PUPPY 40

The next day, Seowoo and Juwon, who had come out to go to the animal hospital, were startled by each other’s appearance. They looked so overly dressed up that anyone would think they were going on a date. Juwon had to hold back the voice in his heart that wanted to shout, ‘Freaking cute,’ and Seowoo had to make an effort to hide his gaze that wanted to scan Juwon’s entire body.

“That style looks really good on you.”

“You too. The hoodie is cute.”

As they were restraining their inner thoughts and exchanging polite compliments, Seowoo’s sister-in-law, Jihye, approached them. Juwon was the first to bow his head in greeting.

“Hello.”

“Ah, hello.”

“Noona, this is my friend, Juwon.”

“Ah, the person who lives across the street…. Nice to meet you.”

At Seowoo’s introduction, Jihye answered as if she remembered. She had heard that Seowoo was hanging out with a new friend every day, but this was the first time she was actually seeing him. It was because Jihye’s work commute, due to her shift schedule, and the two’s school commute times had somehow never aligned.

“Please speak comfortably with me. Noona.”

She had heard from the grandmother and grandfather that Seowoo’s friend was tall and handsome, but a being this handsome was beyond her expectations, so Jihye couldn’t hide her surprised expression.

“Where are you two going?”

“We’re going to the animal hospital.”

“Dressed like that…? Should I give you a ride?”

Jihye asked, looking at the two who had not only dressed up but also styled their hair with effort.

“No, it’s okay. You must be tired, noona. We decided to take a taxi.”

Seowoo quickly waved his hands, declining the offer.

“Are you really okay?”

“Yes, we’re fine.”

“We’ll be back.”

“We’ll be on our way.”

Juwon bowed his head deeply again in farewell and then turned around with Seowoo. Jihye stood in her spot and watched the two of them walk away together.

Seowoo used to be hospitalized for several days at a big hospital whenever he caught even a simple cold. Now, he was much healthier, and she couldn’t be prouder of him for making friends on his own and managing his own affairs.

At twenty years old, Jihye’s first boarding house after entering university had been this place. It had been well over ten years since she first met Seowoo, so to Jihye, Seowoo felt no different from a real younger brother.

Just then, Juwon’s hand, which had been on Seowoo’s shoulder, slid down his back. And, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, he wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled Seowoo closer.

‘Is this how kids are these days…?’

A large question mark popped up in Jihye’s mind as she watched the two of them smiling with their faces so close their noses could touch.

🦴

He had felt it the last time he was here, but this animal hospital was extremely luxurious. Looking at the building alone, aside from the sign, it looked more like a café than an animal hospital. He had brought the puppy on Juwon’s advice, but as he waited, realistic problems began to surface.

Namely, the consultation fee.

“But, isn’t the consultation fee more expensive because it’s Saturday?”

“I think they’ll give us the weekday price. I’ll talk to them.”

“…Is it okay to ask like that?”

Juwon nodded at Seowoo’s worried question. He even added playfully, “If they don’t give us a discount, I’ll just lie down on the floor.” Even with Juwon’s joke, Seowoo’s mind was not at ease.

“Juwon, do you have any idea how much the hospital bill might be?”

“I’ll pay for it.”

Juwon said as if it were no big deal in response to Seowoo’s cautious question.

“No, it’s a puppy our family is fostering, so I should at least….”

“Unless it’s sick enough to be hospitalized, I don’t think it’ll be up to a million won.”

“……”

He had been thinking of a maximum of around one hundred thousand won, but Juwon’s estimate far exceeded that. At Juwon’s words, Seowoo, who could no longer bring himself to say he would bear the full cost, shut his mouth.

“I’ll pay for it. Really, don’t feel burdened.”

“I didn’t think it would be that expensive….”

“Mom’s card, given to me to use at times like this.”

Juwon said, tapping the back of his cell phone, where a black card was inserted, with his fingertips.

“Can you use it as you please?”

“I’ll just flex with the money I earned selling dumplings. Though they aren’t dumplings I made myself.”

“If it comes out to too much, I’ll chip in. As much as I can….”

Seowoo diligently calculated how much money he had left in his head. He used a family card for his allowance, so he didn’t have much cash. He could chip in a maximum of 230,000 won if he combined the 50,000 won he received from his grandfather last time, the 50,000 won he could get from his hyung by appealing with cuteness, and the 130,000 won remaining in his bank account.

“It’s fine.”

“If I combine all my allowance, I can really chip in 200,000 won. Really.”

“Use that money to buy yourself some Cha family dumpling soup. Really, it’s really okay.”

Juwon repeated the word ‘really’ several times, following Seowoo, as if to say it was okay.

“Still….”

He was grateful for Juwon’s words, but if the medical bill really came close to 1 million won, he didn’t think he would be at ease. Juwon, who was looking at Seowoo’s hesitant expression, spoke in a low, serious voice.

“Is me being like this not attractive?”

At Juwon’s out-of-the-blue question, Seowoo slowly turned his head to look at Juwon. He had thought it was a playful question, but his expression was utterly serious.

“Huh?”

“Is spending money recklessly a turn-off?”

Seowoo let out a dazed “Huh?” at Juwon’s low voice. He found it very attractive, so he couldn’t understand why he seemed to lack confidence.

“It’s not that….”

“Look over there, our names are up.”

Juwon said in an affectionate tone, pointing to their two names that had appeared on the monitor. Then, he stroked the head of the puppy sitting limply on the floor and said, “Hey, let’s go,” before lifting it up.

Cha *-won, Ryu *-woo, ‘Puppy’

Seowoo’s gaze, which had been on the monitor, rested on the word ‘Puppy.’ It bothered him that they had simply written ‘Puppy’ because they didn’t know its name.

🦴

As soon as they entered the consultation room and put the puppy down, the veterinarian narrowed his eyes.

“…Just a dog, huh?”

“Yes. It’s an ordinary animal hospital, so an ordinary dog came….”

The words ‘just a dog’ sounded suspicious for some reason, so Juwon added an explanation. He glanced at Seowoo’s face, but there were no signs of suspicion.

“Right…. Where did you bring this ordinary dog from?”

The veterinarian looked at the puppy’s face once and continued the examination, touching its neck and legs.

“He’s fostering him.”

Juwon answered the veterinarian’s question, pointing at Seowoo. He had been to hospitals countless times, but this was his first time in the consultation room of an animal hospital, so Seowoo had a nervous look on his face.

“A neighbor brought him over after finding him alone in an alley.”

“Was he on the street for a long time? His condition is quite….”

Dehydration. Malnutrition.

In addition to familiar and understandable symptoms, unfamiliar medical terms followed. Seowoo’s face noticeably darkened, and Juwon, who had expected this to some extent, simply nodded slowly as he listened to the explanation.

“Is he in very bad shape? Will he get better if he takes medicine?”

“That’s right, but. He’s too young….”

Juwon could infer the meaning of the omitted words. A young, unvaccinated puppy was bound to be more vulnerable to diseases than an adult.

Juwon then realized why the puppy hadn’t understood his words properly. He had looked more mature because his fur was so fluffy, but the puppy was much younger. He had been sold right after being weaned from his mother’s milk, which was why his social skills were lacking and communication was difficult.

“It’s not bad enough for hospitalization…. Hmm.”

From the veterinarian’s contemplative demeanor, Juwon was almost certain that the puppy had been abandoned intentionally. It seemed it would be difficult to find the original owner and return him.

“So, can he get better with treatment?”

“If he’s well taken care of…. Yes. He should be able to get better.”

At the veterinarian’s words, Seowoo smiled faintly, as if relieved. A bitter taste filled Juwon’s mouth as he watched him.

🦴

In the taxi, Juwon kept looking out the window even as he talked with Seowoo. He would occasionally frown deeply and look outside seriously, which made Seowoo curious, so he also looked out the window, but there was no special scenery.

“Wanna walk a bit before we go?”

As they were getting close to home, Juwon took his eyes off the window and asked Seowoo.

“Will it be okay for the puppy to walk?”

“Yeah. Please let us out up there. Thank you.”

The puppy, which had been put through a lot from taking medicine and getting vaccinated to even being groomed, looked even more drained than before. As the sun set, a sunset of softly mixed pink and scarlet hues was settling in the sky.

The puppy, which had looked exhausted, seemed to regain a bit of vitality upon stepping on the soft grass. Looking down at the neatly groomed puppy, Seowoo said with a small smile.

“He looks a little like Juju now that he’s groomed.”

“He does?”

Juwon’s brow furrowed at Seowoo’s words. Right now, he was letting his dog fur grow out to sneak into Seowoo’s house, but Juwon usually maintained a neat appearance with a short teddy bear cut. It seemed Seowoo felt they looked similar now that this puppy also had a teddy bear cut. He wanted to be special to Seowoo, so he didn’t feel good about being compared to another dog.

“Mm…. But Juju is more classy and neat.”

“…Is that so.”

Seowoo, who had been watching Juwon’s expression change, quickly added a compliment for Juju. Juwon, who usually walked far ahead and then came back to Seowoo’s side, walked side by side with him today.

Looking at the puppy, which had become noticeably prettier after being groomed, Seowoo thought of Jjokko. He had thought he must have an owner because he disappeared into thin air every night, but now the thought that he might be an abandoned dog crossed his mind. Just then, Juwon, who had been walking quietly, called out to Seowoo.

“Seowoo.”

He could see Juwon’s gaze, which was more serious and lower than usual.

“Yeah?”

“The puppy….”

“Yeah.”

“Instead of looking for his owner, how about we find him a new owner and get him adopted?”