Jisoo's eyes widened as the Beast Lord's low, amused chuckle echoed through the trees. Well… he seems to be enjoying this, she thought, her mind spinning. Oh my goodness… Jesus Christ… this is unbelievable!
Her hands flew to her face for a second, then she shook her head violently. Come on, Jisoo… do something! she muttered to herself, panic and determination mixing into a chaotic cocktail. Her heart was hammering, her brain short-circuiting—but one thing was clear: she wasn't going down without making this encounter memorable… even if it meant embarrassing herself in front of the most dangerous, ridiculously handsome beast in the entire south.
---
Jisoo's mind raced as the Beast Lord's golden eyes locked onto hers. Okay… think, Jisoo… think! she muttered under her breath, pacing a tiny circle in the clearing, palms sweaty. This is insane. Totally insane. He's beautiful. Terrifying. Probably deadly. And now… seduce him? Are you kidding me?!
She tried to stand tall, chest puffed out, chin up—but her legs felt like jelly. No, no, no… strong, confident, badass Jisoo. You can do this. Somehow.
"Uh… hi?" she said, waving a hand awkwardly. Smooth, Jisoo. Very smooth. Her voice squeaked. No, no squeaking… deep, confident, sultry… maybe? Ugh, forget it!
The Beast Lord tilted his head slightly, the faintest smirk tugging at his lips. His golden gaze seemed to pierce right through her panic, and for a horrifying second, she could swear he was enjoying watching her flail.
Oh no… he's enjoying this, Jisoo thought, gulping. He's definitely enjoying this. Okay… plan. Plan! Think of a plan!
She swallowed hard, her mind firing off every ridiculous strategy she'd ever seen in a shoujo manga, a fantasy novel, or—hell—even a ridiculous BL comic. Charm him? Intimidate him? Trip over something and act coy?
She tried to strike a confident pose, crossing her arms and giving him her "I'm strong, do not mess with me" glare—but it came out more like, I'm panicking and slightly insane. She muttered under her breath, Focus, Jisoo. Seduce him… or whatever the system wants. But… survive first. Always survive first.
The Beast Lord's chuckle rumbled again, low and amused. "Do you always talk to me like that, human?" he asked, his voice calm, dangerous, and impossibly smooth.
Jisoo froze, hands halfway in the air, brain short-circuiting. Talk to him? Like… what do you even say to a Beast Lord when your system tells you to seduce him?!
"Uh… well… you see…" she stammered, waving a hand vaguely, "I—um… I'm… very strong? And… uh… impressive? Yeah. Totally impressive." She pinched the bridge of her nose. No. That sounded dumb. Okay, deep breath. Charm him. Charm him like a pro. Not a panicking idiot.
The Beast Lord's smirk deepened. "Interesting," he said. "Most humans are either afraid or… foolish. You… are neither."
What does that even mean?! Jisoo thought, pacing another tiny circle. Is that good? Is that bad? Am I supposed to seduce him now? Oh my god… help me, Jesus… help me!
Her face heated as her internal panic tangled with an undeniable thrill. This was insane. Unbelievable. Hilarious. Terrifying. And somehow, completely exhilarating.
Okay… Jisoo. Strong. Badass. Confident. Survive… and maybe, just maybe… look a little dangerously flirty while doing it. Somehow.
She straightened her shoulders, tilted her chin, and muttered under her breath: Alright, Beast Lord… let's see how you handle this human chaos.
---
Jisoo took a deep breath, trying to channel her inner "strong, confident, dangerously flirty" persona. She fluffed her hair, tilted her head, and shot him what she hoped was a sultry, intimidating glance.
Okay, Jisoo… don't panic. Don't hyperventilate. Charm him. Seduce him. Somehow…
"Uh… hey," she started, waving one hand awkwardly. No, no waving—too casual. She tried again, placing one hand on her hip. "I… think you're… um… really… impressive?"
Her voice squeaked on the word "impressive," and her hand accidentally grazed her hair in a move that was supposed to be subtle, seductive, and graceful—but instead looked like she was trying to swat an invisible fly.
The Beast Lord's golden eyes narrowed, his smirk widening ever so slightly. "Interesting choice of words," he said, his voice low and dangerous. "Most humans would either bow, scream, or run. You… flail and attempt to… flatter me?"
Flail and attempt to flatter him?! Jisoo thought. YES! That's exactly what I'm doing! Kind of…
She straightened again, trying to act confident. "Well… yeah. You're… scary and… strong… and… uh… I guess kind of… hot?" She almost choked on the last word, wishing she could disappear into the forest floor.
The Beast Lord tilted his head, golden eyes glinting with amusement—or maybe judgment. "Hot? Bold. And foolish. Yet… you survive in my territory. That is… impressive, human."
Impressive? Wait… that's good, right? Oh no… what do I do now?
Jisoo tapped her chin dramatically, trying to look thoughtful and alluring at the same time. Think… think… act like I'm in control, even if I'm panicking internally.
"Yeah… impressive," she repeated, smirking shakily. "I… can handle myself. And, uh… maybe I could handle… you?"
Her voice dropped an octave too low, attempting sultriness, but it came out somewhere between a whisper and a squeak. Perfect, Jisoo… perfectly ridiculous.
The Beast Lord let out a low, amused chuckle that sent a shiver down her spine. "Bold. And… strangely entertaining. Most humans would have begged for mercy by now."
Entertaining?! she thought, trying not to flail. Okay… maybe this is working… sort of… ish… maybe…
Jisoo straightened again, trying to look confident, dangerous, and subtly flirty all at once. "Well… I'm not most humans," she said, her voice dripping with forced bravado. "So… you should probably… keep watching. Carefully."
The Beast Lord's smirk deepened. "I will. Very carefully," he said, voice low and dangerously smooth, every word brushing against her nerves. "You… are unlike anyone I've encountered."
Okay… good. That's… something. He's intrigued. He's… watching me. Which is… terrifying and exciting at the same time. Jisoo's heart hammered in her chest. Survive first… flirt awkwardly second… maybe… somehow…
Her mind spun with possibilities—bluff, charm, misdirect, survive—and she muttered under her breath: Alright, Beast Lord… you asked for this human chaos. Let's see how you handle it.