Eunho’s body froze stiff.
Afraid that Yi-beom might storm into the car at any moment, Eunho squeezed his eyes shut.
Seeing Eunho trembling, Sobin leaned toward the door. Then he shifted his body to block the window with his back so that Yi-beom wouldn’t be able to see inside.
“Eunho-ssi, listen carefully.”
At the quiet whisper, Eunho opened his eyes. In that brief moment, Sobin unfastened his seatbelt and continued.
“We can’t all run away together. So… at least you, Eunho-ssi, need to escape.”
“Ahjussi will chase after us…”
No matter how agile a rabbit might be, in front of Yi-beom it was nothing. From the start, it wasn’t even a game. For a tiger to catch a rabbit would be easier than breathing.
As Eunho’s thoughts spiraled, Sobin grabbed both of his hands tightly, as if telling him to get a grip. His face remained calm, but perhaps he too was afraid of Yi-beom outside, because his breathing was shallow and quick.
“Turn into a rabbit now. And while they’re looking for you over there, slip out. Okay?”
“Then what about Chanwoo and you, Sobin-ssi…?”
“We’ll follow right behind.”
Chanwoo, who had been listening silently, also pulled himself out of the driver’s seat.
“Yeah. Better that than your Ahjussi completely losing it!”
“But how can I leave you all behind…?”
“You’re going to keep saying frustrating shit like that, Jung Eunho?!”
Even then, when Eunho hesitated, wavering, Chanwoo muttered, “Fuck,” under his breath.
“You’re a dad, so you go first! Don’t you know father first?!”
Even in a situation like this, Chanwoo was spouting absurd nonsense no one had ever heard before, and it loosened the tension just a little. Letting out a small laugh, Eunho nodded.
“I—I’ll try.”
If he slipped out while they were off guard, he had a chance. And with a small body, hiding would be easier.
With a soft pop, Eunho quickly transformed into a rabbit. So he wouldn’t be seen from outside, Sobin hid him under a pile of clothes and set him down on the floor.
Unable to wait any longer, Yi-beom signaled with his eyes. From the rear, one of the organization members came running with a red axe, and Chanwoo screamed.
“Aaaah!”
They hadn’t actually struck anyone, but all three knew it was the signal. Half-transformed into a water deer, Chanwoo bolted out wildly, and at the same time, Yi-beom opened the backseat door.
The first thing he did was grab the back of the neck of the one who had annoyed him most. With a bit of force, Sobin’s body easily rolled to the ground.
“Ugh…”
With sharp eyes, Yi-beom scanned the inside of the car. Not in the backseat. Not in the front. Eunho was nowhere to be seen. Quickly grasping the situation, Yi-beom turned.
“Doctor.”
Yi-beom stepped onto Sobin’s chest as he lay on the ground. As he shifted his weight, a groan immediately slipped out from below. Their shadows stretched long under the streetlight.
“I just let a rabbit slip away right in front of my nose, so I’m not exactly in my right mind.”
As Yi-beom ground down with the tip of his shoe, the groan grew louder.
“You’re in such bad shape right now that you might need treatment yourself.”
“…Then shall we go to the hospital?”
“Don’t fucking joke.”
Annoying bastard. Even while being stepped on, he talked back—he wasn’t ordinary. Every time Yi-beom received reports about Eunho’s movements, every time he read the background investigation materials, there had been something about this man that subtly grated on his nerves.
Yi-beom dragged a hand harshly through his hair. He was so unsettled it surprised even himself. His memory of calling Younguk and chasing all the way here was hazy.
But among those memories, the image of Eunho’s back as he ran away was vivid. The face that had feared him like a man being chased out of a gambling den.
“I don’t know why you keep getting tangled up with my kid…”
When he cast a sideways glance, Younguk approached, having been handed the axe.
“That’s enough. Give him back.”
“…”
“There’s probably no job that pays better than a veterinarian these days. Wouldn’t it be a shame to lose both your hands right now?”
Younguk brought the edge of the axe toward Sobin’s arm. Should he cut to the elbow? To the wrist? Like an excited executioner, Younguk moved the axe back and forth as he deliberated. Each time the cold blade touched him, Sobin’s body flinched.
“Does Eunho-ssi know you do this?”
“Eunho-ssi?”
Should I rip that mouth apart first? Yi-beom muttered as he shifted more of his weight down.
“Who knows.”
“…”
“Right now, I’m not sure.”
With a bitter smile, Yi-beom gestured with his hand. At that moment, Younguk raised the axe high.
No! Watching through the gap in the clothes, Eunho screamed. The instant Yi-beom’s head turned toward the sound, Eunho dashed out of the car and ran in the opposite direction.
“There!”
Voices of the organization members rang out from behind, but Eunho didn’t look back. He quickly slipped between buildings and sprinted toward the main road of the busy district.
His breath rose to his throat, his hind legs tingling painfully. In his head, sirens blared that this was dangerous, but he couldn’t stop. Someone was chasing him fast.
It’s Ahjussi…!
He didn’t even need to look to know. Unlike the tightening encirclement, the method of maintaining a steady distance while pursuing was Yi-beom’s style. He would wait until the other side completely lost the will to fight—until their strength drained away.
Recalling a conversation Yi-beom once had with Younguk, Eunho let out a ragged breath.
Back then, I think I laughed, saying Ahjussi was doing something bad again.
Now they had become hunter and hunted. Eunho bit down hard on his lip.
At that moment, as if by miracle, he saw a slightly open gate. It seemed the homeowner had forgotten to secure it.
There!
Rushing inside, Eunho quickly pushed the door shut with his foot. Then he shoved himself into a red basin in the corner of the yard.
Only after forcing his body all the way in, even his rump, did Eunho finally release the breath he’d been holding.
As if Yi-beom had arrived right after he hid, footsteps sounded outside the gate.
The footsteps that had been circling nearby came to a stop. Judging that it would be difficult to search the entire neighborhood alone, Yi-beom pulled out his phone.
“Did you lock the two up?”
[Yes, we loaded them into the car.]
“Take them to the warehouse. The rest of you, come over here.”
With a cold gaze, Yi-beom swept his eyes over the gates.
“He must be hiding somewhere around here.”
The footsteps continued past. With his ears perked up, picturing Yi-beom’s movements, Eunho cautiously poked his head out of the basin.
At that moment, a large hand wrapped around his belly.
Gasping, Eunho looked up and saw an elderly grandmother.
“Hm?”
It was the owner of the house, Mrs. Kim.
“Well, where’d this rabbit come from?”
The grandmother muttered, turning his small body over. Used to Yi-beom’s careful touch, Eunho swallowed his scream and stiffened his ears. Even though the rabbit kicked frantically, the grandmother paid no mind and rubbed his belly.
“Your tummy’s nice and round. Looks like you’ve got babies in there.”
“…”
“How’d you roll all the way over here?”
Was there a house nearby that raised rabbits? She’d seen chickens and dogs, but rabbits… It never even crossed her mind that the creature in her hands might be a rabbit Beastman. Tilting her head, she pondered.
No matter how hard he pushed with his feet, she wouldn’t let go. Now the rabbit shut his eyes tight and curled his body into a ball. Maybe because he had babies, he was prickly as could be. Clicking her tongue, something flashed through the grandmother’s mind.
“Ah! You must’ve run away from that dog-meat soup place down the lower block?”
Dog-meat soup…?
“They said they were starting rabbit stew too, those heartless bastards. Eating an animal that’s carrying babies?”
At the fierce curse words—ones he had never even heard from Yi-beom—Eunho slowly raised his head.
“You sons of bitches!”
After cursing toward the direction of the dog-meat soup restaurant, the grandmother let out a long sigh.
“Oh my, even this tiny thing is trying to protect its babies.”
Looking down at him with pity, the grandmother seemed to make up her mind and hugged the rabbit to her chest. Then she carried him inside the house and set him down.
With quick, bustling steps, she moved busily around the house. When she appeared again before Eunho, she was draped with blankets over both shoulders and arms like some bundle-laden peddler. Ignoring Eunho’s flinch, she wrapped his entire body tightly in the blankets, as if determined to bury him in them.
“Hold still now. What do rabbits eat…? Carrots?”
Eunho followed her with his eyes as she rummaged through the refrigerator. His body remained upright and tense, but no matter how long he waited, he couldn’t sense the murderous aura from her that he felt from Yi-beom.
Sniff, sniff. He pressed his nose into the blanket wrapped around him. The same warm scent he had felt from the grandmother lingered in the fabric.
She must’ve wrapped me in one she used… She’s a good person.
Only then did Eunho relax and lean into the blanket. Pretending to be a rabbit pricked at his conscience, but being a rabbit that had escaped from a dog-meat soup shop was far better than being caught by Yi-beom right now.
“Oh dear, oh dear.”
Carrots, cucumbers, lettuce—placing them into a basket, the grandmother held her lower back as she stood up.
“Since you’re a baby, should I cut it up for you?”
After a moment’s thought, she began chopping the carrot into small pieces. The steady sound echoed through the house, and warmth rose from the heated floor. Eunho’s eyes slowly drifted shut. The blanket was so cozy, it felt like his body was melting. All the fatigue from before washed over him at once.
In his dream, Yi-beom and Eunho were nothing special. Not tiger and rabbit—just lovers. They ate together as usual and lay overlapping on the sofa watching a movie. Sometimes they pressed soft kisses to each other’s lips. It was their everyday life before the world had turned upside down.
“Baby.”
Is that Ahjussi? Without realizing it, Eunho smiled.
“Baby, try eating some carrots.”
No, that’s not it. Our Ahjussi’s voice is lower and gentler than this. The voice he heard was a little strange. Carefully, Eunho opened his eyes and saw the bowl the grandmother was holding out.
Inside the bowl were apple slices carved into little rabbit shapes, huddled together.
Ah. Eunho let out a low groan.
***
Bang, bang—the sound of pounding on the metal gate rang out. It was late; who could it be? Mrs. Park, who had been awake watching a documentary, walked toward the door.
“Who is it?”
There was no answer. How strange. Sensing someone outside, Mrs. Park grew wary.
“If you came this late at night, you should at least say something.”
“…By any chance, have you seen a rabbit?”
