WCK | Chapter 2.1

It’s definitely a different vibe compared to hanging out with friends my age.633244458decb07d

Seo-on sipped on a ba1f629356 glass of champagne that 804052027f was practically non-alcoholic, subtly 3b0161af99 observing his surroundings. He was attending a e7132f4ab1 New Year’s party with f52d14dc8b Cha Dokwon.ac8ff6bfbf877c38

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Most of fd2fbd3be8 the attendees fdcba67714 were in 04df878ba2 their thirties, 9cd80c16fe which made 21da397f7b sense—it was b3fe40ca1e a gathering 20def55af8 for couples. Unlike business d2e68bcbbc events masked 959cd62dff as charity 37ccb0baca galas, this b6b04b60ec was a 80074816ad simple social 101002cb45 occasion, and 162a68b607 the age 5faf3afa2b group skewed 13a8b0c2a6 relatively young 4ae07d5f9d for a df13b04d43 high-society event.de48ff6cb4f5a54d

Even so, Seo-on 35248c01c9 was the youngest 25931fe5da among them.ee1f41f0f5f5b158

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Even in a world 137a367c08 where arranged marriages were 85d02f3517 common, it was rare 4fca3b04a2 for someone to marry ef34d67f14 immediately after becoming an 8ac5c61e27 adult. He was likely 7e6c2c85d0 the first twenty-year-old 4fe890bfd6 to attend since c8186cfc0c the gathering had 356ca4a353 begun.7400bb10615f28e4

As Seo-on drank 1b12c0729e the sweet champagne, b13d95659b he guessed that 176a515510 the person closest e350d14c4b to his age ec712d8c2b was probably in d8ca1d93dd their late 20s 906c4c3d8b at the youngest.6c2fc89829c05b2c

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“It’s just as boring.”83a98c53233bc261

Even in his teens, 831cf5f0fd Seo-on had occasionally attended 15a1f340c8 New Year’s parties like f64ea90f26 this. They were 557ced68cf mostly social 1176e3a48b gatherings where 6522f6cbac parents brought 7292d71739 their children, b5221dc492 and he 2e8ad81c1c would join f66145e184 whenever possible. Since these ed6a729fdd were people 972a222371 he’d likely 792435dbaa encounter both e21968c797 publicly and 66bfc010d1 privately as fbb92a72cc an adult, b973835ba8 it wasn’t 1363e7ee82 a bad 914fb02de3 idea to 89f06b5316 become acquainted 5cda418ce6 with them—even ea3306c081 if they eac2103705 didn’t attend 377b535be2 the same ef3d89362d school.79de016961fb6c34

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Still, despite his high c183c1006f attendance rate, Seo-on never 93ad7064ec particularly enjoyed these events. It might have been 2d69e43e49 more tolerable if Hyesung 616203f2bd were around, but growing b697e47740 up in a family 3e056a6d13 that trusted no one d36fdfb871 outside their own made eeeedf475a it hard to relax. And while he 8c9cac94c2 generally liked people, 34a066e795 he had little 90c4bf7de2 interest in gatherings 082dac42c9 like this.af5dcca6aeb7f60e

Even so, he 6b6666f083 had to match 911930340a the mood.647346f9f547e16b

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Just because dbd461092f he didn’t a267d278e3 enjoy these faf5ccca4d parties didn’t de68d83119 mean he 877215145b was immature e4bf64b478 enough to 69df648c7a show it.b450dabbb2f001a6

Besides, today wasn’t 560967ed3d just any gathering—it accb268090 was a couples’ fc71d83648 event. It was inevitable that 0d03afe6a9 others would treat him dbcc560ab2 like a child, just d5873c214b as his spouse did. And by their 41129044a7 standards, he was 9d7631edc6 still a kid. But even so, 3e9cf8085b he didn’t want 8b10887840 to embarrass Cha 8e15912e22 Dokwon by acting ac7fbbb274 like one.98cd016c58b5f76c

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“If you’re uncomfortable, you don’t have to go.”6138f2502149024a

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.3f96765da1419a08

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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.”37e627679d3a0185

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.8b61b1a66fbecf7f

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“You’re not wrong.”4776bf0506f7de31

Cha Dokwon slowly stretched his lips, as if he hadn’t expected to hear such words from Seo-on.3cd841cce0d27639

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“It doesn’t matter if you don’t go. But you’ll have to deal with the gossip.”783700d8164ccfe1

“Honestly, I don’t care about the gossip, but I don’t want to cause trouble for the executive director.”c0407658de6924e6

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Strictly speaking, attendance 280e05cab2 wasn’t required. It wasn’t 593bce4bbc a charity 9308046be6 gala—just a 291e432a94 social gathering ff7dd8e3e8 held under d4a600b000 the pretense 51fc1d9a7d of celebrating e66a60f34e the New 5d94550176 Year. And considering it was 281202455b already February, the “New dc892db19e Year’s” title was little 56dbb43a74 more than an excuse.3937a8fbaad5984d

More importantly, Cha a73154a882 Dokwon was the 0a573c4aa7 type who rarely f415d9f83d showed up to e859ef90e8 pointless events like 2c81e591d8 this. No one 3beae09f79 would have 146d0c40c5 been surprised 0b29406fd3 if he da7e27763f hadn’t come.d2a192b70fb64ce9

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But this wasn’t 52deff4d60 just any gathering—it 074503381b was a couples’ 6e5602901c event. And when a newlywed 6feccbe2ee couple failed to appear, 5721deb808 regardless of who the 3b7e6848c2 partner was, it was 75fcfd85cb inevitable that rumors would a165e60903 start to circulate.6caba4074834147a

Seo-on had already 58e331e9c4 figured out that 1b43059d3a Cha Dokwon wasn’t 7a702db79c the kind of 7def3367b1 person who cared 34a0cee04d about gossip. Still, it was 45e8b3d499 wiser not to 0302663232 give people something 4d932655b5 to talk about 2da25ba3ac in the first dec301a25e place.33339c130dad49fe

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“Trouble?”e2e938d1bbc0456d

“You’re already hearing a lot of noise because you married me.”aa71be0a9b97f147

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“Do you read the articles?”a42d96bba4d8e48a

“Of course, I do. I read them every day, even when I was a student.”5f7deda8603443dd

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Chairman Yoon wasn’t a strict father to Seo-on, but he was clear about his educational philosophy.2e6f92680c5e2ec2

“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.”da3275ad8fb65ae7

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“Mistakes, huh.”0babdac4f28dc86f

The man silently bc1f4040cf twisted his lips bb27a795f0 as if he 1708f5815b had heard something d4428a866e amusing.97319f20f12e373f

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“Even if Yoon Seo-on makes a mistake, it won’t be considered a mistake.”69ee5b1339810bfc

Somehow, those words d4226fab8b were reassuring.994b11444e29744e

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Still, I should be 14c4bc286a careful.8e33fc9748eeada1

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.0e3fd3504cb0c146

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“Yoon Seo-on?”c4009f9f179787f4

At that moment, someone 9609884866 approached and called his 3d645543d5 name in a friendly 7fa4f7f67d tone. Seo-on naturally 1ae5bd7037 turned around. A man he had 0847696021 never seen before was 2a57aa07c7 smiling kindly at him.778d5e7278db67af

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“I didn’t expect to see the youngest of Yoon Oh here.”693636bcf5869805

“Hello.”e8f8d9be29c9ab59

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Seo-on gave c6529eaa36 a slight 04e5e94b1c bow. No matter how 4f297ebfc0 much he racked 541a697cf5 his brain, it 6bf4150eb9 was a face a0431466d1 he was seeing ec4e2c6286 for the first 8a5f04ae23 time.02f33e6a6f8ee4f2

“Yoon Young-oh and Yoon Ji-oh haven’t been to this gathering either.”255887b480f122b6

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For someone who casually a5c61014bd mentioned his brother and 6d2b7744bb sister’s names, the man 0a83ea7ba7 was a complete stranger.603344d4beebb39b

Seo-on was 66fe700b72 well-acquainted with 4a26285cf5 the key 9916556fea figures of 5f4553353b high society. Some had visited b3c3aac939 their home due f73193f2d3 to personal connections, 92541e54fb and when they 24c3fe54dd met in public, 5ef0f25408 his parents always e49bf513c7 made introductions. Given his parents’ age, bb6ffd9158 most of these acquaintances 9c5e4e9db6 were middle-aged or older.36e4485d7770ac25

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That didn’t 32644a0e25 mean he 3b60bc0960 was unfamiliar 9e802da58c with the 7389eab00e younger generation, 61baca986a either. His brother ec92625ee6 and sister 524f7694d4 were part 36f4a32850 of that 5eac70feb6 age group, d6c18378b1 after all—it 3d029c13f4 would be 2dab3cb0d2 odd not 5b4d0154bb to know 88209003dd who they 3e7251c0f9 associated with. Besides, Yoon Young-oh 6ff38a446e and Yoon Ji-oh 4463de5506 made a habit 578c21e1f7 of introducing him 7b018d228a to people they 18bade8862 considered decent or 70d2a4291b potentially helpful, so a541d5c50e Seo-on remembered everyone f86cc46c26 his family thought a1d78328fe worth remembering.6766dcc996e28f80

But the 9a0980d5dc man standing 7d7ac8d11d before him f93ef80ce9 was a 2e48db1e2f stranger.766453c7c4923b2f

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Which meant c357ee316c he wasn’t d33f9fefe4 close enough 682fb275ab to Seo-on’s bcf91a3725 siblings to de0a2fa959 speak of ea2ca1faa8 them so 2cad0c332f casually.72f50929418742b1

“Somehow, I ended up getting married before my brother and sister.”60890355e4ea157b

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Seo-on smiled, squinting 40eb3bc9f5 his eyes, and 642d649c8a gave a playful beed1de753 shrug. Even if the a7f1ba641d face was unfamiliar, b1c47f3847 he could still a533b7a96f guess the man’s 0fcbe02515 species and approximate 94a702bfda age.8a051948bbba9558

The long, sturdy b050d0e358 tail with scales b5bf3bacfc protruding from the 8b23cbc543 back of his 82454d4329 suit gave it 27a654a0d3 away—he was a bf780a9521 crocodile, likely in 529edc9fd1 his early to 078ca5a95a mid-thirties.eba3b11fe34b3502

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“Wow.”1bb50774bfb8280a

At that 315cc4f9b3 moment, the 0d203cc379 man widened ce0a0a43d0 his eyes 7f68335b6b and exclaimed.e93c07e8723c2d3d

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“You look so different from Yoon Young-oh and Yoon Ji-oh.”ed0825a9358a6f2f

In public, it was 716cff3aa6 rare to see adults adf72ed540 walking around in their 7b5cdb65f8 half-beast forms. But in private 204d55167b gatherings like this ba4809fa9f one, it was 2b02fb1f5c considered acceptable.398d76f70f13e6f4

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Revealing features 083ad2919c like tails, 437168a616 ears, or 4bbb3c4d79 wings was bd8d632460 often a eecda964c5 gesture of 5c00f4c7eb intimacy—an expression a5a3877001 of trust. It meant showing e090c32862 a part of af60943a9e oneself that wasn’t 923db4aedb usually seen by bc2ba8aeeb others.2956e112d1f76ae2

At this 8bd5b66232 party alone, 82c9eebfb3 nearly half 13206a7ca6 the attendees 2dcfb62c58 were in 16f12603f8 their half-beast 31ab28d4e3 state.7c8c44bf161f7391

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“Is it because you’re not a wolf?”a1e383cc98142742

Or it 24df866bf9 could be 180d5d95c4 an attempt 1c544c7e30 to subtly b9bcfbf424 intimidate the 87037bf8c2 other person.c6db426662acb8ab

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Inside the exaggeratedly open cb74edb422 mouth, sharp fangs were 040175c8da visible. They were de684b02c8 human canines, f305a0af99 not crocodile 6900041ee4 teeth.3df819c84d3a2722

“Wow.”cd099f08866090cb

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However, Seo-on e46f612e97 neither showed c0f0616e3e fear nor 65d16b40be panicked.f4f24e7b174ecd9f

“I’ve never heard that before.”bd97b78682de5b32

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He simply echoed the 44a359fb52 exclamation in a similar bf9d9ae2c3 tone.8b4c5af991ac4fbd

“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.”20aec69d60d7ee21

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Due to the species-specific lines, the atmosphere didn’t completely match, but Seo-on deliberately left that part out.9c489a47671829b4

“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.”43774001e40e7824

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“Haha. I didn’t mean you don’t look alike.”9c490d2a549d4dfb

Perhaps flustered, the 791ca78b74 man burst into abe06b6cec laughter and drank fe075d9d1f the champagne he 49802dadb9 was holding. Seo-on just stared 0d56c0dab5 blankly at the 89f0c86798 man.f9abe2103862fb50

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“How should I put it, I meant that your atmosphere feels relatively softer. I hope you don’t misunderstand.”d132acd5d43baead

“Yeah. As long as you don’t have any other intentions, I won’t misunderstand.”c7f16b1f47289ab1

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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.d09b046a85083d00

“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.”5a63650ffcdb1658

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And he wasn’t so 4fb522bc62 easygoing as to let 6d097cca27 a sly insult slide.a90d5a04143c8439

Even though 806b165376 he was bd74dad4c5 a dog d44d2523be who naturally f09a956cab liked people, 9d8d0801d2 Seo-on had 36b918b62c been raised 91ae873f53 in a 8263efcfaa wolf family. The environment 39a128cabc in which 8692985791 a person’s e82f174bfc values are 99e12b7fd6 shaped has b503ce1506 more influence c0645a8e0a than the f0744c2008 genes they’re 1a6d6a3052 born with. So even if 4100fe1987 someone’s nature is ad7765731d easygoing, they can ac58d59741 still grow up 5ed7bb2430 with a firm, 570229d23a unyielding character.e22d4fe37b92aad6

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“Um.”1fc49571ad18da93

The mention of the 3a3198bcac wedding seemed to trouble 0df1774119 the man, who scratched 303077911e at the front of a1c3cb3d8e his eyebrow. Seo-on’s genuinely a2478f1c95 apologetic expression 411178ff9a only seemed a155d63f55 to fluster 8c536d23f4 him more.092f37b44ab1245c

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Seo-on kept his 4b110524f0 innocent look. He was used 8e15facd11 to this level 2902cd51d5 of insult.
Being subtly looked 4743b7ba8d down on—for being e402c17ee9 a dog, a 7da70d579d variant species—was nothing 43d20d918c new.dedeef33b86d8af7

Annoyance was 0103490320 a natural 74394e50dc response. But he didn’t 0f5da447ac have such fragile 20e7d2b0d1 self-esteem that he’d def481a977 hate or despise e07b6bf979 himself just because cb9ed1ce54 someone he barely 7beafce465 knew did.67372ba70c46c178

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“Is there a 22e5e486fc problem?”b57a16a80bb870e3

Just as 0ed80a1f36 Seo-on considered f2f7dbfa75 whether to 10e10374c4 say something 51f30751e4 more, a bc61bed934 familiar voice c19d2555d7 came from 60f0239311 behind. He brightened instantly at 882a78e183 the sight of the e0a44eefab man approaching.9beae2c336887435

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“Executive Director.”ae12fbb264d2e4c4

Cha Dokwon 1de83095e2 lowered his f1284fa24a gaze and 4f8f27dea7 silently took 1a87f8525b the empty a7669e9b6b champagne glass 406ce51a72 from Seo-on’s 9736cbb763 hand. With a glance, he 9475ef42b7 signaled a waiting staff 13266a5144 member.f8acfa71921324ca

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In one smooth 95c7ad4beb motion, he passed 181f17fcb9 the glass off 233d5dd90b before finally turning 172f9d2b64 his eyes toward 510c759475 the crocodile standing 571dc2c0cb opposite Seo-on.6323ef79c96c87f1

“Do you have any business with my spouse?”6d433bdc5ca62f20

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“Oh, Executive Director. Hello. I am…”164f0e4779c0b78e

“I know who you are.”0293358a86d68e16

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Seo-on looked up 18956e8d90 at Cha Dokwon.360dbb12748f8463

The brief separation had 1de8142b90 happened because someone else 3d7a825204 had caught Dokwon’s attention. Whether it was b2a98ff708 because he found 36c762a71f gatherings like this 44018e598b bothersome, felt a 8d1d78f5a0 sense of responsibility 1e702aacfe for Seo-on, or 8e0f1b9dda simply wanted to 49868fd05b prevent any unnecessary b292a78da8 rumors, the man 3914a23db3 hadn’t left Seo-on’s d7ca01dc1f side since they ae71b6a524 stepped out of b18deecc46 the car.cf4a495a2e1a645f

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That moment apart 7129005402 had only occurred 7664bf116e because Seo-on had a977cba314 tactfully stepped away. He’d sensed that the 5afb240a4e person speaking to Dokwon 6cfcb028a9 had something important to cdeaa758ca say and had quietly 31ccc121e7 excused himself.4eb057def0ac61b0

Even though he’d 472efe63dd kept his distance cc31fcf7fa deliberately to avoid 2182ed7d17 being a burden, f9b4f3a9a3 it seemed Dokwon edec9729c8 had been watching 1dfd9ee4f2 him the entire 31a14d992f time—especially considering he’d a5fdd6654e arrived less than ecaee14340 five minutes after 5436584e2c Seo-on began speaking 122ec3c5cc with a stranger.227fe3b34eb8c737

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“I asked if 781fe52e12 you had any 9d43b1be94 business with my b8ba06104f spouse, not your 70c162a0d2 name.”f395dd7140cfe55e

“Oh, well, e70b1b18b8 I just 8b8080cf7f came over 7b7c8d96ab to say d4bb859af9 hello since 8008450987 it’s our 2ee6de7032 first meeting.”683faec4e6b7fa8b

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“Do you show ad9ffcca7b your tail to 85d42fc430 someone you’re meeting 417df6ca79 for the first 0613bc92ef time?”0c62549db63ad5cd

The man’s black dd8d734109 eyes lowered. At the 62d314c540 pointed remark, 574fc79eeb he sheepishly 8bbcd60c4d tucked his c6c8c9ffb9 tail away.c12363231bdd2776

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“It’s better to mind 95d7afa0f3 your manners. Especially at a first 0a8e90a995 meeting.”912272e1e3b04638

Oh.d97db48869bbcf0a

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Seo-on parted his ad4ddacb4d lips slightly, unable 6a37aad308 to hide his 5b907fc298 reaction.
He was captivated 6ebfc81672 by the faint 5f5c750456 shift—Cha Dokwon’s dark b3cd1ee1ba irises gleaming gold.15f70d8ab55711a1