NOVEL WEB Chapter 2: Mellow His Temper
“Is there... Actually a position where I can make meaningful contributions to the association?”
He asked, his voice lacking confidence.
“Of course!”
“Uh... Really...?”
“I want you to work under my brother.”
The mention of ‘my brother’ made Yueul’s mouth drop open, causing his brown fur rise again in frustration and shock.
Kang Wooseok’s brother.
It was clear that he was referring to Kang Wooheon. Just thinking of that name made Yueul want to turn back into his weasel form and flee.
“W-With your brother?”
“Yes. I found out that you went to the same school with him. Though Kang Wooheon is three years older, I was sure that you must know him.”
“...I do.”
The problem was that Yueul knew him too well, to the degree where he grew a sense of great fear towards him.
“The job is simple. Just work under Kang Wooheon and help mellow his temper.”
“M-Mellow his temper? Me?”
“I found out you’ve been working as an unregistered keeper.”
“....”
“And as you may already know, to work as a keeper who fosters social skills in anthropomorphs, you need to be registered.”
“B-But how did you know tha-”
He couldn’t finish his sentence.
“How did I know? An abused anthropomorph who works here as a cleaner told me that he met a keeper before his previous owner bought him. He said that the keeper was very kind and taught him well.”
“....”
“I looked into it and found out that the keeper wasn’t registered, so I did some further digging.”
“...Oh.”
“You worked as a keeper for a company that trades anthropomorphs, right?”
Yueul clenched his fists. It was true he had worked illegally as a keeper. An ex introduced him to the company, and Yueul trained violent anthropomorphs for money before passing them on.
“I... I stopped once I found out they were trafficking anthropomorphs.”
Yueul’s voice trembled with fear of the consequences.
“Yes, I know. And I also know that’s why your ex assaulted you. You’ve had a hard life. Born as a white weasel, abandoned in an alley without a family, and raised by an old man who found you.”
“....”
“After your caretaker passed away, you had no choice but to rely on your ex. You felt grateful and did whatever he asked, especially since he had supported you during your struggles with your sexual orientation when you were 17. But ultimately, he forced you to get illegal loans from unregistered loan sharks, which left you in the mess you are in right now.”
Yueul wondered how much this man knew about him and how he found out such details about his life. Could the KL Group, despite being a large company, really have the capacity to uncover such detailed information about an individual? He seemed to know everything, as if he had been watching Yueul’s life unfold from the very beginning.
“Should I continue?”
Wooseok’s clean smile lingered. Gathering information about Yueul was easy. Many anthropomorphs had been rescued and passed through his hands. Yueul often shared his own life story with them to build a strong rapport with them, and they remembered it.
It was also easy to find out about the financial issues he faced after quitting the illegal keeper job.
“...No, you don’t need to say more.”
Yueul shut his eyes tightly. He couldn’t fathom what the president wanted from him. He took a deep breath and opened his large eyes.
“An unregistered keeper can be fined up to 10 million won. Plus, you were involved in the trafficking of anthropomorphs, so even more severe charges can be filed against you. However, I am willing to overlook all of those.”
“....”
“...As long as you accept my offer and work for Kang Wooheon.”
Yueul’s eyes darted around. There were far more qualified keepers than him. He couldn’t understand why Wooseok would choose someone with no formal training and a history of illegal activity.
“But I....”
“You don’t understand, do you?”
“To be honest... No, I don’t. I know that there are more skilled keepers who are much more qualified for the job that you are offering to me.”
“You have a point, Mr. Yueul. But those other keepers....”
He smiled gently, locking eyes with Yueul.
“Aren’t as desperate as you. So they leave quickly. But you, Mr. Lee, are in urgent need. Your debt keeps growing, you drift from one part-time job to another due to a lack of qualifications, and even those jobs don’t last long or pay low wages because of our society’s discrimination against anthropomorphs.”
“...I’m not sure what you want from me.”
“As I said earlier, I’m asking you to work under Wooheon and help him change his temperament. Help him become a better person. That’s all.”
Yueul’s lips quivered. No matter how desperate he was, he couldn’t bring himself to work under the person he feared the most, Kang Wooheon, a deadly black mamba.