One day I picked up a beast
w. charcoal briquette rice
*Do not copy*
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#02
"Miss, what's wrong? I heard a loud noise..."
"Oh, no...! Don't worry, nothing happened. I've already finished bathing, so that's all."
"Yes, Miss. If anything happens, please call us -"
After biting the maid who was outside, the heroine turned her attention back to the man.
"I can't just stay here like this. Especially not if I'm a healthy man."
"Why do you say that?"
"I am a young lady of marriageable age, and I have already made it to the debutante (a ball where adult noblewomen attend to look for a husband). If it becomes known that I am staying with a strange man, it will be a great blow to our family."
"Then, I will appear as an animal in front of others. Is that okay, Miss?"
When I heard it, it didn't seem impossible. The thought flashed through my mind that it wouldn't matter if I just pretended to be an animal in front of others. "You're really good at persuading," the heroine said, chuckling softly as she stroked his head.
"Okay, let's do that."
"Wow, really? Are you really saying I can stay in this room with you, Miss?"
"Yes, but only in front of me. Never in front of others, do you understand?"
"Yes, Miss!!!"
He immediately hugged her tightly. Before she could push him away, he buried his face in the nape of her neck and kissed her repeatedly, starting from that spot and continuing up to both cheeks. His strength was so great that he instantly pushed her all the way to the wall and threw them onto the bed. Because he left his mark here and there with his lips, the hair she had worked so hard to keep closed was once again disheveled.
"Hey, wait a minute...! What are you doing..."
"Why are you doing this? You did this to me earlier too, young lady-"
Soon, he kissed her again, this time on the lips. Before she could even come to her senses, she was frozen in his embrace. His actions, like a bulldozer, peppered her with kisses, and the tickling sensation from the nape of her neck to both cheeks made her face flush once again.
"That, that was when you were in cat form... Aren't things different now..."
"I like this and want to keep doing it, but is this something humans can't do with each other?"
"...It's not that it can't be done, but kissing between humans is something that lovers do. Not something you do recklessly like this..."
"Then will you be my beloved lover, my lady?"
His eyes, looking down from above, are truly profound. If I stare at him for too long, I feel like I'll be sucked in. His thick forearms encircle me on both sides. I can't escape from this man.
dripping-
At that moment, I heard a knock on the door and reflexively pushed his shoulder away, quickly straightening my disheveled clothes.
"Miss, I'll help you get ready soon. May I come in?"
"Uh, wait a minute. Just wait five minutes - "
I came to my senses, got out of bed, and cleaned up around the bathtub. As I was busy moving around, he just stared at me from the side.
"Miss, shall we return to animal form?"
"That's right, Lucia will be here soon. Hurry up and return to your animal form."
"Yes, Miss."
He had reverted back to cat form. Looking at him this way, he was quite small. How could such a small child be like that... They were two completely incompatible beings. After completing all preparations, he hurriedly let Lucia, who had been waiting outside, into the room.
"Miss, the Duke of Tert, whom we met at the last ball, will be attending this ball. I think we should make thorough preparations."
"Is that so? Then please take good care of me. Please use this as your hair decoration."
"Yes, Miss. But that cat seems to follow you very well-"
"Is that so..? Lucia, you did a really good job treating me-"
"You're flattering me. I just applied some medicine and bandaged it."
The warmth radiating from him, resting on her lap, spread through her legs. If she stroked him gently, without thinking, he would place his leg on her thigh, lying flat on top of her, as if he felt good.
"Garrung.."
"Oh, that guy seems to be in a good mood. I guess he really likes you-"
Every part of his body that touched her hair tickled, and I couldn't help but laugh. I gently placed him on the bed so I could change into his dress, and when I took it off, he was startled and buried his head in the bed.
I see what's embarrassing... Anyway, I have to be careful from now on.
I tightened my waist, and tightened it again. This damn dress makes it hard to breathe every time I put it on. Still, the reflection in the mirror was quite presentable. Lucia's craftsmanship is definitely the best among the maids. That's how much I like it.
"Miss, the Duke has arrived."
As she left the house, assisted by her maids, she saw the Duke, whom she had met at the previous ball, parked his carriage. The female protagonist's parents and maids, who had come out to see her off, all looked surprised. No one had ever come to fetch her personally like this before, and it seemed like he had taken a liking to her since the last ball.
"Come with me, I've been waiting for you to come out-"
"I am truly delighted that the Duke himself has come to visit us."
It was a polite remark. He didn't like it, but he still had to maintain his noble dignity. When he forced a friendly smile, he would stand on end and glare at the duke with a fierce expression, as if he had never done before.
"Grrrr..."
Just as when he first met the heroine, he stayed by her side, his tail and fur standing upright. He gave Lucia a look as if he couldn't help it, but Lucia noticed and quickly embraced him. As expected, Lucia. If you pretend, you pretend.
After boarding the carriage, escorted by the Duke, I waved goodbye to my family. The cat... Come to think of it, I didn't even know its name. I'll have to ask it when I get back after the ball.
"The dress you wore before was beautiful, but this dress suits you very well."
"Thank you, our maid is very skilled-"
"Your appearance is also... truly beautiful-"
While I was running hard, the peacock thrust his face right up to me and, without warning, slowly stroked the back of his hand across the female protagonist's cheek. What a preposterous act. Furious that this man, whether he was the peacock or not, had touched me so carelessly, I slapped his hand away in one swift motion.
"This will be difficult, please don't touch it -"
"under..?"
The coachman's voice was heard, signaling their arrival, and the carriage stopped. The end of his words rose as if he was annoyed, and his brows were furrowed.
"I'm also feeling quite bad. Let's go to the ballroom separately."
"Ha, are you rejecting me now?"
"I'm not refusing, but the Duke is just using my body..."
"How dare you talk back to the Duke so often. Do you realize that this will only put you at a disadvantage?"
"evil!!"
The peacock was grabbing the female protagonist's wrist from behind with a sharp grip. A red mark was already forming on her wrist.
"Oh, it hurts..."
"Tomorrow I will come to your house to propose."
"Wh..what did you say..?"
"Wouldn't your parents unconditionally approve of your marriage to a duke? My future wife."
"That crazy guy... ugh!!"
This time, I started to feel pain in my wrist. The grip was so tight, I couldn't shake it off. I'd rather live alone than marry a man like this. Even if he's a duke, I could never marry someone like this.
"Put this... down..."
"Tell me you'll marry me. Now!!!"
"I don't like it... I'm crazy for being with someone like you..."
Snap-
At that moment, I was taken away from him and held in someone's arms.
"...?! you..!!"
"Miss, close your eyes-"
He quickly covered the woman's eyes with his own hand and kicked the peacock away. Before his vision was obscured, he looked into her eyes, and his pupils were already unfocused. He had only covered her eyes, but almost all of her face was obscured. What the woman couldn't see with that large hand was the peacock's obscenity.
"Miss, was the reason you said you were preparing in the room earlier to come to a place like this?"
"...."
"Let's go somewhere else, somewhere quiet."
Why was he walking so fast? He would slow down when he noticed her struggling to keep up. His waist was so tight that he was out of breath after just a short walk. Unable to go any further, he collapsed on a bench beneath a streetlight, where he crouched down on his knees before her.
"How did you get here..?"
"When you set out, I followed your scent. I have a great sense of smell."
"Wow... you're amazing too."
When he nuzzled his head against the woman's thigh, the tension seemed to ease, and a snicker escaped his lips as he gently stroked her head. He then stared intently at her, then abruptly stood up and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"What are you, what are you doing...!"
"You seem very frustrated. Is there anything I can do to help you?"
He was struggling to untie the knots that had become so tight. Normally, they were knots that had to be untied one by one, but I couldn't help but chuckle at his cute way of thinking, thinking of something to make me feel uncomfortable in my dress.
"The knot is tied quite tightly... I don't think I'll be able to untie it..."
Knock knock knock knock knock knock
...was a strong cat who just tore all the strings apart with his strength.
The moment the string was ripped, I felt a sense of liberation and relief. His bewildered expression and actions ultimately made me burst out laughing.
"Ahaha, the knot wouldn't come undone, so I just ripped it off-"
"I'm sorry, miss.. I was just trying to make you feel comfortable.."
"It's okay. Thanks to you, I can breathe easier. By the way..."
I began to worry about him still not wearing any clothes. It was cold, the wind was blowing, and he could easily catch a cold in this state. My worries about him were starting to creep in.
"Aren't you cold? If you keep walking around naked, you'll catch a cold..."
"I've lived like this until now. I'm okay."
"That won't work. I'll have to stop by the lumber store tomorrow."
"A lumber shop? What do they do there?"
"This is a place that makes clothes. I'll make you a suit that fits you perfectly. At least you should wear clothes when you're in human form."
"miss.."
Overcome with emotion at those words, he hugged Yeoju tightly. The fact that she was giving him clothes—no, clothes aside, the fact that she had thought of something for him and made something for him—was a source of immense joy to him. He buried his head in Yeoju's neck, and she, too, gently stroked his hair.
"Come to think of it, I still don't know your name. What is it?"
"If I tell you my name, will you call me by my name?"
"That's obvious. When you call someone, you have to call them by their name, right?"
"...."
It's those eyes again. Those deep, almost sucking eyes. They're the same ones I saw on the bed earlier. Being with this child is joyful. Being with this child gives me a pleasant feeling, like everything around me is clearing up. Isn't it a stroke of luck that this child is here with me?
...I want to call him by his name.
"My name is... Taehyung."
"...Taehyung."
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