Don’t Mess with the Puppy!

As expected, Yoon Chi-young stood up holding the puppy in his arms. The puppy was just sulking, lodged in his embrace. He himself was confused, yet this guy always seemed at ease, which only made him resentful.
Dressed in a fine coat, Yoon Chi-young headed toward the hallway. The puppy simply stared mournfully out the window at the view of the tall buildings. Perhaps because it was evening, howling could be heard somewhere from the wolf territory, as usual.

Awoo!
Howling was a common sound in the beastman society. It sounded every time there was a festival, and dog tribes drunk on alcohol would howl when bored. Because of that, no one in the wolf domain paid any attention to the howling.
Awoo!
Except the puppy raised among fighting dogs.
“...!”
Heesung perked up his folded ears. Modern society’s beastmen only howled when extremely excited, but fighting dogs did not. Each territory had a different howling pattern so they could find each other.

One long howl, then after a pause, two short howls.
That was the howling pattern used by Heesung’s organization. It used to be at old drinking parties or meetings of the group, but this was the first time he heard howling to find each other.
‘My brother is looking for me.’
By instinct, Heesung realized his kin was searching for him. Otherwise, the fighting dogs from the gambling den wouldn’t howl around the wolf clan’s territory.
The puppy immediately tried to announce his location.
Awoong–!
The puppy’s howl was somewhat clumsy. But it was also the sound announcing that he was a legitimate fighting dog of the gambling den. Heesung instinctively howled back to let his kin know where he was. The puppy never forgot how to howl among the big Jindo dogs. He could never forget—it was in his nature. Dog tribes had a bond as strong as wolves. Hearing the howl, Heesung’s instinct took over even more than reason, and he started searching for his kin.

Then suddenly, feeling a sharp gaze from above, the puppy’s body was buried deep into someone’s arms.
“Ugh.”
It was Yoon Chi-young.
He looked down sternly with gray eyes and cautioned him—like calming a young animal. But Heesung, instead of calming down, tried to push him away with his paws.
‘Who do you think you are!’
The puppy struggled, desperate to look toward the window where the sound came from. Then Yoon Chi-young sighed low in a way unlike usual. His face was expressionless, nothing like his normally gentle attitude toward Heesung.

“Ha...”
With cold eyes settled, he murmured to the members of his organization following behind.
“Drive out whoever’s howling in our territory immediately.”
“Yes.”
At his words, three members shifted back into their wolf forms. Three huge dark gray wolves quickly ran out of the building and disappeared. Then Yoon Chi-young completely covered the puppy with his coat’s hem, hiding him in his arms, and got into the elevator.
‘Let me go! Take me out!’
The puppy wriggled restlessly in his embrace. Unlike usual, Yoon Chi-young did not soothe him, standing quietly with the coat hem tightly closed.
Soon, the elevator doors ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) quietly closed in front of Yoon Chi-young’s cold, hardened face.

Awoong–!
Even after returning home, Heesung kept looking out the window and howled several times. Yoon Chi-young soothed the puppy but didn’t stop him when he fiercely resisted. The puppy saw him contacting somewhere else, but didn’t care.
‘My brother was looking for me.’
Heesung recalled the howling from his kin.
The howls he heard earlier were definitely not from just one or two. He thought they might consider him a traitor to the pack, but coming to this dangerous wolf territory to look for him was proof they were waiting for him.

Moreover, before that, his brother had come to the wolf clan’s main territory. He was surely trusting him until the very end and trying to find any clues.
Heesung grew anxious. While he wasted time with useless worries, his kin must have been looking for him nonstop. Feeling guilty, Heesung howled several more meaningless times. Even if no kin would hear, he let them know he was still here.
Then someone approached behind the puppy.

‘Why are you here again?’
It was the drug-addicted doctor who carefully lifted the small body. Heesung, who hadn’t even noticed the doctor had come home, resisted several times but gave up seeing his struggling hands. Treatment had to be done well first.
Soon, the puppy sat at a table spread with a clean cloth. Yoon Chi-young and the doctor stood on either side.
“How is the puppy doing?”
“Fortunately, recovery is fast. The nutrition is much better than when we first saw him.”
The doctor spoke admiringly. But Yoon Chi-young, with a subtle smile, quietly looked back and forth between the puppy and the doctor. His gray eyes seemed unusually deep and low today.
Watching Yoon Chi-young, the doctor took tools out of his house call bag and said,
“Then... I will remove the stitches. But the puppy must not strain his leg for a while.”
“Got it.”
Yoon Chi-young simply petted the puppy and replied. Heesung hated the sensation of the doctor removing the stitches to the point of goosebumps but endured it while scheming in his small mind.

‘If recovery is fast, I might try transforming into human now.’
Then he could contact his brother first and all would be fine. If given a little more time, he would safely escape from Yoon Chi-young’s side.
Soon, the ugly stitches left on his leg were removed one by one. The puppy endured the pain burying his head in Yoon Chi-young’s hand. He was used to enduring pain.
Fortunately, the treatment finished quickly. The doctor disinfected the wound and lastly checked the puppy’s teeth, eyes, and ears.

“You seem to have taken good care of your pet dog. If you keep this up, it should be fine.”
‘I’m not a pet dog.’
The puppy stubbornly bit his hand, thinking the doctor would never understand.
‘I’m a fighting dog of the gambling den.’
As soon as the doctor put him down, Heesung limped back toward the window. He felt Yoon Chi-young quietly watching him from behind, but Heesung only thought about the plan he would make tonight.
‘I have to wait until Yoon Chi-young falls asleep.’
Yoon Chi-young was sensitive while awake but took an unknown drug and fell into a deep sleep when asleep. Because of that, Heesung decided to wait for the moment Yoon Chi-young slept or had to leave him alone.

After Yoon Chi-young sent the doctor away, late night came. Since it was already late, Yoon Chi-young tidied up the surroundings, took medicine, and was about to sleep with the puppy.
Lying on the bed, Yoon Chi-young looked at the puppy long and muttered to himself,
“I didn’t expect it would turn out like this at first...”
‘What now?’
“You do like me, don’t you, puppy?”
“......”
The puppy pretended not to hear his words, only wishing for him to fall asleep quickly.
Fortunately, tonight he wasn’t moaning under the influence of pheromones like last night and seemed ready to fall asleep soon. The puppy anxiously waited, curled near his shoulder until the carnivorous wolf calmed down.

“......”
Soon the room fell silent. Yoon Chi-young’s hand, which habitually stroked the puppy’s body, stopped moving. Heesung peeked at his now quiet face and checked the time on his smartphone. It was 3 a.m., the usual time Yoon Chi-young fell asleep.
The puppy quietly got up from his place. Then, biting the blanket on the tall bed, he slid down like a rope. It was a method he naturally learned while living as a puppy.
Coming out into the quiet living room, the puppy examined his hind leg in the dim house.

‘This much, I think I’m almost healed.’
It seemed time to transform into human, contact his brother, and try the escape plan he had studied so far. No matter how familiar and comfortable Yoon Chi-young’s side was, Heesung had to return to his place.
And Heesung knew he couldn’t live as a puppy forever. Nor did he want to. He wanted to live as a proper beastman. He wanted to study, live an ordinary life like others.
Besides, today his brother looked for him personally. Thinking that his brother must have worried about him all this time made him feel terribly sorry.

‘But if I go back to the gambling den...’
A gloom appeared in the puppy’s eyes as he thought.
If he returned to human, he would have to go to the gambling den first. Then he would be questioned and held responsible for the drugs stolen this time. He might have to do dirty work there again. Commonly sexually harassed, beaten without reason, cleaning dirty rooms, kicking out guests without money... Working without a day off, living with sleep as the only rest.
‘...Still, my kin are looking for me.’
Heesung’s thoughts about his kin were blind. Having been abandoned by family in the past, Heesung never wanted to be abandoned by the pack again. Never again.

Having made up his mind, the puppy looked around.
‘I have to transform secretly from Yoon Chi-young.’
Heesung headed to the home theater room, the farthest from Yoon Chi-young’s sleeping bedroom. It was a place where movie-loving Yoon Chi-young often rested with the puppy. The dim lighting was perfect for what he had planned.
Tap tap tap. The puppy carefully walked, trying to make his claws as quiet as possible. Then he stood in front of the full-length mirror in the hallway leading to the home theater room.

The puppy closed his eyes and tried to transform. Like stretching his whole body, he gave his stiff, aching body a strong stretch.
Then he gradually felt a change in his body.
“Ah, huu...”
Severe pain shot from his injured leg. Instinctively, Heesung’s body resisted transformation. It was a signal that he still needed recovery.

But the puppy gritted his teeth and endured it.
‘I can endure this much.’
Curled up, trembling, the puppy endured the painful moment. But the pain was so intense the skin on the injured leg felt like it would tear, and Heesung almost gave up on transforming.
“Ah, it hurts...”
Heesung, panting in pain while lying down, barely got up. Then his eyes caught sight of the full-length mirror.

“Uh...?”
His eyes widened. His familiar reflection appeared in the mirror.
He succeeded. It wasn’t the puppy in white fur but his transformed human form.
Turning into a human revealed his pure white bare skin. But since he hadn’t fully transformed, his white puppy ears and tail remained.

Heesung frowned at the mirror without caring much about his nakedness.
‘Only my hair’s longer, but everything else is the same.’
Heesung always hated his white, clear appearance.
Because of his gentle and pretty features, weird guys often bothered Heesung. If only he were a bit taller, it would have been better, but his below-average height and thin frame were always a worry.

That’s why Heesung always made a fierce face to look tough despite his gentle face. It didn’t really work, but at least it gave him the expression of a fighting dog at the gambling den. But when he relaxed his face, his round puppy-like eyes stood out again. Heesung glanced at himself in the mirror with dissatisfaction, then abruptly turned his head with a scowl.
A dull pain spread throughout his body. Frowning in pain, Heesung looked down at his thigh where something was dripping.
‘No wonder it hurts again.’
The wound on his thigh, which had barely healed, had reopened. It wasn’t deep but already dripping blood onto the floor. This was why injured beastmen shouldn’t transform into humans carelessly. Excessive physical transformation made wounds worse.

‘If the smell of blood spreads, Yoon Chi-young might wake up.’
Enduring the pain, Heesung found cloth to stop the bleeding. He wrapped a towel tightly around his thigh to stop it. Over his stark white bare skin, he wore Yoon Chi-young’s nightgown.
Snorting, Heesung frowned.
‘Useless big wolf bastard.’
The nightgown Yoon Chi-young wore, which reached down to his calves, dragged slightly on the floor as Heesung put it on. He had long known there was a full head’s difference in their builds, but still, the dissatisfaction was unavoidable. Whether as a puppy or as a human, Heesung’s height and physique were always a complex for him.

Swallowing his irritation, Heesung set his goal.
‘I have to contact my brother first.’
As expected, the first target was Yoon Chi-young’s cellphone.
Heesung moved cautiously in the darkness to steal it. Every time he moved on his toes, the wound on his thigh ached sharply, but he didn’t care. Heesung sensitively perked up his puppy ears and aimed for the bedroom.
As he approached the bedroom, he saw Yoon Chi-young sleeping lightly. Heesung carefully crept to the bed and looked for the cellphone. It was lying right next to Yoon Chi-young’s pillow. However, since it was on the inside of the bed, he had to reach over the carnivorous wolf’s body to grab it.

Heesung glared at Yoon Chi-young’s sharp facial features and hesitated.
‘He hardly wakes up anyway, so it should be fine, right?’
Usually, Yoon Chi-young didn’t wake even if the puppy stepped on his body or sat on his chest conspiring murder. But he tended to talk in his sleep, which had caused the puppy some trouble. There were times when Yoon Chi-young suddenly abducted him in his sleep or bit his folded ears like lightning.
‘Stay still, really. I’m in human form.’
Heesung was tense but, out of pride, lightly placed his knees on the bed like a cat. Unfortunately, the bed was disgustingly wide, so he couldn’t reach the phone by just stretching his arm.
Heesung carefully stretched his arm beyond Yoon Chi-young’s upper body. His injured thigh ached, but he clenched his teeth to avoid a sound. Fortunately, Yoon Chi-young’s phone was within reach, and he grabbed it smoothly.

But it wasn’t that easy.
Swoosh.
“...!”
In a sleepy state, Yoon Chi-young slipped his hand inside Heesung’s gown. Then, as if petting a puppy, he naturally stroked Heesung’s pale buttocks. Heesung immediately bared his fangs and growled softly.
Then he was surprised at himself. He found it amazing he hadn’t punched Yoon Chi-young on the spot.
‘…Is it because I’ve been living as a puppy so long?’
How long had they been together for the skinship with Yoon Chi-young to become so familiar? Heesung lamented his own situation. He hated even becoming accustomed to living in his small puppy form that was his complex.
Still, he was glad he hadn’t thrown a punch just now.

Heesung carefully pulled off Yoon Chi-young’s rude hand. The hand was so big it lightly covered one side of Heesung’s buttock. Although he wanted to bite Yoon Chi-young as usual out of spite, Heesung decided to let it slide this time and got up carefully.
The thieving puppy barely escaped the bed and hurriedly left the bedroom holding the phone in his hand.
Heesung went to the farthest room from the bedroom, put the phone down on the carpet, and took a deep breath he’d been holding. Sweat cooled on his forehead from the tension, and his heart pounded.

‘His number must be saved for sure.’
Finally calming down, he checked the phone, and as expected, Yoon Chi-young’s phone had no lock. He hated the wallpaper—a selfie of Yoon Chi-young with an angry puppy—but Heesung calmly recalled his brother’s number and pressed it. Luckily, the brother’s number was saved, but only carelessly labeled ‘GamblingDen2.’
Heesung hesitated to press the call button but swallowed his breath and dialed anyway.
Before the ringtone even rang three times, the other person’s voice was heard.

“Yes! Director Yoon, I’m taking your call.”
“…….”
“What’s the matter? If you’re coming, should I prepare a seat?”
Through the phone came his brother’s high-pitched business tone. Heesung nervously glanced out the dark doorway, sure Yoon Chi-young couldn’t hear. He brought the phone back to his ear but couldn’t find the courage to speak.
‘…What should I say to my brother?’
He had been in Yoon Chi-young’s arms for almost a month. What would his brother think about him disappearing, losing drugs, and getting hurt? Would it be better to disappear for his brother’s sake? Or should he tell everything truthfully? Confused, Heesung couldn’t bring himself to speak.

“……”
But the brother was also silent on the other side. Just as Heesung, gripping the phone nervously, tried to speak up,
“Hy—.”
“Heesung?”
“……”
Heesung’s eyes widened in surprise. Hearing the short call, his brother seemed to recognize him and dropped the business tone, speaking like usual.
“Heesung, so you really are there.”
“…Brother, I…”

“I know, you bastard… you must’ve had a hard time.”
“……”
Heesung was suddenly choked up. He was never the type to show tears, but tears welled in his dark eyes. His brother was so kind it made him feel pathetic for having grown comfortable in the carnivorous wolf’s arms. Only then did Heesung quietly begin speaking with a lowered voice.
“Brother, I… I’m sorry. It’s a long story, but I was attacked while bringing something and got hurt. So…”
“Heesung, it’s all okay. I know.”
“……”
“Just come back for now, okay? Don’t stay with that carnivorous wolf. No matter what, life is important.”
Those kind words finally brought tears to Heesung’s eyes. He took a moment to steady his trembling breath.
“Brother, is it okay if I come back?”

“Why the hell are you even asking that, you bastard.”
His brother sighed with a worried voice.
“You’re the same dog tribe, everyone’s worried about you. It’s okay, just come back and talk first. If there’s a problem, I’ll handle it.”
“……”
Heesung clenched his teeth and nodded. He felt pathetic for doubting himself just moments ago.
After all, his brother was family.

Since Heesung had disappeared, his brother must have borne all the responsibility alone. Yet hearing these words first made Heesung feel sorry and grateful.
He couldn’t let his brother shoulder all the blame alone.
Wiping away tears, Heesung answered with a firmer gaze.
“I understand, brother.”

“How did you contact me? Should I call again? Or should I come pick you up?”
“No. I’ll come now, brother.”
Heesung looked toward the door and said firmly. Then he slowly stood, lowering his voice.
“I’ll tell you everything when I get there. Just wait a little…”
“Heesung, you can’t just come out like that…”
Click.
Heesung hung up without listening any further. He couldn’t talk any longer because of Yoon Chi-young anyway. No matter how big the house was, Yoon Chi-young’s ears were as sharp as his nose. Even asleep, it was best not to act suspiciously for long.
Steeling himself, Heesung acted quickly.
‘…Let’s go home.’
He tried to put the phone back in its place, but it was too risky to wake Yoon Chi-young, so he threw the phone far out onto the terrace. Thrown hard from the penthouse, the phone would probably never be found. Even if found, it would be shattered and the call logs unusable.

Next, Heesung headed to the dressing room. Though dark, he had become so familiar with the house’s layout living as a puppy that he could draw it with his eyes closed.
‘It’s better to escape in my small form.’
He knew that organization members came and went around the house and waited. Now was the time to use his small puppy form to actively escape.
He took out Yoon Chi-young’s T-shirt and the lightest training pants. He bundled the clothes into a ball about the size of a melon and held it in his arms. Then he pulled out several 50,000-won bills hidden under the sofa and crumpled them into the bundle. It was money he had secretly taken when Yoon Chi-young left bundles of blood-scented cash on the table before.

The preparations to return to his brother were complete.
Finally, Heesung headed toward the front door, glancing at the bedroom. He felt no lingering attachment but was still concerned about Yoon Chi-young.
Unlike usual, Yoon Chi-young would wake alone around noon, and Heesung felt a little sorry.

But Heesung chose escape knowing that Yoon Chi-young’s search was for the puppy, not for him. He could never live as a puppy forever.
Click.
He quietly opened the door and left, deliberately avoiding the elevator and walking down to the underground parking lot. Blood seeped more from his thigh wound, but he tightened the cloth wrapped for hemostasis. It was early December, bitterly cold, but Heesung didn’t care, knowing he would soon turn back into the winter-coated puppy.

‘Luckily, I didn’t run into anyone.’
Safely arriving at the underground parking, Heesung transformed back into a puppy on the last floor. He threw away the gown and the cloth wrapped around his leg. Fortunately, reverting to the puppy form was easy.
The small puppy grabbed the bundle in his mouth and started running hard through the parking lot.
No matter how much he ran, the exit didn’t get closer, but Heesung didn’t give up and kept running.

‘It’s all done now.’
Finally outside, Heesung left the luxury apartment complex far behind. At a public restroom, he transformed back into human, unpacked the bundle, and put on thin clothes. The biting cold that cut like knives whenever the wind blew was endured.
Finally heading to the road, Heesung hailed a passing taxi. After giving his destination, he curled up trembling. The taxi driver glanced back worriedly.

“Oh my… aren’t you cold in this winter, kid?”
“I’m fine.”
“You must have been drunk and changed back to your true form, huh?”
“…Yes.”
The taxi driver rambled about how he did the same when he was young, then turned on the heater strongly. But the words didn’t register. Heesung only worried about the wound on his leg. Red blood seeped through the gray pants he changed into from Yoon Chi-young’s clothes. Still, Heesung calmly ignored the wound and looked out the window.
Being outside alone after a long time felt strange. Even when working at the gambling den, he never had a proper chance to see the outside world. Unlike the expensive wealthy neighborhood where Yoon Chi-young lived, the area around the gambling den was noisy at dawn with vomiting and drunken shouting.
‘…Escaping was easier than I thought.’
Heesung felt like tears welled up.

But he forced those feelings away. His brother’s words—telling him it was okay to come back—echoed in his ears.
Hearing his brother’s voice made his chest tighten. And though the dog tribe’s returning instinct strongly pulled Heesung, strangely, he felt nauseous and thought differently.
He didn’t want to go back to the gambling den.

He was afraid of the accusation over the lost drugs, afraid of his kin at the gambling den who might think he was a traitor. Since loyalty was important to the dog tribe, they were the same. Heesung might carry the stigma of trying to run away from the organization for life.
But he couldn’t turn away from the only family-like existence left.
‘If I don’t go back… my brother will take all the blame.’
In the end, Heesung had to go back to the gambling den—for his brother’s sake.

Resigned, Heesung curled up and took a deep breath. For now, he would only think about returning to his brother. Comforting himself, he stubbornly kept his mouth shut.
“……”
The taxi sped through the early morning roads. Familiar bustling streets appeared. Neon signs flickered wildly, and many beastmen were on the streets soliciting customers.
Watching the scene, Heesung recalled a completely different memory.

Strangely, he thought of Yoon Chi-young, who tried to kiss the small puppy around late morning when he woke up. The slightly hoarse voice asking what he would do today and the hands fiddling with his body were still vivid in his mind. He had always found it annoying and irritating, but now it felt a little different.
Looking back, it wasn’t a bad morning at all.