PUPPY 62

A ‘smack—’ sound reached Seowoo’s dazed ears. It was Juwon, clapping his hands next to him.

“Seowoo.”

“…Huh?”

“Are you listening to me?”

At Juwon’s question, Seowoo gave an embarrassed smile. He knew they had been talking about something, but at some point, he had gotten lost in his own thoughts.

“Sorry, what did you say?”

“We were talking about our cute puppy.”

“Ah…”

At Juwon’s words, Seowoo realized why he had been lost in thought. Talking about puppies had naturally made him think of Jjokko, who had disappeared. Thinking of Jjokko, a sigh that felt like the ground was collapsing escaped Seowoo’s lips.

“They say that when little kids… I mean, children, grow up with a pet dog, it’s good for their emotional development.”

“Kids?”

“They say it’s also good for a child who’s an only child.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

Seowoo let Juwon’s words wash over him, only responding appropriately to the phrases that caught his ear.

“Is being an only child a good thing?”

Juwon deliberately put emphasis on the word ‘good’. Several weeks had already passed since he had confessed to Seowoo and said he would wait. He had said he would wait because he didn’t want to pressure Seowoo, but because of the commotion caused by that bastard Seo Jaeha, the presence of his heartfelt confession had faded.

“Yeah…”

Ever since the topic of puppies had come up, Seowoo’s thoughts had been fixed on Jjokko. Where is Jjokko now? Is he hurt somewhere? Questions with no answers kept popping into his head.

“Are you feeling okay?”

“Uh, yeah, I’m really okay.”

Seowoo nodded and replied to Juwon’s question. It was a response that had become a habit after being asked if he was okay so many times.

“Are you sure you weren’t hurt anywhere?”

“Yeah, I’m really fine. It’s already been a few days.”

“But why…”

But why did Seowoo’s face look like he wasn’t okay at all? The wrinkle between Juwon’s eyebrows deepened with worry. At the change in Juwon’s expression, Seowoo emphasized that he was really fine.

“I’m really okay. I even went to the hospital and got all the tests. I’m completely heal… I mean, I’m fine.”

He was about to say he was healthy, but then he remembered how he had gotten a nosebleed so bad his head spun after running with all his might. Seowoo, who had been transferred from the emergency room to his regular department, also had his routine check-up.

His primary doctor, who had been seeing Seowoo for a not-insignificant amount of time, had looked extremely surprised to hear that he was ‘in the hospital after getting hurt while chasing a kidnapper.’ In any case, all the hospital test results were good.

“Is there still something you’re worried about?”

“Yeah.”

“What is it?”

“There was a puppy that used to come visit my house.”

“Ah…”

He had thought it would weigh on his mind, but he didn’t realize it would bring Seowoo’s mood down for so many days. But Juwon had his own unavoidable circumstances.

“Back then, Seo Jaeha took that puppy… and when I came to, only that puppy was gone.”

“Don’t you think he might have run away?”

“I was watching him right up until I passed out. But… I don’t know where he is, so I’m so worried.”

At Seowoo’s words, Juwon sighed and raised a hand to rub his neck. The wound from being chafed by the metal leash was almost gone, thanks to Juwon’s incredible recovery speed. By today, the remaining scar probably wouldn’t be noticeable even if he turned into a puppy.

“When he’s better, Jjo… I mean, that puppy will come back.”

“…I hope he’s really okay.”

Juwon, who had almost mentioned the name Jjokko by mistake, quickly mumbled his words. But Seowoo, still thinking only of Jjokko, didn’t notice Juwon’s slip of the tongue. Juwon, who had been staring quietly at Seowoo’s profile, nodded his head and made a decision. It seemed that today, he would have to pay a visit to Seowoo’s house.

🦴

“Yip…”

‘This looks fine.’

Juwon looked at his puppy form in the mirror. Buried under his long white fur, the faint remaining scars were not noticeable at all.

Having finished his inspection, Juwon changed back into his human form.

“Ah, what a pain.”

Juwon opened his closet and grumbled as he threw on some clothes. This was the biggest problem when he transformed. If he had to suddenly turn into a dog, he could just ditch his clothes and run, but when he became human again, he turned into an exhibitionist pervert. Juwon put on the most convenient black clothes for changing into and went outside.

“I’m heading out.”

“Cha Juwon, it’s late. Where are you going?”

As soon as he entered the living room, he heard his dad’s stern voice.

‘Ah, that son of a bitch Seo Jaeha….’

Juwon ground his teeth. Like most dog were-animals, Juwon also liked to wander around outside. Even when sitting quietly indoors, he would often feel cooped up, turn into a puppy, and just bolt out. Going out, which would normally not have been a problem, had become difficult after the Seo Jaeha incident. Above all, turning into a dog and stepping outside the door was now something that could absolutely never happen.

“I’m going to Seowoo’s. The class president.”

“Weren’t you just with him until a moment ago?”

At his dad’s piercing question, Juwon avoided his gaze. Making eye contact when lying is an act of self-destruction. It must be avoided at all costs.

Because the eyes… are the window that reflects the truth.

“That was just coming back from the study cafe. I finished all my studying for today, so we decided to hang out tonight.”

“What time is it to be hanging out? Where are you two going?”

“We’re not going out, we’re just going to hang out in Seowoo’s room?”

“What time do you think it is? It’s rude to that family. See him tomorrow.”

“Ah, no. I really promised to meet him today.”

“…You’re not, by any chance, planning to turn into a dog and go for a walk, are you? I told you to play in the yard if you feel cooped up.”

Juwon’s dad said, pointing to the spacious yard. Patches of ruined lawn, dug up by Juwon as a prank, were visible. He had covered them with dirt to level them out again, but the uprooted grass never grew back evenly.

“Why would I wear clothes if I was going to turn into a dog?”

“……”

At Juwon’s words, his dad narrowed his eyes.

“It’s true. Ask Ryu Seowoo later if we were supposed to meet or not.”

“……”

It seemed the bold lie had worked. Juwon’s dad made a grumbling sound of contemplation.

“Come back early.”

“Yes, I’ll be going now.”

As soon as his dad’s permission was granted, Juwon dashed out. Even if he got caught and had his fur shaved off, the priority today was to turn into a puppy and reassure Seowoo.

🦴

Leaning against the wall of Seowoo’s house, Juwon stood still, scanning his surroundings and perking up his ears. He didn’t hear any footsteps or sense any presence. Holding his breath, Juwon jumped up and over the wall of Seowoo’s house.

With a thump— sound, Juwon landed in the middle of the yard. Getting up, Juwon first went to an inconspicuous corner, took off his clothes, and turned into a puppy.

Juwon moved his short legs diligently and stood in front of the stairs. After it became known that Seo Jaeha had used an acquaintance to approach Seowoo and Gureum, Gureum’s adoption had been put on hold. Seowoo’s grandmother and grandfather, who had already grown incredibly fond of Gureum, decided on ‘indefinite temporary protection.’ And so, Gureum took the grandmother’s surname and became Kang Chunsam. They had deliberately given him a rustic name in the hope that he would live a long life.

“Yip…”

‘Ah, I guess I can’t go up the stairs anymore.’

One change had occurred since Gureum started staying in the house. Namely, a safety gate. Before, the door had often been left open, but now they always kept it locked for fear that Chunsam might run out.

Juwon tried to squeeze his body through the bars of the safety gate, but no matter how much he sucked in his stomach, it was no use. He hadn’t stopped growing yet, and had even gained weight recently. The muscles in his puppy form had also become quite firm. Juwon sometimes had the optimistic thought, ‘I wonder if I’m going to become a medium-sized dog at this rate.’

“Yip…”

Giving up on the stairs, Juwon trotted on his little legs toward the back of the house. He had decided to climb the wall. He shook his head with a shiver, and the fluffy fur disappeared, leaving only a naked man. It was quite late, so it was sufficiently dark around, and no one else was in sight. Juwon, who had good night vision, trusted his instincts and began to climb the wall.

However, because he was only paying attention to the situation in the yard and outside the house, Juwon failed to notice the eyes inside Seowoo’s house. Pushing up with his arms, Juwon jumped and arrived in front of Seowoo’s room, where he once again became a small, cute puppy.

“Whine, whine.”

‘Seowoo.’

Scratch, scratch, scratch, scratch. Juwon made a small sound as he scratched Seowoo’s door. As soon as Juwon scratched the door, there was the sound of hurried movement from inside. Swoosh. The door flew open and Seowoo rushed out.

“Jjokko.”

“Yip!”

‘Hello.’

Juwon greeted him cheerfully, lifting a front paw. At that, Seowoo collapsed to the floor as if crumbling.

“Jjokko… I missed you, Jjokko.”

Seowoo hugged Juwon tightly in his arms. The warm embrace made the tip of Juwon’s nose tingle for a moment.

“Why did you take so long to come and visit…”

Seowoo’s voice, filled with disappointment, reached Juwon’s ears. But that wasn’t all. Other noises were mixed in from the surroundings.

The source of the noise was the light sound of footsteps, pat, pat, coming up the stairs. Juwon perked up his ears and turned his head to identify the sound, but Seowoo’s hand was faster, pulling Juwon inside and slamming the door shut.