TGHD Ch 10

As the clock struck noon, the old cuckoo clock chimed.

The faintly familiar sound, seemingly from a distant past, resonated in the room. Gradually, the sound of the cuckoo stirred Cheon Ryubeom awake. His eyes, catching the noonday sunlight streaming through the window, appeared hazy as if soaked.

He scanned the room with his eyes. The cuckoo clock, which was once in vogue, had a slightly worn waxed wooden frame. The door at the top of the clock creaked open, and the cuckoo bird emerged. The cuckoo model bore the signs of a child’s scribbles with a marker, reminiscent of a clock from his former home.

But this wasn’t the house he remembered. Of all the homes he’d lived in, none matched this one. The contrast stirred him, and he slowly raised his upper body, gazing awkwardly at the thick maroon microfiber blanket covering him.

“Oh my, young master! You’re awake!”

“Gosh! Are you hurt anywhere? Is there any discomfort?!”

The door flew open as the real estate man burst in, and Garam rushed in behind him, firing off questions. At last, Cheon Ryubeom felt the fog of drowsiness lift completely as he sighed.

So, it’s the house of that father and daughter.

He was sure he’d collapsed in the garden. Did Garam find him later and bring him here? And did he manage to resolve the issue with Hyojomyeon? He was concerned that an evil spirit might have escaped his notice at the last moment.

As Cheon Ryubeom hurriedly got up to go outside, the man tried to stop him. Garam, calming him down, offered him a cup of cold barley tea. Instinctively cautious, Cheon Ryubeom, who tended to hide his energy when around humans, ended up staying put and listened to what had happened while he was asleep.

Only a day had passed.

The evil spirits of Hyojomyeon were completely gone. The village, which had always felt slightly cool even during the day or summer, and weighed down heavily, now felt entirely different. The stark contrast was apparent, especially since the spirits had been so fierce until the day before.

This change wasn’t just noticed by the real estate father and daughter but by all the residents of Hyojomyeon. No more did the drawers rattle, doors move on their own, or dark figures steal food. Even the shamans gathered for the exorcism marveled at the transformation.

“The evil spirits vanished under a noble aura…”

Hearing this, the villagers were both joyful and perplexed. It wasn’t the shamans who had resolved the issue, and they seemed as baffled as anyone else, especially since the exorcism ceremony planned for that night wasn’t even ready.

The villagers, hastily gathering money, were puzzled. How was a problem that no one could solve before suddenly resolved?

Garam excitedly exclaimed, “Let’s tell everyone our young master solved it!”

Cheon Ryubeom felt slightly uneasy at the affectionate term “our” now attached to him. After a moment’s thought, he shook his head. He hadn’t done it for anyone’s admiration.

“Rather than saying I solved it, it’s more important to correct the story.”

The evil spirit of Hyojomyeon was rumored to be Nakyung. Though it was a hushed topic, the villagers whispered that a child had turned into an evil spirit. Ryubeom wanted to set the record straight and relayed the story briefly.

Kwon Namil had tormented the child, leading to the death of the child, and in an attempt to perform an exorcism, the Kwon family inadvertently turned the lady into a vengeful spirit. He conveyed the facts as plainly as possible, but the father and daughter were visibly shocked.

Though Garam had sensed Kwon Namil was the one who had incurred the spirit’s wrath, the grim truth was more appalling than she’d expected, and the man muttered curses under his breath. After hearing the whole story, he clicked his tongue and said, “So that bastard got what he deserved.”

“…Deserved?”

“Yeah, he got into a car accident and is in the ICU.”

Ryubeom was surprised. Kwon Namil, who’d awoken late the night before, had screamed hysterically about being pursued and fled the village in his car, only to crash due to brake failure, slamming into a guardrail and ending up severely injured.

Ryubeom could surmise that the accident was caused by the restless spirits clinging to the vehicle. It seemed unlikely that someone who’d been cruel to the weak from a young age would grow up to be a decent person, and he had apparently continued to bully others incessantly after the incident. Ryubeom wasn’t sure whether to be relieved that Nakyung’s resentment was resolved in this way…

Though the evil spirits of Hyojomyeon were gone, it was peculiar that the accident occurred despite the vanishing of the negative aura that might have incited the spirits clinging to him. It felt like someone had meddled, but it was just speculation, so Ryubeom set the thought aside. Internally, he was glad Kwon Namil faced the consequences of his actions.

After sharing the story, Cheon Ryubeom stood up to leave, telling the father and daughter he would take his leave.

“Are you sure you’re okay to move after just waking up?!”

“Yes. My body feels… remarkably good.”

Ryubeom checked his body in amazement. He had collapsed in a battered state the day before, but now there wasn’t a single wound. How could he have healed so much in just a day? Even though the healing capabilities of a tiger spirit are superior to other species, this was extraordinary…

Even the severe wound on his hand had left only a faint trace. He’d expected a scar, but it seemed the malevolent energy was lifted along with the old woman’s disappearance, accelerating his healing. There were still some internal injuries, but considering the spiritual energy he’d expended the day before, it was manageable.

As Ryubeom marveled, Garam gave him a meaningful look.

“Being ‘that’ species, it’s no wonder…”

Her tone was subtle, and as Ryubeom gave her a puzzled look, she bowed her head and whispered cautiously.

“You’re a tiger spirit, aren’t you? I noticed yesterday.”

“Oh…”

“But don’t worry. I figured you had your reasons for keeping it a secret, so I’ll keep it under wraps too. I’ll take it to the grave!”

Garam winked. Her gesture felt like a promise to guard a cherished secret, leaving Ryubeom to nod, somewhat dazed.

In truth, the reason Cheon Ryubeom hadn’t wanted to publicize his role in solving Hyojomyeon’s issue was simple. He was accustomed to not revealing his lineage. But on reflection, it seemed it wasn’t just for that reason.

The unfamiliarity with benevolent gazes, the awkwardness of being thanked and admired, made him hesitant to embrace the acclaim. The father and daughter before him now offered those same looks and reactions.

His heart felt a slight tickle. The realization that someone had noticed he was a tiger and thought highly of him gave him a very strange feeling. Though there was an unconscious, habitual voice in his head cautioning him not to get used to such a bright sensation, a faint smile eventually spread across his face.

“I can be of help to someone…”

Cheon Ryubeom was genuinely pleased by this. He felt as if he was becoming a tiger he didn’t have to be ashamed of, as if he was one step closer to the “proud tiger” his mother once spoke of.

He prepared to leave the house in a good mood. In truth, he still felt a bit guilty about the lie he had told the father and daughter about buying land during their first meeting, but they seemed to have completely forgotten about it and were hastily trying to give him a gift.

Ryubeom managed to politely decline and inquired about the whereabouts of “that person.”

“By the way, do you know where the person who was with me is…?”

“Excuse me? That… tall, pretty-faced person…?”

“Oh, the one who brought the young master here…”

For some reason, the father and daughter couldn’t give a clear answer. It was as if their memories were fuzzy; they squinted and exchanged vague recollections with each other.

Just then, Yeohwi arrived.

“Young master, are you feeling alright now? I’ll take you back to the main house.”

“Uh…?”

“Don’t you have to report back to the family? It happens to be the ninth day today.”

With a cheerful smile and a natural manner, Yeohwi led Ryubeom to the car without giving him much time to continue the conversation with the father and daughter. As he looked back through the car window, they were waving at him with bright faces, so Ryubeom set aside his faint curiosity. In fact, from the moment Yeohwi asked if he needed to report to the family, his thoughts had been drawn in that direction.

He hadn’t thought about it right after waking up, as he was distracted by all the stories he’d heard, but the idea of reporting to the family now made his heart beat vividly. Thump, thump—he felt a sense of anticipation for perhaps receiving praise for the first time.

The journey to the main house had always been heavy for Ryubeom, as if he were carrying a heavy weight. He would always wonder what new reason he’d be scolded for, how much he’d be ignored, and what kind of ridicule he’d face. These worries always slowed his steps, but now, even while traveling by car, he felt impatient. The gaze he had received from Garam remained vividly in his mind.

And Ryubeom knew who had helped him feel this way. He looked at Yeohwi sitting next to him. Meeting his gaze, Yeohwi gave him a habitual smile, and Ryubeom felt a strange mix of warmth and a tickling sensation as he spoke.

“Thank you, Yeohwi.”

“For arranging the transport? Well, it was just because Guil happened to be available…”

“Oh, thanks for that too… but you treated my wounds, didn’t you?”

Yeohwi blinked. He seemed genuinely surprised, as if he hadn’t expected such a direct expression of gratitude. With their gazes locked, Ryubeom spoke clearly.

“From going to Hyojomyeon together, to exploring the issues, discussing them, and even subduing the evil spirits. There are so many things to count that I’ve been helped with, I can hardly list them all.”

Initially, Ryubeom had decided to go to Hyojomyeon alone, but now, thinking back, he couldn’t imagine how far he would have gotten by himself. He would have tried his best, but could he have done it as easily as he did? Though he bled all over the place yesterday, he considered that an easy price to pay, especially since Yeohwi’s spells had healed him in just a day.

From beginning to end, Yeohwi’s assistance had been crucial. Knowing this, Cheon Ryubeom sincerely bowed his head. He had been taught in his family that a tiger shouldn’t easily bow, but he had also learned from his father to express gratitude properly.

“Thank you, truly.”

When Ryubeom lifted his head again, Yeohwi looked somewhat surprised. He seemed taken aback by the pure goodwill he was receiving, a bit unfamiliar, and as their eyes met, he finally formed a picturesque smile.

“Are you truly grateful to me?”

“Yes. Even now, you’re taking me back home…”

“In that case, would you grant me just three wishes?”

“…Wishes?”

Ryubeom hesitated. He had expected that he would need to repay the great help he received, but he hadn’t anticipated such an immediate request for wishes. And three of them? Though he thought he shouldn’t hesitate in this situation, he couldn’t help but worry. Not from a sense of burden, but from concern about whether he could fulfill them with his abilities.

Sensing Ryubeom’s thoughts, Yeohwi smiled and said,

“The first wish is to come find me after you report back to your family.”

“…Find you? Is that all?”

“Yes. If we just vaguely promise to meet next time, you might erase my number and disappear again.”

“Oh, well, that time…”

Ryubeom was suddenly flustered. His past mistake had come up so abruptly, and being accused of ghosting made him feel guilty, as if he had done something truly wrong.

Yeohwi naturally extended his pinky finger with a smile.

“Promise.”

In the end, Ryubeom hooked his pinky with Yeohwi’s and pressed their thumbs together. Yeohwi seemed very pleased with Ryubeom’s reaction, laughing happily and waving his hand.

They had just arrived at the mansion.

Deciding it was best not to show his affiliation with the fox clan, they stopped the car a little distance from the mansion. Appreciating Yeohwi’s thoughtful consideration, Ryubeom got out of the car.

As he walked up to the mansion, Ryubeom awkwardly looked down at his hand. Holding hands with Yeohwi felt embarrassing, and he rubbed his fingers together, feeling the lingering warmth. There seemed to be quite a lot of physical contact.

The warmth lasted quite a while.

***

Cheon Ryubeom returned to his family.

The news caused a stir in the mansion. Even those training in the courtyard, enjoying the midday peace in the garden, and the elders savoring tea were all startled and gathered on the first floor of the main house. None of them had expected Cheon Ryubeom to return alive.

They had predicted three futures for Cheon Ryubeom: recklessly challenging the evil spirits and dying, holding on stubbornly due to the tough life force of tiger spirits and only returning years later, or having accepted the trial out of pride but secretly running away as soon as he left the family.

Given that his mother had also run away from the family, the last option seemed most likely. Even the grandchildren had placed bets, laughing about what would become of Cheon Ryubeom.

However, Cheon Ryubeom returned in less than ten days after leaving the family.

Initially, they thought he was coming back to give up on the trial. They believed that after investigating the evil spirits, he realized it was impossible for him to handle and was here to beg to be taken back into the family.

“I have closed the evil spirits’ gate in Hyojomyeon.”

Upon hearing Cheon Ryubeom’s report, they all thought he was talking nonsense. How could ‘that’ Cheon Ryubeom resolve a spirit gate in just a few days? Furthermore, his body had no wounds. It made no sense for him to come back in such good condition.

However, as Cheon Hoyeon stepped forward to verify, the truth came to light. When Cheon Ryubeom left the family, he was given a wooden plaque the size of a palm. This was to confirm if he had properly dealt with the spirit gate. As Cheon Hoyeon infused it with energy, it hummed softly, emitting the aura of ‘that day.’

An aura sparkling like glass beads under the midday sun.

Cheon Hoyeon’s expression as she watched the shimmer was a bit subtle. Her usually calm and noble demeanor was replaced with a hint of amazement, and she didn’t speak until the shimmer faded.

Only when the dispersed energy settled did she speak in a low voice.

“You didn’t just exorcise; you performed a memorial.”

“Yes. We discovered clues during the process of finding the source.”

“…Well done.”

Cheon Ryubeom simply bowed his head in response.

As he was confirmed to have succeeded, Cheon Ryubeom moved to the attic of the annex, his expression stoic as he walked, but as soon as he entered his room, he let out a sigh of relief. A slight smile appeared on his lips.

‘I was praised by the family for the first time.’

His heart felt buoyant, as if filled with the breeze of spring. Tickled by the feeling, Cheon Ryubeom let out a small laugh. He had clearly felt the surrounding stir when Cheon Hoyeon mentioned the memorial service for the evil spirits.

Particularly, Cheon Youngdo and Cheon Joomyung, who had mocked him right before he left the mansion a few days ago, had priceless expressions. Feeling a mix of pride and satisfaction, Ryubeom rummaged through his drawers. There was something he hadn’t been able to take when he left the mansion in a hurry last time.

“Good, no one’s been here…”

Finally, finding what he was looking for, Cheon Ryubeom let out a sigh of relief. If any of his cousins had seen this, they would have definitely torn it apart.

What Ryubeom held in his hand was a photograph taken with his parents.

During the past accident, most of the belongings were lost, leaving Ryubeom with only a few photographs of his parents. One of them was a photo of his mother and father smiling, holding him wrapped in a blanket, against the backdrop of a pure white snowy field.

Ryubeom carefully touched their faces, which looked a bit younger than his last memories of them. Although more than a decade had passed, their absence still felt chilling at times. But today, Ryubeom filled that void with determination.

In the distant past, it was his father’s teachings of memorial spells that guided him. Now, he had the desire to find and lead his father’s soul. And also…

“Because I want to understand why they made that choice…”

He wanted to know why his mother, who loved the family so much, ran away from it, yet always longed for it. He wanted to understand the reason behind this contradiction.

The family had not told him anything. Even when he asked the elders, who disapproved of his mother’s escape, their response was always the same.

“Didn’t she run away because she couldn’t bear the weight of the Cheon family?”

She was said to have fled after displaying her exceptional magical skills and rising to the position of the next head of the family, feeling crushed by the majesty of the Cheon family.

However, Cheon Ryubeom did not believe his mother ran away for such reasons. She was never someone who would shirk her responsibilities like that. So he wanted to know the truth.

The Great Tiger Hall. He believed he could find clues there. It was said to hold not only information about the spirits but also records of the past. With six hundred years of history since this mansion was built contained there, Ryubeom resolved himself once more.

Now he had to go and find the next spirit gate.

***

As soon as he left the mansion, Ryubeom contacted Yeohwi. This time, he acted quickly to prove that he wouldn’t disappear again and to show that he would keep his promise. He thought it would be nice to meet him once before departing for the next location where trouble was brewing.

However, after the call, the place Cheon Ryubeom headed to was unexpected.

His eyes swept across the space with a curious gleam. The lively sounds of a playground, children pouring out one by one from the building with a large clock in the center.

This place, bustling with noisy energy, was an elementary school.

— I have an emergency right now, could you possibly bring the children for me?

On the phone, Yeohwi had asked in a very apologetic tone. He said Guil was also busy today and couldn’t help with the triplets’ after-school pickup, and asked Ryubeom to bring them from the school to the villa. Ryubeom readily agreed, but upon arriving here, he felt a bit nervous.

This was the first time in Cheon Ryubeom’s life that he had ever been to a school.

In the past, when Ryubeom lived with his parents, he didn’t attend school. Not only that, but he also had no experience going to any educational institutions such as daycare, kindergarten, or various academies.

However, as a child, Ryubeom never felt discontent about this. He actually liked the fact that he could always be with his parents. The process of learning letters one by one from them was fun, and he enjoyed the three of them huddling together in the small living room, looking at books.

Since he never made any friends of his age, he didn’t yearn for school or academies. At that time, he was just relieved that he didn’t hurt anyone because he couldn’t control his energy well. Still, sometimes, very occasionally, he would quietly watch his peers walking around with backpacks on the street. He was curious about what kind of world they saw.

However, he thought that revealing such curiosity might make his parents sad. Even though they referred to their frequent moves as “field trips,” his parents were subtly apologetic towards him. In fact, one night, he overheard them worrying about his enrollment in elementary school.

Even though everything was washed away by the rainstorm accident that day…

After that, when he was educated by the family, he didn’t attend an outside school because he was deemed unworthy to be shown as a member of the family. In truth, the content taught by the family was so overwhelming that just keeping up with it was a challenge.

So now, Cheon Ryubeom looked around the elementary school with a sense of wonder.

“There are so many kids…”

It was a perfectly natural thing to say, like saying the sky is blue, but there was genuine surprise in his words. It was fascinating to see so many children gathered in one place, and above all, it was amazing because this school was where both beast people and humans studied together.

Even after the peace treaty was signed, the environments of beast people and humans remained separated for decades—from residential areas to shopping districts, cultural facilities, and educational institutions. It was only about twenty years ago that the residential areas were combined, and “integrated schools” were established.

At first, there were many negative opinions worrying about conflicts between students, but it turned out that the relationships between beast people and humans improved after the integrated schools were established. It was said that facing each other directly and interacting together raised their mutual intimacy more than living in separate spaces.

So integrated schools gradually increased, and this place was one of them. Having come from observing the problem in Hyojomyeon, Ryubeom was worried that there might be conflicts, but fortunately, the students seemed to get along well.

Cheon Ryubeom checked the faces of the children coming out of the school gate.

“Wow, Mom!”

“I want to eat tteokbokki, tteokbokki!”

“Can’t I skip the academy today and play with my friends?”

There were quite a few families waiting in front of the school gate. Some children ran to what looked like their siblings, while others were embraced by their parents who had come to pick them up.

Ryubeom looked at this peaceful, everyday scene with unfamiliarity.

If he had attended school, could he have been like that too? Could he understand the feelings of the children in that scene? Even though he thought there was no need to imagine something impossible, his gaze kept drifting in that direction.

Perhaps feeling his gaze, they suddenly turned around, and Ryubeom quickly pulled his hat down deeply. He realized how suspicious he must look, standing in front of an elementary school, glancing at the children and then suddenly hiding his face, so he awkwardly cleared his throat.

“The kids are late…”

He mumbled out loud for no reason, glancing around nervously.

But, indeed, the triplets were late in leaving school. The dismissal time that Yeohwi mentioned had already passed, but the children hadn’t shown up, leaving Ryubeom increasingly confused. Did he miss them? He didn’t even have their contact information…

While pondering, Cheon Ryubeom cautiously moved towards the school gate. He wondered if the kids were playing in the playground, and he just hadn’t noticed.

As he concentrated and carefully observed his surroundings, a familiar sound reached Ryubeom’s ears.

“Give it back…!”

It was Euno’s voice. Although it was a very small sound, it clearly reached the ears of the tiger beast person who was focused on his senses. Realizing it was a tearful voice, Cheon Ryubeom’s face hardened, and he quickened his pace.

The sound was coming from the north, behind the building.

And there, a group of little children were playing. A boy, who looked quite large for his age, was running around holding a robot model seemingly made out of milk cartons.

“Why? I just want to play with it since it’s well-made!”

“No, it’ll break…!”

“Give it back, give it back!”

“Geumo, be careful!”

Euno was about to cry, stomping his feet in frustration, while Geumo was chasing after the large boy, and Dongo was following, worried about Geumo. Geumo’s fox tail swayed as his emotions flared up, and the other kids who saw it laughed in amazement.

“Wow, beast people really show their ears and tails when they’re surprised!”

“Some of them walk around with them out all the time, so why do those kids hide them?”

“My dad said that humans are superior, so they’re just copying us!”

No one tried to stop the large boy, and everyone was too caught up in their own conversation. The boy laughed, finding Geumo’s pursuit amusing, and finally threw the milk carton robot with a forceful toss.

“Alright, I’ll give it back!”

But the direction was toward the pond. Geumo, sniffling, shouted “No!” and chased after it, nearly falling into the pond with the robot.

Whizz! In a flash, Cheon Ryubeom dashed from the other side, leapt into the air, caught Geumo in his arms, grabbed the robot, and landed smoothly on the ground. The sudden appearance sent a shockwave through the space. No one had noticed anyone approaching, and they hadn’t even sensed his presence as he charged in.

“Whoa, it’s Beom…!”

Euno was the first to react, running towards Ryubeom, and Dongo let out a deep sigh of relief. The surrounding children each drew a sharp breath at that brief exclamation.

Beom, the tiger.

It could simply be a name—although not common, it wasn’t entirely rare. But the scene they just witnessed was too intense to consider him an ordinary human. Could he really be a tiger beast person? Although they had mocked the humanization of the fox beast person, they couldn’t dare to look down on a tiger. Some even hiccuped in shock.

While the human children stood frozen, Ryubeom first checked on Geumo’s condition. Thankfully, he was unharmed, and so were Euno and Dongo. Relieved, Ryubeom handed the robot back to Euno and then turned to face the human children.

When Ryubeom saw the children at the front of the school, he thought the beast people and humans were getting along well, but to think that such problems were happening behind the school was something he couldn’t have imagined. He felt both surprised and worried as he looked at the boy who had thrown the robot earlier and spoke.

“You should get along.”

“…W-We were just playing around as friends.”

“Oh, is that so? These days, is this not how you make up… Hmm, then…”

As the boy stammered a response, Ryubeom carefully chose his words with a serious expression. Since he had never attended school, he didn’t know how to handle conflicts between students. That made him feel the need to be extra cautious.

Moreover, since the children seemed to be scared because they realized he was a tiger, Cheon Ryubeom tried to speak as gently as possible. He lowered himself to their eye level to avoid looking intimidating, and smiled so as not to seem threatening.

“If only one side is having fun, it’s not really a game, is it?”

“…Hic.”

However, Ryubeom’s effort produced a completely unexpected result. The problem was that his forced smile looked awkward. His attempt to smile while asking the question came off as rather frightening.

Seeing more children start to hiccup, Ryubeom awkwardly rolled his eyes. He realized that this situation was beyond his ability to handle, so as he stood up, some of the children even flinched and stepped back.

In the end, Ryubeom had no choice but to take the triplets and hurriedly leave the scene.

***

Ryubeom arrived at the villa with the triplets. Yeohwi was waiting for them at home, and as soon as the children saw him, they started jumping around. Excited as if they had an incredible story to tell, all three of them began to speak at once.

And, of course, it was about what happened at school.

“A tiger saved us!”

“When the other kids saw the tiger, they were so scared…!”

“The young master’s fierce appearance as he swooped in is still vivid in my mind.”

“…What exactly has Dongo been reading to learn how to talk like that?”

While Cheon Ryubeom looked at Dongo in bewilderment, Yeohwi listened to the children’s stories and then checked to see if they had any injuries. After confirming that they were all okay, Yeohwi sighed in relief and expressed his gratitude.

“Once again, we’re indebted to you, young master.”

“It’s nothing. This isn’t something to be called a favor; I’m just glad the kids weren’t hurt…”

Ryubeom shook his head and looked at the children with concern. He felt sorry for slightly denting the milk carton robot during the process of saving Geumo from falling into the pond, and he was worried that the children might have been emotionally hurt by being bullied by the human kids.

But the triplets had already forgotten about the robot incident and were animatedly narrating ‘The Moment the Tiger Descended to Earth, Episode 1.’ Dongo had come up with the title.

A deeper sense of confusion spread across Cheon Ryubeom’s face. He wasn’t sure whether to be relieved by the children’s resilience or to seriously question Dongo’s education.

However, there was something from the conversation behind the school that lingered in Ryubeom’s mind, so he called Yeohwi and headed to the veranda. The veranda of the old villa was neatly organized, but the peeling paint on the railing revealed its age.

As Ryubeom fidgeted with the railing, he spoke honestly about his concerns.

“Is it common for humans to look down on beast people? The incident in Hyojomyeon and what happened at the school today… In the past, I could understand it because it was unfamiliar, but nowadays, don’t they interact more often?”

Cheon Ryubeom had always lived within a narrow boundary. In the past, the house where he lived with his parents was his entire world, and from the age of ten, the vast Cheon family estate became his whole world. Although the area expanded, the society he engaged with became even more rigidly narrow. Since last year, he had taken on the role of a bodyguard during family meetings, but he always stayed near the meeting venue.

The humans he encountered back then all revered the tiger beast people. Although Cheon Ryubeom was somewhat detached from that respect, he rarely experienced conflicts between beast people and humans. So, he always thought they lived well together.

Moreover, on TV, people seemed to adore beast celebrities. He had heard that people admired and praised their beauty and charm. But now, facing a different reality, Cheon Ryubeom felt confused.

Yeohwi responded in a matter-of-fact tone.

“Even if they do interact, there are still many people who reject anything different. Especially since there are many restrictions on beast people.”

“Restrictions…?”

“For example, the punishment for a beast person injuring a human is more severe than the punishment for humans hurting each other. Even if the beast person is weaker than the human, the same applies.”

He explained that even if a weaker herbivorous beast person was injured while defending themselves from human violence, they could still face harsher punishment under the Beast People Special Law. Ryubeom’s mouth slowly opened in disbelief.

“Isn’t that law supposed to protect humans? Why is it…?”

“Laws also shape public sentiment, and they can create additional emotions. Feelings like, ‘This beast person won’t easily harm me because of the law,’ leading to a sense of complacency, or resentment based on history, where humans were severely harmed by strong beast people, fueling the belief that ‘beast people are violent.’”

Yeohwi’s tone was calm, as if this was a simple and obvious fact. Ryubeom, encountering this truth for the first time, blinked in astonishment before sighing. Although it was unclear whether the children he saw earlier were influenced by such laws, it was likely that their parents were.

However, there was still one unresolved question.

“Then why do they mock beast people who take human form? Is that also due to resentment towards beast people? They seem to look down on it as mere imitation of humans…”

In the Cheon family, if you couldn’t properly transform into a human, you were scolded for not even mastering the basics of magic. Yet outside, beast people were ridiculed for taking human form, as if they were acting unnecessarily by pretending to be human. They were mocked as if they were following humans because human society was superior. Ryubeom recalled that Kwon Namil had said something along those lines.

At first, such mockery seemed strange, but the more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed, leaving him confused. For smaller animals, transforming into a human might be important, but wouldn’t it be fine for tiger beast people to show their animal form? In fact, wouldn’t that be better?

“Why did beast people start transforming into humans…?”

As Cheon Ryubeom pondered deeply, a hand suddenly reached out and pressed his furrowed brow. He knew it was meant to smooth out his frown, but the sudden touch made his heart drop. As Ryubeom froze in surprise, Yeohwi smiled faintly.

“To make you let your guard down.”

“…Huh?”

“When you get used to something, you can’t stay on guard.”

Ryubeom listened as if entranced by the soft tone.

“Imagine a being with power far greater than humans, hiding among them by taking the same form… Isn’t that the scariest thing?”

“….”

“Well, of course, the primary goal is coexistence with humans. It’s laughable that humans mock beast people for transforming, but perhaps they unconsciously do so as a defense mechanism, trying to downplay the threat.”

In fact, all the powerful beast clans had mastered the art of human transformation. From the outside, it was impossible to tell whether someone was a human or a beast person. These influential families quickly began businesses as soon as the peace treaty was established, and they all thrived, successfully integrating into human society. The tiger family, for example, was connected to universities, hospitals, and companies through the Cheonho Foundation.

While Cheon Ryubeom sighed in realization, Yeohwi muttered to himself.

“When we lived separately in the past, such conflicts didn’t exist…”

In the past, when beast people and humans lived in separate areas, there were no such conflicts as today. Back then, there were fewer beast people, so interactions with humans were rare, and when they did occur, humans mostly saw beast people as fascinating beings. Most of the mysterious creatures recorded in old myths and legends were later revealed to be beast people.

As time passed, the number of beast people gradually increased, and as society developed and communication became widespread, it became difficult for beast people to remain isolated. This led to more interaction, and eventually, after significant conflict, relations improved through the peace treaty.

Since Cheon Ryubeom had learned about this history, he looked at Yeohwi with a sense of wonder. Was Yeohwi older than he had thought? From his appearance, he didn’t seem much older than Ryubeom, but it was impossible to judge the age of a beast person by their appearance, so Ryubeom subtly probed.

“Were you present during the peace treaty?”

“Well… yes.”

Yeohwi’s response was somewhat dry. If he was there during the peace treaty, that would make him far older than Ryubeom, but what caught Ryubeom’s attention more than that was the cold look in Yeohwi’s eyes. It seemed as if Yeohwi had some distance from the peace treaty.

Ryubeom had assumed that Yeohwi would feel pride since it was the fox family that led the treaty, but maybe that wasn’t the case? He suddenly remembered Yeohwi’s earlier reaction, as if mocking the behavior of humans. It reminded him that many beast people had opposed the treaty at the time…

“…Do you not like the peace treaty?”

“Well… I’m not particularly interested in it.”

“Huh? But it’s a treaty made by the fox family, right?”

“Well, that’s…”

Yeohwi tilted his head slightly. His muttering voice was murky and unclear, like muddy water.

“It was only made because someone wanted it…”

For a moment, Cheon Ryubeom felt an unfamiliarity toward Yeohwi. His beautiful face, usually vibrant like a camellia flower blooming in the winter snow, now seemed artificial. It was a strange sense of dissonance, as if he were both saturated with life and yet utterly dried out. In this brief moment of recalling past memories, Yeohwi felt incredibly distant, as though he existed far away from this space.

It was odd. There had been times before when Ryubeom thought that Yeohwi didn’t quite fit in this villa. His face was too strikingly gorgeous, clashing with the old and worn-down surroundings. But today, he noticed something different—Yeohwi and the villa felt oddly similar. Both seemed as if they had been left unattended for a long time, barely maintaining their form.

Ryubeom, blinking slowly, wanted to carefully call out to Yeohwi. Somehow, he felt that saying his name would pull him back into the present.

But just as Ryubeom was about to speak, Yeohwi suddenly smiled, dispelling the previous atmosphere. The usual, familiar smile returned as if nothing had happened.

“Anyway, thank you again for your help. Thinking about it now, those kids were quite audacious. The fox family worked hard to establish the peace treaty and end the war between humans and the beastfolk. And yet, they dared to bully the children of such a family. Maybe it’s true that being too kind makes one an easy target?”

“I-I don’t think it’s about being an easy target…”

“I’ll have to discuss this with Guil. I had no idea the children were going through something like this…”

Yeohwi placed a hand on his cheek, looking concerned. His protective demeanor left Ryubeom slightly bewildered but nodding along. It was only natural to be worried if the children were being bullied at school.

According to the triplets during their walk back to the villa after school, today’s incident was the first of its kind. However, even if this was their first conflict, there was a good chance that the children had been looked down upon from the beginning. Perhaps they hadn’t been bothered before because they always stuck together.

“Well, they haven’t been attending school for long, so they’ll probably adjust over time, right?”

“It’s important to set the tone early on.”

Yeohwi, who had been speaking seriously, suddenly lowered his gaze, looking overwhelmingly sad. A melancholic atmosphere quickly surrounded him.

“I’ve been a lacking guardian…”

His slow-blinking eyelashes seemed as if they were about to get wet, causing Cheon Ryubeom to panic.

“This is just the first time, so don’t blame yourself too much…”

“But what if it happens again? I’m going to be too busy to keep an eye on the kids properly… And I can’t rely on Guil’s help anymore…”

Then, at some point, Yeohwi slightly leaned forward, closing the distance between them. Their eyes were now on the same level. Ryubeom flinched and tried to step back, but Yeohwi gently took hold of his hand.

“Young master, as my second wish… would you help the children get home from school?”