Don’t Mess with the Puppy!

About two weeks had passed since the incident. During that time, the two had been quite busy.
More precisely, Hee-seong had been busy. He had to take care of Yoon Chi-young, who was discharged after a week—though it seemed like an exaggeration—and also handled part of the organization’s affairs. Because of this, the living room table became the puppy’s office desk. The puppy regularly made wise decisions for the organization members who came to report. One bark meant “Proceed,” two meant “Don’t do that.”

Among the tasks Hee-seong handled, the most important was tracking down Park Geon-tae.
“Brother Young-bae, how far have you tracked Park Geon-tae?”
Hee-seong asked as he came out of the bedroom looking disheveled. Ji Young-bae was skilled at tracking, making him perfect for the job, and after hearing what Hee-seong had suffered at Park Geon-tae’s hands, he gladly accepted the request.

While Yoon Chi-young was injured this time, Park Geon-tae had disappeared without a trace.
He was a sharp one, after all. Park Geon-tae, who had been attached to the wolf clan leader, must have sensed he was going to be discarded—or perhaps heard rumors that Hee-seong had a formal meeting with Yoon Chi-young. After ten years of devotion, he abandoned the gambling house without hesitation.
He even had the nerve to do this:

〈…He ran off taking all the gambling house money too?〉
The fox who betrayed the puppy now tried to steal even the tiger’s share. Park Geon-tae had ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) cleaned out the gambling house’s funds and escaped.
Since he had wiped his tracks clean, it seemed he had prepared a contingency plan long ago. The woman he loved had apparently fled with him for a romantic escape, and hearing this information made Hee-seong so furious he could hardly contain his rage.

〈If I find that bastard, really….〉
Since that day, the furious puppy, fur standing on end, had made up his mind to find Park Geon-tae.
Fortunately, the wolf organization’s tracking ability was extraordinary, and within a week of searching, Park Geon-tae’s location was pinpointed. Hee-seong’s intelligence greatly contributed to this. No matter how cunning Park Geon-tae was, having been close to him for five years, Hee-seong could clearly foresee what he might do.

“That bastard doesn’t have many places to go. He has too many criminal records, so he can’t flee overseas anyway. Starting with his hometown, Busan… huh!”
Suddenly, Hee-seong made a subtle groan and turned around. There stood a huge wolf, taller than Hee-seong’s waist. Despite the elegant shine of his jet-black fur, the wolf’s gray eyes clearly showed amusement.
“Hey, stop licking my thigh!”

Hee-seong shouted angrily, pulling his shower gown tight around his lower body.
Since this injury, Yoon Chi-young spent more time as a wolf. The problem was, old habits die hard—whether as a wolf or a human, he always tried to taste Hee-seong’s flesh, especially showing interest between his soft thighs. Hee-seong had good reason to hate it. The wolf’s bites had left red marks all over his white thighs, painful enough to sting.
“Anyway, Brother Young-bae…”

Pushing the wolf aside, Hee-seong, cheeks flushed to the tips of his ears, looked back at Ji Young-bae. After losing his temper, he felt embarrassed. It was awkward to show such a naughty side during serious talks. He wondered if he should put a leash on Yoon Chi-young.
Fortunately, Ji Young-bae didn’t care about such lovers’ playfulness. He cautiously watched Yoon Chi-young transformed into a wolf. They kept their distance, speaking from the bedroom door to the far end of the living room. It was inevitable—Yoon Chi-young’s aggression intensified in his true form, so only Hee-seong was safe by his side.
Hee-seong roughly pushed the black wolf away and said,
“Park Geon-tae’s a slippery bastard, so you have to be careful too, hyung.”

“Yes.”
“Take your time tracking, but be careful.”
“No. I will handle it as quickly as possible.”

“…That’s fine, but can you stop using honorifics with me now?”
Hee-seong asked hesitantly, struggling a bit as he pushed away the black wolf’s snout between his thighs. Still, Hee-seong felt more awkward about the honorifics from Ji Young-bae than the embarrassing situation.
Strangely, Hee-seong had no problem treating Yoon Chi-young roughly, but hearing honorifics from the older organization members made him uncomfortable. Now he wanted to be closer to the kind wolf members who always patted his head when they saw him. They had become quite friendly.

But as always, the organization members carefully observed the black wolf and politely said,
“…Sorry. I’ll leave first.”
Hee-seong expected that answer, but it didn’t feel distant. Ji Young-bae carefully handed Hee-seong a nice new outfit before leaving.

In the dead of winter, Ji Young-bae bought a padded jacket for Hee-seong who felt cold easily. Hee-seong saw Ji Young-bae off holding the jacket, which was a little bigger than his palm. He was grateful that despite everything, Ji Young-bae cared for him.
“Park Geon-tae bastard. Just wait until you make the brothers work harder…”
Clutching the puppy jacket tightly, Hee-seong gritted his teeth and headed inside. His small mind was filled only with hatred for Park Geon-tae.

Behind him, a big black wolf silently approached like a beast. Ji Young-bae had come to resume the interrupted report.
“Why? I’m going to take a shower.”
‘Okay, go ahead.’

The wolf wagged his tail as if understanding. Suspiciously watching the suddenly obedient Yoon Chi-young, Hee-seong quickly went to the bathroom and took off his shower gown. The cunning wolf lowered his head stealthily and prowled nearby like a predator. Something felt off. He felt he had to get to the shower as fast as possible.
“Don’t follow me. It’s hard washing with you, ah…!”
As expected, Yoon Chi-young didn’t miss the chance. He pushed Hee-seong’s solid, slender waist with his soft head, knocking his balance down.

With a few gestures from the huge wolf, Hee-seong’s body collapsed helplessly. Losing balance, he fell on all fours on the carpet, and the huge wolf climbed on top of him at will. Sensing something was wrong, Hee-seong struggled to escape from beneath the black fur, but whether puppy or human, he was always physically outmatched by Yoon Chi-young.
“Let go, let go! You’ve done enough already… ugh, hey…!”
That evening, Hee-seong was punished all night long. The charge was that he had taken Ji Young-bae’s report without permission during the operation. Additionally, he was harshly tormented by the wolf for enjoying his punishment, to the point that he momentarily forgot his rage toward Park Geon-tae.

…It was a rare night when Hee-seong slept deeply without nightmares.
After enduring Yoon Chi-young’s wildly fluctuating pheromone levels all night, he passed out without realizing when he had fallen asleep.
He faintly heard a phone call in the quiet early dawn.

“Um… just send me the location. Yeah… got it.”
Now back in human form, Yoon Chi-young was speaking in a low husky voice on the phone beside him.
Half-asleep, Hee-seong wanted to complain about why he was taking calls at this hour. Most late-night calls were related to the watcher’s work. Knowing the pain of working while injured, Hee-seong hated seeing Yoon Chi-young do so.

But the complaint stayed inside. Having been pestered with skinship all day, Hee-seong couldn’t open his eyes and curled up holding Yoon Chi-young’s hand. Yoon Chi-young tightly hugged him from behind, kissed his hair, and softly called out.
“Baby, baby?”
“…Yeah.”

“I need to step out for a moment… can I take you with me? If you’re sleepy, sleep in puppy form.”
“……”
Hee-seong’s white puppy ears twitched.

Yoon Chi-young really was going out. He wanted to say no right away, but he knew Yoon Chi-young would leave alone anyway. Moreover, the call at this late hour was definitely about something important.
Finally, Hee-seong let out a soft sigh, stirred lightly, and suddenly sat up.
“Let’s… go together.”
“Aren’t you tired? You can just stay and sleep…”
“How can I sleep when you’re going out sick?”

Hee-seong said firmly as he staggered to stand up. If Yoon Chi-young hadn’t supported his waist, he would have fallen, but his attitude remained stern.
Yoon Chi-young quietly suppressed a smile, brushing back his messy hair as he cared for the drowsy puppy. He wanted to take good care of Hee-seong all night but had to leave before it got too late.
Surprisingly, Yoon Chi-young drove himself. Accordingly, Hee-seong sat in the passenger seat in human form instead of his usual puppy self, since there was no car seat for puppies.

Hee-seong insisted on driving because Yoon Chi-young was sick, but Yoon Chi-young refused, saying he didn’t know the route and that the situation would keep changing.
‘Is this really that dangerous?’
On the way, Hee-seong sat stiffly in the passenger seat with a serious expression. On a day like this, someone could lose their life just from one of Yoon Chi-young’s whims or decisions.

The car drove on for nearly an hour.
‘We’re going pretty far…’
Hee-seong nodded off little by little. Occasionally, Yoon Chi-young called him “puppy” or “babe,” stroked his thigh, and slid a hand beneath his shirt saying he was cold, but Hee-seong only reacted with mild annoyance, like swatting a fly. Like Yoon Chi-young, Hee-seong was weak to sleep and couldn’t stay awake no matter what.

After some time, the car stopped in a remote area beneath a mountain with only two or three containers. The only visible structure was a large, rough building in the distance that looked like a logistics warehouse.
Two black cars parked nearby.
Hee-seong nervously looked at the cars. It was too dark to tell what kind of cars they were or who was inside. If they were dangerous, he was ready to step in for the injured Yoon Chi-young.

“Wait here.”
Yoon Chi-young kissed Hee-seong’s cheek and got out of the car, leaving the engine running.
Yoon Chi-young’s usual calm demeanor slightly deflated Hee-seong’s tension, but he still kept a wary eye on him, prepared to run if necessary.

Once Yoon Chi-young got out, other beastmen hurried out of the other cars.
‘What…? Why are the hyungs here?’
Luckily, those who got out were not dangerous beastmen but Yoon Chi-young’s organization members, including a somewhat anxious-looking Ji Young-bae.

Feeling relieved, Hee-seong sat back comfortably and watched them. Yoon Chi-young and the members exchanged a few words, and Ji Young-bae handed Yoon Chi-young something wrapped in cloth. It seemed urgent, but after a brief conversation, the members got back into their cars and quickly drove away.
‘Was that some kind of black-market item…?’
Otherwise, they wouldn’t have handed it over so hastily. Ji Young-bae looked unusually serious, and Hee-seong couldn’t shake his worried expression.

Meanwhile, Yoon Chi-young returned with his usual sleepy expression.
“Ha, it’s cold, babe.”
“Ugh… get your hand out!”

Yoon Chi-young buried his head in Hee-seong’s nape, sliding his hand under the shirt. When the cold fingertips touched Hee-seong’s vulnerable chest, Hee-seong angrily tried to pull away his stone-like arm. But Yoon Chi-young suddenly bit the white rim of his ear and exhaled roughly with a laugh.
‘Here we go again…’
Hee-seong tensed up but didn’t push him away anymore. He knew Yoon Chi-young was sensitive to pheromones and struggled because of it. Whenever Yoon Chi-young smelled other beastmen’s pheromones, he became violent and needed time to recover.

After lingering with his nose pressed against Hee-seong’s nape for a while, Yoon Chi-young sighed calmly and spoke gently.
“Keep this safe.”
He carefully placed the thick bundle he had brought into Hee-seong’s arms. Feeling tense and embarrassed, Hee-seong gruffly said,

“Got it. Just get us home quickly.”
“Why? In a hurry? …Then should we do it here once?”
“…Drive.”

Hee-seong showed his fangs and spoke quietly. Truly obsessed with skinship, they had done it several times before bed, yet he still made jokes like that.
Still, Yoon Chi-young’s usual teasing eased Hee-seong’s tension. As the car started moving toward home, drowsiness returned.
Hee-seong glanced down at the bundle in his arms with a comfortable sigh. It was just the right size to fill his two hands.

“What’s this…?”
Hee-seong looked at the bundle curiously, wondering what kind of precious item had been handed over so urgently by the organization members.
Yoon Chi-young, driving with one hand, said lazily,

“Open it.”
“……?”
Could he really open it so easily? Heart pounding, Hee-seong carefully touched the bundle. Inside, he expected drugs, valuable jewels, or something that could be someone’s weakness.

But what was inside the bundle was nothing like Hee-seong had imagined.
“…Puppy…?”
Inside the bundle lay a chubby puppy with golden fur, sound asleep. Its yellow coat looked as if it were dusted with sweet rice powder.

The puppy seemed young but was a large breed, apparently even bigger than Hee-seong’s true form. Yet it had a short snout and tail, indicating its youth. The yellow puppy curled into a ball as Hee-seong’s hand touched it.
Even seeing the cute scene, Hee-seong stared blankly, frozen, only gazing down at the puppy. In the peaceful, quiet car, his dark eyes began to tremble gently.
Ignoring that reaction, Yoon Chi-young spoke excitedly,

“How is it? Cute, right?”
“……”
“What should we name it… Since its brown paws look like walnuts, how about ‘Walnut’?”

“……”
No matter how kindly Yoon Chi-young spoke, Hee-seong couldn’t answer.
He was lost in a confusing turmoil even he couldn’t understand.

‘Was the puppy not enough for you…?’
Without knowing why he was shocked, Hee-seong’s eyes wobbled as his fingertips trembled.
“……”

For the entire ride home, Hee-seong remained in a heavy silence.
He watched only the sleeping puppy in his arms, avoiding looking at shameless Yoon Chi-young. Otherwise, he felt he might beat Yoon Chi-young mercilessly out of unknown rage boiling inside his chest.
‘…Calm down.’

He summoned the patience he had developed living with Yoon Chi-young.
He didn’t even know why he was angry, but he couldn’t just beat Yoon Chi-young in front of the small puppy. First, Hee-seong decided to eliminate the worst possibilities.
Taking a shaky breath, Hee-seong quietly called him,

“…Hey, Yoon Chi-young.”
“Yeah, not asleep?”
Yoon Chi-young asked nonchalantly while driving with one hand. Hee-seong wanted to ask if he was sleepy but couldn’t speak, choking on his breath. For the first time, he realized that if a beastman got too flustered, words just wouldn’t come out.

Ignoring the burning feeling inside, Hee-seong asked the thing he feared most.
“Is that… your kid?”
“Pfft…”

Yoon Chi-young burst into laughter, unable to hold back. Hee-seong, who had mustered courage to ask, glared at him fiercely. At least now, Hee-seong was serious.
Noticing the fierce glare, Yoon Chi-young barely stopped laughing and said,
“If it were mine, wouldn’t the fur be gray?”

“Why? You’re black.”
“But you’re white.”
“Do you think having kids is like mixing paint!?”

How could this guy joke at a time like this? Hee-seong gritted his teeth and snapped,
“And how are you and I supposed to have kids!”
“We could. Medical technology is good these days…”

Yoon Chi-young smiled slyly and subtly grabbed Hee-seong’s hand, rubbing it against his firm abdomen. Startled, Hee-seong immediately pulled away. He felt a chill, thinking Yoon Chi-young might actually be serious, not just joking.
In beastman society, there was a technology allowing lovers of different species to have children. Gender didn’t matter. But even if that technology existed, Hee-seong was nowhere near ready. Just Yoon Chi-young bringing home another puppy was shocking enough.
To put it bluntly, it felt like his lover, who was secretly married, had brought home the child of a hidden partner. Naturally, Hee-seong couldn’t help but be furious.

“You… think before you speak! What the hell is this? Are you seriously bringing a hostage?”
“A hostage? I don’t do such cowardly things.”
Yoon Chi-young spoke seriously, unlike usual. Though he was sly, he wasn’t cowardly.

But Hee-seong could no longer trust him. Bringing home another puppy without consulting him was cowardly, cruel, cunning, and shocking enough.
Of course, Hee-seong knew bringing one puppy wasn’t a big deal. There might be some reason. But deep inside, familiar anxiety kept rising—the most repressed feeling of all: the fear of being abandoned.
Meanwhile, the car entered the home’s parking lot. Yoon Chi-young parked the silver sports car he arrived in beside his own three vehicles.

Until then, Hee-seong clenched his teeth tightly, trembling with anger and depression. He wanted to throw the puppy down and storm out. If the puppy hadn’t been asleep, he would have yelled to live well with the yellow puppy and left.
Then Yoon Chi-young unbuckled his seatbelt, gently grabbed Hee-seong’s hand, and asked kindly,
“Are you… angry?”

“…Angry?”
Hee-seong, still staring ahead, muttered fiercely.
Of course he was angry if asked, but when Yoon Chi-young asked, it felt ridiculous and made him even more upset. He felt Yoon Chi-young was only asking for a reaction knowing full well he was already mad. He looked back at the driver’s seat, seeing Yoon Chi-young watching him cautiously. That alone was so annoying Hee-seong nearly raised his fist like when he was a puppy.

But he couldn’t get angry rashly. It wasn’t really a situation to get mad over, and to be honest, Hee-seong didn’t even know exactly why he was angry.
‘No way… am I jealous of the puppy?’
It was absurd. Hee-seong clenched his teeth hard.

‘I’m not the puppy, so why would I be jealous?’
Hee-seong was a full-grown adult beastman. It made no sense to be jealous of a mere young beastman. But still, he couldn’t help but want to curse and hit Yoon Chi-young.