PUPPY 46

When Seowoo arrived home, the yard was in an uproar with dogs.

“I’m home.”

Not only the lady who owned Coco and lived at the end of the alley, but also his grandmother’s friends who lived a short walk away in another alley, had come over with their dogs and were sitting around the small wooden outdoor bench.

‘Oh, it’s Jinsooni,’ Seowoo thought, stroking the head of a Jindo dog he hadn’t seen in a while. The Jindo, who was finely dressed, was named Jinsooni and was a well-mannered, quite old dog. Coco was held tightly in the lady’s arms, baring her sharp teeth, so he didn’t dare to acknowledge her.

“Oh, Seowoo, you’re here.”

“Yes, hello.”

“You’re a senior, but you’re finishing school early?”

“Yes, I don’t do evening self-study. I go to a study room. I just have to change my clothes and go back out.”

After answering politely, Seowoo stood in front of the box where Gureum was lying and set down his bag. He could hear the adults making their usual remarks, like ‘He seems thinner than before,’ and ‘Why don’t you make him a singer.’

“Look at this, it’s a treat. Try it.”

Seowoo broke off a small piece of the treat he had received from Juwon and brought it to Gureum’s mouth. Gureum, who had been staring suspiciously at Seowoo’s fingertips, sniffed it with a sniff, sniff and then took the treat into his mouth.

The conversation of his grandmother and her friends sitting on the bench could be heard behind him. The reason these dog lovers had gathered today was because his grandmother had also joined in the effort to find a home for Gureum. When her grandson, who had gone to find the puppy’s owner, returned completely dejected and depressed, the two of them asked for the whole story. When Seowoo told them what had happened at the apartment complex without adding or omitting anything, they both clutched the back of their necks.

“Goodness, are there still dog meat traders?”

The three of them began to chat animatedly while sharing the fruit his grandmother had peeled.

“They’ve been coming and going a lot lately.”

“I haven’t seen them….”

His grandmother said in a surprised voice. Then, Jinsooni’s owner, a grandmother, pointed toward the end of the alley and began to explain.

“I saw earlier that this area is blocked off by the convenience store, so big trucks can’t get in. Our street is wider, so they come in sometimes.”

“In the old days, they said dog meat traders would steal dogs…. Does that still happen these days?”

Just a few years ago, if you went to the market, they would put young native dogs in wire cages and sell them for less than ten thousand won. With the modernization of traditional markets, that sight had now disappeared, but hearing that dog meat traders were roaming the neighborhood again, the three of them wore serious expressions.

“A truck goes around and broadcasts things like, ‘We buy dogs and cats. We buy goats.’ I don’t know if they steal them, but it’s unsettling.”

“Oh dear….”

“When the dog meat traders come, even the dogs that were so noisy stop barking and become quiet.”

Seowoo’s phone, which he had been using to train and play with Gureum with treats, vibrated briefly. The caller was Seo Jaeha. After deciding to look for a home for Gureum, Seowoo had changed his messenger profile picture. He had put up a pretty picture of Gureum and written that anyone interested in adoption should contact him, and Seo Jaeha had gotten in touch.

「A friend of mine is interested in adopting. Could you send some pictures of the puppy?」

「(Photo)」

「(Photo)」

「(Photo)」

「(Photo)」

「The last picture is a different puppyㅠㅠ!」

Seowoo immediately took pictures of Gureum and sent them. However, a picture of Jjokko he had taken and sent before got mixed in with the photos he sent. Since both puppies were small and had white fur, Seowoo quickly added an explanation in case he got them confused.

「Got it. I’ll forward them without the last picture ^^」

「Thanks for the pictures」

「You’re welcome. Thank you.」

「Is the puppy in the last picture the one that comes to play at your house, Seowoo?ㅋㅋ」

「Ah ㅋㅋ Yes」

「The puppy is cute^^」

「(Sticker)」

Seowoo sent a sticker of a character bowing deeply to end the conversation with Seo Jaeha. Then he stroked Gureum’s head and stood up from his spot. The grandmother and her friends sitting on the bench were exchanging the latest neighborhood news.

“A young bachelor moved into the red brick house in the middle of the alley, you know.”

“Really? I thought that house was empty for quite a while.”

“Yeah. A handsome bachelor moved in.”

“Into a house? The yard is big, so it must be hard to maintain…. I thought it was an abandoned house.”

The place where Jinsooni’s owner, the grandmother, lived was out on the main street and two alleys over. Seowoo knew the red brick house there well. The red brick house, which had been uninhabited for a long time, was rumored to be haunted and was used for a while as a place for children’s tests of courage.

“Yeah, yeah. He raises several dogs and cats. He must be diligent, he’s always going back and forth, sweeping and wiping. Anyway, that bachelor was walking with a big dog with blue eyes, and the dog meat trader just glanced at that dog and said nothing—like that. But when I passed by, he said, ‘Aren’t you selling that dog?’”

Jinsooni’s owner, the grandmother, said with a look of outrage. The lady who owned Coco, who was listening to the story, also asked in horror.

“He said that while you were walking the dog with its clothes on?”

“I was just so dumbfounded. Ugh, but what… I was too scared to say anything.”

“Oh my goodness.”

“I even fed this one formula to raise her….”

“We all know how much you treasure Jinsooni.”

Jinsooni had been present even in Seowoo’s childhood memories, so she was not young. The fact that Jinsooni looked as neat now as she did back then was largely due to the grandmother who raised her with the utmost care, like a precious treasure. To think he asked if she would sell a dog that was like family for consumption…. Seowoo, who had been listening to the grandmothers’ conversation with one ear, furrowed his brow.

“Anyway, the puppy is really gentle.”

“Yeah, they said he’s the same breed as a dog that was on TV before. You know how the tiny ones usually bark a lot, yap, yap? This one is really gentle. Take him. If you take him, I’ll be at ease.”

When the topic shifted to Gureum, Seowoo’s grandmother actively started promoting him.

“Seowoo likes him, just keep him.”

Just in case, Seowoo also glanced at his grandmother, but her answer was very firm.

“We can let him sleep outside now because the weather is warm, but we can’t in the winter.”

“Oh my, Seowoo’s bronchial tubes are still bad? I saw on TV the other day that brewing and drinking something is good for it….”

“I bought that too. No, but….”

The topic of conversation shifted from Gureum back to the health supplements on TV. Listening to the conversation, Seowoo stroked Gureum’s head and went into his room to get ready for the study room.

🦴

Because of the important exam that was fast approaching, Seowoo and Juwon had been studying late at the study room these days. To be precise, Seowoo was diligently focused on his studies, and Juwon was merely staying at the study room to go home with Seowoo. Of course, he did study as well. In a small space like a study room, there was nothing else to do but forcibly open a book or a workbook and cram things into his head.

“I’m going now, good night.”

Seowoo, standing in front of his house, looked up at Juwon and said. Both of Seowoo’s hands were being held by Juwon.

This, too, was a change that had occurred after the ‘kiss timing’ that Oh Dongjae had taught them about. When there were no friends around, it had at some point become natural to walk while holding hands. Although the area of contact was much smaller than putting an arm around a shoulder or wrapping an arm around a waist, interlocking fingers felt much more tingly.

“Are you going to bed right away?”

“…No, in a little while.”

Seowoo shook his head and answered Juwon’s question. It was his way of saying that if Juwon was going to contact him, he shouldn’t feel burdened and just do it.

“Alright. You go in first.”

Juwon said to Seowoo, pointing to the gate with his chin. He had been so preoccupied with Gureum’s situation lately that he had neglected to visit Seowoo’s room transformed as Jjokko.

After seeing the light in Seowoo’s room flick on—click—Juwon ran into his house, threw off his clothes, and came back outside. He had gone in and out of the doggy door at Seowoo’s house so many times that crawling through it on his stomach was now easier than pie.

“Woof!”

Juwon barked shortly, looking at Gureum, who had slowly gotten up at the appearance of an unfamiliar puppy.

‘Aren’t you going to guard the house properly?’

It was a mental lesson meant as a warning. But Gureum, perhaps due to his naturally quiet and laid-back nature, had little reaction. Juwon approached Gureum, who was tilting his head, stood on his hind legs to pat his head, and then headed for Seowoo’s room.

This time, instead of transforming and climbing the wall, he went through the gap in the slightly open safety gate and stealthily climbed the stairs. Since Gureum was there, with a similar build and fur color, he figured he could make a quick getaway even if he got caught. It was a relief that he wouldn’t have to climb the wall naked for a while.

Arriving in front of Seowoo’s room, Juwon scratched the door familiarly. Not long after the scratch, scratch sound, Seowoo opened the door and greeted Jjokko.

“Jjokko, it’s been a while.”

“Woof! Woof!”

‘Tell me about it.’

Seowoo checked outside once, let Jjokko into the room, and closed the door. He had only been unable to come for a few days in his dog form, but it felt like he hadn’t seen him in a billion years. Unable to hide his joy, Juwon promptly flipped over and lay on his back.