WCK | Chapter 2.5

It was the moment when his blurred vision locked onto the man’s eyes.269b5e5aed8d913f

“Yip!”1e2f8ba3ba28b45d

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Like a 6364041f68 puppy startled 3d2a0b9a76 awake by 8825d0b773 a touch, d8b183f407 Seo-on whimpered 65a9766867 and opened b59ae8157e his eyes. His heart pounded b3bd7ab8f5 wildly, and his 234363b277 breath came in 67da1b3d2c ragged gasps.7ce3a7c4b1295c6f

What was that?e18c31b757e23c52

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Seo-on, turning 50ed6356be his head af00eb91b0 diligently as 87d2b78dac if on 290f12bb4f guard, finally 2cfab03806 realized he ed0f29b54d had been 0db63cb83e dreaming. He must have 0ac197b7b6 kicked his legs b95107bb7a in his sleep, faec3bedc9 as the blanket 75626d049a was all tangled.32dc40105905a808

“…It wasn’t just running around; I think I dreamed about Executive Director Cha.”0f9ed8f582e9cebe

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Seo-on, first raising 75c34eb793 his body, firmly 65e558be2c planted his front 8f2a9cca6c paws and stretched dd7ccbf886 his rear end ecbc535321 backward. Then he 334c04f67b stretched his 4d95aacab8 hind legs c617493bc3 one by 1cbfcf12f8 one, as 74e8e60244 if doing 6b787fbc82 a full-body 8f7ea92385 stretch. He put so 3581265a5e much effort into 5402cdc754 it that the 6f838bf3b1 jelly pads on 70de89b39a his hind paws bea11914a4 twitched along with 742fb23292 the movement.611031e513193aee

What kind 4fe0856202 of dream 4db9aa2c92 was it?2f83ae6f7a0a2697

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The only memory bea727e6a8 left was the 8e56d4ba13 moment his gaze f139179d85 intertwined with black 7d0bd1c615 eyes tinged with 6f85fac62d yellow.5c8cff78e1c99f76

Why did Executive Director Cha suddenly appear in my dream…? Seo-on wondered, scratching around his eyes with his front paw. His muzzle was longer than other puppies, so wrinkles formed near his cheeks whenever he rubbed his eyes.a54de7ae7791c08c

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If only I knew why I suddenly turned into a puppy, it wouldn’t be so frustrating, but not even having a clue made him uneasy. And not remembering the dream only added to his frustration.f8f4efdfde1c432a

But sitting here won’t solve anything.27ab68d62c41bc28

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Seo-on slipped 8e1a9b9a10 out of f124c2d4c0 the room 0c5978d34f through the 71b5a85c48 familiar gap ebdc5ce66c in the 34997f7ba6 door. Except for df3ddad6f3 the brief 932decf3bb dream, he 06c9b9efa7 had slept d59b4117bf soundly, likely 0a844beb94 due to 04011f5e20 running around 32fbec5cd6 the snowy fe2524f577 yard yesterday.0e3480614a88b2b6

Is Executive e27d37f099 Director Cha 26996cfb21 in the 000c8609c6 study?36064fd8cb31eda8

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Seo-on padded towards the study. Thanks to Cha Dokwon showing him around the house when they first moved in, he knew the layout even though he hadn’t been there since.fa1125e96690850a

“If Executive Director Cha had gone to work yesterday, I could have played to my heart’s content.”546df0efb0bb99f6

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His eyes, looking at the snow piled beyond the living room’s large window, dripped with regret.8bc33dac3d72e4bb

The plan to play excitedly in the snow ended abruptly with yesterday’s branch incident.df70f23e063a696a

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It wasn’t a thorny tree, nor did it have any allergenic components, and chewing on a branch wouldn’t cause mouth injuries. But the man’s thoughts seemed different.4fa6e84e101e7419

“Play inside. Until everything messy in the yard is cleaned up.”23c3211239273705

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“Heeyooong…”03003aa1e4ea5eac

“We should clean up the persimmons too.”4d5fb46b89b7c5db

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It was right after 99e7637e8b Seo-on had been carried 4c2faf3491 into the bathroom and cfa1e5e9dd washed with lots of 3fde20bdba bubbles. He protested softly at 24845aa41b being told to play d6b8499413 inside, but his small 0babec8d60 whimper was drowned out df1f6acb38 by the sound of 6090264946 the hairdryer.2a7717942671e871

Even Seo-on, 91c84668bb who had 788fb984a7 been muttering 451725aeb3 about wanting 3324684a35 to play 78447c773f outside, gradually fd1fc3f19a quieted down 66ba19b7fa as his 9b9497ebf3 body was 61d4257995 warmed and 35e5019104 dried. Playing in the efd6965269 cold snow, then 5552ee2b88 being washed with d6963f21fd warm water and 67f237f806 dried with a 7d548301ed soft breeze, made 5b3b7a6e5f him feel drowsy. The hands drying his c584a4f315 fur were surprisingly gentle, 33c3ac6d2b adding to the drowsiness.42667360e31eb86a

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“When did the persimmon get on me?”ee97b8a9933a3f15

He thought about looking over his shoulder to check, but he wasn’t a flexible cat, and he knew he wouldn’t see anything. Seo-on guessed that the area where the man’s hands focused was where the persimmon had stained and chose to sit quietly.79f8a4bdb9b8df18

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The newlywed home had a very large yard. He hadn’t seen the man’s true form, so he didn’t know how it felt for Cha Dokwon, but it was big enough for Seo-on, a large breed, to run around freely.5882c95c1ad433fa

Various trees were planted around the high walls, and it seemed there was a persimmon tree among them. Unpicked persimmons would fall to the ground and become soft like ripe persimmons over time, so it wasn’t surprising that a squashed persimmon had stained his fur.8204520d48340e67

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“That smell must have been the persimmon.”c01d855271f15612

Rubbing against a scent was instinctual, but he wasn’t a real puppy and wouldn’t rub against a foul smell. The sweet scent had made him roll over and rub his back, and there must have been a persimmon under the snow. Judging by the orange stain on his white fur.6fa16f44a12028c6

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Playing on a14e258624 the grass c48a45c157 often stained f90b17babf his fur a6a665cc0f green, so 9928ff612a an orange c7a66872b2 stain was 6eec32b2ef nothing.6e2c0e091efebb9b

The problem was the branch, not the persimmon. It was hard and big, making it satisfying to chew, but it was taken away so easily. And it wasn’t just taken away; he had to watch his precious branch being thrown far away. On top of that, he was told to play inside.f663eef09ef09d23

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“I didn’t swallow it; I just chewed and spat it out…”a8344aeac7ff4892

Judging by how he 27565f321e not only took the fa8141c8dd branch but also checked ec636e4fd4 his mouth, it seemed 2234fd9c33 he thought Seo-on had 9c33cfdee9 eaten the bark. Even real 3f631304e3 puppies could 837384e2d3 easily distinguish 83ef3a047a between what 0cd95bf8b3 to eat 2585bf6386 and what 7b8e61c21b not to 349d2135a0 eat, but d8e9119a21 it seemed eea5cad386 Cha Dokwon 1b2e69b5e2 had no 3ca67a8dd5 knowledge of a66a7ab9a5 puppies.700826e0e7fd1503

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Well, Executive Director f7300b2b0b Cha is from ada9f24427 the cat family, 221491d2be so he might 685fe2aaea not know.c93dc0984ad6b3af

With soft, padding footsteps, Seo-on headed to the study and cautiously stopped. He couldn’t perk his ears, but he could tilt them back slightly, so he gently pushed his large ears back to listen for faint sounds.b7a237c39ac51d56

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The man, who should fae8ee7dbe have gone to work, 82cb7020af was handling business in 0087d93a41 the study solely because 3dfcc33edc of Seo-on.1696507fbd95f83a

“Should I take him to work with me? I’m worried about leaving him alone. He might pick up something like that.”3286da77873f3a7b

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The man’s gesture pointed towards the yard. The snow continued to fall, and it seemed it wouldn’t melt until tomorrow, but only time would tell. Seo-on, quietly watching the snow-covered yard, turned his head back to Dokwon. He wanted to watch the snow from inside, even if he couldn’t play outside.be4d0565782fbf3e

“If you don’t want to, I’ll work here.”0d62c925e1d075e0

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At those words, ddf45e4bf4 the tip of 4a6021113e his tail danced.8c9d5687b978e07e

“Just looking at your tail, I can tell.”e9402c8a0838429f

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The man chuckled 47d2adbcf9 as he contacted 2627fd64a2 someone, which Seo-on ffe12c102c had watched just fd7b5c297f yesterday.a89ec878ad4aee14

Anyway, since he’s working from home because of me, I shouldn’t disturb him. Remembering yesterday, Seo-on tried to minimize his footsteps. He didn’t intend to enter the study. He just wanted to check what Cha Dokwon was doing.603cb1a39cc6b060

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“That might be cleaner.”5288092d82d8025a

Seo-on quietly 7b4acc514e stood against 0d7f188ac9 the wall.acc701353c292177

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If he hadn’t met the man’s gaze when he slowly turned his head, he might have thought he was well-hidden.6eecac5f79b11e26

“…No.”cdd2423bbf1d196c

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Cha Dokwon, 6beaf435f6 unusually, responded 8916b9bc16 a beat 3c3ce237d8 late. It was because two 43e6cdad5f small, bean-like eyes caught 2927e08f03 his attention at the f8466c106a door. The eyes, 4a8437e79a shiny like 52bc22a739 glass marbles e015e84f67 with autumn f0e89ef2a8 hues, were b4f322aebf looking at 956d40b5f7 him, along ece4457e92 with a d5602bdd1a larger black 77d6c68d4f nose. Half-visible droopy ears and 0dbb87268e a muzzle were a 42289fee58 bonus.094ea96e5e1ce98c

“Let’s end the call here.”bdf9a12b6af4eaf9

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He wrapped up 4fbf813ff2 the call appropriately. Then he turned, fe336ef507 as if calling c4dd44bf94 a puppy, to 53dffa80b6 the dog cautiously 1c970a7e05 watching him.f2f4a88d8ac7fbdb

“Come here.”6e858b3e760e2759

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Whether he intended 7850e3c327 to just watch 562eca3dd4 or came to 438af51061 ask for playtime, 73f132cf62 the intention was f64d0693ec unclear, but at 2fe9827c9d the call, the 558974a481 puppy wagged its aa6223fdd0 tail vigorously and cc90171f8d ran over.f4771861ddda3fda

“Woof!”6849022e98df351c

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The ears, 71c699c61f golden and a66d3c3520 well-cooked, folded ca6218a14d back, creating 092c41436a a seal-like 405aa0ce07 face, showing b368ce0316 how happy 80046db07c he was.7fe018c845cfd8e3

The man, pondering what to do, eventually picked up Seo-on out of habit. Since he couldn’t let him play outside alone, it was only right to spend time with him.4d8f7aaf44b467b7

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The warm b0d74686f8 sunlight streaming ace1080754 through the f51dc8e97c window made 74c35b6460 the puppy 08ba340b14 lying beneath 6f739cc48b it look ac63e1cd20 even whiter. The light was so 56c622beb4 strong that the cream e9a0317f21 color faintly absorbed into a02e6ae02e the fur was completely 6e41667106 bleached, leaving no trace. The densely arranged 881be28612 eyelashes were the 5ea0bfbc99 same.cdb97ef44bfffc84

How much time had passed? Seo-on, curled up like a donut, slowly opened his eyes. He didn’t forget to yawn widely. The sunlight pouring over him and the warmth felt under his paws made him feel good.7854366e297223e6

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But why is 560c4c2a0f the ground so f6e4098fa0 soft?0ca88712df36b8ea

Still not fully awake, e8157e1bdf he blinked and looked 6a34f2f956 down, realizing why the ed335a1fd6 ground felt soft.fd724c4160ccedb8

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Seo-on clamped his muzzle shut to avoid making a surprised sound. What he was lying on wasn’t a hard floor but a large, black beast. Before he could raise his hackles in caution, the identity of the beast was already imprinted in his mind. It was Cha Dokwon.da9b499e5a1ee148

“I definitely fell asleep on the floor…”0986bd296d3da247

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Seo-on tried to calm his racing heart, holding his breath as much as possible. He wanted to take a closer look at the man’s true form, but unlike him, it was enormous, and he was lying on his back, making it difficult to peek.2d9d744f205186bf

“If he was going to wake up, he would have done so as soon as I woke up, right?”2f96088edbf90d26

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Seo-on, still lying down, relaxed as much as possible. As he let his head droop, his true form slid off the man’s back.9b3fc985d1508df4

As soon as he moved away from the sunlit spot, his bleached fur returned to its original color. But because Cha Dokwon’s true form was so large and black, Seo-on looked like a drop of milk sliding down a dark ridge.700751a8f0671f39

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Once on the floor, Seo-on carefully stood up. He was so focused on not waking the man that his steps felt as slow as a turtle’s, but having learned to walk quietly from his parents and siblings, he moved silently.16df2fc999125d0e

“Wow.”2454f8bfab04a7b3

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After walking for a while, he saw the man’s face. He didn’t know how he had been placed there, but he was lying flat on his stomach, with his belly completely against the floor.15d74a23491da8c2

Seo-on, trying to calm his tail, which was busy wagging instead of tucking under in front of a predator, lay down in front of the man’s face in the same position. The only difference was that his hind legs were stretched out like a frog’s, in a comfortable posture.ba80cf305762adf8

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Why did 45ebfcabee he transform 256974ed4d into his 48761e614f true form?33dfb0b468feae06

The last scene Seo-on 3fd1a73b7e remembered was playing with af256872a5 a toy the man c7781c5805 had thrown, then dozing 51a7d6cef4 off as fatigue set 6698a11655 in. There was no reason 2710d369a3 for Cha Dokwon to 9872dab10f transform into his true b45edfacc3 form.e073eb6bdaf7ea01

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Does he think 046665cbb5 I was hurt a1061bdeb6 by that incident?13cffbb572c5eb00

The reason for suddenly turning into a puppy was still a mystery. Since he didn’t know the cause, the man couldn’t possibly know either, so he might have assumed Seo-on was stressed by the non-argument at the social gathering.4453e09ae5d9952e

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“I’m not really stressed, though…”89e20d76598d218b

If stress caused him 47d380bc09 to revert to his a9fc717b52 true form, this kind a8fad8499e of therapy could help. Although they were different 6412afbd62 species, being with someone 0af5f05905 in their true form 09e24291bb could calm the mind e825c41c2b and relieve stress.218566eaa1d93a3e

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As a result, there were many therapists in modern society. It’s rare for modern people to revert to their true form against their will because they go for therapy when excessive stress accumulates.5b6448a2c075f8a4

Seo-on had also experienced something similar to therapy. He hadn’t sought a professional therapist. His parents or siblings would transform into their true forms and stay with him.c6420a964069d3de

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Of course, even though they were both mammals, a jaguar, unlike a dog, was a complete carnivore, so being with its true form could increase stress rather than relieve it. However, having grown up with wolves, Seo-on wasn’t afraid of Cha Dokwon’s true form. He wasn’t scared of the large true form; he was comfortable lying there simply because he enjoyed the moment.394a62765f9e5266