Technically, I Didn't Lie
Ever since Cheongdung-i was first brought to Sekki House, Dojin had always kept the bird's independence in mind.
Since honey buzzards were migratory birds, he figured the bird would leave when the time came.
And after seeing him find a mate, Dojin thought that day had arrived much sooner than expected.
However...
"...What is this?"
"I don't know. A family meeting?"
"If I had to put it in words, it's less of a family meeting and more of introducing the bride to the in-laws."
Dojin nodded at Seung-wan's words and turned his gaze.
Sitting there in all his majestic glory was the protagonist who had joined Sekki House most recently, yet found a mate the fastest.
It was Cheongdung-i.
...And behind him, he had brought the girlfriend they had only seen in videos.
"So, is this like... a final farewell before he goes independent?"
"I don't think that's the vibe."
"Judging by the atmosphere, it looks more like they're planning to live here together."
At their words, Dojin looked at the female honey buzzard.
Perhaps because of what they had just said, she seemed to be inspecting Cheongdung-i's house.
It was as if she was contemplating, Would this place make a good bridal suite?
Kee-yak!
Having finished her assessment, the female honey buzzard took a step closer and leaned her head against Cheongdung-i.
It seemed she approved of his house.
Well, it's not just any ordinary birdhouse.
It was a custom, handmade birdhouse that humans had painstakingly crafted for observation.
Naturally, it couldn't be compared to a primitive nest made by gathering random twigs.
Wait, why am I feeling proud of this?
Dojin chuckled at his own reaction.
He hadn't even decided to accept the female honey buzzard as a new member of Sekki House yet.
Yet, here he was, feeling proud that he had provided Cheongdung-i with a nice home. He looked exactly like a father sending his son off to get married.
And he hadn't even built the house himself.
"Cheongdung-i, are you going to settle down here?"
At Dojin's question, Cheongdung-i, who had been rubbing his head against his girlfriend, stopped and looked at him.
He tilted his head, and then—
Kee-yak?
It was a short but firm cry.
And Dojin could feel Cheongdung-i's resolve in that brief sound.
Where else would I go?
As Dojin let out an involuntary chuckle at the cry that seemed to ask why he was questioning the obvious—
"Kkya-aaak!"
Hwindung-i, who had been watching Dojin and Cheongdung-i from a distance, screeched as if he couldn't stand it anymore.
Sensing danger as Cheongdung-i flinched, Dojin quickly raised his hand.
"Hwindung-i, stop! Hold it!"
The sound of frantic wingbeats filled the air.
Just as he expected, Hwindung-i had been gliding straight toward Cheongdung-i before abruptly braking.
"Kkya-ak!"
Hwindung-i cried out at Dojin, his tone different from usual.
Rather than carrying a precise meaning, it was a cry filled with raw emotion.
Amazingly, Dojin could feel that as well.
Sensing a mix of surprise, shock, betrayal, and sorrow, Dojin smiled and spoke.
"I'm not taking Cheongdung-i's side, so don't get so upset. Besides, Cheongdung-i isn't alone right now."
...Kkya-ak.
At Dojin's words, Hwindung-i hovered in the air for a moment before slowly descending, as if he had no choice.
Perching on the custom stand Dojin had built for him, the goshawk glared fiercely at Cheongdung-i and his mate.
This time, it was the female honey buzzard who panicked.
K-Kee-yak?
Kee... yak!
The female honey buzzard had frozen the moment she saw Hwindung-i flying toward them.
But once Hwindung-i backed off at Dojin's intervention, she finally managed to move, hiding behind Cheongdung-i.
She began pecking Cheongdung-i's back with her beak, as if scolding him: Why didn't you tell me there was a hawk like that here?
"Looking at you, I get the feeling you're going to get nagged a lot once you start living together."
...Kee-yak...
Cheongdung-i, who was already suffering from the female's pecks, hung his head low at Dojin's remark.
"H-Hang in there, Cheongdung-i."
"Yeah, I'm sure your mate is just temporarily upset."
While Do-hee and Seung-wan did their best to comfort Cheongdung-i, Dojin quietly turned and walked toward Hwindung-i.
Hwindung-i, who had been glaring at the honey buzzard couple with his naturally fierce eyes, suddenly whipped his head away as Dojin approached.
"Kkya-ak!"
"...What is this now?"
From the looks of it, he seemed like a sulking girlfriend who needed to be coaxed.
However...
Grab.
"Look at you playing the victim. I've been meaning to talk to you anyway, so this is perfect. You punk, why do you bully Cheongdung-i every chance you get?"
K-Kkwa-ak?
With his beak held shut, the goshawk couldn't even screech properly. He stared at Dojin with wide, startled eyes.
But Dojin paid no mind, simply grabbing the bird's torso with his other hand and carrying him away.
Kkwa... a... ak...
Hwindung-i flailed in a final, desperate struggle, but—
"Stop throwing a tantrum, you're a male."
Dojin gave him a gentle shake, instantly quelling his rebellion.
In an instant, the dynamic shifted from a pseudo-romantic squabble to a father disciplining a problem child.
"As expected, the head of the household has to discipline the family."
Disciplining the problematic Hwindung-i, and dealing with Cheongdung-i who had brought home a bride.
With the chaos caused by the two birds, Dojin felt the illusion of raising a difficult child and preparing for a child's wedding at the same time.
Even though he himself hadn't even gotten married yet.
...
...
"..."
"..."
Once Dojin disappeared with Hwindung-i, an awkward silence settled over the yard.
While Do-hee and Seung-wan had grown somewhat familiar with Cheongdung-i during his stay at Sekki House, the female honey buzzard was a complete stranger.
In fact, even Cheongdung-i was still rather awkward around Do-hee and Seung-wan.
Since he had only interacted with Hwindung-i and Dojin so far, the two women felt just as foreign to him as they did to his mate.
Perhaps sensing Cheongdung-i's inner thoughts,
Kee-yak.
With a short cry, the female honey buzzard slipped right into Cheongdung-i's house.
"...What is she doing? Did she just ignore us?"
"It certainly seems like it. This is actually pretty refreshing. I've been ignored by cats before, but a bird is a first."
Unlike Do-hee, who was dumbfounded, Seung-wan found it hilarious and began to snicker to herself.
She even started muttering to herself, "You're the first one to treat me like this!"
Do-hee, pointedly ignoring her friend, pouted and said,
"I don't know, I don't really like her. She's different from the other animals that have joined us so far."
"Oho, look at our Do-hee! Are you in mother-in-law mode already? Should we prepare a white envelope? Are you going to throw it at Cheongdung-i's girlfriend and say, 'Stay away from my son!'?"
"...Seung-wan, what kind of dramas have you been watching lately?"
"Huh? I'm binge-watching The World of the Married. They say it's the hottest drama of the year!"
"..."
At Seung-wan's confident reply, Do-hee quietly turned her head away.
Having a family history that was wilder than most soap operas, she had no taste for trashy dramas.
Realizing her slip-up, Seung-wan quickly changed the subject.
"Anyway, if she's going to live with us from now on, doesn't she need a name? What would be good? I think it might be better if we name her this time instead of leaving it to Dojin."
Looking at the names of the kittens like Samsaek-i, Meok-bo, and Jam-bo, or even Bo-ri, Hwindung-i, and Cheongdung-i, they couldn't expect any naming sense from Dojin.
She figured it was better for them to name the bird themselves rather than burdening someone who clearly lacked the talent. But...
"We can just call her Norang-i."
"...What?"
Despite Seung-wan's bewildered tone, Do-hee continued nonchalantly.
"You saw her too, Seung-wan. Unlike Cheongdung-i, she has three feather colors: black, white, and yellow. We can't use white because of Hwindung-i, and Geomdung-i sounds terrible for a female, so that leaves Norang-i."
"..."
Seung-wan could only gape, completely speechless at Do-hee's logic.
It was true that the female honey buzzard had three feather colors.
Her body was mostly covered in black feathers with patches of white, and she had yellow feathers on her belly, chin, and the sides of her head.
But even so, they couldn't possibly use that name.
Especially considering the English comments that had been popping up on their channel lately.
"...Let's find another name. Please."
"Why?"
"Just trust me, absolutely not. Let's go with something else."
"Hmm... How about Hwanggeum-i? But calling her Hwanggeum-i when she barely has any yellow feathers..."
"That's it! Let's go with that. Hwanggeum-i! It's great. It sounds like she'll bring in a lot of money, and it has a nice symbolic ring to it."
Thanks to Seung-wan's passionate advocacy, the female honey buzzard was named Hwanggeum-i, or "Golden" in English.
When Dojin heard about this later, he gave Seung-wan a thumbs-up, acknowledging her great contribution.
After all, Golden was infinitely better than Yellow.
While Seung-wan was defusing Do-hee's naming bomb, Dojin was having a serious conversation with Hwindung-i.
Or more accurately, he was trying to persuade him.
"So, you can't treat Cheongdung-i so harshly anymore. He's found a mate now, and he'll soon be the head of his own family."
"Kkya-ak!"
Despite Dojin's explanation, the problematic Hwindung-i showed absolutely no intention of listening.
Anyone else would have found it ridiculous to reason with a bird that couldn't speak, but Dojin was dead serious.
He couldn't remember exactly when it started, but it was likely after his regression, once he had settled into Sekki House.
He had become able to communicate with animals.
And right now, that ability was telling him something.
Hwindung-i was intelligent enough to understand his words.
The only reason the goshawk wasn't understanding was that the little troublemaker was pretending not to.
Ultimately, Dojin pulled out his hidden trump card.
Rustle.
Kkya-ak?
It was premium American beef jerky.
An ultra-expensive, handmade jerky that was supposedly only given to endangered eagles in the United States.
"You've probably lost your appetite lately from eating nothing but mice and bugs, right?"
K-Kkya-ak...
Hwindung-i, who hadn't received any special nutritious food unlike Ttorang-i and Bo-ri, shook his head vigorously.
"If you listen to your big brother, I might give you some of this jerky."
Kkya-ak?
"You don't want it? Fine. Then I'll just give this to Cheongdung-i and his girlfriend."
Flap!
As Dojin turned around, Hwindung-i quickly flapped his wings and blocked his path.
Though he didn't make a sound, his resolve was clear from this action alone.
"Do you want to eat it?"
"K-Kkya... ak!"
*Pfft.*
Chuckling at the sight of Hwindung-i trying to act tough by looking away despite the repeated questions, Dojin tore off a piece of the jerky.
Kkya...?
Just as Hwindung-i tilted his head, curious about Dojin's sudden action—
"Here! Just have a taste."
With those words, Dojin tossed the piece of jerky to a moderate height.
Whoosh. Snatch.
Snatching the jerky out of the air with ease, Hwindung-i popped it straight into his beak.
After chewing a few times, his sharp eyes went wide, and he stared at Dojin.
"Hehe, delicious, right?"
...
Hwindung-i couldn't pretend otherwise this time.
The savory aroma of the swallowed jerky still lingered inside his beak.
*Rumble.*
Just thinking about it made Hwindung-i's stomach growl.
That single piece of meat was easily the most delicious thing he had ever eaten in his entire life.
"Well? Do you still have no intention of listening to your big brother?"
Dojin waved the jerky back and forth.
Hwindung-i's head moved in perfect sync with the jerky.
K-Kee-yak.
Unable to hold back any longer, Hwindung-i tried to negotiate, but—
"No way. If you don't promise, no more jerky."
"Kee-yak!"
He tried to threaten Dojin in response to his stubborn attitude, but—
"Go ahead. I'll just give this to Cheongdung-i and his mate then. I hope they eat this, get strong, and lay lots of healthy eggs."
Kee-ya... k.
Hwindung-i tried to play the pity card, appealing to Dojin's sympathy, but—
"No, go away! Without a promise, you're not getting any jerky!"
Faced with a firmness he had never seen in Dojin before, Hwindung-i finally raised both wings in defeat.
Kee-yak...
"You promise? You won't bully Cheongdung-i for no reason anymore?"
Kee-yak...
"And you'll look out for him like a good older brother?"
Kee-yak...
"And when Cheongdung-i and his mate lay eggs, you have to help protect them too, okay?"
Kkya-ak?
Hwindung-i, who had been obediently nodding his beak, suddenly tilted his head.
It was a complaint: Why do I have to protect someone else's mate and chicks?
But he had already come too far to rebel now.
"You don't want to? Should I just leave?"
...Kee-yak.
Though he hesitated visibly, Hwindung-i eventually nodded his beak.
Satisfied with the response, Dojin pulled out the rest of the jerky from his pocket and handed it over.
"Good boy! Here, eat up!"
"Kkya-ak!"
The amount of jerky Dojin pulled out was larger than expected.
There was enough palm-sized jerky to fill both of Dojin's hands, far too much for Hwindung-i to finish in one sitting.
But Hwindung-i refused to let go of a single piece.
"Kkya-ak, kkya-ak!"
Perhaps because it was jerky obtained at the cost of his pride, Hwindung-i greedily tore and swallowed the meat, stuffing himself far beyond his usual capacity.
Wow, he's really devouring it. If Hwindung-i loves it this much, Cheongdung-i and his mate will definitely love it too.
As Dojin watched Hwindung-i's eating show, another pack of jerky was sticking out of his back pocket.
It was the exact same jerky he had just given to Hwindung-i.
In truth, he had plenty of jerky left.
Since Hwindung-i and Cheongdung-i didn't have any special health foods unlike Ttorang-i and Bo-ri, Dojin had purchased it in bulk.
*Gag!*
After checking on Hwindung-i, who was gagging from eating too fast, Dojin quietly turned around.
It was time to head back to Cheongdung-i.
Technically, I didn't lie. If you had just listened when I asked nicely, I wouldn't have had to play dirty.
It was a day of injustice for Hwindung-i, but for Cheongdung-i, it was a beautiful day marking the end of his hellish torment.