PUPPY 61

When the light illuminated the inside of the house, the eyes of the animals in the living room glinted as they reflected the light.

“Detective, look over here.”

“I think we’ll have to call for backup.”

The sound of a radio and the voices of people clearing the area reached Seowoo’s ears.

The police are here… Thank goodness. Seowoo, still sprawled on the floor, let out a sigh of relief. A whining, whimpering sound echoed in his ears. Something wet kept touching the corner of his eye.

What is it…

When he turned his head and slightly opened his eyes, he saw Jjokko. Jjokko was licking away Seowoo’s tears. Jjokko looked even more disheveled than usual, a testament to how much he must have suffered during the short time he was held captive by Seo Jaeha.

“…Jjokko.”

Seowoo wanted to pet Jjokko, but he didn’t even have the strength to lift his hand.

“Fuck, let go of me, will you?”

“Woof! Woof!”

The Jindo dog that had greeted Seowoo by bumping its head against him instead of attacking him was now by Seo Jaeha’s side. It was circling around and barking loudly at the detectives who were handcuffing Seo Jaeha.

“Hah… Mr. Seo Jaeha. Did you not just hear me say you’re being arrested as a criminal caught in the act? Stay still. You’re going to hurt your arm.”

The detectives forced Seo Jaeha, who was resisting by violently twisting his body, to bend over, then pulled his arms behind his back and handcuffed him. Seo Jaeha continuously spewed curses as he scanned his surroundings. With his mask thrown off, Seo Jaeha looked like a completely different person.

“Is the ambulance on its way?”

“Are you okay?”

“……”

Seowoo turned his head toward the direction of the noise. A few of the dispatched police officers were next to the man who had come out of the room at the end of the hallway. The tips of the man’s light brown hair, who had been desperately crawling on the floor, were soaked with blood.

“That thing isn’t human—!”

“Grrrrr…”

Seo Jaeha shouted, pointing at the man. A sound of repressed anger naturally escaped from the mouth of Juwon, who was looking after Seowoo by licking his face.

Juwon thought it would be better to punish Seo Jaeha according to the were-animal society’s way of handling things, which was closer than the law… that is, by tearing his body to shreds. Juwon licked Seowoo’s face, checking him over here and there. Fortunately, there were no injuries.

“Yip! Yip!”

‘Take care of Seowoo first.’

After checking Seowoo’s condition, Juwon bit the hem of a nearby police officer’s pants, tugged, and barked.

“Are you okay, student?”

“Yes…”

A police officer who had crouched down in front of Seowoo asked. The officer asked various questions, seemingly to check his physical condition. Perhaps it was because he had been tense, screaming his lungs out, and had used up all his energy, but even though he was uninjured except for falling on his butt, he felt a sense of lethargy and had no strength at all in his body.

“Oh, you’re bleeding a lot. Did you hit your head?”

“No. My head is… fine.”

Seowoo answered, blinking his eyes slowly. Jjokko was still pacing by Seowoo’s side with an anxious look in his eyes.

“We’ll go straight to the hospital when the ambulance gets here. Oh, oh, don’t try to move.”

“Okay…”

Seowoo replied slowly. Perhaps Seowoo’s state seemed unusual, because the police officer asked again, as if to reconfirm.

“Student, are you really okay?”

“Ah… I, I’m just really dizzy.”

When he closed and opened his eyes, it felt as if time and space were distorting. It felt like the ground beneath him was sinking away and everything in front of him was going dark.

It was a familiar sensation for Seowoo. Realizing he was about to faint, Seowoo looked at Jjokko.

“Student, student.”

As Seowoo closed his eyes like someone falling into a deep sleep, Jjokko, or rather Juwon, who had been standing guard by his side, began to bark loudly.

“Yip! Yip! Yip!”

Agitated by Juwon’s barking, the other animals also began to cry out or pace around inside their cages.

“Why are there so many animals… There are dogs, cats, and even birds?”

He could hear the radio chatter with a police officer who was searching outside.

“What should we do with the animals?”

“We’ll have to take them for now. We can collect DNA and use it as evidence…”

Juwon’s ears perked up as he heard the police officers’ words. Juwon, who had been guarding Seowoo’s side until the paramedics arrived, slipped through the people amidst the confusion.

The area outside was bustling with neighborhood residents who had come out after hearing the news. Because of that, no one paid any mind to a small puppy calmly slipping away from the crime scene. As Juwon left Seowoo behind and went outside, he kept looking back in worry.

🦴

<Police Award Certificate of Commendation to High School Student Who Rescued Kidnapped Citizen>

According to the police, on the 9th, Mr. Ryu Seowoo was passing through his neighborhood when he witnessed a man stealing a dog. Finding this strange, Mr. Ryu pursued the suspect.

At the suspect’s hideout, a man in his 20s who had gone missing last month was found tied up and confined. Additionally, numerous animals that had been stolen from the residents of H Apartment complex were discovered at this location. It appears the suspect was living hidden in the vacant house while committing these criminal acts.

Upon discovering the scene, Mr. Ryu quickly reported the criminal using the police’s 112 emergency report app. The police awarded Mr. Ryu a certificate of commendation and a reward for the criminal’s arrest.

“At this point, isn’t it like the world conspired to get Ryu Seowoo into Hankuk University?”

Oh Dongjae said to Seowoo after reading the article. Contrary to his playful tone, a trace of lingering worry remained on his face.

“Your high school record isn’t finalized yet, so the certificate of commendation will be included, right?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s a fucking relief that at least that’s going in. If not, really…”

His friends, who had heard a rough account of the situation from Seowoo and knew what had happened, expressed their anger toward Seo Jaeha and worried about Seowoo.

“But hey, did Ryu Seowoo really engage in a fierce chase?”

“I said I ran because it was just in the next alley, but I don’t know why the article came out like that.”

Seowoo said, shaking his head. He had run fiercely, but that was only by Seowoo’s standards. His friends, who knew Seowoo’s stamina level well, kept making faces that said ‘I can’t believe it’ as they read the article.

“For real, hiding his power… Ryu Seowoo, is it true you faced him with a wooden plank?”

“It’s true that I picked up a wooden plank with nails in it that had been abandoned at a construction site…”

At the words that he had picked up not just any wooden plank, but one with nails in it, his friends looked horrified.

“He’s saying he picked up a nail-studded plank with those innocent-looking eyes.”

“I know, right… I just got goosebumps.”

“I’ll have to be careful from now on.”

At his friends’ reactions, Seowoo let out a soft, scattering laugh. After fainting at the crime scene, Seowoo had woken up in a hospital. He underwent an examination, but there was nothing wrong with his body, and the doctor’s opinion was that he had probably fainted from shock.

After waking up, Seowoo went straight to the police.

Among the animals found at the crime scene, the stolen ones were returned to their owners, and the rest were handed over to an animal protection agency.

However, among them, Jjokko was not there.

Despite Seowoo’s repeated questions, the only answer he received was, ‘There was no white puppy among the animals found at the crime scene.’

Because a kidnapped person was discovered inside the house, Seo Jaeha could not escape punishment. Thanks to that, Seowoo received a police commendation, but his spirits had been low ever since because he couldn’t see Jjokko.

Just then, Cha Juwon belatedly appeared.

“Cha Juwon, your wound is almost all healed, isn’t it?”

The wound Yang Juhyeon was talking about was from thrashing around to get off the leash Seo Jaeha had tied him with. That day, thanks to the help of a cat were-animal who had been trapped with him, he was able to loosen the leash and escape, but he couldn’t avoid getting injured.

“Oh, you’re right. Don’t tell me Seowoo hit you with that plank?”

“No, I just got scratched somewhere.”

Juwon answered, rubbing his hand over his neck, where the wound was now almost healed.

“No, but isn’t it seriously creepy? We used to go check out that brick house when we were in elementary school, saying it was haunted.”

“I know. They said they found the dog from the flyer in the apartment complex there too. Whoa, Ryu Seowoo. Does that mean you’re getting the 3 million won reward?”

“Ah…”

At Seowoo’s hesitant reply, his friends’ eyes widened.

“They offered it, but I just refused.”

“Why!”

“It’s just… I already got the reward money.”

“Ah, what a fucking waste.”

“I know, I would’ve taken it.”

Seowoo just gave a faint smile at his friends’ intense reactions. When he thought about the despair and anguish he felt the moment he saw Jjokko being kidnapped before his eyes, he could understand how the Shetland Sheepdog’s owner felt.

“Ryu Seowoo, from now on, stick right behind your hyung-nim.”

“Yeah, if he’s stealing animals and shit, he’s a total psychopath. He might try to act up and get revenge, so let’s stick together.”

Kim Dongwon and Oh Dongjae said with a shudder. Their tone was playful, but it was laced with concern for Seowoo. It was one thing after another, and since Seowoo had dealt with a criminal who had committed kidnapping and assault, they were worried that he might face retaliation. Juwon, who was listening to them, let out a short sigh and said.

“…Just go on your own.”

“Wow, haven’t heard that in a while. Go on.”

Oh Dongjae replied to Juwon’s words with a laugh. On the first day of school, Oh Dongjae was the one who, upon hearing Juwon say, ‘You know the way, right? Go on,’ had immediately answered that he understood and run to school by himself. Now, he had become much closer to Juwon and could exchange such jokes with a smile.

“……”

Seowoo, listening to his friends’ conversation, would laugh occasionally, but his expression would quickly darken. Yesterday, Seowoo had called the police again. And he was told that the final arrangements for all the animals had been made.

Jjokko hadn’t shown himself for days since that incident.

‘All the animals with owners have returned home.’

Had Jjokko now gone back to his own home for good?

If this was the end, it was a very sad and regrettable conclusion.