“I’m telling you again. According to data just released by the government, an unusual phenomenon is occurring in which animal traits are appearing in humans. Viewers are advised to—”
Before she could finish, pop, a pair of ears sprouted atop the anchor’s head. What the—. Eunho, who had been staring at the TV blankly, pushed himself upright.
“That’s… a dog, isn’t it?”
The triangular ears were those of a Jindo dog. He had raised one at his grandmother’s house when he was young, so Eunho recognized them instantly.
“Switch the anchor right now!”
“PD-nim, there’s a tail behind you right now…!”
“Ahh, what is this! PD Kim, on your head—!”
Amid the chaotic shouting, the broadcast cut off. Beeeeep—the screen emitted a high-pitched tone as Eunho stared at it in a daze.
What… is happening right now?
The bag of chips in his arms slipped to the floor. The chips scattered everywhere, but Eunho couldn’t pick them up.
His faint reflection appeared over the TV screen. Wide, round eyes. Light brown hair. And above it, something sticking up high.
They were ears.
“Why do I have ears—!”
At that moment, Eunho’s body shrank. His perspective dropped in an instant, and he screamed.
“Aaah!”
Before he knew it, he was naturally standing on all fours. Wh-what. With trembling eyes, Eunho lifted one foot.
There, instead of a hand, was a small paw covered in soft pale-pink fur. Fluffy and tender.
“U-uhh…”
Tears welled up in Eunho’s startled eyes. Wh-what do I do? He pressed the air with his round paw.
“Ah, hngh, I need to call Ahjussi…”
Like a beast seeking its mother, Eunho instinctively searched for Yi-beom. Where was his phone? Shaking his head frantically, Eunho spotted it on the sofa.
He nudged it with his paw, knocking it to the floor. On the black screen, his own face—now a complete rabbit—reflected back at him, and Eunho burst into tears.
“Hic, hngh, wh-what do I do…”
Can rabbits date? What if Ahjussi hates that I turned into a rabbit?
More than the shock of becoming a rabbit, he was terrified Yi-beom might reject him. With tears dripping steadily, Eunho pressed at the phone with his paw.
“Ah, nghh…”
The problem was that rabbit paws don’t have fingerprints.
His tiny paw squished against the screen. No matter how much he kneaded at it, the phone showed no sign of unlocking. I need to hurry and ask Ahjussi if he hates rabbits!
Crying as he stared at the phone, Eunho finally flopped onto his side beside it.
The anchor on TV, the PD—they’d all turned into animals too. Not as much as him, though.
“Then… hic, did Ahjussi turn into an animal too?”
Like a Jindo dog? Or a rabbit?
“Hngh, he, he has to be the same animal as me… hic, so we can d-date…”
While the entire world had descended into chaos, Eunho alone was worrying about whether his relationship would survive. If Ahjussi turned into an animal too, maybe he wouldn’t even be able to answer the phone. Eunho decided to give up on calling.
After curling up for a long while, Eunho got to his feet. Maybe if he smelled Ahjussi’s scent, he’d feel better.
“Hngh, hoo.”
Taking a deep breath, Eunho stepped toward the stairs. Sometimes his front and back paws moved together awkwardly, but it wasn’t as bad as he’d expected.
The problem was the staircase leading to the second floor. He hadn’t realized it when he was human, but the steps were quite high.
“Hic, I-I can’t.”
Eunho gathered all his strength into his hind legs. Then, like an arrow being released—boing!—he launched himself upward. Despite his solemn expression, his body hopped lightly onto the step.
“Wow!”
That was easier than I thought!
After that, it was quick. Hopping up the stairs, Eunho collapsed onto the bed he shared with Yi-beom. He wriggled into the blankets, where Yi-beom’s scent still lingered.
As he inhaled the smell, his heart seemed to settle. Eunho took a deep breath.
This feels kind of perverted.
He’d always thought Yi-beom was a pervert when he exhaled against the pillow like that, but now he wasn’t much different. Eunho burrowed deeper under the blanket.
How much time had passed? As he lay there breathing in Yi-beom’s scent, he heard movement downstairs.
“Jung Eunho!”
It was Yi-beom’s voice.
Eunho hurriedly popped out from under the blanket. He was just about to call out “Ahjussi,” when his round nose twitched.
“Ugh!”
A dangerous scent saturated the air nearby. It was the smell of a carnivore.
It felt like sirens blaring inside his head. Wee-woo, wee-woo. A loud signal screamed danger. Fear wrapped around his body as if he might be devoured at any moment.
At this rate, I might die…!
The existence of Kwon Yi-beom had long since vanished from Eunho’s mind.
I have to survive!
Driven purely by instinct, Eunho scrambled back under the blanket.
Crash, bang—the sound of Yi-beom entering the room followed. Eunho squeezed his eyes shut and held his breath.
“Jung Eunho?”
“……”
“You in there?”
A large shadow loomed over the blanket. Eek—Eunho inhaled sharply.
“If you’re there, answer me.”
Soon, the blanket he’d desperately pulled over himself was lifted. Trembling, Eunho looked up toward the voice.
And there stood a tiger.
It had Yi-beom’s face and body, but the tail and claws were unmistakably those of a tiger.
“Eek!”
Startled, Eunho buried his face back into the blanket. Kicking his short little legs, he shouted,
“Hic, y-you, go away!”
“……”
“Go!”
Five years into their relationship, it was their first fight.
***
“At 2 p.m. today, the government announced its intention to quickly stabilize the situation. In addition, they stated that the degree of beast transformation varies from person to person, and that further details on how to regulate that degree will be announced later. The advisory to remain indoors or at home remains unchanged…”
The anchor’s voice blared from the TV. Sitting at one end of the sofa, Eunho sneaked a glance at Yi-beom.
Sitting at the opposite end, Yi-beom looked foul-tempered. His brows were slightly drawn together, as if he were forcibly suppressing his irritation. Sensing the gaze, Yi-beom spoke.
“What.”
“Huh?”
His head remained fixed on the TV. Because Eunho practically convulsed at the sight of his bright yellow eyes, Yi-beom didn’t even dare to meet his gaze easily.
“Why are you staring?”
“I-it’s just… I was checking if it’s really you, Ahjussi.”
“What, you think some stranger punched in the password and came in? And looked for you first thing?”
“……”
“You think there’s another lunatic like that?”
Judging by how mean he talks, it is our Ahjussi. Eunho bit his lip.
His pitch-black hair fell to the nape of his neck. Beneath it, his brows and nose—overall, a handsome face with distinctly masculine features. If not for that ferocious gaze, he’d look even better. Eunho let his eyes trace over his face.
Eunho was twenty-five. Yi-beom was thirty-five. There was a ten-year age gap, yet hardly any trace of time showed on him.
“Looking at you like this, you’re fine…”
Murmuring to himself, Eunho lifted his gaze above Yi-beom’s head. There, triangular ears stood tall. They resembled the leopard-print shirts some of Yi-beom’s subordinates occasionally wore.
The moment he saw the ears, his whole body seemed to tighten. Ugh. Eunho let out a groan.
“Jung Eunho, you…?”
Without thinking, Yi-beom turned toward him. At that instant, Eunho sucked in a breath and tumbled off the edge of the sofa.
“Ah!”
In that moment, Yi-beom’s long tail wrapped around Eunho.
“Ngh?”
The sensation was warmer and softer than expected, and Eunho let out a small sound.
What is this feeling?
It was similar to being enveloped snugly in a blanket. He felt like he could rest his head and fall asleep just like this.
If only it weren’t a tiger’s tail.
The moment Eunho realized the tail wrapped around him belonged to Yi-beom, his eyes widened.
I’m going to get eaten!
He flailed his limbs wildly.
“Ugh, hngh…”
“Jung Eunho, can’t you stay still?”
“Hngh, l-let go!”
The moment he finished speaking, he slipped from the tail’s grasp, and Yi-beom snatched him up with one hand. Pulling the tiny rabbit into his chest, he rolled across the floor.
Hoo. Letting out a deep breath, Yi-beom looked down at the Eunho in his arms. A palm-sized rabbit was panting. He was so small that each time he exhaled, his plump belly visibly puffed out.
“This little…”
Grinding his teeth, Yi-beom cursed. Even when he’d been human, Eunho looked like he’d collapse with a light tap. Now he’d turned into a rabbit that looked like he’d flop over without even being touched.
Yi-beom placed the trembling rabbit on one palm.
“You’re a rabbit right now.”
“S-so, hngh, what about it?”
“What about it? What do you think?”
With a fingertip, Yi-beom flicked the space between Eunho’s eyes.
“With just a flick like this, you could die.”
Eunho’s tightly shut eyes flew open.
What does that mean? Is he saying he’ll kill me?
Tears pooled in Eunho’s eyes.
Drip, drip, they fell. Even for Yi-beom, who was seeing a rabbit up close for the first time in his life, it was obvious—Eunho was utterly terrified.
“A-are you going to eat me?”
“What?”
“Y-you’re going to eat me, right? Hngh…”
