The Aquarium and the Wolf's Heat
I’m going out of my mind at the aquarium. The frustration claws at me until I crack open the window and chain-smoke like a chimney. “Ha, fuck…”
Black Skull has been wiped out. Or rather, it would be more accurate to say they’ve gone missing. Not a single bone fragment left behind. Just… gone. The last thing that came through the comms was the sickening crunch of a skull being crushed. Communication cut off instantly.
We immediately deployed Red Skull—the unit that only hunts high-risk monsters—but they found nothing. They scoured every inch of the darkness and filth beneath the sewers. Not a corpse. Not an arm. Not a leg. Nothing.
Since that day, both the political world and the military have been on high alert. Medium-risk monsters are easy enough to handle now, but high-risk ones are still beyond us. In the old days, you needed a real knight just to take down a single one. And now some unknown monster—whether it’s a group or a singular entity—is hiding beneath a residential sewer line. There is no greater terror.
“Shit.”
For over three days, every available person was mobilized to track down that high-risk monster. Yet still… nothing. It’s strange. Suspiciously, no clues have turned up at all.
Monsters aren’t supposed to possess proper intelligence. That’s the common understanding, and in reality they might as well have none. They simply live on instinct, flowing like water, breathing like air—little more than mindless creatures. So for such a being to leave behind not a single trace… it’s too strange. Far too strange.
“Fuck.”
No. It can’t be that. A fresh wave of dread washes over me. According to all known information, that’s the only possibility, but the closer I get to the truth, the more my body violently rejects it.
Most monsters lack intelligence. But there are exactly three exceptions. Three monsters that do possess it.
Fenrir. Svarozhich. And—humanoid monsters.
“Haa…”
I can’t hold back the sigh. If… the monster currently hiding beneath the sewers is truly a humanoid type, then this won’t end with a simple state of emergency. It will escalate into a national crisis of the worst kind.
Right now, I can only pray. I pray that the monster they find won’t turn out to be humanoid. And even if it is a real humanoid monster… I pray it hasn’t fully taken form yet.
I can only pray. Again and again.
On the bus ride home, my body and mind feel utterly drained. Something… something about the situation feels off. Like everything is going wrong.
Today, Han Yerin was suspiciously kind to me. Setting aside the fact that we didn’t fool around, normally she would’ve looked down on me and hurled insults. But today? Nothing. It’s insanely weird. There wasn’t a single uncomfortable moment.
No—my heart is exhausted, but beyond that… nothing. It was suspiciously comfortable. I thought we’d at least have sex on the way back, but even that didn’t happen. For real. She even told me it was fine to go home alone. She let me go.
This feeling… it’s like I was being considered.
“What the…”
Goosebumps prickled across my arms. I pressed a hand to my forehead and thought hard. Did I do something wrong? I turned it over in my mind again and again. There’s no way a person would suddenly change like that. There has to be something behind it.
Then—
Vrrr—
My phone vibrated. I swallowed a groan. Here it comes. Yeah, there’s no way Han Yerin would just let me off like that.
I took a deep breath and pulled out my phone.
What… Seola sent the text. But… why is her tone like that? It’s throwing me off in a completely different way.
A brief silence. I need to reply, but my hands won’t listen to my brain. A moment later—
She deleted it. My heart starts pounding on its own. I can perfectly picture Seola’s face right now—probably burning with embarrassment.
What are you doing tomorrow? Wanna hang out?
I fall into thought. Tomorrow… what should we even do? Is there anywhere actually fun to go? The movie theater? There aren’t any good films out. An amusement park? That feels way too over-the-top. Or maybe… the aquarium…?
“Hmm.”
That seems just right.
If she says yes, it’s decided. Now I just have to wait for her to read it. Just… wait for her to read it.
The “1” wouldn’t disappear. After about ten minutes, Seola finally read the message. I let out a sigh of relief. My heart was racing.
“Phew…!”
Done! I quickly typed back.
Again, the “1” wouldn’t disappear. Anxious, I bounced my leg up and down. Should I suggest somewhere else? Even if it’s boring, maybe just the movie theater—
“Phew…”
A smile naturally spread across my lips. The thought of finally hanging out properly with a friend made my heart race with joy. We’d just look at some fish, then head to the library to study… The whole day’s schedule played out in my head. Even on the way home, the smile never left my face.
We met in front of the station.
“Taeho… you’re here…?”
Seola slowly waved her small hand at me. She was wearing denim overall shorts, a white t-shirt, a brown baker boy hat, and white sneakers. Her half-lidded eyes looked up at me. A smile rose on my face without thinking, and I waved back. I walked over to her slowly.
“Let’s go.”
“Mmm…”
Seola nodded. She grabbed the hem of my shirt, and the two of us slowly walked into the station together.
The station was packed with people. I took Seola’s hand and guided her onto the escalator first.
“Ah. Taeho… thank you…”
Seola looked up at me and smiled shyly. Thank me? No, Seola. I’m the one who should be grateful. You’re my only support inside the academy. This much is nothing.
Seola turned her head to look forward. Her small baker boy hat filled my vision. We went down to the basement level and waited for the train.
“Where are we going to the aquarium…?”
While we stood in front of the screen door waiting, Seola gently tapped my arm.
“Seonggwang Aquarium.”
“What…?”
Seola looked slightly surprised. I guess that makes sense. It’s my first time going too. It’s called an aquarium, but it’s basically a high-end department store with everything imaginable. The entrance fee is ridiculously expensive… but that doesn’t matter. She’s my friend, after all. I thought long and hard about where to take her. I was worried nothing would satisfy her, so I kept looking for better and better places until I ended up at the luxury tier. But honestly, it doesn’t matter.
“Isn’t it too expensive…?”
“It’s fine. It didn’t cost much.”
I got a discount. That was a lie. It actually cost a lot. Still, it’s fine. Good things are… good things.
To be honest, I don’t know what Seola likes at all. Well, I know a little. That she likes heavy metal… that she’s obsessed with tteokbokki… I know a bit. But only a bit.
Whenever I look at Seola, I just… want to get even closer to her.
The train arrived. The screen doors opened and a flood of people poured out.
“Ah, Seola.”
I told her to be careful and positioned my arm beside her. There were way more people than I expected. It would be bad if she fell. Seola kept bumping into my arm, flinching each time.
“U-um… thank you…”
Seola blushed slightly and lowered her head. I nodded. Once most of the crowd had cleared and space opened up, I took Seola’s hand and we stepped into the train.
There was… ah. Exactly one seat left. I walked quickly and stood her in front of it.
“You sit.”
“N-no… Taeho, you sit…”
Seola grabbed my shirt hem. No? I don’t want to.
“We’re riding for over forty minutes.”
“Forty minutes…? That’s really long…”
“Yeah. So Seola, just sit down.”
I looked at her and smiled gently. Seola lowered her head again.
“You know I like working out. Standing is fine for me.”
Seola fidgeted, then slowly lifted her reddened face. Our eyes met. She gave a small nod and sat down.
“Th-thank you…”
The train began to move.
About twenty minutes in, the train car grew a little quieter. The seat beside Seola was now empty. I slowly sat down.
“Taeho…?”
“We’re about halfway there.”
I carefully studied her expression.
“What’s wrong? Are you tired?”
Her eyes are always half-closed, so it’s hard to tell. She can’t be tired already.
“Mmm? No, no…”
Seola smiled and waved her hands. She really does look tired though…
“If you’re tired, get some sleep. There’ll be a lot to see later.”
I smiled at her. Seola blushed again.
“Mmm… okay…”
Inside the moving train, Seola slowly closed her eyes.
“Seola?”
I gently shook her shoulder. Her head lolled and bumped against my shoulder.
“Mmm…?”
“We’re… we’re here now…”
“Mmm?”
Seola slowly lifted her head from my shoulder. Then—
“Ugh, s-sorry… I-I’m sorry…”
She jolted awake and immediately apologized. I waved it off. It’s fine.
“It’s nothing. Let’s get off.”
I stood up slowly, took her hand, and helped her up. We stepped out of the train.
“Thank you…”
I looked at Seola. Upon closer inspection, her baker boy hat was slightly squished to the side.
“Hold on.”
I reached out and fixed the hat back into shape.
“U-um, T-Taeho?”
Seola’s face turned bright red.
“There. Looks better now.”
“U-uh… huuu…”
Once again, Seola lowered her head. Why does she keep doing that?
“Shall we go?”
“…”
Still looking down, Seola gave a small nod. She slowly grabbed the hem of my shirt again. I matched my pace to hers as we walked out of the station together.
The blazing sun felt unusually bright today. I tapped Seola’s arm.
“See that building way over there?”
I pointed south. In the distance, Seonggwang Aquarium was visible.
“…Huu.”
It’s weird. Seola isn’t saying anything. Why is she acting like this?
“You okay?”
“Y-yeah… I’m fine…”
Seola nodded quickly.
“That’s Seonggwang Aquarium.”
I smiled at her.
When we stepped inside, a pleasant breeze wrapped around us.
“Should we eat something first?”
“Mmm… what should we eat…?”
“Let’s just get burgers. Simple.”
Seola nodded. She held onto my shirt as we matched steps and entered the shop. We each bought a burger and sat side by side to eat.
“By the way, Seola.”
“Mmm?”
“You said you like fish, but is there anything else you like? Now that we’re friends, I want to have things to talk about.”
“Umm…”
Seola paused mid-bite and fidgeted with her hands. The cool air from the AC seeped under my collar. Outside, cicadas were screaming nonstop and the scorching sun baked the asphalt.
“Taeho, do you by any chance…”
Seola began hesitantly.
“Like cats…?”
Cats? I nodded.
“I… really like them… When I have nothing to do… I put on cat videos and…”
She keeps watching them, apparently.
“What kind of cats are your favorite?”
The conversation finally started to flow.
“…Russian Blue.”
Seola nibbled at her burger.
“Oh, you like Russian Blues?”
Wait, but now that I think about it… Russian Blue…
“Gray again?”
Seola nodded.
“Yeah… I really like gray… If you look at my room… everything is gray…”
“Everything’s gray?”
“Mmm… The walls are gray, the bed is gray, the pillows are gray, the desk is gray…”
“Wait, isn’t that a bit much?”
“Mmm… Is there a problem? Anyway, Taeho… what’s your favorite color?”
“No problem, but… favorite color? Hmm…”
I thought about it seriously. I’d never really considered it before. Umm…
“Silver?”
“Silver…? Right, you like working out…”
So that’s why…? No, that’s not it… Is that how it connects? I nodded anyway.
“You really like exercise… What kind of exercise do you usually do…?”
This time Seola asked me. A smile naturally formed on my lips. Yeah. This is the feeling. It’s completely different from the restaurant I went to with Han Yerin. I realize it clearly now. The important thing isn’t the place. The important thing—is the person.
The conversation flowed endlessly. Favorite foods? Favorite exercises? Favorite animals? And then—
“Now that I think about it, Seola. Is there anyone you like?”
Who do you like? I’m honestly curious. Someone as cute as Seola—even in an academy full of nothing but assholes—must have at least one person she likes, right?
“U-uh, mmm?”
Seola’s face turned bright red in an instant. Does she really?
My expectations soared.
“You do?”
“…”
Seola stopped eating her burger and hung her head. Then, very slowly, she nodded.
She does!
“Is it someone inside the academy?”
“U-uh… huu…”
Seola put her burger down. Why is she acting like this? She slowly nodded again.
“Oh… so there is. Who is—”
“U-uaa! T-Taeho, I’m full! Should we go now?!”
Seola shot up from her seat like a rocket, grabbed my wrist at lightning speed, and dragged me out of the shop.
“Haa… haa…”
Seola was breathing hard. She turned to me with an aggressive look.
“L-let’s go see the dolphins now…”
Still holding my wrist, she pulled me forward. What the hell?
It’s weird… My heart keeps pounding. I-I’m so embarrassed…
Before long, the sun began to sink toward the horizon. We were supposed to head to the library now. But… something had gone wrong.
‘I-I’ll go home first…’
Seola ran off first. Her entire face was flushed crimson as she bolted. The moment we reached the station, she jumped on a bus and fled.
Cold sweat trickled down my forehead. I didn’t do anything wrong, did I? She won’t even read my texts. I’m losing my mind. Why?
“Haa…”
My little brother is in too much danger… I can’t hold back anymore. My lower body is burning. Now… I have to do it instead. Tomorrow. I will do it.
“Hngh…”
The moonlight slowly disappeared, swallowed by the clouds.