Baek Beom’s voice rang out—his long white hair pulled back in a tight ponytail.
…What the hell? Why is he here?
I hadn’t seen Baek Beom since he left the house. For him to suddenly appear like this? I was completely thrown off. What was he even thinking, showing up now?
“I asked you where you’re going.”
His words were aimed at me, but his eyes were locked squarely on Kang Biso, practically radiating hostility. He didn’t look like he cared about my answer at all. His gaze was fixed on Kang Biso alone. As I hesitated, Kang Biso stepped forward instead.
“Who the hell are you?”
Baek Beom scoffed and clicked his tongue, like he couldn’t believe the question.
“Me? I live with Hwang Seol-bin.”
“Oh, you live with him?”
“Yeah. We live together. I get Guiding from him whenever I want.”
What the actual hell is he saying!?
Sure, I had given him Guiding—but only when he was in his dog form. Never as a human.
But Baek Beom was fully human right now, and without any context, what he said was more than enough to be completely misunderstood.
“……”
A vein pulsed visibly on Kang Biso’s bronzed forehead. His clenched jaw made it clear he’d taken the worst possible meaning from it. I glared at Baek Beom and said sharply,
“Watch what you say, Baek Beom. You’re giving Kang Biso the wrong idea.”
“Wrong idea? I’m just telling the truth.”
“Baek Beom!”
“Whatever. Let’s just go home already. How long are we planning to stand around out here?”
He reached out to me naturally, as if nothing was wrong—but I stepped back, dodging his hand. His face hardened instantly, and Kang Biso used the moment to pull me behind him, shielding me with his body.
“Don’t touch him.”
Kang Biso’s gaze turned razor sharp as he stared Baek Beom down. But Baek Beom ignored both his words and his glare completely, and instead spoke to me in a low, wounded voice, pretending to be pitiful.
“Why are you hiding from me? I said let’s go home…”
“…And what the hell do you think you’re doing? Just showing up out of nowhere like this? I’m not ready to go back. If you want to leave, then go. Alone.”
Baek Beom let out a bitter laugh, then dropped his head. For a second, I thought maybe he’d given up—but then he looked up again.
And his eyes… weren’t human anymore.
His pupils had dilated like a predator about to strike. His shoulders trembled, his breathing was rough and heavy—he looked like he could snap and attack us at any moment.
Come to think of it, Baek Beom hadn’t been Guided in a while. Was he on the verge of going into rampage?
I was just about to open my mouth to stop him when he suddenly shouted—not at me, but at Kang Biso.
“Who the hell do you think you are?! Who are you to come between us?!”
“…‘Us’?”
Kang Biso’s face went ice cold, clearly taking offense at what he’d just heard.
“That’s right! If it weren’t for you… If you weren’t around, then Seol-bin and I could’ve—!”
“Baek Beom!”
What the hell is he trying to say?!
I tried to stop him before he said something he couldn’t take back, but before I could do anything, Baek Beom lunged and threw a punch at Kang Biso.
But Kang Biso dodged it effortlessly—and then countered with a brutal kick to Baek Beom’s side.
“Gah!”
It happened in an instant. Baek Beom didn’t even have time to defend himself before he was knocked flat to the ground.
…Shit. This just got real.
Just looking at Kang Biso’s back as he walked toward Baek Beom was enough to tell how furious he was.
What the hell was I supposed to do? This was just supposed to be a quiet walk… I didn’t expect things to explode like this.
“Grrgh…!”
Then Kang Biso pressed his foot down firmly on Baek Beom’s head.
“Go on. Say it again. If I weren’t here, then what?”
Baek Beom groaned under the pressure, clearly in pain—but his eyes still blazed with that same predator’s gleam, like he hadn’t given up the hunt.
Kang Biso let out a sharp scoff, then raised his leg to kick him again.
That was when I finally stepped between them.
Yeah, Baek Beom had said some pretty reckless shit—but this wasn’t a fight anymore. It was just violence.
Kang Biso’s face twisted in frustration.
“…Hwang Seol-bin.”
“That’s enough.”
“…Are you seriously defending him right now?”
I heard the sharp grind of his teeth. He hadn’t expected me to block him. The look in his eyes was something between betrayal and disbelief—like I’d just broken something fragile between us.
I opened my mouth to explain that it wasn’t what he thought—but before I could speak, a low growl rumbled from behind me.
When I turned, Baek Beom had already transformed into his snowy white puppy form, baring his teeth at Kang Biso with a hostile snarl. The next second, he darted into the shadows and disappeared.
Wait… is he seriously running away right now?
He caused all this chaos and just ran off without even glancing back.
Unbelievable.
Still, maybe it was for the best. If Baek Beom had stuck around, things would’ve only gotten messier. Having him gone was definitely an improvement.
“……”
When I turned back to Kang Biso, his eyes were locked on me—intently, solely on me.
“…Hwang Seol-bin.”
I swallowed hard and glanced up at him. I could see it in his expression—the tight crease of his brow, the dangerous glint in his eyes… and beneath all that, the quiet ache of betrayal.
I clenched and unclenched my fists, feeling like a child caught doing something wrong.
Kang Biso stared at me in silence, then took a slow, steady breath as if trying to rein in his anger. After a moment, he finally spoke.
“First things first… explain what the hell that guy meant earlier.”
***
“So let me get this straight…”
“Yes.”
“The guy from earlier… was the same dog I saw before?”
“…Yeah.”
We stood under a dim streetlamp while I gave him a quick summary of everything that had happened with Baek Beom. Kang Biso’s brow twitched every time I mentioned Guiding, but he listened to me all the way through.
“And Baek Beom’s original goal was to kidnap Kim Yong-ha?”
“…Yes.”
“Ha… And you never thought to tell me any of this? That’s a bit much, don’t you think?”
“……”
“And why the hell were you even living with a guy like that in the first place?”
“That’s…”
“What? Did you like him or something?”
“No! Absolutely not. It’s just—”
“Just?”
I hesitated. If I was going to explain, I’d have to bring up the Book of Wishes. And that wasn’t something I could casually toss into a conversation.
Should I tell him…?
As I studied Kang Biso’s face, the memory of our last outing surfaced. The day we visited that pregnant woman’s home together. He’d seen me take the Book of Wishes that day… and yet, not once had he asked me about it.
Not once had he pressured me to hand it over.
Even though he knew what it was. Even though it clearly wasn’t something civilians should have.
All he’d said was, “Just tell me what your wish is, someday.”
…Okay. Maybe I should trust him. Just this once.
“It was because of the Book of Wishes.”
“…The Book of Wishes?”
“Yeah. I agreed to live with Baek Beom and give him Guiding… in exchange for the book.”
Kang Biso didn’t respond right away. Several seconds passed before he finally spoke again, his voice quieter this time.
“…You told me once. That you had a wish you wanted to make.”
I nodded.
“Yeah. That’s why I need the Book of Wishes. I need it—no matter what.”
“But… you got involved with him over that? There’s not even proof the book is real.”
His face twisted with frustration. But no matter what he said… I had to get those books.
Because inside them was my story.
Not Hwang Seol-bin’s story.
Hwang Dae-heon’s.
That alone was reason enough to collect them—every last one.
“…I can’t explain any further. But I need it. Badly.”
Kang Biso looked like he had a dozen more things he wanted to say, but maybe he realized I wouldn’t give him the answers he wanted. He sighed instead of pushing it.
There was nothing more I could say about the Book of Wishes. Now, it was up to him—whether to accept it or not.
The silence stretched between us. I turned away, pretending not to notice the tension still hanging in the air.
“It’s late. I should go.”
Kang Biso jolted like I’d slapped him.
“What? Wait—you’re going back to the dorm? Even after that mutt might’ve headed there?”
“There are people watching the place. I’ll be fine.”
“No way! You don’t know what that bastard might try!”
His voice was tight with panic, his gaze full of concern. I couldn’t help the small laugh that slipped out. It was hard not to be touched when someone was this worried about you.
“If anything happens, I’ll call you right away. Don’t worry.”
“…That’s not the point. Don’t you understand why I’m reacting like this?”
I didn’t answer. Of course I knew.
I’d seen it in him plenty of times already.
“Don’t go, okay? Just stay with me tonight.”
His voice was low, desperate. He looked at me with raw need, jealousy etched deep into his features. His plea wavered my resolve—just for a moment.
But I couldn’t.
“I appreciate the offer, really. But I need to go.”
“…You’re seriously cruel, you know that? Seol-bin.”
“…I’m sorry.”
I whispered the words, watching the pain ripple through his expression. Then I turned and walked away.
If I didn’t leave now, I wouldn’t be able to.
I thought I heard him whisper something behind me—Don’t go…—but I forced myself to ignore it. Just a trick of the ears. That’s all.
***
“He really left.”
Kang Biso stood alone in the dark, watching the empty street long after Seol-bin had disappeared.
And the moment his presence faded completely, so did the pain on his face.
All that soft vulnerability vanished—replaced by something far more dangerous.
Obsession.
Madness.
An unhinged intensity twisted his expression into something even Hwang Seol-bin had never seen.
He’d nearly said it aloud. That he wanted to lock him up. Take him by force. Do all the things he’d fantasized about but never acted on.
He’d held back. For his sake.
Would he ever realize… how much restraint it took just to be near him?
That his patience—his control—was wearing thin?
The moment he realized that bastard from the motel was Baek Beom, he’d wanted to tear him apart. Rip open the mouth that dared to call his name. Gouge out the eyes that looked at him. Break the hands that tried to touch him.
And yet… he held back. Barely.
No.
Maybe he did know.
Maybe that’s why he protected him.
Because Baek Beom was a Villain.
If that was Seol-bin’s reason—if he risked himself to shield him…
That was something he couldn’t forgive.
Kang Biso pulled out his phone and made a call.
“Bijun. I’ve got a target for you.”
Baek Beom didn’t head for the dormitory.
He might’ve had his eyes on Seol-bin, but Kang Biso remembered exactly which direction he ran.
He had to take care of this before Baek Beom dared show his face again.
He wasn’t about to let some filthy mutt sniff around what belonged to him.
Once the call ended, Kang Biso headed toward the dormitory.
He’d at least make sure Seol-bin got back safely.
And maybe get a good look at those agents keeping watch, too.
God, I just want to live with him already.
Like a beast stalking its prey, Kang Biso’s figure vanished into the shadows of the alley, slow and silent.
