SLC 85

Side Story 2. Theory of Infinite Sets

A beast moved slowly back and forth inside the iron cage. Kim Jinkyung pressed his face close to the bars and watched as the predator circled a rock, as if he were scouting his surroundings.

“…It’s amazing.”

“What’s so amazing?”

Mok Seongha, who stood right beside him, asked.

“Seeing a black panther this close.”

“…Hey.”

Mok Seongha called out to him, sounding baffled.

“No, I mean, you’re different, Seongha-ssi. That right there is a real black panther.”

“Am I a fake one?”

“You’re a black panther too, but that one is… how should I put this… a real black panther.”

Kim Jinkyung repeated the same words again.

A few days ago, while they were having dinner, Mok Seongha abruptly brought up the debt.

‘You can start paying that money back slowly.’

‘But interest will pile up.’

‘I won’t charge you interest.’

‘…Thank you.’

He should have said that sooner. If he had, Jinkyung wouldn’t have spent every night before bed gloomily calculating the daily interest in his head.

‘Exactly when do you mean by “slowly”?’

Kim Jinkyung asked for a specific number. Expressions like “slowly,” “whenever possible,” or “as you can” only made him anxious because he couldn’t grasp their meaning.

‘In about five years.’

‘Why five years?’

‘Because by then, you might come into a lot of money.’

‘There’s no way. Unless I win the lottery. Even then, it wouldn’t be enough. …I’ll just keep paying you back as I earn it. It’s not like the debt disappears just because I postpone it.’

‘…It could disappear.’

Mok Seongha muttered in a low voice.

The inheritance Chairman Choi left for Kim Jinkyung was a mountain of money, enough to live a life of leisure even after clearing the debt. There was a reason why the chairman left that sum to a stranger who didn’t share a single drop of his blood. There was a condition.

[If the relationship with my grandson is maintained even after five years, the inheritance shall be granted. However, this condition must not be disclosed to the debtor, Kim Jinkyung, in advance.]

Mok Seongha knew Kim Jinkyung wasn’t dating him for money, but since it was his grandfather’s dying wish, he kept his mouth shut. But he didn’t want Kim Jinkyung to feel stressed by the debt, so he dropped a subtle hint.

‘Anyway, don’t worry about it too much. It’s not even that much money.’

‘…Yes, thank you.’

Since Mok Seongha was a young master with a completely different sense of money to begin with, Kim Jinkyung gave up and simply thanked him. Then, a sudden thought crossed his mind, and he continued.

‘By the way, what happened to him?’

‘Who?’

‘The one who was dragged away from the airport instead of you, Seongha-ssi.’

‘I don’t know. He’s probably dead.’

Kim Jinkyung’s face turned pale at Mok Seongha’s indifferent remark. He was quite shocked by the idea that an innocent animal died because of him. After Mok Seongha saw him vomit everything he ate for dinner due to guilt, he eventually brought Kim Jinkyung to the zoo where the black panther was staying.

“It’s amazing.”

As Kim Jinkyung muttered the same thing again while watching the black panther prowl around, Mok Seongha felt a twist of irritation in his gut.

He couldn’t understand what was so amazing. Kim Jinkyung had literally woken up this morning in the arms of a man who had transformed just like that.

“What’s his name?”

“Leopard.”

“…….”

Kim Jinkyung began to look for the exhibit information panel to read it.

“Leopard. Felidae family. Habitat: African and Southeast Asian tropical rainforests. A black panther is a leopard or jaguar with an over-expression of melanin. Therefore, if you look at them in a bright place…”

“They’re black.”

Mok Seongha covered the panel with his palm and finished the sentence however he pleased.

“…Seongha-ssi.”

“Why read this? If there’s something you don’t know, just look at me. You can just look at me in a bright place.”

He was being incredibly stubborn.

“I get it. Then I’ll just check his name.”

Kim Jinkyung pushed to move Mok Seongha’s hand, but he didn’t budge.

“What do you need to know a strange panther’s name for? It’s not like you’re going to hook up with him.”

“What on earth are you talking about?”

“He doesn’t have a name. He’s just a black panther.”

Mok Seongha persistently blocked the panel. Kim Jinkyung eventually gave up on finding out the name and moved along. When he did, the black panther in the cage slowly walked in the same direction Kim Jinkyung moved.

“Oh.”

Kim Jinkyung acknowledged the black panther walking beside him with a delightful expression.

“Hi. …You saw me last time, right? At the airport…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Mok Seongha wedged himself between the cage and Kim Jinkyung. He then glared at the black panther inside the cage and growled. The black panther flinched in surprise and lowered his body, taking a guarded stance.

“Why are you doing that to a kid?”

“What do you mean, a kid? Fuck. He’s about the same age as me.”

“Don’t be like that. He’s already lonely enough all by himself.”

Mok Seongha was speechless.

The incident with the black panther that was swapped with Mok Seongha that day had been settled as an accident where an animal escaped during transport and intruded into the airport.

The zoo failed to manage the situation properly and paid compensation. Afterward, the black panther returned to his original home.

“Do you know how good the facilities are here? That guy alone has three zookeepers assigned to him.”

Kim Jinkyung couldn’t argue with the fact that the facilities were excellent. However, the surroundings felt too empty. It would have been nice if there were other animals, but this place was originally built specifically to raise one black panther. With only a few rabbits, goats, and birds, it felt less like a zoo and more like a hobby farm equipped with a single leopard.

“But he’s all alone.”

“Leopards kill each other if you put them in the same cage. It’s a basic rule to separate them even after mating.”

“…Even so.”

“If you feel that sorry for him, buy a rabbit and throw it in there. One of them will have a happy day.”

Kim Jinkyung frowned, unable to understand why Seongha was being so spiteful.

Mok Seongha glared at Jinkyung before suddenly pulling him in for a kiss.

“…..!”

The sudden kiss left Kim Jinkyung frozen, unable to give any proper reaction. Mok Seongha grabbed Jinkyung’s neck and tilted his head to kiss his lips.

“…Mmh….”

Kim Jinkyung pushed to get Mok Seongha off him. The more he resisted, the tighter Mok Seongha hugged him, using all his strength to entwine their tongues. Jinkyung’s eyes widened as he struggled. Mok Seongha closed his eyes and leaned down, seemingly focused entirely on the kiss. His large frame pressed forward, putting his full weight into the lean.

It was a sweet kiss. Jinkyung faltered and stepped back. After a few more steps, his back hit the iron bars of the cage. Mok Seongha smiled. Only then did Kim Jinkyung realize the purpose behind this sudden assault.

Kim Jinkyung pushed Mok Seongha away. He looked back and saw the black panther watching them from a distance.

“..What are you doing?”

He wiped his lips with his sleeve and scowled. Mok Seongha lowered his head to kiss him again.

“No.”

“Why not?”

Mok Seongha replied while remaining leaned in.

“He’s watching.”

“Who’s watching?”

“The panther….”

“I’m doing it so he can watch.”

Mok Seongha pressed their lips together again to prove his point.

Mok Seongha was the type optimized for learning. He learned quickly, acquired skills easily, and was good at application. Their first kisses used to involve bumping teeth and torn lips, but now he was quite proficient at stimulating and provoking his partner.

“Ha… ah….”

Mok Seongha parted his lips to match his partner’s gasps and tangled their tongues. Only after a breathless Kim Jinkyung tapped Mok Seongha’s back a few times did he finally pull away.

The silent, cold air of the surroundings enveloped the two of them. By then, the panther that had been watching their kiss had disappeared.

“Hm.”

A satisfied smile hung on the corner of Mok Seongha’s mouth. It was the proud expression of a male who had successfully protected what was his.

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“So, will that panther keep living there?”

“He’ll live.”

“Alone?”

“I told you, leopards naturally live alone.”

The veins on Mok Seongha’s hands stood out as he gripped the steering wheel.

He had driven all the way to Gangwon-do to grant Kim Jinkyung’s request to see the panther, but the sight of Jinkyung giving unnecessary affection to a strange panther put him in a bad mood.

“Won’t he be lonely? If he’s by himself…”

“Leopards are more comfortable alone. Having humans around is just annoying. I also…”

Mok Seongha interrupted himself. He noticed that Kim Jinkyung’s face had darkened slightly beside him.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that… That’s just a human-centric perspective.”

Kim Jinkyung quickly apologized.

Mok Seongha cursed. “Fuck.”

It was true that humans were more annoying and uncomfortable when he was in his panther form. His ability to smell and hear things heightened significantly then. However, that didn’t mean Kim Jinkyung was uncomfortable to be around.

“Hey.”

Mok Seongha called out to Jinkyung.

“Yes.”

“…You aren’t uncomfortable.”

Kim Jinkyung showed his usual smile.

“That’s a relief. Oh, the next one is a left turn. Please change lanes.”

Kim Jinkyung quickly pointed out the turn. Mok Seongha changed lanes as instructed and turned on his left blinker.

“You’re doing well.”

“Of course. Look who taught me.”

Mok Seongha replied as if it were nothing.

While Kim Jinkyung was in the hospital, Secretary Kang taught Mok Seongha how to drive. In less than a day, their conviction that they could only fight a bit and get through it was dashed.

‘...I will find you a driving instructor.’

The day after a dogfight of an argument, Secretary Kang spoke with a grim face.

‘Why?’

‘If I keep teaching the young master, neither of us will live out our natural lifespans…. Anyway, I’ll find one.’

Secretary Kang quickly scouted and brought an experienced driving instructor. However, even that instructor threw up his hands and resigned before a day had passed.

‘Please find someone else. …I simply can’t do this.’

To be honest, Mok Seongha was glad. The smell of the human who came as the instructor was so terrible that his irritation had reached its peak. But the second instructor, and even the one after that, couldn’t last two days and all fled.

In the end, Kim Jinkyung took over Mok Seongha’s driving lessons after he was discharged.

Mok Seongha behind the wheel was a total disaster. He didn’t care about other cars while driving, he drove according to his own instincts rather than the signals, and he always put himself first when cutting in.

Kim Jinkyung decided that letting him out on the roads like this would be a criminal act. From that day on, he gathered everything Mok Seongha needed; simulated driving using a computer, general driving knowledge, traffic laws, and made him learn it. Finally, after receiving Kim Jinkyung’s soul-crushing driving lessons, he managed to become a driver who could navigate the roads without breaking the law.

“Teacher. Take a nap. We still have a while to go before we arrive.”

Since they had already traveled to Gangwon-do to see the panther, the two decided to turn it into a trip. Mok Seongha had overheard Kim Jinkyung sounding a bit disappointed while hanging up a phone call because he couldn’t go on a ski trip with his friends. He immediately made a demand to Secretary Kang.

‘Build a ski resort. Or buy one.’

Secretary Kang asked with his teeth clenched, ‘What? You want me to build what?’

‘A ski resort. Teacher said he wants to go skiing.’

‘No! When did I ever? I never said such a thing!’

Kim Jinkyung jumped up and waved his hands in denial, but Mok Seongha was stubborn.

‘I can get you a membership right this second. I’ll get the highest premium one available.’

‘How can I roll around in the snow with other filthy humans? What if you fall for someone else while doing that?’

Kim Jinkyung massaged his forehead. The comment about learning to ski while rolling around in the snow was something Seo Sangil said before Mok Seongha sat down. Just how long had he been eavesdropping?

Eventually, Mok Seongha only stopped harping on about the ski resort after Secretary Kang promised to find a suitable place, since it was impossible to buy or build one immediately.

“It’s okay. I’m not sleepy.”

Mok Seongha asked, ‘Is that so?’ and gently caressed Kim Jinkyung’s cheek with one hand.

…I’m going crazy.

Kim Jinkyung quickly turned his head the other way. Even though it was just a touch, his heart raced. How could he like this face so much even though he saw it every single day?

He pressed his cheek against the car window to cool down the heat rising in his face.

“Hey.”

“Yes?”

Kim Jinkyung quickly looked up.

“..I’m bigger than him.”

“What? Who… ah, the panther?”

“I’m a panther too.”

“I know.”

“When I transform, I’m bigger than he is. My tail is longer, too.”

You sure looked at him closely.

Kim Jinkyung followed up with, “I know.”

“He was a bit more fa…chubby.”

Even if it was an animal, Jinkyung felt a bit guilty for judging someone’s appearance behind their back.

“It’s because he doesn’t exercise. Lazy bastard.”

Mok Seongha didn’t hesitate to trash-talk the panther they had just seen. He went on about what happens to fat individuals in nature. They starve to death because they can’t hunt properly, and they eventually die out because females don’t choose them. The only reason that guy is still alive is because the zookeepers feed him. Did you see how his tail was bent? He probably doesn’t even take care of his tail, and so on.

“I’m the best, even if you bring every other panther here.”

That was the conclusion.

Kim Jinkyung stared at his lover, who treated women, men, and even leopards as targets for jealousy.

When am I going to finish raising this guy?

“What?”

“Nothing. You’re right. You’re the best, Seongha-ssi.”

Mok Seongha smiled once he heard the answer he wanted.

“Do you want to grab coffee before we go?”

“Coffee?”

“I heard there’s a famous cafe near here.”

Kim Jinkyung was quite surprised. He hadn’t expected Mok Seongha to look up something like that.

“You like coffee.”

“Yes. I do.. are you okay with that?”

If it was a famous cafe, there would be a lot of people. Mok Seongha glanced at Kim Jinkyung and laughed.

“I even learned to drive just to go on dates with you. A cafe is nothing.”

Kim Jinkyung cleared his throat. The words ‘a cafe is nothing’ made his chest feel itchy, as if he had swallowed a ball of cotton.

He’s so cute.

Mok Seongha typed the address of the cafe he found into the navigation.

…He even prepared something like this. He really has grown up a lot.

Kim Jinkyung looked at his lover with a proud expression as Seongha turned the steering wheel with one hand.