The man pressed his fingers hard against his aching forehead, staring down at the bandage wrapped around his right forearm.
“Kang Tae-jin… that son of a bitch.”
His own brother—the very bastard responsible for this humiliating mess. Because of him, every ounce of his pride had been crushed. He had always known Kang Tae-jin was a brute, but at least he used to have some sense of decorum. Now it was clear he had thrown all caution aside. The moment news spread that their father was on his deathbed, this was the stunt he pulled. So this was his way of cutting off any remaining threats.
“Haah…”
The warm late-summer sunlight poured through the window. Seeing it, he figured the little rat outside had not reported anything—at least not yet. If he had, I would not even be breathing right now.
His head still throbbed from yesterday’s beating, forcing him to squeeze his eyes shut, open them, then shut them again. Just then, the door swung open wide. A humanized Sky Squirrel approached, holding a cup. His small silver ears poked out from his silver hair, while a grayish tail swayed gently behind him.
“Here. Please drink this.”
The man took the cup of warm water and stared into it for a moment before downing it all in one go. Holding the empty cup, he glanced at Haram, who knelt beside him, and spoke.
“Thanks.”
The moment those calm words reached him, Haram’s tail shot straight up behind him. The man let out a quiet chuckle as he watched the tail twitch, then glanced at Haram, who remained nervously kneeling on the floor despite being inside his own home.
“Why are you still keeping your tail out?”
He had met Beastfolk before, but they had always seemed barely any different from regular humans. Yet this Sky Squirrel openly flaunted his Beastfolk traits, making him curious.
“Ah… um… I can’t put it away.”
Haram pulled his tail forward, gently stroking it as his voice shrank to a nervous mumble. Seeing the man simply nod without comment, Haram cautiously asked,
“Are you feeling alright?”
The wound on his forearm had not been deep enough to require stitches, and it had been treated, but Haram still worried he might have internal injuries.
“Thanks to you. I appreciate you saving me.”
The man offered a faint smile. Haram’s cheeks flushed softly.
His attitude was unexpected. Earlier, when he had called him a rat, Haram had wondered how someone could be so ungrateful. But now he realized he had been wrong. Despite the man’s scarred body and sharp, intimidating gaze, he was surprisingly kind.
“What is your name?”
It had been a while since Haram introduced himself to anyone. His heart fluttered a little as he quickly answered,
“Da Haram.”
Blushing lightly, Haram waited for the man to return the introduction. But after hearing Haram’s name, the man simply clamped his mouth shut. Shouldn’t he share his name too?
As no answer came, Haram tilted his head, about to gather the courage to ask for the man’s name when another question came first.
“How old are you?”
“Ah, twenty-one.”
Flustered, Haram answered and looked up at him, but again, the man gave no reply in return. As Haram gathered his courage once more to ask, the man spoke first yet again.
“Do you live alone?”
“Yes… I live alone.”
“What do you do for work?”
“Farmer… I grow peanuts.”
“They must be delicious.”
“Uh, they’re really delicious.”
Overwhelmed by the barrage of questions, Haram answered one after another in a daze. Then, as silence fell again, his resolve to ask anything else crumbled. Deciding to focus on the most important question, Haram finally spoke, voice trembling,
“How did you end up… I mean, how did you get hurt like that?”
Everything about this man was a mystery—from finding him lying in the forest behind their small village, bleeding in a business suit, to every detail since. Haram had spent most of last night speculating about him before falling asleep. He had countless questions, starting with his name, but right now, this was the one he needed answered most.
The man quietly stared at Haram’s wide, curious eyes—filled not with suspicion but with pure curiosity—and let out a faint chuckle. As Haram had said, thinking back on how it had all happened made his head throb again.
Last night, he had been returning to Seoul after a business trip down south. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that Manager Kim—the man who had been with him ever since he joined the company—would betray him like this. And his salary had not exactly been small, either.
It was obvious whom he had sold out to. Kang Tae-jin—now sitting in their hospitalized father’s place as chairman, trembling each day in fear of being thrown out. That conniving bastard must have lured Manager Kim to his side. Foolishly, of course.
Seeing the man fall silent again, Haram asked carefully,
“Um… are you okay?”
At the soft sound of Haram’s voice, the man turned his head to look at him, then shifted his gaze toward the window. All he could see were mountains and trees—a quiet, dull landscape that somehow carried a strange sense of peace.
The kind of peace he could never find where he came from.
Maybe it was the lingering effects of having his head bashed in yesterday, or maybe he really was just exhausted. Either way, one thing was clear: he wanted to stay here a little longer.
And he needed to prepare. Kang Tae-jin had already tried once to kill him in the most primitive, brutal way possible. Who knew what he might do next?
To make those preparations, this old house—and its unsuspecting owner—felt far safer than anywhere else.
He turned his gaze back, slowly studying the timid-looking Sky Squirrel Beastfolk sitting before him. After a long pause, he finally spoke.
“Would it be alright if I stayed here for a while?”
The unexpected request made Haram’s eyes go wide in surprise.
“…Here? In my house?”
Seeing the hesitation in Haram’s face, the man lightly ran his fingertips along the bandaged forearm and replied,
“Yes. I have no one I can trust. I cannot contact anyone right now.”
Though his words were softened to draw some sympathy, every part of it was true. He really had no one left to rely on, and reaching out carelessly would only put him in more danger. Last night had proven that all too well—someone he trusted had nearly gotten him killed.
Frowning slightly, Haram glanced back and forth between the man’s bandaged arm and the scars lining his chest before finally meeting his gaze. As if he had been waiting for that moment, the man continued.
“Just one week. I am exhausted.”
That too was no lie.
Haram fell silent, deep in thought. The man definitely looked worn out… but still, it was suspicious. Yesterday had been an emergency—he had treated the man and taken him in without thinking—but continuing to let this stranger stay in his house didn’t feel right. After gathering his thoughts, Haram finally looked up and spoke firmly.
“I do not think that will be possible. I am sorry.”
The man, clearly unaccustomed to being refused, stared at Da Haram for a moment, at a loss for words, before finally replying.
“…I can pay you. However much you want.”
“Uh… but you didn’t have anything on you…”
Even as he hesitated and watched the man nervously, Haram’s answer remained firm, leaving the man momentarily speechless.
Shit… did I lose everything?
The wallet, the phone—everything was gone. He really was completely empty-handed, trying to act tough while looking like a broke fool.
This Sky Squirrel was tougher than he looked. Sure, he kept fidgeting and glancing around like some clueless fool, but there was a quiet stubbornness behind his words.
At this rate, he would definitely get kicked out before he even had a chance to figure out who he could safely contact.
As the man’s mind raced, Haram cautiously made a suggestion.
“There are plenty of motels in town… You could stay there instead. I can lend you the money if you need it…”
A motel in town? That would be the perfect place to get quietly murdered.
Still hesitating, the man looked back at Haram, who was anxiously watching him, and lowered his voice.
“I am being chased by debt collectors.”
Just as Haram had suspected—he was on the run.
“I knew it…!”
Haram nodded vigorously, muttering to himself. The man tilted his head.
“Hm?”
“Ah—no! I mean… um…”
Panicking, Haram frantically waved his hands, but the man simply continued in a calm voice.
“Just one week. I need some time to think.”
Though the situation was different, Haram could understand where he was coming from. After all, he too was dealing with annoying debt collectors who showed up daily to harass him.
After a long hesitation, Haram finally raised his head, eyes drifting once more to the scars across the man’s chest and arms before speaking softly.
“If you tell me your name… then I will let you stay.”
The man went silent. All of this… for just a name? After acting so firm, it all came down to something so small.
He had been ready to feign illness if sympathy failed, but now he simply studied the young homeowner. Da Haram was naïve—a clueless Sky Squirrel, a simple country boy—but…
“Kang Tae-yi.”
…he was also a precious savior.
