Living with the Dangerous Beast-Chapter 86: ‘Baek’ for White and ‘Som’ for Cotton

For now, with his awkward, still-soft paws, he had to be content with just frolicking around the mountain.

He knew this, yet Dohwi couldn’t wait any longer.

He could no longer bear to watch Sohwa trembling day and night, dreading the next time that stag would appear.

But a stag was no easy prey.

With its enormous antlers, that stag was bigger and more seasoned than Dohwi, who hadn’t yet reached full maturity.

So, as expected, Dohwi’s first hunt became a tedious chase, a drawn-out tug of war.

But in the end, he emerged victorious.

Though he was a tiger, the stag let his guard down, dismissing this little predator, barely half his size—a critical mistake that led to his demise.

“Gah!”

It was a relentless hunt.

Dohwi’s still-developing teeth finally pierced through the stag’s artery, silencing his last heaving breaths as he held it by the throat.

“When a female says no, you’re supposed to listen. Why did you have to keep being a pest?”

Dohwi had planned to devour the stag from head to hoof, but he changed his mind and spat out the piece of flesh.

‘It must be because he’s old.’

He thought, wrinkling his nose.

The meat was tough and unappetizing.

He had tried to finish it as a courtesy, but now he couldn’t be bothered.

Leaving the carcass deliberately in plain sight, Dohwi quietly returned to Sohwa’s house, where she slept soundly.

‘Tomorrow, the whole mountain will be in an uproar.’

He could already picture the horrified faces when they discovered a tiger in their midst, but he didn’t mind.

Dohwi, by now thoroughly defiant, cared little for any commotion he caused.

If anything, he hoped the slow-witted fox would grow accustomed to the tiger’s presence, that she would come to realize that a tiger was by her side.

He wanted her to know that this fierce beast, at least with her, was ready to become the most tender and gentle of all men.

Though she’d repeatedly say that they were never meant to be....

‘Who knows. Perhaps, one day, a tiger and a fox actually could become family.’

Perhaps, someday, the world would turn upside down, and the mulberry fields would become a blue sea.

So, Dohwi decided to wait for his chance. freewebnσvel.cøm

Because the world favors those who yearn deeply, and miracles are made by those who believe.

Just as the grumpy tiger fell in love with a certain naive fox.

Bonus Story Chapter 2-1: ‘Baek’ for White and ‘Som’ for Cotton

A belated downpour arrived.

As the first winds of autumn began to blow, the scorching summer heat finally relented.

Around this time of year, Sohwa would often wander outside in her fox form, as was her habit.

‘So lonely, so lonely.’

A few years ago, the Imoogi who once ruled half of Mount Taeryong left, chasing after a bride.

With the godlike Imoogi abandoning the mountain, chaos erupted.

In the north, all manner of specters and wandering apparitions ran wild, killing dozens of humans and beasts alike on a daily basis.

Dohwi was so busy restoring order in the now lawless Mount Taeryong that he barely had time to spend with Sohwa during the day.

In his place, Woongsik took care of the treasured mistress with utmost devotion.

“Ma’am! Ma’am!”

Knowing her every move, he rushed out the main gate.

Sohwa, who had been burrowing near the mulberry tree by the wall, poked her head up.

“What is it, Woongsik?”

She was covered in dirt, her once-white fur looking muddy from her digging.

Woongsik, looking at the disheveled Sohwa, quickly bowed.

“Were you out here again?”

“The cold’s coming soon, and there’s so much to do. But what’s got you in such a hurry?”

“Ah! Ma’am, now’s no time for this!”

“Hmm?”

“I just heard the sage Cheesan talking, and he said—”

“Who?”

Sohwa tilted her head, and Woongsik, growing impatient, raised his voice slightly.

“That smug golden eagle who claims to know all the secrets of the universe!”

“Oh! Yes, I know him. And?”

“Well, he said something appalling... According to him, our master might be getting married again!”

“What?”

Sohwa’s jaw dropped, her large, grape-like eyes trembling with shock.

‘What in the world is he talking about? Dohwi, who already had me as his wife and had even raised two sons with me—getting re-married with another woman? NONSENSE!’

“W-woongsik, are you sure you heard that right? Your ears have misled you before, haven’t they?”

“Mistress, I heard it loud and clear! That white tigress maiden, the great guardian spirit of the west, has her eyes on our master. She’s even asked the Jade Emperor to officiate the wedding!”

“T-The Jade Emperor?!”

Even the name made her heart race.

The terrified Sohwa sank to her knees, her legs going weak.

‘The white tigress maiden.’

A creature so exalted she could appeal directly to the Jade Emperor!