“……In my squirrel—no, my sky squirrel form?”
“Yeah. Go around in that form for a while, try to work through it.”
Da Haram hesitated at Kang Tae-yi’s words, clearly torn. After a long moment of wavering, he finally gave a small nod.
“Should I…? Would that be okay…?”
“Yeah, it’s totally fine.”
The reassurance eased something inside him. He didn’t really understand what exactly he was supposed to “work through,” but he knew one thing for sure—facing people terrified him. And maybe he did want to overcome that fear.
“Then… I’ll go get ready.”
Tae-yi had been about to head out immediately, but paused at Haram’s response to ask why. Before he could get a word in, though, Haram had already darted up the stairs, his tail flicking behind him.
Inside the spacious bathtub, faint squeaking echoed.
“Chik, chiiiik.”
Just relax and clear your head today.
Haram, paws dipped in a cup filled with water, rubbed his face with his soaked hands, mimicking a wash, all while staring at his reflection in the mirror.
“Chik, chyak.”
Let’s just think this through calmly.
His thoughts were far too jumbled to be logical. Maybe Tae-yi was right—clearing his head while taking it easy today might help.
Still gazing into the mirror, Haram began grooming himself. He smoothed out his long whiskers with damp paws, then turned his body from side to side, inspecting his neatly arranged silver-gray fur. Every strand lay perfectly in place, nothing sticking out.
“Chyak.”
No matter how he looked at it, the reflection in the mirror screamed Beta. Haram smiled with satisfaction, his cheeks puffing out adorably as he grinned, which only made him press at them with his paws. He leaned in closer to the mirror.
It was his first time going out with just a friend, so every bit of this thrilled him. He was a little nervous, but tucked safely in Tae-yi’s pocket in his animal form, there shouldn’t be any problems.
“Want some wax?”
“Chik…!”
A sudden voice startled Haram so badly he leapt into the air, landed squarely on his butt, and looked up in shock at Kang Tae-yi, who was standing at the bathroom door with a smile.
“Chyak, chyak…?”
How long have you been standing there…?
If he hadn’t been transformed, his face would no doubt be burning with embarrassment. Tae-yi laughed quietly, watching Haram sit on the bathroom counter, squeaking in panic. He walked over to the sink where Haram was perched and, staring into the mirror, casually ran a hand through his thick black hair before giving his cheeks a light slap.
It was a rougher version of what Haram had done, clearly mimicking him to tease. Flustered, Haram sprang to his feet and shook his head furiously.
“Chik, chik…!”
I wasn’t doing that…!
Grinning, Tae-yi leaned down and asked playfully,
“Trying to impress someone?”
“Chiiik! Chyak…!”
No! I wasn’t…!
Haram stomped his feet and squeaked in frantic denial. Tae-yi chuckled, then scooped up the flustered Haram and stepped out of the bathroom with him in his arms.
“Chyak, chyak…?”
Is Seoul always like this…?
Haram peeked out from the pocket of Tae-yi’s jacket, surveying the inside of the screening room.
Instead of regular rows of seats, the theater was filled with low-partitioned beds spaced evenly apart. If not for the massive screen up front, he might’ve mistaken it for a hotel room. His already large eyes widened even more as he scanned the room, but not a single person was lying on the beds.
“Chik, chik.”
Guess we came early.
Hearing the tiny squeak, Tae-yi lowered his head and reached into his pocket to lift the soft ball of fur into his hands. He gently set Haram down on one of the beds in the center of the theater.
Haram froze in place exactly where Tae-yi had put him, sitting awkwardly on the plush bed. Tae-yi had expected him to bounce around excitedly, but the stiffness in Haram’s body told a different story. He sat down on the edge of the bed and asked,
“What’s wrong? Is it uncomfortable?”
“Chik, chik…”
Because of my fur…
Even with chairs, he’d always worried about shedding, and now here he was—on an actual bed. A fancy one at that. He couldn’t just leave tufts of hair everywhere.
Tae-yi seemed to understand Haram’s concern as he watched him grasp his fluffy belly fur with his tiny paws.
“It’s okay, don’t worry about it.”
Haram wasn’t so quick to trust the ever-reassuring It’s okay that came from Tae-yi’s mouth, and his body remained tense as his eyes blinked slowly.
With a gentle push on Haram’s belly, Tae-yi tipped him backward. Despite the light touch, Haram flopped onto his back with a plop. The soft mattress seemed to embrace his body, and he lay there for a moment before hastily scrambling upright again.
“Chyak, chyak…”
Don’t push me…
Now sitting back up in a similarly awkward position, Haram looked up at Tae-yi. Tae-yi lifted him again and placed him carefully on top of the pillow beside him, then lay back comfortably in the space beside it.
From the pillow, Haram now had a much better view of the screen. He swallowed hard, trying not to smile. The commercials were playing before the movie began, and Haram was completely focused—until someone appeared out of nowhere, startling him into sliding down behind the pillow.
“Here are your snacks.”
It was a theater employee. They placed a tub of popcorn and drinks on the side table and bowed politely to Tae-yi, who lay relaxed on the bed like it was his own, and to Haram, who peeked out nervously from behind the pillow, then quietly left the screening room.
“Chik… chyak…”
Thank you…
Haram offered a belated whisper of gratitude to the retreating figure. He’d been so sure he’d be scolded or told not to sit on the pillow. But maybe Tae-yi had been right—it really was okay.
With a much calmer heart, Haram clambered back onto the pillow, kneading it into shape with his paws before sitting his butt down. Seeing Haram relax made Tae-yi chuckle, and he placed the popcorn tub right in front of Haram on the pillow.
“Chyak, chik…!”
Wait, this is…!
Instead of popcorn, the tub was filled with a generous mix of high-quality nuts. No wonder it had smelled different—more nutty than buttery. Haram had never imagined they’d fill something like this with such precious snacks.
“Eat as much as you want.”
Tae-yi nudged the tub closer as Haram gawked at it, overwhelmed. As if enchanted, Haram reached in and picked up an almond, popping it into his mouth and crunching away happily just as the lights dimmed and the movie began.
His eyes locked onto the massive screen that seemed to swallow his tiny body whole, Haram munched his way through the luxury nut mix.
Crunch, crunch—
It looked like a romance film. Maybe Tae-yi’s choice?
Haram recalled how, during his school days, he’d mustered all his courage to go to the movies using a blood-donation voucher. Unfortunately, he’d chosen a horror film, or maybe he’d just been too tense—either way, every time a jump scare hit, his tail had shot straight up, blocking the view of the people behind him and shedding fur everywhere. In the end, he’d panicked and rushed out halfway through. The memory still haunted him.
But this time, he felt good—so good he almost wanted to hum. Who knew Seoul theaters were like this? Nut mix in a popcorn tub, beds to lie on—no wonder it was empty; there were probably tons of theaters to choose from in Seoul. Everything about this experience was perfect.
Lying beside Haram, Tae-yi turned his head slightly, amused by the consistent crunching in his ear. Watching the puffed-out cheeks of Da Haram wobble as he fixated on the screen, Tae-yi couldn’t help but smile.
With an almond in one paw and a pine nut in the other, Haram blinked his big eyes and finally turned to Tae-yi, feeling the intense gaze coming from beside him.
“Chyak… chik…?”
You’re not watching the movie?
He pointed toward the screen with the paw holding the pine nut and let out a quiet squeak. Tae-yi, staring at the tiny paw, blinked slowly and turned back to the movie.
“He’ll need to update his designation record and go through some additional tests. Make sure you bring him in tomorrow.”
Professor Yoon’s stern voice echoed in Tae-yi’s mind, drowning out the cute crunching beside him. He’d insisted that Haram be handled by their hospital, no matter what. The words clung stubbornly to his thoughts. With a small sigh, Tae-yi glanced down at Da Haram again, who, as if dutifully following orders to “relax and clear your head,” was fully immersed in the movie, mouth slightly open, unblinking.
Yoon Min-ho had arranged the theater and picked the movie, so Tae-yi had no idea what genre it was either—but Haram genuinely seemed to enjoy watching a romance, just like everyone else.
“…Chik.”
…So touching.
By the time the credits rolled, Haram was utterly absorbed, staring at the screen in a silent daze, the emotional weight of the ending still hanging in the air.
“Did you like it?” Tae-yi asked as the names of the cast and crew began scrolling across the screen.
“Chyak!”
Haram gave a firm nod, his tiny head bobbing with enthusiasm. He stood up and watched Tae-yi fix his hair, then glanced wistfully at the half-finished nut mix still sitting in the tub. Tae-yi followed Haram’s gaze and asked with a chuckle,
“Want to take it with us?”
“Chyak…?”
Really…?
Haram clapped his paws together with an audible slap and looked up at Tae-yi with hopeful eyes. He’d be going back into the pocket, so carrying the tub would be Tae-yi’s responsibility. But there was no way he could just leave that much good food behind. Leaving a nut mix unfinished was practically a crime in Da Haram’s world.
