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"This is horrifying."
It was a normal day in the Yoo Joonghyuk-Kim Dokja Industrial Complex, and a relatively peaceful one at that. Han Sooyoung swirls a lemon-flavored lolly in her mouth as she narrows her eyes at the sight before her: Yoo Joonghyuk, arms crossed and head swivelled to the side in shame, with dog ears. And a tail. A very fluffy one, at that.
Han Sooyoung sighs and takes out her candy from her mouth. "What the fuck," she places a hand on her temple, massaging her headache with her fingers, "did you do?"
Yoo Joonghyuk's face remains impassive, and his dog ears don't make a move to droop at Han Sooyoung's demeaning tone.
"Scenario penalty," Yoo Joonghyuk answers plainly. He doesn't elaborate on what kind of scenario or when he did it exactly, because this bastard has always had a penchant on trying to find a hundred hidden scenarios all by himself to clear even in the company's rare moment of peace.
"Um…" Next to Han Sooyoung, Yoo Sangah looks confused, slightly perturbed at the sight before her. "How long will the scenario penalty last, Yoo Joonghyuk-ssi?"
Yoo Joonghyuk, for some reason, doesn't even bother giving an answer to her question. He merely stiffens up and shifts in place slightly, jaw clenched.
"I hope this stays forever," comes a muffled confession from Yoo Mia, who has buried her face into the black fluff of her brother's bushy tail. "It's so fluffy," she says, in awe. "Oppa, why weren't you born as a dog?"
"Because he's already a bitch without the dog ears and tail," Han Sooyoung snickers.
The glare Yoo Joonghyuk sends her is murderous.
"Sooyoung, language! Mia's still here!" Yoo Sangah scolds.
Han Sooyoung gives her a flat look, gesturing towards Yoo Mia with a shrug of her shoulders. Yoo Mia has her face deep in Yoo Joonghyuk's tail, gleefully playing with it as she holds it in place with grabby hands.
"You really think she can hear me?" Han Sooyoung asks plainly.
Yoo Sangah opens her mouth to say something, but halfway through opening her mouth, Yoo Mia makes a noise in the middle of a pleased sigh and an excited squeal. Yoo Sangah's brows pinch together at the sudden noise. It's concerning. The bushy tail is like catnip for children; some kind of legalized drug for kids still learning their ABCs; fucking weed.
"This penalty doesn't do anything," Yoo Joonghyuk says. "It won't slow me down."
In the past hour or so with his newfound dog ears and tail, he had found that, other than the heightened hearing and other canine senses he received, the penalty was harmless. The dog ears and tail never seem to move much, so they're more like accessories—a costume he can't remove—than anything else.
"There's a way to get rid of the penalty, right?" Han Sooyoung asks.
A pause. "...No."
A vein bulges on Han Sooyoung's forehead. She points her lollipop stick at Yoo Joonghyuk accusingly, and lets the star stream do the talking for her.
[The character 'Han Sooyoung' has activated the skill 'Lie Detection'!]
[The character 'Yoo Joonghyuk's' statement has been confirmed as a lie.]
"Fess up," she says.
Yoo Sangah's eyes dart between the two of them warily.
"I've never encountered this penalty in my past regressions," Yoo Joonghyuk scowls. "It'll last for a week if I'm lucky."
"If you're lucky?"
Yoo Joonghyuk's face darkens. He sighs, glaring at the ground. "It'll last for a month if I'm not."
Despite the small and muffled, adorable cheer coming from Yoo Mia behind Yoo Joonghyuk, Han Sooyoung feels another headache coming in.
Han Sooyoung pinches the ridge of her nose. "Does Kim Dokja know about this?"
The silence Yoo Joonghyuk gives her is telling.
"Tell him about it, bastard. He probably knows of some kind of way to end the penalty quickly."
"...No."
"What?"
"I said no. I'll handle this myself."
"Listen, I get that you're adamant on being that lone wolf who hasn't left their emo phase since the eighth grade—"
"Han Sooyoung."
"Hush, anyway— me and Sangah will get Kim Dokja here for you so you two can start finding the cure to your penalty. Or find out about a new beastiality kink that either two of you have, I won't judge."
"Where are you going with this?"
"Point is—" she claps her hands together, and grins. "—you're getting help from that rat bastard whether you like it or not."
Yoo Sangah, who's been nothing but quiet for the past few minutes, shoots Yoo Joonghyuk a curious look.
"Why are you so insistent on not telling Dokja-ssi about this, Yoo Joonghyuk-ssi?" she asks. "The penalty does nothing, right? Aren't your dog ears and tails basically just accessori—"
"Yoo Joonghyuk, there you are!"
Han Sooyoung and Yoo Sangah's eyes widen comically as Yoo Joonghyuk closes his eyes with a grimace. Han Sooyoung looks a second away from bursting into laughter and the corners of Yoo Sangah's lips twitch upwards as they stare at how the bulking figure before them responds to the call of that familiar voice.
"Oh my." Yoo Sangah has to stifle a laugh.
A man in a white coat trudges next to them in seconds. His attention completely zeroes in on Yoo Joonghyuk, dutifully ignoring the two women in front of the regressor.
"I've been looking for you everywhere," Kim Dokja says, exasperated. "Where have you been, bastard?"
A beat of silence passes. Then, two.
"Uh…"
A minute too late, Kim Dokja finally notices the dog ears on Yoo Joonghyuk's head, the black fur giving off a slight sheen under the sun. They look unbelievably real.
"I never knew you were a... furry," Kim Dokja says, after a pause. He offers Yoo Joonghyuk a sympathetic smile, and it's the most repulsive look Yoo Joonghyuk has ever seen on him. Kim Dokja gives his shoulder a small pat. "Don't worry, Yoo Joonghyuk," he says, "I don't kinkshame. I think furries can be very nice people. Matter of fact, I knew some furries myself."
Then, his eyes dart to the large mass of black fur behind Yoo Joonghyuk. He's taken aback for a quick second, at a loss for words once again.
"...Why is your tail wagging?"
Despite the whirlwind of repulsive events that Yoo Joonghyuk has just gone through in the matter of seconds, his tail betrays the scowl on his face. Yoo Mia has let go of the bushy tail, frowning with a small pout as she glares at the suddenly animated tail. The tail wags excitedly, a stark contrast to the stone-cold strain in Yoo Joonghyuk's jaw.
"Sangah," Han Sooyoung breathes. "Please tell me you got that on tape."
Yoo Joonghyuk groans.
=
Tail down, ears in their normal position, nothing moving excitedly, just frozen in place.
"Okay," Han Sooyoung grins. "Enter the room now, Kim Dokja."
Yoo Joonghyuk's dog ears perk up at the mention of Kim Dokja's name. On cue, the man enters the room with a puzzled look on his face. Behind Yoo Joonghyuk, his tail jolts up and uncontrollably wags.
"Yoo Joonghyuk." Han Sooyoung tries her best not to laugh. "You're down horrendous."