PUPPY 44

The air was heavy on the way back home from the apartment complex. As they walked silently along the path, Seowoo lightly tapped Juwon.

“Sorry.”

To Seowoo’s apology, Juwon replied in a self-deprecating tone.

“…Why are you sorry. It was my fault for stepping in and starting a fight.”

At Juwon’s words, Seowoo smiled faintly. Juwon getting angry was certainly unexpected. At the beginning of the semester, the rumor of ‘Cha Juwon’s suspension for fighting’ had spread as if it were a fact, but now, no one believed that rumor. Although he was very playful and spoke in a blunt manner, the common assessment was, ‘Cha Juwon is actually damn nice.’

“You paid for the vet bills and spent a lot of time coming all the way here. Thank you so much.”

“You went through a lot, too.”

“I should have listened to you from the beginning. I was just being stubborn.”

Bitterness clouded Seowoo’s face as he said that. Regret had been piling up ever since Gureumi’s former owner had put the chain on and refused to open the door. Juwon wrapped an arm around the shoulder of Seowoo, who was regretting his seemingly selfish insistence on finding Gureumi’s owner.

“We just did what we were supposed to do.”

“……”

“The people who abandon a sick puppy are the trash.”

There was no wavering in Juwon’s eyes as he said that. Seowoo felt comforted by Juwon’s confident words.

“…They probably wanted to raise a healthy puppy if they could.”

Seowoo said in a small voice, letting out a sigh.

‘That one is a defective one. He was sick from the very beginning.’

The words he had heard earlier, though not directed at Seowoo, had left a scratch on his heart. So, to some people, being born sick and weak is just being ‘defective’. The thought was incredibly bitter.

Seowoo knew well that he should ignore such words and let them pass. But criticism that targets a weakness always hits its mark precisely, never missing. Whether he could shake off that criticism or agonize over it was entirely up to him.

As he walked along the path, the sight of the puppy came into Seowoo’s view.

The wish of all parents—for their children to not be sick and just be healthy—was a very heavy burden for Seowoo. It wasn’t difficult for Seowoo to listen well to adults, get high grades, and not cause trouble. But he wasn’t very confident about not being sick and staying healthy.

His family had never burdened Seowoo with his studies or grades. He still suffered from frequent minor illnesses and would get nosebleeds if he overexerted himself even slightly, but his family was proud of Seowoo and thought he had done his part just by not having his health worsen significantly. His friends said they were envious that he didn’t get nagged, but Seowoo would occasionally feel a little sad about his family not having any particular expectations of him. And he hated himself even more for feeling sad about such things.

“……”

“It’s just hard, you know. Raising a sick puppy. I’m not saying what those people did was right… It’s just, that’s how it is.”

Seowoo mumbled, looking at Gureumi. Juwon, walking side by side with him, felt like he knew what Seowoo was thinking.

He had heard that Seowoo had been in and out of hospitals since he was young. Seowoo was naturally excluded from all activities that involved running, not just gym class but even casual inter-class soccer matches. Because if he got tired or pushed himself even a little, he would get a gushing nosebleed.

The way Seowoo’s family took care of him was also extremely devoted. Seowoo’s small room looked like it was swept and wiped every day. They would air it out while Seowoo was at school, and in the evening, they would turn on the heating to a cozy temperature so he wouldn’t be cold. Instead of thinking he should naturally enjoy his family’s consideration and care, Seowoo seemed to feel a bit burdened and sorry.

Juwon could vaguely understand the impression Seowoo must have received from seeing them choose to raise a healthy puppy over a sick one without any guilt.

“Seowoo.”

“Yeah.”

“Animals that live in packs in the wild survive by culling and sacrificing weaker individuals when they’re hunted by predators.”

At Juwon’s enigmatic words, Seowoo turned his head to look at Juwon. He couldn’t tell if the ‘weaker individual’ referred to the puppy or to himself.

“……”

“But not all animals have the same survival methods. There’s an animal that has steadily survived while taking care of its weak, what is it.”

“…Dolphins?”

Or maybe elephants. It was a difficult question to guess the answer to, so Seowoo first threw out a smart animal.

“I don’t really know about marine life… I don’t know how they live.”

“Then what’s the answer?”

“Humans.”

“Ah…”

“Unlike other animals, humans survived to the end without excluding flawed and unhealthy individuals from the group, and by taking care of them.”

“…Yeah.”

Juwon’s gaze fell on Gureumi, who was walking ahead.

“And it wasn’t just humans that humans took care of and took in. What other animal is there? Hint: humanity’s most reliable friend and companion.”

“Puppies.”

This time, Seowoo answered Juwon’s question without hesitation.

“Puppies, correct.”

“I got it right.”

The gloomy and heavy atmosphere was gradually dissipating as the conversation continued. As Seowoo realized that Juwon’s words were a form of comfort for him, he felt his frozen heart begin to warm and melt.

“But there’s one problem with puppies.”

“What is it?”

Seowoo asked with a curious expression. Juwon, lowering his gaze slightly, smiled a weak smile, like air escaping, and said.

“They’re too blind.”

“……”

“Dogs don’t, no, they don’t know how to see conditions. They don’t know how to weigh things like whether you have a lot of money, whether your face is pretty, or whether you’re not sick and can take good care of them. From the very beginning, their owner is their entire world.”

“……”

“But it’s not like that for humans.”

“…I know. That must be unfair.”

“Even if it’s unfair, there’s nothing they can do about it.”

“……”

“They were just born that way. The world that makes me who I am is given, not something I can choose.”

Even while being abandoned in a cold alley, that puppy would have blamed itself for losing its owner. Even in the moment the front door closed and its owner turned away, that puppy probably couldn’t have thought it was being abandoned. Because such a concept simply doesn’t exist for that little puppy.

Even though dogs were used and abandoned countless times, there was one thing that never changed. That was, their immense love for humans. And that was the same for Juwon, as well.

Long ago, during the Silla Dynasty, the youngest son of the Yeon-an Cha family happened to find a wild dog that had been attacked by a mountain beast. The young master diligently cared for the severely injured puppy.

He stayed up all night applying medicinal herbs to the puppy’s wounds, and for the dog that was too weak to swallow anything, he chewed the food for it and fed it. Perhaps because of that heartfelt devotion, the dog that everyone thought would die miraculously survived.

From then on, the master and the dog became inseparable. They were always together, even when the young master got married and when he took a government post. Being by the young master’s side brought the dog complete happiness.

However, happiness did not last forever. A deadly epidemic that swept the nation befell the master. The epidemic began with a dry cough, followed by a raging fever. Soon, red spots appeared on his body and began to ooze. The shadow of death fell swiftly.

The dog, who guarded its master without eating, drinking, or sleeping, instinctively realized.

That the young master did not have much time left.

From that day on, the dog earnestly wished and prayed to the heavens. There was something it desperately wanted to convey before its master died. It prayed to be able to convey its true feelings in human words that its master could understand, even if it was just a single word.

Perhaps because its earnestness reached the heavens, an amazing thing happened just before the young master closed his eyes. The dog that was guarding its master’s side transformed into a human.

Having heard the heartfelt words conveyed by the dog-turned-human, the young master closed his eyes in peace.

The dog that became human was the progenitor of the Cha family’s Gyeon-in clan. From their very origin, their relationship with humans was inseparable.

“I can’t help but feel for humans…”

Juwon said in a calm voice. The playground with its tall trees came into view before the two who had been walking in a circle around the path. The puppy walking ahead led them there.

“We have to go that way to get home.”

Even as he said that, Seowoo didn’t turn back. Before they knew it, the two were once again in the spot where they had stood yesterday.

“……”

“……”

‘If at least one person closes their eyes…’

Oh Dongjae’s words came to Seowoo’s mind. A silence that felt like it would stop his breath continued, and Seowoo mustered his courage and lowered his gaze slightly.

Is this maybe a kiss timing…

The moment Juwon, frowning with a serious expression, took a step toward Seowoo.

“I’d rather just eat plain rice than eat rice cake.”

“Don’t you think rice cakes are chewier than wheat cakes?”

The sound of people talking as they passed by very close could be heard. Seowoo lifted his head, and Juwon had no choice but to stop walking.

“Thank you, Juwon.”

Seowoo said to Juwon, his eyes crinkling into a smile. Although they failed to return the puppy to its owner’s arms, and they had missed the timing Oh Dongjae had spoken of twice.

However, there was something new he had confirmed. It was Juwon’s warm gaze as he looked at the world and at him. Seowoo felt that his heart had become stronger than before.