Living with the Dangerous Beast-Chapter 37: Do I Love you?

“I fought bravely, one against seventeen... I even almost won... But I guess you wouldn’t believe me....”

From what he saw, there were about six or seven hunters. Even while being on the verge of death, she was still the boastful fox she had always been, which caused Dohwi to chuckle softly.

“Why did you do that? Didn’t you see they had guns?”

“I saw.... I was so scared that I nearly wet myself.”

“Then why didn’t you run? You’re good at running away.”

“They bragged about being tiger hunters, so I wanted to see how tough they actually were....”

Dohwi held his breath in surprise. So the reason why this little, normally cowardly fox fearlessly confronted the humans was....

“I thought, ‘As long as I’m alive, you’ll never be able to lay a finger on my precious tiger boy,’ and I just charged at them.”

“You mean you’ve done it... For me?”

Dohwi leaned down, his lips almost touching hers, as he gazed down at her angelic face.

After a moment of silence, Sohwa gave a small nod, yet filled with a strong sense of determination.

“Yes.”

She had risked her life in that battle. And the reason for that was....

“For you.”

She was surprised at the courage that had been hidden within herself. Blinking her round eyes, Sohwa recalled the events.

Leaping off a cliff, she encountered a black serpent lurking in a cave, waiting for prey with its jaws wide open. She had narrowly escaped from its mouth and scrambled up the ravine. She had fought and defeated numerous hunters armed with guns.

‘How did I....’

No one would believe her if she boasted about this.

‘Can that cowardly fox Sohwa really be THAT brave? Complete nonsense.’

To be frank, even she still couldn’t believe what she had done, making it all feel like a dream.

“If you really went through all that just for me, it means that you love me deeply from the bottom of your heart.”

“Me... ‘love’ you?”

‘Me, who tried to leave you only with a letter behind...?’

She came back and faced the hunters simply because he was precious to her. They had lived together for 20 years, so of course, she grew fond of him. Even the most annoying creature would become dear to anyone after living together for that long.

‘A sauce dish.’

That’s how much she thought she liked him and cared about him.

But did she really risk her life because she loved him so deeply? Unafraid, without even a hint of hesitation? freёweɓnovel.com

It made sense when she thought about it. She definitely wouldn’t have risked her life for the raccoon.

Yes, it was true that she nearly lost her life to the hunters while trying to save her precious tiger.

So, why not live a little longer with the tiger she cherished more than her own life? Even if it meant being ‘devoured’ by the very tiger she tried to save by sacrificing her own life.

In the end, it all circled back.

Sohwa recalled the moment she first met Dohwi 20 years ago. Learning from her encounter with the hunters that her feeble life could end at any moment, having someone by her side would be enough. Then, the harsh winter wouldn’t feel so cold and lonely.

That was why Sohwa had picked up the abandoned little cub by the roadside 20 years ago.

That was why she always had her cute, precious tiger boy by her side for a full 20 years.

...And that was why she risked her own life to save her one and only Dohwi from the hunters.

“...Is it really true? Do I... Love you?”

Dohwi solidified his statement to Sohwa, who was tilting her head, seemingly trying to pretend that she was in doubt.

“You know you can’t live without me now. Without me, you can’t eat or sleep properly; without me, you won’t feel alive even when you breathe.”

“Oh, dear. That’s a big problem.”

Sohwa’s face was earnest as she feigned seriousness. Dohwi found her antics charming, knowing well how this little fox liked to scheme and pout to get what she wanted.

“So what should I do?”

Sohwa pouted her lips, making her eyebrows droop into a worried frown. This was her specialty when she wanted to hear something specific.

“What else? We’ll live together forever.”

“Alright, I guess I don’t have any other choice, right?”

Seeing Sohwa nod eagerly, Dohwi let out a hearty laugh. Even her coyness was endearing; he was severely blinded by love.

Chapter 8. The Cruel Winter

Thanks to the orb, Sohwa managed to get back on her feet in just fifteen days. Considering her usual health, it was quite a remarkable feat.

It was a huge relief for Dohwi too, as he had been deeply worried that she might die when she had collapsed with the wire around her snout.