Don’t Mess with the Puppy! - Vol.2 Chapter 4 Part 2

Swish…

Some time after Heeseong fell asleep, Yoon Chi-young, who had been sleeping with him on the bed, got up and left alone.

‘Where’s he going…?’

Heeseong thought absentmindedly, half-awake. However, his body was too exhausted to stop Yoon Chi-young. It was because he had been relentlessly tormented by Yoon Chi-young on the bed until he fell asleep.

Barely opening his eyes to look at the clock, it was one in the morning. Going out at this hour. Heeseong could guess what he had to do.

There was a high chance he was going to deal with Yang Hye-chan.

Heeseong got up from his spot in a disheveled state. Then, he blankly looked around the quiet surroundings. Without Yoon Chi-young, his mind was filled with thoughts of him. Disappearing while he was asleep like this. Heeseong was inwardly upset.

‘Does he not want to show me his side as a Watcher…?’

He already knew about Yoon Chi-young’s cruel aspects. Moreover, he knew what kind of work Watcher did, so he couldn’t understand why Yoon Chi-young was hiding it from him like that. Of course, it would be out of concern that Heeseong would be shocked… but Heeseong wished that as a pack, Yoon Chi-young wouldn’t conceal such matters. Rather, to Heeseong, Yoon Chi-young’s family was the more incomprehensible existence.

Feeling frustrated, Heeseong decided to go out and wait for Yoon Chi-young. Although he knew nothing serious would happen, he was still worried about him. Not worried that he would be harmed by the Clan Leader, but that he would be tormented by his own actions when he returned. No matter how he was, there was no way he would be okay after confronting and opposing his relatives. If Heeseong waited for him, it might provide some comfort.

“……”

Snow was still falling softly as he reached the front door. In his small puppy form, Heeseong blankly looked up at the night sky. In the past, he might have had gloomy thoughts like feeling there was no place for him in this world while gazing at the night sky. Now, his first thought was of Yoon Chi-young. He was concerned about him going out alone in the middle of the night.

‘Still, if he really loves me, he would show me everything…’

He hesitated, wondering if he should go look for Yoon Chi-young now. However, even that seemed unfeasible as it might interfere with Yoon Chi-young’s business. The puppy discontentedly looked ahead and tried making small pawprints in the snow piled up in front of the door. The sensation of the snow, cold enough to make him shiver, was immediately felt, making him lift his paw. As the night grew late, the temperature had dropped sharply, making it terribly cold even with a fur coat on.

Then, a shadow fell over the puppy’s body. Looking up in bewilderment, the puppy’s eyes widened.

‘Why did he come all the way here?’

Seeing the unexpected individual, the puppy froze like a small snowman.

In front of him was a familiar yet unfamiliar presence. It was the man Heeseong had seen at the meeting.

“What’s with this puppy… I thought it was a ball of tissues.”

It was Yoon Jin-young, Yoon Chi-young’s second older brother.

He was a sharp and stern-looking handsome man wearing glasses. His physique was half a hand’s width smaller than his younger brother Yoon Chi-young, and his tightly closed lips somehow seemed irritable. Perhaps his personality wasn’t very good either, as he was currently poking the puppy, smaller than his foot, with the top of his foot.

‘Oh, did this family sacrifice their humanity in exchange for being born with good looks?’

Heeseong, who had lived with a cannibalistic werewolf, wasn’t afraid of him, just annoyed. He thought he should treat him well on the surface since he was his lover’s brother, but he decided to just ignore him because he disliked his impolite behavior of pushing him with his foot and his sensitive-looking gray eyes.

When the puppy didn’t budge and just remained still, Yoon Jin-young grumbled fastidiously,

“What kind of puppy has no cuteness?”

‘What’s he on about?’

Heeseong pretended not to hear and casually scratched his ear with his hind leg. Seeing how it was itchy again, it seemed the time had come to ask Yoon Chi-young for a blissful ear cleaning. Come to think of it, even though his lover’s brother had come, Heeseong was only having such irrelevant thoughts.

Actually, Heeseong was distracted, not waiting for Yoon Chi-young. He kept looking around just in case, with a lingering feeling. Considering Yoon Chi-young’s personality, there was no way he would leave Heeseong in a dangerous environment, so it was strange that Yoon Jin-young had come this far.

As expected. Looking towards the entrance of the annex, he saw the organization members waiting with cautious expressions. Realizing he wasn’t alone, Heeseong felt relieved and tried to grasp the situation.

‘He must have entered forcibly, being stubborn.’

Looking closely at Yoon Jin-young’s face, he was definitely checking the reactions of the organization members standing behind him. He seemed to have received warnings from the organization members.

However, the organization members didn’t appear to be having much difficulty, just contemplating as they looked at Yoon Jin-young. Perhaps they were hesitating to forcibly drag him out because he was not only Yoon Chi-young’s brother but also a blood relative of the Clan Leader.

The organization members exchanged glances and showed Heeseong a single hand signal.

‘Weak.’

The puppy immediately understood why the organization members were troubled.

Yoon Chi-young’s organization members had quite a bit of decision-making power. Yoon Chi-young had such wise organization members by his side, and they had to have excellent judgment as they often judged other werewolves beside the Watcher. Perhaps they thought there would be little difference whether they forcibly stopped Yoon Jin-young or not, considering they let him in.

‘He’s also Yoon Chi-young’s brother, but he’s being mindful of his younger brother.’

Moreover, Yoon Jin-young couldn’t even properly talk to his younger brother at the meeting, and judging by his actions, it seemed he had many reservations about the Watcher. He would naturally be cautious in his actions as well.

‘I’ll just roughly stay as a puppy and send him away.’

Having reached a conclusion, Heeseong blankly looked ahead and waited only for Yoon Chi-young. The organization members also exchanged glances and returned to their waiting state. However, they were at a distance where they could rush to Heeseong at any time.

Perhaps Yoon Jin-young had come to meet his younger brother, but if there was only a single puppy, he might think it was a pet and just leave.

That would have been the case for a normal beastman. As expected, Yoon Chi-young’s brother was different.

“It’s cute… Should I raise it?”

Yelp…!

Yoon Jin-young swiftly lifted the puppy by the scruff of its neck. The startled puppy cried out as if screaming in pain. When Yoon Chi-young had gently carried him in his werewolf form, it didn’t hurt, but when this jerk suddenly grabbed and pulled the scruff of his neck, it felt like all the white fluff would be plucked out.

Yoon Jin-young examined the puppy, curled up in pain, by twirling it in midair, and grumbled crankily,

“Is this fully grown? How did they feed it for its belly to be so round?”

‘Fuc…king hell… I don’t want to transform into a human.’

The puppy thought, blinking back tears from the pain. Its small body curled up in a crescent shape, and its tail tucked between its legs.

Glaring at him as if to kill, Heeseong saw the organization members over Yoon Jin-young’s shoulder. They looked ready to rush over at any moment, but Heeseong shook his head to hold them back. If something went wrong, it might be revealed that he was Yoon Chi-young’s lover.

‘Just go away!’

It would be troublesome if Yoon Jin-young stayed like this when Heeseong thought he would leave after a bit. However, he didn’t want to transform into a human now. He also didn’t want it to be revealed that the small white puppy was the true form of the younger brother’s lover he had met at the gathering today. Heeseong wanted to appear to him as a reliable partner capable of taking responsibility for Yoon Chi-young.

Fortunately, Yoon Jin-young soon lowered Heeseong into his arms. Sitting cross-legged on the floor, he rapidly examined the small head of the puppy trembling lean. He seemed quite pleased, not letting go of Heeseong from his hand.

“When it has puppies, I should ask for one too.”

‘They would be your nephew, would I even give them?’

While Yoon Jin-young had maintained proper decorum at the meeting, his actions behind the scenes were utterly childish. His behavior seemed like coveting his brother’s toy. Heeseong glared at Yoon Jin-young in annoyance, then glimpsed urgency in his sharp eyes behind his glasses. They were eyes he often saw in people cornered at the casino. Heeseong knew in his bones that he shouldn’t get involved with such people. They had the eyes of those who would surely cause trouble.

In the meantime, the softly falling snow had now piled up to the point where the puppy couldn’t walk alone. The puppy waited for a chance and attempted to escape from Yoon Jin-young’s arms a few times by jumping out, but it was easily caught and returned to his arms. As expected of brothers, Yoon Jin-young was terribly persistent just like Yoon Chi-young.

‘Argh!’

“Why do you keep trying to run away?”

Yoon Jin-young, who had spoken rudely, rummaged through his pocket and took out a plump beef jerky. A jerky as long as the puppy’s body was placed whole in front of Heeseong.

“Here. Try eating it.”

‘…He must see me as a simple puppy.’

Although it was a relief, Heeseong carefully examined the jerky packaging just in case. It could have had poison on it, and he disliked dog treats. Fortunately, Yoon Jin-young opened a new one right in front of him. After confirming it was for human snack use, Heeseong hesitated for a moment, then snatched the jerky and bit into it like a beast.

‘Enticing with food is the same.’

Heeseong had a personality of not rejecting what was given to him. Moreover, he happened to be hungry, so he ate the jerky deliciously. His teeth were small, so he kept dropping it while trying to chew properly, but a savory beef flavor rose in his mouth with each bite. It was even more delicious as it was a delicacy he couldn’t usually eat. Yoon Chi-young always fed him soft and finely cut pieces, so he occasionally craved something like this.

“It’s really eating it?”

‘Then should I pretend to eat it?’

Mumbling while chewing the jerky, Yoon Jin-young stroked the puppy as if he found it quite cute. His touch was rather delicate like Yoon Chi-young’s.

However, the feeling was a bit different. While Yoon Chi-young cherished each strand of white fluff, Yoon Jin-young kneaded the puppy as a whole as if enjoying a hand toy. It was unpleasant enough that the puppy occasionally bared its teeth and bit Yoon Jin-young’s fingers while chewing the jerky, as a warning.

Then, Yoon Jin-young, who had been fiddling with the tip of the puppy’s tail, asked offhandedly,

“Do you like quizzes?”

‘What’s he on about?’

The puppy ignored him, busy chewing the jerky. It was preoccupied with biting and tearing the jerky, holding it firmly with its front paws.

“I’ll give you a quiz. If you get it right, I’ll give you one more jerky.”

‘He’s also just saying whatever he wants, like Yoon Chi-young.’

While the puppy was thinking absentmindedly, Yoon Jin-young twirled the puppy’s short tail with his finger and said,

“It’s a quiz about a mad werewolf. Try guessing who that werewolf is.”

Crunch, the puppy cut the jerky with its small teeth, ignoring the quiz. Even while easily biting off small pieces, the conversation continued.

“Long ago, when a mad werewolf was born, his father isolated the werewolf and trained him.”

‘What kind of quiz is this supposed to be?’

“The training was difficult, but the mad werewolf had three close friends who gave him affection, promising to escape together and a future…”

Gulp. The puppy finally swallowed a piece of the jerky. It was a slightly large piece, so it felt stuck in its throat. Unconcerned, the puppy busily chewed the jerky again. The story continued in Yoon Jin-young’s characteristic gentle voice.

“Actually, those friends were supervisors assigned by the father and greatly feared the mad werewolf. It’s a natural thing. After all, he was someone who periodically lost his mind and attacked others.”

“……?”

Sensing something strange, Heeseong put down the jerky and raised his head. Something felt déjà vu. The story of the mad werewolf and the harsh training. The father who tried to control him, and the despised werewolf….

It might be the story of Yoon Chi-young.

The puppy’s eyes fiercely narrowed, and one folded ear stood up sharply. It even dropped the jerky it had been holding in its mouth onto Yoon Jin-young’s lap.

Seeing that reaction as interesting, Yoon Jin-young held one of the puppy’s front paws as if shaking hands and spoke gleefully,

“So, when the friends tried to dispose of the mad werewolf to survive, the mad werewolf noticed and became enraged, biting off the friends’ arms and eating them. After becoming a Watcher, he even dethroned the father from the position of Clan Leader.”

“……”

“The friends he had known for 4 years and the parents who tried to correct him.”

‘…So what?’

Guessing it was Yoon Chi-young’s story, Heeseong felt angry as if it had happened to him. If he had been betrayed by the friends he had poured his heart and affection into, just as Heeseong had been betrayed by his brother… Everything would have felt futile. To the point of only thinking about revenge.

Then, pushing up his glasses, Yoon Jin-young asked mockingly,

“Now, who do you think that cannibalistic werewolf is?”

‘…Damn it.’

Heeseong finally understood Yoon Jin-young’s intentions.

Yoon Jin-young had known Heeseong’s true form from the beginning. Yet he treated him like a dog, enticing him with jerky, and arbitrarily revealed the past Yoon Chi-young had tried to hide.

It wasn’t the behavior one should show to their younger brother’s partner who had come. Heeseong’s face hardened with anger.

“Our new family member, I heard your true form is a very small puppy… Just the right size for Yoon Chi-young to carefreely give affection to.”

Yoon Jin-young spoke while poking the puppy with his fingertip as if handling something trivial. Heeseong glared at Yoon Jin-young as if to kill him, gritting his teeth. However, Yoon Jin-young just smiled brightly as if he found it quite cute. The siblings had similar smiles, but unlike Yoon Chi-young who was simply beautiful, his smile seemed somewhat arrogant.

For now, the puppy calmly used its head.

‘Why is he telling me such things?’

In any case, Heeseong wasn’t bothered at all even if he knew Yoon Chi-young was a cannibalistic werewolf. He had already guessed that Yoon Chi-young was likely a real cannibalistic werewolf. When he first saw him during the pheromone shock, he had been completely convinced.

‘Yoon Chi-young must have lived suffering from pheromone shock.’

His brother, who should have been a supportive figure, had come to spread rumors about such a tragic incident first and even came to disparage his younger brother’s lover. Heeseong felt genuinely disgusted by him. In front of his younger brother, the Watcher, he couldn’t even properly speak out of fear, yet he went around badmouthing him behind his back like this. Heeseong had seen many such two-faced people at the casino. People who deceived and lured others, revealing their true colors in front of money. They were the type Heeseong never wanted to get involved with.

Unaware of Heeseong’s turned heart, Yoon Jin-young brought the jerky the puppy had dropped back to its mouth. This time, the puppy didn’t even glance at the jerky and pushed it away, hopping down from his lap onto the floor. It no longer wanted to converse with Yoon Jin-young.

“You might also get eaten soon.”

Did he come all the way here just to make such a threat? The puppy turned to look at Yoon Jin-young, fully revealing its dumbfounded expression.

A mere threat was nothing to Heeseong, who had been through all sorts of things at the casino. Moreover, he knew how to uniquely release Yoon Chi-young’s pheromones and return him to normal, so it wasn’t particularly scary. If he had truly been afraid of the cannibalistic werewolf, Heeseong would have run away from Yoon Chi-young’s side long ago.

Feeling it wasn’t even worth conversing anymore, the puppy turned around to enter the room.

Thud.

At that moment, Yoon Jin-young dropped something in front of the puppy. It wasn’t jerky like before, but a thick envelope of money.

“I’m not expecting much from a puppy.”

“……”

“Unlike the crazy werewolf, as long as it’s someone I can somewhat communicate with…”

As he spoke, he pushed the money envelope closer. The contents seemed quite hefty. Following its interest, the puppy’s tail stood up high, and one ear twitched.

Heeseong sat in place for now. He decided to listen to him a bit more.

Smiling satisfactorily, Yoon Jin-young spoke as if doing a favor.

“From now on, just report to me periodically about Yoon Chi-young’s activities and whether the family is monitoring him.”

‘…He wants me to be his snitch?’

So he had come to entice him. Heeseong finally understood precisely why Yoon Jin-young had come. The puppy’s eyes turned triangular.

‘Does this jerk think I look that easy?’

Actually, it made sense. After all, Heeseong was the closest to the Watcher and a penniless puppy. He looked like an easy target to entice with money to anyone.

Moreover, considering he knew Heeseong’s true form, he seemed to have gathered quite a bit of information. It meant he knew how to use his head that much. Heeseong thought this guy was also a purebred werewolf.

The puppy fell into contemplation for a moment. That appearance was fully revealed in the action of rolling its black eyes. The puppy flicked its tail once and slightly lifted the opening of the money envelope with its front paw to check the amount. Inside, yellow 50,000 won bills were tightly packed.

20 million won.

Having lived at the casino, Heeseong gauged the amount with a single glance. Without even a change in expression.

Then, rolling its eyeballs slightly, it glanced to the side. It saw Yoon Jin-young impatiently tapping his knee with his finger. Moreover, looking at his expression above that, Yoon Jin-young was nervously observing Heeseong’s reaction.

Heeseong fully utilized his 5 years of experience working at the casino.

I have the upper hand in this game.

The puppy, having reached a conclusion, immediately showed a reaction.

Thud.

As if displeased, the puppy pushed the money envelope with its front paw. It even turned its head away and lay sprawled on its side. As if baring its pink belly.

In the humiliating situation, Yoon Jin-young gritted his teeth. It was terribly embarrassing for him to be negotiating with a one-day puppy among the puppys.

Still, it was the lover the Watcher had brought to a formal meeting for the first time. Moreover, Yoon Jin-young desperately needed a snitch because he had been secretly using the werewolf clan’s funds. He had to avoid the Watcher’s eyes at all costs.

Yoon Jin-young started enticing the puppy again.

“…I’ll add a bit more and give you an extra 200 each time you provide information.”

To those words, the puppy showed only one reaction. It wagged its short tail once as if interested.

“A mere puppy…”

Yoon Jin-young glared at the puppy, raising the veins on his sensitive face and neck. The fist-sized thing had an immense greed for money. He wanted to threaten the puppy, but then the tiny thing might get scared and scurry away to report to the Watcher. Yoon Jin-young had to prepare somehow, as much as he feared the Watcher.

“…I’ll give you double now and hand over 500 each time you provide information.”

Thud. Another thick envelope of money was placed in front of the puppy. Now the thickness was about the size of the puppy’s body.

The puppy, which had been agonizing, slightly raised its head to gauge the amount and seemed to have made a decision.

Woof!

The puppy nodded its head and, as a sign of the contract, pressed its damp nose bridge once on the back of Yoon Jin-young’s hand. It was a sign of trust commonly used among beastmen.

Barely catching his breath, Yoon Jin-young smiled, subtly revealing his fangs. As expected, it was easy to persuade a rootless mutt. There was no way enticement with money wouldn’t work.

“…Contact me at the number written on the envelope. Make sure to do it once every half month.”

Woof.

The puppy, answering halfheartedly, bit one of the money envelopes and dragged it into the house. Yoon Jin-young looked at the sight as if dumbfounded. The tiny thing was quite clever.

However, regardless of how the other party viewed it, the puppy calmly moved the rest of the money envelopes and barked once at Yoon Jin-young as if telling him to get lost now.

Woof!

“Right now, we just happened to run into each other and had a simple exchange of greetings.”

The puppy nodded as if telling him not to worry.

Its expression looked sullen, but its tail was rapidly wagging. It was clearly a serious deal, but Yoon Jin-young didn’t like that excited-looking tail at all.

As a final sign of threat, Yoon Jin-young locked eyes with the puppy for a long time. In the wild, making eye contact meant a challenge and threat. Since it was a small puppy, he expected it to be easily overpowered and show its tail between its legs.

“Remember that the Watcher is most sensitive to betrayal.”

It meant its life would be in danger if this matter was discovered.

However, even at the quiet words, the puppy scratched its folded ear with its hind leg again and ran into the room.

Yoon Jin-young turned around, feeling somewhat deflated. Still, it was fortunate that he could plant a snitch next to the Watcher.

‘…Even if the Watcher finds out, that traitorous dog bastard will be taken care of.’

In any case, Yoon Jin-young was in a position that couldn’t be easily touched as a blood relative of the Clan Leader. Having a backup was a huge gain. Although he was at a loss because the budget was larger than expected….

Still, he would somehow avoid the Watcher’s annoying eyes. Yoon Jin-young left the courtyard quietly, feeling reassured. Footprints formed on the snow with each of his steps.

***