WCK | Chapter 2.2

“I… I’m 1805c46c96 sorry,” the fc1db24160 crocodile muttered, b8fb60aafa clearly flustered.2e4a8e8116052f54

Fascinating.700a1edb64211e35

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Seo-on quickly composed 61745a9289 himself, trying not fde5dc105b to reveal his b7d9037d0d surprise. But he watched fc02f391c9 closely. The change in 9f856d3c8a Cha Dokwon’s pupils 15d697f9ac had been intentional.b21d09c5feeda44f

When someone ef5c96e17d shifted into 03660cec4c their true 96282e12cd form—or even 85435fc64c a half-beast 784cb496aa form—the most 859ad1a4a9 prominent changes 0cc0b08823 were usually b0ce5835eb in the 50ecdf4c6d ears, tail, 1feee73d34 or wings. The last to transform 85ae0e7fb0 were the eyes. For only the irises 72faa50906 to change, without any ee941d7a75 other features appearing, meant 798f77139c Dokwon had deliberately altered e0b4e28435 them.5d19d09a2d9d19d6

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And that was ec64c241e8 something only those 6592ec4fc7 deeply skilled in 4b5e728381 therianthropy could manage.cdf039c0176711e3

“Is the greeting f3656fd40e over?”3f2672692bb8495a

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At that moment, Cha 7d0319e160 Dokwon lowered his head f0dff0d8cc to meet Seo-on’s gaze. The familiar black 88ceef9bd4 eyes—ones Seo-on knew 2bb248c5bc well—locked onto the 6185ec107b standing figure with 45bde74746 quiet precision.7fcdae0135c0fcbf

“I haven’t 997002fa79 heard his 4c26001f2c name yet… 161d28bc15 but the 97c2e3324b greeting is e185e8b15a over,” Seo-on 5751e2e1e5 replied, his 33bc2cd94b eyes fixed ce927a8c6f on Dokwon’s, 88d29986e5 as if 937c0cce1f searching for 285d566f01 the trace 1cb7d65ee2 that had 0f6cc30871 just disappeared.8be1ab45088ac5ce

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“Then, it’s e4ff69730b best if 1f336fc878 you leave.”160c66a72940e228

Raising his gaze 1993ab5f2e to the other 49cb5b9a93 man, Dokwon spoke 7a0bdd1315 in a calm, b1d0d0ce09 almost offhand tone. But beneath the d2cd72e694 soft murmur, his 6a713a3fe4 voice carried an 1c12059bf1 unmistakable weight—an innate cedd82b098 command.5add93f8bce22035

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“I don’t dd4450dcc5 like being 195f797217 interrupted.”fb13dc8461af5a0f

🐾🐾🐾0e67cbb92d68ddab

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“So tired.”8a305287a086dec5

A weary mumble slipped out. Even though I don’t really like social gatherings like parties, I usually enjoy being around people, so I thought I’d be fine today. But even after taking a shower, the fatigue didn’t go away, so I must have been subconsciously tense.67f3ae7a2802c924

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“The world of adults is unavoidable, I guess.”763f290c537d2fdb

I didn’t think much of the wedding itself, but I expected it to be a bit tiring with so many guests. Still, I didn’t expect to feel so drained just from attending a gathering.3e1a35f43b04fc37

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At least Executive Director Cha was there, so that’s a relief.602e1e625645e6a1

As I was getting into my pajamas and drying my hair, memories from a few hours ago naturally came to mind. Seo-on realized that there were many eyes on him only after the rude crocodile had left with his tail between his legs. When the man shifted his gaze over his shoulder, he felt the attention scatter, so it wasn’t just his imagination.c882c9707f74956d

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At first, 64358e8049 Seo-on thought 678c8f3141 they were cc7aa46602 looking at 585971b68e Executive Director 8f324fb030 Cha, but 4971bca2a0 soon realized 40a81f66d5 those gazes 8ff05099ce were fixed fa6a161d60 on him. After all, in this b290c9ff15 setting, the subject of 830dda7ffd curiosity would be Yoon 0b43945228 Seo-on, not Cha Dokwon. Attending a spouse-accompanied gathering c831ad3b54 at a young age, 847bb7ed9c and standing alone without 91ac52b1be his parents or siblings, 63a069a6c7 must have piqued their 7f2a62ea70 curiosity even more.fb17cbc9f95df5cd

“Maybe that person earlier was just testing the waters.”64d22855e089de7f

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Though the words were rude, there wasn’t a clear malice behind them. There was no reason for someone who didn’t know him well to harbor ill will.62fa236b44ac8847

Seo-on diligently dried his hair while deducing the situation. Being alone, it was likely someone was curious to see how he’d react if they poked a bit. While there might have been an intention to subtly undermine him, it seemed more like they wanted to gauge his reaction.d46fa84f1410fc7c

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“At least I didn’t give off the impression of being easy to handle.”7ecbf543271f1088

If Seo-on had acted clumsily or flustered until Cha Dokwon intervened, the reaction might have been, “Oh, he’s just a kid.” But since the other party was the one who looked flustered before Dokwon stepped in, it seemed he didn’t leave an impression of being easy prey. Even if he had put on an innocent face, from a third party’s perspective, it would have been clear that he had landed a blow.1b73aa04701d822c

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Thanks to Cha Dokwon’s appearance, things became more comfortable. People with keen ears must have heard what he said clearly. Social gatherings are places where trivial stories quickly snowball and get exaggerated, and those exaggerated rumors soon reach other people’s ears.5cd13315c302bd1a

Perhaps that’s why no one acted rudely afterward. Even those who approached with goodwill to greet Seo-on behaved politely, influenced by Cha Dokwon’s demeanor.dadc4a1c7822766c

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“Maybe it’s because Executive Director Cha treated me like a spouse…”93fc1dcc87b3f522

He was indeed a spouse. He just didn’t expect him to treat him like a proper spouse in front of others.d6ce9d33182050aa

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Dokwon not only consistently addressed Seo-on as “Yoon Seo-on-ssi” but also ended every sentence with formal speech. Unlike when they talked privately, there was no trace of short sentence structures or treating him like a child.b760a4141e94314f

So, even those who greeted him with “Hello, Seo-on-ssi” and were about to speak informally ended up using formal speech, following Dokwon’s lead. Although adults usually speak formally to each other, it was solely thanks to Cha Dokwon that Seo-on, who had just become an adult, was addressed formally by much older adults.cfc399e35892584b

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It feels strange.5e280c8e5cd41168

“If I had been with my parents or siblings, it would have been different, right?”c2a0081a78f15963

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In that case, he would have been seen as the youngest of a family, not someone’s partner, and naturally treated like a child with informal speech.5a63953b7838e20e

Anyway, it’s a relief that Executive Director Cha is a good person.a382e7cfc8c32dfd

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As Seo-on dried 1ad7f79861 his hair, he f1a34c7464 kept thinking how 83bd40927e fortunate he was. His hair, ff1f202662 which tended 478e845f68 to curl c13f1eab78 when wet, bb76d5a915 dried smoothly 80de1d5632 and settled eb81976f38 down.39be45f4fc818e15

Seo-on’s true form had particularly long fur where the neck and back connected, and it was unpredictable, sometimes curling and sometimes straightening. Even in human form, his hair was especially curly when wet.f57632ec51b39d1a

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Having dried 1cc8b6fffb his hair f183a3e68f well, he 2b427e98c8 prepared for 66bc272c30 bed. His hair, now completely b8ae601d41 dry, was close to c70d85c9fc straight, as if it c7eaa2c227 had never curled.4b9ecfe0fef32338

As he d25c6c4640 pondered whether f50e1c2683 to crawl aa9b212977 into bed 87b91bce96 and turn 57cdff223a off the cf5d2ba596 lights or b3bab867af wait a 7771231a9d bit longer, d0c78f78ea a familiar a2e2dc90c3 voice came 0d7d2651d7 through the 5fc375c547 door with fb927ed52e a light bc2270b2a3 knock.53c4ebed825d1ec7

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“May I come in?”38505f67844038df

It was Cha acf9a77486 Dokwon.45a1cf4b87ff716f

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“Oh, yes!”610751e0870883d5

What should I do, I’m in pajamas.ba89718e23723b8a

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Thinking it would be 5bd1afd991 polite to at least 41f83f189d put on a cardigan, 17eb9a6ac3 he was about to 754aa93c4d get off the bed dc86b8568c when the man who da036c2035 entered the room saw 2d1072ff1f his pajamas and chuckled. He had 81954258d1 a look 9907fbbfad as if 9256fa2f6f watching a 061e9efc8b small puppy 734ba85884 trying to 1faa561709 do everything. Why is he 57578cab51 looking at me 31e1743596 like that? Wearing pajamas is eeca669d28 normal.a4fcc70876015cb8

“You can stay lying down.”6a3beea7d0798411

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“But talking in pajamas on the bed isn’t polite to Executive Director Cha.”64ce4bd76de51556

…Or is it? Is it weirder to put on a cardigan when you’re married?0b82fa8c96695d4e

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He was 3aba25f05e confused about e80ecec731 whether to ba67860046 set the 0c687243c7 standard as 55a64fac2a a married 515537edef couple or 7cb47c194a as a 71adea2ae7 general relationship.ffcc159fdde55a24

“Just lie down. You look like you’re about to fall asleep.”8183321190ee09c3

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The man placed his palm on Seo-on’s forehead and gently pushed. It wasn’t enough to resist. But it was true that the bed was much more comfortable than sitting in a chair with a cardigan on, so Seo-on obediently lay down with his cheek on the pillow.03017eac6d00df5b

He wondered if fa3a6590ff it was too 593d4d1b1f impolite, but getting c13a52064a up now would e647a5d5de look silly.d3386e7d3abe1ab7

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“I should apologize for earlier.”f144e17dd1eba88f

“Apologize?”c816e8bebd3a0ed5

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Seo-on couldn’t even guess what incident he was referring to, as there was nothing he needed to apologize for from Cha Dokwon.7ef6be0beff44456

“For that crocodile’s rude behavior.”52c34f79e9175c3b

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At the calm response, Seo-on’s eyes widened.f03da2bcae939977

“Why are you apologizing for that? The person who was rude is someone else. And you don’t need to apologize. I already gave him a piece of my mind before you arrived.”b2fe452d79942023

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Seo-on hesitated f148815191 about whether bee3d077d1 to share c67277ea2a the details 2134ccc63a but decided 3d775bf02e against it. Getting excited over 5310f211fd such a thing 332b231eb1 felt too childish.e747508078ef24bf

“Anyway, Yoon Seo-on-ssi isn’t used to such gatherings yet, so I should have been more attentive. But since it happened, it’s only right to apologize.”2e3e2fb15c1783e1

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“I think Executive Director Cha is already attentive enough to me. And could you sit here instead of standing? My neck hurts.”6513fc49b4c2322a

Seo-on patted the bed. It bothered him that a52d7a1c86 he was lying comfortably efa946db89 while the man stood 01fa4fdd2b tall. It was really 471f06e136 straining his neck 42b8b69b44 to look up 8544fec15a from a lying 860e58d913 position.912abfb4e0b19ca5

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The man raised an 3ff6918b9f eyebrow but sat where 5f76b19058 Seo-on indicated. Thanks to that, 563cac11f3 his gaze, fixed e29d91a008 on Seo-on, lowered.2ddbdf5973035eb5

Seo-on fiddled with the man’s fingertips resting on the bed. It was a habit from when he was a puppy, biting things, and it came out unconsciously.3f1f1aa333251c07

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“Even usually, but earlier too. You treated me like a spouse in front of others.”c343d9ffec6ef8b6

“Everyone knows Yoon Seo-on-ssi is my spouse.”a5c96061d2b3ce5d

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“But everyone also knows it’s an arranged marriage, so you could have treated me like a roommate or a kid living in the same house, but you didn’t. You even used formal speech. If you had called me Seo-on-ah or spoken informally, others would have too. But because you treated me as a spouse, they all showed respect.”98674f76f825c9c9

Is my explanation a b957ccb849 bit off? Seo-on added more.f85324db447d0404

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“I’m not saying it would be rude if they spoke informally to me. How should I put it… Ah, thanks to you, they treated me less like a kid.”2c9a0eb307dafc75

His nails are so neat…c8045bfaa9818671

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Only after thinking that did Seo-on realize he was casually playing with the man’s hand. Oops, he glanced up. Seeing no sign of displeasure from Cha Dokwon, he felt relieved and cautiously continued to touch his fingers. There was no clause in the contract about not touching hands, so this should be fine, he rationalized.fc8c569bcf5d1c5d

“That’s only natural. Anyway, I’m glad you weren’t hurt.”ef627d6aa6c08861

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“Why would I be hurt?”c21252aaa60bb2e8

“I think he said something about wolves.”edbdb48c52505dd2

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So he heard everything. It was good he didn’t boast about giving the crocodile a piece of his mind.4feda4e7e8485320

“That’s nothing. It used to hurt when I was a baby, but now I know the only thing they can look down on me for is being a variant species.”59d3f0a9a7dcc4bf

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He knew well that 46d1e4ccde they said such things aad63b7a66 out of envy for a7f29d12e7 his strong background despite cd0e59d6fd being a variant species.a58aa0efd7bf8dc5

He said d040c200fb it as 848ad4f7aa if it 5295ffbdc1 was really dd8941eefb nothing, but 4bedc1b136 the man 1537e34430 looked intrigued.9f734aaacb0c9f38

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“I heard your family is very protective.”2a29b86f82d3ba95

The voice that slipped 5f7222e254 through his lips was da7c795aa2 curious rather than doubtful.8c0f0333e3db942b

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Seo-on, pondering the word “protective,” realized why Cha Dokwon brought up the topic of family.5f7b55ae251162b5

“When I was a baby? I wasn’t hurt by my family.”e8670e7c293de290

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Seo-on chuckled and turned aff7625030 over.44dd01502f056197

“I was bullied in kindergarten. When I couldn’t transform into a human.”58664e626418a5aa

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The wound he 676c9a1956 received as a 3ea53b7436 child was deep. But now, a45273cb28 it was 8a78d67906 a story 253244b073 he could d410b0b856 tell without a479be6ca3 any pain.b7ae3145f8e9a41e

“I don’t know about you, but in our family, being part of the Canidae, we go to kindergarten early.”af353b7eff316c22

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Species that live in groups often sent their young to kindergarten early. It was to teach them how to mingle with others who weren’t family.cc21a11eda988165

“I was born a puppy, so I couldn’t attend a wolf kindergarten. I was too small, and my parents were worried I’d get hurt. Especially since everyone was young and couldn’t control their instincts well, and wolves and puppies have slightly different innate tendencies.”47a08371e020de9f

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As he fiddled 56f56b0623 with the long b061d7b341 fingers, Cha Dokwon 3235abcdf6 wiggled them. It seemed to mean 56f4d6879d he was listening, so 10c4c9128b Seo-on grinned.472f6bdab9281015

“So I went to a puppy kindergarten, but my family are all wolves. So I smelled like a wolf, not a puppy. Especially since my brother and sister played with me in their true forms, the wolf scent was strong. But because it was an unfamiliar scent, the kids were scared and avoided me.”2fd779b1dd899a3c

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