Don’t Mess with the Puppy! - Vol.1 Chapter 2 Part 4
Yoon Chi-young, stepping back onto the terrace, took a seat and picked up the tablet.
Several photos and CCTV footage appeared on the tablet screen. Swiping to the side, simple documents and reports submitted by members of the organization also surfaced.
All were records from the vicinity of the wolf clan’s base on the day the puppy was found.
Lost in thought over the records, Yoon Chi-young turned to Ji Young-bae standing behind and inquired,
“There were no organizations that trespassed into our territory on this day, correct?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Yoon Chi-young smirked slightly. The puppy had appeared, injured, in a blind spot not covered by the CCTV, but astute Yoon Chi-young could somewhat grasp the situation.
It didn’t make sense to start a fight in front of the wolf clan’s base just to steal drugs worth a mere tens of millions of won. Even street thugs, conscious of their territory, would prefer to quietly pass by the stronghold of the fiercely territorial wolf clan.
Unless one wanted to rid themselves of a bothersome burden and pocket some money on the side.
Moreover, if the youngest member of an organization disappeared within the wolf clan’s territory, it would be difficult to hastily investigate.
Having thought this far, Yoon Chi-young gazed from the terrace into the house. A white puppy was sound asleep on the black carpet, hugging a snake toy.
“What to do…”
Yoon Chi-young smiled faintly.
The situation seemed somewhat amusing. The casino manager, Park Geon-tae, was already under close watch for a reason. Whenever something passed through that man’s hands, it tended to diminish slightly. Given his obsession with women, it seemed he might even sell his own flesh, and now he had indeed thrown away the most crucial card.
“If it’s true, our puppy might be deeply hurt.”
Though the words carried a tone of concern, his gray eyes sparkled with an unusual excitement.
Soon after, Yoon Chi-young gave Ji Young-bae a simple order.
“Start monitoring Park Geon-tae from today.”
“Understood.”
Rising from his seat, Yoon Chi-young picked up the white lump lying like a stain on the black carpet and laid it beside his bed. Looking down at the puppy, his eyes swirled with an excitement never felt before.
***
As the weekend passed, Yoon Chi-young unusually stayed home instead of going to work. Heeseong watched the latest movie Yoon Chi-young put on and ate grilled king prawns that he had peeled himself.
“Did the puppy like the prawns?”
‘I don’t know. It’s my first time eating them.’
For Heeseong, it was the first time he ever tried king prawns. He hadn’t realized shrimp could taste so good. For the first time, he even clung to Yoon Chi-young’s wrist to receive and eat a prawn directly. Yoon Chi-young, watching the puppy do so, proudly commented,
“Ah, so cute I could die.”
‘What?’
“Eat up and recover quickly. So I can eat you in winter.”
“……”
Heeseong’s appetite suddenly dropped.
Only then did the puppy stop eating the prawns and glared at Yoon Chi-young as usual. In a fit of pique, he even knocked over a cup of water. Yoon Chi-young, finding amusement in that, smiled warmly and peeled more prawns to give him like a bribe. After some deliberation, the puppy ended up eating all of it.
The talk of being eaten in winter had dampened his appetite with its unfortunate implications, but Heeseong wasn’t concerned, planning to escape before then anyway.
As evening arrived, the doctor, who seemed like a drug addict, came to the house to examine the puppy, now with a swollen belly.
“The pheromone levels are almost undetectable again. It’s just a puppy, indeed.”
‘You quack.’
The haggard doctor, perhaps truly a drug addict, misdiagnosed Heeseong as a puppy. After reapplying the pheromone measurement device behind Heeseong’s neck and confirming the results, Yoon Chi-young watched with a subtle smile, though he made no further comment.
Nonetheless, the doctor seemed competent in his field. He treated the puppy with great care and made no mistakes, possibly due to Yoon Chi-young’s cool, watchful grey eyes.
“Fortunately, the wound is healing quickly. We can remove the cast today, and the stitches can come out next week. Walking might still be difficult, but activity should be possible around the time we remove the stitches.”
“……”
Heeseong wasn’t pleased to hear about his rapid recovery.
He had grown complacent, enjoying full meals and warmth, which wasn’t right, considering his brother. Frustrated, Heeseong bit Yoon Chi-young’s hand that was petting him, acting out.
Then Heeseong inspected his own legs. The stitched skin looked grotesque, and bruises dotted his small body.
‘It still seems difficult to transform back into a human…’
Beastmen healed faster in their original form. The body instinctively maintained the safest form while injured. Therefore, whenever Heeseong tried to transform back into a human, the pain from the wounds made him give up on the transformation. It was proof that his body was still in recovery.
Despite everything, Heeseong was determined to return to his human form as soon as possible, believing it would make any escape attempt much easier. During his recovery period, he firmly resolved to prepare for his escape.
At that moment, Yoon Chi-young, whose hand had been bitten, asked the doctor,
“When can he start going for walks?”
‘…Is this jerk really raising me like a dog?’
Walks, of all things. Heeseong had no intention of ever wearing a leash Yoon Chi-young might offer. There had already been incidents where, upon being leashed, he would simply flop down in protest until it was removed. He had managed to escape neck collars and, as a sign of protest, spilled coffee or whatever else he could find. Even though Yoon Chi-young seemed to enjoy these moments enough to take photos, causing Heeseong irritation, not using a leash or dog accessories remained a point of pride for beastmen.
The doctor advised,
“Considering it’s the cold month of November and he is a patient, it might be best to refrain from walks for the time being…”
“Hmm…”
Yoon Chi-young didn’t seem particularly disappointed. He just carefully observed the puppy’s wounds, slightly squinting one eye. It seemed that the puppy’s rapid recovery wasn’t entirely good news for him either. The doctor, trying to gauge Yoon Chi-young’s reaction, was at a loss for what pace to set.
“Well, then…”
At that moment, the doctor cautiously approached Yoon Chi-young with the pheromone measurement device. Yoon Chi-young nonchalantly nodded without showing any sign of objection.
The doctor placed the device behind Yoon Chi-young’s neck, and a threatening mechanical sound repeated as a red figure appeared. 892. This was hundreds of times higher than the 4 or 5 that appeared for Heeseong.
The doctor, shocked by the reading, asked,
“The normal level is 200… Haven’t you returned to your original form recently?”
“Been busy raising a puppy.”
Yoon Chi-young responded indifferently, continuing to pet the puppy. The doctor, still retaining some professional integrity, poured out advice to Yoon Chi-young.
“Still, as a beastman, you should either return to your original form or manage your pheromones through sexual activity. Especially since you have a strong beastman’s power, you should do so at least once every two weeks…”
‘Once every two weeks?’
Heeseong lifted his head in surprise.
Beastmen were still close to humans. Returning to their original form to manage pheromones was usually sufficient every two months. But once every two weeks implied that Yoon Chi-young’s wolf lineage was particularly strong.
‘Is this guy seriously just a beast?’
Could the rumors of cannibalism be true?
As Heeseong pondered seriously, Yoon Chi-young, looking tired, sent the doctor out of the house.
As soon as the doctor left, Yoon Chi-young aired out the house. Heeseong noticed that Yoon Chi-young seemed to have a sensitive sense of smell, always ventilating the house after someone visited. He even disliked the smell of his own cigarettes, always washing his hands and carrying mint candies.
“Sigh…”
Returning to the bed, Yoon Chi-young lay down, hugging the puppy.
Heeseong climbed onto the pillow where Yoon Chi-young lay, contemplating as usual how to deal with this cannibalistic wolf.
However, today Yoon Chi-young seemed particularly exhausted.
‘…Is he sick?’
Yoon Chi-young was breathing heavily, and soon, black wolf ears and a tail small enough to be a puppy’s sprouted. Curious, Heeseong pressed his paw against his cheek, finding his skin hot.
‘Idiot.’
It seemed like his body was struggling due to not managing his pheromones. Yoon Chi-young could have transformed into a wolf, but perhaps to avoid frightening him, he stubbornly maintained his human form. Noticing the sharply protruding canines near Yoon Chi-young’s lips, Heeseong cautiously curled his tail.
‘I shouldn’t mess with him today.’
Heeseong was smart. Working in the gambling den, he had developed a sense of awareness. It was common knowledge that beastmen excited by pheromones could become more aggressive or sexually driven, so it was best to avoid provoking them.
Common knowledge. Suddenly, Heeseong recalled information he had overheard in the gambling den.
His brother had scoffed dismissively.
Recalling these words, Heeseong felt a chill run through his body.
It was November, and the weather was gradually turning colder. Heeseong had heard that wolves, who are typically monogamous, either endure their mating season with medication or spend it alone until they find a mate.
This meant that Yoon Chi-young was approaching his mating season, which could lead to increased aggression. The thought of being beside a cannibalistic wolf made Heeseong’s heart chill.
‘…And his wolf blood is strong, isn’t it?’
The clever puppy climbed off the pillow and cautiously made his way onto Yoon Chi-young’s solid chest. His unusually long and slender legs were immediately noticeable.
And then… a significant bulge was evident in his lower half. Heeseong wished it were just a tail. Seeing its size made Heeseong shiver uncontrollably.
To be sharing a bed with a wolf on the verge of mating season.
‘If the mating season hits, he’ll attack me first.’
After all, Heeseong was also a male puppy. Being this close could provoke an attack from the wolf, whose territorial instincts might be heightened by the mating season.
Now was not the time to lament his quick recovery. For a different reason, Heeseong now had to pretend to be a puppy and escape as soon as possible.
At that moment, Yoon Chi-young, still lying down, lifted the puppy to his face.
“Puppy…”
‘Let go, let go!’
Startled, Heeseong struggled, but his resistance was futile against the large hands.
Yoon Chi-young gazed at the puppy with his faintly visible pupils, then murmured as he nuzzled his smooth nose against the puppy’s belly.
“I don’t think I’ll eat you.”
‘Say it with some conviction!’
Indignant, Heeseong flailed his legs, but it was a meaningless gesture. Moreover, Yoon Chi-young’s seriousness was unusual, causing the puppy to soon stop resisting and tilt his head in confusion.
“No, wait…”
With only a dim light on, Yoon Chi-young’s distinct facial features were cast in deep shadows. Heeseong glimpsed his sharply defined eyes and the subtle shine in his gray irises, feeling a flicker of fear.
Seeing the stiff puppy, Yoon Chi-young faintly smiled.
“Whatever happens, I really won’t eat you.”
‘What…?’
Soon after, Yoon Chi-young placed the puppy back against his chest. Heeseong, feeling his belly sink into the warmth, sensed the steady heartbeat and the comforting body heat of Yoon Chi-young.
From his position, Heeseong eyed Yoon Chi-young suspiciously.
‘Has he figured out that I’m a beastman?’
Surely not. That would mean he knew Heeseong was a beastman yet chose to raise him like a puppy, which would be utterly insane.
‘…Or has he already grown that attached to me?’
Puzzled by the situation, Heeseong couldn’t fall asleep deep into the night, staring down at the already sleeping Yoon Chi-young, contemplating his inscrutable intentions.
But as a puppy, there wasn’t much he could do.
Eventually, overcome by sleepiness, Heeseong fell asleep draped over Yoon Chi-young’s eyes like a sleep mask, hoping that for tonight, at least, he would just sleep soundly.
He did, however, appreciate the promise that Yoon Chi-young wouldn’t eat him.
* * *
