PUPPY 63

Jihye, having finished her evening shift, came into the kitchen on the first floor instead of heading to her room. A faint light was seeping from the closed master bedroom door, indicating that her grandmother and grandfather were getting ready for bed, and the living room lights were off.

After satisfying her hunger with a light snack from the refrigerator, Jihye stood at the sink and washed the plate. She was just about to finish tidying up and go to her room.

‘Am I so tired I’m seeing things…?’

Jihye squeezed her eyes shut and opened them again. But what she saw at the end of her gaze remained the same.

“…Crazy.”

A naked pervert was climbing the wall leading to Seowoo’s room. Putting down the plate, Jihye immediately ran into the master bedroom.

“Grandma, Grandpa.”

The two were lying in bed, stroking the head of the former Gureum, now Kang Chunsam, whose fur had been trimmed short.

“Huh?”

“Something terrible has happened.”

Jihye said to the two in an urgent voice. Recalling the terrible thing Seowoo had gone through not long ago, she became even more anxious and hurried.

“I think we need to go upstairs. Some man is heading to Seowoo’s room…”

At Jihye’s words, her grandmother and grandfather immediately sat up in bed.

🦴

“Jjokko.”

“Whine.”

Seowoo held Juwon tightly in his arms and showered him with kisses. Seowoo didn’t loosen his grip, which felt a little constricting. It was due to a subconscious need not to let him go.

“Have you been home all this time?”

Seowoo asked, lying on his stomach and making eye contact with Juwon. Perhaps because the weather had gotten warmer, Seowoo’s attire had also become lighter. The shorts Seowoo was wearing today were the shortest he had seen so far. Juwon’s gaze darted frantically between the shorts and Seowoo’s face.

“What’s wrong, Jjokko?”

“Pant, pant.”

‘It’s just that I’m out of breath…’

At Seowoo’s question, Juwon turned his head and made an excuse inwardly. Seowoo, oblivious to Juwon’s inner turmoil, held out his hand and said things like, ‘Show me your paw pads.’ Seowoo, who was practically pressing his face to the floor to see the milky pink paw pads, came up with a clever idea.

“Jjokko, bang—.”

When Seowoo made a shooting gesture with his hand, Juwon rolled onto his back, exposing his belly. This, too, was a habit ingrained in his body because Seowoo had made him do it so often. In truth, he didn’t have to do it, but he knew that if he played along so generously, Seowoo would flash a bright smile, so he couldn’t stop.

“I even bought snacks to give to Jjokko.”

Seowoo showed him the snacks he had bought in advance. Juwon sniffed them and instantly recognized what they were.

“Yip…”

‘Health food…’

Juwon politely declined, pushing the snacks away with his front paw. This was something that only older were-animals enjoyed.

It was an organic health snack he had bought on Kim Dongwon’s recommendation, and at Jjokko’s refusal, Seowoo looked a little disappointed.

“I guess you don’t want to eat it.”

Seowoo, sitting on the floor with his posture lowered, asked as he stroked Juwon’s fur. Juwon, who was enjoying the soft touch with his eyes closed, suddenly perked his ears. Not long after, the sound of footsteps reached Seowoo’s ears as well.

“…What’s that?”

“Seowoo, are you in there?”

“Yes. Why?”

At the sudden sound of his grandmother’s voice, Seowoo replied with wide eyes.

“Open the door for a moment.”

At his grandmother’s words, Seowoo’s mouth fell slightly open. But no answer came out.

“Seowoo, I said open the door.”

“Nothing’s wrong, why? I’m going to sleep.”

At his grandmother’s renewed urging, a flustered Seowoo shouted towards the door.

“The light is still on, just open the door for a second.”

It was strange for his grandmother, who usually didn’t come upstairs, to suddenly be telling him to open the door. A flustered Seowoo’s gaze wavered.

Something had changed since Gureum, no, Chunsam, had come to live in the same house. First, Chunsam’s fur became as short as a soldier’s before enlistment. Second, his grandmother and grandfather ran the vacuum cleaner and did laundry more often than before. His grandparents were so particular about dog fur management for their own health, so they would surely be shocked and disappointed if they found out he had secretly brought Jjokko into his room.

“Ah… I’m screwed.”

Jjokko, sitting on the floor, was looking up at Seowoo with sparkling eyes. Jjokko’s gaze was full of trust.

“It seems to be locked from the inside. Should I get the key?”

He could hear not only his grandmother and grandfather, but also his noona Jihye’s voice. The fact that the entire family had mobilized made Seowoo even more flustered.

Could they have seen Jjokko coming into the room?

“Jjokko, just a moment…”

“Ryu Seowoo. Aren’t you going to open the door?”

Seowoo, my baby, our puppy. He heard the stern voice of his grandmother, who always called him affectionately. Seowoo immediately lifted Jjokko. Then he looked around the room.

If there had been a closet or a large drawer, he would have put Jjokko in there for just a moment, but there was only a desk and a bed in the room. Because it was a small room, the storage furniture and closet had all been crammed into the utility room next to the bathroom.

Now there were no other options. Seowoo sat on the bed with Jjokko in his hands. He took off the t-shirt he was wearing and threw it on the floor. If they asked why he didn’t open the door, he planned to make the excuse that it took him time to change his clothes.

Seowoo stared into Jjokko’s black eyes and asked in a serious voice.

“Jjokko, you can be quiet, right?”

“Yip!”

‘Uh, of course.’

Juwon replied in a firm tone. No, he barked.

“Quiet. Shh, Jjokko, shh.”

When Seowoo said this with wide eyes, Juwon found the sight so cute that he unconsciously stuck out his tongue and smiled.

“Jjokko, if you just stay quiet for a little while, I’ll let you out again. Let’s go night-night, Jjokko.”

Seowoo pulled the covers up and over them while holding Jjokko in his arms. Being held in his arms and covered by a blanket was so stuffy that a small ‘grrrr’ sound escaped Juwon’s mouth.

“Some man climbed over the wall and went right to Seowoo’s room…”

“The neighborhood is already on edge because of that incident…”

The sound of the doorknob turning and his sister-in-law’s voice sounded louder than before. Jjokko’s face popped out next to Seowoo, who felt like he was going to stop breathing from the tension. Juwon had briefly stuck his head out because it was difficult to breathe through his small nostrils.

“Jjokko, don’t…”

Click.

He heard the sound of the door opening. Juwon’s head automatically turned toward the door.

“No, Jjokko.”

Seowoo, with a more flustered expression than ever before, reached out his hand toward Juwon.

“Yip…!”

‘Ah, he said I can’t get caught by his family.’

He had stuck his tongue out in nervousness, but because Seowoo grabbed his body and pulled, his tongue accidentally touched Seowoo’s lips. Huh? Juwon looked up at Seowoo. Seowoo’s flustered face was deathly pale.

‘I just need to not get caught being a puppy, right?’

After a moment of thought, Juwon quickly made a decision. Soon after, the door opened and Seowoo’s family came in.

“…Gasp.”

“Oh my, good heavens.”

“Well, what is this…!”

The first thing Seowoo heard was his family’s gasps of shock. Then he felt the weight and the texture of bare skin on his body. It wasn’t the light-as-cotton-candy Jjokko with soft white fur. It was the firm body of a man.

“…Cha Juwon?”

As he slowly lifted his head, the completely naked Juwon, without a single thread on, came into Seowoo’s view. His mind went blank at the absurd situation. He had been holding Jjokko just a moment ago.

What in the world is this…

“Hello.”

While Seowoo was flustered, Juwon placed one hand on the headboard, turned his head, and gave a nod of greeting to Seowoo’s family. Not only the eyes but also the mouths of his grandmother, grandfather, and noona Jihye fell open.

“…Grandma. What happened was.”

Seowoo pushed Juwon away and stood up to explain the situation before him. Because of that, the blanket that had been caught around Juwon’s waist and was also covering Seowoo fell away. At the same time, Seowoo remembered that he had taken off his t-shirt.

“Ah…”

I’m truly screwed.

Juwon was wearing nothing, and all he had on was a pair of shorts the size of his palm. At that moment, he felt a sharp pull at the back of his neck and a nosebleed trickled down.

“Our Seowoo is having a nosebleed…”

“…It’s okay. Tilt your head like this.”

Juwon’s movements were faster than his grandmother’s, who was standing outside the door. After tilting Seowoo’s head back slightly and pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingers, Juwon reached out and pulled out a tissue.

As Seowoo swayed slightly from the dizziness, a collective sigh erupted from his family. However, as the completely naked Juwon let Seowoo lean against his body, they couldn’t bring themselves to get any closer to the two of them. Seowoo, leaning on Juwon, looked as comfortable as if he had experienced this kind of thing often.

“Oh my… good heavens.”

Although she covered her face with her hands in embarrassment, Jihye’s fingers were spread wide open. Jihye watched Juwon and Seowoo through them.

“Seowoo is ga, ga…”

Jihye whispered quietly, holding her grandmother’s hand.

“…Gay. Grandma.”

“Oh dear, our Seowoo.”

“Ho ho, so he had a boyfriend…”

His grandfather, who had been quietly watching this whole mess, finished the sentence his grandmother couldn’t. Then he stared blankly at the ceiling.

“I think the nosebleed has stopped now.”

Juwon said, pointing at Seowoo as if to reassure the family. Why am I not fainting now? Seowoo thought, unable to bring himself to open his closed eyes. Jjokko had turned into Cha Juwon, and although it wasn’t intentional, they had presented a scene that looked like they were naked and doing more than just hugging. There was more than enough reason to faint from shock, yet his mind was perfectly clear. All of this was a very vivid reality.