Don’t Mess with the Puppy!

“Now you use your hands well?”
“……”
At those words, the blond man’s face turned pale, and he hastily left the room.

The puppy’s expression went blank as he watched the scene.
‘Did he really bite the girl he was seeing?’
Heesung stared vacantly at Yoon Chiyoung even after they left.
Suddenly, his presence felt strangely unfamiliar.
After work, Heesung spent a long time thinking with his small head.
‘Why does he eat his own kind?’

From what Heesung had sensed, Yoon Chiyoung acted cruelly but never tried to eat other beastmen. Of course, there might be other sides to him... but with his keen senses and being a gourmet, Heesung doubted he would eat anything raw.
“Our puppy likes girls, huh…”
Lying on the bed with Yoon Chiyoung, the puppy sighed at the bothersome feeling already creeping up.

Leaning his arm nearby, Yoon Chiyoung petted the puppy’s tail like a spoiled child and asked,
“You never acted cute with me even once.”
‘What am I supposed to do with that?’
“I was going to buy you grilled prawns tomorrow…”

At those words, the puppy finally showed a reaction. He glanced at Yoon Chiyoung and wagged his tail lazily—his own way of asking for the treat tomorrow.
Happy to get some attention, Yoon Chiyoung grinned mischievously and brought his face close to the puppy. Heesung quickly turned his head away, anticipating °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° more useless talk.
“Has the puppy ever mated?”

He was right. Heesung wanted to curse, wondering how Yoon Chiyoung expected an answer from the puppy if he asked such a thing. His only response was to glare at Yoon Chiyoung with annoyance and disdain.
Not sensing those feelings, Yoon Chiyoung prodded Heesung again.
“Oh… so you haven’t.”
‘What are you gonna do about it!’

The hot-tempered puppy pushed Yoon Chiyoung’s face hard with his front paw. Using his tiny claws, he scratched the smooth skin, and Yoon Chiyoung laughed knowingly, pulling back the hand that was stroking the tail.
“Judging by your reaction, you really haven’t.”
‘Damn it…’

This was why he hated talking to this guy. It just made him more frustrated.
Heesung hadn’t mated. He was still young and had been busy working under his older brother all this time. In beastmen society, females preferred strong and large males, so naturally, pale and clean Heesung lost out in the competition.
Still, Heesung wasn’t unpopular. Like a dog, he was quite favored by the men. Even while working at the gambling den, some men would call for him separately, handing him money while undoing their belts or secretly grabbing his butt.
Of course, Heesung never held back then.

〈Heesung, you bastard!〉
By the time his brother shouted that, Heesung would already have knocked down the customer. Though a small breed dog, Heesung was raised by gangster fighting dogs. Because of that, no one who messed with him was left unharmed.
‘So that’s why I’m sensitive to touch.’

Heesung realized this newly about himself.
Having lived through such sexual harassment at the gambling den, he had no choice but to become sensitive to touch, and even bit Yoon Chiyoung without thinking, who didn’t even consider his position before hitting back blindly.
“Good thing.”
Then Yoon Chiyoung’s gentle voice was heard. Looking up, Heesung met the eyes of Yoon Chiyoung, who was softly stroking the puppy’s neck with one finger.

“I’d have been a little upset if I were the only one who hadn’t tried it.”
“……”
You?

The black puppy’s eyes probably showed the question clearly. Heesung even tilted his head unconsciously. Finding that reaction cute, Yoon Chiyoung smiled brightly and hugged the puppy.
Swept into that embrace, Heesung widened his eyes as if it made no sense.
Then what was the handsome wolf man who had his right arm bitten?

Moreover, the wolf man was afraid of Yoon Chiyoung. He couldn’t control his emotions enough to reveal his ears and tail, and couldn’t even properly meet his eyes. The image was still fresh in Heesung’s mind.
‘Could it be… he seduces with the bed to attack?’
That sounded plausible. Yoon Chiyoung was good-looking and had a superior height as a male, making him naturally seductive.

Besides, rumors didn’t spread without reason. Based on Heesung’s experience working at the gambling den, believable rumors were false, and unbelievable rumors were true.
“……”
Then the rumor of a cannibal wolf seemed true. Strangely, Heesung was no longer afraid of Yoon Chiyoung.

While glaring at Yoon Chiyoung to comfort himself, Heesung lightly rested his cheek against his chest.
‘No. He said he wouldn’t eat me.’
For some reason, he thought Yoon Chiyoung didn’t eat him because he was a small dog within biting range… but knowing Yoon Chiyoung didn’t lie, he trusted him.

And Heesung thought a cannibal wolf was better than a sister who despised purebloods and even her own family.
If Heesung had a real family left, they would never despise him and would treasure him.
The cannibal wolf who Heesung couldn’t even dream of escaping from spent 24 hours with the puppy.

But Heesung didn’t give up and prepared his escape thoroughly.
‘The house is damn huge.’
The puppy had perfectly understood the layout of Yoon Chiyoung’s house. There were five rooms and a terrace as big as the living room. He once got trapped entering the laundry room by mistake—embarrassingly, he had to bark to call Yoon Chiyoung. Limping, he diligently explored to find the best hiding places and escape routes.

‘The entrance is farther from the bedroom than I thought… that’s a problem.’
Heesung often sat on the living room carpet, simulating escape scenarios. It was hard for his small body to run the distance between the entrance and bedroom, but the sound at the door didn’t carry well to the bedroom, which was an advantage. Plus, Yoon Chiyoung took some unknown medicine before sleeping and fell into a deep sleep—his best opportunity to escape.
Sometimes, however, when looking at the large, darkly decorated house, he felt lonely.

‘Why does he live alone in such an unnecessarily large place?’
The house was too big. And Yoon Chiyoung was always there all alone. The puppy sometimes thought he looked very lonely in the big, black house. If he wasn’t there, the house would be completely silent.
Watching Yoon Chiyoung sitting on the sofa, Heesung looked away when their eyes met, seeing his modest smile on a handsome face. What good would pitying a guy like that do? He was going to escape this place anyway.

After identifying the escape route, he arranged escape funds.
Sometimes, Yoon Chiyoung would pile large bundles of cash on the living room table while receiving reports from his gang members.
“Who contacted that fox beastman? There must be more hidden than just this money…”
Every time, Heesung was able to pick up various miscellaneous information. Occasionally, he even managed to snatch fifty-thousand-won bills that had been blown away by the wind or dropped by accident.

Swoosh.
The thief puppy mostly operated under the dim sofa. He eyed Yoon Chiyoung’s unnecessarily pretty ankle bone, and whenever money fell, he eagerly picked it up. If he was lucky and the money dropped right in front of him, he could just stretch his white front paw out and grab the bill.
‘This is gathering money better than working at the gambling den?’
The money he collected was stored in a space he had torn out beneath the sofa. It was a safe only the puppy knew about, and soon it was filled with crumpled bills.
He had only stolen a bit of dust from a wealthy household’s storage, but it seemed like the profits were better than when he worked at the gambling den. Though this fact irritated him somehow, Heesung resolved to steal more boldly from now on. That way, when he returned to the gambling den, he would at least have money to make up for any losses from drugs stolen from him.

Opportunity came as if heaven had granted it.
Plop.
With a dull sound, a bundle of bills dropped right in front of the sofa. The black eyes of the waiting puppy filled with the sight of the yellow money.
Blinded by money, Heesung hurried out and grabbed the yellow bundle in his mouth. It was difficult to carry such an amount with his small body, but he thought he could live without money worries for months with this.

“……”
As soon as he turned around with the money in his mouth, he locked eyes with Yoon Chiyoung, who was smiling faintly.
Startled, Heesung stared blankly at those gray eyes and dropped the money from his mouth. Strangely, Yoon Chiyoung held up his hand as if he had deliberately dropped something. Flustered, the puppy immediately started to fake it.

Wow, the king!
Pretending to be the fierce puppy as usual, he wildly bit the snake doll on the carpet. He felt the sharp gazes of other wolf gang members behind him and felt a chill, but fortunately, the heavy attention gathered on Heesung quickly faded.
“Well… for now, let that fox continue his activities. We’ll catch him again when he has gathered some money.”
Yoon Chiyoung said cheerfully, leaning leisurely against the sofa’s backrest.
Heesung felt a moment of sympathy for the fox beastman he didn’t even know but busily collected the crumbs. The moment there was a chance, he grabbed the bundle of bills again and quickly returned to the safe under the sofa.

‘W-what a scare.’
It was almost a disaster. Even after gathering the money, Heesung’s heart kept pounding. The entire interior of the house was black, making it easy for his white body to be noticed. Fortunately, he was small.
‘That’s enough collecting for today.’
Still, Heesung knew how to watch timing properly. Having seen many cases where greed at the gambling den caused one to lose everything, he carefully put the reasonably gathered earnings into the hole under the sofa and waited cautiously for the right moment before going out.
As soon as Heesung stepped out from under the sofa, Yoon Chiyoung, who had just sent out his gang members, warmly hugged the puppy.

“The puppy’s all dusty again… Shall we wash up together?”
‘…damn.’
While the money was safe, there was a downside. He had to get covered in dust every time and endure humiliating baths from Yoon Chiyoung. Though Heesung expressed his dislike with his expression, he ultimately sat in the washbasin filled with warm water like a bathtub. Even his injured leg was neatly covered with a waterproof patch.
“I should tell the cleaning helper to clean under the sofa properly too.”

“……?”
The puppy, whose body looked pitifully small when wet, glanced back at Yoon Chiyoung with a guilty look. Could he have guessed about the safe?
If that happened, Heesung would have to move the money he had collected so far to a new safe.
Seeing the tense gaze, Yoon Chiyoung smiled slyly. The movement of his hand descending from broad shoulders with prominent joints seemed suspicious.

“No… Let’s just wash together.”
Saying so, Yoon Chiyoung took off his nightgown he had been wearing comfortably. The puppy immediately averted his eyes with a scream. Having lived together, he had naturally seen Yoon Chiyoung naked before. His tall, model-like, well-toned body looked impressive to anyone.
The problem was seeing even what he didn’t want to see.

‘D-damn. Too big…’
The puppy cringed and stared only at the corner of the washbasin. When he heard Yoon Chiyoung say that his thing was bigger than that of the male beastman, he thought it was nonsense, but now he thought it might be true. Moreover, in his small puppy form, everything looked even bigger and more dreadful.
In the end, Heesung didn’t go under the sofa for a while. He didn’t want to see Yoon Chiyoung’s heavy equipment again.
The worst part was that he envied Yoon Chiyoung’s tall, slender body. Heesung, who had a complex about his height, desired that well-balanced muscular physique. Feeling that God was unfair, he acted even more irritable toward Yoon Chiyoung than usual for a while.

By the time Heesung grew accustomed to going to work with Yoon Chiyoung, he finally got a chance to be apart from him for the first time.
“Hmm… No. I’ll go.”
Yoon Chiyoung nodded after whispering something to his attendant. Then, he carefully placed the puppy on the leather chair where he had been sitting.
“Wait just a little. I’ll be back soon.”

‘Come late.’
Yoon Chiyoung stroked the puppy once more, who stared at him ambitiously, then left through the door. Heesung pricked up one ear, watching for an opportunity until Yoon Chiyoung’s footsteps faded away.
Soon the office fell completely silent. Heesung felt like crying with joy.
Opportunity.
Finally, he was separated from the hateful Yoon Chiyoung. It was the first time in two weeks. The puppy was excited and thrilled but also somewhat empty inside, yet he didn’t miss the chance.

‘I just need to hide my body somewhere.’
He had already planned it out. Once separated from Yoon Chiyoung, he would hide in a corner and sneak away at night. His small body—the only advantage of being a small dog—was perfect for stealth.
‘Even if one leg is broken, I have to run.’
The puppy carefully positioned himself on the high chair, preparing to jump down with his front paws twitching. His hind leg hadn’t fully healed yet, and he had to limp, but he couldn’t miss this chance.
Heesung bravely leapt down under the chair.

But his body floated suspended in midair right after jumping.
Something was wrong, so he looked down and saw a large hand securely supporting his soft belly.
“It’s dangerous to jump down.”

“……”
Jiyoungbae carefully placed the puppy back onto the chair. He was an organizational member who only half-understood the puppy’s words and had earned Heesung’s distrust and irritation.
Only then did Heesung turn to look behind the cliff-like high back of the chair. He saw what had been invisible from his low vantage point.

‘Damn… cowardly wolf bastard.’
Six fully grown wolf clan members were watching over one puppy. Heesung looked at them with contempt, sighed deeply, and looked ahead. Somehow, he thought Yoon Chiyoung disappeared too easily.
Eventually giving up, the puppy curled himself into a bagel shape on the chair. His uneasy heart made him curl even smaller.

‘The gambling den’s settlement day is coming. My brother will have to take responsibility for my mistake…’
As time passed, Heesung grew more anxious. His body was comfortable beside Yoon Chiyoung, but his mind was always restless.
The dog clan valued loyalty above all. And their motto among fighting dogs was to never betray your comrades even if your family does. For Heesung, the brother who took him in after being abandoned was always someone he owed a debt to.

‘My brother must believe I didn’t run away…’
But if he kept delaying like this without returning to the pack, betraying the loyalty between dog clans, he might be abandoned by the pack again.
Heesung anxiously watched the clock in the distance. If he could recover faster and transform into a human sooner, he might have a better chance to escape. That day, he resented his small, weak body more than ever.

“Director! Long time no see.”
When Yoon Chiyoung entered the reception room, Park Geontae hurriedly stood up and greeted him. He was dressed in a suit and had come to the wolf clan’s headquarters for the first time in a while.
Yoon Chiyoung just nodded to greet him and sat on the sofa ahead. He didn’t offer Park Geontae a seat and let him stand there. Yoon Chiyoung checked his wristwatch and treated Park Geontae as comfortably as at the gambling den.
“Was there really a reason to come all the way here?”

“Yes. I have something to tell you… Are you busy?”
“A lot.”
Yoon Chiyoung said without hiding it. He had a puppy waiting for him. But Park Geontae, not knowing that, exaggeratedly said he seemed busy lately, and started chatting about how well business was going, before finally getting to the point.
“About the goods we dealt with last time…”

“Hmm, drugs?”
“Yes, those.”
Embarrassed by the direct question, Park Geontae was at a loss. Normally he spoke easily, but now he was acting innocent. The next thing he wanted to say was a difficult request.

“It seems the youngest, Kyeon Heesung, who was transporting those goods… may have stolen them.”
“Oh… your youngest?”
“Yes. So if you could give us some time until we find him to pay the remaining balance…”

Park Geontae said with difficulty. They had also suffered damages and were asking for understanding.
Yoon Chiyoung smiled and nodded in agreement. But his gray eyes looked over Park Geontae with disdain.
“I see. The youngest disappeared from the wolf clan’s headquarters, something suspicious, and on top of that, the goods are missing somewhere… so you can’t pay the balance right now.”

“That’s not what I meant… haha.”
Park Geontae spoke with difficulty, glancing nervously at Yoon Chiyoung as if he were a man stripped bare. Yoon Chiyoung was a VIP at the gambling den and held tight control over the black money of the wolf clan. Yet this Yoon Chiyoung was so willful and perceptive that it was hard to cater to his moods. Though cursing inwardly, Park Geontae tried his best to seem humble and win favor in his eyes.
Then, an unexpected question flew out.
“Where did you bring that youngest from?”
“Yes. Kyeon Heesung is our… pardon?”

Looking ahead, Park Geontae saw Yoon Chiyoung waiting expectantly, as if listening to the most fascinating conversation in the world. Park Geontae felt dizzy seeing a psycho with a normal face acting like that before him, but he answered as best as he could recall.
“Um, about five years ago? We found a puppy alone at a redevelopment site and brought him in.”
“…Was he abandoned by his family?”
“Not certain, but since it was a shantytown, and he was weak, nearly dying… it seems he was abandoned.”
“Ah, I see…”
Yoon Chiyoung looked saddened, as if speaking about himself. Knowing the temperaments of VIP clients well, Park Geontae nodded bitterly. Yoon Chiyoung was more sensitive than expected, so having a talkative subordinate was profitable.

“Then what does he like?”
“Pardon?”
“What does he like?”
Yoon Chiyoung’s smile slightly faded. Though only the corners of his mouth dropped subtly, sharp Park Geontae noticed the difference and hurriedly answered.
“Well, what Heesung likes is…”
“Hmm.”
“Hmm… I think he likes pretty much everything to eat…”
“……”

Even as Park Geontae babbled, Yoon Chiyoung watched without averting his eyes, as if watching a pathetic play. His gray eyes gleamed coldly. If bored, he might glance away, but when it’s pathetic, you tend to watch how low it goes.
Yoon Chiyoung inclined his head subtly and asked,
“You don’t know?”
“Ah, no. I do. He really liked ramen.”
“Ah… ramen.”
Upon hearing that, Yoon Chiyoung smiled faintly and nodded. He was already looking down somewhere on the sofa with a face that seemed utterly tired. The spot where the pale lump used to be aggressive.

“Then his birthday?”
“Probably in summer… around July. He was the kind of younger brother who never missed celebrating even after his birthday passed.”
“I see…”
Despite the added explanation, Yoon Chiyoung half-listened. The smile at his mouth disappeared, and tired of the boring time, he twisted his toes and muttered,
“You’ve had him for five years, didn’t even know what he liked or his birthday properly. Now he’s been stabbed in the back and gone missing…”
“…Yes.”
Cold sweat ran down Park Geontae’s back. Oddly, though he’d done nothing wrong, he felt like he’d made a mistake.

Moreover, he kept feeling like Yoon Chiyoung was toying with him. When the expressionless Yoon Chiyoung suddenly laughed as if enjoying himself alone, Park Geontae was certain this bastard had some other scheme.
“All right, understood.”
Yoon Chiyoung stood lightly from his seat.
“I’ll go. You don’t have to pay the balance until you catch the youngest.”
“Really? Thank you for your understanding! When you come to the gambling den next time, we’ll…”
“My lover’s waiting.”

Yoon Chiyoung smiled subtly and said that without hesitation. Park Geontae followed him out, babbling friendly words.
“So that’s why you’ve been absent from the gambling den. Next time, please bring your lover too.”
“I will.”
Yoon Chiyoung replied lightly and stood by the door. Expressionless wolf clan members quietly opened the door and waited. The only one relaxed in the heavy atmosphere was Yoon Chiyoung.

“Ah.”
Then, as if remembering something, Yoon Chiyoung turned halfway back and said,
“Your youngest likes grilled prawns.”
He smiled gently as he said this.
Before Park Geontae could respond in confusion, Yoon Chiyoung walked down the hallway. The last thing Park Geontae saw was the swaying black coat tail of the tall man with every step.

Even after Yoon Chiyoung left, Park Geontae stood rooted for a while. The unpleasant tension crawling down his spine made curses slip out unconsciously.
“…What the hell? That bastard.”
The words Yoon Chiyoung had left echoed in his ears. They might have been nothing special, but if said by a cunning wolf, it was different. Especially if it was Yoon Chiyoung…

Soon, Park Geontae wore a stern expression and hurriedly fled the wolf clan territory. Something was off.
“Why are you so late!”
The moment Yoon Chiyoung returned, the puppy barked harshly.
Six gang members stared only at him, and Heesung felt as if his entire body was being grilled by their gazes. Even moving slightly caused the wolves’ eyes to follow him, making it impossible to wag his tail properly.

At the barking, Yoon Chiyoung strode over and gently comforted the cotton-like ball.
“Did you wait for me?”
The puppy showed his teeth without answering and stared elsewhere, irritated and telling him not to speak.

Anyway, being watched by six wolf clan members was better than Yoon Chiyoung, but the logic didn’t sit well with him. He didn’t want to admit that he had waited for Yoon Chiyoung.
Thinking the puppy had sulked, Yoon Chiyoung held Heesung in his arms and gently soothed him like a lover.
“I’m sorry, okay? Just this once.”
“……”
“I won’t leave your side again. Promise.”

‘Don’t act all cute!’
If he had left him alone, he would have calmed down on his own. But with that handsome face rubbing him, the puppy went into full drama mode. Heesung attacked Yoon Chiyoung’s hand wildly, barking fiercely.
Woof! Woof!
“What are you saying? That you like me too much? Want to go home already?”