Living with the Dangerous Beast-Chapter 7: The Scent of a Lustful Male Tiger

“Could there really be a tiger living in this mountain?”

Sohwa turned her head quickly to look into Dohwi’s deep brown eyes.

After a moment, he smirked as if mocking her.

“In THIS mountain?”

As he implied, Mount Yeehwang was close to a small hill rather than a legit ‘mountain.’

Simply put, there weren’t many animals that could serve as a tiger’s prey.

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‘Me? No, it couldn’t be.’

Sohwa shook her head vigorously.

Seeing her shiver in fear, Dohwi picked her up like a baby and comforted her by nuzzling her cheek.

“Don’t be worried, there are no tigers in this mountain, Sohwa.”

His calm voice helped Sohwa regain her composure as she tried to reassure herself.

“You’re right. Tigers are built to roam across deep mountains. There’s no way a tiger can be living in such a small mountain like this!”

“Exactly.”

“But... I’ve heard a villager saying that he saw a tiger.”

Sohwa’s face quickly darkened again after briefly feeling reassured.

“A-And it wasn’t only one of them who said such things about a tiger living in this mountain....”

Dohwi, who had been gently nibbling on Sohwa’s soft nails, slowly took his face close to Sohwa’s ears and whispered.

“Humans tend to exaggerate.”

“That’s true.”

‘But what if they were telling the truth?’

Hoyoung had left, and Myojin had also left. Even the deer that used to roam this mountain had disappeared quite a long ago.

Though it was said to be due to hunters, Sohwa couldn’t help but think that she herself was the only prey left for a tiger on Mount Yeehwang.

“I have to go see the monk.”

“...That phony monk?”

Dohwi’s affectionate demeanor immediately turned sour.

But Sohwa, having made up her mind, stood up abruptly.

Chapter 3. The Scent of a Lustful Male Tiger

Halfway up Mount Yeehwang, near the edge of a steep cliff, there was a temple called Ogyeam.

It wasn’t a temple where humans came to pray, but a small hermitage with just one monk coming and going.

Before Sohwa settled on Mount Yeehwang, the hermitage had been there.

Strangely, every year, a lavish offering was set up at the hermitage. Since the monk didn’t burn incense, it clearly wasn’t a memorial for the dead.

Even in times of famine, cows, pigs, and goats were offered alternately, seemingly as a tribute to the high heavens.

Of course, no one even dared to put their hands or paws on the offerings.... Except for Sohwa.

Although Dohwi’s home-cooked meals were delicious, sometimes Sohwa felt that she wanted to eat something new.

So, whenever Sohwa had a craving for food that was ‘not’ made by Dohwi, she would sneak to the hermitage and help herself to the offerings.

It was through these visits that Sohwa met the monk of Ogyeam.

The monk, who kindly forgave the naughty fox for taking the offerings meant for the heavens, often kept Sohwa company.

Though Dohwi called him a phony monk, the monk never said anything untrue.

“Monk, what should I do? I must be possessed by a ghost or something. I keep having these nightmares where a tiger tries to eat me alive. Even my nose is acting up, making it hard for me to smell.”

Sohwa, sitting in the pavilion, looked miserable as she tapped on her malfunctioning nose.

“Because of that, I’m having trouble hunting for food..., Now I don’t know what I should do when the ‘boy’ I live with eventually leaves my side. The future looks bleak. Please help me!”

The monk, who had been tapping his wooden block, spoke loudly as if for someone outside to hear.

“That’s because your Yang energy is weak.”

“Yang Energy...? What do you mean, Monk?

The monk glanced at Dohwi, who was standing behind Sohwa like a wooden statue.

Sohwa, with her wide eyes slowly blinking in frustration, didn’t know what the monk meant.

But the monk kept on with his mysterious words as he tapped on his wooden block.

”Following the natural order of Yin and Yang, and the harmony of the five elements is the way to go.”

“Please, if you’re going to say something difficult again, just don’t say anything at all.”

The monk, knowing that Sohwa hadn’t received a proper education after being separated from her group at a young age, clicked his tongue.

“Have you ever heard about the term, ‘heat cycle’ and ‘mating?’”

“Heat cycle... Mating... Of course I did!”

“And do you know what to do about it?”

“You have to lock the door tightly and sleep. Hoyoung told me so.”

The monk sighed out the words of Amitabha while turned the prayer beads around his wrist at Sohwa’s innocent response.

Behind her, Dohwi, carrying Sohwa’s cloak, urged her to leave.

“See you next time. Goodbye, Monk.”

As Dohwi crossed the doorsill of the temple, the monk grabbed Sohwa’s arm just as she was about to turn away.

“Your nose is not the problem.”

“Huh?”

“Listen carefully. There is a tiger in this mountain!”

“WHAT??”

“Shh!”

The monk frowned and looked back sternly.

Dohwi was staring intently in their direction.

The monk, as if pursued by someone, whispered urgently.

“That tiger is waiting to devour you without leaving a single bone. You must leave Mount Yeehwang as soon as possible if you want to live your life as a fox.”