The Monster That Wanted to Be Loved

‘Of course.’

That man was not someone who laughed out loud. Garam sighed inwardly.

“But seriously, what is that thing?”

Park Deok-pal finally asked Jaeheon.

“A plant.”

“More like a plant-type monster, isn’t it?”

Jaeheon nodded casually, as if it were nothing worth noting. That little gesture alone made Garam’s fist twitch.

“And, uh… it’s still alive.”

The moment those words were spoken, Garam quickly rolled away from the spot.

“W–why is it still alive?”

“Killing it would be wasteful.”

“What did you just say?”

Had he not seen the thing trying to eat him moments ago?! Garam stared at Jaeheon in disbelief, and the man added an explanation.

“At least it didn’t show killing intent toward you.”

“What about us?” Deok-pal asked.

“It did for you guys.”

Unbelievable.

“Where on earth did you even get those seeds?”

“Outside.”

“More specifically.”

“From a monster.”

Garam tried hard to stay calm.

“And you gave that to me to grow?”

“Growing many kinds is good experience.”

That was it. Garam’s patience finally snapped.

“Still, that’s a monster! A monster!”

He pointed furiously at the Blood Stem. The few remaining vines drooped, then began to twist and weave together. It looked like they were… copying someone’s movements. Someone familiar.

‘Wait— that’s me?’

Garam narrowed his eyes at the Blood Stem’s mimicry.

“I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“If you raise one… can a monster follow humans too?”

“Of course not. Unless you’re a tamer, monsters don’t obey people.”

Monsters, by default, carried hatred toward humans. Only a tamer with special skills could control them.

“Then why’s that thing acting like that?”

“Maybe because it’s a plant?”

Maybe. Could he really make a monster act tame? As he pondered the strange thought, a system window appeared before him.

[‘Plant Encyclopedia’ unlocked.

Blood Stem: Perennial sun-loving plant. A monster that lures prey with mild aphrodisiac effects. Produces seeds once every 10 years. When properly tamed, it is said to be as cute as a puppy. Has excellent memory.]

…As cute as what?

Garam rubbed his eyes and reread the window again and again. Jaeheon noticed his blank stare at the air.

“What does it say?”

“It says… if you raise it well, it’s as cute as a puppy.”

A strange groan escaped Kang Jung-bae behind him. It was a sound unfit for human ears. Jaeheon, in contrast, spoke calmly in that deep, serious voice that always made nonsense sound convincing.

“I see.”

“See what?! What part of that looks like a puppy?” Garam grumbled.

“From a distance, a little.”

At that moment, the Blood Stem twisted its vines into the shape of a puppy. Roughly woven and uneven, it was more grotesque than cute.

“I’m not raising that thing.”

Garam declared firmly. The Blood Stem drooped again, looking oddly sad — as if abandoned by its caretaker. For some reason, Garam felt a pang in his chest… but no. He refused to be fooled.

It was still a monster.

Who knew when it might decide to eat him again?

“As you wish.”

Jaeheon didn’t argue. He didn’t help either — just stood back, watching as Garam took the hoe from Deok-pal and charged at the Blood Stem.

“Huff… huff…”

He thought, it’s just a plant, maybe I can handle it, but it was strong. Now he was literally in a fistfight with vegetation. He glanced at Jaeheon again, hoping for help — but the man didn’t move.

“Tomorrow, then.”

Garam huffed, turned away proudly, and marched into the house.

The next day, Garam slept well and ate plenty. Then he borrowed one of the swords hanging on Jaeheon’s wall.

‘Today, I’ll end this.’

Determined, he marched out to the back field.

“Why not just let me handle it? I’ll kill it fast,” Deok-pal offered as he joined him.

Garam shook his head. As if he’d trust a berserker with a sword.

“I’ll do it myself.”

He stepped forward — but the Blood Stem suddenly straightened up and dropped something at his feet.

A dried-up bird corpse.

“Ugh!”

He yelped and stumbled backward. The Blood Stem’s vines rippled like waves, and Garam jumped further away, heart pounding. Yet… something felt off.

That sense of primal fear — the kind that came from knowing a monster could kill you — wasn’t there. No matter how much the Blood Stem moved, Garam didn’t feel fear. In fact, the tension inside him slowly eased.

Then, a memory surfaced.

A stray cat once brought a dead bird to a woman’s doorstep. It was disgusting, sure — but it was meant as a gift, an act of gratitude.

Garam shook his head violently.

‘No, no way!’

That was a cat — this was a monster! The two could not be compared. Still, he found himself inching closer.

Whether to destroy it or not, he had to get near to do something. When he approached, the Blood Stem tried to grab him again. If Deok-pal hadn’t caught him mid-step, he might have been humiliated like last time.

Garam glared at the plant while watering his beloved crops. The day ended, and another began.

Once again, the Blood Stem offered him bird corpses. This time, two. Garam ignored them. Soon, there were three. The sight was unsettling, but touching them felt even worse.

“It’s like it’s courting you,” Kang Jung-bae teased.

Garam ignored him — nonsense wasn’t worth replying to.

The next day, there were six corpses. They increased by one every day. Each time, the Blood Stem twisted its vines as if expectantly waiting for praise.

By the time the tenth bird appeared, Garam couldn’t stand it. He grabbed a sack and a pair of tongs — he couldn’t bear seeing those ugly corpses beside his precious plants.

“It’s obedient,” said a voice behind him.

“Yikes!”

He jumped, dropping the tongs. It was Jaeheon.

“Wh-what’s obedient?”

Jaeheon pointed first at the Blood Stem — then at Garam.

“Not true! Monsters don’t obey people!” Garam protested.

“Normally, wild Blood Stems attack humans immediately and drain their fluids.”

But this one, though it coiled around him, had never actually tried to drain him. Garam paled.

“So you brought me something that dangerous?”

“It seemed fine.”

He nearly threw the sack at him. Who gives someone a monster seed just because it ‘seems fine’? This man was beyond reason.

Garam took a deep breath, thinking of the canned food Jaeheon had given him earlier.

‘Right. He’s the guy who gives food. Food equals good person.’

He forced himself to calm down. Thinking about meals helped.

“Anyway,” Jaeheon continued, “we’ll have guests soon.”

“Guests?”

Until now, no one had ever visited this place. For Garam, who was slowly learning about this strange man, that was a surprise.

‘He has guests? The world must be ending.’

He wisely kept that thought to himself.

“Do you need me to do anything?”

“No.”

“Then I’ll just stay out here till they leave.”

“Suit yourself.”

Jaeheon nodded and walked to the front of the house. Garam picked up his watering can. There was no need to greet strangers — tending crops would make the time pass faster anyway.

The Blood Stem still swayed gently nearby. Creepy, but harmless — or at least pretending to be. He ignored it.

Kang Jung-bae and Park Deok-pal started wrestling again, as usual. It looked more like rough play than a real fight.

After some time, a commotion rose near the front gate — the guests, apparently.

‘Who in the world hangs out with someone like him?’

Curiosity got the better of Garam. He crept to the wall and peeked around it.

Three figures stood there — a tall, stoic man, a sharp-eyed woman, and a handsome young man. Surprisingly normal-looking.

Well, then again, Jaeheon looked normal too — if you ignored everything else.

As Garam thought that, the woman suddenly turned her gaze his way.

Startled, Garam ducked back behind the wall.