“I’ll carry it. Hop in.”
“Chyak, chyak!”
Thank you so much!
Sliding down from the pillow, Haram dashed across the bed on all fours, carrying the tub of popcorn as he hurried toward Kang Tae-yi, who was sitting at the edge of the bed.
“Chik! Chyak?”
Naturally, he thought Tae-yi would let him back into the jacket pocket—but instead, Tae-yi dropped him into the popcorn tub, which was still full of mixed nuts.
Haram flailed in surprise, only to be engulfed by a pile of nuts.
“Let’s head home,” Tae-yi said, watching Da Haram sprawled diagonally in the nut-filled tub, belly bulging out.
Haram was flustered, sure, but the delicious nutty aroma wafting around him made him decide to see the situation positively.
And honestly… it wasn’t bad.
Wherever he reached, a generous handful of nuts greeted him. Grinning faintly, Haram muttered,
“…Chyak.”
…This is heaven.
***
Early that morning, freshly showered and dressed comfortably, Kang Tae-yi knocked on Da Haram’s door.
When he heard the muffled Come in, he opened the door to find Haram standing at the window sill.
“What are you doing over there?”
“Ah… Just writing something.”
Haram had turned the window sill into a makeshift desk and was busily scribbling on a sheet of paper with a pen Tae-yi had given him the night before.
“What is it?”
“Just… I have a lot of questions for Professor Yoon.”
Tae-yi glanced down at the densely packed sheet of black ink and had to suppress a chuckle. It wasn’t a letter of apology, but it looked just as intense. The sheer number of questions was almost alarming—he couldn’t help but wonder if Professor Yoon might grab Haram by the scruff today.
“We’ve got an appointment. If you’re done writing, let’s go.”
Haram folded the paper in half, then in half again, repeating the motion several times before hesitating.
“…Is it okay if I go in my animal form?”
Tae-yi, who had placed a hand on Haram’s shoulder to guide him out of the room, blinked and asked back at the unexpected question,
“Why?”
“I’ll probably transform once we get there anyway.”
If he heard anything ridiculous again, he might involuntarily revert on the spot.
More than that, after having called Professor Yoon a quack last time, there was no way he could face him in his human form. Haram was well aware now that he’d been… a little too worked up.
“Alright, let’s do that.”
As always, Tae-yi didn’t question his reasons. Just accepted it.
“Okay! Thanks!” Haram beamed and nodded vigorously.
***
The flowerpots that had once filled Professor Yoon’s office were now completely gone. Haram, who knew exactly why, bowed deeply in apology. He stood on Kang Tae-yi’s palm, clutching his crumpled sheet of paper.
“Chyak, chyak…”
Hello…
“Welcome,” Professor Yoon greeted, gesturing toward the sofa for both of them to sit.
Once Tae-yi sat down, Haram was placed beside him, and Professor Yoon continued,
“I’m really glad you came back. Oh—Dr. Da In-ho will be here shortly.”
Haram had expected at least a displeased look or a prompt to apologize, but Professor Yoon was all smiles, showing no sign of holding a grudge. The man had the grace of a saint.
“Chik… chyak…”
I’m sorry about last time…
He offered a string of squeaks layered with justifications—he’d been overwhelmed, startled, panicked—but without Da In-ho present yet to interpret, Professor Yoon could only smile awkwardly and nod.
“Ah, sorry I’m late.”
A voice sounded, followed by the arrival of Da In-ho, dark circles visible under his eyes. He greeted Professor Yoon and Tae-yi, and upon seeing him, Haram immediately hopped down to the coffee table.
All three men turned to look at him as he scrambled up onto the table. Caught off guard, Haram began unfolding the crumpled paper with some difficulty.
The rustling echoed in the room as Haram tried flattening out the creases with his tiny paws. When that didn’t work, he glanced around nervously before sprawling out his entire body over the paper, even spreading his patagium (gliding membrane) to hold it flat.
With the sheet finally smooth, he sat up straight and glanced over the densely written list of questions, then turned his round, determined eyes toward Professor Yoon.
“Chyak, chyak.”
I have some questions.
Hearing the resolute squeak, Da In-ho translated promptly,
“He says he’d like to ask some questions.”
Nervous and hopeful all at once, Haram swallowed hard. Taking a small breath to steady himself, he looked straight at Professor Yoon and began.
“Chyakchyak, chyakchyak.”
He spoke in a solemn tone, then turned his head to glance up at Da In-ho expectantly.
Startled out of his brief daze, Da In-ho met the serious gaze of not one, but two intense pairs of eyes—Professor Yoon’s and the Sky Squirrel’s—and quickly translated:
“He says, although he’s definitely not an Omega, he’d like to ask some hypothetical questions assuming he were one.”
Haram, relieved that his message got through clearly, turned back to his list and continued.
“Chik, chiiik, chik?”
“He says he’s done some reading, and from what he understands, Omegas are supposed to go into heat—but he’s never experienced that.”
Professor Yoon listened carefully, then glanced down at Haram, who sat tense atop the paper, anxiously awaiting his answer.
“As I mentioned last time, if we assume it’s not a case of originally being a Beta and then manifesting, but rather that you were never a Beta to begin with and had a delayed manifestation—then it’s quite possible. Since the Omega manifestation is recent, there may not have been time for symptoms like heat cycles to appear yet.”
His tone was calm and measured. Seeing Haram’s serious face as he took in every word, Professor Yoon felt reassured—he wouldn’t break down or throw anything this time.
“…Chyak, chik.”
Okay, I understand…
Haram nodded slightly, accepting the answer with a heavy heart. Without raising his head, he dove straight into the next question.
“Chyak, chyak, chyak?”
“He hasn’t accepted that he’s an Omega yet, but if he were, he’d like to know if he’d be a Dominant or recessive Omega.”
Kang Tae-yi, lounging on the sofa with a watchful eye, turned his gaze toward Professor Yoon at that. That was something he himself was curious about too.
“We’ll be running a few additional tests today,” the professor replied. “You’ll have your answer once those are completed.”
Haram let out a quiet sigh and clasped his paws together, blinking his wide eyes. He didn’t fully understand the difference between Dominant and recessive types—but whatever the result, he hoped the additional tests would reveal something different.
Before moving on to the next question, he curled up into a ball and pressed both paws over his eyes, biting back tears. He was steeling himself.
“Chiiiik, chik, chiiik?”
“He wants to know if staying in his animal form for an extended period might affect his secondary gender traits or trigger changes.”
Having heard the question first-hand, Da In-ho quickly translated—but also shot a desperate look at Professor Yoon, silently urging him to tread carefully.
Yoon opened his mouth to respond but hesitated, caught between Haram’s pleading gaze and Da In-ho’s caution.
“Ah… well…”
Everyone in the room waited for him to go on.
But seeing Yoon at a loss, Da In-ho jumped in.
“I’ll look into it. I think… it’s definitely a plausible line of inquiry.”
“Chyak, chik?”
Really?
Haram’s shoulders shot up in surprise. He’d braced himself for a no, but the unexpected answer lit up his face.
He bounced forward, paws outstretched, and clung to the front of Da In-ho’s white coat.
“Chyak!”
Thank you!
His gratitude was genuine. Turning back to look at Professor Yoon, Haram’s eyes silently asked for confirmation.
Meeting that earnest gaze, Yoon stared off into space and finally said,
“…It’s not impossible.”
Technically, the likelihood of an Omega Beastfolk altering their secondary traits just by staying in animal form was close to zero—but Yoon had learned something from his last encounter with Haram.
That sometimes, giving people a little hope—based on who they were and what they needed—was better than clinging rigidly to clinical facts.
It was the kind of wisdom no research paper could teach.
“Chyak, chyak…!”
That’s a relief…!
Even Da In-ho, who was the same Sky Squirrel species as Haram and had clearly been struggling with the question, had given a positive response.
And Professor Yoon—who was usually blunt and unsparing—had echoed that hope.
Haram wanted to leap across the table in joy, but to preserve Tae-yi’s dignity, he settled for stomping in place, feet dancing on the spot. Watching him wiggle with joy, Tae-yi smiled softly.
Then he turned to Da In-ho and asked,
“How long will it take to get the test results?”
“Probably tomorrow… but if it’s urgent, I can have them ready late tonight.”
Meeting Tae-yi’s eyes made Da In-ho stiffen slightly, but he answered clearly. Tae-yi gave a small nod of acknowledgment, then reached out to Haram.
“How about saving the rest of the questions for later? Let’s do the tests first.”
“Chyak.”
Haram nodded firmly and hopped up onto Tae-yi’s palm. He’d already gotten answers to the questions that mattered most—and they were good answers. The rest could wait.
“I’ll guide you,” Da In-ho said, rising with Tae-yi.
He gave a respectful nod to Professor Yoon before heading toward the door.
As they exited, Yoon watched them go in silence. Once the door shut behind them, he let out a long, weary sigh.
