a chord with Saewoo.

He decided to ask Jibeom about it later and continued rummaging through the fridge.

“oh..?”

Spotting a half-full glass bottle infused with lime and herbs, Saewoo’s eyes lit up.

It looked refreshing.

Unable to resist, he reached for it.

“Mind if I drink this water?” he murmured softly.

Seowoo gently spoke toward the closed bedroom door, grabbing a cup and pouring a drink into it.

As the liquid filled the glass, cool bubbles rose to the surface—it seemed carbonated.

Tentatively, he took a sip, lips curling slightly around the rim of the glass, and his eyes sparkled with delight.

“Hmm…? This is delicious.”

Seowoo had expected nothing more than a simple mix of fruit syrup and sparkling water.

Yet, the subtly sweet, fizzy taste lit a spark of joy within him.

“What is this? Why does it taste so good…?”

Gulp.

Before he knew it, Seowoo had emptied the glass and poured himself another round.

Determined to enjoy it properly, he took a seat at the dining table and began sipping leisurely.

“Ah… this is amazing…”

Unaware that his mood was steadily rising with each sip, Seowoo wore a goofy smile on his face.

* * *