Don’t Mess with the Puppy!

“......”
The desperate puppy gave up on responding or fighting back. Now, Hee-seong longed for his brother for a different reason.
As Hee-seong remembered, Yoon Chi-young had sharp, upright black wolf ears. Born with well-ventilated ears, he wouldn’t know the pain of folded ears. Blaming his unlucky genes, Hee-seong collapsed face-down on the table in resignation. Gently, Yoon Chi-young started stroking the puppy’s ears.

But there was an unexpected outcome. Habitually flipping the puppy’s ears, Yoon Chi-young noticed something.
“Does he have an ear infection?”
“Uh...”

Ji Young-bae and Yoon Chi-young’s gazes converged on the puppy’s ears. Two burly men peering down at the tiny puppy the size of their fists made Hee-seong feel uneasy. Yet he stayed still, trying to emphasize his dirty ears. Though humiliating and sad, his heart was desperate.
“We need to clean his ears.”
‘Right!’

Fortunately, maybe because they were from the same genus, Yoon Chi-young understood what was needed.
Yoon Chi-young tucked the puppy under his arm and stood up. After washing his hands, he sat on the living room sofa and grabbed a paper bag from the corner, dumping out its contents. Numerous pet supplies were neatly lined on the table—all brand new, still in packaging.
‘...Don’t I go to pet shops?’

He secretly hoped to meet a gentle lady there, but the gangster in front of him was now testing ear-cleaning tools one by one. The puppy looked up at Yoon Chi-young with fearful eyes.
Noticing the glance, Yoon Chi-young turned, smoothly lifting the corner of his mouth into a smile.
“We’re going to live together forever, so now I have to take care of you.”

“......”
Though his smile was bright, to Hee-seong it looked like a villain’s grin. This bastard clearly already knew what Hee-seong hated most.
Soon cotton soaked with ear cleaning solution was carefully inserted into the puppy’s ears. As Yoon Chi-young gently rubbed the cotton, a squelching sound came along with the puppy’s expression relaxing loosely.

‘Huh, huff.’
Reluctantly admitting it, Yoon Chi-young’s ear-cleaning skill was much better than his brother’s. His touch was gentle and delicate, like handling a jewel. He spent more time cleaning Hee-seong’s ears than seriously reviewing his documents.
Taking advantage, Yoon Chi-young even cleaned the puppy’s eye gunk neatly and, though doing little, gave both praise and treats.

“Well done. Here, yum yum.”
“......”
Woof. Hee-seong glared at him but took the dried sweet potato snack. Yoon Chi-young placed the puppy down on a soft carpet.
Limping, Hee-seong went over to the full-length mirror and sat down in front of it. The feeling was strange.

‘Fuck. I’m satisfied...’
It was the fourth day since arriving at Yoon Chi-young’s house. Counting the three days he was unconscious, it was a full week. Having enjoyed luxury, Hee-seong realized his appearance had changed quite a bit.
His reflection showed a look he had never seen before in his life. His white fur shone with gloss; the previously emaciated body had gained some flesh. His face, always smudged with tear stains, was clean, and his dark eyes sparkled with vitality. Seeing himself comfortably resting after causing trouble, looking better than before, he felt guilty toward his brother.

He missed his brother, but… since starting this, it was the first time he had rested like this. He almost didn’t want to go back.
‘Are you crazy, Kyeon Hee-seong?’
Still, no matter what, he couldn’t be satisfied with the touch of a cannibal wolf.

Hee-seong was from the Kyeon tribe, which valued the pack deeply. There was a place he had to return to. Even if returning meant working painfully as punishment for the drugs he stole...
‘Get a grip. This isn’t my home.’
He had to get away from Yoon Chi-young. Reaffirming his resolve, Hee-seong bit hard into a snake doll the size of his body, imagining it was Yoon Chi-young. Then he promised himself he would recover quickly and return to his brother.

But secretly, Hee-seong thought it wouldn’t be so bad if his recovery was delayed just a little longer.
Back on the terrace, Yoon Chi-young sat down and picked up his tablet.
On the screen were several photos and CCTV videos. Swiping sideways, simple documents and reports uploaded by organization members appeared.

All records were from the day the puppy was discovered near the wolf tribe’s territory.
Lost in thought as he reviewed the records, Yoon Chi-young asked Ji Young-bae, who was standing behind him.
“No organizations invaded our territory that day, right?”

“Yes. That’s correct.”
Yoon Chi-young smiled faintly, lifting the corner of his mouth. The puppy had appeared injured in a blind spot not covered by CCTV, but the clever Yoon Chi-young saw the situation clearly enough.
Causing a fight in front of the wolf tribe’s base just to steal a few tens of millions worth of drugs wasn’t cost-effective. Even street thugs usually avoided the wolf tribe’s fiercely guarded territory.

They’d rather pass quietly.
Unless they wanted to remove a troublesome parasite and make some personal money, maybe.
Besides, if the organization’s youngest member disappeared in the wolf territory, it would be difficult to investigate rashly.

Thinking all this, Yoon Chi-young gazed from the terrace into the house. The white puppy was sound asleep, clutching a snake doll on the black carpet.
“What to do…”
Yoon Chi-young quietly raised the corner of his mouth into a smile.

The situation seemed somehow ridiculous. Park Geon-tae, the gambling hall manager. He was already under surveillance. Items kept going missing after passing through his hands. But since he was so infatuated with women, it seemed he might end up selling himself. Yet, he had finally played his most important card.
“If it’s true, our puppy would be badly hurt.”
Though his tone sounded worried, his gray eyes dilated with excitement.

Soon Yoon Chi-young gave Ji Young-bae a simple order.
“Start watching Park Geon-tae from today.”
“Understood.”

Rising from his seat, Yoon Chi-young picked up the white lump lying like a stain on the black carpet and laid him down beside his own bed. There was a rare excitement in his gaze as he looked down at the puppy.
The weekend passed, and unexpectedly Yoon Chi-young didn’t go to work but [N O V E L I G H T] stayed home. Hee-seong watched a new movie Yoon Chi-young had put on and ate the grilled shrimp Yoon Chi-young peeled himself.
“Puppy, did you like the shrimp?”

‘Don’t know. It’s my first time eating it.’
Hee-seong had never eaten shrimp in his life before. He didn’t know shrimp could be so delicious. For the first time, he even clung to Yoon Chi-young’s wrist to receive a piece of shrimp. Yoon Chi-young looked at the puppy proudly and said,
“Hah, you’re so cute I could die.”

‘What the hell are you saying.’
“Hurry up and recover. I want to eat you in winter.”
“......”

Hee-seong lost his appetite instantly.
Only then did the puppy stop eating shrimp and glare at Yoon Chi-young as usual. On impulse, he even knocked over his water cup. Yoon Chi-young, pleased with this, smiled brightly and peeled more shrimp as a bribe. After much deliberation, the puppy ate it all without leaving any.
Eating him in winter? The disgusting words killed his appetite, but anyway, Hee-seong planned to escape before then, so it didn’t matter.

In the evening, the doctor who looked like a drug addict came to the house to examine the puppy’s now plump belly.
“There’s hardly any pheromone detected again this time. He really is just a puppy.”
‘Quack doctor bastard.’

The gaunt doctor might really have been a drug addict, but he misdiagnosed Hee-seong as just a puppy. He checked the pheromone measuring device against Hee-seong’s neck again and confirmed. Yoon Chi-young watched with a subtle smile but said nothing.
Still, the doctor seemed skilled. He treated the puppy carefully and never made mistakes. Perhaps because Yoon Chi-young watched coldly with gray eyes nearby.
“Fortunately, the wound is healing quickly. The cast can come off today, and stitches can be removed next week. Walking will still be difficult, but you should be able to be active when stitches come out.”

“......”
Hearing that the recovery was fast didn’t make Hee-seong happy.
Having been fed and kept warm, he had become complacent. Thinking of his brother, he knew he shouldn’t be like this. Frustrated, he bit the hand that was gently stroking him—Yoon Chi-young’s—and threw a tantrum.

He then examined his leg. The stitched skin looked ugly, and bruises were visible all over his small body.
‘Still, it seems too hard to change back into a human yet...’
Werewolves healed faster by returning to their original form. Their bodies instinctively tried to maintain the safest shape during injury. So even if Hee-seong tried to shift back to human form, the pain from the wounds made him give up. It was proof his body was still in recovery.
Still, returning to human form quickly would make escaping easier. Hee-seong firmly resolved to prepare his escape during recovery.
At that moment, Yoon Chi-young, whose hand had been bitten, asked the doctor,
“When can he go for a walk?”
‘...Is he really raising me like a dog?’
Walk? Hee-seong had no intention of wearing a chest leash that Yoon Chi-young might put on him. He had already protested by flopping flat and refusing whenever it was tried. He had even managed to remove the neck collar somehow and had thrown coffee or something in protest. Though Yoon Chi-young took pictures and seemed pleased then, not using chest leashes or dog accessories was the last pride of the Kyeon tribe.
The doctor advised,
“Since it’s November and cold, and because he’s a patient dog, it’s best to refrain from walks for a while...”
“Hmm...”
Yoon Chi-young showed no particular regret. He just checked the puppy’s wounds and subtly squinted one eye. The puppy’s fast recovery didn’t seem like good news to him either. The doctor, sensing Yoon Chi-young’s mood, didn’t know how to proceed.

“Well, then...”
Carefully, the doctor brought the pheromone measuring device close to Yoon Chi-young. Without objection, Yoon Chi-young just nodded once.
The device was placed on the back of Yoon Chi-young’s neck, and a threatening machine sound repeated with red numbers flashing. 892. Compared to Hee-seong’s barely 4 or 5, it was hundreds of times higher.
The doctor, surprised at the reading, asked,
“The normal level is 200... haven’t you returned to your original form recently?”
“I’m raising a puppy.”
Yoon Chi-young replied while absentmindedly stroking the puppy. The doctor, still professional, gave advice.
“Still, as a werewolf, you should return to your original form or have sexual relations to refresh your pheromones. Especially since you have strong werewolf traits, at least once every two weeks...”
‘Once every two weeks?’
Hee-seong looked up, surprised.
Werewolves were still closer to humans. Usually, returning to original form and refreshing pheromones once every two months was enough. Twice a month meant Yoon Chi-young’s wolf blood was very strong.
‘Isn’t this bastard just an animal?’
Maybe that’s why there were rumors of him being cannibalistic.
While Hee-seong seriously pondered this, Yoon Chi-young, looking tired, sent the doctor off.
As soon as the doctor left, Yoon Chi-young ventilated the house. He seemed to have a sensitive nose; whenever someone visited and left, he aired out the place. He apparently disliked even his own cigarette smoke, always washing his hands and carrying mint candy.

“Ha...”
Back in bed, Yoon Chi-young hugged the puppy and lay down.
Hee-seong climbed onto the pillow where he lay and, as usual, wondered how to handle this cannibal wolf.
But today, Yoon Chi-young looked quite exhausted.
‘...Is he sick?’
His breathing was rough, and black wolf ears and a puppy-sized tail were already sticking out. Curious, Hee-seong touched Yoon Chi-young’s cheek with his front paw and felt his skin was hot.
‘Idiot.’
Probably his body was struggling from not refreshing pheromones. He could just turn into a wolf, but maybe because he was afraid, Yoon Chi-young stubbornly stayed in human form. Hee-seong glanced at the sharp canine teeth near Yoon Chi-young’s lips and quietly curled his tail.
‘Better not bother him today.’
Hee-seong was smart. After working in the gambling hall, he’d gained some sense. Werewolves in pheromone-driven states became more aggressive and sexual, so it was common sense not to provoke them.
Common sense. Suddenly, Hee-seong recalled some info from the gambling hall.
〈Hah, the wolves’ winter activity slows, so sales drop.〉
〈Why? Do they hibernate?〉
〈No.〉
His brother had said in disbelief,
〈Wolves enter breeding season when the weather gets cold. In the wild, they do that to have pups in spring.〉
Recalling this, Hee-seong got goosebumps all over.
It was November, and the weather was getting colder. But wolves, who practiced monogamy, were said to endure breeding season alone or with medicine until they found a mate.

That meant Yoon Chi-young was heading into his aggressive breeding season. Having a cannibal wolf beside him gave Hee-seong chills.
‘...They say his wolf blood is strong, right?’
The smart puppy got up from the pillow and climbed onto Yoon Chi-young’s firm chest. His long, slender legs were clearly visible.
And… he saw the thick outline of Yoon Chi-young’s lower body. He wished it was just a tail. Seeing its size made Hee-seong shiver uncontrollably.
Sleeping in the same bed with a wolf entering breeding season...
‘He’ll attack me first once it starts.’

After all, Hee-seong was a male puppy too. Being this close, he could be attacked by a wolf whose territorial instincts were sensitive from breeding season.
It wasn’t time to be happy about his quick recovery. Hee-seong now had to pretend to be a puppy for a while longer and escape as soon as possible.
Then, Yoon Chi-young, lying down, lifted the puppy close to his face.

“Puppy...”
‘Let me go, let me go!’
Startled, Hee-seong struggled with all four limbs, but inside the large hand, his resistance was barely more than a squirm.

Yoon Chi-young stared at the puppy with faintly dilated pupils, then buried his smooth nose in the puppy’s belly, murmuring,
“I don’t think I’ll eat you.”
‘Say that with confidence!’
Annoyed, Hee-seong kicked his legs wildly. But it was a meaningless gesture. And since Yoon Chi-young was unusually serious, the puppy soon stopped struggling and cocked his head in confusion.

“No...”
The dimly lit room cast deep shadows on Yoon Chi-young’s defined face. Hee-seong felt a slight fear looking at his clear eyes and subtly shining gray pupils.
Seeing the frozen puppy, Yoon Chi-young smiled faintly.
“No matter what happens, I really won’t eat you.”

‘What...?’
Soon Yoon Chi-young put the puppy down on his chest. When Hee-seong’s belly touched it, he felt the steady heartbeat and warm body heat.
From there, Hee-seong suspiciously stared at Yoon Chi-young.
‘He hasn’t figured out I’m a werewolf, has he?’

No way. If so, that would mean he knew but still raised him like a puppy. That would be pure madness.
‘...Or maybe he’s already grown fond of me?’
Suspicious, Hee-seong couldn’t sleep deeply that night. He seriously looked down at the sleeping Yoon Chi-young, pondering his unknown intentions.
But there wasn’t much he could do as a puppy.

Eventually, drowsiness overwhelmed him, and he fell asleep face-down on Yoon Chi-young’s eyes like a blindfold, hoping Yoon Chi-young would just sleep soundly tonight.
Still, he liked the promise that Yoon Chi-young said he wouldn’t eat him.
It had already been ten days since Yoon Chi-young started raising him.

Now, Hee-seong followed Yoon Chi-young, who came home late for lunch—typical for a gangster whose schedule was all over the place—getting groomed, and spent the whole day hanging like an ornament in his arms, being cared for.
What Hee-seong had realized over time was that Yoon Chi-young was far from a typical gangster boss.
Because the boss werewolf chatted away alone to a puppy who couldn’t even talk properly.

“Puppy. Do you know what kind of person is my ideal type?”
‘I don’t. Don’t care.’
On the way to work, inside the car, Yoon Chi-young spoke tenderly to the puppy. Hee-seong ignored him, watching the action movie playing on the smartphone.

Despite being ignored, Yoon Chi-young shamelessly touched the puppy and said,
“She’s always someone who gives me... a thrilling stimulation.”
‘I said I’m not interested!’

Focusing on the movie, the puppy suddenly leapt like a beast at Yoon Chi-young’s finger. He bit and fussed wherever he could, but Yoon Chi-young just kept smiling happily for some reason.
After finishing his attack as he pleased, Hee-seong returned to the phone. Yoon Chi-young softly stroked the potato-sized head and said,
“Plus, when you see someone who’s cute and sexy, really... hah. I finally understood what it means to feel like you’re going crazy just from eye contact.”

‘Here we go again with the lunatic talk.’
Hee-seong was originally only interested in his own people and rarely listened to others. Of course, he wouldn’t carefully listen to Yoon Chi-young, who was the target of his escape.
And Yoon Chi-young often said nonsensical things.

“I even felt like I wanted to suck her first.”
‘Fuck off!’
Annoyed, the puppy flopped down and struggled with his limbs. Biting Yoon Chi-young was useless, so this was his best option.

Eventually, tired of the commute, the puppy gave up on escape and came up with another plan.
‘Sister, take me with you.’
Hee-seong wagged his short tail and shone his black eyes at the wolf woman sitting on the sofa. It was humiliating to show affection to Yoon Chi-young, but it was a different matter if the target was a woman.

“What’s this puppy?”
Yoon Geon-young smirked and lifted the fluffy puppy with one hand.
She was Yoon Chi-young’s sister—similar to him but with a distinctly different vibe. Though clearly a member of the wolf tribe, she exuded a subtle elegance and sharpness like a feline predator.

And her black straight hair, which clearly ran in the family, was very sexy and cool. Hee-seong wagged his tail enthusiastically to appeal to her charm. Yoon Chi-young, sitting on the opposite sofa, only smiled faintly but watched him closely. He didn’t care.
‘Yoon Chi-young’s sister will be even stronger, right?’
So she might just take away her brother’s puppy. Hee-seong was already deeply into the sister who held him, wagging his tail without control.

At that moment, Yoon Chi-young took a cigarette from his pocket and murmured lowly,
“So now you’re openly cheating.”
“Giving affection to a mongrel, huh?”

Yoon Geon-young said disdainfully as she put the puppy down from her arms.
‘Blood purity is annoying, but Yoon Chi-young’s sister seems better.’
Now the puppy lay on his back, eagerly tempting her. Then he noticed the man sitting beside Yoon Geon-young.

‘Why is he trembling when looking at Yoon Chi-young?’
The blonde wolf man who came with Yoon Geon-young was trembling so badly that he couldn’t meet Yoon Chi-young’s eyes.
The puppy couldn’t understand the scene. To Hee-seong now, Yoon Chi-young was less a frightening figure and more a lunatic obsessed with kisses and skinship.

At that moment, Yoon Chi-young lit his cigarette, lazily exhaled smoke, and asked,
“You didn’t come here to play with me, did you? Trying to look good in front of your boyfriend?”
At those words, the blonde man clenched Yoon Geon-young’s hand tightly and gritted his teeth. The puppy almost wanted to soothe the tense guy to calm down.

“Yoon Chi-young.”
Yoon Geon-young cut in sharply, scolding him strictly.
“Father passed away. Control yourself and stop wandering around gambling dens.”

“You came all the way here just to say that?”
“It’s a word from the next leader. There are many watching, so behave.”
“Ah... just nagging.”

Yoon Chi-young laughed softly, blowing out smoke, and tapped the end of his crossed leg. Even hearing the ‘next leader’ talk didn’t bother him much. Instead, he said with a sneer,
“I haven’t been to the gambling hall for a week… your info’s slow.”
“Telling you to behave means getting rid of that mongrel too.”

‘Sister’s words are harsh.’
The offended puppy gave up on cuteness and stood up. He felt like he was seeing the true arrogant nature of the wolf tribe again, one he had forgotten.
With a seriously dark expression, the puppy glanced between the siblings. The atmosphere was like they were enemies meeting. He even saw Yoon Chi-young openly showing murderous intent for the first time.

“You raised him as a fighting dog, and now you talk about manners?”
‘Fighting dog? What’s that?’
While the puppy wondered, Yoon Chi-young, smiling smoothly, flicked ash from his cigarette with long fingers and asked,

“Sister, is it okay for you to fool around with the man your brother was seeing?”
Yoon Chi-young sneered at the wolf man. The blonde man was so terrified he couldn’t control his emotions, and yellow wolf ears were already showing.
Yoon Geon-young looked disdainfully at her brother, then spoke quietly,

“You were probably trying to eat him.”
She dismissed it lightly. Judging by her cold eyes, she didn’t treat her family like family but looked at Yoon Chi-young as an enemy.
The puppy felt confused watching this.

‘...Why does she look at her own brother with such contempt?’
Hee-seong’s brother wasn’t his real brother, but he valued loyalty. He would never treat his brother so antagonistically like Yoon Geon-young.
He had heard that wolves had as strong a sense of pack as the Kyeon tribe, but the purebred wolves before him seemed ready to kill each other at any moment.

After their power struggle, Yoon Geon-young stood up. Yoon Chi-young gracefully smoked but didn’t stop her. He left only a subtle smile and an obvious warning.
“Sister, congratulations on becoming the next leader.”
“......”

“I hope you don’t kill your brother.”
Yoon Geon-young stopped dealing with her brother. Tense hostility filled the space between the siblings.
At that moment, the blonde man tried to straighten the coat beneath the puppy. Hee-seong sat idly, not thinking much, and let the man move him.

Then Hee-seong’s black eyes widened.
‘Huh...’
The blonde man’s right hand, hidden under his sleeve, was revealed.

The motion of moving the puppy was clumsy, and the back of the hand was all torn up. As if brutally attacked by a beast.
Seeing this from across, Yoon Chi-young smiled slyly.