…That was definitely affection. Not just a little—it was overflowing, so much that it couldn’t be held back, flooding beyond what his eyes could even take in.
He stared, completely entranced, as Justyn’s face slowly drew closer. No, not just closer—it bumped into him.
Smush.
The sudden pressure on his snout stunned Ries, his eyes popping wide open. A moment later, Justyn pulled away, looking utterly delighted.
And Ries—
“…Mya. Myang-myong. Aeng-aeng…?”
He let out a jumble of strange, stammering cries… and then froze. Just now—unless he was completely imagining things—
They had kissed.
Justyn kissed him first.
It was a historic moment. Justyn—who always froze up like a broken robot whenever Ries threw himself at him with his ultimate display of cuteness—had actually initiated physical contact.
The warmth of his breath brushing against Ries’s ear seemed to tingle all the way down to his heart. Ries rolled his eyes around before glancing up at him.
“Ahem.”
There was a faint blush beneath Justyn’s eyes, followed by an awkward cough like he was trying to play it cool. His sharp, straight-lined eyes hadn’t changed, and yet… somehow, he looked shy. Flustered, even.
All you could see were his eyes, and still—he was ridiculously handsome. Honestly, it felt like a crime that Ries was the only one who got to witness this rare, precious expression.
***
Flopping around while hugging a plush toy to his chest, Ries rolled one way, then the other. It looked like a pair of kids wrestling for bed space, but he was way too overwhelmed to care.
A massive step forward. Seriously.
Was this what it felt like for a parent to watch their grown son spread his wings? Ries was bursting with pride, not knowing what to do with himself. Memories of the days when even the slightest touch had sent Justyn recoiling came flooding back.
Man, what a journey it’d been. It felt like just yesterday he was forcing himself into Justyn’s space, practically begging to be petted…
He let himself drift into a brief moment of nostalgia.
And then—that face.
That’s cheating.
It’s human nature to go soft for things that are pretty or beautiful, regardless of age or gender. Sure, Justyn kept most of his face hidden, but those crimson eyes alone were enough to steal hearts.
A beastkin? A guy? Sure, if Justyn ever found out, it might rattle him a bit. But for someone like Ries—who’d stacked shamelessness to legendary levels—it wasn’t even a blip on the radar.
Because those eyes… were the eyes of someone genuinely happy with their life.
It was exactly what Ries had always wanted to see.
Maybe that’s why—why he completely forgot one very important thing.
The moment the plushie slipped from his arms and flopped onto the floor with a soft thud, the realization hit him like lightning.
“…Myak?!”
Wait. What about Sefiut?
***
The next day.
Ries raced to the training hall like his tail was on fire. And as soon as he saw Sefiut, he blurted out every detail, down to the last jaw-dropping bit.
—Well, that’s great. If you’re sticking close to him, he won’t need a priest’s healing or anything like that. Honestly, you’re better off heading down to the duchy with my heir than wasting away in this suffocating capital.
“……”
The response was… weirdly calm. Ries stared at his half-transparent face like he was trying to bore a hole through it.
—What’s with that look?
Like… really calm. Too calm. Sefiut’s expression twitched like he was forcing himself to keep a straight face.
No tongue-clicking, no grumbling. And this oddly civil, considerate tone? He looked almost—defeated.
Ries quickly rubbed at his eyes with both front paws, but nothing changed. If anything, Sefiut looked more downcast now. Why?
He found out soon enough.
—Tch. I was bored out of my mind, holed up in here anyway. Might as well mess around before the place becomes completely useless. At this rate, I’m gonna start growing cobwebs on my body.
…No way. This guy—
“Eorhk?”
Was planning to stay?!
Ries asked the question blankly. Sefiut blinked, confused.
—Huh? What kind of dumb question is that?
“Eowooooong!”
Hold up!! Ries cut him off with a wail, betrayal glistening in his round, gray eyes.
“Whaaaa! Eowooork! Kyak!”
—What? Wait a second.
“Haaack! Kyaooong!!”
—Okay, no, come on now—seriously…
“Grrrrrr!”
—…Alright, alright, I get it. Just stop already.
What followed was a long, drawn-out argument.
By the end of it, Sefiut looked thoroughly shaken, one hand pressed to his temple. He hadn’t felt pain or discomfort since becoming a ghost, but right now? He could swear he had a headache.
The gist of Ries’s rambling went something like this:
We’ve only succeeded twice so far—how am I supposed to handle this on my own?
You promised to help!
What if I run into some other ghost out there?
Sure, parts of it were a little dramatic, but the core message was clear.
Eventually, Sefiut let out a breathy chuckle. He’d always known Ries was a bold little thing, but he hadn’t expected him to yell at him like that.
Funny enough… it worked. Well—everything except the last part.
—You cheeky brat. Did you really just treat me like some kind of totem?
Sefiut bent down immediately and reached out his hands. If he could, he was going to grab both of Ries’s cheeks and stretch them out mercilessly. He didn’t actually expect to touch him, but—
“NyaaAAAH?!”
He did touch him. And just like that, Ries’s cheeks stretched out wide like mochi—exactly the kind of pain that meant yes, it hurt.
Ries yelped on instinct, all four legs flailing in panic. Thankfully, his cheeks were quickly released, but the lingering sting left him dazed and dizzy.
Only after a beat did he piece things together. Seeing Sefiut just as stunned made him realize—they’d made physical contact.
“Wu-wehng?”
He was so thrown off he forgot to be mad about the cheek attack. Still blinking in disbelief, he reached out with a paw to try touching him again.
“Muuung?”
But this time, his paw passed right through Sefiut’s face. All he felt was a weird, indescribable sensation that tingled around his paw pads.
—Looks like your powers are starting to awaken.
Sefiut finally muttered after a long pause.
—You didn’t even know you were from the Myo tribe until we met. That probably put a limiter on your abilities. But now that you’re actively using your powers, that restriction’s starting to lift.
His voice was laced with curiosity, like he was genuinely intrigued.
Either way, it was good news. If his powers kept growing, it might even make breaking Justyn’s curse a little easier.
But before Ries could get too optimistic, Sefiut kept talking.
—Anyway… thanks for the offer. But I’m bound to this mansion. I can’t leave. So I’ll just take it as a kind gesture.
Still crouched to meet Ries’s eyes, he offered a crooked smile. Compared to how gloomy he’d looked earlier, he seemed way better now.
Of course, Ries had no intention of giving up on him that easily.
It had hit him last night—if they moved, he’d have to leave Sefiut behind.
During the long hours leading up to this meeting, Ries had racked his brain for a solution.
And finally, he had one.
His eyes sparkled.
“Myaaaang?”
Hey… do you know what necromancy is?
Necromancy—summoning a spirit from the afterlife into the world of the living. A familiar concept from horror flicks and ghost stories.
There were supposedly different types too. Ries didn’t know much—just the basics—but it was enough to come up with a pretty solid idea.
—Necromancy? That’s a new term to me.
Apparently, it wasn’t a known concept here. Ries decided to explain it himself.
“Mwyaaang? Myang?”
Want the short version? Or the long one?
—Short.
Sefiut went with the brief version.
“Nyaaah. Aeng!”
You go inside a doll!
—…I take it back. Long version, please.
He changed his mind fast.
Ries struggled through the explanation—he only had a basic understanding—but he managed. Mostly because Sefiut grilled him on every little detail.
Eventually, Ries flicked his tail impatiently and looked up at him. Sefiut seemed deep in thought, like he was nearly ready to decide.
—Alright… It still sounds shady, but we don’t really have another option. Fine. Just make sure you bring me a doll that suits my level of class.
“Aeng…”
—Why do you sound so unmotivated?
“Eowng.”
That suspiciously indulgent tone? Infuriating. Ries’s tail started slapping the floor in frustration. Sefiut reached out to grab it, but the damn thing slipped away like it had a mind of its own.
Forget it. I’m heading back.
He gave up and got to his feet, determined to find a suitable doll for Sefiut once he returned.
But—before that…
There was something he’d been debating whether to say.
And now, he finally decided to say it.
