“Yeoul, stop.”
Before the highly excited Yeoul could throw a punch at the tall esper, Dawoon hurriedly stretched out his arm to stop him.
“Come here.”
Yeoul was half out of his mind. At this rate, he might freeze that guy too, so Dawoon called out to him with a slightly tense voice.
Fortunately, Yeoul responded to the call. He grabbed Dawoon’s outstretched arms instead of smashing the frozen esper to pieces.
“Hyung, are you okay? Can you see me? Can you hear my voice?”
Yeoul, who had pulled Dawoon into his arms, flailed his hands helplessly at the gas mask. He couldn’t just rip it off because blood was streaming down from under the gas mask Dawoon was wearing.
“I’m fine. I’m perfectly fi—cough.”
He tried to reassure him that he was okay, but unluckily coughed up a mouthful of blood right in front of Yeoul. Yeoul’s face turned white as he watched the blood gush out from under the gas mask.
“It’s just blood. It’s nothing.”
Dawoon pulled off the gas mask himself and threw it away. He’d lost quite a bit of blood, but his mind was clear. Anemia was part of his daily life, and the pain spreading through his body was tolerable enough.
“I’m really fine. So hurry up and release your ability.”
Dawoon rested his cheek against Yeoul’s shoulder so he wouldn’t collapse, looking at those who had become ice statues.
Following the man embedded in the rock, even the esper who had tried to help Dawoon was now completely frozen. Judging by the movement of the pupils visible beyond the ice surface, they seemed to still be conscious. Oh dear, they’re going to catch a cold like that.
“Hurry. Listen to me, hyung.”
He grabbed the chin of Yeoul, who was staring only at his face, and spoke. Yeoul, looking down at Dawoon’s hand that was trembling slightly, ground his teeth and released his ability.
The tall esper, who had been calmly waiting for the ice to break, brushed off the remaining ice fragments from his body. Dawoon’s mouth fell open slightly as he got a proper look at his face, which exuded the aura of a high-ranking esper.
That person… he’s a pretty famous esper.
“Leader! What’s going on!”
Another esper who had just finished clearing a nearby gate came running over, reading the unusual atmosphere.
Leader? The moment Dawoon heard the subordinate’s way of addressing the tall man, he realized who he was.
The leader of Howl Guild.
He couldn’t remember the name, but he had memorized the guild name. There was no one who didn’t know Howl Guild, which was as famous as Sau Guild. He was a celebrity who appeared on TV as often as Ryu Taeha.
“Dawoon hyung, was that bastard the one who did it?”
Even though Yeoul must have known he was the leader of Howl Guild, the kid cursed without filtering and even pointed at him.
A Howl Guild member who saw this twitched his eyebrow and glared at Yeoul. No matter how much he was from Sau Guild, it was natural to be angry when a much younger punk treated his leader so rudely.
Dawoon glanced at him and quickly shook his head.
“No. Put your finger down.”
He pulled Yeoul’s hand to his chest to stop him from pointing. At this, Yeoul’s murderous aura softened a little.
“Then was it that bastard?”
Yeoul, pressing his body close to Dawoon, asked while touching his chest as if pressing it. Where he indicated with his eyes, the man embedded in the rock lay unconscious. He was the culprit who had left bite marks on Dawoon’s neck and collarbone.
“…No, it wasn’t.”
“Why do you keep saying it wasn’t.”
There was a crack from Yeoul’s jaw where the tendons bulged. Loud enough to make one wonder if a bone had broken.
“Tell me straight. So I can understand, properly.”
If he understands, he’ll cause trouble…. Dawoon, who had swallowed his saliva, closed his mouth tightly, suppressing the acid rising in his throat.
Yeoul, taking this as a refusal, became even more ferocious. Just as Dawoon was about to suffocate from the rough wavelength he was emitting, the leader of Howl Guild intervened.
“Esper Go Yeoul. That’s enough.”
Nam Seokgwan entrusted the man embedded in the rock to his subordinate, then took a step toward Yeoul. At the same time, an ice spike embedded itself in front of Nam Seokgwan’s feet. It was Yeoul’s warning not to come any closer.
Nam Seokgwan, understanding his warning, gestured toward Dawoon with his eyes.
“First, I think he needs to receive guiding. It’ll be dangerous if he loses more blood.”
The eyes of Yeoul, who had been ignoring him, wavered slightly. Seeing this, Dawoon quickly nodded.
“Yeah, let’s go to the guiding room. Carry me.”
Along with the request, he naturally wrapped his arms around Yeoul’s neck. If he used his ability on people again, Dawoon was prepared to squeeze his neck tight and knock him out, but fortunately Yeoul obediently listened.
“Hold on properly.”
He stood up, supporting Dawoon’s back, and wrapped his limp legs around his waist. Flustered, Dawoon squirmed and declined being held in his arms.
“Hey, I can walk. Put me down.”
“You grabbed onto me first.”
“No, I just grabbed your neck.”
“No. Have you ever seen a patient walking around?”
I’ve seen plenty. Actually, unless your legs are injured, everyone walks….
Normally, he would have quipped about it jokingly, but Dawoon, overwhelmed by Yeoul’s intensity, kept his mouth shut. He didn’t want to argue with him anymore. And as he said, he didn’t have the strength to walk either.
“Ah, thank you. Leader-nim.”
Still held in Yeoul’s arms, Dawoon bowed his head toward the leader of Howl Guild.
Nam Seokgwan only nodded silently. Until Dawoon and Yeoul disappeared with a teleport esper, his calm gaze lingered on the two for quite a long time.
***
Yeoul, who had emerged from the transport gate, let out a big sigh.
Those passing through the guiding room corridor stopped in their tracks and showed interest at the appearance of Sau Guild members. Of course, Yeoul didn’t care about their gazes at all. His blue eyes held only one person.
“Hyung, what happened to your feet again?”
“Feet?”
Dawoon, who had been resting his cheek against his chest with a tired face, looked up.
“Ah….”
Only then did he notice the indoor slippers that were about to fall apart. Unfortunately, one of them was missing.
“Why were you wearing such….”
Yeoul, about to pour out his words, bit his lip. He held back his words as he looked at Dawoon’s pale face, which wouldn’t be strange if he passed out right now.
Guiding comes first. I’ll lose my shit later.
“I was careless.”
Dawoon, wiggling his toes visible through the torn socks, mumbled. He hadn’t even realized his big toenail had come off. He didn’t have enough energy to treat it right away, so he decided to do it after receiving guiding.
“It’s all my fault, so if you’re going to be angry, be angry at me.”
He meant it was his fault for not avoiding it even though he knew the injured person was an alpha. It was actually his own will. He knew that as an omega, he would be attacked, but he let his guard down thinking it would help with treatment anyway. Moreover, he thought that with his unhealthy body, even if he came at him, he could easily subdue him once minimal treatment was done.
“……”
Yeoul stood stock-still in front of the door without any response. Dawoon glanced at him and pursed his lips.
The veins bulging in his neck looked like they were about to burst. His guiding seemed more urgent than his own.
“Are you feeling unwell somewhere? Do you want to receive guiding first?”
“Shut—shut your mouth and get guiding. Your head seems to have gone wrong too.”
The exhausted Dawoon just nodded quietly. He no longer had the energy left to argue.
His body was excessively heavy and tired. He seemed to have a slight fever too. Dawoon let out a small sigh.
***
Inside the dormitory of Sau Guild, which was close to a mansion.
Tap, tap, tap, tap.
The cat, which had been scratching its ear with its white hind paw, yawned wide.
The cat spent time alone, going back and forth between Dawoon’s room and the living room. While waiting for Dawoon who had left in a hurry, it wandered around the unfamiliar space it hadn’t been able to explore because it had been sleeping the whole time.
After hopping around on the soft sofa for a while and finishing exploring the living room sufficiently, it leisurely walked up the long stairs leading to the upper floor.
As if satisfied with this situation, the cat’s tail curved as it climbed to the top of the high railing. Its white eyes, filled with delight, slowly scanned the spacious dormitory.
Not bad.
Its roundly curved tail leisurely cut through the air. Its tail kept swaying from the satisfaction felt after a long time. It was a pleasure it hadn’t experienced in nearly 30 years.
No. Was it about 40 years? Now even how much time had passed was becoming hazy.
Thud!
The cat, which had been kneading on top of its own tail, lightly flicked its ears at the sound that rang out from the living room. If it were an ordinary cat, it would have been startled by the sudden presence, but it remained calm.
Caw! Caw! Caaw!
The harsh cries of a flock of crows could be heard from beyond the thick living room window. Five pitch-black crows cried in unison as if in chorus, all in the same rhythm.
Some crows with hoarse throats, instead of making sounds, kept ramming their bodies against the window. They made an effort to somehow convey their voices inside.
Caw-ssi! Caw! Caaw!
Though it sounded like curses at first listen, surprisingly the content was extremely cautious.
‘Please come out now! Or at least show us your face! We’re worried sick!’
This was the content when translating the crow language. And the cat, not being a crow, couldn’t understand it. It only knew by feeling.
Meow.
‘So damn noisy.’
The cat, scratching its ear with its hind paw, jumped down from the top of the high railing. It was a height that could strain the joints, but it seemed unaffected.
Pretending to be an ordinary cat, it walked toward the living room with tiny steps, opening its small mouth wide like a lion.
Caw!
The flock of crows that had been cawing diligently were relieved to see the white lump approaching them. Then they stuck close to the window as if a black curtain had been drawn on it and tilted their heads.
Caw…?
They stared intently at the kitten with spiky fur as if ready to devour it. Even with the persistent gazes fixed on it, the cat remained unfazed.
The cat stopped in front of the blackened window and plopped its white rear on the floor. Then it blinked toward the tightly closed window handle.
Click, at the same time the handle turned and the window opened.
No one was surprised that the window, which hadn’t been touched by hand, opened wide. For a ‘chosen’ beastman, using telekinesis to open a door was easier than stretching.
Meow. Meow.
‘What are you staring blankly at. Come in.’
One crow at the center of the flock flinched and flapped its wings. The crow also couldn’t understand cat language, but could communicate through reading the situation. It was thanks to the years they had spent together being that long.
Of course, deep conversation was impossible. That’s why when different species needed to have important discussions, they transformed into human form. Of course, only if they were beastmen capable of transformation.
The crow that entered inside, folding its large wings, came down to the floor. The moment its sturdy, chicken-like black feet touched the floor, they changed into human feet.
“What on earth are you doing!”
A man in black shoes and a black suit matching his jet-black true form shouted angrily. He was the leader of the crow beastmen and an important figure tasked with assisting the next-generation beastman clan chief.
For someone as precious as me to set foot in such a shabby place.
He revealed his inner thoughts on his face and beat his frustrated chest. Since he couldn’t hit the person he served, he only hit his innocent chest.
“Why! Why do you keep acting so impulsively like this! Are you finding it fun to torment us? Huh?!”
Heuk Guhyeok, the leader of the crow flock. He was now in danger of not living out his full lifespan due to a stress-induced illness.
“You promised you’d just look around outside and come back right away! I told you so many times not to make contact with humans!”
Meow.
The fake cat, watching Heuk Guhyeok shouting at the top of his lungs, opened its snout. With an expression uncharacteristically cold for a kitten, it raised its white front paw and tapped its own mouth. It meant shut up.
Heuk Guhyeok, understanding this, made a dumbfounded expression.
“What… is that form?”
Swish, the cat wagged its tail and smirked as if pleased with its appearance.
Actually, its true form was also often in kitten form, so there wasn’t much difference from its current appearance. However, upon closer inspection, the clear difference was revealed.
That was natural. No matter how much they were both felines, a cat and a snow leopard couldn’t be the same.
