Dad's Here
In a dark alley with no CCTV cameras and no streetlights reaching its depths.
Flutter~ flutter~ whoosh—
Tap-tap-tap—
The barn owl flapping its snow-white wings slipped into the alley and instantly transformed into a stray tabby cat.
To avoid detection by humans, it could shrink into an even smaller animal from here on out, but getting too tiny would make it hard to keep up.
There was no choice but to pursue the abandoner heading into the officetel complex with some limitations.
I have to hold on. Until Dad comes looking for me.
As the abandoner started toward the interior of the officetel, Ssal-i swallowed hard and steeled himself, transforming once more.
Into an animal small enough not to draw attention but still fast enough to keep pace.
Shh-shh-shh—
From Jindo mix to white barn owl.
From white barn owl to cat.
From cat to crested gecko.
Now in its new form, Ssal-i scurried its short legs swiftly and silently toward the abandoner heading for the elevator.
Be careful. He's about to get in the elevator.
As Ssal-i tensed and swallowed nervously—
The man, meticulously hiding his identity, checked his appearance in the elevator mirror, adjusted his clothes, then abruptly turned toward the stairs instead.
Watching this, the corners of the mouth on Ssal-i's white gecko lizard form twitched upward in a smirk.
Stairs had far more blind spots than the fully enclosed box of an elevator.
Hoo-hoo. What a sneaky bastard. Avoiding CCTV by taking the stairs? Perfect for me. I can tail him carefully without getting spotted.
Ssal-i rapidly climbed the wall with its sticky, webbed feet, following one floor at a time behind the abandoner's back.
"Huff… huff."
Reaching the 13th floor, the abandoner caught his breath and immediately unlocked the door lock, stepping inside.
Shh-shh-shh—
Before the door could close, Ssal-i darted in across the ceiling.
Great, I'm in! Now just wait as long as it takes for Dad to find me… Huh? What the heck is this?
The place looked clean on the surface, but it reeked of something odd inside.
A normal human might have seen it as a tidy home, but Ssal-i was neither—Ssal-i was a haetae.
As Ssal-i twitched its tiny lizard nostrils—
"Phew… Dealing with this one by one is exhausting me to death."
Oh Deok-han, entering the apartment, stripped off his clothes down to his underwear like shedding a snake's skin.
As if determined to erase every trace of the outfit he'd worn outside.
He sealed the still-wearable clothes multiple times in black trash bags, then stuffed them into municipal waste bags.
It was his habitual routine after every abandonment—tedious and annoying, but now so ingrained it felt routine.
"I'll toss this when I head to the convenience store for lunch. Quick shower and sleep first… Hm?"
The brand-new place had no issues, but when the entrance sensor light suddenly flickered, Oh Deok-han tilted his head curiously.
"What the hell? Why's it acting spooky?"
Dismissing it, he finished tidying his clothes, as if obliterating any evidence of his outing.
Changing into pajamas, Oh Deok-han stretched his arms wide.
"Ahhh. So damn tiring. Oh, gotta check once more before bed."
Oh Deok-han's apartment had a structure utterly unlike other 40-pyeong units—anyone entering for the first time would never guess its size from how cramped it seemed.
And Ssal-i, clinging to the wall away from the sensor light, was pondering the bizarrely small interior space compared to the exterior when—
Creeeak—
Oh Deok-han opened a door and stomped inside.
Thud—thud—
He grabbed the double-layered interior doorknob and pulled again.
What… what the hell is that?
Ssal-i couldn't close its mouth at the sight beyond the second door.
Oh Deok-han grinned at the room packed with CITES animals, surrounded by padding and soundproofing.
"Dad's here, my little money-makers."
In one iron cage inside: the small-clawed otter, known as the world's smallest otter species.
In the next: a tiny Mico monkey from the pygmy marmoset family.
And in the corner: an emperor scorpion gleaming with its black carapace.
The array of animals made Ssal-i's eyes spin.
Ssal-i didn't know the names or exact identities of these creatures in the double-layered room.
But their vibrant fur colors.
Their oddly small or large eyes and ears in strange positions.
These exotic, unusual animals screamed CITES species—impossible for civilians to own.
Because.
It's obvious… They look exactly like the ones from that webtoon.
Before heading out for the full investigation, Min-hyeok had gathered everyone and shown them the animals from the webtoon.
With double soundproofing blocking nearly all noise and scent, even the other residents in the building couldn't imagine a dozen small animals living inside.
…Bad guy. A real bad person.
The environment was relatively clean, but Ssal-i didn't call Oh Deok-han bad just for keeping CITES animals.
It was for flipping on the lights at dark dawn without a care and calling them "money-makers" with that wicked attitude.
—Nngh… What? I barely slept.
—Yaaawn. What is it? Already mealtime?
Oddly, the caged CITES animals didn't treat Oh Deok-han as an enemy.
A few grumbled briefly at the sudden lights.
But most welcomed him like a returning pet owner.
"Hmm. Good, everyone looks healthy. Now then… come here, King-Eyes."
—Hng… I'm still sleepy…
Oh Deok-han woke each drowsy animal one by one, snapping photos and videos.
—Ugh, it hurts. Don't poke!
"So cuuute! Hehehe. Cuteness is the best!"
Those still asleep got prodded awake with a stick from the corner. He took their pained cries as cuteness.
"Alright, got everyone else… Just this triangle-head runt left. Hey! Get out here!"
—What! Don't grab me! Come closer and I'll bite!
"Argh, this little shit. Why you gotta be so pissy? If you weren't the main character, tch. Come on!"
—Kyaaak! Not so rough!
"Jeez, no manners. Hehehe. Still, up close, you've got that cute charm."
Oh Deok-han forcibly dragged out the wary Se-mo, snapping photos and videos.
Se-mo thrashed and screamed to escape his grip, but Oh Deok-han just kept cooing "cute" with a goofy grin.
"Hehe. Alright, Dad's off to work now, so rest up. Gotta earn money to feed you all."
After ages of filming, a satisfied Oh Deok-han scratched his bulging belly and turned off the lights.
As the two doors closed in succession, the animals sighed deeply and settled back in.
—Haa, so tiring. I didn't even sleep properly.
—What? Dad left without feeding us? Wasn't it mealtime?
—Idiot, it's not mealtime. It's photo time when Dad comes.
As they grumbled in the dark and prepared to sleep again—
—You idiots! He's no dad!
Se-mo, the desert fox who'd suffered the most, let out a shrill cry.
—That human—don't you know what he does? He sends our friends out every 1-2 weeks! The ones who leave are all dead!
—Ugh, here he goes again.
The others just snorted at Se-mo's words.
—Se-mo's a conspiracy nut. Always talking nonsense.
—Yeah, he's been caged here with us forever—why act like he knows?
—It's not acting! Desert foxes like us face smuggling threats all the time—we know what scum like him are like!
Se-mo believed they couldn't stay complacent; they had to escape now.
—That's your delusion, right? Elly and the others—Dad always said the same when taking them out. To freer, better places. I trust Dad.
But none of the remaining animals agreed with Se-mo.
—He's not Dad, I tell you! Ugh… Fine. Whatever. I give up.
Se-mo slumped in resignation.
Then.
—Se-mo's right. Don't get complacent here—you all need to think about escaping now.
No one in the room had sided with Se-mo.
So every animal's eyes snapped toward the sudden voice, gleaming in the dark.
They wore puzzled expressions in the shadows, wondering who said that.
—Hi. I'm Ssal-i. An animal from outside.
—What? An o-outside animal?
—Oh, the new one that came in? But which cage are you in? Didn't see you.
—Yeah, no new ones in Dad's arms earlier.
—Maybe too small? Sound's from the wall. Wait, Wing-a?
The animals tensed at the stranger but buzzed with curiosity.
These guys aren't listening at all. Can't leave it like this.
Ssal-i had learned from dealing with problem clients at Hanmaum Animal Hospital and animals near Big Rock.
Animals were chaotic— to wrangle them at once, you needed overwhelming presence.
—Gasp? Wh-what is that?
Ssal-i's crested gecko body on the wall began to glow.
—What animal glows like that?
—Sc-scaryyy…
—What the heck?
The light illuminating the room grew vast. As the glow expanded, so did Ssal-i's body.
The massive furry beast emerging from the bright light overwhelmed them.
The CITES animals were tiny—even a dog would look giant to them.
Click—
They gawked, eyes bulging, as Ssal-i flicked on the light switch with a finger.
—Eeeek!
—M-monster!!
—Gyaaaaaa!
They screamed bloody murder.
But.
—"Everyone, shut your mouths. Proceed."
It was a double-layered secret soundproof room.
Their voices didn't leak out—not even as much as a mosquito's wingbeat.