Chapter 164: The One Who Shouldn’t Have Been Taken

But even if Seon Jaeyul was that ruler, I wasn’t particularly worried.

After all, the Seon Jaeyul of this world would eventually cross over to another world and smash that Earth to pieces, so no matter how violent his personality was right now, it had nothing to do with me.

That’s what I thought—

Until I heard that a Seon Jaeyul from another world had kidnapped Sehyun…?

Why?

Out of hundreds of millions, tens of billions of humans, why Sehyun of all people?

I searched for Sehyun alongside a half-crazed Seon Jaeyul, but we couldn’t find a single trace.

Did he hide inside a gate?

If he took him to another dimension…

The reason I’d stayed in a human world already destined for destruction was entirely because of Sehyun.

The one who saved me and took care of me… family.

I couldn’t leave Sehyun, who embraced me beyond the boundary between human and monster.

The care I’d received—care I’d never even gotten from my biological parents—would stay with me for the rest of my life.

Memories we shared kept tugging at my ankles, making me say “later,” “next time,” again and again, until the end was right in front of us.

What if I’d told him to escape into a gate earlier?

What if I’d told him the world would eventually be destroyed?

Would this never have happened to Sehyun…?

Driven by anxiety, I ran at my fastest speed.

Just when I felt like I might lose my mind completely, I finally found Sehyun.

And he really was with another Seon Jaeyul.

This time, my heart and that of “Idiot Seon Jaeyul” were in sync.

There was no chance we could defeat the “Bad Seon Jaeyul” in front of us, but we still had to try to save Sehyun.

While he stalled for time, I quietly moved toward Sehyun from behind.

“GRAAAH!”

I lunged and pounced on the back of the “Bad Seon Jaeyul,” deliberately letting out a loud roar.

Thankfully, he was momentarily distracted by my attack, and Sehyun broke free and ran toward “Idiot Seon Jaeyul.”

“…Damn.”

I didn’t bother continuing a pointless fight and chose to flee instead.

There was no way I could defeat this vicious human when I couldn’t even beat Idiot Seon Jaeyul.

I kicked off the ground to run—but my body stuck fast, as if it had turned into solid rock.

I couldn’t move even one paw the way I wanted.

“Didn’t I tell you?

I can control monsters.

I knew you were sneaking up on me long ago.”

When Sehyun realized I’d been caught by the Bad Seon Jaeyul, he screamed and tried desperately to get me back.

But against my will, I was forced to carry the Bad Seon Jaeyul and leave Sehyun behind.

…This is scary.

Should I tell him to take Idiot Seon Jaeyul instead of me?

“What’s your name?”

The Bad Seon Jaeyul who kidnapped me came through a gate to a ruined village.

After lounging around inside an empty house, he finally asked his first question.

“…Poppy….”

“Poppy?

No way.

Who names something like that these days?”

“Uh, it’s super unique and cool… kind of a name….”

How dare he mock my name!

It’s way better than that bizarre name “Seon Jaeyul,” okay?!

“Well, if you like it, then I guess it doesn’t matter.

Poppy.”

“H-huh…?”

“You’re an interesting one.

You seem intelligent enough to hold a proper conversation, and even I’ve never met a monster like you.

What exactly are you?”

“It’s not just ‘some’ intelligence—I’m incredibly smart….

I’m the last silver-furred wolf left, so I’m very special.”

Saying it myself was a little embarrassing.

I really was a walking ultra-rare monster.

Elegant, beautiful silver fur, powerful strength, and intelligence superior to humans—what more is there to say?

If I really wanted to, conquering the human world wouldn’t even be hard.

I just don’t do it because it’s annoying.

“I see.

Your fur looks quite warm.”

“H-huh?

What?!”

Greed flared in the Bad Seon Jaeyul’s eyes.

It felt like he was coveting my fur.

Don’t tell me… he kidnapped me to skin me?!

I recoiled, backing into the wall until my butt pressed flat against it.

Suddenly, I missed Idiot Seon Jaeyul.

Even though he tries to kill me whenever he gets the chance, he’s still less scary than this one.

“I’m joking.”

Holy shit.

How does this crazy bastard make a joke sound so real?

“But when you die, I’ll take the pelt.”

That… that means he plans to kill me, right?

A death notice—

All Seon Jaeyuls really do have something wrong with their personalities.

“B-but… why did you bring me here…?”

I mustered my courage and changed the subject.

If we kept talking about fur, I felt like my skin would suddenly start peeling off my body.

“You’re a monster.”

“…Huh?”

“Don’t tell me you don’t know the human world is going to be destroyed.”

“No!

Of course I know!”

What does that have to do with bringing me here…?

The Bad Seon Jaeyul sighed and muttered something about me not being very bright.

Who’s he calling stupid?!

“That’s exactly why I need to save you.

An innocent monster like you shouldn’t die alongside humans.”

So… what he’s saying is…

That he wants to protect precious little me…?

We haven’t even known each other that long—how did we already get to this stage?!

Is my charm just that deadly?

“Ahem.

I-is that so?

You’re… better than I expected.”

“Better?”

In an instant, the Bad Seon Jaeyul’s eyes snapped sharply.

Like he was about to skin me alive.

“And why do you keep speaking casually to me?

We’re not friends.

Your manners are lacking.”

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

Every word that came out of his mouth felt like my heart dropping to the floor.

The chilling look that snapped me fully awake was a bonus.

“W-when did I ever…?

Hehe, I’m just a loyal puppy!”

I quickly transformed into a puppy and climbed onto the Bad Seon Jaeyul’s thigh, rubbing my head against him.

Tears threatened to fall.

Why is life so hard just to survive…?

A mighty being like me reduced to playing pet dog!

“Good.

Now I feel like sparing you.

Let’s practice some tricks.

We’ll start simple—how about a handstand while fetching a ball?”

Is that even physically possible?

“Wow!

That sounds so fun!

How do you come up with ideas like that?!”

I really wish all Seon Jaeyuls would just die.

“Ah.”

“Ahh.”

A piece of beef jerky slid neatly into my mouth.

“You eat well.

Here’s another.”

The Bad Seon Jaeyul—

No, I should correct that.

The Seon Jaeyul who’s protecting me—this is absolutely not kidnapping—was actually a good human.

He didn’t make me do chores or scold me.

Not only that, he let me sit on his lap and fed me snacks until my belly was about to burst.

If it were Sehyun, he’d probably say—

‘It’s for your health!’

‘That’s enough snacks for today.

What if you get diabetes, Poppy?’

—and nag endlessly.

Hmm… maybe thinking about Sehyun ruined my appetite.

The jerky didn’t taste good at all anymore.

We haven’t even been apart that long, and I already miss him.

“What, does it not taste good?”

The kind Seon Jaeyul lowered the jerky when I stopped eating.

I nodded once in response instead of speaking.

The bond between Sehyun and me is special….

I wonder if he’s alive and well?

“Then how about this?

It’s yukhoe made from Korean beef I caught today.”

Before I could even ask what yukhoe was, the kind Seon Jaeyul shoved something straight into my mouth.

Hey—seriously!

Why… why…

What is this…?

Nutty, chewy texture.

The deeper I chewed, the richer the flavor became.

There’s food this delicious in the world?!

Why didn’t I know until now?

“More, please!”

I climbed onto the kind Seon Jaeyul’s shoulder, licking his face and rubbing myself against his neck.

Didn’t I just mention Sehyun a moment ago?

The Sehyun I know is a strong kid.

And as long as Idiot Seon Jaeyul is with him, there’s little chance of danger.

“Cute little thing.

Tonight, I’ll even give you a half-body bath with natural ylang-ylang oil.”

Yukhoe is the best!

Kind Seon Jaeyul is the best too!

It’s such a shame these two are enemies.

They’re both good people….

“But Poppy, why did Sehyun raise me?”

By “me,” he must be referring to the idiot.

“As far as I can tell, there wasn’t any special reason.

Sehyun is just a kind human.”

While chewing yukhoe, I talked about the Sehyun I knew.

Since he might be spared when the world is destroyed, I should wrap him in as many good words as possible.

“No reason?”

“He’s too kind.

He can’t ignore things that are pitiful or weak.

He hisses like a cat baring its teeth, but still takes care of everything.

I’m a monster, and yet he’s lived with me all this time.”

That was the truth.

Sehyun always says humans are disgusting and the world deserves to end, but he’s soft-hearted and kind, always giving in to me and Seon Jaeyul.

For no reason at all.

“Hm.

No reason, huh….

Well, Jin Sehyun was always like that.”

The kind Seon Jaeyul smiled faintly, as if recalling some memory.

“Back then too, he foolishly tried to protect the world alone and challenged me every time.”

“Was that even possible…?”

Was Sehyun really that strong?

“Of course not.

I always went easy on him.

Watching someone struggle so desperately to survive was amusing.

Since the world was going to disappear anyway, I figured playing around for a bit wouldn’t be so bad.”

The kind Seon Jaeyul’s face still held a smile as he gazed into the distant past.

As if he were remembering days that weren’t so bad after all.

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