Request for Backup
Shh—shh-shh—shh—
The pen in Oh Deok-han's hand danced ceaselessly across the tablet screen.
Unlike office workers with their normal day-night cycles, Oh Deok-han lived a life flipped upside down. To him, this moment—nearing 5 a.m.—felt like the start of a new day.
He'd just gotten home and converted footage shot in his "reference room" into photos, tracing the adorable poses with a digital pen wielded freely in his grip.
"Sloth Boris is free today. Next episode, we'll kill off Spotted Cuscus and Emperor Scorpion, so I can just ditch them one by one. Whew. Finally saying a complete goodbye to these stinky critters."
To bring the vividness he'd always been criticized for lacking in past works, he'd tearfully sourced rare animals from the dark web.
If he hadn't seen those animals up close in person, The Age of Animals wouldn't have achieved the popularity it enjoyed now.
Shh-shh—shh-shh-shh—shh-shh—
"Still, don't hate them too much. They're wild animals returning to nature, so in a way, it's better for them too."
Of course, none of this would have been an issue if he hadn't bought and raised smuggled animals in the first place.
But Oh Deok-han had long since twisted his thinking to the breaking point by acquiring endangered species under CITES regulations without a care. This was the conclusion he'd reached.
In a zombie apocalypse story like this, characters never lasted long—they were always discarded dramatically for effect.
And once a subject was slated for disposal, the live models used as references were no longer needed.
Now that the webtoon was nearing its finale, he no longer bothered keeping animals he didn't need for reference. He'd been dumping them one after another.
"Ughhh~. I'm beat. Just gotta finish this last panel... Hm?"
Oh Deok-han stretched, about to wrap up the final cut, when—
Creeeak—
A sound that should never have echoed through his home.
The door opening. It pierced Oh Deok-han's ears.
"Must've misheard."
The only place in his apartment that could make a creak like that was the hinges on the first door leading to the "reference room."
But Oh Deok-han always took care to close it properly—it couldn't open on its own. So he dismissed it as his imagination.
Creeeeak—
A louder creak followed. No illusion.
"...What the hell?"
He dropped his pen and whipped his head toward the sound. There—
"Wha—what...?!"
A massive beast stared at Oh Deok-han with eyes white as moonlight.
"Gaaah?!"
Oh Deok-han weighed nearly 100kg.
Comparing that to Ssal-i in orangutan form at 80kg, he didn't lose out much in mass.
But Ssal-i's piercing gaze froze him solid, as if it saw straight through his soul.
'An... orangutan? How? I never kept an orangutan. No way—how's an orangutan even here?'
Drawing a webtoon packed with animals, Oh Deok-han knew at least the basics about orangutans.
And for some inexplicable reason, facing a male orangutan now, an article comparing grip strengths between humans and orangutans flashed through his mind.
Adult male grip strength: about 50kg.
Slugger Lee Seung-yeop's prime: 65.9kg.
Techno Goliath Choi Hong-man's peak: 80-90kg.
The world's strongest man: early 160kg range.
Male orangutan average: 193kg.
A grip that could shred a body like paper the moment it latched on—overwhelming power.
In that moment, Ssal-i's calm words sounded to Oh Deok-han like a death threat.
"Gaaaaah! Why is there an orangutan here?!"
Thud—
Before Ssal-i could finish, Oh Deok-han's body crumpled like a marionette with cut strings. Foam bubbled from his mouth.
"Officer! Over here!"
"Yes. You're the one who reported it?"
"Ugh, you think we're the only ones? Other apartments called too! Don't stand around—hurry up. Something bad happened, I tell you!"
"Yes, yes. Got it."
Officer Jeon Hyun-min of Yeongdeungpo Police Station, on night duty, rushed over at the crack of dawn after the report.
The call described unidentified beastly roars echoing painfully throughout the apartment complex.
'Not a dog bark. Not a cat. What kinda nonsense is "no idea what animal it is"? In an apartment? What else besides dogs or cats?'
With multiple reports pouring in, he'd come to check the residences.
Assuming residents mistook some odd dog or cat noise, Jeon Hyun-min rode the elevator to the 13th floor—
"Kee-heek! Kick! Kee-heeek!"
"Grararak! Caw! Caaaw!"
"Kyaaaah!"
"Woof! Woof woof! Woof!"
He'd been warned the sounds from 13th floor, Unit 1 weren't normal animal noises.
But the reality surpassed his wildest imagination—like stepping into a zoo.
Eerie howls reverberated deafeningly. Jeon Hyun-min schooled his shocked expression and pressed the intercom.
"Hello? Yeongdeungpo Police Station here on a noise complaint. Anyone home?"
"Ugh, fat chance. With that racket inside, they'll hear the intercom? Whatever happened, it's total chaos—maybe force the door..."
Beep—click.
The door lock suddenly disengaged. Nearby residents explaining to Jeon Hyun-min gaped.
"Whoa, did the door just open? Go in quick!"
"Stay back. I'll check first."
The door creaked open unexpectedly. Tense, Jeon Hyun-min stepped inside—and froze.
"......Huh? Wha...?"
Dozens of eyes stared back at him.
"......"
Jeon Hyun-min stood petrified like a statue for a moment, then quietly raised his radio.
An unprecedented case: breeding CITES-protected species without permits—and even abandoning them.
The perp being a popular animal-themed webtoon artist made it prime media fodder.
As nearby residents described, TheKing—Oh Deok-han—faced investigation not just for smuggling but drugs too. But a field test came back negative. Police also reported a white animal bolting out during the raid...
Webtoon artists pulling eight-figure incomes like Oh Deok-han were practically half-celebs these days.
And just like pretty idols or handsome actors couldn't return after one school violence scandal or DUI, webtoonists faced the same—one controversy, and comeback was near impossible.
With his crimes exposed, Oh Deok-han was done as a webtoon artist.
His fandom was already in uproar—case closed.
"Hehe, Ssal-i, looks like you slipped out clean without getting caught."
Ssal-i, lounging on the bed beside me as we watched the news, wriggled between my legs with a goofy grin. I ruffled his facial fur wildly.
"Ssal-i! You think this is funny? What if it hadn't gone this smoothly—what then?"
"I won't do it againnn~."
"Tch. Important stuff needs saying a hundred times over. Next time something like this pops up, you wait for Dad first. Saving other animals matters, but nothing's more important to me than you."
"Hehe, got it. I'll be more carefuuul~."
Truth be told, Ssal-i had roamed Saemangeum Safari and Saetgang Ecological Park, touching countless animals.
Meaning he could transform into forms I couldn't even imagine. For raw strength matchups, he'd have no issues.
Plus, from what he'd casually mentioned about animals met during my CITES training sessions at Saemangeum, Ssal-i was basically the urban apex predator.
'Ugh. Still not okay. Humans have tools, kiddo.'
Sea croc bite force: 47x human.
Gorilla grip: 6.5x human.
Cheetah speed: 4x human.
Despite such innate edges, most animals ended up caged behind frail human iron bars.
Oh Deok-han fainted foaming at Ssal-i's sudden entrance, sure.
But what if Ssal-i, sneaking in secretly, ate feed laced with tranquilizers or sedatives and dozed off?
Who knew what could go wrong.
Just as there were countless animal species, there were countless humans—and crazy ones among them.
"Gotta be way more careful. It won't always end this smoothly. Got it, Ssal-i?"
"Hehe. Got it, Dad. But uh..."
A sly vibe flickered in Ssal-i's eyes as he flopped belly-up, begging for pets like a performer.
The look he got when he'd pulled some stunt. I asked without delay.
"What. Spill it."
"Hehe. Well, Dad... it wasn't dangerous or anything, but since you might wonder, I stopped by the police station a few times..."
"What?! The police station?!"
Our Ssal-i.
Looks like he's hit puberty.