How Druids Live with the Beast

‘…Huh?’

Eunho closed his eyes.

‘Am I still dreaming?’

He turned his back.

Wasn’t it called a nightmare when beast managers suddenly showed up at the doorstep?

“Excuse me?”

‘Why is it so cold, if this is a dream?’

Ding dong. Ding dong.

“Excuse me? Is something wrong?”

At the sound of the voice, Eunho quickly pressed his head against the wall and took a deep breath.

“…Wait, could you wait a moment?”

“Understood.”

Eunho heard that response, then tiptoed up and exhaled sharply.

‘Why are they here?’

Eunho had no good memories of the Beast Managers.

From the very beginning, they hadn’t given any reason for their actions and instead tried to kill the black dog without any explanation.

Was that all?

The Poiki incident had also overlapped.

No matter how objectively he tried to look at the Beast Managers, they just didn’t seem like they were there to manage beasts.

Even though they were created to manage beasts, Eunho couldn’t shake the feeling that they were a group that hated beasts.

Eunho grabbed his phone and immediately made a call.

The name “Seol Taeho” appeared on the screen.

“Hyung, the Beast Managers are at my house.”

Eunho lowered his voice. The other party was a psychic.

He looked around and spotted Leviyatam, but couldn’t find the black dog.

<…What?>

He heard the sound of a chair being pulled.

“I don’t know why they’re here. Maybe they smelled something. How should I respond?”

Eunho felt relieved at those words and went back down the stairs.

“How can we avoid getting caught?”

Eunho recalled yesterday’s events as he thought about the fact that the beasts had used their powers simultaneously, and he ran his hand through his hair.

“…Yesterday, things did get a bit chaotic. But hyung—”

“Did you make that thing?”

“Got it. I’ll handle it.”

Eunho took a deep breath and pressed the intercom button.

“Thank you for waiting. How can I help you?”

“Excuse me, could you open the door for a moment?”

“I would rather talk about it right here if it’s something simple. The world’s been dangerous lately.”

“Sir, we apologize, but since a beast has appeared, we must confirm your safety and identity. You can use the safety lock, but please just show your face for a moment.”

“Why are the Beast Management Bureau even here?”

Eunho was uncomfortable with the situation itself.

He wondered if they really had to go this far.

“Yesterday, a beast appeared near your house.”

Eunho hesitated at that statement.

How would most people react when they heard a beast had appeared?

If it were him, he’d probably laugh and run toward it, but most people wouldn’t do that.

“…Really? A beast? Are you sure?”

He tried to act as shocked as possible. After all, they couldn’t see his face right now.

“Have you seen any beasts near your house recently?”

“I actually just moved here.”

“Oh, you just moved in.”

“I…”

“Seo Eunho?”

Eunho turned his head at the voice from behind and was surprised.

Leviyatam, with its antennae raised, blinked its large, squirrel-like eyes.

Sniff, sniff.

Leviyatam approached Eunho and began sniffing him.

“Sir?”

“…Wait a second. A bug just came out.”

Eunho quickly hugged Leviyatam and moved to the corner, placing his finger on his lips.

When Leviyatam’s eyes sharpened and its teeth bared, Eunho gently set it down on the ground.

Leviyatam quickly calmed down and pointed at the door with its front paw.

“Seo Eunho. The humans outside smell like them. It’s them.”

“Shh, shh.”

Eunho immediately silenced Leviyatam.

Knock, knock.

The sound of knocking startled Eunho.

“Sir? Was that a bug? A beast didn’t come inside, did it? I hear animal noises.”

The sounds from outside made Eunho feel uneasy.

He wasn’t sure what would happen if they found out there was a beast, and that uncertainty made him even more anxious.

“Leviyatam, can you go upstairs and wait for a bit? If you see the dog-man, just tell him to stay in the shadows.”

“But those humans? They’re the bad humans who might take us away!”

Leviyatam grabbed the hem of Eunho’s clothes.

“I can handle it, don’t worry.”

Eunho smiled brightly and patted Leviyatam, and Leviyatam nodded with its paw on its mouth.

“If it’s dangerous, I’ll go. I’ll scold them!”

Leviyatam raised its tail high.

With that, it quickly climbed up the stairs.

It was quite serious, but Eunho couldn’t help but smile at its chubby backside and tail.

After standing up, Eunho walked toward the door, gradually wiping the smile from his face.

The noise from these people this early in the morning had completely woken him up.

‘…What a hassle, seriously.’

After securing the safety lock on the front door, Eunho opened it.

“It’s okay now, so let’s confirm your identity.”

Eunho smiled. Although there was a hint of annoyance in his smile, the people were more focused on what was behind him.

“…Sir? We heard strange noises inside. Are you okay?”

Since they could even hear the laughter, the man subtly asked.

“It was probably nothing. What would I be laughing about by myself?”

“Sir, we’re from the Beast Management Bureau.”

The woman showed the proof that they were Beast Managers, and the man next to her also displayed his.

Eunho glanced briefly at the proof.

“Please place your finger here.”

The woman pulled out a work tablet and handed it to him.

She kept her gaze on the house owner’s face for a moment, which seemed somewhat familiar to her.

“Is there something on my face?”

“No, I apologize for the intrusion.”

At her apology, Eunho placed his finger on the screen and asked,

“Shouldn’t you have made an appointment first? You’re not the police, are you?”

“I apologize. It’s quite an urgent matter, so we came without notice.”

Beep.

The sound from the tablet made Eunho remove his finger.

“Is it done now?”

“Thank you for your cooperation. If you happen to see a beast near your home, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Normally, we’d use a public number, but it’s too risky.”

The man handed him a business card.

Looking at the card, Eunho, still thinking about Leviyatam’s comment about kidnapping, subtly asked,

“If I contact you, what will you do with the beast? Will you capture it and kill it?”

“Not necessarily, but if necessary, we will euthanize it.”

“Kill it?”

“If it threatens humans, it’s only natural.”

The man smiled.

Eunho also smiled in return.

“It’s strange meeting you like this, but can I ask one more thing?”

“Of course.”

The man felt a bit uneasy at Eunho’s somewhat sharp reaction but smiled nonetheless.

“What happens to a person who threatens a beast?”

“…What?”

The man was greatly surprised by this question, one he had rarely heard.

“Sir, I’m not sure what you’re asking.”

She smiled, covering for her colleague.

It seemed this issue was quite sensitive, as the discomfort was clearly visible on both of their faces.

Eunho, feeling a bit like the odd one out, couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.

“You’re really pushing it, aren’t you? You’re saying a beast that threatens a person gets killed, but is it wrong for me to wonder what happens if the opposite occurs? It’s kind of weird that you’re shaking over just one question, don’t you think?”

“I apologize. Recently, there’s been a lot of sharp issues regarding beasts, so that’s why I reacted like that.”

She quickly apologized when she saw the business card in Eunho’s hand.

“I’m also quite interested in beasts. I wanted to hear your answer, so could you explain? If we happen to meet again, I’d be able to report or take action, wouldn’t I?”

“…Well. Beasts are protected species, so you can’t restrain them, use violence, or kill them without reason. Therefore, it can lead to imprisonment.”

“So beasts are protected species, huh? Thank you for clarifying.”

It was unclear whether she was being sarcastic or not, but she looked at Eunho.

It was a face that would be hard to forget.

“Do you live alone?”

“Did you hear something outside?”

Eunho narrowed his eyes, and she raised an eyebrow slightly.

Though she faintly heard a sound like crying, she didn’t feel the need to mention it to the man. It felt like she was being interrogated.

Eunho turned his head and looked at the house.

“I have a family-like companion living with me. Not a person, but a very cute presence.”

“…I understand.”

She didn’t want to ask further. She had already begun to feel like she was being drawn into something with the landlord.

“Thank you for your cooperation.”

The man and woman both bowed their heads to Eunho.

They turned to leave, but both of them made faces of discomfort.

Something felt off.

“Anyway, we confirmed it’s safe, right? I think it’s best to just consider it all good.”

The man spoke in a low voice.

“That landlord seems a bit strange. It looked like he was talking to someone upstairs, and his gaze was kind of menacing.”

She held out her tablet.

“What am I supposed to see?”

“He really lives alone? No one’s inside, but there was a noise, right? You heard it too, didn’t you?”

“Maybe he had someone over yesterday. Look at the house—it’s huge, right? It could have been the TV.”

“…Ha. Must be nice to be so comfortable, huh? We still haven’t found the beast.”

“I think I smelled the beast from inside earlier…”

“What?”

She shouted, and the man stepped back.

“No, it’s the sound…”

“Why are you saying that now?”

“Come on. Think about it logically. Where do people live with beasts?”

“That could happen.”

“And well… as long as they don’t restrain it, there’s nothing illegal about having it nearby.”

“Is that the same thing? What if a beast snuck into the house?”

Before she could finish her sentence, a sudden gust of wind blew.

The man opened his eyes in surprise.

It was the smell of a beast.

“…A beast?”

Before he could turn his head, there was a sudden, urgent sound from behind.

“Hey, hey!”

They rushed toward Eunho, who had come outside the house.

Had the beast appeared?

“What’s going on?”

Eunho couldn’t hear their questions at all.

‘…Mongmong! What are you doing right now?’

Suddenly worried, he opened the door, and behind the beast controllers, Heukgyeon appeared out of nowhere.

In that moment, Eunho felt like his heart stopped.

‘Mongmong, back off. Go away quickly!’

Eunho frantically shook his head.

Heukgyeon, receiving the signal, snorted and melted into the shadows.

“Yes…?”

They glanced back.

There was nothing there.

“Would you like some snacks…?”

“…Pardon?”

“I bought a lot yesterday.”

“…Okay.”

“…Just a moment.”

Eunho hurried into the house, his face burning with embarrassment. The controllers exchanged looks.

“…This is weird, right?”

She whispered, asking.

“Yeah, something… seems off.”

Finally feeling relieved after the tension, he exhaled.

The landlord really was strange from the beginning.

“More importantly, where is the beast? You know we need to keep checking around here until a beast is confirmed, right?”

“Well, I did smell something, but maybe I was mistaken. I heard beasts have been spotted a lot in the mountains, right?”

The man pointed toward the mountains.

It’s not a good idea to stir up a hornet’s nest, so there was no reason to go into the mountains.

Where would the beast in the mountains go? It was obvious it would come down to the city.

Not knowing what to do, the man shook his head.

‘Please, I hope nothing happened.’

Just doing the work and getting paid was the best scenario.

“Here!”

Eunho, still out of breath, handed them a bag of snacks.

“Th-thank you for your hard work!”

“…Thank you.”

Thud.

The door slammed shut quickly.

They exchanged a glance once more before hurrying forward.

Beep. Beep.

Just then, an alarm sounded on the man’s smartwatch, and he let out a deep sigh.

“…Let’s go.”

“Over there…?”

She pointed toward the back, and suddenly, they heard something rushing toward them from behind.

Bang.

The sound of a car screeching to a halt rang out.

Before they could ask what was going on, the window rolled down.

“How’s it going?”

Taeho smiled, removing his sunglasses.

‘What kind of day is this…?’

They abandoned their thoughts as the situation rushed over them.

***

“…We weren’t spotted, right?”

Eunho lay back and stared at the door.

Leviathan had come down after hearing about Heukgyeon’s appearance and had gotten so agitated that it made a mess.

Eunho wiped his nose with the back of his hand.

“More humans are here.”

Heukgyeon perked up his ears.

“Who? Hyung?”

“Humans are here.”

Heukgyeon didn’t like being referred to as ‘Hyung.’

Eunho immediately leaned out the window to peek.

It was Taeho.

After a brief moment of relief, Eunho looked at Heukgyeon.

“Mongmong, what were you doing standing behind those people? I nearly had a heart attack.”

“Those humans are powerful. I saw them yesterday, so I wondered what they were up to.”

“Yesterday…? They came yesterday?”

“They did. I thought about it for a while, but they were nothing special.”

Heukgyeon walked forward and crouched in the living room.

That vast space was now filled with Heukgyeon.

“Well, I guess that’s how it is.”

Eunho stared blankly at the ceiling.

Grumble.

He was hungry.

“But Mongmong.”

“Speak.”

“What do you usually eat?”

“I eat chestnuts.”

“…Huh?”

“I eat tree bark.”

Leviathan smiled widely, and Eunho couldn’t help but smile too.

“Mongmong, are you talking about chestnuts? Not the day ones, but the night ones?”

“I meant the ones behind me. Of course, I also eat meat. I like meat too.”

Eunho grinned broadly at those words.

It was the first time he’d heard Heukgyeon talk about what he liked.

Ding-dong.

At the sound, Eunho patted Heukgyeon with both hands before opening the door.

“Welcome, Hyung.”

Taeho waved at Eunho but immediately rushed to close the door when he saw Heukgyeon.

“Seriously, that dark fur is so attractive, no matter when I see it.”

Taeho froze as he held up his phone.

Leviathan raised its antennae and stared at Taeho.

Taeho’s eyes grew wider.

“I-it’s… Doroong!”

“Beep-beep!”

Leviathan cried out in response.

“That sound… It’s fantastic.”

It sounded like something bouncing, a unique sound that immediately caught the ear, truly a symbol of Doroong.

Taeho shakily took out his phone with trembling hands.

Click.