Don’t Mess with the Puppy! - Vol.3 Extra 2 Part 1
Part 1
As the first dog to have a companion in his life, Heeseong had many concerns. Sitting on the couch in the corner of the office, he asked Ji Youngbae, who was passing by.
“Youngbae-hyung.”
“Yes.”
“How can I become a good head of the family?”
Ji Youngbae flinched at the serious question. It wasn’t that he couldn’t understand the dog’s words, but looking at the small back of the dog’s head sitting on the sofa in front, he just thought he might have misheard. It was an abrupt thing to say while looking down at the sleeping Hodu.
But the dog was sincere. Heeseong licked the head of Hodu, who had come to play in the supervisor’s office for a change. Recently, Hodu had been attending a beastman daycare and would come to play in the office for a bit after school.
However, when he saw the baby dog sleeping – now three times his size – he was reminded of the responsibility he carried. It was because Heeseong also had a thoughtless lover who only looked at him, just like Hodu.
Unable to find the words to say in response to Heeseong’s question, Ji Youngbae asked.
“Why are you worrying about that?”
“Well…”
The dog whimpered, unable to continue, and muttered worriedly.
“Yoon Chi-young is more careless and weak-minded than I thought.”
“……”
“Even when big things happen, he only thinks about going out to play with me. He doesn’t properly respond to the Clan Headpa kids…”
“That’s.”
Ji Youngbae only half understood what the dog was saying.
However, he did understand the dog mumbling about Yoon Chi-young not responding to the provocations of the Clan Headpa. But for Ji Youngbae, who had watched Yoon Chi-young for a long time, that way of thinking itself was new and shocking. Ignoring the provocations of the Clan Headpa was Yoon Chi-young’s response and authority itself.
But he didn’t say much more. It seemed better to leave the dog’s misunderstanding as it was. Couples didn’t need advice anyway.
“Just protecting the Watcher now is enough.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
It was superficial encouragement, but the dog was at least able to worry a little less. Still, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of responsibility in one corner of his heart.
As purebred wolves are monogamous, when they get married, their companion is also given the status that the wolf has. Just as Heeseong worked on behalf of Chi-young last time, the dog was already in the same position as the Watcher. As such, Heeseong always became tense, worried that Yoon Chi-young would be disrespected because his companion was a small dog. It was quite a strain on his small body, but he couldn’t relax his tension at all today.
It was because today was the day the Clan Head was coming to visit.
“But Youngbae-hyung. Is it okay for Hodu to be here today?”
When Heeseong mumbled and asked, Ji Youngbae carefully laid the half-asleep Hodu next to Heeseong and answered.
“Nothing big usually happens on the days when the punishment is discussed.”
“…That’s true, but.”
As Ji Youngbae said, today the Clan Head was scheduled to come to receive punishment from the Watcher. Such days tended to pass calmly without bloodshed or violence. The problem was after the punishment was decided.
Still, receiving the punishment itself was humiliating for the Clan Head. Anxious that an incident might occur, Heeseong called Yoon Chi-young, wang. Then, Yoon Chi-young, who was looking at documents on the opposite sofa, came over and offered his lap. Hodu, who had just woken up, also followed Heeseong to Yoon Chi-young’s lap. Yoon Chi-young ended up holding two warm dogs in his arms.
Petting the soft lumps, Yoon Chi-young just looked peaceful and languid. He didn’t seem at all like he was facing a big event.
“I don’t want to meet the Clan Head… Shall we just go shopping instead?”
“How does he manage being the Watcher with this attitude?”
Heeseong said disparagingly. Ji Youngbae didn’t bother translating those words either. He understood both the Watcher ignoring the Clan Head and the dog looking down on such a Watcher.
Not long after, they saw the Clan Head and Yang Hye-chan walking on the CCTV. Since the entire floor was Yoon Chi-young’s office, it took a while for them to arrive.
But for some reason, Yang Hye-chan was walking with his tail curled and looking listless in the form of his original wolf. The Clan Head also seemed haggard, having been criticized by the clan for what he had done, instead of the noble appearance he had before.
Watching them on the screen, Yoon Chi-young nonchalantly asked the dog as if inquiring about the lunch menu.
“Did you beat up Yang Hye-chan a lot last time?”
“I don’t know.”
Heeseong growled, baring his teeth.
Heeseong still didn’t like Yang Hye-chan. He resented that he had tried to kill Yoon Chi-young several times in the past. On top of that, he dared to stab his man with a knife. Heeseong could never forget the anger of that day, and had already taken plenty of revenge.
The day after Yoon Chi-young lost consciousness from being stabbed, Heeseong went to the senior members of the organization and made one request. It was a request to let him meet Yang Hye-chan.
At that time, the members were startled by the sudden request and had a brief meeting, but when the Watcher loses consciousness, many of his decision-making powers are passed on to them. Thanks to that, Heeseong was able to easily find the house where Yang Hye-chan was hiding.
When Heeseong arrived there, Yang Hye-chan greeted him with his usual condescension.
“Did you come to deliver news of the Watcher’s death?”
Heeseong didn’t hold back that day either.
“Even calling you a son of a bitch is a waste.”
“What?”
Before Yang Hye-chan could finish his answer, Heeseong threw a punch right at his pretty face.
After that, it was a one-sided beating. Although Yang Hye-chan, as a grown male wolf, did fight back, Heeseong knew exactly how to hit a person. He was a dog who grew up learning how to fight in the gambling den from the beginning. On top of that, fighting dogs would risk their lives to protect their pack and companion no matter what. But Yang Hye-chan dared to touch Yoon Chi-young, who was included in both, and showed a brazen attitude.
The enraged Heeseong showed no mercy. He struck Yang Hye-chan’s pretty face with his fists and kicked the stomach of the bastard who rolled and fell. Yang Hye-chan was beaten by Heeseong, who was smaller than him, and screamed for his life, trying to somehow escape.
But Heeseong straddled Yang Hye-chan’s body and held him tight, not sparing him until the end.
“You stabbed and tried to kill someone, and this hurts? Does it hurt?!”
In the end, Heeseong made an example of the bastard until Yang Hye-chan’s employees came running to stop him.
He was the one who had been beaten like that, but today he looked a little different in his decent original form.
Yang Hye-chan was a wolf with light brown fur, and when he was in the sun, his fur shone golden and looked cool. But to Heeseong, he looked unimpressive for a wolf.
“As expected, he’s small for a male wolf.”
In fact, Yang Hye-chan was on the larger side among wolves in his original form, but Heeseong, who usually spent time with the huge Yoon Chi-young, only saw him as small. On top of that, today Yang Hye-chan couldn’t even lift his head properly and had his tail curled up, so he looked severely out of shape.
Even so, the dog was much smaller than the wolf, but he didn’t care at all. Hierarchy wasn’t determined by size anyway.
Wang! Wang!
As soon as Yang Hye-chan entered his territory, the angry Heeseong barked fiercely and rushed out. Hodu, who was dozing off, also mindlessly ran after Heeseong and threatened the wolf.
The huge yellow wolf immediately ran away to the corner with his tail between his legs, startled. Yang Hye-chan was completely cornered by the dogs, barely larger than his paw, unable to even make proper eye contact. With his tail pitifully shriveled between his legs, he couldn’t even put one front paw on the ground properly, holding it up awkwardly.
But the dog didn’t stop barking savagely.
“How dare you come here!”
At the rebuke, Yang Hye-chan didn’t even answer and hid his face towards the wall. He was completely cowed after being beaten badly by Heeseong last time. On top of that, he suffered external damage, and his status as a pureblood wolf was on the line for attacking the Watcher in collusion with the Clan Head. Everything he had was precarious, so he was afraid of any response.
Because of that, Yang Hye-chan’s usual confident spirit was bound to be broken. He was afraid of the small dog, couldn’t even lift his head properly, and belatedly gave the Clan Head a pitiful look as if begging him to help. But Hodu rushed to bite his front paw, so he gave up on that too. Heeseong glared at Yang Hye-chan as if he would kill him and barked at him incessantly.
In the end, it was Yoon Chi-young who stopped the small lumps.
“Let’s forgive him this once, okay? Baby.”
“Bad, that, dog, bad son of a wolf.”
Heeseong sharply criticized. Hodu was there, so he couldn’t curse too harshly, but still, Yang Hye-chan looked completely cowed, so he was somewhat satisfied. Fortunately, Yoon Chi-young praised him for being cool and gently stroked his head, so he felt a little better.
“If you try to attack Yoon Chi-young again.”
But Heeseong didn’t let his guard down easily. The Clan Head and Yang Hye-chan were targets that he wouldn’t mind tearing apart right now. He didn’t understand why the two held a grudge against Yoon Chi-young in the first place.
The Clan Head hated Yoon Chi-young for overthrowing and killing his father, the former Clan Head. Yang Hye-chan wanted revenge because Yoon Chi-young had attacked his older brother.
But to Heeseong, both cases seemed like they brought it upon themselves. The former Clan Head was excommunicated for using young wolves in the Watcher’s training, and Yang Hye-chan’s brother was punished for attacking Yoon Chi-young’s innocent nanny. The two’s resentment seemed endless.
But that was old news now.
The Clan Head, whose position had become precarious, could no longer carry out her revenge. This was because rumors had spread that she had tried to kill the clan’s Watcher out of personal resentment. For the pureblood wolves who valued the clan, attacking the Watcher was bound to cause resentment.
And it was the Watcher’s job to punish such a Clan Head. It couldn’t be the worst situation for the Clan Head.
“Sister, it’s been a while.”
“……”
Unlike the relaxed Yoon Chi-young, the Clan Head looked haggard. Dressed in a black suit, the Clan Head sat silently in front of the Watcher. With her gray eyes sunken in gloom and her head turned away, not making eye contact with her opponent, there was no trace of her former confident spirit.
“Bad Clan Head.”
The dog approached the Clan Head’s feet and growled fiercely. He didn’t show affection to the Clan Head like last time. If only Hodu wasn’t there, he would have said crueler things. Recently, Hodu had been trying to follow everything Heeseong did, so he had to censor himself.
The Clan Head quietly looked at the dogs growling at his feet, then, keeping the trembling Yang Hye-chan close to her, said softly.
“…Tell me the punishment.”
“We’re having a family meeting after a long time. No greetings?”
“……”
Even at Yoon Chi-young’s languid question, the Clan Head couldn’t answer. The Clan Head, who had already been harassed by the elders for days, looked exhausted.
Then Yoon Chi-young asked quietly, without solemnly treating the Clan Head or being friendly as usual.
“I’ll give you a choice.”
She didn’t move a muscle. Only Yang Hye-chan kept giving the members surrounding them and Yoon Chi-young a frightened look. In front of them, Yoon Chi-young said with a face devoid of any emotion.
“If you want to remain in the Clan Head position, reveal what you’ve done to the entire clan and atone for it. As a price, I’ll only confiscate half of your assets.”
“……”
“Or you can give up the Clan Head position.”
At those words, the Clan Head slowly raised her head. Her lifeless eyes turned to Yoon Chi-young.
The atmosphere was unusual. Heeseong immediately went to Yoon Chi-young’s feet. As soon as he hugged him, Heeseong subtly bared his teeth in Yoon Chi-young’s arms and threatened the Clan Head. Heeseong was anxious that Yoon Chi-young might be attacked again. Even if his companion was a powerful Watcher, a fighting dog should never let his guard down.
But the Clan Head lowered her gaze again and said as if giving up.
“Why ask me when the answer is already decided?”
“Choice is also a price.”
At Yoon Chi-young’s expressionless words, the Clan Head smiled miserably for the first time and turned her head.
“…The clan will gladly follow a Clan Head who has become a puppet.”
Heeseong was too quick to understand the conversation, but from the following procedure, Heeseong could tell that she had become a puppet Clan Head who had lost trust.
From that day on, the Clan Head accepted the punishment and maintained her position, but completely lost the trust of the clan as her past deeds were revealed.
The Clan Head’s subsequent downfall was not spectacular. Her life as a Clan Head was slowly and persistently shattered. Because of that, the Clan Head’s appearance looked more miserable to Heeseong, but it didn’t feel satisfying either. He felt that way even more because he knew of Yoon Chi-young’s wounds.
After that, the dog traveled to many places with Yoon Chi-young and met people. He saw the Clan Head acknowledging her wrongdoings and accepting punishment at the place where she had held the succession ceremony, and also confirmed the paperwork process in which half of her assets were given to Yoon Chi-young as compensation. On top of that, as the Clan Head lost trust, the Watcher was also given decision-making power over important matters of the clan.
Wang.
Each time, the dog stayed with Yoon Chi-young in his arms. He protected Yoon Chi-young everywhere, and bared his teeth at anyone who showed even the slightest threat to the Watcher. Heeseong knew that Yoon Chi-young relied on him even when he pretended to be relaxed, so he often rubbed his body against his hand to emphasize his presence.
They spent about half a month busy like that.
If Yoon Chi-young hadn’t wanted to handle the matter quickly, the Clan Head’s punishment would have taken longer.
Finally, Yoon Chi-young, who received the settlement money from the Clan Head, was looking at the document without any change in expression. Heeseong was worried that he didn’t look happy even after receiving compensation.
It was evening when the two were left alone in the office. Heeseong, who had slowly transformed into his human form, approached Yoon Chi-young and asked.
“…Now that it’s all over, aren’t you happy?”
The document showed that most of the hotel shares owned by the Clan Head had been transferred to Yoon Chi-young. Strangely, assets were also allocated to Heeseong, but he was more concerned about the expressionless Yoon Chi-young. Yoon Chi-young’s expression seemed to have more variety when he saw Heeseong approaching him.
Even at the question, Yoon Chi-young only stared at the document with boredom.
“Money is nothing anyway.”
“…Why is it nothing? It’s all yours. Do you think that way because you gamble a lot?”
“Hmm… Is that so?”
Even at the scolding, Yoon Chi-young just laughed comfortably. Then he hugged Heeseong, who had put the document down on the desk. Heeseong ended up sitting awkwardly on his lap and was inwardly uncomfortable, but stayed still for his sake.
“I had plenty of money anyway… And all I wanted was you.”
“……”
Heeseong also knew that fact. But Heeseong knew that having a lot of money didn’t mean being that happy, so he felt sorry for him. It would have been nice if the Clan Head had at least acted as an older sister to Yoon Chi-young when being punished….
Later, Yoon Chi-young whispered with a languid sigh.
“Now that you’re safe and I’m safe, it’s enough.”
“Safe…”
Heeseong recited the unfamiliar word.
The words that seemed furthest in his life stuck in his heart.
“……”
But it was strange. Even though it was clearly what Heeseong had wanted the most, it didn’t feel joyful. Not knowing why, Heeseong blankly looked at the dark night sky outside the window over Yoon Chi-young’s shoulder and asked again.
“Are we safe now?”
“Yeah.”
“No more fights with the Clan Head…?”
“That’s right.”
Yoon Chi-young answered again with a chuckle. He also kissed Heeseong’s ear a few times. In his arms, Heeseong lowered his head without a word.
Even if he’s safe, Yoon Chi-young is still the Watcher. Rather, as the Clan Head has become a hollow position, he has become an even stronger Watcher. Now there were no enemies that could threaten him.
But Heeseong kept feeling dazed. A sense of déjà vu crept in, and anxiety seemed to grip Heeseong’s heart tightly.
“Then… What is my use now?”
Thinking that, the dog shuddered. It was strange to even have such thoughts.
However, the familiar anxiety made him so restless that he couldn’t keep his fingertips still. When did he feel this emotion? It was the anxiety he felt when his drunk brother openly discussed his usefulness.
“…No. I don’t need to think like this anymore.”
Heeseong gritted his teeth and hugged Yoon Chi-young tightly. Then, he closed his eyes in Yoon Chi-young’s arms, who was affectionately kissing him, and thought.
“It’s different from then and now.”
***
Part 2
Contrary to his resolution, Heeseong spent the whole day in a daze even after that day.
Originally, he was taught that to live as a fighting dog, one must never stop struggling. For Heeseong, who was like that, life was always about fighting, biting, and clinging to targets. A fighting dog doesn’t give up and unconditionally trusts and protects his pack. That was the motto that made Heeseong live with pride.
But after Yoon Chi-young became stable, Heeseong’s life seemed to have suddenly stopped. Heeseong sat in Yoon Chi-young’s arms in the form of a dog, and suddenly looked at his reflection in the mirror on the desk. He saw a chubby, well-groomed small dog. Clearly, he was happy with his companion, had a lot, and was safe, but Heeseong suddenly felt like he had lost his way.
Perhaps noticing that the dog was depressed, Yoon Chi-young didn’t work with Heeseong today. As if giving him his own time, he let Heeseong wander around the office as he pleased without bothering him.
The dog, who was sitting alone on the desk like that, suddenly asked Ji Youngbae, who was passing by.
“Youngbae-hyung.”
“Yes.”
Even though the dog called out mumbling, Ji Youngbae willingly stopped for him. Heeseong hesitated about what to say to him, who was standing heavily behind him, and then asked an impulsive question that suddenly came to mind.
“Youngbae-hyung, why are you protecting Yoon Chi-young, who is already strong enough?”
“……”
Ji Youngbae didn’t answer. Wondering if he might not have understood, the dog glanced back, but he was lost in serious thought. Usually, Ji Youngbae would answer right away even if he misunderstood the words, so now he must have understood the dog’s words and was pondering.
As expected, Ji Youngbae gave a simple answer after a very brief thought.
“To feed Hodu.”
“…You’re annoying.”
“I’m sorry.”
Ji Youngbae just said he was sorry and patted the dog’s head as if he found him cute, then left. After getting close to Hodu, Heeseong had also become much closer to Ji Youngbae. However, the answer he gave was not helpful to Heeseong, who was now holding anxiety.
In the end, the dog spent the day in a daze, curled up on the desk. Occasionally, he heard Ji Youngbae and Yoon Chi-young unusually talking quietly behind him, but he didn’t care. The Watcher’s office was sufficiently safe and peaceful. His intervention would not be necessary.
After some time passed like that, Yoon Chi-young picked up Heeseong, who was curled up and sleeping. Heeseong woke up in a disheveled state and yawned loudly.
As Yoon Chi-young was removing the sleep from the dog’s eyes with a tissue, he asked.
“Puppy.”
“Why…”
“Shall we get off work?”
He asked as if he would get off work whenever he wanted anyway, so it was incomprehensible why he was asking. It was still early evening – Yoon Chi-young usually went to work late for lunch and got off work at night – but it wasn’t a time he couldn’t leave.
“Okay… Let’s do it.”
The dog nodded and tried to get back into his arms. But Yoon Chi-young neatly placed the white lump on the desk and placed his personal clothes next to it. They were thick winter clothes that the dog could use as a blanket.
“Then let’s go on a date.”
The dog couldn’t refuse the words said with a bright smile. Thinking that if his companion wanted to go on a date, he had to do it, Heeseong transformed into a human and put on the clothes.
On the date they went on like that, Yoon Chi-young was a little different from usual.
He didn’t bring any members of the organization, drove himself, and went shopping with Heeseong at a department store to his heart’s content. Heeseong didn’t choose many clothes because he was feeling listless, but he was drawn to a new pair of sneakers and bought one pair. They were white sneakers that got dirty easily, which he wouldn’t have bought in the past.
After shopping, the two got in the car. Heeseong fiddled with the new sneakers he had bought on impulse in his arms.
“Did I buy new shoes for nothing…?”
He was a little excited when he bought the shoes on impulse while shopping. But when he got in the car and the surroundings became quiet, he became lost in thought again. Among them, the same anxiety he felt when he was living in the gambling den didn’t go away, making him feel helpless. It was strange because he was satisfied just being with his companion now. Heeseong didn’t know that the helplessness he had only felt during hard times would persist so tenaciously.
Now Yoon Chi-young was safe. The Clan Head’s position had become extremely narrow and was not even a threat to the Watcher anymore. Yoon Chi-young’s strategy of not selecting the next Clan Head was excellent, but the dog kept feeling confused as if he had lost his goal in the unexpected peace.
“What are you thinking about, baby?”
“……”
“Puppy?”
At the call, Heeseong finally flinched and lifted his head. He was so lost in thought that he couldn’t even hear the call. Looking beside him, Yoon Chi-young, dressed in a white shirt, was waiting for an answer. Unlike himself, he looked comfortable and languid.
Looking at him calmly, Heeseong quietly asked.
“Yoon Chi-young.”
“Yeah.”
“If you weren’t the Watcher, how do you think you would have lived?”
“Hmm… Well.”
He laughed casually as if he had never thought about it and said.
“I’ve never thought about it.”
“…Why?”
“In the past, I couldn’t see any other path, and after meeting you, life as the Watcher became better.”
Yoon Chi-young spoke comfortably while driving with one hand. When the car was caught at a signal, he would kiss Heeseong, who was sitting in the passenger seat. But Heeseong’s expression didn’t change much. He just fiddled with the new sneakers in his hand and muttered softly.
“Will life as a fighting dog get better for me too…?”
Fortunately, Heeseong’s voice was buried softly by the surrounding noise. Yoon Chi-young didn’t seem to hear Heeseong’s words either, as he focused on driving for a while. Heeseong inwardly thought it was fortunate that he didn’t hear what he said. It was a confusing concern for himself too. He didn’t want to show such a weak side of himself to his companion.
But belatedly, Yoon Chi-young held his hand.
“……”
He just held his hand out of habit while driving. But when Heeseong felt his warm body temperature, he felt relieved. Heeseong, who had been fiddling with the new sneakers, opened the car window and looked at the cityscape. The destination Yoon Chi-young mentioned was seen in the distance. It was an amusement park in the middle of the city.
***
It was a peaceful evening. As closing time was approaching, there were hardly any rides available, and an announcement was being made over the speakers that the parade would begin.
“Why did we come here? We’re not even kids….”
“To set the mood a little.”
Yoon Chi-young answered lightly and went to the terrace on the 3rd floor of a castle-shaped building. It seemed to be a place where you had to pay extra to enter, but it was nice to be able to see the beautifully decorated amusement park scenery and parade from an open spot.
As Heeseong leaned on the railing, Yoon Chi-young hugged him from behind and looked at the amusement park. Seeing the surroundings decorated in childish pink and blue, Heeseong felt as if he had entered some kind of toy land. There was no further impression beyond that.
Yoon Chi-young tried to strike up various conversations with Heeseong, who was still sulking.
“I think they’re baby beastmen.”
“I guess so.”
“They don’t seem to be able to shapeshift into humans yet. Cute.”
“Yeah….”
Heeseong looked at the beastmen running around the amusement park indifferently. They seemed to have come with their families, and their walk through the amusement park looked harmonious. Heeseong, who had no such memories with his family, watched the families pass by with eyes half filled with envy and half with sadness.
Behind him, Yoon Chi-young kept chattering close to Heeseong’s ear, leaning on the railing of the castle, not knowing his inner thoughts.
“With you like this, you really look like the prince of the puppy kingdom.”
“If only you would say less of those things….”
“I’m the knight who sleeps with the prince instead of the princess every night.”
“……”
Heeseong looked back with a pathetic expression. But Yoon Chi-young was nonchalant even after talking nonsense. Rather, he grinned in the darkness, kneading Heeseong’s round butt as if nothing had happened.
Heeseong did show irritation, baring his canine teeth, but he felt a little better because it was so absurd. He smiled slightly, sighed, and leaned on the railing again.
“What is this? I feel a little better….”
It was new that Yoon Chi-young took him to the amusement park for no reason. Although he had never been here with his family, he thought it was enough to come here with his lover, even belatedly.
After some time passed like that, the night parade of the amusement park began. Heeseong didn’t have much expectation, but after seeing the sparkling fluorescent lights and the splendid parade, he began to wag his tail vigorously. He waved from afar and was secretly excited to watch the parade.
Yoon Chi-young enjoyed the parade while hugging Heeseong from behind. Heeseong was warm because he wrapped his body in his coat and hugged him. Perhaps because he felt a little relaxed, Heeseong thought it would be nice to spend every day like this, going out to play without any worries, leaning on his arms.
While having such a thoughtless idea, Yoon Chi-young’s languid call was heard.
“Baby.”
“Why?”
Between the conversations, the noise of the parade and the sound of children rejoicing were also heard. Heeseong, who was excited, also pointed to the middle of the parade, telling him to look over there. Although the amusement park was crowded, when the parade started, the splendid atmosphere felt as if they had come to the middle of a festival.
Yoon Chi-young hugged Heeseong’s waist and said softly.
“Ordinary people go home to their families like that after work.”
“…Yeah.”
Family. It was too distant a story for the dog, so it only felt unfamiliar. He just wondered why Yoon Chi-young was bringing up words that only felt unfamiliar.
Then Yoon Chi-young spoke to Heeseong in a soft voice.
“Shall we try that too?”
“…Huh?”
When Heeseong asked back in bewilderment, Yoon Chi-young turned Heeseong, who was watching the parade, towards the people. In the dog’s view, he saw children excitedly waving their hands while watching the parade in their father’s arms. Next to them were ordinary couples and groups that looked like friends.
Looking at the scene together, Yoon Chi-young said.
“Not always living as the Watcher and a fighting dog….”
“……”
“Work when working. After work, let’s go back to being lovers who thoughtlessly adore each other.”
As he spoke, Yoon Chi-young gently stroked the dog’s head. Heeseong’s black eyes, which were looking at the harmonious family, sank deeply.
“How about that?”
“A life not as a fighting dog….”
Heeseong thought quietly and felt a little more at ease just with that.
Even though he knew better than anyone that being the Watcher wasn’t everything to Yoon Chi-young. Why couldn’t he think the same about himself?
Then Yoon Chi-young asked kindly in a pleasant voice.
“How do you want to live with me after work?”
“……”
“Shall we go out to play like this every day or go on a trip somewhere far away?”
Heeseong was dumbfounded, unable to answer. He became lost in thought.
The dog realized that the direction he had been trying to go was wrong. Just as he was taught that as a fighting dog, he must always fight to live, Heeseong had to confront reality and always fight with his own weakness. But after meeting Yoon Chi-young and his life changed, he had to protect him to become a reliable companion. As his companion was the Watcher, there were enemies lurking everywhere, and he couldn’t relax.
But if it’s a life without such worries….
“Then, I….”
“Yeah.”
The dog comfortably leaned the back of his head on Yoon Chi-young’s chest. The height difference, which he used to always complain about, felt okay today. If Heeseong leaned on his chest, Yoon Chi-young could rest his chin on Heeseong’s head. Although Heeseong thought it was a funny posture, he whispered while looking at the splendid parade.
“I don’t like noisy cities… I don’t want to face other beastmen anymore.”
“Is that so?”
Even though Heeseong spoke in a dissatisfied tone, Yoon Chi-young calmly answered him. Because he consistently accepted him gently, Heeseong could relatively easily reveal the small wishes he had hidden in his heart.
“I want to try living in a quiet house with few people, where no one is around.”
“I see.”
Yoon Chi-young replied in a languid voice. Heeseong liked him for listening even to his lover’s pointless words. Even though he had never listened to others’ pleas to spare their lives. He was the one who only showed a lovely side to Heeseong. It was childish, but such specialness often reassured Heeseong.
Heeseong listed the hopes he had dreamed of long ago, crouched in the corner of a dirty sofa in the gambling den.
“I think I’d like a countryside that’s safe, without enemies… Where I don’t need to be wary of anyone.”
“……”
“When bored, we can go for a drive in a blue sports car… We can swim together, just the two of us….”
As he spoke, Yoon Chi-young answered diligently as if trying to remember all of Heeseong’s words. Countryside, that’s nice. Then it should be a three-story house. A swimming pool is a given. He chimed in agreeably. Soon, Heeseong relaxed and laughed, and Yoon Chi-young laughed along with him.
“Okay. Let’s do that.”
“What? You have to live in the city to be the Watcher….”
Heeseong mumbled, but his expression became much lighter. He liked the comfortable feeling of Yoon Chi-young gently patting his stomach. He wanted to tell Yoon Chi-young that he was actually fine with the way things were now. But it was still embarrassing to say that much.
He no longer had to fight anything. After work, the two of them were lovers, not a fighting dog and a supervisor. The dog felt that such peace was unfamiliar just by thinking about it. But he also knew that he had been constantly looking for meaningless things to fight.
“My life….”
For the first time, the dog tried to become Heeseong, not a fighting dog. Heeseong leaned on Yoon Chi-young’s chest and let out a comfortable sigh. Even when he heard someone passing by, he didn’t act savagely, and enjoyed the attentive touch of his honest lover. As he finally relaxed, he heard Yoon Chi-young muttering to himself.
“I guess the puppy is finally relieved now.”
“What are you saying… Come here so we can go home.”
“But we’re going to have a course meal now?”
“No. Let’s go home.”
Heeseong said, taking Yoon Chi-young’s hand. He couldn’t abandon the aspect of a fighting dog rushing towards what he wanted, but there was a playful glint in his black eyes looking up at Yoon Chi-young. They were lovely eyes, shining black, only shown to his uniquely comfortable lover.
“I’m going to play prince and knight with you at home.”
Heeseong said as he took the lead. His steps were light in the new sneakers that fit his feet comfortably. Behind him, Yoon Chi-young quickly matched Heeseong’s pace, saying he should have said so earlier. A day that made them look forward to tomorrow was passing by.
