Chapter 48

“You’ve been staring at me with pure malice since last time, haven’t you?”

“You’re doing the exact same thing.”

Do-min, who was needlessly provoking Naru with a sarcastic tone, flashed a spiteful smirk. They say that when you’re locked in a war of nerves with someone, you absolutely have to remain casual and relaxed to win. Looking at Do-min, he didn’t seem like the type who had ever lost such a battle in his life.

Naru wasn’t quite acting, but he reflexively fired back at Do-min’s words. When the reply shot out in less than a tenth of a second, Do-min scoffed in sheer disbelief. He looked utterly thrown off, as if this was the very first time someone had actually pushed back against him. Do-min’s sharp eyes rounded into circles and blinked.

To be perfectly honest, Naru hadn’t liked Do-min from the start. He had intuitively sensed that the guy had a rotten personality, and just as expected, he was a total basket case. Gyu-yeon’s personality was pretty abrasive too, but Do-min’s was a completely different breed of nasty. A bit more spiteful, if you will. Oddly enough, though, Naru found him neither scary nor intimidating.

“I’m asking out of curiosity, but what exactly is your relationship with the boss?”

“……”

“I mean, you and the boss are, well… you’re not even in the same league.”

Naru had heard something very similar from Geon-hyuk before. Do-min was trying to fake a look of concern, but this was a blatant, petty attempt to pick a fight. He was probably picking fights just to defend himself. Watching Do-min stutter out of sheer fluster was actually starting to get amusing.

Not in the same league. Naru was well aware of this fact. Gyu-yeon was incredibly wealthy and handsome. On the flip side, Naru considered himself broke and entirely average-looking. It was only natural that they weren’t in the same league.

But just because they didn’t match didn’t mean they couldn’t like each other. In fact, Naru had already managed to get Gyu-yeon to say the words “I like you.”

He’s probably just doing this because he hates me. Or is there some other reason?

Naru’s expression warped slightly. Just when the annoying Geon-hyuk had finally disappeared, Do-min was now getting on his nerves. Because of these entities that routinely popped up to torment him, Naru’s usually docile personality was sharpening to a deadly edge.

“If you don’t like me, just say you don’t like me.”

“What?”

“I don’t like you. By any chance, are you incapable of expressing your thoughts?”

Naru’s razor-sharp words hit Do-min right where it hurt. Completely taken aback, Do-min doubted his own ears a couple of times, wondering if he had actually understood Naru correctly.

Do-min had completely figured out Naru’s personality the very first time he saw him. A total fool who’s clumsy but quick on the uptake. Yes, he had definitely seemed like an idiot. Yet, the Naru standing in front of him right now was showing a side that was vastly different from that first impression.

The blunt way of speaking, the malice-laced mockery—every bit of it was infuriating. Incapable of expressing thoughts? Do-min genuinely believed he was much better off than Naru, who was utterly clueless about social life. Perhaps because of that, his pride was thoroughly wounded by those small words.

Shoving Naru completely against the wall to intimidate him, Do-min used that very same ‘blunt way of speaking’ to make his point crystal clear.

“I absolutely have to secure my spot here. You’re my rival, got it?”

“Rival?”

“Yeah! A rival who might swoop in and steal my position!”

Do-min proudly bared his hidden motives, openly branding Naru as his ‘rival.’ Failing to grasp the exact implication, Naru just stood there blankly and scratched his cheek. Frustrated by this reaction, Do-min huffed and puffed, his shoulders trembling. With his sharp, upturned eyes, he looked exactly like an angry baby kitten.

A rival.

Possessing no remarkable skills, Do-min used to get rejected every single time he applied for a part-time job. His sole ray of hope in life was his fairly decent looks. People who were drawn to Do-min’s pretty face would approach him out of sheer curiosity, and if he put on a little act and acted cute, they would gladly take care of his food, clothing, and shelter.

The problem was that Do-min had absolutely no knack for playing cute. There was no deep reason for it—it was just his nature. Rather than acting overly affectionate, Do-min’s own way of expressing gratitude was to subtly hint at it when the timing felt right.

The people who approached him used to love even this distant side of him. However, that love never lasted long. The more they provided, the higher the intensity of affection they demanded in return. For Do-min, those demands were entirely too heavy to bear.

In the end, Do-min severed all ties with them and fled. The very first place that finally hired him after that was a small restaurant. Unused to the workforce, Do-min had to endure constant hazing and gatekeeping from the other employees. As the restaurant’s financial situation worsened, the hazing grew severe, and he was ultimately pushed out and fired.

There was a phrase he had heard back then: ‘Even if the people you work with seem close, they are all just rivals.’ Do-min had gritted his teeth and wholeheartedly agreed with that statement. His first taste of the real world was harsh and incredibly petty. While he resented those cruel people, Do-min hardened his resolve in order to survive.

Even if we seem close, everyone is a rival. Even if I want to be friends, I can’t let them get close. Because if I do, they’ll steal the spot I need to survive.

Having pulled himself back up like that, Do-min had managed to get hired at Gyu-yeon’s café after a grueling struggle.

Yet, at this crucial juncture, a powerful rival had shown up. Naru stuck to Gyu-yeon’s side like glue, refusing to leave, and had even gone so far as to keep his guard up against Do-min. He was no ordinary guy. Beneath that innocent face, his actions were oddly sly, and seeing someone who looked better off than him was incredibly irritating.

Do-min shoved Naru’s shoulders hard against the wall and put strength into his hands. Because it was his very first time confronting someone to this extent, his hands were trembling uncontrollably. As he did so, Naru’s brow furrowed deeper.

“Let go of me if you don’t want to get bitten.”

“Bitten? It’s completely obvious you’re a beastkin! Acting like that here just makes you look like a child!”

“……Uh?”

“I hate dogs more than anything in the world. Because they’re stupid, just like you…!”

Triggered by the threat of being bitten, Do-min snapped and shouted out the words he absolutely shouldn’t have muttered. Shocked by his own outburst, his lips just parted and closed silently. In that instant, Naru’s pupils dilated significantly.

Beastkin. Dog. These were words all too familiar to Naru. Ever since crossing over to this world, they were words he could only think about internally, so why on earth were they coming out of Do-min’s mouth?

Do-min seemed to know exactly what a beastkin was. No, it looked like he had flawlessly figured out that Naru was a dog beastkin. The only ones capable of identifying a beastkin while they were in human form were other beastkin.

Naru focused his sense of smell and began to sniff Do-min. As Naru sniffed around, Do-min took a step back and openly grimaced. Regardless of his reaction, Naru didn’t care and kept tracking Do-min’s scent.

Wait, this scent is…

“No way. Are you a cat?”

“……”

“You’re a beastkin just like me. A cat. You’re a cat, aren’t you? You smell like a cat.”

“Ah, damn it, get off me.”

Just as he thought, Do-min was a beastkin just like Naru. He had assumed he was the only entity that had crossed over to this world, but he was wrong. Judging by his quick adaptation, Do-min seemed to be a beastkin who had crossed over way before Naru.

Exactly as Naru guessed, Do-min was a beastkin who had slipped into this world a long time ago. A cat beastkin who possessed immense curiosity and just had to squeeze his body into any enclosed space he saw.

One day, while out on a walk away from his owner’s sight, Do-min spot an interestingly shaped box and immediately shoved his foot inside. He had intended to curl up comfortably until he was satisfied and then head back home, but Do-min was never able to see his owner again. The moment he put his foot in, he was sucked straight into a dimensional rift.

Having unintentionally run away from home long-term, and having grown up receiving nothing but pampering, this world was nothing short of a battlefield for Do-min, who knew how to do absolutely nothing. That was exactly how his personality had warped into this.

As Naru kept sniffing him, Do-min shoved him away in a fit of irritation and snapped. When they were inside the café, Do-min kept pretending to smile, so Naru hadn’t known what his true colors were. But now, he could tell with absolute certainty. Do-min possessed almost all the textbook traits of a cat beastkin.

Prickly. Hating being touched or clung to unnecessarily. Fiercely proud. Those were all classic cat beastkin traits.

After staring at Do-min with wide, fascinated eyes for a brief moment, Naru’s expression soured once again. Discovering another beastkin was great, but it was highly unwelcome that it had to be Do-min, a cat beastkin with a terrible attitude to boot.

Cat beastkin and dog beastkin were practically natural enemies. Naru despised cat beastkin to the extreme.

While part of it was an instinctive biological hatred due to being natural enemies, there was an even more critical reason.

When Naru was young, his family had to move around constantly because of cat beastkin. Whenever they managed to settle down, groups of cat beastkin would swarm in to steal their territory, and if they tried to run away, the cats would continuously launch attacks, forcing them into countless unintentional brawls.

With a history like that, there was no way Naru could ever like a cat beastkin. On top of that, Do-min was harboring a useless sense of rivalry toward him.

“You asked what my relationship with Gyu-yeon is, right?”

“……”

“Yeah. I have that kind of relationship with Gyu-yeon, so don’t even dream of making a move on him. If you’re a cat beastkin, I especially won’t let it slide.”

With his eyes wide open, Naru glared daggers at Do-min and delivered a stark warning. He seemed to mistakenly believe that Do-min was trying to tear him and Gyu-yeon apart. His calm voice carried a deep, simmering rage. Thoroughly thrown off by Naru’s counterattack, Do-min couldn’t find the words to argue back and just let out a hollow laugh.

Naru decided to completely crush Do-min’s spirit before he could strike back again. He might look clueless, but he knew exactly how to protect his own master.

Taking a step to the side, Naru grabbed Do-min by the neck and slammed him hard against the wall. Before anyone knew it, the tables had completely turned. The act of grabbing the opponent’s neck was something he had copied from memory, mimicking what Geon-hyuk had done to him last time.

“Rival or not, you stupid cat, don’t you dare covet Gyu-yeon.”

“What the hell are you saying right now—”

“He’s mine. Gyu-yeon is mine.”

Every single time Do-min tried to talk back, Naru cut him off mid-sentence. Continuing to drill the same words into him with the intent of brainwashing him, Naru flashed a bright smile. His eyes were still glaring fiercely, but his mouth was smiling beautifully, making the sight quite terrifying.

Do-min, who had looked down on Naru as a complete pushover, was entirely overpowered by this pure, unadulterated madness. Naru kept stepping closer and closer, cutting off his airway, and his current appearance was so bone-chilling that it felt like something straight out of a nightmare.

Ultimately, unable to endure it any longer, Do-min kicked Naru’s leg. Because he was being choked, his consciousness was fading fast, so he had lashed out with his leg as a last resort. However, Naru didn’t budge an inch.

“Are you insane? Gah, let go!”

“……”

“Aaaagh! I said let go!”

“I’m not stupid. Why would I let go of this?”

It was a sight that would thoroughly shock Gyu-yeon if he ever found out. Replying with a smiling face, Naru pinned Do-min down with a firm resolve to absolutely never let him go. This was the only way to ensure he wouldn’t be looked down upon in the future.

Halfway ready to give up, Do-min glared back at Naru with all his might, silently daring him to do his worst. His sharp, biting glare clashed against Naru’s manic eyes and bounced right off. Soon after, a pool of tears began to well up in Do-min’s eyes. He hadn’t intended for things to escalate like this, and perhaps because he felt wronged from being choked, his lips trembled sorrowfully.

That stupid dog! I was just trying to protect my spot! What did I do that was so wrong!

Do-min screamed out his grievance internally. Worried that he might get pushed out by a rival and kicked out of the shop yet again, he came incredibly close to bursting into a fountain of tears.

Finally, just as the blood rushed to Do-min’s face, turning it a bright crimson, Naru slowly released his grip. At the same time, he didn’t forget to deliver a final warning.

“No making moves on Gyu-yeon. If you do, you’re dead to me.”

“Ha, haa… you absolute lunatic!”

“I’m serious. You’ll die. Touching Gyu-yeon is strictly forbidden.”

Leaving behind that refreshing warning, Naru waved his hand gently at Do-min in farewell. It meant that since his business was done, he was going to head back inside. Leaving a trembling Do-min behind him, Naru pushed open the iron door and stepped back into the café.

Unlike the outside where the wind was howling, the inside of the café was calm and warm. Naru, who had just come from a fierce emotional battle a moment ago, regained his peace as he listened to the classical music echoing through the shop.

Be that as it may, Gyu-yeon, Seo-yeon, and a pastry chef he had seen last time were gathered together, deep in discussion about something. Brushing off his hands as if absolutely nothing had happened, Naru walked over with light steps and stood right next to Gyu-yeon.

“Oh, you’re back from throwing out the trash?”

“Yes.”

“Wow, thank you so much.”

It was merely throwing away the trash, yet Seo-yeon showered him with excessive praise. As Naru scratched his head awkwardly, Gyu-yeon waved his hand at Seo-yeon as if telling her to cut it out.

“What are you guys talking about?”

“Ah……”

Naru sidled up to Gyu-yeon and whispered in his ear. He must have been curious about what the three of them were discussing. The moment Gyu-yeon received Naru’s question, a troubled expression washed over his face. It was a look that made it obvious he hadn’t factored Naru into the equation at all.