Chapter 4
The troublemaker who persistently tormented her until dawn was nowhere to be found in the bedroom. He wasn’t in the living room either. No sign of anyone else.
“Did he leave while I was asleep?”
That was actually for the better. If she’d seen his face the moment she opened her eyes, it would’ve been incredibly awkward.
“But… is he going to be okay?”
He was injured—was it really fine for him to move so vigorously?
Out of concern, she checked the bed, but there were no bloodstains. Thankfully, it didn’t seem like any wounds had reopened.
Then there was nothing to worry about.
Seoha stretched her slender arms and got out of bed. Maybe it was from the intense “exercise” last night, but her entire body ached.
Some places hurt so much she couldn’t even put it into words.
Good thing she had to report to work in the afternoon. Any earlier and she would’ve been seriously late.
She walked leisurely into the bathroom and frowned deeply at the mirror.
Her neck was covered in mottled marks like mosquito bites. There were even bite marks.
All left by that man. Like a beast—just look at what he’d done.
…Well, she had left quite a few nail marks on his back too, but still—this was over the top.
Suddenly, memories from last night rushed in, and her face flushed red.
It had been a deeply satisfying night, but still… it was embarrassing.
She didn’t want to remember any of it.
“Forget it. Just forget it.”
She shook her head vigorously to chase away the images and stepped into the shower.
After a thorough wash, she reached for her bathrobe—only to find it missing.
“Oh, right. That guy wore it.”
It hadn’t been in the bedroom—where had he taken it off?
Seoha searched the whole house but couldn’t find the robe anywhere.
Did he… go out wearing the robe?
That didn’t make sense either—his bloodstained clothes were gone too.
“Weird.”
Everything about this situation was strange. But the strangest part was that man.
He acted like an untamed colt, yet his eyes were like those of a dangerous predator.
Every time she met his gaze, Seoha felt a chilling sense that he was going to devour her whole.
She’d never met a beastman with such dangerous eyes.
And never before had she been so helplessly overwhelmed by pheromones.
“I can’t let that happen again.”
Since she was a Lime and he was a beastman, their paths might cross again. But any kind of personal interaction had to end here.
She never wanted to be entangled with that man again.
✦
It had been a week since she met the mysterious man.
As the marks on her neck faded, so did his presence in her memory.
Except for the occasional flash when she caught sight of the remaining faint bruises, Seoha barely thought of him.
And even then, the thoughts vanished as quickly as they came—like dust brushed off her shoulder.
Her repetitive daily routine resumed, like a hamster wheel turning in place.
So dull it was practically monotony.
Right around when she started thinking she needed a change, a small visitor arrived.
Whimper…
On her way home from work and grocery shopping, Seoha stopped when she heard the sound of an animal crying.
The sound came from a dark alleyway—the very one where she’d found the bloodied man that night.
Naturally, thoughts of him resurfaced. And with them, memories of that intense night.
“…Ugh, seriously.”
Why was she remembering that again?
She lightly slapped her cheeks to clear her thoughts.
Whimper, whine…
Even so, the pitiful cries continued.
Surely that man hadn’t turned into an animal and was crying in there, right?
The voice sounded too young for that—but she couldn’t be sure.
She had to check. Seoha cautiously entered the alley.
There, nestled in the shadows, was a fluffy white puppy. Thank god—it wasn’t the man.
But even so, it wasn’t right for a puppy to be alone in a place like this.
The crying sounded too desperate to ignore, so Seoha first checked the puppy’s condition.
There weren’t any visible wounds, and no signs of broken bones.
Its nutrition seemed decent, and its fur was clean—it looked like someone’s pet.
But then why was it here alone? There wasn’t even a collar.
“Abandoned?”
Or maybe it got lost.
She hoped it was the latter. Seoha looked at the puppy with pity.
She’d seen countless abandoned pets before, and every time it broke her heart.
She couldn’t understand how people could discard something they once loved so dearly.
But that was all. She never tried to confront those people or take the animals in.
Whimper, whimper…
She tried to walk away—but the puppy’s pitiful cries clung to her heels.
In the end, Seoha brought out a can of pet food and fed it to the puppy.
Even though she told herself not to get attached, Seoha still found herself looking for the puppy on her way to work.
But it was gone.
She checked around but couldn’t find it.
“Did it go back to its owner?”
Or maybe someone else took it in?
If it was the former, that’d be ideal. Even if it was the latter, she hoped the puppy was happy.
And so, her monotonous routine resumed again.
As if following a schedule, each day passed exactly like the one before.
Eventually, a day off came.
“Let’s go shopping!”
She’d hoped to rest at home, but her friend Seunghye kept pestering her to go shopping—so she reluctantly headed to the department store.
It was relatively quiet. Somehow bursting with energy, Seunghye wandered all over without a hint of fatigue, enjoying her spree.
Meanwhile, Seoha was utterly drained. Shopping had never been her thing.
She kept asking when they’d be done, but every time Seunghye responded, “Just a little more.”
That “little more” turned into an hour, then two. Finally, Seoha raised the white flag.
“I’ll just wait here. Go ahead without me.”
“You’re really tired? I just have one more store.”
“You do know your ‘just one more’ has lasted two hours, right?”
At her comment, Seunghye scratched her head awkwardly.
“Okay, I’ll be quick. Just wait a bit.”
Seoha had no energy left to argue—she just waved her off.
“Sorry! I’ll be back soon!”
With another apology, Seunghye disappeared into the crowd.
“Phew…”
Seoha collapsed onto a bench with a heavy sigh and pulled out her phone.
She opened the browser and skimmed through recent news—celebrity gossip, economy, science, whatever caught her eye.
Then she noticed a commotion.
“What the…”
“No way!”
It sounded like a celebrity had arrived.
Was it really a celebrity?
She turned her head in the direction everyone was staring.
A group of well-dressed men in suits stood there. Definitely not celebrities.
She returned her gaze to her phone—but suddenly, a shadow fell over it. She felt an intense stare from above.
It wasn’t Seunghye. She wouldn’t just silently stand and stare.
Who was this rude person?
Frowning, Seoha looked up—and her breath caught.
“Hello.”
Dark grey eyes crinkled pleasantly as they met hers.
“We meet again.”
The once-hazy memory of that night returned with startling clarity. Seoha’s eyes widened like saucers.
“They say even brushing sleeves is fate,” the man whispered, leaning close to her ear.
“We’ve brushed sleeves twice now. That makes us something more than strangers, doesn’t it?”
Oh—and they’d shared more than sleeves.
His soft chuckle tickled her ear. Her eardrums quivered.
The same long, firm fingers that had played her body like an instrument that night now gently rested on her hand, which was holding the phone.
He traced her skin lightly—intimately.
Just like that night.
“This must be fate too. Want to have dinner together?”
Caught off guard, Seoha stared blankly for a moment before coming to her senses and yanking her hand away.
“Why would I have dinner with you?”
She glared at him like a porcupine raising its quills.
“Plenty of reasons.”
His grey eyes sparkled with amusement. He hadn’t stopped smiling the entire time.
“First off, I’d like to thank you for saving me that night.”
She’d expected nonsense—but surprisingly, he was speaking normally.
Still, it wasn’t thanks she wanted. She had no desire for any more entanglements with this man.
She was about to decline when he tilted his thin red lips and added,
“And I’d like to return the bathrobe I borrowed that night.”
So he had taken it. Seoha let out a disbelieving laugh.
“Why’d you even take it?”
“I didn’t take it—I wore it out.”
He left wearing a bathrobe?
She’d already thought he was strange from the beginning—but this was beyond strange. This guy was nuts.
No. Definitely not getting involved again.
There was nothing to gain from dealing with a lunatic like him.
“You don’t need to return it. Just keep it.”
“That sounds kind of dirty.”
He licked his lips. His half-lidded eyes were chilling.
“You’re telling me to keep something your bare skin touched. Aren’t you curious what I’ll do with it?”
What kind of crazy thought process even was that?
Seoha’s expression hardened.
“Do whatever you want. It’s not mine anymore.”
She meant it. Whatever he did with it was no concern of hers.
She just wished he’d disappear from sight. But unfortunately, he didn’t seem ready to go.
…!
How else could she explain why he’d release pheromones again?
Her wariness toward him vanished in an instant, and heat spread through her body.
The man’s eyes gleamed mischievously as he looked at her flushed face.
He gently grabbed her shoulder and whispered:
“Looks like you’re drawn to me too, huh?”
