No Dogs Allowed

Your S(e)oul Like A Match

(*party poppers* this story has made it to the wattys 2023 shortlist for ongoing stories!! yayy :) thank u all so very much for your support on this very chaotic story, it means the world that you have followed along this far :) the little star is so very grateful, as am i, to see you here!)

[WARNING: READER DISCRETION ADVISED:

This chapter contains sexual content as well as discussion of eating disorders and weight/body image that some readers may find uncomfortable. If so, please refrain from reading further. Thank you.]

A week passed before I made the mistake.

For both our sakes, I'll tell you about the week first.

Nami stopped going into what was supposed to be my room by Sunday.

"Ahem."

I cracked open an eye. Nami glared down at me. I looked down at my bare torso. I yawned, "It's not like that."

She said, "You should tell me what it is like, then."

I pulled the covers over me. "We're not that close yet, Nami."

"Ahem. The Wang family is to attend the Neugdae Market in the town. As a guest, you will go with."

I said, "I thought eating dogs was a stereotype."

"It is a shopping market for the lycan community," she snapped. "Please get up. And put on a shirt."

"This sounds like a long to-do list for such an early hour."

"It's eleven."

"I'm on LA time, Nami."

"I am not. Please get up now. I will call Mister Wang."

"Trust me, once you've lived with that kid, you learn to filter out most of that nagging anyway."

A hand grabbed my ear and pulled my head up from the pillow. Kane raised a brow down at me. "Ya," he snapped. "What are you going on about?"

I swatted at his hand. "This was a set-up."

Kane let go of me and I rubbed at my ear. "Get up. We leave in fifteen."

"What? To where? What's with all these crunched time frames?"

"I told you to get up an hour ago," Kane said, pitiless. He turned on his heel as he fixed the last two of his buttons on his shirt. "You sleep like a gumiho in hibernation. Get up."

Nami gave me a smug look. "Now."

I sighed, and got up.

The Neugdae Market of outskirt Busan was a market dedicated to small lycan shop-owners and their respective patrons. A section of it was dedicated primarily to food—mostly meat—while the rest of it was occupied by trinkets, clothes, and practical tools.

We readily avoided the food section and headed for the materials instead. Sunhee and Nami accompanied us, Nami with much reluctance as she stared at the markets' booths with mild disdain. Sunhee and Kane had enough enthusiasm for her, though.

"Echo, Echo." She held up a pair of blue and green incense sticks. "What do you think?"

I said, "Can you smoke them?"

Kane hit me on the back of the head. "Decorum," he said. "Noona, you already have two boxes of those you haven't gone through. Do you need more?"