He already knew that the two people before him were afraid every time they faced S8A152, and that in Seol Young-jun’s case, the fear was particularly intense. Since they tried hard not to show it, he had pretended not to notice—but he hadn’t realized it was bad enough to give him nightmares.
Still, it was completely understandable. No matter how securely it was contained, a beast was still a beast. The very existence of these creatures was inherently threatening to humans. It was only natural to feel a primal fear when faced with an opponent larger and more violent than oneself. Especially those like Cat—beasts with exceptional strength—who radiated an especially potent killing intent.
“It’s only natural to be afraid.”
He said this to Seol Young-jun, meaning it wasn’t something to be ashamed of or to hide.
Seol Young-jun flinched and lowered his head deeply.
“To be honest… I volunteered to come here, but I kept getting scared. I was worried the Team Leader might think I was pathetic.”
He finally confessed, looking dejected. At the sudden display of discouragement from her friend, Lee Seo-rim fell silent.
“…Not at all.”
Suho responded curtly, almost incredulously.
“Frankly, it would’ve been weirder if you weren’t afraid.”
They were all rookies who had just entered the research facility. Their knowledge of beasts had only come from textbooks or from listening to their elders. So fainting on the spot when they first encountered a real one in person was an entirely reasonable reaction.
“Really…?”
A bit of color returned to Seol Young-jun’s previously gloomy face.
When Suho nodded, his previously dull eyes seemed to brighten slightly.
“Thank you. I’ll do my best to get used to it.”
“You’re already doing well.”
“Um, Team Leader—what about you? Are you okay?”
Lee Seo-rim asked cautiously, a hint of worry in her eyes.
“You weren’t injured, thankfully, but… you went through so much during the demonstration. If it were me, I probably would’ve been completely bedridden.”
“I’m fine.”
He could move, after all. At his response, both Lee Seo-rim and Seol Young-jun looked visibly relieved.
“You were so busy that day that I didn’t get a chance to say this, but you were incredible. Seriously, you were so cool, I almost screamed. Anyway, Team Leader, you’re the best.”
Lee Seo-rim gave a firm thumbs-up. She was always someone who openly expressed her emotions and never held back when it came to criticism or praise toward others.
Suho suddenly recalled Min Yugeon’s words, asking him to express himself more. It seemed he ought to learn from Lee Seo-rim.
“I know we didn’t help out much, so it feels a little embarrassing to say this, but I still felt kind of proud.”
Seol Young-jun nodded sincerely. Suho was about to offer a light, grateful response and move on when—
“Ah.”
Lee Seo-rim paused, as if something had just occurred to her.
“Um… Team Leader.”
She hesitated, unsure if she should bring this up.
“Actually, at the afterparty following the demonstration, one of the senior members from the dissection team asked us for a favor.”
“…A favor?”
“Yes. They asked us to set up a private meeting with you, even just over lunch.”
“Oh.”
Seol Young-jun also spoke up, his expression showing he had just remembered as well.
“That’s right, Team Leader. It was the first time we’d even spoken with them, so we weren’t expecting that kind of request.”
The two of them glanced at him with conflicted eyes. As new recruits, they likely couldn’t bring themselves to refuse a request from a senior they barely knew.
“I see.”
Seeing his team members waiting for his answer, Suho didn’t ponder long before replying.
“But right now, I don’t have any intention of meeting anyone.”
It was entirely natural for people to be drawn to one another, but whenever that attention was directed at him, it didn’t make him happy—it just didn’t make sense. He wasn’t particularly handsome, nor did he have a great body like Min Yugeon, nor was he especially sociable. He didn’t understand what it was that others saw in him.
Not that he had any desire to find out. As someone who found emotional exchanges with others to be exhausting, he was sure he’d only end up hurting the other person.
Lee Seo-rim nodded promptly.
“Got it! I’ll let them know.”
“Well then, shall we head back in?”
Suho gestured toward the entrance of Building B and turned around. As he began walking, Lee Seo-rim and Seol Young-jun quickly followed behind him.
Walking with his team, they soon found themselves inside Building B. Unlike Building A, where most of the researchers worked, this building was quiet.
Donning his lab coat and grabbing his logbook, Suho emerged and joined his waiting team members in the hallway to head toward the observation room.
A corridor lined with protective shutters at regular intervals stretched before them. Suho stopped and pulled the control device from his coat.
Zeeeeeeeng… All the shutters began rising simultaneously. He stepped forward without hesitation down the now-unobstructed passage until he reached a specially reinforced door.
The sensor detected his approach. From the central security unit on the door, a blue light burst forth and scanned his body.
Click. With a heavy sound, the door unlocked.
“Ssshh… Phew.”
Seol Young-jun, standing beside him, took a deep breath. Suho turned his head and asked—
“Will you be alright?”
“Yes…!”
Suho glanced at Lee Seo-rim, and she nodded as well. Judging by their expressions, it seemed they’d mentally prepared themselves to some extent, so he slowly stepped through the doorway.
A dim corridor stretched ahead. From the sound of the mechanism locking into place, it seemed Seol Young-jun, the last to enter, had closed the door behind them. Unlike earlier, no one spoke; they walked in silence, single file. Beasts were sensitive to light and sound. It had surely already noticed their presence.
“……”
Passing quietly through the corridor, a massive wall came into view.
A transparent wall, offering a clear view of the interior.
Beyond it, the space belonging to the beast lay fully exposed before them.
Crouched near a broken tree trunk, S8A152 was staring intensely at Suho.
“Hey there.”
Its ears perked up at the sound of his voice. Under the ambient lighting set just bright enough to make out shapes, the familiar beast’s figure became visible.
Its twin sharp tails swayed gently—an expression of affection.
“Whoa…”
Lee Seo-rim, eyes wide, looked back and forth between the beast and Suho in awe. Her voice, of course, was barely above a whisper.
— Grrrrrr.
Even that was enough to provoke the beast.
It had looked almost calm, like a large feline at rest—if not for its size—but now, in an instant, it bared its hostility. Each of its teeth gleamed like a honed blade as it slowly rose to its feet. The look it gave Lee Seo-rim was unmistakably that of a predator staring down its prey.
Its long limbs coiled with tension, every muscle taut, as if it could pounce at any moment. Instinctively, Lee Seo-rim stepped back. So did Seol Young-jun.
“…Cat.”
Suho stepped calmly up to the wall. S8A152, mid-frenzy, drooling thickly, turned its head toward him. Maintaining a steady tone, Suho called out again.
“Cat.”
— Grnnng…!
The beast’s eyes widened. Its pupils, massive in proportion, expanded and contracted visibly. It wasn’t from surprise—this was how it grounded itself, reaffirming Suho’s presence and restraining its predatory instinct.
The sharp snorts from its nostrils slowly began to calm. Watching the creature’s body gradually relax, Suho allowed a faint smile to touch his lips. Sensing that subtle sign of approval, S8A152 ambled over to where he stood.
— Grrruuuu.
It pressed its face against the wall, rubbing against it affectionately. As its black fur flattened against the glass, Suho raised his palm to meet it. Even if the wall hadn’t been there, he was confident the beast wouldn’t harm him—that certainty was why he’d planned the demonstration so boldly in the first place.
He recalled how Cat had gone even further than expected to protect him.
…And then, as always, thoughts of Rai crept in, trailing close behind. Suho shut his eyes tightly for a moment, then opened them again.
— Gruuk?
Cat looked at him with a puzzled gleam in its eyes. Beasts were extremely sensitive to emotional shifts.
“I’m proud of you,” he murmured softly.
“You really did well, Cat.”
As if it understood his words, S8A152 flicked its tongue in a pleased manner, licking its own nose. Then it stretched its body out fully. Though the space was more than sufficient, the sheer size of the beast made it feel almost cramped.
The enclosure had been made as wide as possible to ensure its comfort, but for a creature that had once roamed freely outdoors, it must still have felt stifling. In fact, the observation rooms in Building A were even smaller than this one.
The beasts that couldn’t adapt there either went berserk and were put down, or withered away, refusing to even eat, and died slow, quiet deaths. The endless inspections and tests they underwent upon arrival only heightened their wariness and stress.
But S8A152 had adapted to this place with no significant problems.
And for that, Suho couldn’t help but feel a sense of gratitude toward it.
