“Hh, just for one week…”
He didn’t answer, only gave a comforting pat on the back. As Kang Tae-yi gently brushed away the tears from Da Haram’s damp eyes, he slowly nodded and took Haram’s hand.
“Let’s go.”
“Huh…? R-Right now? I still need to pack my clothes and stuff…”
“It’s fine.”
Thrown off balance, Haram followed him outside the gate—only to find a sleek black sedan already waiting there, though he hadn’t even noticed it arrive. Standing in front of it was a man dressed in a black suit similar to Kang Tae-yi’s, holding a white container.
“Director, the sedative’s ready—ah…”
As Kang Tae-yi emerged holding hands with the very person the sedative was meant for, Yoon Min-ho, flustered, quickly hid the vial behind his back. He was now officially Chief Yoon—Yoon Ji-seok’s younger brother.
Kang Tae-yi shot him a sharp glare and gave a meaningful glance, then ushered the confused Haram into the back seat.
“Sedative…?”
Sitting on the soft leather seat, Haram glanced over at Tae-yi, who slid in beside him and answered calmly.
“I get motion sickness. It was for me.”
That wasn’t true. It had been part of a last-resort, dirty plan to get Da Haram into the car.
But thankfully, the clueless sky squirrel bought it. Haram even looked up at him with genuine concern, despite still having tear streaks on his face.
“Sedatives… aren’t good for you.”
He didn’t know much, but he was sure he’d heard somewhere that they weren’t healthy.
“Then maybe I shouldn’t take it?”
Kang Tae-yi smiled gently as he asked, watching Haram blink his large eyes in hesitation.
“Is your motion sickness really that bad…?”
“Yeah. In that case, the sky squirrel can just put me to sleep instead.”
The moment he finished speaking, Kang Tae-yi lay down with his head resting across Haram’s thin thigh and closed his eyes. Caught completely off guard, Haram stiffened and opened his mouth.
“S-Seatbelt. You need a seatbelt.”
As Chief Yoon started the engine from the front, Haram blurted it out in a panic. Tae-yi chuckled softly, then straightened up and fastened his seatbelt. The strange tension lingering in the back seat made Chief Yoon cautiously ask,
“Shall we go?”
In response, Haram turned toward Tae-yi and murmured,
“My stuff…”
“It’s okay, I’ll buy you everything.”
After reassuring Haram, Tae-yi gave a nod to the driver. The car began its slow descent down the hill.
Haram, now buckled in, glanced sideways at Tae-yi, who still hadn’t put on his seatbelt, prompting him to do so with a soft snort.
As the scenery outside the window shifted rapidly from the familiar village to the open road, Haram turned his head—only to meet Tae-yi’s gaze.
“If I hadn’t come, would you have cried like that?”
Tae-yi’s face had this strangely satisfied expression, which made embarrassment rush through Haram’s chest. Clutching the worn-out T-shirt he hadn’t changed out of since yesterday, Haram lowered his head and replied,
“I thought you left without saying anything… I wanted to at least say goodbye.”
But Tae-yi just smiled, making Haram’s voice grow smaller and smaller. The air in the spacious car felt awkward, so he tried to shift the mood with a question.
“What did you mean by helping me and… buying my peanut field?”
Yesterday, he hadn’t had the mental space to be curious about it, but now that his head was clearer, the question wouldn’t leave him. Especially now that they were on their way to Seoul together—he had to ask.
“The ownership’s just changing to my name. I’ll pay a good price. You keep growing peanuts on that land just like you always have.”
“It’s not that simple… And if you do that, Changi Construction will start bothering you.”
At the mention of Changi Construction, Chief Yoon glanced at Haram in the rearview mirror.
Haram had brought it up out of genuine concern, but as always, Tae-yi simply smiled as if it were nothing. Seeing him now in a sharp suit, oozing a composed maturity, was a striking contrast to the laid-back image Haram was used to—Tae-yi in comfy clothes, looking effortlessly relaxed.
“They’ll really hassle you, I’m serious.”
When Tae-yi didn’t respond and just kept smiling, Haram emphasized it again. Only then did Tae-yi finally reply.
“It’s fine. I’ll let them hassle me.”
His nonchalant answer frustrated Haram. He knew just how relentless those people were… and yet Tae-yi didn’t seem scared at all. Rather than suspecting any kind of scam from the mention of the name transfer, all Haram could do was worry about him.
“You really don’t have to go that far for me… I’ll just stay at your place for a week. That’s all.”
He needed to get away from the village for a bit. Clear his mind. Just for a week. Of course, the desire to follow Tae-yi wasn’t purely practical. Part of him just… wanted to be with Tae-yi.
“Alright. Take it slow, sort your thoughts.”
“I’ll only stay one week… I have to harvest the peanuts in two weeks…”
It felt like he was trying to convince himself more than anyone else. As if repeating it was a vow to himself. Just one week. That’s it.
“Okay. I’ll make sure to repay the favor, squirrel.”
“…It’s sky squirrel.”
***
The view outside the car had shifted from rice paddies to clusters of low buildings in the town center, then to the busy highway, and now to rows of towering skyscrapers.
“For today, just rest at home.”
As the car pulled into a quiet residential area, Tae-yi glanced over at Haram, who was still peering out the window in amazement.
“Okay. Do you live alone? What about your parents?”
Come to think of it, Haram had never asked about Tae-yi’s family before.
“Yeah. My mom passed away when I was little. My dad’s… almost there.”
Almost there?
Haram stared at him, clearly confused, but Tae-yi just let out a small chuckle and reached out to smooth back the strands of silver hair that had fallen over Haram’s face.
“Just stay home. I’ll be back soon.”
“Are you going to work?”
“Yeah. I’ll be back before dinner.”
Now that he saw him like this, Tae-yi really did look like a working professional. Maybe not your average office worker… He seemed to be someone pretty high up. Good car. A driver.
“Have a good day.”
He hadn’t even left yet, but Haram said it anyway. Tae-yi looked at him for a moment, then turned his gaze out the window and mumbled,
“Feels like we’re married.”
“…?”
Da Haram was a beastfolk. His hearing was sharper than a human’s. He heard that mumble loud and clear.
But it was so absurd, he couldn’t even respond. Must be the Seoul air messing with him.
Tae-yi seemed… off.
They parked inside a private garage and took the elevator—Haram didn’t realize it was connected to the house.
Tae-yi placed his hand on a fingerprint scanner by a glass door. It slid open smoothly, revealing a dark interior.
It looked like the kind of mansion you’d only ever see in dramas. A chaebol’s house. Though it was a bit… gloomier than he’d expected.
“You must really like black…”
Tae-yi gave a slight nod at Haram’s murmured comment, then grabbed his wrist and led him up a flight of marble stairs. The hallway above was wide, with paintings—or something resembling art—hanging along the walls.
“You’ll use this room. Mine’s next door. Feel free to explore.”
“Oh… Okay. Are you leaving now?”
As Tae-yi stopped at the room’s entrance without stepping inside, Haram looked up and asked.
“Yeah. The fridge should be stocked. Help yourself. Let’s eat out for dinner.”
He gave Haram’s head a gentle pat. As his phone vibrated in his pocket, he patted his hair one more time before turning and heading out.
The sound of Tae-yi’s footsteps fading down the stairs echoed faintly. Haram pressed the switch on the wall to turn on the light and looked around.
A bed big enough for five people sat at the center of the room, and a short hallway led off to the side. Following it, he found a sleek bathroom and a walk-in closet. The bathroom was basically the size of his whole house.
There wasn’t much furniture, but everything necessary was there. He pulled aside the heavy blackout curtains and peeked outside. A row of elegant pine trees stood tall outside the window.
“Pine trees are expensive…”
Lots of things looked pricey, but those trees looked really pricey.
Haram had imagined Tae-yi would live in an apartment or a studio, but no—he lived in a mansion. A very big mansion.
How the hell did I end up here? Just how rich is this guy?
Grrrgl.
As he tested the plushness of the bed with a few cautious presses, his stomach rumbled. He instinctively hugged it, startled—even though no one was around.
Then, moving as stealthily as a cat, he crept out of the room and headed for the kitchen he’d seen earlier while climbing the stairs.
Even inside the house, the ceilings were so high that it made the space feel open and airy. He kept catching himself looking up instead of ahead.
It felt wrong to open someone else’s fridge without permission—but Tae-yi had said it was okay. He swallowed the guilt and opened it.
“Wow…”
Even though Tae-yi hadn’t been home recently, the fridge was stocked with fresh ingredients and neatly packaged meals. Who got all this stuff?
After pulling out a few items to inspect, Haram spotted a pack of fresh fruit and swallowed hard. He grabbed a fruit tray and returned to the bedroom.
Not sure where he was supposed to eat, he hesitated for a moment before sitting down at the edge of the bed and peeling back the packaging.
Then, in a flash, he transformed—his beastfolk instincts taking over. He picked up a blueberry and plopped onto the bed.
“Chomp, chomp!”
Nuts and fruit always tasted better in beast form.
Holding a blueberry in both hands, Haram chewed happily, blinking his big round eyes as he looked over the tray for his next target.
“Squeak!”
Strawberry!
He snatched up a plump strawberry and tried to sit down with it in his arms, but it was so big it made him roll across the bed.
By the time he scrambled upright again, the sweet scent of strawberries had only gotten stronger.
Looking down, he saw the pristine white sheets stained with juice from the squashed fruit.
“……Squeak.”
……I messed up.
