Da Haram stretched out his limbs, lightly tapping his sore legs with his front paws after a long day of running. His body felt so heavy, he thought he might come down with something.
“Tcheep…”
I just wish everyone would leave me alone. If he ran into Tae-yi, there’d be no time to gather his thoughts. He’d be cornered right away, pushed into a confrontation, and he knew he’d just end up crying again. He could already picture it—clear as day, like watching a scene from a movie.
Longing for Tae-yi not to show up, he stood frozen, endlessly staring at his own home that lay just ahead but still felt unreachable.
As always, Haram’s desperate wish went unanswered. Not long after, a black sedan crawled up the hill, and the very person he’d been dreading to see—Tae-yi—appeared.
From this distance, he couldn’t make out Tae-yi’s expression, but it didn’t look like he was smiling. Did he already know? That Haram had found out the whole truth?
He hated him. He hated Tae-yi for throwing him into such a state of emptiness and shame. Not now… No—not today. Maybe they could talk another time, but not today. If Tae-yi got tired of waiting, he’d probably just leave. He was always busy anyway. A director at a construction company? Of course he was swamped with work.
“Tcheep! Tcheep!”
Liar!
The anger bubbling in his chest burst out in a shrill cry. Tae-yi wouldn’t hear him anyway, but Haram screamed with all his might. It made the pressure in his chest ease up just a bit. Pushing away the sudden craving for some cold barley tea, he turned his back to the house and began retreating deep into the forest to find shelter.
***
Kang Tae-yi swept his hand across the dust-covered wooden floor of the porch and stared blankly into the empty house. The homeowner who had left early that morning was still nowhere to be found.
“I’ll go check the village bus timetable,” said Chief Yoon, cautiously watching Tae-yi’s blank expression. He was doing his best to stay calm while Tae-yi teetered on the edge of losing his composure, but the growing tension was undeniable. Da Haram still hadn’t arrived, and it was beginning to worry him deeply.
“Don’t worry. He’ll show up soon. If he didn’t take the bus, he’s probably flying. Honestly, the odds of him gliding over are much higher,” Da In-ho said calmly, standing by the small garden patch in the corner of the yard.
Both Tae-yi and Chief Yoon turned toward In-ho at the same time, their brows furrowing in unison. In-ho swallowed hard, startled by how perfectly synchronized their reactions were—right down to the expressions.
“Wait… you mean Haram’s in his animal form?” Tae-yi asked, clearly stunned.
In-ho nodded slowly.
“Most likely. Ever since he said he was going to—um—run away… I mean, go back to his hometown, he’s been in Sky Squirrel form the entire time. He even got on the express bus like that…”
Saying it out loud made In-ho realize the gravity of Haram’s situation. Unless Haram used the fifty thousand won In-ho had lent him to buy clothes, he would’ve stayed in his Sky Squirrel form the whole time.
“Haaah…”
All three of them exhaled a heavy sigh at once. A debt collector who had been hovering nervously just outside the gate poked his head in, watching the scene unfold. He didn’t know what was going on, but it was definitely better than digging up those damn peanuts.
“He’ll make it back safely. I’m sure he knows these mountains better than we do,” Chief Yoon said to reassure them, and In-ho nodded vigorously in agreement. But Tae-yi continued to sigh in silence.
Sure, it was a backwoods village, but it wasn’t like there’d be a mountain right outside the bus terminal. He worried that something might’ve happened before Haram even entered the forest—what if someone stepped on him or kicked him by accident?
It had to be one of two things: either Haram hadn’t arrived yet, or he was already nearby, watching them from a distance. Tae-yi silently prayed it was the latter.
As he stepped out through the gate, Chief Yoon, In-ho, and even the debt collector all followed him.
Tae-yi made his way to the back of the hanok, staring into the dense forest that stretched up the mountain. If Haram was gliding here in Sky Squirrel form, it was obvious he’d come through the back mountain.
“You’re going into the forest?” Chief Yoon asked.
Tae-yi nodded slightly and glanced back at him. “You go to the bus stop and wait for Haram. Doctor, you stay here and watch the house.”
As he turned to head into the forest, the debt collector trailing behind them piped up in a hurry.
“W-Where should I go?”
Tae-yi scowled, irritated by the sound of his voice, and pointed down the hill.
“Go back to whatever useless thing you were doing.”
“…Yes, sir.”
Tae-yi climbed the mountain quickly, tilting his head upward and scanning the branches with meticulous care. The sun would be setting soon. Once it got dark, finding Haram would be even harder.
After wandering around for quite some time, Tae-yi finally stopped, his eyes and neck sore from the constant strain. This wasn’t working. There was no way he was going to find him like this. He was just going to end up with a crick in his neck.
I need a different approach.
He was an Alpha—and the one he was desperately searching for, Haram, was unfortunately—or perhaps fortunately—an Omega. There were plenty of ways to draw in an Omega. Now that the truth was out, there was no reason to keep hiding.
Tae-yi began walking again, releasing his pheromones gradually as he moved between the trees. All he could do now was hope that Haram, intoxicated by his scent, would stumble into view.
***
Haram, curled up inside a tree hollow he’d taken a liking to, twitched his nose at the sudden strange scent in the air. It was familiar somehow, but he couldn’t quite place it. No—it didn’t really smell like anything, more like…
“Tcheep.”
Sweet.
It reminded him of sweet alcohol. A scent like this had no business drifting through the depths of the forest. Sure, there were mulberry trees over that way, but this was even sweeter—like some kind of ripe, syrupy fruit.
His tiny nostrils kept flaring as his body relaxed, limbs splaying out as he laid down. Just a while ago, his body had felt like it was weighed down with fatigue—but now, it felt almost weightless, like he could float.
“Tcheep.”
Feels good…
Rolling onto his back, Haram wriggled around inside the cozy tree hollow. But the sudden sense of someone nearby forced him to sit up.
Peeking just his eyes out from the hollow’s entrance, he scanned the surroundings. The presence wasn’t a small animal like a sparrow or a snake—it was something much bigger. He fixed his gaze in the direction of the sound. Strangely, that sweet scent was getting stronger.
“…!”
The back of the head that came into view was unmistakably familiar. Just the sight of that thick black hair was enough.
Tae-yi.
The very person he’d tried so hard to avoid.
Letting out a sharp breath, Haram instinctively ducked back into the hollow, suppressing the urge to slap that stupid head of his.
How did he know I was here? The confusion swirled inside him, along with a gut-deep feeling that he was still just a toy in Tae-yi’s hands, never really free of his grasp.
As the sound of Tae-yi’s footsteps slowly faded, Haram peeked his head out again and stared blankly at Tae-yi’s retreating figure. Before he knew it, he was crawling down from the tree.
Why am I following him?
It felt bizarre. He’d gone through so much trouble to avoid him, and yet here he was, trailing behind him like some lost duckling. But it felt instinctive. Like a magnet pulling him in—his legs just moved on their own.
He followed Tae-yi at a distance, hiding behind tree trunks, until suddenly Tae-yi stopped. Haram also froze in place.
Then, Tae-yi abruptly turned around—and their eyes met before Haram could hide.
“Tcheep—!”
Startled, Haram leapt into the air and scrambled up the nearest tree.
“Da Haram!”
Tae-yi shouted after him, seemingly shocked too. But Haram was already high up in the tree, well out of reach.
He must’ve hidden himself behind the thick foliage—no matter how much Tae-yi craned his neck and looked up, he couldn’t spot even a tuft of fur. But just knowing Haram had made it here safely filled him with relief.
“Please. Just talk to me. Let me explain everything.”
Tae-yi stared up into the tree where Haram had vanished.
“Tcheep! Tcheep!”
What lie are you going to tell me this time?!
He hadn’t expected an answer, but a soft cry came in response. Tae-yi couldn’t understand it, of course—but he had a feeling. It probably wasn’t anything polite. He thought about calling In-ho for help but didn’t want to leave.
“Come down. Let’s talk face to face.”
“Tcheep!”
That one was easy to understand—definitely a curse.
“I’m sorry. Please, come down so I can apologize properly.”
He kept pleading, trying to coax Haram down, but Haram only chirped now and then, never showing himself. Eventually, Tae-yi turned and started to walk away.
“…Tcheep?”
…He’s leaving?
Haram, still hidden in the leaves, shot upright in shock as Tae-yi’s figure grew smaller and smaller.
He’s just going to leave like that? Already giving up? Is that all I meant to him?
The sudden surge of emotion brought hot tears welling up in his eyes. Tae-yi should’ve begged a hundred times—no, a thousand—before Haram even thought of forgiving him. And yet, he was just walking away?
“Tcheep! Tcheep!”
Fine! Get lost!
Haram cried out after him, stomping his tiny feet in frustration as he watched Tae-yi disappear.
