Don’t Mess with the Puppy! - Vol.1 Chapter 2 Part 10
The Wolf Clan’s event was elegant and splendid. It was held in a high-ceilinged hotel that Heeseong had never seen before. There, the puppy with the condiment stain on its head – which wouldn’t wash off – clung to Yoon Chi-young’s hand and watched the purebred wolves. There were famous baseball and soccer players, as well as high-ranking industry figures and movie actors.
The strange thing was that everyone came to greet Yoon Chi-young, at least superficially.
“Long time no see, Director. How have you been?”
Yoon Chi-young’s response varied depending on the person. Of course, the wolves’ reactions also changed each time.
If he answered, “I’ve been a bit busy, thanks to you,” the wolves would turn pale and fidget.
If he answered, “I’m the same as always,” the wolves would still find him difficult to deal with and smile awkwardly.
It seemed that the only way to pass was to answer, “I’ve been rather bored lately.” When the wolves who were talking to Yoon Chi-young heard that answer, their expressions would brighten slightly.
‘Do they all hate being noticed by Yoon Chi-young?’
After watching the scene from his arms so many times, the puppy was now able to analyze the wolves’ reactions. They all found Yoon Chi-young difficult to deal with or even feared him, and there was a hint of contempt in the depths of their eyes. On the other hand, it was strange that Yoon Chi-young didn’t seem to find anyone particularly difficult to deal with, whether they were old or famous.
As time went on, the inauguration ceremony for the new leader began.
The purebred wolves sat in their seats with solemn faces, ready for the event. The surroundings were brightly and lavishly decorated, but Heeseong felt a subtle tension in the air. Perhaps it was because of the pheromones that were faintly emanating from the nervous wolves.
“Don’t you hate the smell here? Stay over there for a bit.”
For some reason, Yoon Chi-young seemed worried about the puppy and asked Heeseong to leave him somewhere else. His expression was full of displeasure. Heeseong, who wasn’t as sensitive to pheromones, didn’t really mind where he was, but he ended up being handed over to Ji Young-bae, one of the organization members who was standing by the wall of the event hall.
“Do whatever the puppy wants.”
Ji Young-bae, who had even received a special order, nodded seriously. As soon as Yoon Chi-young returned to his seat, Heeseong muttered what he wanted.
‘Get me out of here.’
“Do you want to go to the bathroom?”
“…….”
The puppy gave up right away. Since they could only understand each other halfway, Heeseong got tired after talking to Ji Young-bae for just a bit. He would rather talk to Yoon Chi-young, who muttered to himself.
The puppy, who was staring blankly ahead, noticed something strange.
‘What is that?’
The purebred wolves were sitting around round tables in groups of three or five.
However, at Yoon Chi-young’s table in the front, he was the only one sitting there gracefully.
Curious, Heeseong pointed to Yoon Chi-young with his front paw and asked Ji Young-bae.
‘Is he an outcast?’
“No.”
‘Oh, you understood what I just said?’
The puppy looked up, his black eyes shining. He saw Ji Young-bae’s usual expressionless and serious face.
“The director is not a potato, he is a wolf.”
‘You’re annoying too.’
Heeseong hit Ji Young-bae’s hand with his front paw and got angry. This was how it always was, and he gave up on the conversation.
Still unable to contain his curiosity, he used more precise body language this time.
‘Why. Is. He. Alone?’
Fortunately, Ji Young-bae seemed to understand this time.
“Ah. It’s special treatment. The director is the watcher of the clan, that’s why.”
‘Watcher?’
Since he couldn’t express the word “watcher” with body language, he deliberately made a big show of being puzzled. Fortunately, Ji Young-bae understood what he meant just by tilting his head.
“The wolf clan values purity and dignity, so it is strict about internal strife and betrayal.”
‘What’s that.’
“That’s why the wolf clan has a separate watcher who deals with troublemakers and traitors directly.”
‘…What?’
The puppy’s face became blank. In his black eyes, he could see Yoon Chi-young’s broad back and relaxed figure sitting alone at the table.
‘Then, the watcher is someone who… watches their own family members and kills them with their own hands if they betray them?’
Come to think of it, Yoon Chi-young had said to Yoon Geon-young last time that he didn’t want his sister to die. If he inferred the meaning of those words, it seemed that Yoon Chi-young had already had the experience of dealing with his own family members directly.
〈But that’s not a position that just anyone can have.〉
However, it didn’t seem like Yoon Chi-young had become a watcher on his own accord. Something was strange.
The puppy again waved his front paws and tail vigorously and showed Ji Young-bae body language.
‘What happens then?’
‘Who becomes the watcher?’
‘Why did he become it?!’
After a few communication errors, Heeseong finally got the answer he wanted.
“Ah, the watcher has always been the strongest one who inherited the wolf’s blood the most directly. Instead, they grow up separated from their family from a young age and receive special training.”
‘If he’s the strongest, why isn’t he the leader?’
Heeseong pointed to Yoon Geon-young, who was standing on the stage. He couldn’t understand why Yoon Geon-young, not the strongest Yoon Chi-young, was the next leader of the clan.
Ji Young-bae, as if he had anticipated that question, explained it in a deep voice.
“The leader of the wolf clan is chosen by the wisest one.”
‘…These crazy guys.’
Didn’t that mean that Yoon Chi-young was raised separately from a young age to be a part of the infighting among his own kind because he had the strongest wolf blood?
“…That’s why all the clan members are afraid of the watcher.”
And yet, everyone was wary of the watcher. Even though they were family. Heeseong stared at Yoon Chi-young’s back for a long time.
‘What kind of family ostracizes their own child?’
For some reason, the puppy was getting heated up about this situation. He didn’t know why. At least the hunters who had raised Heeseong hadn’t raised him separately to play a role in infighting. For the hunters who were united by loyalty, such a thing was out of the question.
‘I want to go to him.’
“Yes?”
‘To him. I’m going. Me.’
The puppy showed his body language very politely. His eyes also shone brightly. But Ji Young-bae hesitated, glancing back and forth between the puppy and Yoon Chi-young.
“But….”
The puppy glared sternly at the hesitant Ji Young-bae.
In the end, Ji Young-bae, unable to resist the puppy’s pleading eyes, carefully entered the solemn place. After all, he had to follow orders. The boss had said to do whatever the puppy wanted.
“Director.”
Ji Young-bae was the only one speaking and moving around in the middle of the ongoing inauguration ceremony. He cautiously held out the angry puppy to Yoon Chi-young, who turned his head with a bored expression.
“The puppy insists on going to the director….”
“Ah… Right. Come here.”
Yoon Chi-young smiled for the first time. He took the fierce-looking puppy and held him quietly in his arms. A few disgruntled clan members’ eyes gathered, but no one dared to speak directly to Yoon Chi-young.
Finally, Ji Young-bae didn’t forget to relay the message.
“And the puppy said… not to be discouraged.”
“Gulp,gurgle…!”
Yoon Chi-young, who was drinking wine, hiccupped. A red, clear liquid dripped from the corner of his mouth and left a red mark on the white puppy’s back like rose petals.
‘Hey, this….’
Heeseong, who had been hit with wine for no reason, frowned angrily and looked back and forth between his back and Yoon Chi-young. He was already annoyed by the delicious smell of the condiment stain left on his head that had been wafting all day, and now he had the fragrant smell of wine on his body.
But Yoon Chi-young wasn’t in a state to care about the angry puppy. Covering his face with his large hand, Yoon Chi-young was busy shaking his shoulders and holding back his laughter.
‘You’re spilling wine on my back and laughing now?’
Although he was dissatisfied, the puppy stayed in Yoon Chi-young’s arms until the end of the event. When he felt the unpleasant gazes of the clan members, he glared fiercely at the purebred wolves.
After the event, the puppy also did his own part.
‘You’re a puppy too.’
‘You too, damn it!’
Whenever the purebred wolves approached Yoon Chi-young with difficulty, the puppy would bare his teeth and try to bite their hands. The wolves, who saw the cheeky puppy, looked like they would tear him to pieces right away, but they would run away as if they were fleeing, seeing Yoon Chi-young’s cold expression.
“Ha, our puppy is getting rid of all the annoying wolves.”
For the first time, Yoon Chi-young laughed out loud in the spacious hall.
Then Yoon Chi-young saw his own reflection in the marble on the side. The sight of himself laughing happily under the golden chandelier was like a scene from a movie. And even the bad-tempered puppy in his arms felt perfect. It was a feeling he had never felt before at a family event.
***
