Chapter 60

Naru, who had properly shaken Gyu-yeon’s heart, left his seat. At times like this he really seemed like an expert at dating. Whether intentional or not, his push-and-pull skills were no joke.

The hand that tried to grab Naru waved through the air. The movement was so fast there wasn’t even time to grab her and talk.

Naru returned to the counter and continued working busily. After turning Gyu-yeon’s feelings upside down, he acted nonchalantly like a baby fox. A sly little fox who didn’t know he was being sly.

Gyu-yeon sat down listlessly and pressed his forehead. Somehow his face felt warm.

“Naru, why is the boss like that?”

“He said we’ll talk about it later.”

“Did he say something bad?”

“Hmm, no. It’s not that…”

At Seo-yeon’s question, Naru, who had been shaking his head, glanced at the table. He had used that form of address because he wanted Gyu-yeon to come closer, but his reaction seemed less favorable than expected.

Is this not it?

Naru quickly lost interest in Gyu-yeon. Once he fixated on one thing, he couldn’t pay attention to others, so now he focused solely on her work.

Today there were unusually many things to be mindful of. It was Do-min’s last day working at the Cafe.

Although they’d been antagonistic like rivals, Naru didn’t dislike Do-min that much. Maybe because they were the same Beastkin, he felt both annoyed and compelled to look after him.

Having finished arranging the display and returning, Naru hung around next to Do-min for no reason. It was fine that he was quitting, but he wanted to know exactly why.

“Why are you staring so much? Mind your own work.”

“Why are you quitting?”

“Hmph, isn’t it good that I’m quitting? Why are you suddenly acting like we’re close?”

As if he were a cat, his reply was sharp. But Naru didn’t back down and shoved his face closer. Sometimes that clear-eyed craziness of his was both amusing and frightening.

Do-min, pretending not to know, turned his head and frowned sharply. He looked fed up with Naru’s persistent questioning. Circling about with curiosity, he was exactly like a puppy.

“You finish work at three, right? Come out for a bit.”

“Why?”

“You said you were curious.”

“Can’t you just tell me now?”

“Ah, no!”

Do-min shouted in a prickly voice. When Seo-yeon, who was clearing the table, stared at them, he finally lowered his volume. Naru didn’t flinch at all whether Do-min shouted or not.

Naru, in turn, treated Do-min as the strange one. He could’ve just told him, but he insisted on making him wait until quitting time. Offended by the meaningful look, Do-min bared his claws like a hiss.

“Anyway, see you after work.”

“What a pain…”

Naru, grumbling to the end, hurried away. Do-min suppressed his rising anger and sighed heavily.

That’s why I hate dogs.

Seo-yeon smiled softly at the sight of them washing dishes briskly. Both of them looked cute, and their animal-like antics were charming.

Both Naru and Do-min were serious, but to Seo-yeon they looked like little rascals. It was like a puppy and a kitten playfighting.

“Aww, how cute.”

“…Yes?”

“Ah, nevermind.”

Seo-yeon waved her hand at Do-min’s absurd reply and smiled awkwardly. Naru would giggle shyly at being called cute, while Do-min flinched in a way uncannily like a cat.

It shouldn’t be, but they’re just too cute.

The store felt unusually unsettled today. Gyu-seong had come by, Gyu-yeon seemed oddly spiritless, and Do-min and Naru were busily bickering. Still, Seo-yeon secretly liked this atmosphere. Thinking that Do-min would leave here made her feel a bit regretful.

Time passed fairly quickly. Naru, working diligently, promptly threw off his apron as soon as it was three o’clock. Do-min, watching for the chance, quickly grabbed Naru’s arm and pulled him.

“Uh, huh?”

“Stop dawdling and come.”

Do-min stepped behind the Cafe and roughly let go of Naru’s hand. Being alone here brought back the memory of losing their last power struggle, which put him in a bad mood.

Naru casually tidied his hair and stared at Do-min. His wide, innocent eyes looked subtly annoying.

Do-min adopted a serious tone and cleared his throat. What could be so important that he was stalling like this? Naru’s curiosity grew.

“You, be careful.”

“Huh?”

“You asked why I’m quitting, right? I’m going back to my Previous owner.”

Startled by the unexpected words, Naru blinked. Do-min, who had come to this world before Naru, seemed to be getting by using sly tricks. He often seemed naive despite his sharp attitude, but in any case, that was how he was.

But what was this? Going back to his Previous owner?

For Naru, it was a terrifying statement. Even if one could live freely here, crossing back there would take that freedom away. He didn’t know what kind of life Do-min had led, but in Naru’s case, it was like that.

“But those people can’t come over here…”

“Why can’t they? I thought that too. But it wasn’t only me who could come here. Look, you’re right in front of me now.”

He was right. Naru had also been able to come to this world, so there was no guarantee others couldn’t come.

Naru frowned and began to worry about Do-min. Of all reasons, going back to his Previous owner—no matter how much they were enemies, he had to try to stop him.

“Are you okay? If you don’t want to go, don’t. This place is big, if you run well…!”

“Who worries about whom. I’m tired of this life, so I decided to go. I hate being pushed around by people while working. I’ll just go live comfortably under a owner.”

Do-min’s situation was a bit different from Naru’s. Though he called them an owner, Do-min had never been abused even once. He had been raised somewhat cherished.

Of course, he had stumbled into this world and experienced many new things, but earning money and living on his own wasn’t easy. It was especially hard for Do-min, a Beastkin raised by someone.

With his pretty face and the social tips he’d learned from working, he’d managed to get by, but Do-min was very tired. He wanted to return to the comfort of his owner’s arms and live together. Having been separated from his owner unintentionally, such thoughts were natural.

While he was worrying like that, suddenly the Previous owner appeared. In a flustered state, upon finding Do-min he sobbed, begging him to return to the original world.

He said the portal that could cross dimensions was still open. So come back with me and live like before.

“How could that be…”

“Is now the time for you to worry about others? It’s certain that the space we crossed is open. That means your owner could come looking for you.”

Naru felt a chill run down her spine. As Do-min said, it wasn’t the time to worry about others.

His Previous owner could cross over to find me. No way…

Naru’s eyes went hollow and dim. Do-min looked at her sympathetically and clicked his tongue. Despite their fierce bickering, he seemed concerned because they were the same Beastkin.

“My owner isn’t violent, he’s fine. But you’re not, are you?”

“…Yeah.”

“Anyway, be careful. They said no one knows about Beastkin matters.”

Though his tone was sharp, his concern for Naru was clear. Standing gloomily for a moment, Naru suddenly rushed at Do-min and hugged him. Caught off guard, Do-min squirmed but couldn’t help patting her back a couple of times.

They were similar in height and oddly similar in appearance, so them hugging looked adorably quaint. In the serious atmosphere, the two holding each other soon began whining like sick animals.

“Ugh, you’re lucky. It’s good your owner is kind.”

“Hey, you’re the one dating the boss.”

“Still! If you go over there, live well under a kind owner.”

Though they had been growling earlier, the two treated each other with the affection of ten-year friends. Weak and discriminated Beastkin feel an instinctive bond just by sharing the same pain. When Naru buried his face in Do-min’s shoulder and rubbed his head, Do-min couldn’t help but nuzzle his cheek.

Seo-yeon, who happened to come out to throw away the trash, discovered them and covered her mouth.

Oh my, oh my, what should I do with those cuties.

Sensing someone’s presence, Do-min shoved Naru away. Embarrassment flushed his face bright red. The pushed-aside Naru showed signs of disappointment.

“Ahem, anyway take care of yourself. You’re stupid, so be especially careful.”

“Yeah, I’m not stupid. Got it…”

“Hah, you keep being annoying to the end.”

Do-min snorted, tapped Naru’s shoulder, and walked past. He found his refusal to concede irritating, but oddly not entirely unpleasant. Do-min felt similar emotions toward Naru.

Do-min thought: I hope Naru adapts well to this world and lives a fairly happy life.

Wiping away a trickle of tears, Naru quietly watched Do-min’s retreating figure. His small back showed no lingering attachments. He was truly relieved.

The place I came from might be a world of happiness for someone.

He felt a strange sensation. Naru suddenly remembered the path behind the Cafe. When he first came here and wandered the area, he had seen Gyu-yeon’s Cafe.

That meant the dimensional portal was likely nearby.

Left alone and thinking, Naru chose not to go into the Cafe but walked along the path at the back. His feet moved instinctively; he couldn’t stop by will.

Could the portal really, really have reappeared as Do-min said?

Walking down the alley he saw the electronics market. It was the place where Naru had sat and watched TV. Following his instincts, he found the familiar corner.

Here. If I turn this corner, it’s the place I first arrived.

The alley was unusually dim. Even though it was daytime, the gloom created a eerie atmosphere.

Naru, swallowing nervously, cautiously turned the corner.

“…!”

The alley looked exactly as he had first seen it: trash strewn across the ground, gas pipes jutting out haphazardly. But there was one thing that hadn’t been there then…

A small dimensional portal shimmered in the darkness.