Living with the Dangerous Beast-Chapter 84: Tiger or Not

How had she survived this long, being so frail?

Maybe it was because there wasn’t much meat on her bones; no one thought she was worth eating.

All the beasts probably pitied her and shared their food with her rather than viewing her as prey.

“Why don’t you like the deer?”

“How many times do I have to tell you? We’re different species.”

Sohwa huffed in annoyance at Dohwi’s question while trying to catch her breath.

Knowing him as a small wildcat, she probably felt the need to show off, despite already being exhausted.

It was ridiculous.

“Then do you have feelings for Hoyoung?”

“Hoyoung’s a raccoon. I’m a fox.”

‘A fox? More like a white weasel. Then again, even weasels aren’t usually this terrible at climbing mountains.’

Dohwi grumbled to himself and walked a few steps ahead before turning back to watch Sohwa.

Despite the hot weather, she was sweating profusely but still determined to catch her first sweetfish.

It was rather amusing.

This fox was born with dull teeth and no hunting instincts, a complete fool when it came to catching prey.

When she did manage to grab something by the neck, she couldn’t bring herself to bite down until she drew blood, so all her catches ended up escaping.

At first, Dohwi thought it was absurd, but this was just who Sohwa was and how she lived.

“What if he was also a fox like you?”

“Hm?”

“If that deer were the same species as you, would you have accepted him?”

“You’ve been asking the strangest questions today.”

Sohwa frowned but answered sincerely with a shake of her head.

“When I was young, I was hit by a huge antler. I’ve hated deer ever since. Their antlers scare me.”

Of course.

She gave the textbook answer about being from a different species, but the truth was that she just couldn’t stand those big, imposing antlers.

If that buck didn’t have antlers and was a more gentle fellow, she might have accepted him.

An uneasy feeling rose in Dohwi.

“What about Hoyoung, then?”

He was about to ask her about the raccoon, but then....

“Hey, stupid fox!”

As expected, Hoyoung was already at the river, laughing loudly as he splashed water at them.

“Ah! That’s cold!”

“Then get back at me! Haha!”

Sohwa’s eyes sparkled as she dashed into the river, and the two of them started playfully splashing each other.

Dohwi’s eyes narrowed, sharpening as they locked onto the pair.

‘That filthy raccoon.’

From head to toe, everything about Hoyoung annoyed Dohwi.

From the way he acted like a good-natured woodsman to the way he clung to Sohwa, pretending to be her harmless friend.

Everything about him was repulsive.

“Where did you leave the net, you idiot?”

“What? Idiot? Me?!”

“....”

‘Have all the creatures of Mount Yeewhang gone blind? Why couldn’t they recognize species anymore? Why are they all flocking to that silver fox?’

Even with his hands and feet in the cold water, the heat inside Dohwi didn’t cool down.

He had no intention of catching sweetfish; the sight of that raccoon and the silly fox playing around was making him so furious he could barely stand it.

The worst part was how well they seemed to get along.

Dohwi couldn’t help but imagine himself by Sohwa’s side instead.

He envisioned himself grown-up, standing tall and strong as the ruler of Mount Taeryong, with Sohwa beside him.

He was taller than that raccoon, with bigger hands and... well, other things too.

There was no comparison.

As an adult, standing next to Sohwa, they’d look perfect together.

Anyone who saw them would call them a beautiful couple.

‘But if she knew I was a tiger, she’d run away, wouldn’t she?’

She had been terrified of the deer.

So how would she react to a tiger?

Suddenly, Dohwi felt depressed.

His current body was that of a boy, and it only made him feel worse.

He missed his old, large, powerful hands, but for now, they were still small.

“Dohwi! Dohwi! You’re going to catch a cold! Go sit on that rock over there!”

Sohwa’s worried voice called to him as she clutched her soaked skirts, wading toward him through the water.

With a forced smile, Dohwi pushed away his thoughts.

Tiger or not, he just wanted to grow up as fast as possible so he could stand by her side without anything lacking.

He wanted to grow up so he can protect this foolish, delicate, and beautiful fox from the dangers of the world.

* * *

It was summer, and the bushes were bursting with wild strawberries and mulberries, Sohwa’s favorite fruits.

While Sohwa was out in the back garden picking cherries, Myojin and Hoyoung surrounded Dohwi, narrowing their eyes. freeweɓnovel.cѳm

“You’re a tiger, aren’t you?”

Myojin, with her chin resting on her hand, stared straight at Dohwi.