* * *

“I came early today too, but Jeongseo, you got here even earlier.”

Pyo Yoontae’s demeanor was as casual as ever, but Jeongseo was still reeling from the aftereffects of his last heat.

Jeongseo briefly stared at Pyo Yoontae without saying anything, then awkwardly lifted the corners of his mouth and waved his hand.

“Yeah, I woke up early and hitched a ride with the village grandmother.”

Earlier, while lingering at the bus stop, Jeongseo had been spotted by the grandmother from the Seo family, who was heading out of the village and had offered him a ride.

She mentioned how this year’s peach sales had been incredible, especially because students had been coming by specifically asking for Jeongseo by name.

-I’ve been meaning to visit you to say thank you, and here we meet! Next time, come over to my place. I’ll make all your favorite foods, Jeongseo.

The grandmother, speaking warmly, even handed Jeongseo some pocket money before dropping him off.

But none of those little details mattered to him right now—what consumed all his attention was the sight of Pyo Yoontae approaching.

With his relaxed stride, dressed in a dark coat to ward off the November chill, Pyo Yoontae sat down, placed his bag on the desk, and glanced over at Jeongseo.

Normally, Jeongseo would’ve been chatting away by now, but instead, he sat turned slightly away, avoiding eye contact.

‘What’s with him?’

At first, it seemed like he was zoning out, but his darting brown eyes betrayed him—he knew he was acting strange.

Pyo Yoontae, resting his chin on his hand, poked Jeongseo’s arm with a finger.

Jeongseo flinched so hard it was as if his tail had physically popped out.

It had been a while since Yoontae had seen him react like this.

At some point, even getting startled hadn’t caused Jeongseo’s tail-like reaction, so Yoontae was equally taken aback.

“What’s up with you today?”

Pyo Yoontae squinted slightly, studying him. Jeongseo, not knowing how to act natural, began overthinking.

Flashes of that day in the room kept replaying in his mind.

What if he hadn’t pushed Pyo Yoontae away?

What would’ve happened then?

The thought exploded in his chest like fireworks.

When Jeongseo abruptly stood, ready to leave, Yoontae instinctively reached for his wrist.

The moment Yoontae’s fingertips brushed Jeongseo’s soft skin, a faint static shock made them both freeze.

Jeongseo used the pause to pull back, ensuring Yoontae couldn’t grab his wrist.

Pyo Yoontae glanced at his hand, now hanging awkwardly mid-air, then casually dropped it and asked, “Where are you rushing off to all of a sudden?”

“T-To the bathroom!”

Jeongseo practically shouted before dashing out of the classroom.

His hasty exit left Yoontae staring after him, his yellow gaze lingering at the back door of the classroom.

Unlike before, Jeongseo’s flushed cheeks and reddened neck were now clearly visible.

He was self-conscious.

He hadn’t reacted like this the last time.

Normally, Jeongseo trying to avoid him would’ve irritated Yoontae, but this time, it made him strangely pleased.

Knowing Jeongseo was aware of him in that way, every reminder of it felt gratifying.

---

Once out of the classroom, Jeongseo had nowhere to go and headed to the bathroom by default.

Splashing cold water on his hands didn’t do much to cool the heat burning within him.

Pyo Yoontae was sharp—if he kept acting this weird, he’d definitely ask questions.

So, he resolved: act natural.

Jeongseo clenched his fists and vowed to himself.

---

Seated by the bus window on his way home, Jeongseo gazed outside with a conflicted expression.

He had already rejected Pyo Yoontae’s invitation to hang out after school three times.

The look of dissatisfaction on Yoontae’s face was unforgettable.

The first time, Yoontae had surprisingly accepted it calmly, saying they could hang out another time.

But today, his furrowed brows and piercing gaze clearly expressed his irritation.

Oddly enough, Yoontae hadn’t pressed him for a reason, even though Jeongseo’s excuses were flimsy.

-I need to take Seobok for a walk as soon as I get home.

-You could do that after hanging out.

-Today… I’m going for a long walk!

Having already exhausted most of his excuses, Jeongseo blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

He expected Yoontae to push back harder, but instead, he simply left with a disgruntled air, saying, “Fine.”

Jeongseo found it unsettling how easily Yoontae had let it go.

Even though he was the one creating distance, watching Yoontae’s retreating back left him anxious.

He kept telling himself they’d go back to normal soon, but a new worry crept in—what if Yoontae found a closer friend before then?

Especially now that… he’d found his first love.

With their second year of high school ending soon, if Yoontae was going to transfer schools, it’d make sense to do so before their final year.

Picturing school without Pyo Yoontae left Jeongseo feeling desolate.

He sighed deeply, his thoughts spiraling toward other concerns.

What if being around Yoontae, who was an alpha, was causing his heat to trigger more often?

Both the doctor’s words and his own instincts warned him this wasn’t good for either of them.

But above all else, Jeongseo didn’t want Yoontae to think he was weird.

---

Back home, Seobok greeted Jeongseo enthusiastically, wagging his tail like a blur.

“Hey, I’m back…”

Jeongseo muttered, dragging his feet.

Seobok circled him, sensing something was off.

After petting Seobok absentmindedly, Jeongseo threw himself onto the floor of the porch.

The cold seeped into his back, grounding him.

He wasn’t particularly hungry but decided to do something productive—he’d take Seobok for an extra-long walk today.

It’d be better than overthinking everything.

Grabbing Seobok’s harness, Jeongseo ventured outside, heading not toward their usual trail but toward the bus stop.

Seobok hesitated for a moment, then obediently followed Jeongseo’s lead, ready for their new adventure.

“Let’s jog all the way to the bus stop, Seobok!”

Seoboki barked loudly, and with that, the two of them jogged lightly at a steady pace toward the bus stop.

Jeongseo planned to run a little past the bus stop, heading toward the outskirts of town, before circling back. He noticed a familiar figure ahead.

It was Ms. Yoon Chorong, the daughter of the man with the red-roofed house.

She had quit her job in the city and returned to her hometown two years ago.

Since then, she had taken charge of walking the family dog, so it had become common for them to bump into each other during walks.

Beside Chorong, Seoboki’s friend, Mongryong, was bouncing around playfully.

Seoboki barked again, excited to see Mongryong, and Ms. Chorong turned around, her face lighting up as she saw them.

“Oh my, Jeongseo!”

“Hello!”

Seoboki and Mongryong wagged their tails and jumped around excitedly, barking at each other.

Watching them, she let out a soft laugh.

She always exuded an elegant and graceful air.

“Isn’t it tiring, Jeongseo? Going to school and then walking Seoboki? If it’s too much, let me know. I can ask my husband to help out.”

“No, it’s fine! I brought Seoboki into the family, so it’s my responsibility. Thank you for looking after him when I went on the school trip last time!”

At Jeongseo’s spirited reply, Yoon Chorong smiled warmly and nodded.

“Oh, all right then. But if you need help, just tell me. It’s getting cold—I’ll get you some hot steamed buns from the store. Let’s go.”

She headed toward a nearby convenience store, determined not to take no for an answer.

Jeongseo, unable to resist the lure of steamed buns, followed her inside.

After parting ways with Ms. Chorong, Jeongseo ran a little more with Seoboki before heading home. His phone vibrated in his pocket.

The list of people who might contact him was limited, so he felt a strange tension as he pulled it out.

The name on the screen was unexpected.

[Ha Sumin]

The name was displayed prominently on the screen.

* * *