Chapter 79: The Taste of Discovery

Every time I blinked, the scenery changed.

From the villa to a room filled with machines, and then to what seemed like a hospital room.

‘I told them I didn’t need to go to the hospital.’

I blinked a few more times while lying down, then turned my head to look around.

It did seem like a hospital, but in this vast space, I was the only one here. Nothing else just me.

‘The hospital bill is going to be expensive.’

Even though I no longer needed to worry about money, the thought still crossed my mind as I flicked my tail.

Hearing the faint jingle of a bell, I was about to sink into loneliness when

Swoosh

From beneath the bed, Raxy Bora lifted her head.

She rubbed her sleepy eyes, looking like she had just woken up.

I remained silent, watching her until she fully opened her eyes.

“Oh, Harang, you’re awake?”

“Yeah… I woke up.”

My voice came out weak, lacking strength.

But I couldn’t let her worry, so I forced myself to lift both arms as if to show I was fine.

They flopped back onto the mattress almost immediately.

‘Guess the fever is pretty bad.’

Maybe it was because my body was still young my immune system must have weakened.

Once I got better, I needed to exercise more and build up my strength.

Determined, I smiled at Raxy Bora.

“Raxy Bora.”

“Yeah?”

“Can you do this for me?”

I opened my palm and moved my fingers as if grasping the air.

Since I had no strength, I figured a light massage might help ease my fatigue.

“Of course, I can.”

She reached out her hands, but instead of my arms, she unexpectedly went for my face.

Squish, squish

She gently kneaded my cheeks, playing with them.

Still, it felt nice.

Her hands were cool against my feverish skin, and the affection in her touch was comforting.

“Hehe.”

With my eyes half-closed, I enjoyed the sensation when

Growl

A faint rumble echoed from my stomach, making Raxy Bora pause.

“Harang, are you hungry? Do you want something to eat?”

“No, I’m not hungry.”

I shook my head at her.

I knew my stomach wanted food, but I had no appetite.

Nothing seemed appealing.

“…Harang, you need to eat something to get better faster.”

She bit her lower lip, clearly worried.

‘I guess I have no choice.’

I didn’t want her to worry it was worse than dying.

“Bora, then I’ll have some churu.”

“Harang, we ran out of churu. How about some porridge instead?”

“Yeah, that’s fine too.”

Porridge with churu mixed in would taste even better.

Just as I was thinking that

Click

The door opened, and someone stepped into the room.

Both Raxy Bora and I turned our heads to look.

Delphine was approaching, carrying a tray.

“Delphine?”

“Yeah, it’s me.”

Steam rose from the bowl resting on the tray she was holding.

‘So Delphine came along too.’

Now that I thought about it, I wondered how Silver was doing.

I wished I could live with him outside the forest, too.

Feeling a bit disappointed, I smacked my lips.

By the time I realized it, Delphine was already sitting beside me.

“Harang, I brought you some food.”

“Mm, thanks.”

I was just about to have porridge anyway perfect timing.

‘But how am I supposed to eat it?’

I couldn’t sit up on my own.

I just lay there, staring at Delphine blankly.

Vrrr

The bed adjusted itself, shifting my body into a sitting position.

“Harang, I’ll feed you, so all you have to do is open your mouth, okay?”

“Mm. Thanks.”

Having someone spoon-feed me like this, when I had no strength at all…

Delphine was truly a kind person.

So kind that I even felt like calling her a ‘friend.’

As I wagged my tail, I slowly opened my mouth.

Delphine’s face turned slightly red as she looked at me.

“Is there still no way to figure out what’s wrong with her?”

“No. Since she’s different from an ordinary human…”

Yoon Bora lowered her head at the doctor’s words.

Even the country’s most skilled surgeon couldn’t identify the cause of Harang’s condition.

It was understandable Harang’s body was genetically distinct from normal humans.

‘Should I take her abroad?’

In highly developed countries with populations in the hundreds of millions,

there were more cases of rare syndromes, and their hospitals were better equipped.

It seemed like an overseas option needed to be considered.

Just as Yoon Bora clenched her fist and prepared to leave, the doctor, who had been filling out paperwork, spoke up.

“Did she eat anything unusual in the mountains?”

“Something unusual…?”

“Yes. Syndrome patients often have foods they can’t tolerate. For example, chocolate can be toxic to felidae patients.”

“That’s…”

Yoon Bora rubbed her chin, thinking back on what Harang had eaten recently.

Milk, churu, regular meals

Everything had been part of her usual diet.

The only unusual thing Harang had eaten in the mountains was Abyssal Fish.

“She did eat some Abyssal Fish recently.”

At her words, the doctor typed on the keyboard before responding.

“Abyssal Fish is generally harmless to humans.”

“To humans.”

“Yes. But for certain monsters, it can be toxic.”

Yoon Bora froze in place at the doctor’s words.

This meant that Harang had traces of a monster’s blood in her.

“Which monsters are affected by Abyssal Fish?”

“The most well-known examples are red-type monsters and Silver Tigers.”

“Silver Tiger…?!”

Yoon Bora lowered her head, recalling Harang’s past behaviors.

Baring her teeth in an attempt to look fierce, communicating effortlessly with Silver Tiger—

And the silver fur matching its color.

“She… she might have Silver Tiger genes.”

“In that case…”

The doctor silently typed on the keyboard before turning the monitor toward Yoon Bora.

It was a research paper on Silver Tigers.

“If we had a real Silver Tiger, treating the patient would be much easier. But right now, this is all we have.”

“A real Silver Tiger?”

“Yes. But Silver Tigers are extremely aggressive and don’t follow humans…”

The doctor trailed off, but Yoon Bora’s eyes gleamed.

Because there was a Silver Tiger that listened to Harang.

“We have a Silver Tiger.”

“Pardon?”

The doctor paused mid-typing, looking confused.

But Yoon Bora was no longer paying attention to the doctor.

She had finally found a clue to help Harang.

I was riding on Raxy Bora’s back as she carried me.

She said staying in the hospital room would only make me feel weaker.

“Hehe.”

I rubbed my cheek against the nape of her neck.

I took a deep sniff, then even stuck my tongue out for a taste.

She was sweet and citrusy it was delicious.

With no appetite, licking her neck seemed like the best option for now.

“Harang, do you like going for walks?”

“I like it when you carry me more than the walk itself.”

“Oh… um, I like you too, Harang.”

She liked me, and I liked her.

Nothing could be better than this.

Feeling strangely energetic, I swung my legs back and forth.

It wasn’t much, just a gentle movement.

As I continued swaying my legs and flicking my tongue, someone suddenly grabbed my tail from behind.

“Harang, what about me?”

The voice belonged to Delphine.

Since I didn’t have the strength to turn my head, I tapped her hand with my tail instead.

“Of course, I like you too.”

“No, not that. I want you to lick me too.”

“Oh.”

It was kind of a strange request, but if she wanted it, I’d oblige.

I used my tail to grab Delphine’s hand and pulled her close. Then, I stuck out my tongue but I couldn’t reach her.

Of course. My tongue wasn’t that long.

“Delphine, my tongue can’t reach.”

“Should I hug you?”

“Would that even work…?”

Her body was just as small and delicate as mine.

As I looked at her with slight concern, Raxy Bora lifted me up and handed me over to Delphine.

“Delphine, be careful. Harang isn’t feeling well.”

“Yes~”

Delphine stretched out her arms and held me.

Even though we were about the same height, it didn’t seem too difficult for her, probably because I was so light.

‘Huh…?’

Being held by Delphine felt different from when the twins or Jinhyang carried me.

There was an odd sense of unfamiliarity.

I slowly turned my thoughts to figuring out why.

What was different between Delphine and the other women?

‘Oh… now that I think about it…’

Delphine didn’t have the soft cushion I could lean on.

Not that I could lean on her anyway, since our faces were at the same height.

‘The usual fluffy feeling was nice…’

For some reason, I felt a little disappointed.

‘No, I can’t think like that.’

She had come all the way to the hospital to help me, and here I was comparing her to others.

Shaking off my thoughts, I quickly stuck out my tongue and licked her cheek.

Lick, lick

As I licked Delphine’s cheek up close, my eyes widened in surprise.

‘What is this taste?’

I had planned to stop after two or three licks, but…

It was too delicious to stop.

Unlike the other three women, Delphine’s taste was purely intense.

“Delphine.”

“Hm?”

I looked at her seriously.

I needed to ask where she was from.

“…Are you American?”

“…?”

Delphine froze in place.

After a brief silence, she slowly nodded.

“Yeah. I’m American.”

“I knew it.”

No wonder she tasted so strong.

Wagging my tail, I kept licking her cheek.

Since it was bringing back my appetite, I had no complaints.