SLC 46

“Yes. I’m sorry. Ah, yes. It’s not really something I should apologize for, but…. Yes. I’ll contact you again later.”

After ending the call, Kim Jinkyung took a deep breath.

He couldn’t help feeling nervous every time he spoke with Secretary Kang. The black panther wrapped his tail around Kim Jinkyung’s leg.

What did he say?

At this point, Kim Jinkyung felt like he could tell what he meant just by making eye contact.

“Ah. He didn’t really say much, just told me to take good care of you while staying by your side.”

He didn’t confess everything. He only said that Seongha-ssi seemed a bit tired today and probably wouldn’t be able to visit the hospital in the evening. Secretary Kang replied, ‘Why is the teacher the one saying that….’ then seemed to realize something and immediately said he understood.

He must have noticed. After all, no one had spent more time by Mok Seongha’s side than him.

Kim Jinkyung looked down at the black panther lying next to him, gently rubbing his leg with his tail, and sighed.

Why?

The golden eyes were asking why he sighed.

“I don’t know what to do.”

If he had changed because of the horn sound, then removing the trigger should let him return. When it rained, he returned once the rain stopped. When he got wet, drying off his fur solved it.

But this time, even as time passed, he didn’t regain his human form. After thinking for a while, Kim Jinkyung asked him to wait a moment and went back to his room to grab a headset.

“Do you want to try this?”

The black panther’s ears perked up.

“If it’s because of the sound, I thought I’d try blocking out noise as much as possible.”

After hesitating briefly, the black panther slowly leaned his head forward. Kim Jinkyung spread the headset as wide as he could and tried to place it on the panther’s head. But the ear placement was different from a human’s, so it didn’t fit. After adjusting it a few times, he gave up.

It’s cute, but this won’t work.

“It might tickle, but try to bear with it for a bit.”

Kim Jinkyung used both hands to cover the panther’s ears directly.

“How is it? Is it quieter?”

“…….”

The large eyes stared at Kim Jinkyung. Mok Seongha had always had long eyelashes. But in panther form, they were far thicker and longer than when he was human.

His eyes were deeper too, several times over. Looking into them felt like staring into a deep trench beneath a golden sea. It took his breath away. If he fell in there, he would surely die.

The thick eyelashes moved along with his gaze.

Pretty.

They were beautiful eyes, enough to make him forget for a moment that the other was a ferocious beast. Every time the black panther blinked, the ears covered by Kim Jinkyung’s palms twitched. His throat felt itchy. His heart pounded, and heat began rising from his chest.

This is getting strange. This won’t do.

“…It’s useless.”

Kim Jinkyung lowered his hands. The black panther rubbed his ears a few times with his hind leg, as if they were itchy.

“Can you tell me exactly what the situation was back then….”

“…….”

…There was no way he could.

The black panther leapt up and brought over the phone that had been on the desk in his mouth. It seemed like he was trying to type a message and show it.

“Good idea….”

“…….”

…No, it wasn’t a good idea.

It failed at face recognition, and even he couldn’t even enter the password. After getting the password wrong several times, the phone locked and became disabled. A large paw smacked the phone.

Kim Jinkyung quickly opened the message app on his own phone and handed it over to the black panther. The paw that tried to type only repeated random things “gk 1;//// 1;” before eventually swatting Kim Jinkyung’s phone into the air as well.

“Ah, just a moment.”

An idea occurred to him, and Kim Jinkyung clapped his hands together. He went to the desk and grabbed some paper, a pen, and tape.

“Please write it down on paper. You can do that, right?”

The black panther nodded.

Kim Jinkyung quickly tied the pen to the tip of his tail. The black panther bit down on his tail and looked at Kim Jinkyung.

…This is insane. He is really cute.

Not being able to take a picture of this scene felt like a lifelong regret. But if he took a photo, he’d probably get thrown into the sea.

Kim Jinkyung quickly held the paper close in front of him and started asking questions.

“You transformed while we were on the phone with each other, right?”

The black panther drew a circle on the paper.

“Has it ever happened before? I mean, in a situation unrelated to water.”

This time, an X.

“Then was there anything else happening when you were on the phone? Other than the horn sound.”

After thinking for a moment, the panther started writing something. Kim Jinkyung slowly read the crooked letters.

“Ban…gi?”

The panther crossed out the second character and wrote over it again.

“Bal…gi?”

The panther bit down harder on his tail in irritation.

“Bal, gi?”

The panther nodded.

“What is that?”

The golden eyes looked between Kim Jinkyung’s legs. The dictionary definition of the word erection surfaced in Kim Jinkyung’s mind.

“The-then why….”

The panther tightened his bite on his tail and slowly wrote, one character at a time.

[It kept happening]

“So you mean, you were in that state the whole time?”

The black panther nodded and wrote again.

[Lately, every time I’m on the phone with you]

Taken by itself, the content was suggestive, but the way he wrote with a tail in his mouth was so cute that Kim Jinkyung had to pinch his thigh to keep himself from laughing.

“So, um, when you were on the phone, that state is the part that’s different from usual, right?”

The black panther nodded.

Kim Jinkyung placed his hand on the panther’s head. After a while, he tilted his head.

“You don’t have a fever.”

The black panther stared at Kim Jinkyung’s hand.

“Is it possible to be in that state even without a fever?”

[I don’t know.]

Kim Jinkyung glanced between the beast’s legs.

“…It doesn’t seem like it.”

Kim Jinkyung knew better than anyone what Mok Seongha was like when he went into heat. First, his temperature rose, his consciousness blurred, and he acted like a person whose only goal was sex. No matter how many times he came, he wasn’t satisfied.

But right now, Mok Seongha was far too rational to be considered in heat.

[Should I get it up?]

“Ah, no. That’s not necessary.”

Kim Jinkyung waved his hands with a serious expression. Every time Kim Jinkyung moved his hands, the black panther’s head followed them.

Why is he doing that?

Kim Jinkyung looked down at his own hand. There was nothing special about it.

He lifted his hand to the right. The black panther’s head moved to the right. This time, he raised it to the left. As expected, the black panther’s head turned to the left as well.

Some kind of animal instinct? …Everything about him is cute.

Kim Jinkyung slowly lowered his hand. The black panther gathered his front paws, rested his head on them, and quietly watched Kim Jinkyung’s hand.

“For now, I think it might be related to something sexual.”

When the black panther heard the words “something sexual,” his ears perked up.

“I’m not certain, but, um, you said before that after kissing me, you stopped transforming even when you got wet, right?”

The black panther lifted his nose slightly while looking at Kim Jinkyung, signaling him to continue.

“But this time, you transformed because, um, while you were on the phone… you had….”

Embarrassed to say words like erection out loud, Kim Jinkyung trailed off and lowered his head. For someone who had been single his entire life, words like erection and heat were difficult to say out loud.

“Since both situations have something in common with sexual sensation…. maybe….”

A warm breath brushed against his forehead. Startled, Kim Jinkyung reflexively lifted his head, only to find a muzzle pushed right up close. He jerked back in shock.

“I told you no earlier!”

The black panther glared at Kim Jinkyung with aggrieved eyes, then wrote something.

[You said get excited]

“When did I ever? I said it might be related, that’s what I meant.”

[That’s the same thing]

Kim Jinkyung sighed, his head throbbed because of this terrible cat who shoved his muzzle forward no matter what he said.

“Have you eaten?”

One circle.

“Then go to sleep for now. You might turn back after sleeping….”

Two circles.

Kim Jinkyung stood up once they had reached an agreement. The black panther spat out the tail he’d been clutching in his mouth, followed by a loud roar.

“Why are you doing that?”

Instead of answering, the black panther stepped in front of Kim Jinkyung, blocking his way.

Where are you going?

The golden eyes demanded.

“I’m going to my room.”

He wrapped his long tail around Kim Jinkyung’s thigh.

What should I do?

The moment Kim Jinkyung looked toward the door, the large beast lunged forward and pinned him down. The black panther growled and pressed his front paws down on Kim Jinkyung’s chest. It felt like if he moved even a single step from here, those sharp claws would tear into him.

…Cute things and scary things are separate, after all.

Kim Jinkyung swallowed dryly and said okay, signaling his surrender. The black panther’s ears twitched.

“But there’s a condition.”

Say it.

His eyes urged him to continue.

“It’s fine to sleep together, but….”

Kim Jinkyung pushed aside the thought that the panther’s whiskers sticking out at random were cute, put on the most serious expression he could, and continued.

“Um, …could you please turn off the light in your eyes?”

The glowing eyes in the darkness glared at Kim Jinkyung, silently protesting.

“…If you can’t, then I’ll just sleep.”

When Kim Jinkyung muttered timidly, the black panther blinked once and his eyes stopped glowing.

“Good night.”

They agreed to sleep in the same room. But there were conditions.

No sexual acts.

When Kim Jinkyung mentioned the condition, the black panther roared with fury and irritation.

Kim Jinkyung held his front paw and begged him to remain quiet, afraid someone might hear and call the cops, dragging him off to a zoo.

It was fortunate that the long-term exam taker who used to come out into the corridor every night and yell at people to be quiet had moved out a few days before.

Come to think of it, the neighbor next door had also moved. And the one next to it, and the one across the hall. Is it moving season these days? Why is everyone moving?

The black panther’s front paw stepped closer to Kim Jinkyung.

“Why are you doing that?”

The black panther that had been lying on the bed jumped over and lay down next to Kim Jinkyung.

“You can’t. You promised.”

The black panther shook his head.

Who said anything? We’re just holding paws while sleeping.

That was probably roughly what the gesture meant.

“Go up and sleep.”

Kim Jinkyung tried to push the large mass of fur up, but he stubbornly held his place. Left with no choice, Kim Jinkyung gave up the spot next to him.

“…You’re really just going to sleep.”

Once permission was given, the black panther seemed pleased and buried his head against Kim Jinkyung’s neck. Kim Jinkyung sighed, he remembered Secretary Kang bragging passionately about how cute their young master was when he transformed.

He really is cute.

Kim Jinkyung patted the back of the furry beast sharing his pillow and closed his eyes. After a while, he suddenly felt a gaze. The black panther he thought had fallen asleep was quietly staring at him in the darkness.

“Can’t you sleep?”

One short breath.

“Is it because I’m being noisy?”

Two breaths.

“Is it because it’s hot. Should I move away?”

Before he even finished speaking, a thick paw wrapped around Kim Jinkyung’s shoulder and stopped him from moving. Trapped in the beast’s embrace, Kim Jinkyung could only blink, unable to move.

“…If you do this, I get hot.”

He had heard him, but the black panther pretended not to notice, turned his head away, and tightened the paw holding Kim Jinkyung.

Okay. This is a stuffed animal. A big cat plush. With black, glossy fur….

“No.”

The black panther, who was about to move his tongue, froze upon hearing Kim Jinkyung’s word.

“You promised earlier. You said we wouldn’t do that.”

The large, beautiful eyes turned threatening.

Why?! Why can’t we?! This or that, it’s still with me!

Even without him saying anything, it felt like he could hear them. Kim Jinkyung grabbed the panther’s muzzle with both hands and forced it down onto the pillow.

“I know it’s you. But that….”

Kim Jinkyung knew that the panther and Mok Seongha were the same being. He had seen the transformation happen right in front of his eyes.

But no matter how hard he thought about it, Kim Jinkyung couldn’t get rid of the concept that indulging in sexual practices while in panther form would violate the very foundation of human ethics.

“…It feels like a bad thing to do….”

In response to Kim Jinkyung’s hesitant answer, the panther’s eyes, which had been narrowed in anger, drooped this time in dejection. He turned his head away and flopped down in place.

“No, it’s not that you’re bad, Seongha-ssi, it’s just, I mean….”

Kim Jinkyung grabbed the sulking panther’s back and continued talking, but he still wouldn’t turn his head.

“I mean, people aren’t supposed to do that with animals. That’s how the law is written. Because doing that unilaterally to someone you can’t communicate with is unethical. Of course, Seongha-ssi can communicate and you’re not an animal. …Well, except when you’re a panther.”

No matter how much he explained, the sulking back remained immobile.

“I like both versions of you, but I think it’d be better if things like that were only done when you’re human….”

As Kim Jinkyung started to explain, the golden eyes lit up and he turned around.

The tail swayed gently in the air.

“Yes?”

A thick tongue licked Kim Jinkyung’s face.

“Ugh.”

He hurriedly covered his face with his palm, but the black panther didn’t care and repeatedly licked the back of his hand.

“If you keep doing that, I’m just going to….”

He tried to get up and leave. If he hadn’t met the eyes of the black panther, who was smiling brightly at him.

“…….”

Is he smiling? He is smiling, right?

Kim Jinkyung looked up at the beast, whose eyes were glowing in the darkness as he smiled.

“Why… are you smiling?”

The large mouth opened.

A predator’s teeth were bigger and sharper than he’d expected. They were on a completely different level from what he’d imagined. Leopards in particular had teeth large and sharp enough to bite and break a prey’s skull.

At first, just looking at them had made chills run down his spine, his blood feel like it was freezing.

…But now, he thought they looked cool.

The black panther gently pushed his nose against Kim Jinkyung’s

Kim Jinkyung’s heart hammered, afraid that he might do something else, but the black panther remained motionless, nose to nose, simply staring at him.

“…….”

“…….”

If someone had told him a year ago that he would meet a man who turned into a black panther, that he would come to like him, that he would kiss him, and that he would one day calmly face nose to nose with an animal he’d once been so afraid of that he’d fainted just from seeing it, would he have believed them?

In the darkness, their heightened senses turned toward each other. The low sound of breathing, the warmth where they touched, the gazes fixed on each other.

It was a strange feeling.

It was nothing special, just a simple act, yet he felt a tenderness that couldn’t be put into words. Kim Jinkyung reached out and hugged the black panther’s neck. The large beast leaned into him, as if entrusting his body to him.

Every time he breathed, the beast’s fur brushed against his nose. The weight snuggling against his whole body gave him a subtle sense of satisfaction.

He’d never had something like a typical childhood comfort plush. He thought you just learned to like whatever you were given, and that was how he’d lived. But this was different.

He knew he didn’t want to let go after holding him like this once.

Kim Jinkyung slowly ran his hand down along the curve of the beast’s raised spine. When he heard the purring sound, he lifted his head, wondering if something was amiss.

“Are you hurting somewhere?”

A smile appeared in the half-lidded golden eyes.

…He likes it.

Kim Jinkyung gently caressed the beast’s back again. The purring sounds in the little room sounded like lovely white noises.

Kim Jinkyung closed his eyes and spent the entire night stroking the back of his comfort animal.