He didn’t want to cry in front of Tae-yi.
Da Haram abruptly stood up, ignoring the tears welling in his eyes, and turned to leave. Tae-yi didn’t stop him.
As Haram passed through the living room on his way upstairs, he suddenly halted, then turned his head just enough to glance back at Tae-yi.
“If you come home hurt again, I won’t cook for you anymore.”
His voice was tight, strained from holding back tears. Without waiting to see Tae-yi’s reaction, Haram quickly walked away. But just as he reached the stairs, he was suddenly spun around.
Tae-yi cupped Haram’s cheek and kissed him, slipping his tongue through the small part in his lips.
“Mmh…”
His tongue, soft and slow, soothed the tender flesh Haram had been biting to hold back his sobs. Tae-yi kissed him deeply, his lips wet and gentle, his tongue moving with slow affection—just the way Haram liked.
Chup, chuup.
The sticky sound of mingling saliva echoed through the quiet, tension-filled house. Tae-yi slipped his hand beneath Haram’s t-shirt, grazing up his back until he paused—then grabbed a handful of his soft, round ass.
Haram whimpered and clung to him.
His body turned languid under the tender, aching kiss. Breathing heavily, Haram waited for that tongue to return, his lips slightly parted, his chest rising and falling.
Haa, haa…
As Tae-yi’s hand roamed over Haram’s body, teasing and caressing, he reached for the waistband of his gray sweatpants, starting to tug them down.
That was when Haram’s eyes flew open.
With a heated face and panting breath, Haram shoved at Tae-yi’s chest and bolted up the stairs, his silver-gray tail fur streaming behind him as he fled. Watching him vanish, Tae-yi clicked his tongue in frustration.
He absently stroked the faint scratch on his cheek, not even worth calling a wound, and let out a breathy chuckle before calmly following him upstairs.
Just a while ago, Haram had been running from him, cursing him with resentment. Now he was cooking for him. Letting him kiss him. Was it the injury that changed things? Hard to believe, but maybe—maybe Kang Tae-jin had finally done something useful in his 29 years of existence.
My soft-hearted little squirrel.
Haram had only asked him not to lie. So… would faking being hurt count as a lie? Probably, yeah. But still, the thought crept in, insidious: What else could I do to keep getting his attention? Wicked little ideas began to bubble up one after another as he licked his lips, still slick with Haram’s spit.
***
As soon as he slammed the door to his room, Haram transformed on the spot.
“Chit! Chit!”
Stupid Sky Squirrel!
Why did I let him kiss me? No—why did I kiss him back?!
He didn’t want to be a pushover, but he absolutely was. His heart was pounding so hard it was distracting. It felt like it might burst through his paper-thin skin. The kiss had hit him harder than the very first one—more intense, more overwhelming.
His mouth felt dry, parched. He glanced once at the firmly closed door, then headed for the bathroom.
It was a struggle to climb onto the sink in his beast form, but he managed. Using his head, he shoved the faucet handle up as hard as he could. A thin stream of water trickled out. Haram quickly pressed his mouth to the stream.
Slurp, slurp, slurp.
Even the tap water tasted fancy in this rich person’s house.
He stood unsteadily, gulping down the cool water. Once his thirst was quenched, he bounced in place a couple times on the faucet handle, causing it to fall shut. He double-checked that no more water was dripping—nothing. Satisfied, he climbed down.
But even after just a drink, his entire body ached. Letting out a long sigh, Haram flopped onto the marble sink, sprawled out.
The cold stone sapped the heat from his overheated body.
He lay there, catching his breath, until a sound made his ears twitch. Water running.
He snapped his head up, checking the faucet. It was bone dry.
The sound wasn’t coming from here—it was from next door. Haram turned toward the bathroom wall, ears perked.
Tae-yi’s showering.
“Chit…?”
Why’s he showering right now?
He held his breath, listening. Right after a kiss? That seemed… suspicious. As if he had impure motives.
“Chit?”
Am I overthinking it?
After all, he had just come home from work. Showering made perfect sense. Still, Haram bounced on his little paws, unable to stand still. Then, with a loud slap, he smacked his cheek with his tiny forepaw.
Peeking at someone’s shower… What’s wrong with me?!
He was always calling Tae-yi a pervert, but turns out he was worse. A spineless squirrel and a peeping pervert? No thank you.
Fleeing the bathroom before he could disgrace himself further, Haram made for the bed—then paused, glancing at the door.
Not much of a dilemma.
He padded quietly to the door, pressing one ear against the surface.
…Nothing. No footsteps. No breathing. No Tae-yi.
He wasn’t coming.
“……Chiiik?”
What the hell am I doing? Of course he’s not coming! He shouldn’t!
If anyone saw this, they’d think I’m waiting for him or something!
He stomped back to the bed, puffing his cheeks. Throwing himself onto the fluffy comforter, he blinked slowly at the ceiling.
He kept trying to keep his eyes on the ceiling, but they kept drifting back to the door.
Eventually, he sat up.
He was losing his mind.
Or maybe he’d been possessed by Kang Tae-yi.
Maybe I ate something weird?
No—he cooked everything himself today.
Cursing his treacherous body for wanting to look toward the door, Haram wriggled between the pillows and buried himself. Surrounded on all sides, it felt a little better. He shut his eyes tight and focused on falling asleep.
But the leftover heat still lingered in his body, scrambling his thoughts.
The hands that had roamed his waist. The way Tae-yi had kneaded his ass like dough. The way their tongues had tangled together.
“Chit…?”
Why’d he have to grab my ass?!
What a jerk.
Poking his head out from the pillows, Haram glared at the still-closed door and stomped his foot.
That lying mouth, those groping hands—what was it about that man that had him tossing and turning like this?
Even he couldn’t understand it.
After fuming atop the blankets for what felt like ages, Haram finally gave up and flopped down again, staring out at the pitch-black window.
“……Chiiik.”
So annoying.
No chance of sleeping tonight, either.
***
Tae-yi woke just before dawn, stirred by a familiar discomfort. He immediately headed to the bathroom.
Under the ice-cold stream of the shower, he gripped his fully erect cock and began to jerk himself off with mechanical strokes.
He’d lost count of how many times he’d done this—masturbating while thinking of Da Haram, just one room away.
It had become routine.
He hadn’t even slept properly. Just kept doing this over and over, all night. By now, it didn’t even excite him anymore.
He just hated himself for creating this stupid situation—where the person he wanted was right there, and he still couldn’t touch him.
“Haaah…”
After he came, he exhaled deeply, glancing down at his softening cock. Looked like he’d have to head to work earlier than usual today.
If he ran into Da Haram right now, he wouldn’t be able to hide it. It’d spring to attention without warning.
After a quick rinse, he got dressed and started to head out with his phone in hand. That’s when he noticed a new message from Kang Tae-jin.
His expression instantly soured.
He never contacts me directly. Must be urgent.
Annoyance surged. On top of being swamped, now he had to deal with that whiny bastard?
He checked his watch and was about to leave when he stopped just short of Da Haram’s door.
Just one turn of the knob, and he could see him—sleeping, peaceful.
Tae-yi hesitated.
Then, quietly, he opened the door.
“…Da Haram?”
But the bed was empty.
Panicked, he scanned the room—then noticed the window cracked open.
His jaw clenched.
Did he fly away again?
It had to be because of the kiss.
He knew he shouldn’t have done it, knew he should’ve held back—but of course, he hadn’t. And now this.
He hurried to call Chief Yoon—but froze when he caught sight of something fluttering past the pine trees in the garden.
Throwing the window wide open, he shouted:
“DA HARAM!”
His voice rang out across the quiet, bluish dawn.
Startled mid-flight, Da Haram lost his balance and plummeted to the ground.
Tae-yi rushed out to the garden, eyes fixed on Haram’s unstable landing.
“Chit?!”
Why are you shouting like that?!
Seeing Tae-yi charging toward him, Haram flailed in panic.
“I told you not to run away.”
Tae-yi scooped him up, holding him close at eye level. His voice was laced with worry.
“Chiiik?”
Run away?
What nonsense was this?
He hadn’t been running away—he just couldn’t sleep and decided to fly around a bit. Ever since he’d arrived at this estate, he’d wanted to glide through the pine garden. The spacing between the trees was perfect, and the scent of the pines was soothing.
His body had felt stiff, his mind heavy—he’d just been trying to shake it all off.
But now Tae-yi was accusing him of running away?
