Don’t Mess with the Puppy! - Vol.2 Chapter 3 Part 10
‘Ugh…’
Early in the morning, Heeseong woke up with a dizzying headache and nausea. The puppy, who had woken up with a disheveled face, looked around with drowsy eyes.
‘Where the hell is this…?’
It was partly due to the darkness, but his surroundings were indistinguishable as if he were trapped inside a blanket.
Fortunately, the puppy, who had often gotten lost inside blankets, knew that he could escape by moving forward somehow. Heeseong, staggering forward with a hangover, finally reached the exit.
Woof…
The place the puppy emerged from was around the neckline of Yoon Chi-young’s white long-sleeved t-shirt.
Exhausted, he lay on his side with just his potato-sized face poking out. In that state, Heeseong looked up at Yoon Chi-young’s firm neck, ruffling his fluffy body. Seeing Yoon Chi-young, the events of last night started coming back to him one by one.
‘What did I say to him last night…?’
Unfortunately, Heeseong wasn’t the type to blackout just because he got drunk. Once he started recalling, his despicable and weak behavior from last night came flooding back.
It seemed like he had affectionately rubbed his cheeks against Yoon Chi-young’s chest out of sheer happiness, said all sorts of strange things… and even cried miserably in his arms. It was unthinkable for a proud fighting dog. Unable to believe the reality, the puppy wildly kicked Yoon Chi-young’s t-shirt like a blanket.
‘Ugh, my head hurts…’
But a single intense movement caused the hangover to surge hotly. The puppy whimpered and lay limp from the dizzying headache. As much as he hated to admit it, Heeseong was weak to alcohol, so his hangovers were severe. He just wanted to lie down on Yoon Chi-young’s neck and sleep more, but his stomach hurt too much to do so.
‘Hey…’
In the end, Heeseong wriggled out from inside the clothes and crawled onto the pillow. Thanks to the mood light on in the bedroom, Yoon Chi-young, who was only an angel when sleeping, could be seen with his eyes closed. The puppy unsteadily poked his button-sized nose bridge against Yoon Chi-young’s eyelids and mumbled weakly.
‘Yoon Chi-young… I’m sick…’
Heeseong spoke and was surprised at himself. It was the first time he had told someone he was sick since his mother.
So far, if he showed even the slightest weakness at the gambling den, he would be scolded or urged that a fighting dog should endure it, so he naturally bore it. Perhaps because he had exposed everything, even his inner thoughts, to Yoon Chi-young in an unsightly manner last night, it didn’t feel strange to say he was sick. At least it was a bit of a relief to say it in his puppy form, which the other party couldn’t understand.
While he was at it, the puppy mustered a bit more courage and tried saying more.
‘I have a terrible stomachache…’
It was strange. The more the puppy grumbled, the more something hot surged up in his chest. The fact that he also had a pack to lean on felt scorchingly warm, along with the sorrow he had endured. Oddly enough, just having someone to say this to made him feel better. The puppy, who had been resting his small head against Yoon Chi-young’s cheek, was about to transform into a human to at least drink some water.
Just then, Yoon Chi-young furrowed his brows. The puppy’s drowsy eyes widened in puzzlement.
Suddenly, Yoon Chi-young sat up abruptly. Waking up groggy, he urgently asked the puppy in a low, hoarse voice,
“Baby, are you sick?”
‘What…?’
Before the puppy could even be surprised, Yoon Chi-young sighed and brought his face close to the puppy, gently scratching his cheek.
“It’s because you drank alcohol yesterday…”
“……”
“That’s why puppies shouldn’t drink.”
Even when being scolded, Heeseong just stared up at Yoon Chi-young with surprised eyes. It was amazing that Yoon Chi-young had understood his words about being sick. And although it was clearly nothing special, this kind of thing always felt significant to the small puppy.
‘…How did he understand?’
Looking up at Yoon Chi-young, Heeseong smoothly transformed into a human.
Next to him, Yoon Chi-young ordered something on the phone that was on the bedside table. He was asking for honey water and soup, which were good for hangovers.
Looking at his broad back, Heeseong absentmindedly listened to the phone conversation. Is it for the young master? Then did you spend the night drinking with your lover? You did really well. Then I’ll have to prepare it. Whether it was an employee close to Yoon Chi-young, it was impressive how they chatted with appropriate concern and accepted the request even at such an early hour.
‘He treats me well even when I’m not in my puppy form…’
Feeling ticklish and pleased for no reason, Heeseong gently bit and fiddled with Yoon Chi-young’s bushy black wolf tail. They were now used to each other even in their half-transformed state. It felt like they were really lovers.
Then Yoon Chi-young, who had ended the call, turned around with a loose chuckle.
“Are you trying to seduce me?”
“…You’d be halfway there if you just kept your mouth shut.”
“Why? You were the one who touched my tail first.”
“Sigh…”
Heeseong, who had been lying down, sullenly tossed away Yoon Chi-young’s tail. But the jet-black tail spun back around and gently brushed against Heeseong’s flushed face. Achoo. Heeseong sneezed from the ticklishness and turned his body. The tips of his ears were red. He couldn’t believe he was doing something lovers would do.
The sensation of a beastmen’s tail was similar to their ears. Grabbing and pulling it was naturally unpleasant and painful, just like the ears, and gently touching or biting it could also have a sexual meaning to that extent. That’s why touching a beastmen’s tail was a playful act between lovers and a sexual appeal. It was natural, as it was attached above the buttocks, and many beastmens, like Heeseong, had tails as erogenous zones.
But now they had reached a point where touching each other’s tails felt natural.
Although this kind of relationship felt quite unfamiliar to Heeseong, he obediently took Yoon Chi-young’s hand that was helping him sit up. Yoon Chi-young, who still seemed sleepy, rubbed the tip of his nose against Heeseong’s neck like a complaint while stroking his skinny back. Feeling the affectionate touch, Heeseong, who had been moving his lips, asked just in case,
“But… how did you understand what I said earlier?”
“I learned. From Young-bae…”
Yoon Chi-young answered languidly in a drowsy voice. Perhaps because he was weak to sleep, he was acting loose. Still, Heeseong was surprised that he had woken up like this. He knew that Yoon Chi-young hadn’t even woken up last time when Heeseong had run away with a bundle in his mouth.
Yoon Chi-young’s breath kept brushing against his neck. Heeseong, who had been flapping his white ears from the ticklishness, asked,
“When did you learn it?”
In the meantime, Yoon Chi-young, who had gotten up, wrapped a cozy gown around Heeseong and said,
“I was curious about what the puppy’s whimpering words meant when he was sick. I asked and memorized it.”
“……”
Somehow, Heeseong felt like his weakness had been exposed. And yet, he wondered why he had been hiding his vulnerable side from Yoon Chi-young, who was his packmate. Perhaps Heeseong had been relying on Yoon Chi-young for quite a long time already.
In the meantime, Yoon Chi-young had moved a table in front of Heeseong, who was sitting on the edge of the bed. Heeseong wondered why he was setting the table so early, but by then, the employee had brought the honey water first. And while Heeseong drank the honey water to settle his stomach a bit, a spicy bean sprout soup, warm rice, and a simple meal were served. Heeseong was amazed at how the table was set like this regardless of the time.
Heeseong thought he could just eat, but Yoon Chi-young sat on the edge of the bed, holding him. He tried to personally feed Heeseong rice with a spoon in his disheveled state.
“Feeding me and hugging me. Just like when I’m a puppy…”
“Let go. I’ll eat by myself.”
“Here, ah.”
“I’ll eat it myse… Sigh. Ah.”
Heeseong tried to snatch the spoon but gave up. It was annoying, but Yoon Chi-young’s arms were longer, so he could never win in this kind of tug-of-war. Heeseong was used to being fed anyway, so he sat still and ate comfortably.
Yoon Chi-young’s touch as he took care of Heeseong was gentle and not much different from when he was a puppy. It was exactly as he said, taking care of him as a lover. As this situation had become unfamiliar, Heeseong wondered if he deserved this kind of care.
No matter how much the giver wanted to, Heeseong now wanted to give back to him, even if just a little. Since his own heart was too shabby to reciprocate, Heeseong wanted to show it through actions.
“…Hey. Yoon Chi-young.”
Heeseong grabbed Yoon Chi-young’s hand that had been wrapped around his waist. It was a hand twice the size of his own fist, but it always intertwined fingers with Heeseong’s hand as he held it.
Heeseong ate a spoonful of the soup Yoon Chi-young fed him and settled his stomach a bit. Following his somewhat calmer stomach, he felt like his head was clearing up a little. Unlike when he had woken up limply, Heeseong spoke with a much firmer face.
“Anyway… even if you picked me up for some sinister purpose, you’re still my savior.”
“How does picking up and raising an injured puppy become a sinister purpose…?”
Even when hearing words akin to slander, Yoon Chi-young just laughed it off lightly. After receiving another spoonful of warm soup, Heeseong spoke in an increasingly serious tone,
“What do you want me to do at the formal family meeting?”
“Is there a need to match that?”
“Of course.”
Rather than the leisurely attitude, Heeseong looked up at him and spoke as if reminding him,
“You and the leader are in an adversarial relationship.”
“You’re smart, puppy.”
Yoon Chi-young spoke in a drowsy voice and kissed Heeseong’s hair. Perhaps because he hadn’t shaken off his sleepiness yet, he started rambling with his gray eyes half-open.
“Just do as you usually do. As if you like me to death.”
“I’ve never done that.”
“You did that all the time.”
Is this bastard dating other puppies besides me? Heeseong scratched his neck with a sullen face. Still, he could guess what Yoon Chi-young meant by that, so he didn’t have any particular misunderstandings. He knew that no matter what he did in his puppy form, Yoon Chi-young loved it to death.
Then Yoon Chi-young asked,
“Puppy. Is it burdensome?”
“…A little.”
“Then you don’t have to go to the formal family meeting.”
“What?”
What kind of nonsense was this after coming this far? Heeseong asked back as if it were absurd, furrowing his brows. Even seeing that expression, Yoon Chi-young calmly wiped the soup Heeseong had spilled with a tissue and said,
“I’m going as a warning anyway.”
“What warning?”
“Hmm…”
Yoon Chi-young smiled subtly and looked down at Heeseong. The bedroom, lit only by the mood light, was dim, and the shadows darkened, accentuating Yoon Chi-young’s gray eyes and somewhat numb-looking smile. Heeseong thought that whenever he made this face, it seemed like he was angry about something.
“A warning not to mess with my lover anymore, whom I cherish enough to bring to a formal family meeting like this?”
“……”
Heeseong didn’t know he had that kind of intention too. He thought he had come here to see if there was a connection between Park Geon-tae and the leader’s side, but Yoon Chi-young had his own intentions. He was inwardly surprised.
In fact, Heeseong thought that the scary thing about Yoon Chi-young was that he was very cunning, even though he might seem like a loose good-for-nothing. In fact, Heeseong was the only one who saw him as easy-going and loose without realizing it.
Then Yoon Chi-young spoke as if talking to himself,
“But now that I think about showing you to my family. I kind of regret it…”
“…Why?”
“Because I only want to show you my good side.”
Yoon Chi-young spoke and hugged Heeseong tightly from behind. Heeseong’s skinny body was snugly nestled in his broad embrace. Heeseong, whose head ached from the hangover, frowned slightly and grasped Yoon Chi-young’s stone-like arm. Still, Yoon Chi-young’s whispered words, as if he didn’t want to let go, felt heartbreaking.
“I wish you could only see my good side like this…”
“…When did you ever show me your good side?”
Heeseong grumbled but slyly held Yoon Chi-young’s hand. It was because he kind of understood why he was saying this.
Perhaps at tomorrow’s formal family meeting, a situation might unfold where Yoon Chi-young’s family would keep Heeseong in check. He didn’t expect a harmonious family meeting anyway, but still, Heeseong didn’t want to see Yoon Chi-young being restrained by his family. Strangely, just thinking about it made him angry as if he had been treated unfairly. As someone who knew Yoon Chi-young’s circumstances, and as his packmate, he couldn’t understand them.
‘I can understand pheromone shock, though…’
Heeseong had seen a lot, being the closest to Yoon Chi-young all this time. He knew how to enjoy art and loved that side of himself. But he seemed to detest his original form that couldn’t control his reason due to pheromone shock. He was always on guard against his own consciousness and habitually fell into anxiety. Feeling sorry for him, Heeseong sat in Yoon Chi-young’s arms, which had quieted down, for a long time.
“…Yoon Chi-young.”
Heeseong, who had finished eating, spoke as if making a resolution to himself.
“No matter what the leader’s side says, I’ll only believe what I see with my own eyes.”
“Really?”
“…Yeah.”
The sound of Yoon Chi-young chuckling could be heard from behind. He seemed to think it was just a sweet, empty promise. But Heeseong was sincere. The puppy, who had firmly grasped his hand, spoke firmly.
“A fighting dog doesn’t speak with a forked tongue.”
***
