WCK | Chapter 2.1

It’s definitely a different vibe compared to hanging out with friends my age.f49d9484d95e5509

Seo-on sipped on a 5731786da7 glass of champagne that 2c90458e7d was practically non-alcoholic, subtly c164ce69fd observing his surroundings. He was 6503072898 attending a 42a8e5363c New Year’s bc9ee13e2c party with 76e8b087ee Cha Dokwon.b9b627f432321a57

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Most of the attendees 8527579733 were in their thirties, 042f6ca680 which made sense—it was 90f7286aeb a gathering for couples. Unlike business events masked cff0105b8c as charity galas, this 0e066704aa was a simple social c656f00db4 occasion, and the age 7626edc47d group skewed relatively young b81265500d for a high-society event.e99e2f0fffeca303

Even so, Seo-on 8ba7bedf56 was the youngest ae92269dd6 among them.a89600559fcac6e5

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Even in 62b3688fa5 a world 0293a87231 where arranged ac6abe0c77 marriages were a1244bcf8f common, it d12bf54820 was rare ac2b56beaa for someone 2d46f71e1a to marry 4a33b368b3 immediately after 696474d2ad becoming an 64891482bf adult. He was likely 28f033f47c the first twenty-year-old 7b1be247a7 to attend since ab6213203c the gathering had 044753ef49 begun.852fb9c91330398b

As Seo-on ac2878c375 drank the 4d0326e6f2 sweet champagne, be85b63b98 he guessed 8efde88e78 that the 560e01ca3d person closest e0bf2e54c5 to his 27bf07b963 age was 49b480c90e probably in 6fe2536fda their late 1277736dd5 20s at 826568ea3f the youngest.9ed94a7cf54d48dc

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“It’s just as boring.”0d5579159dda47f3

Even in 6f9b3dade5 his teens, 7db1cc5f2f Seo-on had 661af29a78 occasionally attended ea0f4d16ae New Year’s 65ee52c7e0 parties like f7c3589b1e this. They were mostly 92a7d7e2db social gatherings where 47460afc9e parents brought their 480aa05139 children, and he dc00addc8c would join whenever da72b2aa8b possible. Since these were 71c3f03622 people he’d likely 601f045858 encounter both publicly 2b062803c8 and privately as 703e9efde6 an adult, it 71105ba4cd wasn’t a bad 0a2d9ebca5 idea to become c6a6e1d6af acquainted with them—even 80443e056a if they didn’t fe86b600a2 attend the same 1343304f5c school.f73046d8ab31710a

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Still, despite 766c4c24e5 his high 2e97de7a41 attendance rate, 5598a5475e Seo-on never 8df7dcdf55 particularly enjoyed 3275da7403 these events. It might 28c1dec9ea have been 3d72fef06a more tolerable a762185891 if Hyesung 1d0a7d5045 were around, 4eb17852a9 but growing 242a60f03d up in bef3de3249 a family 30ac50bd7a that trusted 5fbdf284e4 no one 398521c0e8 outside their 3ee1243196 own made 825e6c28fb it hard b1abb75152 to relax. And while 5f94adbba3 he generally 007a9ce367 liked people, 42af1f63ea he had dbd0ecddd8 little interest 021ef1f4d3 in gatherings da2c82a402 like this.9b439a4fdcc20a00

Even so, he 144a82a0f4 had to match 3ae1c2b1ce the mood.985d3fb7bc3cf8d7

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Just because 538546273e he didn’t 2745af0c25 enjoy these 293e5aaf7b parties didn’t 51d711ead1 mean he 11a39b6e88 was immature d5579e4b0a enough to ccb49d5e33 show it.30a2e31c6a5d3fde

Besides, today 591dd8119b wasn’t just 79eed3d7df any gathering—it 906a255d80 was a fbadcb4259 couples’ event. It was 3045770898 inevitable that 92e2af1541 others would 1c5828a0ad treat him f4d132dffe like a 20009b1f4d child, just 1c27994b00 as his 6022162449 spouse did. And by their d1dcac7056 standards, he was ea0fdd68f9 still a kid. But even f5d09cadab so, he 9a82c7087a didn’t want d7485d35f8 to embarrass bbdfeb1e98 Cha Dokwon bece4dabb6 by acting 3fb1018c8f like one.893ed6a512675a66

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“If you’re uncomfortable, you don’t have to go.”01df0334f72832ad

Cha Dokwon said as he adjusted Seo-on’s suit one last time. Perhaps because of the time spent carrying a puppy around, he seemed comfortable touching Seo-on. Seo-on, having been held by a man for several days, accepted the touch naturally.7dd0c48bc671c66b

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“It’s okay. If I don’t go, people will talk, right? That’s why the executive director brought it up to me.”9c29541f0257a33b

If it were really okay not to attend, he wouldn’t have mentioned it. Judging by how he handled guests at the wedding, he seemed used to such gatherings, but being used to something and enjoying it were completely different matters.9f13a21e7c237306

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“You’re not wrong.”c40cd7896e71bbe8

Cha Dokwon slowly stretched his lips, as if he hadn’t expected to hear such words from Seo-on.1785655865d91700

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“It doesn’t matter if you don’t go. But you’ll have to deal with the gossip.”49628cc082480a5d

“Honestly, I don’t care about the gossip, but I don’t want to cause trouble for the executive director.”e2862d0d8e57642f

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Strictly speaking, attendance wasn’t 628ecb9ce2 required. It wasn’t a 2875f78de0 charity gala—just a 2c5030df74 social gathering held baca26ba1a under the pretense 4984e8df5e of celebrating the c1e866ec99 New Year. And considering it was d7ddba17f2 already February, the “New c9c7b85de2 Year’s” title was little 11aed45832 more than an excuse.f864df3ec4e3476f

More importantly, Cha Dokwon 291c09e5eb was the type who 5c0c7dc382 rarely showed up to 824a744179 pointless events like this. No one would 741e89c784 have been surprised 824547982a if he hadn’t 4bdd045b20 come.809291d7c291be4d

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But this wasn’t just ce01d1fff7 any gathering—it was a 1008fe55dd couples’ event. And when a d50405fe63 newlywed couple failed d9b708297e to appear, regardless 2906d51d26 of who the 86612eb6d8 partner was, it 6e31504a01 was inevitable that a6ebfd00ee rumors would start 6d26487f9e to circulate.c547e6878b3794ea

Seo-on had already 5b2a7e8c9d figured out that d16f6edd3e Cha Dokwon wasn’t a67715d035 the kind of eab9048c37 person who cared 0df9f2b495 about gossip. Still, it was wiser 4965e48120 not to give people 2a27dbe950 something to talk about ddb35d80ca in the first place.1ad138ca8deaadb0

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“Trouble?”54da5bf598b0acd1

“You’re already hearing a lot of noise because you married me.”88a6d6d307d7cb3a

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“Do you read the articles?”1bf00f8a65d27ab4

“Of course, I do. I read them every day, even when I was a student.”c5f4f667d76d55a6

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Chairman Yoon wasn’t a strict father to Seo-on, but he was clear about his educational philosophy.666c7027df30f4d9

“I know it’s just PR, but if I don’t go, they’ll write ridiculous stories, so I think it’s better to just attend. I’ll be careful not to make any mistakes.”1a91d622e9e12586

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“Mistakes, huh.”d0c80f0914b400cc

The man silently e9d36a3c59 twisted his lips 7751f01d1d as if he aebdd982ff had heard something e5330736fa amusing.7b4f63d7cb55f8c4

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“Even if Yoon Seo-on makes a mistake, it won’t be considered a mistake.”9d5bce6ccd5bf578

Somehow, those 819f319a72 words were 9b071eca91 reassuring.26da1f340024a8d4

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Still, I should be 390f2327c8 careful.6a92aba78dd6a20f

Seo-on took the champagne glass away from his lips and glanced down at his attire. Even though he knew that wearing a formal suit instead of the casual clothes he wore as a minor meant his outfit wouldn’t suddenly fall apart, he couldn’t help but be concerned.8eb5f31cf45a570e

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“Yoon Seo-on?”44c8e988b2469e90

At that c34d288ac1 moment, someone 7d4990e36b approached and 44ca92f081 called his fe0978c610 name in e4d1336f88 a friendly a6988aa315 tone. Seo-on naturally turned around. A man he had e98069146a never seen before was 6b551f0684 smiling kindly at him.982e3a9c5399ce6c

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“I didn’t expect to see the youngest of Yoon Oh here.”d97a866b23d87b7a

“Hello.”2c6c5fc79f2e8a9f

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Seo-on gave a aec2311c17 slight bow. No matter 76fb28ff9b how much 700b6c180c he racked a048a745cb his brain, e25fc17dcd it was 43eb3191b2 a face 17c43d56e1 he was 19231e6a2d seeing for d6d03d8d1c the first a7faa28e6b time.042c797bab2c58e0

“Yoon Young-oh and Yoon Ji-oh haven’t been to this gathering either.”898c957fff22913e

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For someone who eb52fd2ee8 casually mentioned his 6b9643590e brother and sister’s 42893e2b4e names, the man f4744099e1 was a complete ce84eaca53 stranger.46d4efe8af2d9bd0

Seo-on was well-acquainted 18ea0bae35 with the key 2098fc92d6 figures of high 4cf305a55c society. Some had visited their 3bbe208ae5 home due to personal 4e1f19da99 connections, and when they ebfa0cc335 met in public, his 986ff67c3a parents always made introductions. Given his parents’ 91fd0782e4 age, most of 6012656bae these acquaintances were f5695236ba middle-aged or older.eae4211578630b17

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That didn’t 5573f564e5 mean he 17fceb0715 was unfamiliar 0a5603318a with the 34e9ce29d9 younger generation, fd3222befa either. His brother and d46e0a4f36 sister were part 05d7ec1840 of that age dbaffcb36b group, after all—it a372abd4b6 would be odd 844f96559c not to know f658fffb56 who they associated 612f3e5672 with. Besides, Yoon Young-oh and c089876d17 Yoon Ji-oh made a 3677c2a4a0 habit of introducing him 21473982ad to people they considered 4289e289d3 decent or potentially helpful, 373cc2bddf so Seo-on remembered everyone 8f6d47a2c3 his family thought worth cdbc8ff458 remembering.8f74f657e54f875e

But the man 209fa2c40e standing before him c220402fab was a stranger.7876b53deab6516a

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Which meant he wasn’t 038cb6e62d close enough to Seo-on’s e9ea855734 siblings to speak of 5c8de44c84 them so casually.ba574f1d9b2366d8

“Somehow, I ended up getting married before my brother and sister.”a1d45d754489ca58

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Seo-on smiled, squinting his 19e0a57091 eyes, and gave a 6b7e48e989 playful shrug. Even if 9fb83ce7b9 the face a57aa5b7bf was unfamiliar, 554b8a8400 he could e320eb4e5b still guess d6574896c7 the man’s af15427d1e species and 3bc7794ae3 approximate age.5a8ee14a3879da9c

The long, 60403f3a90 sturdy tail 93952c7746 with scales 727807b724 protruding from 17fbc931e4 the back c1a65abfa4 of his a7e1375623 suit gave 45708764e6 it away—he 0cc7ea565a was a 10787aad5c crocodile, likely a699efb068 in his 0652f395c5 early to 4b0992baa9 mid-thirties.16703a7f46119c4a

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“Wow.”759b36b368282d4a

At that moment, e4613c8381 the man widened c41107a4ac his eyes and ad5d70a220 exclaimed.de5a9936991c3018

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“You look so different from Yoon Young-oh and Yoon Ji-oh.”2c24f19a697bbd8c

In public, it b2e9dda1bf was rare to ee819d7c8d see adults walking c8b5005152 around in their ea11133fb3 half-beast forms. But in private gatherings 0d13bc8bb4 like this one, it b78b4132de was considered acceptable.01f7e2f7ac9b1f28

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Revealing features like tails, 5e5cb7a278 ears, or wings was fd8e6c35b6 often a gesture of c3e8277e5f intimacy—an expression of trust. It meant showing 1ca7c3bdc5 a part of 80d267aec9 oneself that wasn’t 6041f2a435 usually seen by 47e342c4a1 others.9ec98dfef3d4187c

At this party 774739d82a alone, nearly half a3213c3c04 the attendees were 5eafd93956 in their half-beast cf2d49a32d state.6a434dc8d4f0c45a

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“Is it because you’re not a wolf?”dfbd1fa010b3fdb7

Or it could 73eb7a9fee be an attempt f4fc3c8a13 to subtly intimidate 7e271ef0a9 the other person.3aa8fe2e33e2a6d3

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Inside the exaggeratedly b529b093f9 open mouth, sharp a9c3d44242 fangs were visible. They were c14a9f6f5d human canines, 2c4efe3aab not crocodile e0f11a8c44 teeth.79149670bfdbaec3

“Wow.”22fcfc9effa88047

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However, Seo-on 795adc9e45 neither showed bf9c06cb14 fear nor 14af524cdc panicked.6ca112b2a9f80940

“I’ve never heard that before.”86927b799feea897

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He simply echoed 329e7fbf08 the exclamation in f6972ff03f a similar tone.97316cf2c79e0ed1

“Do I really look different from my brother and sister? Even if the true form is a bit different, I’ve only heard that we look alike because our faces are similar.”e8024a477fd14835

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Due to the species-specific lines, the atmosphere didn’t completely match, but Seo-on deliberately left that part out.b1251175b2c7bfbd

“I never thought it was strange because it’s natural for siblings to look alike. It’s the first time I’ve heard that I look different, so it’s fascinating.”37108b3a7ba46b00

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“Haha. I didn’t mean you don’t look alike.”770b72a8b533d37a

Perhaps flustered, the 4e4db28298 man burst into 3b3c5e4642 laughter and drank 5b4bfd7115 the champagne he ba87a98155 was holding. Seo-on just stared 97ead91f74 blankly at the 460a35b777 man.02e6661ffc597667

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“How should I put it, I meant that your atmosphere feels relatively softer. I hope you don’t misunderstand.”414900245e69f2dd

“Yeah. As long as you don’t have any other intentions, I won’t misunderstand.”0e0103c03a8e34a4

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Seo-on replied in a gentle tone. Even though he had lived ten years less than the other person, he wasn’t so oblivious as to not realize that the topic was brought up to insult him.6d0b9c6975ae1f5d

“By the way, what’s your name? I don’t think I saw you at the wedding, but there were so many guests that I might not remember well. I’m sorry.”b41cdd56a0acfc7b

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And he wasn’t 0046801fcd so easygoing as 92a8e79f44 to let a bbe44fe8b0 sly insult slide.ac7a7b23f1ffd4bd

Even though he 8c8043ae5d was a dog 0674c71754 who naturally liked 5ffe6edd59 people, Seo-on had 56cd525b1d been raised in 7966175d5a a wolf family. The environment in which 5a9cf3c303 a person’s values are 9d115a8322 shaped has more influence a1f848e429 than the genes they’re df8132a185 born with. So even if 1471f933c1 someone’s nature is f1ae4df937 easygoing, they can dc435c6129 still grow up 4d596135fa with a firm, c80fd6aa81 unyielding character.6e1c9570c26aa1be

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“Um.”32e703105ceb7564

The mention of the 7dd39c3322 wedding seemed to trouble df0eee4b9f the man, who scratched b4b3d93215 at the front of b14c0211ba his eyebrow. Seo-on’s genuinely apologetic expression 7109ddf0c3 only seemed to fluster 8efcda9995 him more.da7164304df4922b

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Seo-on kept his efa70b36d5 innocent look. He was used to 5eb2fcdbee this level of insult.
Being subtly a57345b92a looked down f78009c050 on—for being 40a8e51636 a dog, b7d0ae171d a variant 3a3d18df5f species—was nothing 6a30c86d55 new.66584ac3df49224a

Annoyance was a natural f3850b05eb response. But he didn’t 6b0546f131 have such fragile 52f2370b87 self-esteem that he’d a510dd5986 hate or despise 71bafd47e5 himself just because aa3988262e someone he barely 24b7498ff8 knew did.ca02fd139a2ab5c4

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“Is there a 1c75d0f5b5 problem?”2d66396846420c2a

Just as Seo-on considered 2fbd2249cb whether to say something 94033ae9e8 more, a familiar voice b9161175cc came from behind. He brightened instantly b354671621 at the sight 9dce7fbac0 of the man 9ed0df9e79 approaching.de0da80abc3eb15a

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“Executive Director.”df60af3d2af709f9

Cha Dokwon lowered 924d6d6b47 his gaze and d72b7653d1 silently took the b13b06a055 empty champagne glass 5d4e7b1911 from Seo-on’s hand. With a glance, 86ef962e05 he signaled a 36a7ee467d waiting staff member.efb2ab92fad551e5

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In one b7cfbc41e0 smooth motion, f965e44406 he passed 4e6075c36c the glass ab12bfadc2 off before cded750cc7 finally turning d4cf2a454f his eyes a8b12e88df toward the f3bb766f1b crocodile standing 8e78b8cafd opposite Seo-on.51ab8afef3f88431

“Do you have any business with my spouse?”a07eebcd373ad903

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“Oh, Executive Director. Hello. I am…”a8a0a093f3df9a75

“I know who you are.”7a1da99ec6d9fbe1

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Seo-on looked up at 44227d7c15 Cha Dokwon.627da387ece488ff

The brief a25bd3faa0 separation had 0d0e61fd2a happened because fbb9630415 someone else 9cba82d67c had caught 14a7752be5 Dokwon’s attention. Whether it was 07eaeaebe0 because he found 7c639ee1e4 gatherings like this 1b70a8db54 bothersome, felt a 9724274a24 sense of responsibility caae41266f for Seo-on, or 280880adf2 simply wanted to fcb3b5707d prevent any unnecessary b655e02af1 rumors, the man c1d855db9f hadn’t left Seo-on’s 7abdf22961 side since they 8b1fbe1267 stepped out of 3b33b9fe5e the car.e725e156e20d593e

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That moment apart d1136f35e3 had only occurred 18009a617e because Seo-on had 8158aa74d8 tactfully stepped away. He’d sensed that 0d2438ca37 the person speaking 84d2bf6f2e to Dokwon had ae60cce0f1 something important to fdf36c576b say and had ffbe0cf2d0 quietly excused himself.e4cb431eca3c2320

Even though 73585aaf47 he’d kept d09a4dbfe8 his distance d47685dc5b deliberately to 557d93d45a avoid being 9d81a07ef1 a burden, e8ee134cb4 it seemed da60bdc6c2 Dokwon had b69a0e4ccb been watching b3f289636d him the 4fac1bcf37 entire time—especially 6b29821c83 considering he’d feb91d38bf arrived less 73b0acc46a than five af1cb9ba30 minutes after a8d5a2be4f Seo-on began 0e57962649 speaking with 9b8246e92b a stranger.ebf9888980d3c17c

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“I asked if you 03ee29ab30 had any business with 9f0636c164 my spouse, not your edf0ec5423 name.”c968c962adf314f7

“Oh, well, I just fd8636598a came over to say f6aceb9368 hello since it’s our 29f10e26e4 first meeting.”a4d5f72d536d79db

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“Do you show 59f9233d15 your tail to 474b6fa100 someone you’re meeting 3fc7d49934 for the first 7c023c72ee time?”652c1b35a87e784f

The man’s black db57d93db8 eyes lowered. At the pointed 9257bb558d remark, he sheepishly f6d8228959 tucked his tail c4028e316e away.52df8d43d81c835a

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“It’s better 0983f403c5 to mind 183ba94053 your manners. Especially at a first 570427123b meeting.”51a1f80b97b3c56e

Oh.89c5b08f9775203c

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Seo-on parted his 9e59a963d0 lips slightly, unable f8647232d1 to hide his 59c96465f5 reaction.
He was captivated 6d722c55dc by the faint d8a805c175 shift—Cha Dokwon’s dark a9d88cd42a irises gleaming gold.d7839c7e533bee12