By Zephyria There weren’t many people on the bus. It was a route that went deep into the mountains of Gangwon Province, so it wasn’t usually crowded. Yumin found a suitable seat and sat down. In the back, two people who seemed like a couple were pressed close together, whispering something, but he didn’t pay them much attention.
However, shortly after the bus departed, someone tapped Yumin’s shoulder from behind, startling him into letting out a small cry.
“What, what is it!”
“Go Yumin! Why are you pretending not to see me?”
“Huh…?”
He turned around and saw a familiar face. It was Go Seong-min, Yumin’s cousin, riding in the seat behind him. That alone was surprising enough, but even more so, a man Yumin knew well was sitting next to her.
“Hyeon-seok?”
“It’s been a while.”
The man who offered his hand to Yumin with a gentle smile was Hyeon-seok, from the same year.
He hadn’t seen Hyeon-seok in a long time, having been on the run lately, but the fact that he had once been considered a potential suitor made Yumin quite surprised. Go Seong-min and Hyeon-seok – it was a combination he never would have imagined, even in his dreams.
“Why are you guys here? And Hyeon-seok, why are you here?”
“Why? We’re going home.”
Go Seong-min replied, pouting her lips. Then, she immediately linked her arm through Hyeon-seok’s and said proudly,
“We’re on our way to introduce my boyfriend.”
“Boyfriend? Hyeon-seok?”
“Yes. My boyfriend.”
“No way….”
Yumin’s mouth fell open in shock. Go Seong-min shot Yumin a glare and retorted sharply,
“What’s ‘no way’?”
“No, you and Hyeon-seok? It doesn’t make sense?”
“Are you going to keep saying that?”
“Hey, let’s be quiet on the bus.”
Hyeon-seok said gently, and Yumin and Go Seong-min fell silent. But Yumin was still dumbfounded.
It wasn’t the place to interrogate or argue, so Yumin didn’t talk much with the two of them after that. However, he couldn’t shake off the unease from the sounds coming from behind him throughout the ride. Go Seong-min and Hyeon-seok sat close together, giggling about something that seemed so amusing. Sometimes, he could hear Hyeon-seok soothing Go Seong-min when she grumbled.
‘Must be nice….’
It was a peaceful scene, completely different from his own desperate situation, trying to escape Tae-jun and hide. He once had such times, but they were all in the past now. A wave of bitterness made his mouth taste sour.
After about an hour of driving, the bus stopped. It was the entrance to Yanggo Village, the final stop for the intercity bus. Yumin stretched his stiff body and got off the bus. Hyeon-seok and Go Seong-min also got off shortly after.
His whole body ached from sitting still. He stretched and took a deep breath of fresh air, which cleared his head a little.
“Go Yumin, are you going straight home?”
“Why?”
“Hyeon-seok and I are stopping by somewhere first. If you see my mom, tell her I said hello.”
“You can just call her.”
“Ah, please do. Can’t you even do that?”
Go Seong-min grumbled and argued, and Yumin, tired, waved his hand dismissively. It meant he understood and could go. Go Seong-min pouted her lips petulantly, linked her arm through Hyeon-seok’s, and headed towards the opposite side of the village.
“Where are you guys going?”
“It’s… something.”
Hyeon-seok asked, but Go Seong-min didn’t give a proper answer. However, Yumin knew where Go Seong-min was heading. It was the place whispered among the young men of Yanggo Village, known as the ‘Love Villa,’ or ‘Sa-biel’ for short.
Sa-biel was a place that young Beastmen had renovated from an old, abandoned cabin with money they pooled together, secretly from the older generation. Yumin had been there once before. Not to spend time with anyone, but because he had been asked to help with repairs.
“Must be nice.”
Even though it had nothing to do with him, he couldn’t help but feel jealous of their contrasting circumstances. If things had gone as they should have, Yumin would have returned to the village proudly with Tae-jun. And he would have introduced this man as his groom and received congratulations.
“What can I do?”
It was something Yumin couldn’t control. He gently stroked his flat stomach. The two fetuses were already acting filial, not causing any trouble on the journey here. Yumin bit his lip. Protecting these children was his priority above all else right now.
“What’s that smell?”
As he climbed the mountain path towards the village, Yumin caught a familiar scent. He sniffed a few times, wondering if he was mistaken, but it was undeniably the smell of chicken.
While he was in Seoul, he ate it countless times, but eating chicken in Yanggo Village was no easy feat. Being so deep in the mountains, delivery apps were out of the question, and he could only buy it occasionally when a market was held in a human village. But what was this smell wafting through the air now? If Yumin’s nose wasn’t wrong, it smelled like fried chicken, seasoned chicken, and soy-glazed chicken.
Yumin swallowed involuntarily. He had eaten plenty of snacks on the bus, but that was hours ago, and his stomach was empty.
“Maybe I should just take a quick look….”
Yumin was drawn as if by a spell towards the source of the chicken smell. He figured nothing major would happen. And he was astonished by the sight that unfolded before him. The open lot just before entering the village was usually empty. It was sometimes used for mayoral elections or village sports festivals, but otherwise, it wasn’t a place Beastmen frequented.
But what was this now?
He quickly found the source of the chicken smell. It was a makeshift chicken stand set up under a tent. The delicious aroma filled the entire lot. Next to it was a fresh tuna sashimi stand. The sight alone made his mouth water.
Furthermore, there was a huge swimming pool on one side. Children were screaming and playing in it. And in the center of the lot, construction was underway, as if building a stage.
“What on earth is this….”
The scene far surpassed Yumin’s imagination, who had expected at most a small chicken party. Even though he loved chicken, he had a bad feeling. The alien sight suddenly appearing in the mountain village made Yumin step back. A sense of foreboding began to creep in.
‘I don’t know what it is, but I need to run.’
Whether it was his imagination or not, Tae-jun’s shadow seemed to flicker faintly before his eyes. His tall stature, model-like proportions, and sharp features came to mind. He had once considered Tae-jun his partner and given him his whole heart, but now, Tae-jun was the person he wanted to avoid the most.
Yumin instinctively sensed it – this absurd display of overwhelming force and capital. It wasn’t happening for no reason. Tae-jun was definitely involved.
He had desperately hidden his hometown address, but it was highly probable that Tae-jun would have found it somehow. Yumin had learned one lesson while on the run, trying to escape Tae-jun. When you have a bad feeling, you must run. Don’t look back.
Yumin tried to leave the lot immediately. If he was lucky, he might even catch a bus back to Seoul. This time, he would finally escape Tae-jun’s grasp.
Just as he made that firm resolution and took a step, Yumin ran into a giant wall.
“Hello, Yumin.”
A familiar voice and a familiar scent. In less than a second, Yumin recognized the presence before him. As soon as he looked up, goosebumps prickled his skin.
“Tae, Tae….”
“Let’s talk.”
“Aaaargh!”
He wouldn’t have been more shocked if he had seen a ghost. His hair stood on end, and a scream escaped him involuntarily. How was Tae-jun here? Was he dreaming? Yumin felt like he was about to faint.
“Sa, Sal….”
Just as Yumin was trying to force a scream out of his throat, he sensed someone nearby. With a desperate plea of “Anyone, please save me!”, Yumin turned his head. There stood Go Seong-min and Hyeon-seok. They were walking side-by-side, each holding an ice cream, chatting casually.
“Oh? Yumin, you were here.”
“What is it. It’s Go Yumin.”
Hyeon-seok and Seong-min walked over and stood in front of Yumin. They looked incredibly calm, even happy.
“Yumin, we couldn’t say a proper hello earlier. How have you been?”
“W-well, I….”
“We’re a bit busy. We can talk later.”
Hyeon-seok tried to speak to Yumin, but Tae-jun cut him off. Then, he grabbed Yumin’s wrist and tried to pull him towards a thicket of pine trees. Yumin opened his mouth and hissed. He weakly swung his soft fists, delivering what he thought was a cat-punch.
“Beom Tae-jun. What do you think you’re doing!”
“I just came to see you.”
“Says who! You barged in here!”
“Says me.”
As they were arguing heatedly, his uncle’s voice was heard from the entrance of the lot.
“Yumin, you’ve arrived.”
“Uncle!”
“Seong-min told me, so I came out. What a commendable young man. When did you find such a wonderful groom?”
“What? What did you say?”
His uncle smiled benevolently and stroked his beard. He approached Tae-jun and laughed heartily. The latest smartwatch gleamed on his uncle’s wrist.
“Not all members of the Beom clan are bad. I was too prejudiced.”
“Thank you for seeing me favorably, Elder.”
“Please take good care of our Yumin from now on.”
“I will do my best.”
“Indeed. How many children do you plan to have?”
“Two seems just right.”
“Have you decided on a honeymoon destination?”
“Not yet. I plan to hear Yumin’s opinion.”
Yumin sensed that something was going terribly wrong. The mood between his uncle and Tae-jun had been excessively good since a while ago. Not only them, but the entire village atmosphere was festive, and Hyeon-seok and Seong-min also looked happy, as if attending a banquet.
Moreover, questions about how many children they would have and where they would go for their honeymoon… it felt profoundly strange.
‘Marriage?! Am I getting married to Beom Tae-jun?’
Yumin, stunned, looked at Tae-jun. Tae-jun winked and grinned. Yumin’s mouth fell open, thinking, ‘No way.’
“You… you’re marrying me?”
“Huh?”
“Beom Tae-jun, what you’re saying right now–.”
“Of course. Why are you asking that now?”
Thump.* Yumin was paralyzed, as if a boulder had struck him. An immense shock coursed through his entire body.
“Th-then, you’re not going to… eat me….”
“Eat you? What are you talking about? Well, in a different sense, perhaps.”
Tae-jun smiled slyly.
“Oh my, you’re young, so your jokes are quite bold. Haha, it’s a good time for you.”
“I really like Yumin. He’s so cute.”
“Cute? Haha. That’s not it. My family members are cool and wild.”
“In my eyes, he’s like a tiny kitten.”
Suddenly, his uncle’s expression turned serious. He frowned, clearing his throat with an “Ahem.”
“Hey, young man. What did you just say? Kitten… cat?”
“A cat. Like a newborn kitten that can’t even open its eyes. Ah, so cute.”
“Hmph!”
His uncle roared like a lion. Both Tae-jun and Yumin were startled by his sudden change in demeanor.
“Why are you so upset?”
“A cat? What kind of pathetic… Don’t mock us. How dare you call a wildcat a cat, are you insane!”
“What? Isn’t he a cat? Aren’t Yumin and everyone here black cats?”
“Hmph! I’m being too lenient!”
‘What am I even hearing?’
In the midst of the confusion, Yumin had no idea what to do. He already knew Tae-jun had mistaken him for a cat in his beast-transformed state. He had approached him while hiding his identity, so he had let him continue to misunderstand, but the fact that he still thought he was a cat was shocking enough. But marriage? What was this? He couldn’t even guess what had happened in the past few hours.
Listening to them made his head spin. He decided he needed to sort things out first. There were so many things he needed to question Tae-jun about. Yumin yelled out.
“Both of you, stop!”
But there was no way his uncle and Tae-jun would listen to Yumin. Regardless of whether Yumin yelled or not, the two continued to argue. To be precise, his uncle was the one who was angry.
Yumin put his mind to work. The lessons he learned during his life on the run weren’t just one. There was a tactic that always worked in disadvantageous situations.
“Ow, I’m dizzy!”
Yumin exclaimed with a surprisingly robust voice for someone complaining of dizziness. Tae-jun looked at him in surprise. Seizing the moment, Yumin gently collapsed onto the ground. Even then, he didn’t forget to protect his stomach with his hands to avoid any strain.
“Yumin!”
“Ugh….”
It was an obvious act, but Yumin didn’t think so. He had collapsed more than once before, so he was confident in this.
“Tae-jun, I’m so tired….”
“Let’s rest for now. I’ll call a doctor.”
“No, it’s not that bad….”
His uncle intervened with a worried expression and asked,
“Yumin, are you alright?”
“I’m a little dizzy.”
“Rest for now. We’ll talk later.”
“Yes….”
In any case, Yumin had succeeded in calming the situation. As he let out a sigh of relief, Tae-jun suddenly scooped Yumin up. Startled by the sudden lift, Yumin cried out,
“Wh-what are you doing!”
“You need to rest. Where’s your house?”
“House?”
“Yeah, let’s go home first.”
Yumin hesitated. He felt uneasy about giving Tae-jun his address. With the marriage talk, he felt he could let go of his suspicion towards Tae-jun, but after so long on the run with constant anxiety, it was hard to adapt easily.
Whether Tae-jun knew it or not, he pressed Yumin to tell him the location of his house. Reluctantly, Yumin gave him the address. It was the house furthest inside the residential area, a considerable walk from the lot. Even if Tae-jun was young and healthy, carrying Yumin would take at least an hour.
“Put me down, I’ll walk.”
Feeling embarrassed about making him do such strenuous work, Yumin insisted he would walk on his own. But Tae-jun didn’t seem to hear him.
Instead, he did something strange. He took Yumin to a place with dense bushes and started to undress.
“Aaaah! Wh-what are you doing!”
He quickly covered his face with his hands, but Tae-jun just sneered.
“You’ve seen it all, why are you acting like this?”
Tae-jun threw off his shirt and then reached for his pants.
“You, you’re not seriously… here….”
Even as he said it, Yumin was mesmerized by Tae-jun’s bare body, which he hadn’t seen in a long time.
He didn’t know what had happened, but his body seemed even better than before. Was it because he hadn’t had physical contact for so long? He wanted to touch and feel that firm skin and muscle. In short, Yumin was aroused by Tae-jun.
Although he refused verbally, he was willing to yield if Tae-jun made a move. Or perhaps, he could even lead Tae-jun to the Love Villa. While he hadn’t completely let down his guard, his primal desires were another matter.
“Here? Doing what?”
Tae-jun asked with a smile, but Yumin stammered. Then, Tae-jun, now naked, slowly approached Yumin.