Perfect Puppy

Seo Jae-ha—someone who effortlessly charms everyone he meets and lives a life seemingly free of obstacles. One night on his way home, he stumbles across a stray dog and, unable to just leave it, decides to take it in.

But the next morning, what he finds lying beside him isn’t a dog— It’s a naked man…?!

“What are you?”

“Ju Hae-hyun.”

“No, I mean what are you?”

The man, Ju Hae-hyun, insists that he was the dog from the night before and that he’s a descendant of the mythical Haetae. When Jae-ha refuses to believe him, Hae-hyun transforms into a dog right before his eyes. He then proposes that they live together, promising to cleanse the strange aura clinging to Jae-ha.

To make things worse—or better—Hae-hyun even saves Jae-ha from drowning in the campus lake.

After a literal near-death experience, Jae-ha finds himself unable to completely believe… or dismiss what’s happening. And right in front of him, watching only him, is the “dog”—or rather, the Haetae descendant, Hae-hyun.

But there’s something odd about this guy. The way he clings, the strangely familiar affection, …Could it be? Does he… like me? …He does like me, doesn’t he?

Is Jae-ha right about his hunch? What exactly is in Hae-hyun’s heart…?

***

“Ju Hae-hyun, why are you so damn pushy?”

At those words, Hae-hyun flinched and turned to him, looking a little shocked.

“Why are you calling me Ju Hae-hyun?”

“…Isn’t that your name?”

Their words volleyed back and forth like ping-pong as Hae-hyun’s steps slowed. Now walking beside Jae-ha, he grumbled in protest.

“Why are you calling me by my full name? Don’t add the surname. Just call me by my first name.”

Was this guy a 21-year-old college student or an 11-year-old kid…? He had to know what kind of look Jae-ha was giving him, but he stood his ground.

“I don’t like it when people use my surname. Call me just by my name.”

The drama was real. Jae-ha stared at him and teased with a light jab.

“You don’t even listen, but now you’re giving orders?”

“I’ll listen well!”

That mouth sure didn’t quit.

“You think I don’t know you were moping around the house in dog form just to rebel?”

“That’s… Sunbae, seriously, don’t you think that was a bit much? How could you not once try to comfort me? I was literally curled up as a puppy!”

Suddenly, Hae-hyun unleashed a flood of complaints. They came pouring out so smoothly, Jae-ha almost thought he was listening to a home shopping host.

***

“Just break up already!”

The sudden shout echoed down the stairwell, making Jae-ha’s heart lurch. The voice, full of raw frustration, reverberated off the steps.

“If breaking up is the solution, just do it! Why can’t you do even that? You used to call them your perfect partner—now you’re taking it all back?”

Thump, thump. His heartbeat quickened. Everything blurred, and Jae-ha clenched his fists. He didn’t want to process what he was hearing—refused to.

“Whatever. Until you sort things out, don’t contact me. I’m not picking up.”

Jae-ha recognized it instantly—he could, because he’d heard it so often and paid so much attention. That firm tone was laced with a strange sort of clinginess. Just like the way Hae-hyun spoke to him.

“That’s not what I meant…”

Hae-hyun’s voice felt far away. Jae-ha’s eyes drifted into space as he stumbled backward, slowly at first, then faster—like he was fleeing—until he was speed-walking down the hallway. The sunlit corridor quickly fell silent, as though no one had ever been there.

“Just break up already!”

“You used to call them your perfect partner—now you’re taking it all back?”

Even after leaving the scene, the words kept ringing in his ears. It felt like he’d been punched in the chest.

There was nothing concrete to identify who the other person in the call was. But Jae-ha’s instincts whispered to him—screamed at him—it was "1".

So all that time Hae-hyun hadn’t been contacting that girl… It wasn’t because Jae-ha had asked him to, or because he liked him.

“Until you sort things out, don’t contact me.”

Was it all just because of some fight with her?

After that, Jae-ha wandered aimlessly. His mind was blank, like it had been scorched black. Betrayal, sadness, resentment—a storm of emotions swirled violently inside his chest.

How— How could you?