How did we even end up here? We started off like Tom and Jerry—total enemies—barely survived a mountain of crap together, even dodged death, and finally managed to open up and connect for real. And now you’re throwing a wrench in it? That’s just petty. Honestly, I should’ve known when that perfectly fine copperplate was cracked for no reason.
I was muttering under my breath in frustration when Kalz let out a small chuckle and patted my head.
“Your lips are pouting.”
“Still cute, though, so it’s fine.”
“You’re not wrong.”
Wow. Look at that. He’s actually admitting it now. A cute lion, huh. I looked up at him quietly, basking in the gentle touch of his hand.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Don’t worry. Even if you have to live as a Beast forever, I’ll stay by your side.”
“Hah… that’s really kind of you.”
“Then how about a kiss on the cheek?”
“Don’t push your luck.”
Still as rigid as ever when it comes to skinship. At this point, I’m starting to have my suspicions.
“You’ve… never dated anyone before, have you?”
“Did you forget everything I told you about my past?”
“So you’ve never kissed anyone either?”
“Shouldn’t you be the last person asking that?”
I waved off his incredulous glare. Seriously, the guy who drunkenly stole someone’s first kiss is looking at me like I’m the problem?
“That was more of a peck than a real kiss.”
“Same difference.”
“Anyway, what matters is—I’m your first, right?”
“Yes.”
Knew it. He’s a virgin. That explains everything—why he always reacted so awkwardly no matter how much I came on to him. So now what? How do I break through this virgin lion’s defenses and make it to the endgame? While I was deep in strategic thought, he turned the question on me.
“What about you? Ever kissed anyone before?”
“Well…”
I have. Maybe Briel hasn’t, but I have. And there’s no way I’m admitting that now.
“Of course not.”
“…That sounds like a lie.”
“Wow. Do you just go around not trusting people? Try believing me for once.”
I gave his sleeve a little tug, shaking it gently.
Okay. Got the physical contact in. Next move. I lowered my gaze like I was shy and murmured just loud enough for him to hear.
“Then if we kiss… it’d be a first for both of us.”
“Technically, yes… but why’s your voice suddenly doing that?”
“I mean, isn’t a kiss kind of the ultimate expression of love?”
If I lift my lashes right now, my dewy green eyes will glimmer beneath his golden ones—irresistible. Just like I thought, Kalz couldn’t look away. Got him. I closed my eyes slowly and leaned in.
But instead of soft fur and a warm snout, I hit something cold and hard.
A copperplate.
“Mmph! Are you seriously blocking me?!”
“Yeah.”
“Why?!”
“A peck might be okay, but a kiss? That’s dangerous.”
“Dangerous how?”
“You could get hurt on my fangs.”
“Come on, what do you think I am, a complete amateur? Just move the copperplate already.”
“How would I know what to do? I’ve never done this before.”
“Ahem.”
I cleared my throat, then pressed on.
“Just try it. What if this really is the answer?”
“We already figured out it wasn’t.”
“Yeah, but that was before we had real love between us. Now it’s different. And hey—if a kiss doesn’t work, we can always try the next step.”
“Next step? Just how far are you planning to go?”
“Why? You not planning to go that far?”
“No.”
My jaw practically hit the floor, but Kalz just nodded with infuriating resolve.
“Seriously? Even if that’s the only way to break the curse?”
“Highly unlikely, but… if it is, then I’ll just live out my life as a Beast.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me! Haven’t you ever heard ‘if you save it too long, it turns to crap’? What, planning to haul those glorious pecs with you into the afterlife?!”
“Wait… don’t tell me. Were you after my body this whole time?”
He crossed his massive arms over his chest with a scandalized expression, like I’d just defiled something sacred. And honestly, the way those biceps bulged while he did it only made me more annoyed.
“Oh my god, you unbelievable lion-head.”
“Ow—pinch me all you want, but don’t yank out my whiskers. That actually hurts.”
“Too bad. I’m yanking them.”
“I’m still technically a patient, you know.”
After our usual round of bickering, I ran a hand through my bangs with a sigh.
“Fine. Even if we’re lovers, I’m not gonna force something you don’t want. I’ll back off for now.”
“That’s… a relief.”
“But just so you know—I’m still going to flirt. Constantly. Until you give in. Don’t even think about trying to stop me.”
“Please don’t do that.”
“Why not? Afraid you’ll lose control?”
My teasing gaze made him sigh again, heavier this time.
“…Even if my heart is human, my body isn’t. I don’t want to push something beastly onto you. Can’t you understand that?”
“So that’s the real reason?”
“Yeah.”
“What about a kiss, then?”
“I told you—it’s dangerous.”
“What exactly is dangerous? Your fangs? Or your self-control?”
Kalz’s lips pressed into a tight, silent line.
Ah. So that was it. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to—it was that he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to stop once he started. The moment the realization clicked, a smug little smile tugged at my lips.
“Okay, fine. I get it. But if we’re going to find the ‘fruit of love’ together, you’re going to have to cooperate.”
“What do I need to do?”
“Leave the planning to me. You just focus on getting better.”
“That’s… oddly reassuring.”
***
As always, Kalz bounced back with his usual ridiculous recovery speed. Even the stab wound through his right arm—my biggest concern—healed without a trace.
Just like we’d promised, we officially kicked off Operation: Find the Fruit of Love.
“So, what’s first on the list?”
“Today’s activity… is this.”
I held out a colorful bouquet—flowers I’d picked from the garden, sorted by type and arranged just so.
“We’re making flower rings for each other. Our very first couple rings.”
“…Is that even possible? My hands are… not exactly built for that.”
Kalz stared at his thick, calloused palms like they were foreign objects.
“That’s why I brought a lot. We only need one ring each, so relax.”
I said it with all the confidence in the world. What I didn’t realize was that nearly every single flower would be sacrificed in the process.
“No, look—like this. Just loop it here and twist gently. Why do they all break the second you touch them?!”
“I told you I wasn’t good at this.”
“Ugh, I should’ve known when you couldn’t even land a single decent throw during Yut Nori.”
Still, after much trial and error, he somehow managed to cobble together a flower ring for me. It looked like it had been stepped on, but Kalz glanced up at me with an uncertain expression.
“Should I try again?”
“What, and pull an all-nighter making flower rings? No thanks. I love it just the way it is.”
“Don’t lie. You only like things that are pretty.”
“It is pretty. Because it shows how hard you tried. That alone makes it beautiful. Are you blushing right now?”
“…No.”
And just like that, we spent the whole day making flower rings.
The next day, we exchanged the flower rings and held a little vow ceremony.
“Wouldn’t a real ring be better? If you don’t like anything in the treasure vault, we can just buy one you like.”
“Nope. I like this one more than any gemstone ring. And look at you—this is the first time I’ve seen you so dressed up. You look incredible.”
“You, as always, are beautiful.”
“Finally. Now you’re speaking my language.”
On another day, we planted seeds together in the garden.
“What’s the point of this again?”
“You know how people say raising kids is like farming? Growing seeds is basically the same. You plant them, they grow, and boom—that’s our love taking root and blossoming.”
“That logic is… quite the stretch.”
“Just go with it. Nothing to lose, right?”
“So, what are these seeds?”
“Sunflowers, carrots, lettuce, peas.”
“Sounds more like the harvest of dinner than the fruit of love. But whatever—let’s plant this one too.”
“What is it?”
“A seed Kkamang left for us.”
“Wait—Kkamang came by?! When? Why didn’t you call me?!”
“This morning. Didn’t even get the chance—he just dropped it on the windowsill and flew off. Looked healthy, though.”
“Oh my gosh, then we have to plant it. What if it grows into a magic pumpkin full of gold and treasure?”
“That’s… pretty far-fetched. You really love your shiny things, huh.”
“No! I’m not saying that because I’m greedy! It’s just… you know, symbolic or something.”
“Well, I guess we’ll find out soon enough.”
Another day, we knitted scarves for each other.
“Do I have to wear this?”
“What, don’t like bright colors?”
“It’s not just bright—it’s firetruck red.”
“Still better than yours. Yours looks like armor. Pretty sure I could use it to hammer nails.”
“…Should I redo it?”
“It’s fine. Who knows? One day it might save my life—like the witch’s copperplate.”
Then there was the day we co-wrote a novel.
“You’re seriously killing the main character?”
“He got stabbed in the heart. What else would happen?”
“He’s the protagonist! He can survive! You’re the one who said humans aren’t that fragile!”
“Fine. I’ll bring him back.”
“You can’t just resurrect him after we held a whole funeral! This plot is a disaster.”
…Yeah, the quality was questionable at best.
But none of that mattered. We kept doing everything together.
His curse still hadn’t broken, but honestly? I didn’t care anymore.
Even if nothing changed, as long as I was with him, I knew I could be happy.
Completely unaware of what was waiting for us just beyond the horizon, I let myself sink deeper into that sweet little dream.
