Lirim and the Beast ☆3
"Geez. Just eat it, oppa. What are you—"
A female customer at the same table tried to stop the man. But he kept grumbling.
"What nonsense. Hey, you're wearing an eye patch, take it off. Huh?"
"…The eye patch?"
Seohyeon's right eye had no pigment, so the blood vessels were fully visible, making it bright red. It was a divine eye capable of seeing ultraviolet and infrared light, but since it was hard to explain to others, he had been wearing a sanitary eye patch for now. The man was demanding that he remove it and show his bare eye.
"What? The eye patch? Are you speaking rudely? Haven't you heard that the customer is king?"
"I'm not trying to be rude—it's just that he's a foreigner, so can you let it go, oppa? Oh, stop it already. How much is the parking fee anyway?"
The woman accompanying the male customer looked utterly distressed, as if a wire were stuck under her fingernail. She was trying to restrain him, but the man continued to act out.
Earlier, he had thrown a tantrum over parking fees, complaining that he had parked somewhere else and hadn't been told clearly where to pay. Now he was picking fights over trivial things.
For Seohyeon, the situation was so absurd that he wasn't even angry. He had faced countless villains, cannibals, killers, mafia, drug dealers, and mercenaries—but never something like this. Even someone trying to take his life could be understood; extreme stress in a battlefield makes hostility logical.
But here, it was tediously peaceful. The world was full of vibrant colors and dazzling spectacle, but to Seohyeon, who had grown up in a binary world of black and white, life and death, such extravagance seemed gaudy rather than beautiful. Of course, considering he had longed for peace and freedom, this was paradoxical.
But those thoughts could wait. Right now, Seohyeon had to face the man's hostility. Why, in such a peaceful time, was this man throwing malice at him? Over a few coins for parking?
"Hey, you bastard. Who says someone with an eye infection should work in the food industry? If everyone catches it because of you, you're responsible! Huh?"
Clearly, he was picking a fight—but there was some logic to his words. This wasn't about public hygiene, though, and Seohyeon was at a loss for words.
Then the man did something shocking.
He reached out as if to remove Seohyeon's eye patch himself. Startled, Seohyeon reflexively grabbed his wrist.
That could have ended badly.
If the beast inside Seohyeon had reacted, the man would have been killed instantly. Did he realize that he had just stuck his arm into a cage of starving predators? The beast had patience, or else it might have ripped him vertically from head to groin.
"Hey!"
The man flinched, trying to pull his hand back or push, still unaware. No matter how much he struggled, Seohyeon's grip was immovable.
"What are you doing? Right now? You…"
The man's face lost all heat. Even a strong person would struggle if grabbed, moving back and forth, but here there was nothing. It felt like being pinned under a massive boulder. And when he met Seohyeon's eyes, a sudden wave of dread washed over him.
"Are you trying to hit me? Ow! Did you grip me hard?"
Of course, if Seohyeon had actually intended to assault him, it wouldn't have ended there. He could crush a human wrist effortlessly. Seohyeon let out a small laugh at the absurdity, which the man took as mockery, growing angrier.
"…Ah, no, sorry! I'm still new!"
A young female employee jumped in to intervene. She was a senior who was covering the store with Seohyeon while Kim Seong-hee was absent.
"Seohyeon lived abroad and isn't used to Korea yet. Seohyeon, let go and apologize, please."
She tried to release Seohyeon's grip with a serious expression, but Seohyeon was unconvinced.
"This man is just deflecting because he couldn't get his parking fee after causing a fuss. And he put his hand on someone's face without permission…"
Seohyeon explained his reasoning calmly, and the employee looked shocked. He finally let go of the man's wrist.
"Ah, this bastard! Look at this, it's swollen! You! This is outrageous! What kind of store is this!"
"Oppa…"
The female customer still sided with the man. But Seohyeon noticed she didn't actually like him; in fact, she looked down on him now. So it seemed the man wasn't exactly a standard civilized human.
Still, it wasn't an atmosphere to fight back. While the man was clearly a jerk, the coworkers and customers weren't pleased. Fighting physically seemed off-limits. Is this what it means to live like a human?
Living like a human is really dirty.
Seohyeon felt cynical about humanity. Meanwhile, the man continued struggling.
"Wait, you bastard! I'll sue you! No! Call the police! You—"
Calling the police would definitely be troublesome.
For a former criminal like Seohyeon, police were best avoided. Sighing, he lowered his head.
"Sorry. I apologize."
"What, you assaulted me and now bowing your head makes it okay?"
"…."
Seohyeon met the man's eyes. He realized this wouldn't be solved peacefully, so he focused and issued a subtle threat. The man immediately felt as if he were drowning; a cold chill enveloped him to his bones.
Seeing the man intimidated, the female employee quickly smoothed things over.
"I'll replace your order without whipped cream. I'm truly sorry."
"Fine. Who do you think you are?! Damn it. I'll never come back here! Let's go, Jeong-hee. This store's ridiculous. Loves occult cafes, huh? Idiots."
The man stormed out, swearing, and his female companion followed after apologizing.
"Haah…"
Seohyeon exhaled a long sigh. If this was the first day, the future looked bleak. He hung his apron on the counter.
"I'm stepping out for a moment."
"Seohyeon!"
The employee tried to stop him, but he was already outside.
☆ ☆ ☆
Lycanthropes—creatures who transform under the full moon—could not maintain organized forces. In primitive societies, they could be legendary heroes or supreme warriors, but in the modern world, where human life is precious, they were just over-aggressive savages. Even Seohyeon, considered intelligent and cold-blooded, struggled to control his emotions. Like hyenas or Tasmanian devils, they could explode with adrenaline in an instant. Reason was like a thin paper in front of a floodgate—when anger erupted, it vanished. As a result, lycanthropes became easily angered, easily excited, and easily fought. Despite their physical power, most did not live long.
If vampires formed noble culture under Tetra Anax's protection, lycanthropes were being culled due to their aggression. Most now lived reluctantly in areas where civilization had collapsed. Hadn't Seohyeon also lived on battlefields in the past?
In that sense, dealing with today's rude customer was certainly training in how to live as a human. Painful, but necessary.
But just because it's helpful doesn't mean I have to accept it.
Enduring exploitation or abuse helps understand the weak, but doesn't mean one must obey unjust oppression. Only the one who experienced the trial can say it nourished them.
Seohyeon had never spared anyone who insulted him. Of course, it would be foolish to taint the new identity his sister gave him. But should he restrain himself for someone who provided a status even ordinary people couldn't buy?
Absolutely not.
Seohyeon was confident he could kill the man without breaking the law, because human police tend to suspect anything beyond human capacity rather than assume murder.
But when he went outside, the man and woman were already gone, driving away. Even if not, the busy streets would soon erase all trace of them.
"Damn. Civilized people are ruder than savages."
Seohyeon shook his head and returned to the store. He felt bad, but it was a good reminder of how much he had lived outside civilized society.