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Chapter: 8
For the students, the Sangmae Building was more familiar than their own homes. It was harder not to know where the shops were or what kinds existed.
Whenever a new store was about to open, rumors spread everywhere the moment interior construction began.
Hadam immediately pointed to the spot next to the stationery store.
“I saw kids coming out of there holding photos.”
“Then let’s go.”
“Now?”
Igyeol tilted his head slightly and started walking without hesitation.
Hadam had no choice but to follow, though he was curious himself.
“Welcome!”
A middle-aged man greeted them warmly.
Hadam had heard that shops out in society were usually unmanned, but since the Sangmae Building was technically a school facility, it seemed the owner stayed on-site.
“Hello,” Hadam said, bowing his head slightly as he looked around.
There was a counter near the entrance, and the central pillar was covered in animal hats and cute headbands.
“You’re in luck—the students just left. You can take any empty booth,” the owner said kindly.
Hadam hesitated and asked Igyeol, “Are you taking pictures?”
“Of course. That’s why we came.”
Igyeol looked genuinely excited.
It felt strange to think of taking photos alone, but it didn’t seem like something worth stopping.
“Okay. I’ll wait here, then.”
Igyeol tilted his head.
“What are you talking about? Hurry up.”
Hadam froze in shock.
They’d just met today, and he wanted to take pictures together?
With a boy?
Just the two of them?
The words rose to his throat, but he swallowed them back. Instead, he tried a gentle refusal.
“I was going to take pictures with Yuna…”
“Then take them. Today, you’re taking them with me.”
He spoke as if there were no issue at all.
While Hadam stood there flustered and speechless, Igyeol picked up an animal hat—a cute white baby tiger.
“Wear this.”
Without hesitation, Igyeol placed it on Hadam’s head.
Strictly speaking, he just plopped it on, but his manner was completely casual.
Hadam’s watch vibrated.
“I’ll wear this. How about it?”
Igyeol was holding a pink bunny-ear headband.
Hadam pressed his constantly vibrating left wrist down with his right hand.
It didn’t slow his heartbeat, but he had no other way to hide how flustered he was.
“Wow, it really suits you. Cute.”
“Really? You too.”
Igyeol smiled brightly, his eyes crinkling.
That was when Hadam realized.
The real problem was that innocent-looking face.
He already had trouble refusing people, and Igyeol’s behavior was the worst possible match for him.
He was practically begging to be taken advantage of.
“Wait. I’ll just check the mirror once. Go in first.”
Hadam hurried toward the back of the shop where a wall mirror was.
He had to deal with his heart rate, which had already shot up to 130.
If he turned into a rabbit here, it would be a nightmare.
I saw a rabbit in the Sangmae Building.
That was Seon Hadam, right?
No way! I thought rabbits weren’t allowed these days.
I took a video! Look—he ran all the way to the school gate.
Giggles echoed in his head like hallucinations.
Just imagining it made him want to throw up.
Hadam adjusted the hat and deliberately thought of sad things.
His parents, who had passed away too early.
[126♡ Danger! Please take deep breaths.]
Classmates who whispered about him whenever they got the chance.
[118♡ Please lower your heart rate.]
Teachers who scolded him for being troublesome every time he transformed.
[104♡ Stable condition.]
Parents from the PTA who talked about isolating “oddities” right in front of him, as if he were a virus.
[98♡ Stable condition.]
Phew.
This method usually didn’t work, but desperation made it effective.
After one last deep breath, Hadam headed toward the photo booth where Igyeol was waiting.
Igyeol, staring intently at the screen, asked seriously, “It says to choose a frame first. Which one do you want?”
Trying hard not to be conscious of him, Hadam replied, “Pick whatever you want.”
“Hmm… How about this? It says March special frame. Cherry blossoms.”
“Sounds good.”
“We can choose how many shots.”
“Just two.”
Hadam quickly tapped the screen.
More than that would be too awkward, but it’d be a shame to take only one after coming all this way.
After all, it was his first-ever Life Four-Cut photo.
Once the selections were done, the camera screen appeared.
Igyeol casually tilted his head toward Hadam.
Hadam timidly raised his right hand in a V sign.
A tiger beastman wearing bunny ears, and a rabbit beastman wearing a tiger hat.
It looked like something straight out of a comic.
The absurdity made Hadam smile faintly.
Click.
The picture was taken.
For the next shot, Igyeol stepped back and rested his chin on top of Hadam’s head.
Hadam completely froze, barely even breathing.
His right arm drooped awkwardly and got cut off by the frame.
Igyeol then placed a hand under Hadam’s elbow and lifted it up.
The stiff V-sign fingers reached all the way to Igyeol’s shoulder.
The countdown numbers began again.
It felt like the longest countdown in the world.
“Oh, these came out really well.”
Igyeol handed one of the photos to Hadam, clearly pleased.
Hadam fanned his flushed cheeks with the back of his hand and forced himself to focus on the photo.
Contrary to how stiff and awkward he’d felt, the two of them looked like close friends in the picture.
He was almost worried Yuna might feel hurt if she saw it.
That was how much he liked it—though he didn’t want to show his satisfaction.
He firmly suppressed the corners of his mouth, took out his wallet, carefully put the photo inside, and handed over three one-thousand-won bills.
“Here. We’ll split it.”
Even if Igyeol had suggested it first, he couldn’t make someone he’d just met pay everything.
Igyeol stared at the bills in Hadam’s hand while removing his headband.
Then he smiled smoothly, eyes narrowing.
“Let’s come take pictures again next time. You can pay then.”
Next time?
When?
Why would I come again—with you?
Just take it now.
But none of those words made it out.
Seeing Igyeol grin as he picked up the tiger hat left Hadam completely speechless.
In the end, Hadam put the money back into his wallet.
“Did the photos turn out nicely?” the shop owner asked, having approached them at some point.
“Yes. I’m really happy to finally have a Life Four-Cut,” Hadam replied in a cheerful voice.
The owner smiled along with him.
“That’s great. You know, I graduated from here too. It’s nice seeing students again. But you—our student here—you really resemble someone I know. Are you by any chance a Seon?”
Caught off guard, Hadam looked more closely at the owner.
He seemed to be in his late thirties or early forties. His drooping eyes and light brown curly hair gave him an exotic look.
Overall, he had a gentle impression, but he was taller than average with a solid build—definitely not someone who looked easy to deal with.
On top of that, he was quite handsome, the kind of face you’d remember after seeing once.
Yet no one with a similar appearance came to mind.
Which meant he was a complete stranger.
“Yes… that’s right,” Hadam answered, his voice smaller with caution.
Igyeol immediately cut in.
“And what if he is?”
His tone sounded oddly confrontational, but the owner didn’t seem bothered.
“My closest friend’s last name was Seon. You look a bit like him.”
The unexpected answer sparked Hadam’s curiosity.
“Really? What was his name?”
“I’ll tell you once we get closer. Come take pictures again sometime.”
Hadam couldn’t tell if it was just sales talk or sincerity.
He wanted to ask more, but at that moment a group of students entered all at once.
Naturally, Hadam and Igyeol stepped outside.
“Are all the shop owners here beastmen?” Igyeol asked as soon as they exited.
He must have remembered what the owner had mentioned earlier.
“As far as I know, yeah. Since all the students are beastmen. But regular people—non-beast humans—can come in too. For interior work or deliveries. That’s why the Sangmae Building is outside the school. Only beastmen are allowed on campus.”
“So there are beastmen living pretty ordinary lives too.”
Igyeol nodded, as if he’d learned something new.
The reaction felt a little strange to Hadam.
Wasn’t that the case for more than half of all beastmen?
Sure, ambitious beastmen chose careers that made the most of their animal instincts, but many just wanted quiet lives.
Some became office workers, some ran small shops, some farmed, and some even operated fish farms out at sea.
But Igyeol’s response made it sound like Taebaek Hall beastmen didn’t live “ordinary” lives.
What do they all do after graduating…?
While Hadam was quietly puzzled, Igyeol spoke again.
“Isn’t that the class president?”
“The class president? Byeol Yunseong?”
Hadam looked ahead as he answered.
Sure enough, Yunseong was coming down from the upper floor holding a cup of coffee.
Hadam wanted to avoid him, but there was only one entrance.
Worse still, Igyeol was walking straight toward Yunseong for some reason.
“Hey, class president.”
“……”
Yunseong stopped with two steps left.
He looked down at Igyeol expressionlessly, no different from how he looked at Hadam.
That in itself was unusual.
Yunseong usually cared a lot about his reputation and was friendly unless there was a reason not to be.
“Do you know what Life Four-Cut is?”
A crease formed between Yunseong’s brows.
Ignoring it, Igyeol held his hand out toward him.
A small piece of paper fluttered between his index finger and thumb.
“Well? What do you think?”
Hadam’s eyes nearly popped out of his head.
Why was he showing their photo off to someone else?
And why did it have to be Byeol Yunseong of all people…?!
