One day I picked up a beast
w. charcoal briquette rice
No copying
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"....also."
Deep in the forest. At the very spot where Taehyung first met Yeoju, an unwelcome visitor awaited him. A large, stern leopard, upon spotting Taehyung, slowly transformed into a human.
"You came here on your own two feet, that's surprising?"
"To protect the young lady. I don't want her to do something stupid."
"You're so stupid... You love humans, don't you?"
It was Jungkook who was laughing at Taehyung with a strange expression.
"Even if you run away, it's still in our hands. The next leader is running away. I'm so ashamed of myself."
"I told you, I don't care about that kind of stuff, Chief."
"You shouldn't come out like that."
In an instant, Jeongguk grabs Taehyung by the collar. Where had all that composure gone? His gaze was fierce, as if he could devour anyone. Taehyung doesn't even blink at that gaze.
"I worked so hard to become the leader, and now you're handing it over to someone like you, who's just been given the position without even putting in any effort..."
"Jungkook, stop it. That's not what you wanted."
"...."
Jungkook, as if he couldn't do anything about Jimin's urging, forcefully lets go of Taehyung's collar. Jimin lets out a deep sigh and speaks softly to Taehyung, as if trying to persuade him.
"The chief is looking for you. If you don't go now, Taehyung, you will die at the chief's hands."
"what..?"
"The chief knows you ran away. So, hurry."
I had a bad feeling. If I went back now, I'd never return. The thought of leaving the heroine forever, without a word, was as unbearable as death.
"Just a moment, I'll go see the young lady."
"What? We have to go as quickly as possible. The chief won't wait that long."
"I'll be back soon, just a moment."
Before he could even hear their response, Taehyung turned back. He was in Yeoju's room on the top floor. He jumped high, landed on Yeoju's outer window frame, and lifted the glass.
Drumroll-
"miss..!"
"Taehyung, where have you been? I was surprised when you suddenly left, right? Huh?"
As soon as he entered the room, Taehyung suddenly hugged Yeoju.
"Miss, I have a place I need to go... for a bit..."
"Far away? Where to?"
"Where I originally was... to the space of the gods..."
"uh..?"
That's right. Taehyung was a divine being who ruled over the bourgeois empire, right? Everything that had happened was so vivid, it felt like a dream. I'd momentarily forgotten that Taehyung was a divine being. As Taehyung sobbed in her arms, she embraced him, stroking his hair. And even more, Taehyung buried his head in the crook of Yeoju's neck.
"You'll be back, right?"
"....But I still can't see you, young lady..."
"It's not like we're breaking up forever. We should come back and build the future you and I had in mind."
"I'll definitely be back, no matter what..."
"...My cute cat, have a nice trip."
Taehyung cupped one of his cheeks and kissed him briefly, only to have his lips cover mine again. The thought of being apart for a while weighed on my mind, but I had no choice but to wait for Taehyung. Whether it was days, months, or years.
"...Jungkook, if you think about it, it doesn't seem like Taehyung necessarily has to be the leader."
"What are you talking about?"
"If you have someone you love so much, why do you have to become the leader of the bourgeoisie?"
"...."
Jimin, who was watching all of this from outside, began to think a lot. Jungkook was always the type to unconditionally follow Jimin's wishes, but he was holding back his words as if he couldn't agree with what Jimin had just said.
"Jimin, you don't know what I did to become the leader."
"...I know. You worked so hard."
"I killed all the gods who were fit to be the leader. I tried to become the leader even though I was afraid of killing the gods..."
"...Yeah, I understand everything.
"When I told Taehyung I would hand over the leadership position, it felt like my world was falling apart. The pain I had to endure to become the leader... kept stabbing my heart."
Jimin immediately embraces Jungkook. Knowing how difficult his life has been, he couldn't blame him, no matter how many divine beasts he's killed. He knew the depth of his pain, the depth of his pain.
After patting Jungkook's back and offering comfort for a while, Taehyung's footsteps were heard. Soon, Jungkook reverted to his leopard form, and Jimin greeted Taehyung.
"Let's go, now."
Jeongguk walks ahead without even looking at Taehyung's face. Following him, Jimin and Taehyung return to their beastly forms, and they head towards the sacred place of the gods.
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"Bring Taehyung in front of me."
The chieftain's low, deep voice echoed throughout the temple. Soon, the temple gates opened, and Taehyung was dragged out by the knights, his arms bound. The knights threw Taehyung to the floor, and soon the knights bowed before the chieftain and knelt on one knee.
"Taehyung, the next leader, you dare to... try to run away from this place. It's truly disappointing."
"I'm not interested in the position of leader. So please, let me go."
"You punk!! You willingly disobey me. Fine, I will punish you."
"....."
"The woman you have in mind is probably already torn to pieces and ready to be fed to crows."
At those words, Taehyung's distraught mind suddenly snapped back into focus. He raised his head, which had been bowed, and looked up at the headmaster with wide eyes. It felt like the sky was falling. Without that person, there was no reason to live.
"Please, don't hurt that person.. Please.. He is my everything in life - So please.. Punish me instead, he did nothing wrong-"
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