WCK | Chapter 1.1

“Baby, did you sleep well?”

Even after washing his face, Yoon Seo-on still felt groggy. He rubbed his eyes and gave a slight nod. Yoon Ji-oh, the woman who had asked if he’d slept well, playfully tapped his butt to urge him forward.

Seo-on yawned widely and followed his sister to the dining room. The spacious table was already filled with family members—everyone except him and Yoon Ji-oh.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Our youngest seems like he didn’t sleep well. Hurry and sit down so we can eat.”

“I slept well, but I guess I’m just now relaxing.”

Seo-on naturally took a seat next to his mother, Seo Leesa. When Yoon Ji-oh sat across from him, the manager brought over warm rice and soup.

Seo-on offered a polite, “Thank you for the meal,” and picked up his spoon.

“Now that the college entrance exam is over, you’re not busy anymore, right? Are you going to school today? Then how about hanging out with hyung tomorrow?”

“Hyung, don’t you have to go to work?”

“The chairman will understand if I want to spend time with my brother.”

The man sitting next to Yoon Ji-oh winked towards the head of the table and grinned. Yoon Young-oh, the eldest son of the Yoon family, always acted like he would do anything for his youngest sibling, given their significant age gap.

“If you can adjust your schedule, take a day off.”

“Ah, father.”

Seo-on giggled as he watched his brother act cute toward their father.

A harmonious family atmosphere was something Seo-on had known since birth. The mood of a family often reflects the nature of its species—and for the Yoon family, born of a wolf bloodline that thrived in packs, it would be stranger if they weren’t harmonious.

Even when Seo-on was born an variant species, different from his wolf siblings, no one showed the slightest sign of disturbance. This was largely thanks to a family culture rooted in unconditional love. Because of them, Seo-on never felt inferior or alienated from his true self. He was cherished exactly as he was.

“Anyway, I don’t have time on the weekend.”

Yoon Seo-on replied as he took a sip of the seaweed soup he hadn’t had in a year. The soup, which had vanished from the house until the college entrance exam was over, tasted even better after such a long wait.

Technically, he’d had it in school meals now and then, so it hadn’t been a full year—but homemade food had a depth that was entirely different.

“I think I’ll be going to get a suit fitted with the Executive Director.”

The topic of marriage had come up earlier that year. As a student, Seo-on didn’t know much about the wedding preparations, which had been left to the adults, but he’d heard the schedule was tight—making postponement difficult.

Besides, his future spouse was already a working professional, unlike Seo-on, who was still in school. Considering how busy his brother and sister were with their own careers, it was clear his partner was likely just as tied up with work. In that sense, it only made sense for him to adjust his schedule instead.

“Ha…”

At that moment, Seo-on’s mother let out a quiet sigh and set down her spoon. The atmosphere around the table grew somber.

Seo-on blinked in confusion but continued eating his breakfast diligently. The college entrance exam might be over, but school still awaited him.

“I’ve been thinking about it, and this doesn’t seem right. Getting married as soon as the child becomes an adult? Don’t you think so too?”

“It’s not like I disagree with you. But I didn’t expect Chairman Cha to bring up your father’s will.”

Chairman Yoon also seemed displeased.

“Is it possible that your father didn’t know what they were up to? From CH’s perspective, getting involved with our family is a huge benefit.”

“I thought Chairman Cha didn’t know about the promise made with your grandfather since the elder passed away a long time ago. Even when your father was alive, he didn’t say much. Anyway, he’s a cunning guy. I didn’t expect him to bring it up right after your father passed away… But it’s my fault.”

“Why did grandfather have to get involved with that family? Even if they hold an endless source of money, they’re practically a gangster family.”

Yoon Ji-oh, who had been quietly listening to the not-quite-argument between her brother and father, finally joined the conversation. At the word “gangster,” Seo Leesa—their mother—frowned.

“Regardless, it’s disrespectful. Didn’t you hear your father call him ‘elder’?”

“I know that they saved Yoon-oh Group from bankruptcy by providing funds just before grandfather’s business failed, but there’s such a thing as corporate reputation. How can you marry Seo-on into such a family? I don’t know much about the elder’s personality, but Chairman Cha doesn’t seem great. That bloodline doesn’t change.”

“I’m okay with it.”

Seo-on’s casual remark abruptly halted the heated conversation. Despite his family’s worried reactions, Seo-on continued speaking with a gentle expression.

“The Executive Director is also an variant species.”

The term “variant species” referred to humans born outside the standard genetic range.

Being outside that range didn’t mean they were inherently abnormal. More precisely, individuals born with genetic mutations that deviated from the norm were labeled as variant species—and Seo-on was one of them.

He had been born a puppy, not a wolf, to wolf parents.

There was a saying: wolves who fall in love with humans become dogs. With only a 0.04% genetic difference between the two species, it wasn’t entirely impossible. The term “variant species” included not only those born as a different species from their parents due to slight genetic variations, but also other rare cases—making up about 1% of the total population.

One of them was Cha Dokwon, widely known as the successor of CH.

Cha Dokwon was also considered an variant species, though his classification differed from Seo-on’s.

Born the eldest son of the Cha family—whose true form was a jaguar—Dokwon was born with melanism. Unlike other jaguars with brown fur, he had an excess of melanin, resulting in a coat as black as night.

In nature, animals with melanism or albinism are typically seen as recessive due to their lower survival rates, being more easily spotted by predators. However, in certain species like jaguars, melanism can be a dominant trait, linked to increased survival.

As a result, individuals like Dokwon were often admired as ideals rather than seen as flawed—despite being categorized as abnormal for deviating from the norm.

“Meeting another variant species isn’t easy, so marrying the Executive Director doesn’t seem like a bad idea.”

Being an variant species didn’t necessarily mean facing open discrimination. While it might be natural to be ostracized in a pack—where survival often favors the majority—humans live in societies, not ecosystems. Discrimination based solely on difference was, therefore, unreasonable. In fact, individuals with traits like melanism or albinism often attracted positive attention in fields such as entertainment.

However, those like Seo-on—classified as variant species due to genetic mutations—inevitably encountered certain inconveniences, typically in two main forms. The first was the potential for physical differences in body structure due to genetic variation. The second was the sense of alienation that could arise from looking noticeably different from one’s family.

But Seo-on experienced neither. His body structure was unremarkably normal, and he had never grown up feeling timid or out of place.

“Hyung has a fiancée, and nuna is seriously considering someone. So that leaves only me.”

Seo-on thought it might be because his family was wolves.

Like wolves, his family never changed their chosen partners. Even though his brother and sister weren’t married yet, they already had partners—so it didn’t feel right to force them to fulfill their grandfather’s will.

As for Seo-on, he had little aversion to arranged marriages. His parents had married out of necessity, yet lived happily, and that had left a lasting impression on him. His brother and sister also had similarly steady, affectionate relationships with their partners.

The only thing that gave him a slight pause was the fact that his partner came from the feline family. But meeting another variant species was rare, and all things considered, it didn’t seem like a bad match.

“And from what I know, they seem like a good business partner.”

The claim that they were a gangster family wasn’t entirely false. But now that they’d cleaned up into a fairly reputable company, CH wasn’t a partner likely to spark gossip. As his sister had mentioned, their origins might be questionable, but that history felt distant to Seo-on.

More importantly, he knew his parents wouldn’t make any move without benefit. Even as a beloved late-born child, he understood his role in the family business—and the responsibilities that came with it.

He wasn’t naive about how the world worked.

“Executive Director Cha… seemed like a decent person?”

Instead of saying more, Seo Leesa—still wearing a worried expression—finally brought up yesterday’s meeting.

Seo-on, aware of his family’s eyes on him, didn’t answer right away. He just let out a low hum, dragging out his response.

His mind returned to the expression the man had worn when handing over the bouquet.

“Marriage?”

“Yes. I want to give a gift to the person I’m going to marry.”

“Oh, you’re giving it to your girlfriend? These days, people prefer pastel tones over red roses… Or how about white peonies?”

“Peonies?”

“The flower language is a happy marriage. Should I make it with these? Your girlfriend will be thrilled to receive a proposal already.”

The flower shop owner assumed it was a child’s prank, but the man couldn’t hide his bewilderment.

“Thank you, I’ll accept it.”

But that was only for a moment. The man, who had been standing still, didn’t hesitate any longer and took the bouquet Seo-on offered.

“Well…”

Seo-on had a rough idea of his marriage partner’s personal information. Even as a student, he wasn’t so indifferent to the world that he didn’t know the age of the person he was going to marry.

So he thought Cha Dokwon would treat him comfortably when they met. There was no way he would use formal speech with someone thirteen years younger.

“Please have a seat.”

However, contrary to Seo-on’s expectations, the man used formal speech consistently. It was a smooth demeanor, as if he had never shown any signs of bewilderment.

Isn’t that decent enough?

At least the first impression was good.

“He seems like a good person.”

If he were an adult, it might be different, but there weren’t many adults who used formal speech with minors.

However, Seo-on held back his words. They were scheduled to meet again soon, so it was wise to make judgments slowly.

Above all, he was going to be his partner. No matter how curious his family was, it wasn’t right to speak carelessly.

🐾🐾🐾

“If you need anything else, please feel free to let me know.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Seo-on replied politely while holding the mug brought by the staff.