Chapter 203:

His hand slipped under Lee-yeon’s t-shirt, riding up her abdomen to cup the breasts covered by her bra. As he squeezed, she jerked and twisted away in surprise.

“What is this now…!”

He shamelessly stared at her, seemingly gauging her reaction. His gaze was strange, as if he were testing the limits of how much she could endure.

“Back off!”

Lee-yeon slapped his shoulder and pushed, but it was as if she were hitting dust, her blows having no impact.

His thumb pressed against the apex of her chest, firmly rubbing until her eyes fluttered open. Then, he slowly pushed her pajama pants down.

“This lunatic!”

Frustrated, Lee-yeon slapped him across the face.

“Ouch.” Kwon Chae-woo exaggerated his reaction, but a grin was tugging at the corners of his lips.

“Lee-yeon, your angry look is really charming.”

“…!”

Seeing her furious glare, he burst into a bright smile. His previously sharp eyes softened unexpectedly, and his lips formed a pleasant curve. Lee-yeon felt like someone who had been yearning for a long time, unable to react.

Kwon Chae-woo kissed her eyelids, a deliberate twist to his intentions. When she turned away in disgust, his expression hardened. But as if nothing had happened, he adorned his face with another convincing smile and fervently whispered,

“Lee-yeon, please keep hating me more each day.”

* * *

“Woof, woof! Woof, woof!”

From somewhere, the sound of dogs barking could be heard, and suddenly, two black dogs appeared out of nowhere.

Lee-yeon, who was walking alongside Gyu-baek, was startled as the dogs approached. They had slightly rounded heads, long snouts, and triangular ears, standing straight up.

“Wow… German Shepherds, I presume?”

Gyu-baek, who was holding Lee-yeon’s hand, exclaimed in admiration. As the dogs barked loudly and bared their teeth, a staff member quickly tightened their leashes to control them.

Lee-yeon, taken aback by their fierce posturing, stepped back a few paces.

“Oh no, don’t worry!”

The staff member sternly and firmly restrained the dogs. Lee-yeon watched as the almond-shaped, deep brown eyes of the dogs slowly calmed down.

The staff member apologized and introduced themselves as someone who trained the family’s guard dogs. At that moment, Gyu-baek suddenly hid behind Lee-yeon and peeked out from behind her, tilting his head.

“Sometimes dogs confuse playing with fighting.”

“Oh, I see. Dogs bark for various reasons, right?”

“They do it when they’re scared or in pain, too.”

“Right, and sometimes to establish dominance.”

The staff member tightened the leash again and mumbled, “Smart little rascals,” with a chuckle.

Listening to their natural conversation, Lee-yeon’s attention was caught by one word.

“…Dominance?”

Lee-yeon scratched her eyelid and looked at the handsome face of the German Shepherd, puzzled.

“Oh, yes. These guys have an instinct to establish dominance over people. Especially when they come up to your face while lying down and nip at your eyes or ears, you must firmly discourage them. There are ways like holding their lower jaw and giving a warning, or using your hand to push them away.”

Suddenly, Lee-yeon’s expression began to look peculiar. As she listened attentively to the staff member’s words with a serious face, the man chuckled as if he had a headache and moved his mouth like a motor.

“If the owner’s rank is lower than that of the dog, they can develop alpha dog syndrome. They become more guarded, sensitive, and aggressive. Their social skills are practically nonexistent, but they overly protect their own territory, barking fiercely and even biting as if they want to kill. Sometimes they can even threaten their owner and become excessively attached, so establishing hierarchy is truly essential.”

“…What’s this? Right now, that training instructor is talking about the German Shepherd, which is famous as a police and military dog in Germany. But why Kwon Chae-woo from last night comes to her mind is a complete mystery.

Whether it was a chance encounter with a resident of the Kwon family, sharing thoughts in front of the elevator, or even receiving advice, the feeling was so unclear.

Moreover, talking about hierarchy and power were always distant from Lee-yeon, who had always pursued a serene life.

“Do you raise dogs?”

“Yes?”

“Whenever I bring up dogs, you listen so well.”

“Oh…”

Last night, due to Kwon Chae-woo, who had playfully turned over Lee-yeon’s clothes and disappeared again, she had a restless night’s sleep. As she was scratching the back of her head in bewilderment, the staff member asked again.

“If you have a similar problem, you must definitely provide obedience training, understand?”

“….”

Lee-yeon couldn’t bring herself to answer and simply tucked her lips inside her mouth.

“—The youngest master?”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

As they entered the office after their walk, a stiff voice greeted her. The atmosphere within the management team was strange. Sensing this early on, Lee-yeon shifted her steps and carefully observed the faces of the caretakers.

They were all geared up, wearing helmets, safety goggles, gloves, and earmuffs, and carrying chainsaws and various tools, fully prepared. What had been on the schedule for today?

But as Lee-yeon quickly recalled the schedule, she tilted her head. She approached a staff member who was filling the coffee pot with water.

“Other than regular management tasks, there was no schedule for today, right?”

“Oh, that’s right…”

The staff member tore open a packet of coffee mix and poured it into a paper cup.

“The youngest master suddenly said he wanted to overturn the garden in the detached building…”

At the embarrassed tone, Lee-yeon’s brow gradually furrowed.

“He asked us to clear all the trees.”