“Peeking into someone else’s room? That’s seriously unbelievable.”
“I’m sorry, okay? But honestly, what’s really unbelievable is you. Remember when you told me I was wasting my time? And now look at you—you’re completely smitten. Since when were you such a bird lover?”
“As if. If Master actually liked birds, he wouldn’t treat me like this.”
Kalz gave Butler Squawk—who had jumped in to back me up—a look of pure indifference.
“You’re just not cute.”
“W-What?!”
Butler Squawk’s pupils trembled wildly. Kalz, having just stabbed him in the heart with that comment, remained completely unfazed.
“What exactly makes that little magpie so different from me? If he’s cute, then I am too! Didn’t you once say my scarlet feathers were beautiful?”
“Eh. Not really. Compared to those mysteriously iridescent black feathers, yours don’t hold a candle. Anyway, what are you even doing here?”
“…Forget it. This uncute parrot will see himself out.”
Shoulders slumped, Butler Squawk trudged out of the room without even bothering to fly. Watching his dejected little back made me feel guilty. Kalz didn’t spare him a glance, already scooping Kkamang into his arms.
“Bell. You came for the bird?”
“Yeah, I just finished in the kitchen. Hand him over, please.”
“You’re just gonna run off to do something else, aren’t you? I could watch him.”
“No thanks. I’ll be taking him with me while I work. Come on, Kkamang.”
Kkareureureu! Kkareureureu!
The moment I tried to take him, Kkamang cried out and clung to Kalz, looking at him with big, desperate eyes. Kalz lit up like he’d just won a prize, smugly stroking the bird with one finger.
“See? He says he wants to stay with me.”
“K-Kkamang… how could you…”
And just like that, I ended up leaving the study in the same pitiful state as Butler Squawk.
Things only got worse after that. Now that he’d been caught, Kalz stopped even pretending to keep his distance. He wouldn’t leave Kkamang alone for a second. At this rate, he looked ready to build the bird a nest in his own mane.
Something was seriously wrong with me too.
At first, I was just annoyed that Kalz kept hogging all the time with Kkamang. But lately, it’s started to feel like something more…
“Oh wow, what’s next—sharing a bed?”
Seeing Kalz and Kkamang fast asleep on the same bed put me in a foul mood. I carefully scooped up the dozing bird and placed him back in his cushioned little box. Maybe it was the sudden loss of warmth, but Kkamang let out a soft, heart-tugging chirp.
Kalz stirred awake at the sound, rubbing his eyes as he sat up.
“…What’s going on? Why’s Kkamang chirping?”
“Because it’s dangerous, obviously. Why are you sleeping with a bird next to you? What if you roll over in your sleep and crush him? Do you still not get how big you are?”
I snapped, tone sharp. But instead of defending himself, he just gave me a lazy, amused smile.
“If you’re jealous, you could just admit it.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“I mean, the way you’re acting—it really seems like you’re jealous of Kkamang.”
Jealous…?
The word hit me like I’d never heard it before. I stared at him, stunned, the feeling bizarre and unfamiliar. My blank expression must’ve been obvious because Kalz scratched the back of his head and added awkwardly,
“Just messing with you. Fine, I’ll be more careful next time—wait, where are you going?”
I didn’t answer. I just turned and stormed out of his room.
At some point, it wasn’t Kkamang being attached to Kalz that bothered me anymore. It was Kalz smiling at Kkamang that got under my skin. And ever since that bird showed up, Kalz had stopped randomly dropping by wherever I was working just to pester me. Like earlier. Honestly, it’s not like they were even that close together on the bed. But I still wanted to shove Kkamang back in his box.
Yeah. Jealousy. This was definitely jealousy.
As soon as I got back to my room, I grabbed my notebook, flipped to the checklist, and drew a big, confident line through one of the boxes.
■ Do I feel jealous if he’s close with others?
I never thought I’d check this one off so easily. That weird, warm sense of satisfaction had me grinning down at the page when a knock came at my open door.
“…Kalz?”
“…Can we talk for a sec?”
“Sure.”
Right. I had stormed out in the middle of our conversation, hadn’t I? Maybe he was annoyed and came to call me out. But instead, he held something out to me.
“Here. Take him.”
Kalz gently handed Kkamang over like he was returning something precious.
“What’s this about? I thought you were planning to keep him glued to your side.”
He looked away, as if caught red-handed. Then, after an awkward cough, he finally spoke.
“Ahem. First off… I’m sorry. And for the record, I wasn’t trying to take him from you or anything.”
…An apology? Wait, does he think I got upset and stormed off because of Kkamang?
I blinked, dumbfounded, and he quickly added more.
“At first, I kept him nearby because I wanted him to recover faster. I figured he’d rest better with me than being dragged around while you were working.”
“But you kept him with you even when I wasn’t working.”
“…I mean, yeah. I grew attached, sure. But the main reason was for his recovery. I thought… once he’s safe and healthy enough to return to the wild, you’d feel more at ease too.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. You’ve been doing your best. If all that effort ended up meaning nothing, even someone like you might feel defeated. I just wanted to spare you that disappointment.”
“So basically, you did it for my sake. Because you didn’t want me getting hurt, right?”
“Not exactly. Let’s call it… maintaining my employee’s emotional stability. Are you even listening?”
“Hmm… not really.”
Because it’s obvious now. No matter how he tries to spin it, it was for me. Knowing that the way he cared for Kkamang came from worrying about me made something flutter in my chest, and I couldn’t stop smiling.
Kalz watched me grinning to myself and scratched his neck, visibly uncomfortable.
“…I shouldn’t have said anything. Anyway, I’ll keep taking care of him for now.”
“No. I brought him here, so I’m going to be the one to take care of him.”
We were still locked in a tug-of-war over who got to look after Kkamang when—
Flap!
Kkamang suddenly flapped his wings, slipped from my hand, and flew—yes, flew—right onto Kalz’s head. We both froze, eyes wide, staring at each other in shock.
It was short, but there was no doubt about it.
“Kkamang flew just now, right?”
“He did. He really flew.”
Without wasting a second, we rushed to find Butler Squawk. After examining Kkamang carefully, he broke into a pleased smile.
“He’s fully recovered. He’s ready to return to the wild anytime now.”
“Oh my gosh, what a good boy. That’s our Kkamang!”
Kkareureu!
“Kkamang says thank you for taking such good care of him.”
“Seriously? How would you even know that?”
“I don’t. Just a feeling.”
What the heck? It really did sound like gratitude. My suspicions about Butler Squawk only deepened, but there was no way to prove anything, so I let it go—for now. We had something more important to focus on.
The next day, after Kkamang had a deep sleep and a hearty breakfast, Kalz and I took him out to the garden.
“All right, Kkamang. It’s time to go.”
But no matter how high I raised my hand, Kkamang didn’t even twitch his wings. I tried lifting and lowering him a few times, unsure of what to do, when Kalz offered a suggestion.
“Don’t just hold him up. You have to toss him. His legs need to leave the ground—only then will he realize it’s time to fly.”
“But what if he falls and hurts himself again?”
“Don’t worry. If he drops, I’ll catch him. I won’t let anything happen to him.”
Could I trust him with this?
I looked at his chest. …Yeah, with those arms, he could probably catch a person if he wanted. I nodded and took a deep breath.
Then, carefully but with strength, I tossed Kkamang into the air.
Flap-flap!
Above me, I heard the powerful beat of wings. I looked up—and there he was, soaring through the sky.
“Did you see that?! Kkamang’s flying!”
I grabbed Kalz by the shoulder, practically shaking him in excitement. He didn’t respond, eyes fixed on the sky.
Kkamang flew in wide, graceful circles above us. Then he paused midair, searching for a place to land. The spot he chose—was my shoulder.
My chest swelled with emotion as I gave him one final farewell.
“Congratulations, Kkamang. Wherever you go, stay safe and be happy.”
Kkareureu! Chirp!
As if he understood, Kkamang gently tapped his beak against my cheek. Then, without hesitation, he took off once more—this time flying high, far into the open sky.
We’d only spent a little over a week together, but the emptiness he left behind felt much heavier.
“…He’s really gone.”
“Yeah. And after all that, he only said goodbye to you. I was the one who took care of him the most.”
The pouty, childlike tone in Kalz’s voice caught me off guard, and before I could get sentimental, I burst out laughing.
“Wait—are you seriously jealous right now?”
“Hmph.”
Kalz didn’t bother denying it. He just huffed and headed back toward the mansion.
Unbelievable. He’s still absurdly adorable when he’s acting ridiculous.
