He thought that the human soul and the puppy’s soul inside him were colliding. Otherwise, there was no way he’d be drooling like this just from looking at a bit of Korean beef in such a dire situation.
“What kind of crazy bastard would do that? You’re saying the car just swerved past?” Han Jun asked, turning to the Auntie.
In the cold, tense atmosphere, Yi-hyeon couldn’t even bring his mouth to the meat in the bowl and could only let his saliva drip endlessly.
Grrrrk. Troubled by the sound of his empty stomach, Yi-hyeon squeezed his eyes shut and shoved his face into the bowl. Then he took a huge bite of the Korean beef. He chewed it a couple of times with his molars and swallowed it roughly. The savory aroma of rendered fat spread through his mouth, and the blissful taste stimulated his brain.
It’s delicious!
“…Didn’t it? I asked Se-hyeon earlier, and he said—”
“Ha, what a ridiculous asshole. He lies every time he opens his mouth, seriously. He charged straight at our Louis, you know? If it hadn’t been for my friend, our Louis would’ve been in real danger.”
At Han Jun’s accusatory voice, Yi-hyeon stopped chewing and lifted his head.
Friend—don’t tell me he means me?
Yi-hyeon hadn’t expected Han Jun, who had always been nothing but cold and distant toward him, to use the word friend for him.
On top of that, it had been Han Jun himself who’d warned him not to even think about getting close. So why now? It could’ve been someone else he was referring to, but the one who saved Louis was undeniably Yi-hyeon.
Could it be that Han Jun had thought of me as a friend from the very beginning?
Then why had he pushed him away all this time, saying he had no intention of getting close? And where exactly was Yi-hyeon—the one who had saved Louis—and what was he doing now? In an instant, Yi-hyeon’s head grew complicated.
“Chew slowly and properly. I’m the one who bought all that. Not Auntie—me. So you should like me, not Auntie. Got it?”
As soon as the Auntie left the room, Han Jun sprang up, walked over, and flopped down in front of Yi-hyeon. Then, to the dazedly sitting Yi-hyeon, he showered him with kisses.
Yi-hyeon was so deep in thought that he couldn’t even react to Han Jun’s lips. He had begun to calmly organize what he needed to do next, step by step, in his head.
Yi-hyeon concluded that there had to be a reason he’d possessed Louis’s body. The female voice that had sounded like an auditory hallucination before he saved Louis surely had meaning as well.
She definitely said it was a birthday back then.
Yi-hyeon formed a hypothesis.
Perhaps Louis, who cherished Han Jun, had wanted to spend his birthday with him so badly that even after meeting with misfortune that day, he couldn’t go to the Rainbow Bridge and instead lingered behind. It sounded like something out of a novel or a comic, but then again, the fact that he’d turned into a puppy wasn’t exactly realistic either.
If that’s the case, what if I spend Han Jun’s birthday with him in Louis’s body? Then could Louis leave for heaven with a peaceful heart? And would I be able to return to my original body then?
Because hope had taken root, the first thing he needed to do was find out where that body even was. It was a daunting task in Louis’s body, which was practically confined to the house—but he found out faster than expected.
“You’re sure, right? I’m trusting you because you say you’ve had zero accidents in five years.”
A few days later, Han Jun stopped by a dog café a short distance from home, holding Yi-hyeon in his arms.
Unable to lift his head, Yi-hyeon buried himself in Han Jun’s broad, solid chest, desperately avoiding people’s gazes.
The reason was that before heading out, Han Jun had dressed Yi-hyeon in an extravagantly ornate dress whose origin was anyone’s guess. The lace was absurdly elaborate. As if that weren’t enough, he’d also plopped a massive ribboned hat onto Yi-hyeon’s tiny head. Then, to Yi-hyeon’s face—burning with humiliation and not knowing what to do—he’d delivered a barrage of kisses.
At this rate, if he kept getting kissed like this, even after turning back into a human, it probably wouldn’t feel awkward at all.
“Please, really, really take good care of him. He can’t get hurt, can’t get lost, and nothing can go wrong.”
“Safety is our top priority, so please rest assured and leave him with us.”
At the staff member’s words, Han Jun set Yi-hyeon down from his arms. Because of the long, flowing forsythia-yellow dress that made him want to hide at every turn, Yi-hyeon tried to dash toward a dark corner—only to have his torso caught by Han Jun.
“Hyung will go to the hospital real quick. You have to behave and have fun, okay?”
At the word hospital, Yi-hyeon flinched and turned to look at Han Jun.
During the time they’d spent together, Yi-hyeon had personally confirmed Han Jun’s robust health every morning—he hadn’t been sick even once—so this couldn’t help but strike him as odd.
As Yi-hyeon tilted his tiny, dandelion-fluff-like head in confusion, Han Jun continued.
“The hyung who saved Louis is hospitalized at the hospital right up ahead.”
Yi-hyeon’s mind snapped to attention.
“You can’t bring animals into the hospital, so I’ve been going every day to say thank you on Louis’s behalf. When hyung wakes up, we’ll go see him together then. Okay?”
Only then did Yi-hyeon realize that his consciousness still hadn’t returned.
His worry and anxiety were immense, but there was nothing he could do right now. On top of that, if pets weren’t allowed in the hospital, he’d obviously be kicked out the moment he tried to sneak a look.
Besides, at this point, distancing himself from Han Jun was the most dangerous thing possible for Louis, so the thought of running away didn’t even cross his mind.
A birthday—could that really be the key to returning to his original body?
Yi-hyeon simply watched Han Jun’s face as he hesitated to leave, repeatedly looking back as though it pained him to go.
Even after exiting the shop, Han Jun kept peering back through the floor-to-ceiling glass. Only when the traffic light changed did Han Jun finally grow farther and farther from Yi-hyeon’s view.
What if he gets into an accident like that? Look forward—forward!
Watching Han Jun constantly glance back even as he crossed the crosswalk, Yi-hyeon anxiously stamped his four paws in place. Only once Han Jun reached the sidewalk did Yi-hyeon’s heart finally settle.
When Han Jun disappeared from sight, embarrassment over his own dress-clad appearance came rushing back over Yi-hyeon. As he scurried about looking for a corner seat, a staff member casually tossed something toward him, saying, “Check this out.”
It was a bee plushie—a toy meant for companion dogs.
“It’ll be a while before hyung comes back. Wanna go hunting and play, Louis?”
Was this some kind of hunting instinct? Almost the instant the café owner finished speaking, Yi-hyeon’s butt began to wiggle.
Bzzzz!
“Kkiing!”
Startled by the bee plushie flapping its wings and spinning around the floor, Yi-hyeon scrambled under a table. The bee toddled over to his feet, where he was hiding behind a table leg, and then abruptly stopped. Yi-hyeon found himself impressed by the level of modern dog toys.
Whoa, that seriously startled me!
As Yi-hyeon let out a sigh of relief, his eyes met those of a white glutinous-rice-cake-like fluff tucked into the opposite corner.
Still in the early stages of socialization? Cute… should I try asking him to play?
Approaching the “dead” bee on the floor, Yi-hyeon nudged the plushie with his front paw to see how it worked. As Yi-hyeon gathered his courage, the other dogs also began to inch closer with interest.
Bzzzz!
The moment it reacted, the dogs scattered in a mad dash. All that could be seen were butts with tails tucked firmly between their legs, faces completely hidden.
“Woof!”
Don’t be scared. It’s just a toy.
Light as a dandelion seed, Yi-hyeon launched himself and covered the toy with his whole body. He rubbed against it, pestered it, bit it, flung it this way and that, then pinned it with his front paws and rolled around on the floor.
See? It’s a toy that can’t do anything.
After seeing Yi-hyeon, the dogs realized the toy was a weak, harmless thing and slowly approached again. Even the pale, mochi-like fluff hiding in the corner peeked his head out and started wiggling his butt.
Come out. Let’s play together!
With the toy clenched in his mouth, Yi-hyeon trotted over to the Maltese, set it down in front of him, and panted with his tongue hanging out.
***
Tangled together and rolling around over a single toy, Yi-hyeon and the Maltese quickly became friends.
When Yi-hyeon ran away, the Maltese chased after him. When Yi-hyeon deliberately let the toy be stolen, the Maltese ran off instead. Just as Yi-hyeon was diligently helping the little rice cake with his socialization—
Jingle.
The shop door opened and a couple walked in, prompting the staff member to greet them warmly.
“Welcome! Is this your first time at our café?”
“Yes. Why?”
“Our café has rules. To prevent safety accidents, dogs with severe biting or mounting behavior are restricted from using the facilities. If you need to leave, we’ll refund the full amount you paid.”
“Our dog doesn’t do that. He doesn’t bite.”
“For the children’s adjustment, we’d appreciate it if you could enjoy the café with your dog wearing a harness for just ten minutes.”
“Our dog adapts quickly, so it’s fine.”
