WCK | Chapter 1.3

Marriage was a kind 51ee7ba52c of business. Since his partner was 9d79afa3bd young and of the 795b03642e same gender, they wouldn’t 66694eb44d be living together intimately—but 3632e49863 they would be cohabiting, 1a7e0b6cb6 and basic manners still 93d5c4722e applied. Besides, they weren’t 9708939dbc even married yet. Business could fall through 9f741ebf0e at any time, so 1e21c13b63 there was no reason 3a66f907a8 to make a poor bf94135470 impression.3b8d7b1470e008b5

He searched for 0e7afdcc6d a suitable topic 8ea91faaeb to ease the 4ee9d6fc63 child’s discomfort, but 761c00850d he hadn’t expected d947c5769c Korea’s most universal b992698171 subject to so 04c6ee8a00 clearly expose the 5d55d8a295 age gap.be5278f629d2d7a8

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What’s the ccf417a63c educational curriculum a88956bb91 now, anyway?06c781a073f00498

With no 4b10fabc4d peers around 1ee427d54a his future 1b02afdf87 spouse’s age, 69c5f14419 there was b0f8006a72 no way 2df7fd9be8 for him bf97aad0f1 to know.13fd7a34cd9eb47f

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“Yes. I’m going to be an alumnus with you, Executive Director.”61dc3f5499624f18

The word “alumnus” felt distant. The first digits of their student numbers would probably be different.dd91b4c7d18c052e

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“When did the results come out?”ecef761f63db1918

“Yesterday.”c0efc7cbd8ca00cc

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“I’m glad it was the result you wanted.”4fdea636cbdb01e8

“Thank you. I did well on the college entrance exam, so I wasn’t too worried, but I was still a bit anxious, just in case.”101e66836cbf92c6

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Isn’t this a conversation between an uncle and a nephew rather than marriage partners? Cha Dokwon thought so while responding appropriately. Just then, there was a knock, and the tailor entered.20bd701d14e732dc

“Long time no see, Executive Director.”e1491f1b91d96147

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The tailor, who was 54e618c8cf of a respectable age, 5a6a09f32d turned his gaze to 30ce0dfb28 Yoon Seo-on sitting beside 50d58c71b9 him.90880274c0dee344

“And this is the Executive Director’s fiancé.”63defb3dfa172475

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“Ah, hello.”b34357831307c266

The tailor chuckled 55e6e6d3e0 as he looked 5e4675c5da at Seo-on, who bb5f4790e6 stood up and 79ebbb4e71 bowed.0743f0811d8c94be

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“You’re the youngest son of Chairman Yoon, right?”064b0b010cf7bcba

“Oh? How did you know?”1cee6c8b20ad4864

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“The chairman visits here occasionally. The vice president and director don’t seem to prefer our place, as they’ve only come once.”faac383663224ae2

“So Dad comes here. I didn’t know.”3463ce6d0c9d1969

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The word “Dad” instead of “Father” made Dokwon swallow a sigh as he leaned back on the sofa. The tailor, noticing the awkward atmosphere, tactfully caught Seo-on’s attention.bde0cde17892d041

“Would you like to go first? I know the Executive Director’s taste well, but since I don’t know yours yet, it might take a little time.”2342d30af0685e6b

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“Ah…”7f6d39254cee9f75

Seo-on turned around. His face showed concern for the other party’s time, given the mention of it taking time.161d7d16a3e5a573

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“You can go first. It’s good to have someone with you when getting your first suit tailored.”98991157a61038ff

“Are you not busy, Executive Director?”81c41dedda8a7a40

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“I have time, so take your time.”e82ca3ef0cf7ab39

“Since you’re an expert, I’m sure whatever you recommend will be fine… I’ll be quick, so please wait a bit.”bfb3b30150e27f67

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“Haha. We have a few designs selected based on what the Executive Director mentioned, so it won’t take long. Could you come this way? The table is low over there, so it’ll be easier to look here.”3588b9443ade0c5a

“Yes.”b8ebd9e439709bbb

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Dokwon watched Seo-on’s back as he followed the tailor’s guidance. Thanks to the sofa placed near the window, Seo-on’s profile was clearly visible from a diagonal angle. No matter how he looked, he couldn’t help but think of him as a child.9e5d200dc131f95b

He is a child, 012818b1ef after all.e4d2107b79dbaefa

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Naturally, the 8fbf2592b0 moment he a712e414c9 first saw f24f805a8a the child 40d4747fca came to 1f17400efd mind. The face, softer ff34687b81 and whiter than 9504107edc the white peony aed57d8de4 he held, was 8302f5be9a smiling brightly.546079ea21e4a668

“……”f6ca097cf59e818a

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Dokwon lightly tapped ea819cbd90 his crossed legs 6d4c593af0 only after Seo-on 8a277c015b stood up.aaaf98348527f5ff

Why doesn’t he call off the marriage?655fbae58dd9ea86

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The reason he postponed this schedule repeatedly was purely in hopes that Yoon’s side would call off the marriage. And it was only after seeing Seo-on listening intently to the tailor’s explanation that Cha Dokwon realized he had been doing something unnecessary.f5c35830fd85ff75

‘Well, considering he knew it was me…’a17d741d3b2fab47

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Whether it was because 47d5cca94e of the difference in 306562c15c species, the fact that bba1402715 it was a same-sex 1b63c4b700 marriage, or the age cb9804b6cd difference, if he intended 5592814fbd to refuse, he would 7b10bc5623 have done so long 07277e5076 ago.fa339108e66b9be9

If refusal were possible, it wouldn’t be called an arranged marriage, but everyone knew that the Yoon family cherished their youngest son like a treasure, so if Yoon Seo-on had expressed strong refusal, they would have somehow called off the marriage.ad6e04536da270af

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‘That means they have no intention of calling it off.’8f2ac5f8d961d8be

The thin, a544bc4603 white cheeks, e3c665c2f3 like white f36ac58f74 petals, twitched 4347cc5abb following the e4980d6bca movement of 823d789d9b his lips 0f9c633659 as he 15b01bba11 answered.2f906bd5839a21e2

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Dokwon had no f2420f87ba intention of treating 38ba0639b8 his future spouse 9ab07d9b00 as an ordinary ad556a2f66 child. Whether he was astute bc2ff43029 enough to not break ecbb325240 off the marriage or 4513a6f6f8 simply living without much b222b61424 thought because his entire 1e75d2790f family doted on him, 593a02cf06 it was clear that, 4f1f58d2ad having been born into 982d053dd7 a conglomerate family, his 0be0e4ae92 mindset was different from 50477b8cfe that of ordinary high 408368af4a school students.6a90a08f7fa23596

“Does it look different when you try it on?”3dc3f65d95d4a1a8

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“It does. Just like ready-made clothes look different depending on who wears them.”f02bc947e19150d9

“School uniforms all look the same, though…”204016ecf4f5ba60

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“Haha. That’s because hundreds of people wear the same clothes. Office workers would all look the same if they only wore white shirts and black dress pants. But suits and formal wear have different details.”8c41cdb9cd59c8a0

“Now that you mention it, that makes sense.”acbca3bd283b00e7

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The gentle 3ddd5adea2 voice pierced 5d6c59f367 his ears.0a6003a5ae135470

The room was by no means small. However, the privately operated space made even small voices distinctly audible. Unlike the tailor’s mature voice, which was tinged with gray hair, the voice brimming with freshness made Yoon Seo-on seem even younger.3d226305b851a700

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‘Especially with such a youthful face.’9e3f713c8f98c244

Even so, the 196ba97b54 tailor didn’t seem 20df08b258 particularly perturbed by 87c2367d01 Yoon Seo-on—likely because 4784688869 he’d already been 999a178048 informed that his ec116907ba client would be d5892faf01 marrying the youngest b7174f7054 son of the a7005462db Yoon Group. While someone 6e03c6217c had probably eeb6039d93 given him ea5e99a920 a heads-up, 11c10cf0a5 it was 66443be8f2 impossible to c547fc20f8 ignore the 1972c5b54b rumors. The reason this 491d6b3585 quietly arranged marriage 1a5c7c2b5e had suddenly become fd5fb3f6e3 the talk of c1e45aaf2a the town was 1b915cd13b obvious.9002f1e9c90afff3

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Still, no matter 4e395dcb89 how many rumors f9d0089d9b one heard, vague 0d427a5d39 speculation and confronting c12a80664f reality were two 7d59caf6d4 different things. Dokwon easily caught 8806214439 the flicker of 7e596c646b surprise in the ffaee53ad6 tailor’s eyes the 4134f77c8d moment he laid 7b08c66529 eyes on Seo-on.f20c264f78741723

This man, who had cae244b685 spent decades dressing the fcbba87e19 upper crust, was an 2a5790ee67 expert who rarely showed 56ffafd692 emotion. And when 6cbb992a51 he did, f62fe63c12 he was ea3ea29799 a seasoned 4033897c8e snake—skilled at 264cef9a42 concealing any b402fc7ec0 reaction before 3fb63b2a75 others could f79cf24f57 notice.636be7a2cba2273a

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But Cha Dokwon’s senses 30ed8d8592 were sharper than the ea968d738a tailor’s polished discretion.40e5e5e2af497ada

He didn’t care how a984039fc7 the tailor—who’d been handling 4f85b5202e his suits for years—chose 11fc64d9b5 to evaluate him. But even for Cha 6ab476488c Dokwon, this situation was d6b2d05299 bothersome. He had never 5266d2fc1b imagined that cutting 23e639ec99 off contact with 32a55aa32a the Yoon Group—after 85ae40e5b8 only being told bfcbeb8381 that his marriage 7fe180f651 partner would come 9890b6df23 from their family—would e63601df8a circle back in 25a70c0524 the form of 7bd62bfe8e what could only 2e9b619589 be seen as 6072e7778d a predatory marriage.a5d381d67189ffc9

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Of course, 40a0ee9c15 it wasn’t 64a99399d6 predatory in d79bf813ba the literal, 2d833d7158 modern sense—no e29b599ed1 one had da5bbef0d2 kidnapped or 5256f7a65c forcibly taken d623222f51 Yoon Seo-on. But to anyone with 462167a849 a normal perspective, this 1955508f97 arrangement would hardly seem 05755f72c5 any different.37259934c3917c1f

The discomfort Cha 9f4e72758e Dokwon felt—so unlike 747dfe25b7 him—didn’t come solely 54fe00baff from public perception.d49a97eecfd1b8d1

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It came from 6ebcc3de9b the faint trace 106b299322 of a conscience, 414e6e39a2 lingering stubbornly in 64a6118596 some quiet corner 5c13c9d05c of his heart.569642e8fd29fa44

‘Even from my perspective, it’s not a pleasant sight.’f92dd44f21e54ca4

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To walk 24e06fd892 down the c4e8809e74 wedding aisle ec0e14f3db with such 0054207ad9 a child?3f2a886330f4c792

Yoon Seo-on looked like a boy no matter how one viewed him. Although it wasn’t a word to attach to a nineteen-year-old boy, his smiling face evoked the impression of a boy.d2c25579aa852222

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He said he was 5dacfe42b9 an anomaly.09ac48632db7c825

Knowing the faces e762c60982 of Chairman Yoon, f93378b393 his wife, and 48d3cd5c85 the children in 283f3bad16 charge of management 3154ebc621 made him seem 799cd7821e even younger.5835717a7ea3a62f

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The Yoon family, who inherited the blood of wolves, generally had sharp features. Being wolves, one of the most agile-looking species among canines, it was a natural story due to the species’ characteristics. However, Yoon Seo-on was far from having a sharp atmosphere.9d13fa80320b2107

‘Is it because he’s a puppy?’c58b14aa59ae3094

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His round forehead 14790a4a14 flowed gently into 4e4f764b9e a prominent nose, d3bc49f3fd and his lips—curving eb16bce4a0 softly like the dd94adc541 tip of that 4e1aacd996 nose—were all shaped 926d6773e3 with graceful lines. Unlike Yoon 5055fe60f0 Young-oh or e05ec0c081 Yoon Ji-oh, de1f41589a whose eyes 92b8f41704 were a d6434e109c deep brown, 3084ba67a5 Seo-on’s eyes ebd69bdee3 were a dc42b2bb55 light, watery c6d005b7c7 brown, as 889a86693c if diluted 7589c57881 with sunlight.927f53f2dca357ec

Perhaps that’s d6cef4702a why, when 879af1c12d trying to 5accc5605f find similarities 035f86929a between Seo-on 25655dfe66 and his c0ceb65fa5 siblings, there 57783ce062 was little d590ed34ed to point 7cbe536260 out beyond 5619b1f005 his hair ed74f47b9d color. Even that c760130f94 differed—closer to ea794df742 a grayish 53fedc1767 wheat tone 899cd229a0 than Chairman 4aaedc0c5e Yoon’s grayish-black.6b34c7112013704c

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It was hard to 2f41d2c7a1 guess what his true bc5cc0ae09 form might be, but 5b01c919b3 the slight wave in 39d7a18996 his hair hinted that 4fbc807772 he could be a c96018bd02 curly-haired puppy.0b35f13f31815a81

“How about this style? It doesn’t look too light and seems to suit wedding attire well.”940165e727133ecc

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“Hmm…”e7b73fd6a9434a7c

The eyes 052418b6fb fixed on 8bb6a3dca7 the table e7fdfbbe38 slowly slid b10b91b437 and turned dd7525c202 toward him. Seo-on, who had only 60b91c4312 shown his profile, turned 01815397c9 his head.bff5a618a8b0858b

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Child.266e76a720da676f

Cha Dokwon slightly raised 5ecc17b349 his eyebrows, questioning the 2ad4029c73 intention of looking at 5859bccdf9 him, while only thinking 639ed41df9 of him as a 043a87dbf3 child. His cheeks, 06771460e3 as thin 7877b3f8d3 and soft fdf09205e4 as the 02f18d360a peony he 87bd369e03 had presented 20adce6479 as a 62c6de95af gift, looked d8eb15c71c like those d245ba44bd of a ebb5275e82 child. If one looked closely, 74274dc263 his face was so 4aa16804d7 youthful that even the b7953e9190 fine hairs and blood 86ccd38605 vessels on his cheeks 508e24160b seemed visible.dd308687666dc550

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And that innocent face was flushed red, perhaps due to the heater’s warmth.4d079d67a116f26d

“Executive Director.”05342e41bb65ba69

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At that 74bc31062c moment, Seo-on f946755e69 approached with ac45dcec0d the catalog 93db0e5151 he had 04bdc71f6f been staring a74ae80b02 at for fdd47950a3 a while.0730711478b66cf4

“Please take a look. The tailor recommended this style, but I’m not familiar with these things.”fc4878785aedd199

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He had 48f64b3c18 no hesitation c9d887a171 in asking 945b068d51 for help f30730dbac and making b7aa11b632 requests.72c16442dcbb6b46

“I was originally going to get my first suit tailored when I entered college…”36e40f1567e1b6e6

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Cha Dokwon swallowed 467dcd1451 another sigh.0b158fc15f2f8b4c

“I didn’t expect to get my wedding suit tailored first. Since you said you’d help, I’d like to ask you, Executive Director.”5dd18af0db528258

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What am I doing 0f23219c70 with a kid talking 37b3257246 about college entrance?30fc6eb496c3f8e5

An unprecedented, 8f2ed84051 inescapable sense 8f8201a4ef of self-reproach c1e51840d3 welled up 55a6b3e44d to his fc935849dd throat.d5686acef8ffa035

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🐾🐾🐾bba55186505a3903

“Yoon Seo-on.”384f65a9ce38a2ad

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Seo-on, who was staring 08f004ab6d at his phone waiting 0795c8cb6a for a message, quickly 1bdc9af1a7 looked up at the 224253e725 sound of his name. A familiar face standing 5afa13486e by the door grinned 696559191d and walked in. Unlike Seo-on, who b51e8e0fb9 wore a coat 812c89743c over his school 62d105d76a uniform, the newcomer 2dadf517f3 was dressed in e3217bc615 a hoodie and 0160fb8565 padded jacket.abdb51e3e5f53f94

“Why are you so late?”49847f46c7b176bf

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“The college entrance exam is over, so what’s the rush?”7de98a1a2c69dc4d

Hyesung shrugged his shoulders, e1ddddf90b pulled out a chair 000a813571 with a squeak, and 9275bc589c sat down with one 998af94cae leg folded, facing Seo-on. Without any formal 6bf0ee8099 greeting, he turned 3bb4ae4622 his head away. Seo-on, who had 323802740b been staring blankly fec345756f at his profile, 1c3552b36e widened his eyes 5d152ec4d9 belatedly.cba6d2d118c4b373

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“Did you get your ears pierced?”c851fb4c45644cf9

“Yeah. Yesterday. It hurt like hell. I can’t even lie on this side for a while.”e90f34f73c446c32

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There were 7810a2c9ff not one, c324abfe82 but three c88fbe842d piercings on 5d95d64643 his ear d52c356a5c cartilage.60c12fbf2370c028

Hyesung chuckled and b5ff2bbd31 turned his head ccde8f096d back. Seo-on, who had 20d624d85a unconsciously leaned in 0ac61ab8a9 the direction of 1983a6ef2c his ear, made 4a21d2de91 a face as 8f58fd45f2 if he felt 2af25a5cb2 the pain himself 18adc29d34 and cautiously started 37a673c97b the conversation.4d578db80e988956

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“Does your grandfather know?”1f9c120689f55aef

“I showed him the acceptance letter to Korea University, and he didn’t say much.”446676a634caeb6a

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“You really are something…”55542cefc49475da

Seo-on’s oldest childhood 2b7f0f84b2 friend, Joo Hyesung, 5cc6dc68bc came from a 1f274164d9 family with a 473d490456 long-standing history in 2ddbab1168 the legal field—especially d0d6b0469e his grandfather, who b197468162 had risen to 7c3a631aef the position of 8735597ac7 Chief Justice.636afbe25a23cbb2

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The family fd94f5dfb0 carried a a171c94e8d somewhat conservative bb8ce824b8 atmosphere. Yet Hyesung was like fb7218d2d5 a sharp thorn protruding 573d69a6c2 from that otherwise polished bf5f3be14e lineage.0ac2209023cca517