WCK | Chapter 1.15

Cha Dokwon’s calm voice made Seo-on’s hand instinctively reach up to touch his head. The longer he stayed in his true form, the higher the chance he would return as a half-form rather than a complete human. Usually, ears, tails, or wings would protrude to match the human form’s size.

His fingertips brushed against soft hair, but he couldn’t feel any warm, folded ears.

“No ears? Looks like I’m fully back! The tail…”

Only then did Cha Dokwon set him down. Seo-on, who had unconsciously touched his back, was startled again by the realization of his nudity and quickly turned around.

“S-sorry. I’ll go put on some clothes.”

He should have gone to put on clothes immediately after transforming back into his human form, but he had forgotten while checking for ears.

There was no time to gauge Cha Dokwon’s expression. Seo-on hurriedly ran to the room and opened the wardrobe. He quickly dressed in underwear and clothes, moving at a speed that seemed urgent. After hastily putting on his clothes, he didn’t forget to tidy up the toys that had cluttered the bedroom from the open suitcase.

“I didn’t expect to be found out so soon…”

He hadn’t imagined that the fact that the suitcase contained puppy toys would be discovered the day after he entered the house. He hadn’t thought about it while playing excitedly, but now that he was tidying up the toys, he felt oddly embarrassed. However, it was too late to change anything, so Seo-on calmed himself by organizing the toys.

Liking to play with balls was a natural trait of puppies, so he hoped the Executive Director would understand. After all, he had played with him until he was exhausted when he begged to play.

This should be okay, right?

Just as he was about to leave the bedroom, Seo-on quickly ducked into the bathroom to check his reflection in the mirror. A shower would have been nice, but he couldn’t keep the man waiting too long.

After checking that his outfit didn’t look too childish, he nodded to himself as if to encourage himself and headed outside.

He went to the living room but didn’t see the person he was looking for. Where did he go? Listening carefully, Seo-on moved towards the dining room, where he heard faint noises. He saw Cha Dokwon taking out strawberries.

“Sorry. Did I surprise you?”

“Are you talking about turning back into a human in my arms? Or turning into a puppy?”

“Um, both, but I was asking about suddenly turning back into a human just now.”

“No tail came out.”

The man, who had placed a plate of red strawberries on the table, gestured with his chin towards Seo-on’s back. Having confirmed that no tail had appeared while putting on his underwear and pants, Seo-on confidently replied.

“Yes. Everything’s back to normal. I thought I’d return as a half-form, but since I didn’t, I must have fully adapted.”

“Good thing you turned back before eating the strawberries.”

His tone was extremely plain for a joke. Is he joking? Seo-on glanced at Cha Dokwon. From the way he had touched his ears before and played with him when he turned into a puppy, it seemed he had a subtle sense of humor, but his voice was so monotone that it was hard to tell.

Anyway, since strawberries were mentioned, he needed to explain.

“I did want to eat the strawberries, but I didn’t drop them on purpose. As I kept nudging the plate with my nose, it kept sliding, and my head just followed it without me realizing…”

“Was that what you were whining about earlier?”

“Yes.”

Cha Dokwon gestured for him to sit. Instead of running away in embarrassment, Seo-on walked over and sat down. The man across from him didn’t seem to have any intention of eating and pushed the white plate towards Seo-on.

“So, have you fully adapted?”

“Judging by the fact that I’ve turned back into a human, I think so.”

Seo-on didn’t elaborate further, as the question accurately pinpointed the reason he had turned into a puppy overnight. He picked up a fork and stabbed a strawberry, then offered the plump fruit to Dokwon.

“Thank you for treating it so casually despite being surprised.”

Cha Dokwon narrowed his eyes slightly at the strawberry suddenly presented to him but took the fork. Seo-on stood up to fetch another fork and only sat back down after doing so. He didn’t know about Cha Dokwon’s family, but in his family, they had a tradition of sharing even a single bean.

“I thought there might be a day when you’d see my true form while living with the Executive Director, but I didn’t expect to show you so soon. As you might have guessed, it seems to be because my living environment suddenly changed.”

He needed to clarify that it wasn’t due to stress. Even if Cha Dokwon had guessed the reason, it was different for the person involved to confirm it.

“Thank you for not contacting my family.”

It was right to express gratitude for things that needed to be acknowledged.

“So you deliberately didn’t contact them.”

“Yes. I didn’t tell them because it was obvious they’d worry. Of course, I did contact them later… Anyway, I didn’t want them to know I transformed as soon as I entered the newlywed home. They’d be concerned.”

“Why, were you worried I’d ignore you for turning into a puppy?”

Seo-on nodded while eating a strawberry. He wondered if he was agreeing to something too blunt, but since his family hadn’t said anything like that and Cha Dokwon was only asking hypothetically, it seemed okay.

“There are a lot of people who look down on variant species, even if they don’t show it outwardly. I didn’t think the Executive Director would be like that, but my family worries a lot about those things. I didn’t want to cause unnecessary concern, so I didn’t tell them.”

“Good thing I didn’t step in first.”

Cha Dokwon said as he put down the fork. He had eaten when offered, but he didn’t seem inclined to eat more.

I guess he doesn’t like fruit.

Jaguars are carnivorous, so he might not like fruit.

Suddenly, the information he had briefly studied about jaguars after the college entrance exam floated through his mind. He remembered reading that they sometimes eat avocados, but it was said to be because of the fat taste, so he thought he might not prefer fruit due to his species.

Of course, a person’s taste isn’t fixed by species. There were herbivorous therianthropes who enjoyed meat and carnivorous ones who were vegetarians. It was also common for tastes to completely change between their true form and human form.

But watching the man put down the fork, Seo-on naturally thought, The Executive Director must not like fruit because he’s carnivorous.

“I was curious about something since then. Why did you ask for my opinion?”

Anyway, that wasn’t the important thing right now. Seo-on brought up the curiosity that had been lingering in his mind. Cha Dokwon looked at him as if telling him to speak up.

“Since I suddenly turned into a puppy, I thought it would be more convenient for you to contact my family. You could have asked my brother or sister to take me… Of course, I’m glad you took care of me.”

“Yoon Seo-on, you’re an adult now.”

The man gave an unexpected answer.

“Well, by my standards, you’re still a kid, but an adult is an adult, so I should ask for your opinion. It’s only when you’re a minor that a guardian decides everything.”

“…”

“And contacting them to take you would be a bit much, wouldn’t it? If word got out that I sent you back to your family right after getting married, there would be rumors about whether the marriage could last.”

His words reminded Seo-on of the moment they promised to do their best, even if it was just a marriage in name.

“Ah, I see. I didn’t think that far. Anyway, thank you for being considerate. Oh, and thank you for playing with me when I was a puppy.”

“I have something I’m curious about too.”

“What is it?”

“Do you usually play like that when you’re a puppy?”

“Like that? …Did your hand hurt?”

Of course, it must have hurt. Even though he hadn’t fully matured, he wasn’t a small dog with teeth the size of rice grains; he was a large dog. While his front teeth were close to the size of rice grains, he used his canines or molars for hunting or playing, so his hand couldn’t have been fine.

“A puppy’s bite wouldn’t hurt. I’m just asking out of curiosity.”

Does he have thick skin? Seo-on felt a bit relieved by the casual answer. Well, his brother and sister also said it didn’t hurt when he bit them, so it might not be just a polite remark but genuine.

“I played gently with the Executive Director.”

“Gently?”

“Yes. When I was a baby, my brother and sister would transform into their true forms and play with me. But since it was their first time playing with someone as small as me, they couldn’t control their strength well, so I played a bit rough from a young age. Maybe because I got used to it, I play a bit rougher compared to other friends. But I played gently with the Executive Director.”

He had tried his best not to bite too hard. It had been a long time since he played with someone other than his brother or sister, so he was overly excited and failed to control his strength.

“But why are you asking?”

“I wasn’t sure how to handle it if something similar happened again.”

“Will you play with me again?”

Seo-on unconsciously wiggled his legs. If he had a tail, it would have been thumping against the chair with excitement.

“Judging by your expression, I guess I should.”

The man raised the corners of his mouth lazily, as if he had just thrown out a casual remark.

“I don’t think I’ll suddenly transform again, but if I do turn into a puppy, please play with me. Oh, I’m not forcing you. Only if you’re not busy.”

Like other therianthropes, Seo-on didn’t intentionally revert to his true form. Having lived as a human for so long, it was much more comfortable to stay in human form, and above all, reverting to his true form often brought out habits that weren’t there before, causing trouble.

‘But now I’ve adapted…’

The sensation of transforming back into a human was still vivid.

The fact that his body transformed while he was in Cha Dokwon’s arms, not when he was alone, meant that moment felt comfortable. It was similar to the moment when one could relax their body without worrying about an enemy’s attack in nature.

He hadn’t been living in tension for days. If he had truly been anxious, he wouldn’t have been able to play joyfully or fall into a deep sleep.

However, for someone who had reverted to their true form due to a sudden environmental change to regain their human form, a moment of complete relaxation was necessary. And for Yoon Seo-on, that moment seemed to be when he was in Cha Dokwon’s arms.

The fact that he felt more comfort than embarrassment after showing his true form to a man he had only met four times before the wedding and being naked in his arms was because the man’s embrace was that comforting.

“Well, now that I know how to handle it, I’ll do as you wish.”

With a positive response coming back so easily, Seo-on added another request without much hesitation.

“Also, please hold me.”

Cha Dokwon raised his straight eyebrows at an angle.

“Even when you’re not a puppy, it seems easy.”

His expression seemed to tease about being held naked after transforming back into a human.

Come to think of it, it was comfortable then too.

Seo-on, instead of explaining that he meant when he was a puppy, just chuckled and chewed on the strawberries. Sitting across from Cha Dokwon, eating something tangy, reminded him of the day they had cocktails together.

For some reason, his heart felt ticklish.