Don’t Mess with the Puppy!

Puppy was a merciless bastard.

That was the first thought Puppy had when he saw Yoon Chiyoung.
“How can someone smile like that when their own father just died?”
Puppy glanced at Yoon Chiyoung with a disgusted face.

Just last night, he had heard that the head of the wolf tribe, Yoon Chiyoung’s father, had died. Yet Yoon Chiyoung was dressed sharply in a neat suit, laughing and chatting brightly with the people around him. And that was at the gambling den of the dog tribe.
In the industry where Puppy worked, there was no such thing as affection. It was a place where beast-men fought and clawed each other over money day and night, even resorting to crime. But Puppy had heard that Yoon Chiyoung’s wolf tribe practiced monogamy and valued family. Seeing Yoon Chiyoung now, he looked more like a lion that would even kill its own cub rather than a wolf.
Still, Puppy couldn’t show those feelings outwardly. Puppy was just a small dog in a gambling den, neither lion nor wolf.

“Hello.”
When Yoon Chiyoung passed by, Puppy bowed his head in greeting.
Yoon Chiyoung, a head taller, seemed not to hear Puppy’s greeting, engrossed in a conversation with an acquaintance.

His face was clearly handsome like a purebred wolf’s, and his gentle smile left an impression when he smiled, but the words he spoke were the exact opposite. Yoon Chiyoung was enjoying himself, saying how the ears of the stingy ox tribe member had been cut off, even though he lost his bet.
‘I must never get involved with that bastard.’
Puppy looked at Yoon Chiyoung’s broad back with disgust.

The gloomy gambling den and Yoon Chiyoung’s handsome appearance didn’t quite match. It was like his behavior of laughing and chatting even after the death of a family member.
At that moment, a few steps ahead, Yoon Chiyoung murmured lazily.
“Doesn’t it smell like puppy piss around here?”

“......”
Puppy’s fist clenched reflexively.
It seemed like something meant to be heard. Puppy, being a small dog, had a complex about his size. So he usually kept his humanized form strictly to hide his scent and appearance. This was strange. Unless he had an extraordinary sense of smell, he shouldn’t be able to catch a scent called “puppy piss” that even he didn’t know.

‘That unlucky wolf bastard.’
It was probably a slur against the dog tribe. The man standing next to Yoon Chiyoung laughed loudly as if saying, “What nonsense are you talking about?”
Puppy glared at Yoon Chiyoung’s broad back as if ready to kill but stopped. He didn’t see Yoon Chiyoung turn and smile faintly.
… Contrary to Puppy’s wishes, he met Yoon Chiyoung again.

The second time Puppy saw Yoon Chiyoung was when Puppy was being scolded by his older brother.
As the youngest member of the dog tribe organization, Puppy had to work at the gambling den without a day off and often got caught up in incidents. Actually, most of these incidents happened because Puppy had a stubborn personality that couldn’t stand losing.
“Puppy… if you want to work, you need to tone down your attitude, okay?”

Park Geontae, who was sitting at a corner table with him, said in frustration. Puppy lowered his head weakly but still couldn’t hide his rebellious spirit, glaring somewhere on the table.
Geontae wasn’t his real older brother, but he was the one who took Puppy in when he was starving to death long ago. Because of that, Puppy thought of him as the only family left and comfortably confided in him about troubles no one else would listen to.
“That bastard keeps asking for a blowjob while playing poker.”

“It’s because you look pretty, so they get into the mood. Why are you throwing chips at the customers’ faces all of a sudden?”
“He was aiming for my chest…”
“Oh... there were wolves at that table too. Aren’t you going to be careful?”

Geontae soothed Puppy by pouring him a drink.
After being calmed, Puppy found it easier to show his feelings. Perhaps because of sorrow and fatigue, his white puppy ears, half-folded, appeared over his soft black hair.
Taking a half gulp of alcohol, Puppy slammed the glass down and spoke rebelliously.

“Bro, I don’t want to work here.”
“......”
Geontae avoided his gaze bitterly. Owing debts to the organization, Geontae couldn’t easily leave the gambling den. Knowing that, Puppy still wanted to run away from here. If it weren’t for Geontae, he would have run away long ago.

At that moment, an unexpected question came from nearby.
“Why are you drinking? Want to kill yourself?”
It was Yoon Chiyoung.

Though they didn’t know each other, he spoke to Puppy easily. Puppy had greeted him as a gambling den employee before, but they were still strangers.
Yet Yoon Chiyoung naturally sat next to the round table and fixed his gaze on Puppy. Puppy leaned back in discomfort and muttered a rude remark first.
“Do you know me?”

“No, not yet.”
“Then mind your own business… ah!”
Suddenly, Puppy’s older brother stepped on his foot. His face was drenched in cold sweat with embarrassment.

It was a warning to watch his mouth around a VIP.
“Hey, the dog tribe is allowed to drink, you know.”

“Are you forcing yourself to drink?”

Does this bastard even listen to me?

“No, I—I want to drink.”

“Oh, you want to drink...”

Yoon Chiyoung smiled and tilted his head at such a simple answer. That simple gesture looked like a sculpture. His clearly defined and beautiful features, along with a soft smile that attracted people's hearts, but his gray eyes gave off a cold vibe, strangely lifeless. Yet even that dangerous atmosphere somehow captivated Heeseong’s gaze repeatedly.

“Drink in moderation. You’ll hurt yourself if you keep this up.”

Late to realize it, Yoon Chiyoung lightly stroked Heeseong’s head as he passed by. It was a tender, affectionate gesture as if worrying about a lover.

On top of that, he flipped up only one of Heeseong’s half-folded puppy ears before leaving.

‘Is he really crazy?’

Heeseong couldn’t hide his displeasure, baring his fangs as he neatly folded his white ear back. He wanted to curse openly, but Yoon Chiyoung was already gone with his associates.

“Are you close with Yoon Chiyoung...?”

His older brother asked reluctantly after a while. Heeseong shook his head with a face like he was ready to kill a beastman.

“I don’t know, damn it.”

“Then why does he act like he knows you?”

Heeseong himself wanted to know that.

Seeing Heeseong’s displeased expression, his brother gave him a serious warning.

“Among the wolf tribe, especially watch out for Yoon Chiyoung. There are rumors he even eats his own kind.”

“......”

...Heeseong hated Yoon Chiyoung.

Since his older brother, the gambling den manager, knew this, it was likely true. He had been wandering around as if he had no blood or tears even when family died, and now rumors spread that he ate his own kind. He couldn’t understand how someone with such a handsome face could act like that.
And finally, during their third encounter, an incident happened.

That bastard—Heeseong didn’t want to call him that because they were both dogs, but since that guy was also a wolf—sexually harassed Heeseong.
〈Hey, man. What kind of sexual harassment is that? I was just saying you’re cute.〉
〈He put his mouth on my body!〉

Even his older brother just laughed it off, but Heeseong insisted it was sexual harassment.

Here’s what happened: The previous night, Heeseong had cleaned up the guest room after a rowdy customer and fell asleep on the sofa. Exhausted, he had returned to his small original form.
Heeseong’s true form was a white small dog, so when he was crumpled inside a suit jacket, people thought he was just a pile of laundry and didn’t notice him. That was the only advantage of being a small dog.

But Yoon Chiyoung was different.

Heeseong didn’t know when he had come by, but when he opened his eyes, he saw black eyes staring down at his sleeping form.

And that crazy bastard was biting Heeseong’s white front paw!

It may seem trivial, but if you’ve experienced it firsthand, you’d know the terror. Beastmen gradually reveal their true forms when they lose control of their emotions. When Heeseong woke up, a vampire-like guy with sharp fangs and black wolf ears was gnawing on his paw.

Yelp!

Heeseong panicked and flailed. Then Yoon Chiyoung’s joyful laughter pierced his ears. He even caught the puppy’s running body on the sofa with one hand and rubbed his lips against the soft fur on its back.

Heeseong screamed for him to go away and bit Yoon Chiyoung’s hand holding his body with all his strength until it bled.

But Yoon Chiyoung didn’t care about his bleeding fingers and flipped the white lump over, burying his lips into the pink belly.
〈Ah, that must taste really good.〉

Even saying that dog-like stuff.

Embarrassed but unable to help it, Heeseong finally foamed at the mouth and passed out. It was inevitable. Just like in the wild, when bitten by a beast several times larger than oneself, fainting was an automatic reflex.

From that day on, Heeseong’s hatred for Yoon Chiyoung hardened.

In truth, he was scared by the rumor about eating his own kind but didn’t want to admit it—just like the fact that his tough true form was a small dog.
Heeseong had a nightmare.
He dreamed that he was turned back into a puppy and was being chased by Yoon Chiyoung. He desperately rolled and ran away but was eventually cornered and caught by Yoon Chiyoung.
〈Ha, you’d taste delicious...〉

Covered in dirt, Yoon Chiyoung looked at the puppy like a ripe fruit. Heeseong struggled to get free, flailing his four legs, but couldn’t move at all.

His handsome face came closer, revealing sharp wolf fangs.

When Yoon Chiyoung’s pointed nose touched the puppy’s moist one, Heeseong screamed and woke up from the dream.

‘Shit... what a damn stupid dream.’

Heeseong sprang up in his puppy form. He had slept quite long, as only one side of the fur on his potato-sized head was flattened. Slowly regaining his senses, he looked around. It was still the middle of the night.

And the place where he woke up was a motel attached to the gambling den. It was a place above Heeseong’s head every day, but the neat surroundings felt unfamiliar.
Heeseong heard a ridiculous comment from his older brother entering the room.

“Hey, Heeseong’s awake? Yoon Chiyoung said sorry and paid your compensation.”

‘Compensation...? What compensation?’

“He said he feels sorry for messing with the gambling den puppy. Anyway, rest well today.”

Rest well, huh. It was suddenly a day off. Heeseong, who worked 6.5 days a week, didn’t know what to do with the unexpected holiday.

‘He knocked out an innocent beastman and then pays compensation.’

Still, it was a precious day off. Heeseong rested deeply alone for once. Occasionally, strange moans came from the next room, but Heeseong ignored them and slept like he was knocked out. The stress and accumulated fatigue only lifted after a full day of sleep.

When he woke up again, there were drinks and a large box beside the bed.

Sweet potato jerky.

On the box was written in his brother’s handwriting,

“Yoon Chiyoung bought this.”

‘Does that bastard really think someone’s a puppy?’

Yoon Chiyoung was terribly clueless about snacks. Heeseong was about to throw away the snack box, bigger than his puppy body, but first changed to his human form, opened one, and ate it. The sweet treat suited his taste.

Exhausted, Heeseong who had reverted to puppy form, ate two more bags of sweet potato jerky, then jumped off the bed with his belly full.
It was time to start making a living.

Heeseong went down to the gambling den in the evening.
“Heeseong’s here?”
“Yeah.”

When he went to the office, his older brother greeted him.
Manager Park Geontae.
The title engraved on the black nameplate on the desk felt unfamiliar.

Although it had been almost half a year since his brother became the manager of the gambling den, Heeseong still disliked it. It felt like the path out of this work with his brother was getting further and further away, and he hated that.
But even if he complained, nothing would change. Feeling annoyed, Heeseong sat on the sofa and chewed on the sweet potato jerky he brought. Maybe because he had rested well for a day, his mind seemed a bit clearer.
Meanwhile, a question ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) kept coming to his mind.

‘Why does Yoon Chiyoung act like he knows me?’
Heeseong thought carefully if they had met separately, but no clear memory came to mind. He had literally been working like a dog, dealing with countless customers.
Ah, he did handle the gambling table Yoon Chiyoung was involved in.

〈Ah… There was a wolf at that table. Aren’t you going to be careful?〉
As his brother said, Yoon Chiyoung was at that place when Heeseong threw chips at a beastman customer. His usual consistent smile remained, and his gaze... was fixed on Heeseong.
Recalling that sent chills down Heeseong’s spine.

Could it be that Yoon Chiyoung really wanted to eat him, as the rumors of cannibalism suggested? Because he was a dog tribe member without any background, and his true form was a small dog, making him easy prey? Suddenly, Yoon Chiyoung saying he looked delicious, and that strange comment about puppy piss when passing by felt suspicious.
Heeseong opened his mouth with a more serious expression.
“…Hyung.”

“Hm?”
“Did Yoon Chiyoung know I’m… a small dog and bother me because of it?”
“Come on, how would he know? You hide it so well.”

His brother laughed awkwardly as if that made no sense and shook his head. Heeseong preferred to keep his true form hidden, and only a handful of people had seen him transform. Even the few times he fell asleep in his true form in a private room were places where no one else came without reservation.
Still, something felt off.
“When I was drinking, Yoon Chiyoung flipped my white ear too. Does that mean he knows I’m a small dog?”

“You worry about everything. There are a few white dogs working here, man.”
True. There was no way he could tell. Half of the dog tribe in Korea had white ears. And recognizing the true form just by ears was nearly impossible. It was like not recognizing someone by their ears in human form.
Yoon Chiyoung was probably just a typical gambling den visitor who enjoyed bothering people. While Heeseong relaxed, his brother glanced around cautiously and dropped a word.

“Heeseong, just carry one item today.”
“Suddenly?”
Heeseong looked up in confusion but didn’t resist. Carrying goods was much better than dealing with gambling customers.

“You just have to pick something up from here. Here.”
His brother handed him a note. Heeseong checked the note while munching on his sweet potato jerky.
The destination was the construction company building — the stronghold of the wolf tribe.

“…Isn’t this where Yoon Chiyoung works?”
“Hmm, yeah…”
His brother carefully approached after seeing Heeseong’s reaction. Due to his sturdy build and sly expression, it looked like a delinquent gangster was coming to shake down the pure white Heeseong. But the brother was the one nervously checking Heeseong’s reaction.

“Yoon Chiyoung seems interested in you. So if you go, maybe…”
“Are you seriously sending me to that cannibal wolf bastard?”
Heeseong growled, grinding his teeth. His dark eyes sharpened like a beast’s. Then his taller brother patted Heeseong’s back and gently calmed him.

“Hey, calm down... You know the wolves don’t always hand over the goods properly and bother the kids.”
“You’re sending me despite knowing that?”
“I trust you, that’s why! Come on, don’t make me feel bad.”

“......”
Heeseong wanted to hate his brother, but he couldn’t hate the only family he had left. Having been abandoned once, he never wanted to be separated from the group again.
Still, he couldn’t help feeling reluctant.

Heeseong had heard many rumors while working at the gambling den. Recently, dealings with the wolf tribe had increased, meaning the den was receiving illegal goods.
Like smuggled items or drugs.
Because of that, couriers sometimes got involved in dangerous situations, going missing or running off with expensive goods. So trusted members were assigned as couriers.

“…Hyung. Do I really have to go to this deal?”
Heeseong asked, staring somewhere on the floor. He had said this to his brother before, but he no longer wanted to do this kind of work. He just wanted to live a normal life like everyone else.
His brother then grabbed Heeseong’s tattooed arm tightly, pulling him close and firmly patting his back.

“Then just this once. Okay?”
“......”
“How much have I done for you so far? Just go once, please.”

Heeseong stared at the floor silently for a while. He thought not working at the gambling den would be better, but now he knew carrying was even more dangerous and dirty.
Still, he couldn’t complain to the brother who had taken him in after he was abandoned.
“Alright… I’ll go.”

Now he had accepted it easily. Heeseong calmly prepared, grabbed his black helmet, and put on his jacket.
Silence filled the office. Heeseong finished getting ready quietly and headed to the door.
Then he heard a soft call from behind.

“Heeseong.”
“......”
“Let’s finish this job and quit together.”

At those words, Heeseong turned to his brother with renewed energy in his dark eyes. When he relaxed the habitually tense expression, his round eyes and youthful look stood out.
“Really?”
His brother didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he smiled late but spoke honestly.

“Yeah. I’m paying off my debts now. This is the last time.”
Heeseong gave his brother a genuine smile for the first time since working here.
“I’ll be back.”

Heeseong left the rat’s nest-like gambling den with a brighter face. Exiting the gloomy basement, he saw the bustling cityscape with the sun setting. He gazed blankly at college students his age, then put on his black helmet and climbed onto his bike.
It was time to face Yoon Chiyoung, the cannibal wolf.