SLC 5

As soon as he woke up, Kim Jinkyung checked the weather forecast on his phone. His hope that the rain icon might have disappeared was immediately dashed. The forecast predicted rain not only for this week but also all through next week.

Was it really right to take money for teaching an animal?

He had left the envelope he received two days ago on his desk untouched. If the black panther hadn’t understood the lesson, he planned to refund the money.

He waited to see if he would receive a message notifying him of the session’s cancellation, but there was no contact at all. In the end, he prepared for the lesson that afternoon and dragged himself there.

Maybe he should just disappear somewhere until the rainy season ended.

With a gloomy face, Kim Jinkyung opened the mansion’s front door.

“Hello.”

“Yes, hello.”

Secretary Kang, who opened the door, greeted him and briefly looked at his hand.

“Ahaha. It’s fine.”

“If you need a doctor’s note, you should go to a big hospital instead of a local one. Our foundation has a hospital.”

A shiver ran down his spine. He had gone to a local clinic yesterday just to check his wound, just in case.

“…Do you investigate me every day?”

“Why ask something so obvious?”

“…….”

So much for trying to escape, even for a while.

“Oh, and teacher.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t touch him.”

“…Okay.”

He didn’t need to ask who “him” was.

He adjusted his bag and went to the door. He hesitated for a moment, then knocked just in case.

“I’ll come in.”

He opened the door and stepped inside. The black panther was sitting on a chair, waiting for him.

“Hello.”

“…….”

“It’s raining again today.”

He knew there would be no answer, yet he couldn’t stop talking.

“I hope it stops soon, or it’ll be a problem….”

Jingkyung trailed off and started doubting his eyes….the black panther had gloves on his paws, only on the front ones.

It must be because of that accident.

Kim Jinkyung took out his book, still watching the panther’s face. He seemed to be uncomfortable.

“Um… aren’t you hot?”

The tail hit the floor. That meant he was very hot.

“You can take them off.”

The panther looked down at his own body. Kim Jinkyung immediately realized what that meant.

“Oh, no, I didn’t mean your clothes, I mean, you’re not even wearing clothes, but I meant the gloves, you can take the gloves off….”

His face turned bright red. He suddenly realized that the black panther sitting across from him wasn’t wearing any clothes.

“…No, I really didn’t mean it like that. I mean, I like men, but not animal males, not like that….”

Feeling like the most shameless person in the world, Kim Jinkyung couldn’t even lift his head. His face, his neck, and even his ears were burning red, and the golden eyes across from him quietly watched him.

“You must be uncomfortable, so please take the gloves off. I’m fine.”

His voice was barely audible. The black panther growled, then grabbed the gloves on his forepaws with his mouth and threw them aside.

His large front paws landed on the table with a loud noise. Kim Jinkyung’s heart raced, but he pretended not to notice and started the lesson.

“Your homework….”

The thick paw slid a pile of papers in front of Jinkyung. The handwriting was messy and hard to read. Kim Jinkyung calmly marked the answers with a red pen.

“You got one more right than last time.”

At his words, the panther’s round ears twitched.

“That’s impressive. How did you figure that one out….”

Their eyes met. The golden eyes looked somewhat proud. His throat felt a little ticklish. Kim Jinkyung coughed lightly and drank some water.

Was it an allergy?

“I’ll explain the concepts based on the questions you got wrong.”

He started writing formulas with a pencil and explained each step. The black panther, just like before, didn’t move an inch as he listened to the lesson.

“Did you understand what I just explained?”

The tail tapped once.

“Haha. It’d be nice if you tried solving a problem yourself….”

To check comprehension, the only way was to solve problems.

Just then, the panther pressed a button on the desk with his paw. A knock soon followed from outside.

“I’m coming in.” It was Secretary Kang.

All I said was that it’d be nice to solve a problem, not this kind of problem!

Kim Jinkyung froze like a statue and stared at Secretary Kang. But Kang didn’t even look at him. He went straight to the panther, knelt down, took a string out of his pocket, tied something, and then quietly left the room.

“What are you…?”

Before Kim Jinkyung could finish asking, the black panther showed him the answer. Holding his tail in his mouth, with a pen tied to it, he looked at Kim Jinkyung. That alone was enough for Jinkyung to understand. His hand trembled as he pulled out the printouts he’d brought just in case the rain stopped.

The black panther started solving the problems with the pen-tied tail in his mouth.

Kim Jinkyung shivered as he watched the bizarre sight he had never seen before.

…Scary. But cute. But scary. And cute again.

His emotions were mixed. Kim Jinkyung lowered his head and pretended not to see. The black panther spat out his tail, apparently finished with the problem.

“Are you finished?”

Instead of answering, his front paws nudged the paper. Kim Jinkyung meticulously reviewed the problem-solving process, step by step, before grading it. Except for one problem, he got all of them right. Even that one was a calculation error at the end,
but the solution was accurate.

“You almost got them all right.”

Kim Jinkyung checked the incorrect answers and continued.

“…You’re amazing.”

It was an honest compliment. When he first started tutoring, it had seemed hopeless. Even while teaching, he’d doubted whether the panther could follow along. A few days ago, since he’d been stuck in his animal form, Jinkyung had even prepared himself to return the tutoring fee.

Yet now, he had understood the explanations and solved the problems perfectly. The last time he’d been babbling about Korea University and Yonsei University, Jinkyung had felt Mok Seongha had a serious lack of basic sense and given up.

But this result was surprising.

“I think we can move a little faster now. From this unit on…”

Kim Jinkyung, who was explaining that he wanted to see the progress in a slightly more relaxed tone, caught sight of the black panther, who was staring at him with his ears perked up.

Was that a proud expression? …Or was he imagining it?

Kim Jinkyung cleared his throat and continued.

“From this unit, we’ll try to move through the material a bit faster. Is that okay?”

The panther tapped the chair with his tail. Unfortunately, the pen caught on the armrest and slipped down to the floor. The panther bared his teeth, growling in annoyance.

“Ah, I’ll get it.”

Jinkyung quickly picked it up. The panther watched him quietly. His tail drew a curve in the air.

Tie it.

Even without words, Jinkyung could almost hear it. His hands trembled as he began tying the pen to the tail. His fingers kept slipping from nervousness.

Don’t touch him. Be careful, as much as possible, don’t let your hand brush against him.

He dropped the pen twice, and a low growl came from above. He heart sank when he saw a line of sharp teeth.

I’m going to die.

Kim Jinkyung closed his eyes, clutching the pen. But what touched his cheek wasn’t fangs, but soft fur.

“…Ah.”

The black panther’s tail brushed his cheek. It moved a few times, grazing his skin with its soft fur. Jinkyung absentmindedly covered his own cheek with his hand.

Then the tail hit his hand.

Tie it!

“Yes!”

Jinkyung hurriedly looped the string and tied the pen to the tail. He felt the knot tighten snugly around it.

“If it’s too tight, I can loosen it a little….”

Instead of answering, the black panther bit the tail again.

…Weird and cute.

Jinkyung rubbed his goosebump-covered arm and looked down.

“Anyway, um, as I said earlier you’re really amazing.”

He continued the most timid and cautious compliment in the world.

“You seem to understand things well. (Better than I thought.) You learn fast too. (Faster than expected.) And you’re diligent. (More than I imagined.)”

As soon as he finished, the corners of the panther’s mouth, still holding the pen, rose slightly.

“If you keep working hard, you’ll definitely get good results.”

Jinkyung added one more sentence. He said it in a small, hesitant voice, but it was sincere. He taught to make a living, but he genuinely liked teaching.

There was nothing more rewarding than watching a student progress beside him.

But this person? No, this animal? No, this being? Whatever he was, was far beyond steady progress. It was rare to see someone improve this much in less than a month.

It felt like seeing a sprout growing out of barren soil. He was happy and amazed. That was why Jinkyung ended up saying something he shouldn’t have.

“If you do this well in other subjects too, I’m sure you’ll…”

That was as far as he got before he bit his tongue between his teeth and clenched his jaw.

What did my tongue just do?

The black panther slightly tilted his head. An eerie light flashed in his golden eyes. His forepaw pressed the button.

“No, no. I didn’t mean, I mean, that’s not what I…”

Secretary Kang appeared as if he had been waiting for that signal. The black panther started writing on a sheet of paper.

No. It can’t be. Please, no.

Kim Jinkyung prayed nervously. But the panther’s head moved away, revealing two heartbreaking words written on the paper.

[Extra Lessons]

“Oh.”

Secretary Kang feigned surprise and then left the room.

“I’m not doing it!”

Jinkyung belatedly shouted. But a moment later, Kang returned holding a freshly printed contract.

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Kim Jinkyung sighed as he adjusted the strap of his bag. He was sweating from fending off Secretary Kang, who tried to make him sign the extra tutoring contract. Jinkyung argued that in Mok Seongha’s current state, he probably wasn’t fully aware of what he was agreeing to, and that it would be better to discuss it after he returned to human form.

‘The young master? Oh, no. That’s impossible. Only his appearance became a bit cuter, but he’s the same person as usual.’

‘A bit… what?’

‘Sign here.’

Jinkyung resolutely shook his head. He didn’t want to dig his own grave any deeper.

‘I really can’t take on more. I have classes and assignments from school, and I also have… a personal life….’

‘What personal life?’

Secretary Kang asked in disbelief. Jinkyung already knew the man had people watching him.

‘Well….’

His “personal” life consisted of going to the library, eating, drinking coffee, and taking walks. He should’ve lived a little more recklessly when he had the chance.

He belatedly started regretting, but he quickly came up with an answer guaranteed to make the other side dislike him.

‘I have to meet men!’

The moment he said it, mockery and disdain burned in the black panther’s eyes beside Secretary Kang.

‘Ah.’

Secretary Kang indifferently exclaimed in acknowledgment. Jinkyung’s face burned, but he couldn’t take it back. At least that way, they agreed to postpone any talk of extra tutoring until the young master returned to normal.

He just wanted to go home, take a shower, finish his assignment, read a bit, and go to bed….

As he was carefully planning for rest in his head, a loud commotion made him look up.

“Uh….”

In the distance, he could hear sirens.

Was there a fire somewhere? That’s bad. Hopefully no one got hurt.

Mulling over the worry, he continued walking. But the closer he got to home, the louder the sirens became, until he realized exactly where that “somewhere” was.

“Step back! It’s dangerous! Everyone, move back!”

“Hey, don’t take pictures there! Get out of the way!”

Between shouting firefighters and police officers, people crowded together, filming the burning site. Among them, a man raised his phone and muttered in awe.

“Wow, that’s burning like hell.”

He was right. Kim Jinkyung’s apartment was burning like hell.