“Still, what are you going to do? Your clothes—today’s been rough on them. Coffee, and now blood.”
“Forget it. Just lie down.”
“But your clothes, you know—”
“Stop talking about the clothes. You know it too—you’ve heard it. My family’s got nothing but money. So don’t worry about it.”
I know. I know exactly how you were treated in that house.
Because of that, Yi-hyeon couldn’t help feeling even more apologetic toward Han Jun.
“Get some rest.”
Yi-hyeon watched Han Jun’s back as he left the infirmary, looking as though he’d finished what he needed to do. Then Yi-hyeon slowly lay down on the bed.
Even if he stayed, he wasn’t going to participate in P.E. anyway. There’s still fifteen minutes left before class ends.
A faint sense of disappointment welled up in Yi-hyeon toward Han Jun, who’d left him behind so abruptly.
Come to think of it, was this the first time he’d gotten a nosebleed since becoming human again? If it had been Louis who was sick, wouldn’t he have stayed by his side, soothing him until the very end?
Lying on the bed, lost in scattered thoughts, Yi-hyeon was suddenly overtaken by exhaustion. There was still some time until the class after next, so he decided to shut his eyes just for a bit.
***
Tap. Drip.
Awoken by the sound of raindrops tapping against the window, Yi-hyeon glanced at the clock and jolted upright, slamming his head into the blanket as he sprang out of bed.
“Holy shit. How many hours did I sleep?!”
As he flailed around in a panic, a familiar scent brushed against the tip of his nose.
“Han Jun…?”
Looks like he came by and left while I was asleep.
He should’ve woken me up.
I already missed two classes.
As Yi-hyeon took a step toward the infirmary door, a dizzy spell washed over him and he grabbed his head.
What…?
Something soft, squishy, cottony, and warm brushed against his palm. As he traced the object upward toward his scalp, it twitched slightly. Yi-hyeon screamed in shock and stumbled backward, collapsing onto the floor.
What is this—don’t tell me it’s an ear?
What if someone heard that scream and came in? He hurriedly clapped a hand over his mouth.
Then he scrambled back onto the bed and dove under the blanket. Curling up tightly, he felt something fluffy brush against the back of his hand this time. The instant he realized it was a tail connected to his tailbone, his heart dropped straight to his shins.
Again. Another bizarre phenomenon was happening to his body.
***
He couldn’t take a single step outside the infirmary.
After locking the door, Yi-hyeon hid under the blanket and prayed that no one would come looking for him until night fell. As the heat gradually drained from his body and his condition slowly improved, the mysterious ears and tail began to shrink little by little.
Yi-hyeon began to suspect that the ears and tail manifested depending on his physical condition. Which meant that if he got a nosebleed or ran a fever in the future, he’d turn into something horrifying like this again…
“This is insane. Why does this keep happening to me?”
Shaking in fear over the strange changes to his body, Yi-hyeon suddenly snapped back to his senses at the lingering scent of Han Jun still clinging to the air.
There’s no way… Han Jun didn’t see this, right?
If he had seen it, the infirmary wouldn’t be this quiet.
Okay. Let’s think calmly. If I were Han Jun, and all of a sudden ears and a tail popped out—what would I do?
Normally, you’d contact a hospital or reporters, saying someone with a bizarre condition had appeared. At the very least, you’d kick up a fuss about some strange virus spreading and call the homeroom teacher, wouldn’t you?
“But it’s way too quiet.”
On top of that, the school nurse’s expression right after his nosebleed had been perfectly calm.
So it must’ve happened after he fell asleep. And since the ears and tail started disappearing as soon as his condition recovered, maybe when his body rhythm goes out of whack, the ears and tail gradually grow—and once he returns to normal, they vanish?
So basically… when I’m sick, I become something halfway between a dog and a human?
Ah, I don’t know. I don’t understand anything at all.
His head throbbed as the situation became more and more overwhelming. Then, suddenly, footsteps echoed. The steady sound of steps descending the stairs drew closer and closer to the infirmary, tightening around Yi-hyeon’s throat with each second—until they finally stopped right in front of the door.
Who is it?
As Yi-hyeon fumbled over his tailbone, where traces still remained, the rattling of the door made his heart feel like it might stop. Whoever it was—if they opened the door, maybe he should smash them with the IV stand, knock them out, and bolt.
But what if they actually died? Then he’d be a murderer with ears and a tail. No—if he got thrown into prison and the ears grew back, would he wake up in a laboratory next? Wild thoughts sprinted around inside Yi-hyeon’s small head when, through the gap in the door, a familiar scent drifted in.
“Yoon Yi-hyeon.”
It was Han Jun.
With no choice but to pretend to be asleep, Yi-hyeon held his breath and curled up even tighter.
“The nurse isn’t coming today—she went to a seminar. And I got you an early dismissal slip from the homeroom teacher, so…”
He paused, then continued a few seconds later.
“Uh… yeah. Rest up, then come out slowly.”
Despite Han Jun’s considerate concern, Yi-hyeon couldn’t even bring himself to say thank you. If Han Jun didn’t leave soon, his violently pounding heart might burst.
“…You asleep?”
When Yi-hyeon didn’t answer, Han Jun must’ve assumed he was. The footsteps soon retreated down the hallway.
Only then did Yi-hyeon let out a long breath of relief, finally relaxing a body that had gone rigid with tension.
Jesus… that was close. Good thing I locked the door beforehand. Should I just drop out and take the GED?
Yi-hyeon lay under the blanket, seriously contemplating it until every last trace of fur disappeared.
***
Whoooosh.
Sheets of rain battered against the infirmary window, now shrouded in darkness. Only then did Yi-hyeon push aside the blanket and sit up, immediately checking his ears.
“Thank god…”
Thanks to the long rest, both his ears and tail were completely gone.
Still, knowing his condition could worsen again on the way home in the rain, Yi-hyeon decided to take precautions. He planned to pull the uniform shirt from his classroom locker over his head as a cover.
Creeeak.
The hallway outside the infirmary, reopened after a long while, was so quiet he could’ve heard a cockroach’s footsteps. With the torrential rain pouring down, the darkness only deepened. It was eerie enough that a timid student wouldn’t dare take a single step. But while Yi-hyeon was weak and passive, he wasn’t afraid of ghosts. Calmly, he closed the infirmary door and started down the corridor.
What do I do after I put the shirt over my head? If I walk, I don’t know who I might run into, or where. Since I don’t have ears right now, maybe it’s better to sit in the very back of the bus and get home quickly…
Still, Han Jun’s scent is lingering in the hallway.
The air was stagnant, his sense of smell was sharp, and rain tended to amplify scents. Thinking it was just a residual trace, Yi-hyeon turned the corner—only for a black silhouette to suddenly emerge from the opposite side. Ghosts didn’t scare him, but a person suddenly appearing in front of someone with secrets was a different matter entirely.
“Eek!”
Startled out of his mind, Yi-hyeon’s legs gave out. Just as he was about to topple backward, an arm wrapped quickly around his waist.
It was Han Jun.
In the blink of an eye, Yi-hyeon found himself with wide, startled rabbit eyes, completely enveloped in Han Jun’s broad chest—like Louis, who was always being carried around in his arms.
“You’ll get hurt. Be careful.”
Han Jun said quietly.
Flustered, Yi-hyeon lifted his head to check Han Jun’s expression first. Han Jun’s eyes, reflecting the glow of the streetlight, shimmered a warm orange. Finding no trace of suspicion in that gaze, Yi-hyeon felt a wave of relief.
As I thought… he didn’t see the ears.
If he had seen him in that state, there was no way he’d be looking at him so calmly—at the monster he would’ve become.
Standing upright, Yi-hyeon asked casually,
“How long have you been standing there?”
“Not long.”
“Why didn’t you go home?”
WAITING UNTIL NEXT THURSDAY WILL BE THE END OF ME thank you translator nim for the double updates every week 🫶