Chapter 1
“Haah, haah!”
Every time he exhaled harshly, his throat burned as if it were being torn apart.
His fists, clenched so tightly that his nails dug into his palms, trembled with spasms. His knees kept buckling.
But he couldn’t stop.
If he did…
“I’ll be eaten…!”
Grinding his teeth, the man cursed himself.
He shouldn’t have brushed off the rumors about a beast. He never should have stepped into this dangerous forest. If only he hadn’t listened to Gepetto’s talk about gold overflowing here!
But regret was useless now.
He was already being hunted.
How far has it followed me?
The thought stirred both dread and curiosity.
Against every instinct screaming at him not to, he turned his head—and saw it.
A mysterious beast charging toward him at terrifying speed.
Sharp fangs glinting within a dark shadow.
“Aaaagh!!”
His legs gave out and he tumbled forward. Scrambling desperately, he crawled toward the nearest tree.
Damn it, damn it!
He pressed his back against the trunk and fumbled out a dagger.
Both hands holding it shook violently, as if an earthquake had struck.
I’m going to be torn to pieces. Devoured by a beast without even a corpse left behind!
Facing death, blind courage overtook his fear.
“Get away from me, you monster!”
The beast seemed to say something—but the man, crazed with terror, heard nothing.
A talking beast? He must have lost his mind from fear.
With his eyes squeezed shut, he slashed wildly.
And then—
Thud.
The blade sank into something solid.
“Ah…”
A trembling breath slipped from between his lips.
Slowly, he opened his eyes.
The dagger was embedded in the beast’s hand.
I’ve done it. I’ve really… angered a wild beast.
Only then did he throw himself flat onto the ground and beg.
“I-I’m sorry! Please spare me! I have a wife and children at home—my rabbit-like wife and kids who depend on me! If you let me live, I’ll never forget your mercy!”
Sobbing, he pleaded desperately, pouring out every reason he had to live.
Even knowing a beast couldn’t possibly understand human speech, he couldn’t stop.
Yet no matter how much time passed, the excruciating pain of being torn apart never came.
Sensing something strange, the man slowly lifted his head.
“Uh…?”
There was no one there.
Only his fallen dagger—and a stain of the beast’s blood.
“What monstrous recovery.”
When the blade pierced my hand, I nearly blacked out. It had cut through the softest part of the flesh, and the pain had been intense.
But only for a moment. As time passed, the wound slowly healed.
What hurt more than my hand was my heart. Remembering the man’s face as he swung his dagger with murderous intent made my mood sink endlessly.
“That’s just cruel.”
With a sigh, I opened the iron gate and went inside.
Perhaps they’d heard the noise from afar—because a family of snow-white rabbits came hopping toward me, lining up in a neat row.
They twitched their noses and waved their front paws, as if urging me to hurry up and report the results.
Unable to resist their cuteness, I poked them one by one.
The baby rabbit at the end lost its balance and plopped over sideways.
“This time was really the worst. I told him I wouldn’t hurt him, but he wouldn’t listen.”
Maybe I’d been too excited to see a human after so long.
I’d wanted to clear up the misunderstanding and talk, but things hadn’t gone as planned.
Only after seeing blood again did I truly realize—
Just how hideous a beast I was.
Well… if a two-legged animal suddenly appeared in a deserted forest, anyone would be scared.
I touched the face reflected in the fountain. Ripples distorted the image of the beast.
No one would believe it looking at me now, but I used to be an ordinary college student in South Korea.
I hadn’t been hit by a car. I hadn’t died from a rare disease. I hadn’t fallen from a height.
Like anyone else, I had simply gone to bed, closed my eyes, and opened them to the morning sunlight tapping against my eyelids.
I had just gone to sleep!
Yet I had woken up in a world completely different from the one I knew.
When I first saw the luxurious ceiling—nothing like my apartment’s—I could only blink like an idiot.
What is this, a dream?
I sat up and looked around, feeling something deeply off.
The air filling my lungs was fresher than usual. The birds outside the window chirped so loudly it was almost irritating.
Most of all…
Was my eyesight always this good?
I could see every grain in the wooden door. What the hell? Did I become Mongolian overnight?
“Gah!”
While looking around in disbelief, I suddenly froze and jumped to my feet.
On the blanket was a large symbol.
Drawn in a dark red liquid that looked disturbingly like blood.
Wait—why is my viewpoint so high? Did I get taller?
The shocks kept piling up—but that was nothing compared to what came next.
I spotted a mirror.
Without any mental preparation whatsoever, I locked eyes with a black beast of unknown identity.
“………Aaaahhh!!!”
When I screamed, the beast in the mirror screamed too.
Those hideous fangs… I’m going to be ripped to shreds!
Forgetting that the beast was mimicking my every movement, I flung open the nearest door and ran with every ounce of strength I had.
The scenery blurred past me—
A gleaming corridor.
A dazzling chandelier.
A grand hall straight out of a movie.
A beautiful garden blooming with flowers of every kind.
Only after stepping outside and feeling the cool breeze did I come to my senses.
“…Where the hell am I?”
I slowly turned around. No terrifying beast was chasing me.
Rustle. Rustle. Rustle.
Suddenly, a sound from the bushes snapped my attention toward it.
What now?
But instead of some horror, what popped out in front of me—
“…A rabbit.”
A snow-white rabbit.
It perked up its ears, stared at me with black eyes, and then sprinted toward me at full speed.
Startled, I instinctively stepped back—but a strange letter tied around its plump body caught my eye.
The way it bounced up and down seemed to say, Hurry up and read it!
So I bent down and took it.
The folded paper revealed unfamiliar writing.
But strangely, I could read it effortlessly.
To whoever receives this,
The body you are in is under a black mage’s curse.
Unless it receives a kiss filled with true love, it will remain forever as a hideous beast.
Isn’t it hopeful to know there’s a way to break the curse?
But I no longer have the strength to bear the fate before me. I’m too worn down to change it myself.
So I have exchanged my soul with yours—somewhere out there in this vast universe. I will make good use of your body.
Remember this: you do not have much time.
If you fail to break the curse before all the leaves of the Tree of Life in the tower fall, you will die.
I can only say that I’m sorry.
One last request—please stay far away from the circus.
Dying here might, perhaps, be the better option.
Lastly,
Nathan Rafelia Armiun.
My first thought after reading the short letter was…
“What terrible handwriting.”
The crooked letters looked like something written by a kindergartener who had just learned to write.
“So the beast I saw earlier was me… and this Nathan Rafelia Whatever swapped souls with me?”
My mouth hung open at the sheer absurd fantasy of it all.
No way.
But while my mind denied it, my body was already walking toward the fountain.
At the same time, I tried to dismiss the strange inconsistencies I’d been feeling.
The unnaturally high perspective.
The beast’s hands I’d seen while reading the letter.
Yet reflected in the rippling water was not a human—but something enormous.
Pitch-black fur.
Golden eyes gleaming even in shadow.
Fangs sharp as honed blades.
Claws that looked capable of tearing flesh with a mere brush.
Standing there was a gigantic beast—wearing, absurdly enough, a blue vest.
This can’t be real.
I wanted to faint.
But perhaps because this body was so sturdy, I remained perfectly conscious.
Eventually I collapsed to the ground in a daze, and the rabbits hopped around me as if to comfort me.
“Squeak! Squeak!!”
Are you okay? Are you okay?
“I can even understand rabbits now…”
Despair swallowed me whole, and I squeezed my eyes shut.
A week passed.
Morning sunlight poured in as I examined my arm.
The black fur was still there.
“…Guess I should get up.”
After thinking things through carefully, I realized there were advantages to being a beast.
For starters—overwhelming strength!
Unlike when I was human, I woke each morning feeling refreshed and brimming with vitality.
The downside?
Crunch! Snap!
I had more than just strength—it overflowed.
“Ah…”
I gazed wistfully at yet another doorknob that had died a glorious death in my grip. I’d been gentle, I swear.
Still, I decided not to worry too much.
It’ll fix itself anyway!
The first time it happened, I’d panicked. An unconscious swing of my arm—crunch here, snap there! If not for the magic restoring everything, the castle would have collapsed by now.
Shaking my head, I walked down the corridor when a delicious smell hit my nose.
Sniff, sniff. My mouth watered automatically.
“I wonder what’s on the menu today.”
Cheerfully, I entered the dining hall.
Contrary to my fears, this place was the magical castle of my dreams.
Meals arrived on time without fail. The bed was warm and soft. The castle and garden were so beautiful that simply looking at them made time flow like water.
Perfect.
Nathan Rafelia had left a second letter explaining the details of Rafelia Castle, so adapting hadn’t been difficult.
In fact, with how comfortable everything was, even my beastly appearance had started to seem… cute.
It was fun for a while.
But I’d reached my limit.
The silence and loneliness that came without warning gnawed at me.
If I didn’t go outside, I felt like I’d suffocate.
“So today, no matter what, I’m going out.”
Before I could even finish speaking, the rabbit family gathered around anxiously.
And they weren’t wrong. Going outside in this body wasn’t exactly an easy choice.
“Don’t try to stop me. I can’t hide here forever.”
I persuaded the tiny rabbits clustered around my feet.
If I was going to fall in love, I had to meet people first.
With my mind made up, I broke the concealment magic surrounding Rafelia Castle as soon as I finished breakfast.
Worried gazes followed me as I strode outside—but I didn’t care.
My heart swelled with a sliver of excitement.
And the possibility of meeting someone.
Who knows? Maybe I’ll find someone who won’t run away even if I talk to them.
When I stepped forward confidently, I had no idea how foolish that hope was.
I hadn’t yet fully accepted that this beast’s body was truly mine.
By luck, I ran into someone almost immediately after leaving.
“Excuse me, just a moment!”
“AAAAAH! A MONSTER!”
“……”
