SLC 45

“Hey.”

Kim Jinkyung, who had been sitting in the lecture hall, startled and turned around.

“Why are you so startled?”

It was Go Jinyoung. Go Jinyoung, who was dressed up again today, set his bag down and greeted Kim Jinkyung.

“Why is it so hard to see your face these days? Why did you skip the morning class? Did something happen?”

“…I overslept.”

Since he couldn’t possibly explain what he had done since morning, Kim Jinkyung made an excuse.

“You overslept?”

Kim Jinkyung was diligent. He never ran late and never canceled plans without a reason. To the point that among their classmates, people joked that if you molded diligence into a person, you’d get Kim Jinkyung.

“I didn’t hear my alarm.”

“Well, days like that happen sometimes. We’re getting dinner around here later with people from the department. You’re coming, right?”

Calling it dinner meant drinking.

“I’m sorry. I already have plans today.”

“Plans? With who?”

Go Jinyoung asked in disbelief. Kim Jinkyung was the one surprised. He thought that Go Jinyoung, who was quick to catch on about dating, would’ve figured it out from the mention of plans.

“Uh, well…”

“Ah, that person from before?”

Kim Jinkyung nodded.

“You’re still seeing him?”

“Yes.”

They weren’t dating, but since they met every day, he answered that way for now.

“Really? Hm. Maybe I was mistaken.”

Go Jinyoung tilted his head with an awkward expression.

“What is it?”

Kim Jinkyung asked carefully. Just as Go Jinyoung was about to answer, the professor entered the lecture hall and the conversation was interrupted.

I’ll ask after class.

Kim Jinkyung set aside his stray thoughts and focused on the lecture. Then the phone he had placed on the desk lit up.

Mok Seongha

What are you doing

It was Mok Seongha. The moment he noticed Kim Jinkyung had read the message, Mok Seongha sent another one.

I asked what you’re doing

Kim Jinkyung normally didn’t use his phone during class, but he had no choice and replied.

I’m in class.

When does it end?

Kim Jinkyung looked at the clock.

30 minutes left.

Come quickly.

Aside from visiting his grandfather at the hospital twice a day, Mok Seongha stayed inside the small apartment. He said he spent time reading or studying alone, but it was no different from being confined. Maybe because of that, whenever Kim Jinkyung went out for lectures or errands, he inevitably received messages asking when he was coming back, where he was, how far he was.

Whenever he read Mok Seongha’s messages, Kim Jinkyung felt like he’d left a pet locked up in a cramped room without even taking it out for a walk.

Iwill go right away after clasd

Because he was flustered, he sent a message riddled with typos. A smiling cat emoji appeared almost instantly.

Where did he even learn that?…It’s cute.

Kim Jinkyung smiled inadvertently, then quickly slipped his phone into his pocket. If he didn’t pull himself together, he’d definitely end up messaging Mok Seongha the entire class again. …That was exactly why the professor had called him out yesterday.

Kim Jinkyung focused on the lecture. Or rather, he tried to.

Why isn’t time passing ? It feels like ages have gone by, but it’s only been 5 minutes?

He alternated between looking at the professor and the clock, then as soon as the lecture ended, he slung his bag over his shoulder and stood up.

It wasn’t until he left the lecture hall building and started down the slope that Kim Jinkyung thought of Go Jinyoung. As he debated whether to contact him, a call came in. It was Mok Seongha.

–You’re done, right?

It seemed like he had been waiting for the end time too.

“Yes. It just ended, so I came out. I’m on my way.”

–Don’t run. You’ll fall again.

Mok Seongha being alone worried him, so Kim Jinkyung had once run all the way over and taken a hard fall. While licking his scraped, bleeding knee, Mok Seongha had scolded him, asking if he was a child, and ever since then, whenever Mok Seongha sensed Kim Jinkyung was hurrying even a little, he kept telling him not to run, constantly teasing him about it.

“I won’t fall. That time my feet just got tangled…”

The traffic light at the intersection blinked. The signal was tight. He could see a bus stopped far ahead. If he missed this light, he’d definitely miss that bus, and then he’d have to wait at least 15 minutes.

Kim Jinkyung decided to run. At that moment, a car stopped at the intersection blared its horn.

“Ah.”

Startled, Kim Jinkyung dropped the phone he was holding. In that instant, the light changed and the cars sped past.

“Why are they driving like that…”

Kim Jinkyung sighed and picked up the fallen phone. Fortunately, the screen didn’t seem broken.

“I’m sorry. A car passed right in front of me, so I dropped my phone for a moment.”

–……

There was no response from the other side of the phone. Kim Jinkyung said hello and checked the screen. The call was still connected.

“Hello. Are you listening?”

He called out again, but there was still no answer. He started to feel more and more nervous.

“Seongha-ssi. Seongha…”

Then Kim Jinkyung heard a very low sound. The growl of a beast.

Kim Jinkyung immediately shoved the phone into his pocket and ran. It was only two bus stops away, but he didn’t even feel like going to the stop and waiting calmly. He ran and reached the one room building. His heart felt like it was tearing apart and he thought he might throw up, but he didn’t stop running up the stairs.

“Seongha-ssi!”

Kim Jinkyung threw open the door to the room where Mok Seongha was staying. The moment the door opened, a pitch black mass pounced on him.

“Seongha-ssi! What on earth…”

The black climbed upon Kim Jinkyung’s body. Then he sniffed him all over and checked him here and there. After assuring Kim Jinkyung’s safety, the black panther opened his mouth wide.

Kim Jinkyung froze on the spot in shock.

I’m going to get bitten.

Kim Jinkyung closed his eyes, bracing himself for the pain of his flesh being torn. But the beast’s mouth, which he thought would bite him, landed not on his face but on his lips. The black panther started licking Kim Jinkyung.

“What are you doing… it tickles. Wait, wait…”

The thick tongue that had been licking his lips slid into his mouth. Feeling the way it pushed inside, Kim Jinkyung realized what the other wanted.

“No!”

When Kim Jinkyung pushed the beast’s face back, the black panther stared at him with his eyes wide, looking hurt.

“No. This kind of thing, I mean…”

Kim Jinkyung unconsciously wiped his lips. He had been trying to kiss him. It wasn’t at the level of licking to heal a wound or licking out of happiness.

As if he couldn’t accept Kim Jinkyung’s words, the black panther pushed his face in again. Kim Jinkyung pushed the panther’s snout away with his hand and shook his head.

“No. That’s for when you transform back…. But why did you suddenly change?”

He couldn’t understand this situation, transforming all of a sudden while they’d been talking normally.

“Did you get soaked with water while showering?”

The black panther shook his head in response to Kim Jinkyung’s repeated questioning.

“Then did you spill water while drinking it?”

Kim Jinkyung examined the panther’s body from side to side. He couldn’t see wet fur.

“It’s not raining either. Then maybe…”

Kim Jinkyung placed his hand on the black panther’s face. He remembered that when he was in heat, his form had changed.

“You don’t have a fever.”

The black panther slowly licked Kim Jinkyung’s face as he muttered. Startled, Kim Jinkyung covered his face with his hands. The black panther’s golden eyes stared at Kim Jinkyung’s hands for a moment, then he brought his nose over and sniffed. Kim Jinkyung voluntarily extended his hands to the beast when he made the scenting gesture.

“What is it?”

Kim Jinkyung was worried. It wasn’t raining, he hadn’t been soaked with water, and he wasn’t in heat, yet he’d transformed. He couldn’t guess what the trigger was this time.

The black panther rubbed his nose against his palm. Kim Jinkyung’s heart softened as he watched him behaving like a spoiled young animal.

“I was worried. You suddenly transformed….I was really startled.”

The black panther slapped the floor with his tail. Kim Jinkyung’s eyes widened in response to the irritable gesture.

“Why are you getting angry?”

The tail hit the floor again. Then the black panther dug the phone out of Kim Jinkyung’s pocket with his mouth, pulled it out, and growled at him from the front.

“My phone? Earlier, that call…. Is this because of the call?”

The golden eyes glowed with killing intent, and the growling became more fierce.

“What about the call? Could it be….”

A thought occurred to Kim Jinkyung.

“Did you transform because of the horn sound earlier?”

As if he’d been hit right on the mark, the black panther flinched and then turned his head away.

“Really because of that……. why?”

Kim Jinkyung asked. The tail that had been tapping the floor irritably lashed out and smacked Kim Jinkyung across the face.

“Ugh.”

His vision blurred from the tail whip he hadn’t taken in a long time. Kim Jinkyung rubbed his face and looked at the black panther. Thinking that the sulking muzzle and the face turned away looked cute.

…This is serious.

“Are you angry?”

Transforming because of a horn sound sounded both pitiful and endearing.

Kim Jinkyung stroked his front paw. But the black panther quickly pulled it back, expressing his annoyance.

“Then should we practice listening to car horns from now on too?”

He’d meant it as a joke to lighten the mood, but the black panther smacked Kim Jinkyung’s face even harder with his tail. He snarled and growled at him.

“I’m sorry.”

Kim Jinkyung immediately apologized. The black panther turned his head away again. He gently touched his front paw once more. This time he didn’t pull away.

“I won’t joke like that.”

“…….”

Despite being a panther, he was still a feline, hence he had paw pads. Kim Jinkyung mustered the confidence to place his hand into the paw and touch the soft pads.

Cute.

He’d started touching them to calm it down, but he gradually forgot the purpose and began kneading the paw. When Kim Jinkyung fiddled with him using both hands, the black panther sighed and placed his other paw on top of Kim Jinkyung’s head.

“You’re calming down, right?”

The panther nodded. Kim Jinkyung smiled and straightened up.

“Then please come back soon. You have to go to the hospital in a bit, right?”

Mok Seongha went to visit the hospital twice a day. Since it was a VIP room, visits were technically unrestricted, but it was a rule Chairman Choi had made for his grandson who would otherwise never leave the hospital.

“…….”

The black panther tilted his head, seemingly disturbed. Kim Jinkyung understood exactly what he meant by that brief motion.

“…You don’t know how to turn back?”

He nodded again.

If he got wet, drying the fur worked. If it rained, waiting for it to stop worked. If it was heat, stabilizing after release worked.

But this time….

“What do we do?”

In response to Kim Jinkyung’s question, the panther thought for a moment, then opened his mouth and pushed his muzzle forward.

“I said no!”

Kim Jinkyung pushed the beast’s muzzle away, knowing his intentions again.