WCK | Chapter 1.3

Marriage was 33a7f44ade a kind 4403cc2f55 of business. Since his partner was 8e9220e133 young and of the 8a360920fc same gender, they wouldn’t a657b3a45b be living together intimately—but 99c591f6da they would be cohabiting, b91d15856d and basic manners still 6fe114e4b7 applied. Besides, they weren’t even 7e703a79fa married yet. Business could fall through f0f6edffb9 at any time, so b47a9a9c80 there was no reason fc0bb214f6 to make a poor 14449d4547 impression.a2a8c4320df85bd8

He searched f2f97aad2a for a 612a22bc78 suitable topic 56f46b41a9 to ease 22f0ca210a the child’s 4b1c96b319 discomfort, but 6fa8c319e9 he hadn’t e50b21ca9a expected Korea’s 28d148c953 most universal 7508e4f841 subject to 0d00b1af62 so clearly e418220989 expose the 818f016d46 age gap.7f157d67dbda1171

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What’s the educational 1faa38d197 curriculum now, anyway?0f3933c8f779bb5d

With no peers around 3060a3c211 his future spouse’s age, 4e18f4c9b3 there was no way cccf764a06 for him to know.850f38b4f2caab2a

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“Yes. I’m going to be an alumnus with you, Executive Director.”1757bb57300af54f

The word “alumnus” felt distant. The first digits of their student numbers would probably be different.8caaa5daad953f5f

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“When did the results come out?”b009baea5184c916

“Yesterday.”ffa4519a685d0906

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“I’m glad it was the result you wanted.”1a0627b2f5427384

“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.”909a9c6ac0b6a3af

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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.597f1583f797cd27

“Long time no see, Executive Director.”65b44a6ac4d03c45

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The tailor, 90d63cbd49 who was fb7ce84eed of a 7505bf37f5 respectable age, a9df00949e turned his 45e673babb gaze to eff3795079 Yoon Seo-on a727faeaa4 sitting beside 76e136b4f9 him.d2b80fb5ac6eb8ce

“And this is the Executive Director’s fiancé.”b10bfef06e20a319

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“Ah, hello.”f6fabce2a5397501

The tailor chuckled 38f11a7d96 as he looked 86f18d12d3 at Seo-on, who 670949446e stood up and 13d5ce9e10 bowed.67c669614c0feb47

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“You’re the youngest son of Chairman Yoon, right?”93c61f6cfe94b078

“Oh? How did you know?”de2144cf13dd68d8

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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.”acd83253b76df04b

“So Dad comes here. I didn’t know.”5d1c586e2c30b1e2

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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.b4d9154ad7421165

“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.”5d2ffbe8f98bda78

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“Ah…”02ff98aab427e404

Seo-on turned around. His face showed concern for the other party’s time, given the mention of it taking time.03e3a014a48944d7

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“You can go first. It’s good to have someone with you when getting your first suit tailored.”fb27b1217d82e43b

“Are you not busy, Executive Director?”6163432ebd80f631

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“I have time, so take your time.”bd0b77f5f9484585

“Since you’re an expert, I’m sure whatever you recommend will be fine… I’ll be quick, so please wait a bit.”5f23bc7b25f3bdd8

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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.”263bf6fc2581eb66

“Yes.”f633a502fa108ae0

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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.edb975dd480bbea0

He is a 22473b5166 child, after all.9f43e3a5da9b460e

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Naturally, the d730cecc5d moment he 7dcc74a26a first saw edd330216b the child 3ad199ca1b came to 53d1a01a39 mind. The face, softer and ebbffa1a12 whiter than the white e5e4891e85 peony he held, was 819678db9c smiling brightly.d9eb7baffec22cee

“……”006df5c710ec8912

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Dokwon lightly tapped ce30ea042b his crossed legs 52e64369c0 only after Seo-on e9bd105ab8 stood up.99ba43082d4fab16

Why doesn’t he call off the marriage?bbf7a59af7b91025

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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.7a536e7320a34425

‘Well, considering he knew it was me…’598d7c6fc124f441

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Whether it was 14b4a44f0e because of the 6d9a8662a3 difference in species, 315b668ac0 the fact that 3f0a016fce it was a 8a9313ce22 same-sex marriage, or 32d0bc5a7d the age difference, e53af8373a if he intended 7763b3aa1c to refuse, he 7294e455a5 would have done b652278483 so long ago.60f7a8c765f7f54f

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.8c691730ca16c5f0

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‘That means they have no intention of calling it off.’43a37267f158f541

The thin, white 882a356e90 cheeks, like white 9d9999085b petals, twitched following 23e5803306 the movement of c7e980b535 his lips as 61510918c8 he answered.10bc97b4b2dcceba

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Dokwon had no d695b36d62 intention of treating abcf04d674 his future spouse 5c63dce0dc as an ordinary 6735e4b7d2 child. Whether he was astute ae4d4e2920 enough to not break 53f790c14b off the marriage or 695c552f56 simply living without much a7f3a1a76a thought because his entire 5ded4d61b9 family doted on him, 3057da3148 it was clear that, 404b41bc44 having been born into 7d3677e46a a conglomerate family, his aa51eb177c mindset was different from 38ac41979f that of ordinary high afd8d4495b school students.7d9a3762a3a4b563

“Does it look different when you try it on?”5f09ea06a212bb4a

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“It does. Just like ready-made clothes look different depending on who wears them.”fb4ff5bdbfa3b9b6

“School uniforms all look the same, though…”96048aebf3f38f70

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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.”efd296b60334d844

“Now that you mention it, that makes sense.”5d9efde1ccfb267b

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The gentle e94f9bd988 voice pierced 9766bd4f0e his ears.0b95c8496ec01bbd

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.4075e0d53a929912

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‘Especially with such a youthful face.’f81dbd7ad5a580f2

Even so, c3d4c3b473 the tailor 6f9de68b6d didn’t seem d3dfc1c94b particularly perturbed 8d8752bd6d by Yoon 6bb0177846 Seo-on—likely because 7316d2c2fe he’d already e30d54ede1 been informed 3605c26454 that his 71167e1f41 client would 15453add83 be marrying 41c541d365 the youngest eaec5bbcc6 son of 4ab769e3af the Yoon d76e9714eb Group. While someone ab757ef3c7 had probably 11a1bc8aaf given him 24d954cfec a heads-up, d647e7ee1e it was 1ddecf4472 impossible to aa4e7d6cfa ignore the ff63e33fea rumors. The reason this 1f6e81da98 quietly arranged marriage e144a26a63 had suddenly become 9080cf822d the talk of 7ecd1101a3 the town was f20d09bc9f obvious.cc9729520a0a686e

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Still, no matter 370fc029db how many rumors 15afe7ae08 one heard, vague f92e131b78 speculation and confronting 491d94b73d reality were two 3426c13273 different things. Dokwon easily caught c302801018 the flicker of 02f598e2fe surprise in the 0fcc9df989 tailor’s eyes the 1a1a472b6f moment he laid 37589c91da eyes on Seo-on.eddca7e48ca7529c

This man, who had 7fdbcc514d spent decades dressing the beef500a4a upper crust, was an 853fc51b3f expert who rarely showed 8609b28508 emotion. And when he did, ae55686801 he was a seasoned 64315bfccf snake—skilled at concealing any fcbdbd5cc3 reaction before others could 70a8a3e6e4 notice.4c63ccb67d00fb43

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But Cha Dokwon’s senses 5f7b00544e were sharper than the de1d308bc1 tailor’s polished discretion.7ad87eb9f6a745ba

He didn’t care dfd98fb756 how the tailor—who’d ce3f227990 been handling his e5f0426f8b suits for years—chose ad8b666d06 to evaluate him. But even for 34690763f7 Cha Dokwon, this 667cb20688 situation was bothersome. He had never 54659eca60 imagined that cutting 3cfe7269fe off contact with 16d17bdd15 the Yoon Group—after f4af5e4893 only being told e16b0e2198 that his marriage 6c43c1b012 partner would come d5c202ba5c from their family—would 4f7eec39c3 circle back in 308f76e87b the form of 139c03ccec what could only 961a4be8fd be seen as 21e8ccde52 a predatory marriage.8289dd5533bb9576

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Of course, f4e375f2d1 it wasn’t a0e931e234 predatory in 3decf1e9ff the literal, f34a4fbb4e modern sense—no 62006771d6 one had 26f45f60ed kidnapped or 3f3fe90004 forcibly taken 6d569cd9a3 Yoon Seo-on. But to anyone 68f0180b90 with a normal 19c287c45d perspective, this arrangement 488bece189 would hardly seem c537b2687a any different.a949007eec7264fb

The discomfort Cha Dokwon b9e4535251 felt—so unlike him—didn’t come 5fd047c24d solely from public perception.d9e620d464edabc3

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It came 8575365733 from the cde80ee75d faint trace e7bd4e2566 of a 57d4bb5ecb conscience, lingering 5579f9428a stubbornly in 92ab02a5ff some quiet 32ea05aa8c corner of 30818c4acd his heart.c0bc47146794ee46

‘Even from my perspective, it’s not a pleasant sight.’fa2d2e153252d6bb

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To walk down the 6384064620 wedding aisle with such 63e72affc6 a child?178e7f167b01e627

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.144f509cffe70cd1

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He said 5120619543 he was a5b7bcdfe9 an anomaly.7bd66eecaa1db2c1

Knowing the faces of 7ca370b778 Chairman Yoon, his wife, c1f475d4bf and the children in c0097fb127 charge of management made 151f8afa70 him seem even younger.2dd052c0d469f5fc

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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.17e4c25b5ef16af3

‘Is it because he’s a puppy?’8b283c1a4e3755f5

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His round 6300e4b092 forehead flowed 27f6a014cd gently into 570199e847 a prominent f9f3cfeb87 nose, and d658d872d2 his lips—curving ee748150bb softly like 4e84ff087d the tip a332cef687 of that 6ebaa017ce nose—were all 0097bc0c5f shaped with 7b549b0d70 graceful lines. Unlike Yoon d8ec245aa8 Young-oh or 6edf733f6b Yoon Ji-oh, 370e99d10c whose eyes f31c7f6ee4 were a f0043c8d94 deep brown, 7356603f36 Seo-on’s eyes d2e76b843e were a f06c4656d8 light, watery ac0ffb48f8 brown, as f14bcaf915 if diluted 3db45db863 with sunlight.7e8d04e2660d3dc1

Perhaps that’s why, 69236791db when trying to 050770024a find similarities between b0f9ce2eed Seo-on and his 9a6d0108eb siblings, there was ef7513280e little to point 03db98f584 out beyond his 54ab8bc54b hair color. Even that 1151e59f66 differed—closer to befa5131e7 a grayish d516dcd06f wheat tone 1b1e180ec6 than Chairman 0183ae1dd4 Yoon’s grayish-black.6d9f6589ba873924

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It was hard cc61a9ef21 to guess what 4882421fbf his true form 5e804036fb might be, but 2b6f077af1 the slight wave a612ca3637 in his hair 0880dc44e3 hinted that he 5d85a492f4 could be a 21fec16cfe curly-haired puppy.a039589479d2d050

“How about this style? It doesn’t look too light and seems to suit wedding attire well.”db328f293a5ab83b

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“Hmm…”4dd36993766cdbec

The eyes f32f6ba288 fixed on 86163b7457 the table 267d73c9a5 slowly slid a4e7d52e53 and turned b24f720c7a toward him. Seo-on, who 35de0db871 had only 5b7f43a0e4 shown his d320971cd7 profile, turned b653fde35e his head.77e4079617d34fad

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Child.3005054a5ef072af

Cha Dokwon 83a486c9af slightly raised b2f87cf791 his eyebrows, cd271a0849 questioning the 0596b2b6d9 intention of 5a005107f0 looking at d9971487f6 him, while c50f584afa only thinking 3812466ce0 of him c3d0b6c9a3 as a 49e9859d7a child. His cheeks, 51f3957916 as thin d66e93a30b and soft 4bfde69000 as the 2bdfde7f30 peony he 9127f8ccfa had presented 11d55dfbfa as a 821bf0a2ee gift, looked 9571207f17 like those 94614fb355 of a 5be548fc12 child. If one 268c41a361 looked closely, 80a218fac9 his face fc2dfa698c was so 52d226f1e4 youthful that 2f2aff3d23 even the b8229bf620 fine hairs 33ca32c421 and blood 64384c9787 vessels on 6bfee349f0 his cheeks b40654d8a0 seemed visible.858f61869b1c5c79

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And that innocent face was flushed red, perhaps due to the heater’s warmth.050c08c22d5b97fe

“Executive Director.”3a056eda9e909ff3

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At that moment, 55d681e241 Seo-on approached with 0fd075be0d the catalog he 25e5edd699 had been staring d1e731399c at for a 391fd6315e while.02b837f11e14b6be

“Please take a look. The tailor recommended this style, but I’m not familiar with these things.”1365b184a03188fc

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He had no hesitation 2f0d1e99e1 in asking for help 3c543090b2 and making requests.afa8acca7b0685f8

“I was originally going to get my first suit tailored when I entered college…”6e63a245609082f8

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Cha Dokwon swallowed 798afb76c6 another sigh.00deae4950d20c51

“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.”6b8494ec1ecd1a54

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What am I doing 699cfce6fb with a kid talking 9c01caee8b about college entrance?c64192d48d1f4426

An unprecedented, 6258b918d4 inescapable sense 5d067d2c27 of self-reproach fe28254df5 welled up dada664f8d to his 8bc6cd9db1 throat.1a6576bc4592918e

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🐾🐾🐾7fb32ed355f50794

“Yoon Seo-on.”6ad1f4378111b8cd

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Seo-on, who was staring 1e5bcf2c76 at his phone waiting f0c61a3506 for a message, quickly e707f3219f looked up at the a16d8962e5 sound of his name. A familiar face f2d67aae42 standing by the f41b2bf47f door grinned and 1539de0b49 walked in. Unlike Seo-on, 62d278e012 who wore e8ced578cf a coat 08e2c28a54 over his cd3c45c44d school uniform, 27f5238997 the newcomer a931c0a229 was dressed ef9748c818 in a 7ca41ff1f2 hoodie and adf06be666 padded jacket.60c8f81e56ffd824

“Why are you so late?”b0cd068760f69cf9

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“The college entrance exam is over, so what’s the rush?”f3a6f71473cd65dc

Hyesung shrugged his shoulders, eb83bcc9c3 pulled out a chair 4ab099d2f1 with a squeak, and ca2b098709 sat down with one 469924153a leg folded, facing Seo-on. Without any formal greeting, 37e133a5a2 he turned his head c81995abff away. Seo-on, who had been beccf1fb08 staring blankly at his 1db463993c profile, widened his eyes e33e2f839f belatedly.2d9fe50f8520aea7

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“Did you get your ears pierced?”72dcd753937aec4c

“Yeah. Yesterday. It hurt like hell. I can’t even lie on this side for a while.”d306bbb910fa0773

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There were not one, eca42c624d but three piercings on 0401ee97d8 his ear cartilage.00bb0d8fb926bed0

Hyesung chuckled b0e52f7c3a and turned f98d011767 his head b93740f11d back. Seo-on, who 6e81c2e42e had unconsciously ddb5d3968a leaned in ae588122d8 the direction 1561cd6e67 of his 4bb1f20db6 ear, made 20d0af6585 a face e698005100 as if d6f8718700 he felt bce09f95dd the pain e3eb9d7ba7 himself and 7ff2208b58 cautiously started 3bb28bb997 the conversation.fe1a901b70981d74

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“Does your grandfather know?”76935ef25d063ca8

“I showed him the acceptance letter to Korea University, and he didn’t say much.”bf567f3ff47b52d1

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“You really are something…”5838c6abd6316ffa

Seo-on’s oldest childhood c3b6075768 friend, Joo Hyesung, 78d51d8a80 came from a 1440e40f7a family with a ec0d9bbdd6 long-standing history in bf807ae539 the legal field—especially dd79d14a1e his grandfather, who 76ba8cd80c had risen to 524b651267 the position of ba749a0301 Chief Justice.30466492de7724bf

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The family e9ac32099f carried a dc62bda173 somewhat conservative 55eb4070de atmosphere. Yet Hyesung was 38a2bb4db4 like a sharp ca7ec74b30 thorn protruding from 9895c4d2b6 that otherwise polished 062c6eee3a lineage.35eade7941d89281