By Zephyria After a quick wash and unpacking, the two went out to the pension’s yard. A meal and early drinking session were already underway.
Wooden tables were scattered around, but there didn’t seem to be any assigned groups. Yumin intended to follow Tae-jun closely and sit next to him.
But in the blink of an eye, Tae-jun was pulled away. It was a table mostly for the female sunbaes, and there were no empty seats.
Ah. Poor choice of location.
But we have a long night and a small room, so it’s fine. I’ll even perform a seductive song during the talent show.
Yumin smiled confidently. Just then, someone called out to Yumin at the top of their lungs.
“Go Yumin!”
“Yumin, come here.”
When he looked, it was the same old faces, Juwan and Hyeon-seok. Beside them were sunbaes and classmates he’d seen a few times.
“You’re all grown up and still sleeping in?”
“I overslept due to circumstances.”
“We almost missed the bus waiting for you. Sit down quickly.”
Juwan sat Yumin down next to him and handed him chopsticks. Hyeon-seok, standing by the barbecue grill, was grilling and serving meat. Yumin offered to help Hyeon-seok, but Juwan stopped him, saying his face suggested he’d start a fire.
“Just eat.”
Juwan piled meat in front of Yumin. Although his stomach was full from the rest stop food, Yumin, who was crazy about meat, ate the barbecue heartily.
“Go Yumin, have a drink.”
A senior student who had returned to school offered him a soju glass.
“Ah, I’m not drinking today. I’m sorry, Sunbae-nim.”
“You drink well.”
“Well… I’m trying to refrain today. Instead, I’ll pour you a drink.”
Yumin had decided not to drink today for the sake of his talent show performance. He wanted to keep his vocal cords moist, and he was also worried about making a mistake while singing if he got drunk.
“Don’t refuse, just take it.”
However, the senior was insistent. As several people looked at Yumin, he had no choice but to drink a glass of soju.
“Kuh.”
“You drink well. Have another.”
“I’d like to stop now.”
“Have beer, then.”
“Just one more glass.”
The senior filled Yumin’s beer glass to the brim. As he awkwardly accepted and drank, the alcohol started to take effect.
Oh, no. I absolutely cannot lose consciousness today.
On the freshman welcome day, a heavily intoxicated Yumin had suddenly turned into a wildcat. He couldn’t control his animalization the moment he lost consciousness.
He didn’t want to make the same mistake twice. Yumin dodged the senior reaching for the liquor bottle again and stood up.
“Where are you going?”
Juwan asked.
“Just a moment.”
Yumin walked away, cooling his flushed face with the back of his hand. Thinking that washing his face would help, he looked around for a restroom.
Then, Tae-jun caught his eye in the distance. Tae-jun was surrounded by women, including Ju-yeon. Everyone looked at Tae-jun with shining eyes, and Tae-jun acted naturally, as if it were expected.
…My Tae-jun is so popular.
Perhaps it was the alcohol, but he felt uncharacteristically displeased. But what was the use of feeling hurt alone? For now, he needed to focus on managing his body to avoid animalizing.
Yumin found the restroom and looked in the mirror. Disliking his flushed complexion, he turned on the cold water and splashed it on his face. Washing his face a few times made him feel refreshed and invigorated. It felt like the alcohol was clearing.
“Good. No more drinking today.”
Sleeping in the same room as Tae-jun as a human, not a wildcat, was a rare opportunity. It was no exaggeration to say the entire universe was helping Yumin.
However, even if the opportunity came, it would be meaningless if not utilized well.
What should I do? Can I mate today? If so, I need to set the mood first… Yumin racked his brain.
But there was something weighing on his mind. Tae-jun was a non-believer in marriage and a non-believer in childbirth. He had no intention of having children, so he couldn’t just say, “Give me baby wildcat cubs. Let’s mate.”
Yumin turned off the faucet and fell into deep thought. Then, something suddenly struck him.
What he had tried to do on the freshman welcome day but couldn’t. Calling him out separately when others were around, having a drink one-on-one, and having a sincere conversation.
Yes, that’s what I’ll do now.
Yumin decided to be honest. He summoned his courage, resolved to be brave and manly.
A man should go straight for it. No beating around the bush, let’s have a frank and honest conversation.
Yumin went to where the finance department stored supplies and took out two bottles of water. Then he wandered around the pension grounds looking for a place to sit. By chance, he found a bench in a secluded spot.
This is where I’ll call him. Just as he thought that, he heard footsteps. To his surprise, Tae-jun was approaching.
“Tae-jun.”
“Go Yumin?”
“Uh… we’re running into each other in a place like this.”
“Yeah.”
Yumin ran his hand through his hair, revealing his forehead. He looked different than usual. When his silky black hair covered his forehead, he seemed… just young and harmless, but now he looked mature.
Whether it was because his face was damp and his bangs were wet, or because his neck was wet, he couldn’t tell.
“Um, Tae-jun.”
“Yeah.”
“Can we talk for a bit?”
“With me?”
“Yes.”
“Sure. Let’s do that.”
Tae-jun readily agreed. Yumin was delighted by Tae-jun’s surprisingly compliant attitude. Everything seemed to be going smoothly today.
“Let’s sit here.”
Yumin pointed to the bench hidden by the bushes. They sat side by side. The sun was setting, and a deep twilight settled upon Yumin and Tae-jun.
‘The atmosphere is good.’
Yumin thought that even the season and time were helping him.
“Drink this.”
Yumin handed Tae-jun a bottle of water. Then he opened his own bottle of water. He wanted to relax his nerves and quench his thirst before speaking.
“By the way, Go Yumin.”
It was the moment Yumin had just taken a sip of water.
“Do you like me?”
The unexpected question made Yumin spit out the water.
“Cough!”
He choked on the water. Yumin sputtered water from his nose and mouth, gasping.
“Go Yumin! Are you okay?”
Tae-jun quickly patted Yumin on the back. But because he had choked so badly, Yumin sprayed water like a sprinkler. As Tae-jun watched Yumin cough and wheeze loudly, he shook his head.
“Huff… huff…”
“Come here.”
Tae-jun gently wiped Yumin’s mouth with his sleeve. The fragrant scent of Tae-jun’s perfume reached Yumin’s nose. A masculine yet mysterious musk scent, mixed with elegant jasmine. Yumin hated himself for being stimulated by Tae-jun’s scent even in such an embarrassing situation.
“Th-thank you.”
“You got water all over yourself.”
After meticulously wiping down to Yumin’s chin, Tae-jun rolled up his sleeves. As his breathing somewhat calmed down, the shock returned.
What just happened? Tae-jun asked me, ‘Do you like me?’ He definitely asked that.
Yumin swore he had never once thought Tae-jun would ask such a surprise question. Yumin was a natural daydreamer and had imagined various scenarios with Tae-jun, like dating, a relationship, marriage, and even pregnancy. In his imagination, Yumin was always the one taking the lead and expressing himself first. That’s why he was flustered and couldn’t answer immediately.
Moreover, the most important thing. A fundamental question arose regarding Tae-jun’s question.
Does Tae-jun like me?
…Does he like me?
Yumin’s mind was in chaos.
If asked if he was attracted to Tae-jun, he could confidently say yes.
His dazzling face was a delight just to look at, and his firm body was more than enough to produce cute offspring. He also liked Tae-jun’s attitude towards animals. And although it was a useless ornament, his impressive penis was also a charming point. It was a shame he wouldn’t get to wield his penis directly, but it wasn’t entirely useless as it could pass on the genes for an extra-large penis to future generations.
Just by giving him the highest rating among the 11 potential suitors, Yumin found Tae-jun very attractive.
That’s why he followed Tae-jun around, attending the same classes, and even transformed into a wildcat to investigate if Tae-jun was meeting other women. It was an obsessive attitude that would shock anyone who knew.
But if you ask if that’s the concept of ‘liking,’ he had nothing to say.
Yumin genuinely didn’t know. Whether he liked Tae-jun or not.
If Tae-jun had asked, ‘Do you want to mate?’ or ‘Do you want to touch my chest?’, the answer would have been an immediate yes.
“Uh… um…”
His thoughts weren’t clear, so his answer was delayed. Tae-jun waited patiently for Yumin. While waiting, he observed Yumin’s expression closely.
He’s a peculiar guy. Usually, in such situations, people blush or stammer shyly? But he just sprayed water like a fountain and didn’t speak. He’s really interesting.
“Answer only yes or no. Do you like me?”
Yumin’s mind went blank. Chaos swirled. He had to answer quickly, but what should he say?
“Th-that is…”
“Yes.”
“I… like… like you…? No! I don’t!”
Yumin shouted with the resounding voice of a pansori singer. His voice was so loud that it echoed through the mountain valley. Don’t… don’t… don’t…
As if startled by the loud noise, birds fluttered and flew away.
A moment of silence passed. Yumin replayed his own words.
He didn’t like Tae-jun. What he wanted was passionate mating, and this was a seduction for that purpose. So he had only studied the preliminary stage of creating a spark for mating in the human world, and dating.
The Beastman community is very insular. Yumin had lived in the mountains for 20 years, interacting only with close relatives. Therefore, he became an adult without even holding the paw of a fellow wildcat his age.
He learned about human dating only through shoddy books or the advice written online by foolish men. What was the point of reading 10 books like
For him, dealing with Tae-jun’s surprise attack was an extremely difficult task.
“Hmm. I see.”
“Uh… ah, no… that is.”
Yumin realized his mistake. Tae-jun’s face had visibly stiffened.
Did I make a mistake? It feels like a mistake.
Flustered, Yumin reached out to Tae-jun to continue the conversation. However, Tae-jun put his hands in his pockets and quickly stood up. With a cold expression he had never seen before.
“Hey! Tae-jun!”
Tae-jun didn’t answer or look back. The air around Yumin suddenly turned chilly. A sense of foreboding and the feeling that he had somehow messed up washed over him. If this were the college entrance exam, it would be like having to guess option 1 when you should have picked option 3. But in that situation, he felt he had no choice but to answer option 1. Yumin’s position was like that.
“…Ah, this isn’t right.”
Yumin leaned weakly against the bench.
“Whatever it is, I’ve ruined it! Ruined it!”
He hit the innocent bench. Tears welled up.
His face was flushed red from the alcohol, and his appearance was disheveled from spitting out water. Yumin washed his face again in the restroom and came out.
The atmosphere was not conducive to drinking and chatting, so he wanted to walk alone. He ignored the table where he had been sitting and walked past. But even in the darkness, Hyeon-seok and Juwan managed to find him.
“Go Yumin! Where have you been?”
“Yumin, come here.”
Yumin hurried his steps, trying to avoid them, but Juwan ran over and wrapped his arm around his shoulder, robbing him of his chance to escape.
“The sunbaes have left now. Let’s hang out among ourselves.”
“Ah, yes…”
“Hey. Why does your face look like that?”
Juwan stared intently at Yumin’s face.
“Did you cry?”
“No, no. It’s water.”
Yumin winked playfully, saying it was from washing his face. But to Juwan, Yumin’s eyelids looked much more swollen than usual. So much so that his sharp, upward-slanted eyes seemed to droop.
“Right. Let’s just drink.”
Juwan practically carried Yumin back to the table. He put his arm around Yumin’s shoulder and offered him a soju glass with one hand.
“Have some soju.”
It was a small gesture, but to Yumin, whose heart was heavy, it felt like kindness.
Sniffle*. Human warmth is truly precious.
Yumin downed the soju in one gulp. The alcohol was so bitter. As he scowled, Hyeon-seok fed Yumin small pieces of diced peach. The taste of peaches soaked in sugar water was artificial, but he welcomed it as it seemed to neutralize the bitter taste of the soju.
“Have another.”
“Yeah.”
“If anything happens, talk to Hyung, okay?”
“I told you I’m older than you.”
“I’m 10cm taller than you. So I’m Hyung.”
Juwan and Yumin bickered.
From a table not far away, Tae-jun watched the scene unfold. Coldness flickered in his already long, sharp eyes.
‘Go Yumin, what on earth are you? You acted like you liked me and chased after me, then said you didn’t like me. And now you’re hanging out with that punk, whoever Juwan is. And you’re letting that lanky guy in front feed you everything like a baby bird…’
“Tae-jun. Give me a drink.”
Ju-yeon called out to Tae-jun, shaking the soju bottle. But Tae-jun didn’t hear her voice. He just fixed his gaze on Yumin, his brow furrowed.
‘Is he a promiscuous guy after all? He looks innocent, but he’s the type to poke around with everyone.’
Tae-jun felt disgusted, as if he had eaten spoiled food. At the same time, he felt wronged. How could Go Yumin evoke such unpleasant feelings in him?
Just as Yumin didn’t know Tae-jun well, Tae-jun also didn’t know Yumin well. From working on team projects together, he knew Yumin was someone interested in marriage and childbirth. He also knew Yumin did absurd things, whether out of innocence or stupidity. And one more thing, he only wore black socks.
However, he knew none of the basic information, such as where he lived, where his parents’ home was, what his hobbies were, or what his tastes were.
…Is it because he’s the first human to reject me?
Tae-jun could only think of it that way. His intuition had never been wrong before, yet Yumin had loudly proclaimed he didn’t like him. That’s why he was annoyed and bewildered.
“Tae-jun, I asked for a drink?”
Ju-yeon waved her palm in front of Tae-jun. Normally, he would have smiled and filled her glass, but not now. He was so incredibly annoyed that he didn’t have the energy left to act like a kind and gentle hubae.
“I’m sorry.”
Tae-jun abruptly stood up. The women looked at him with surprised, bewildered eyes, but he didn’t care.
“The meat… is delicious.”
Meanwhile, Yumin accepted the meat that Hyeon-seok grilled and Juwan fed him. Of course, it would have been even more delicious if it were raw, but Hyeon-seok’s grilling skills were excellent, so this was also delicious. As he chewed the meat with his sharp fangs, his stomach gradually filled.
However, Yumin’s gloom did not dissipate. His mind was entirely occupied with the incident with Tae-jun.
Should I have told Tae-jun I liked him earlier?
What would have happened between us then?
Surely, ‘Yes. Tae-jun, I like you’ was the answer Tae-jun wanted?
If so, I made a mistake…
Yumin’s head felt like it was about to explode. He had simply confessed his honest feelings, but Tae-jun seemed angry. He felt a pang of regret that they had suddenly grown distant.
“Yumin. You look unwell. Is something wrong?”
“Huh? It’s nothing.”
“Want to go for a walk?”
Hyeon-seok asked, concerned about Yumin. Then Juwan chimed in.
“Hey. It’s dark, what kind of walk? You’ll just trip and fall.”
“A breath of night air would be nice, wouldn’t it, Yumin?”
“Go Yumin, you just eat the meat Hyung gives you.”
While the two were having a minor spat, Tae-jun walked past their table.
He glanced at Yumin, Hyeon-seok, and Juwan. Yumin’s heart sank. He was so startled that he started to hiccup.
“Hic!”
“Yumin. Are you okay? Drink some water.”
Hyeon-seok, with his back turned, was tending to Yumin and didn’t notice Tae-jun’s presence. Instead, Juwan made direct eye contact with Tae-jun. As Juwan shot him a look of overt hostility, Tae-jun let out a hollow laugh.
I suspected it, and it’s true. He’s a fickle guy.
“Hic!”
“Yumin. Are you okay? Drink some water.”
Hyeon-seok, with his back turned, was tending to Yumin and didn’t notice Tae-jun’s presence. Instead, Juwan made direct eye contact with Tae-jun. As Juwan shot him a look of overt hostility, Tae-jun let out a hollow laugh.
I suspected it, and it’s true. He’s a fickle guy.