Living with the Dangerous Beast-Chapter 58: The Cowardly Tiger

Dohwi’s transparent brown eyes somehow reminded Sohwa of his younger self.

Eyes that were filled with fear, the anxious gaze of a young, lost creature with nowhere to go, following her around obsessively, terrified of being deserted....

‘The eyes of my precious little tiger.’

“Come, let me see your true form.”

Sohwa blinked and smiled brightly.

They stood facing each other, staring into each other’s eyes.

Eager to see and be seen, yet afraid of being abandoned....

The tension between them was palpable.

“How much longer will you keep me waiting out here in the cold?”

He couldn’t leave Sohwa shivering in the cold any longer.

Dohwi’s brown eyes, which had been locked on hers, gradually turned golden.

His smooth human hand became a large paw, and his handsome face transformed into the fierce visage of a tiger.

Fully transformed into a tiger, Dohwi kept his gaze fixed on the mesmerized Sohwa as he slowly pushed the gate open and stepped inside.

The young tiger with its striking black stripes had grown into a magnificent creature.

Sohwa gazed at him in awe, taking in every detail from his head to his tail.

And maybe because he was standing still, not moving a muscle?

‘He’s not as scary as I thought! Not scary at all!’

Dohwi stopped three paces away from her without coming any closer.

His golden eyes silently watched her, making her knees tremble slightly, but Sohwa decided to be braver.

One step closer, another step, then another one.

Finally, she was close enough to touch the full-grown tiger’s face.

Sohwa carefully reached out to the black stripes on his face.

He was indeed the king of the mountain.

The black stripes on his forehead formed the character for ‘king’ (王), as if ordained by the gods.

Caressing the distinctively different beast, Sohwa looked up at him with a dazed, enchanted expression.

“Dohwi, you are truly a magnificent tiger.”

If only she had known how beautiful her tiger was sooner.

“I should have been braver. I was just a cowardly fox, too afraid of you.”

“You are the bravest fox I know, Sohwa.”

Dohwi nudged her face with his nose.

It reminded her of the way he usually kissed her forehead.

The tiger’s rumbling purr no longer scared her.

“I was the bigger coward.”

“No, it was me.”

“No, it was me, Sohwa.”

“Fine, let’s say you were the bigger coward. You little, cowardly cub.”

Sohwa, having gotten the response she wanted, pouted slightly.

“How could you hide your true form from me for twenty years? You really are a coward, Dohwi.”

Her words were so endearing that Dohwi couldn’t stay in his tiger form any longer.

* * *

Spring had finally arrived at Mount Yeewhang.

Fresh sprouts were pushing through the thawing ground.

“Monk! Monk!”

A familiar, cheerful voice was heard after a long time.

The monk, who had been sweeping the yard, turned to look.

A white and black furry bundle came bounding towards him like a bolt of lightning.

Fortunately, the fierce tiger that he despised was not next to her this time.

Only the silver fox was there. freёweɓnovel.com

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“It’s been so long, Monk!”

Sohwa’s voice was incredibly bright.

Her grape-black eyes sparkled even more today, possibly because it had been a while since they last met.

“How long has it been? How long has it been!”

She fluttered around the monk in excitement, her cute demeanor bringing a faint smile to his face.

“Stay still for a moment. You’re making me dizzy!”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Monk!”

Sohwa jumped back, extending her front paws and lowering her body.

But her fluffy tail wagged back and forth, catching the monk’s attention.

“...Ahem, I heard you’ve been coming here every day lately.”

“Yes, Monk! But how did you know?”

Thanks to Daebum, the monk knew.

Throughout the winter, he had been guarding the hermitage alone, and Sohwa was still unaware of it.

“Were you waiting for me?”

“Yes, Monk!”

“Is there something urgent?”

“Yes, it’s... Well....”

Sohwa spat out a small bead she had been holding in her mouth like a piece of candy.

It was a small, bright red bead with a brilliant shine.

About half a month ago, she almost choked on this small bead while eating a bowl of delicious rabbit stew.

“This belongs to you, right?”

Thud.

The monk dropped the broom he was holding.

His eyes widened as he hurried over to pick up his precious orb.

It was the treasured orb he hadn’t seen since it was snatched by a bandit-like tiger last fall.

“Yes! Yes, it is!”

The monk, who had cherished the orb for 300 years, was filled with deep resentment when it was taken from him out of nowhere.

That winter, he hibernated for the first time in his life, due to his life energy rapidly depleting because of the absence of the orb.

“I came to return this to its rightful owner!”