Hah… so it was because of the promise she made to her son that she couldn’t go to heaven. Then was Actress Joo Mi-yeon’s wish to stay by Han Jun’s side until his birthday?
If she hadn’t been able to fulfill that wish, maybe she hadn’t been able to pass on peacefully.
Only now did the strange phenomena that had happened to Yi-hyeon start to make a certain kind of sense. Because Actress Joo Mi-yeon’s soul hadn’t been laid to rest, the puppy’s physical body hadn’t disappeared—and perhaps, due to some kind of interaction, his own soul had entered it. As Yi-hyeon examined his body from side to side, a thought suddenly crossed his mind: if he spent Han Jun’s birthday together with him, just as she’d wanted, wouldn’t she be able to rest peacefully then?
While he was lost in these thoughts, it seemed Han Jun had come home—he could hear the front door opening downstairs. Yi-hyeon hurriedly turned off the TV he’d been watching and dashed down the stairs, only to run into Han Jun, who was coming up to the second floor.
When Han Jun spotted Yi-hyeon, his face broke into a bright smile. Just moments ago, the female lead of the drama Yi-hyeon had been watching had worn the same kind of fresh, elegant smile.
“Did you come to greet hyung? You’re really too adorable, Louis.”
Looking at Han Jun’s face, Yi-hyeon was reminded of Actress Joo Mi-yeon’s trembling voice as she’d desperately pleaded with someone, and his chest tightened.
***
Han Jun had been born on a fresh day when the gentle, sweet scent of snowbell blossoms filled the house. It was May 5th—Children’s Day.
Was that why he was such a pure and clear-hearted person?
“Where should we go for a walk today, Louis?”
“Hey, kid.”
As Han Jun came down the stairs with Yi-hyeon in his arms, Mi-jin tossed him a small, flat object. Han Jun caught it with one hand and looked at her instead of answering, his gaze full of questions.
Uncharacteristically shy, Mi-jin turned away without properly meeting his eyes and absentmindedly fiddled with her phone. Still, the way her pupils subtly shifted as she gauged his reaction was completely visible to Yi-hyeon, whose dynamic vision was excellent.
“Happy birthday.”
The card, which smelled strongly of something new, had the name of a luxury apartment brand recently built not far from Han Jun’s school printed on it.
“What is this?”
Han Jun asked.
“Can’t you tell just by looking? It’s a key.”
“I know that, but…… hey, no way. Seriously?”
She certainly had the means to buy her nephew an apartment, but perhaps he hadn’t expected her to actually do it—Han Jun narrowed his eyes with a dubious smile. When Mi-jin’s expression hardened, he widened his eyes this time, clearly shocked.
“For real?”
“Building 501, unit 2401.”
“No, I mean—is this actually real?”
“It’s fake for now. The move-in date is five months from now. Then it’ll be real.”
“Wow, insane. Auntie—no, I mean…… wow, my queen.”
Han Jun grinned brightly and gave her a thumbs-up, declaring that family really was the best.
I wanted to give him a present too……
As a puppy, he didn’t even know what kind of gift he could possibly give—but even if he’d been human, giving anything to someone receiving a house as a birthday present would’ve felt pitifully insignificant.
Maybe it’s better that I couldn’t give him anything……
With a slightly downcast expression, Yi-hyeon burrowed deeper into Han Jun’s arms.
Perhaps because he was so happy about getting a house, the corners of Han Jun’s mouth never dropped the entire walk. He kept stopping, squatting down in front of Yi-hyeon, and speaking to him affectionately.
“Now it’s really just going to be the two of us living together. No one interfering, no watching our backs.”
Yeah… so what if I live as a puppy?
As long as they were happy, that was enough.
Moved by Han Jun’s joy, Yi-hyeon expressed his own happiness with his body—spinning in circles and hopping around excitedly.
After they returned home from the walk, Yi-hyeon kept sneaking glances at Han Jun as he packed the textbooks he’d take to school the next day. He was trying to gauge the right timing to give him Mi-yeon’s present.
Then, spotting the smart key Han Jun had dropped, Yi-hyeon discreetly nudged it with his hind legs—shh shh—pushing it under the bed where Han Jun wouldn’t notice. Right behind the smart key, he dragged over the gift box Actress Joo Mi-yeon had prepared.
After packing his bag and returning to the bed, Han Jun rummaged through his pockets, muttering that he couldn’t believe it, then suddenly widened his eyes.
He’d noticed the missing smart key.
Even though the birthday present had been prepared by Actress Joo Mi-yeon, Yi-hyeon’s heart started pounding—thump thump—for no reason.
“Huh? Where did my key go?”
Han Jun began searching around. Then, saying it might’ve gone under the bed, he crouched down and bent so far his head nearly touched the floor.
From that moment on, Yi-hyeon’s heart began racing wildly, like it might leap straight out of his chest.
“Found it. Louis and my key.”
Han Jun reached out to grab the card key—then froze.
“What’s this?”
It seemed he’d discovered Mi-yeon’s box.
Yi-hyeon held his breath, watching for his reaction.
Han Jun pushed his arm in deeper than before, and his fingertips emerged with the small box attached. If Mi-yeon’s soul truly coexisted within Louis’s body, Yi-hyeon felt she’d want to watch her son’s expression from as close as possible when he found the gift—so he moved closer to Han Jun.
Standing up straight, Han Jun picked up the card tucked into the ribbon on the box. His dark eyes, reading through the contents with his lips tightly pressed together, were deeper than usual.
“……Mom.”
What fell from Han Jun’s mouth was a voice filled with sorrow—and countless emotions.
He couldn’t take his eyes off the card for a long time, and the skin around his eyes reddened. I can’t even wipe his tears. Yi-hyeon felt anxious, afraid that the swollen rims of his eyes would spill over any second.
Han Jun set the card down on the bedside table and perched on the bed. He untied the sheer red ribbon slowly, carefully. As he loosened the string, not a single sound of breathing came from him.
A moment later, the lid of the box opened. As Han Jun looked inside, clear droplets fell—plip—from his eyes. Yi-hyeon pulled back the tongue he’d been panting with and quietly watched Han Jun’s face.
“So you were going to take me to see puppies with you…….”
In Han Jun’s hand was a dog collar with a beautifully designed pendant. Squatting down on the floor, he carefully placed it around Yi-hyeon’s neck. Then, after adjusting the chain, he gently pulled the small bundle of fluff into his arms.
“……It’s yours, Louis.”
Feeling Han Jun’s body heave violently as he held him, Yi-hyeon flailed his front paws. If only I were human today. With these tiny paws, he couldn’t hug Han Jun, couldn’t pat his back.
After sobbing quietly for a long while, Han Jun pulled Yi-hyeon out of his arms and murmured softly.
“I miss you, Mom.”
Holding Yi-hyeon, Han Jun returned to the bed and collapsed onto it.
Unable to hug Han Jun in return, Yi-hyeon gently licked away the tears that fell from the corners of his eyes and traced down his temples. Then he pressed close against Han Jun’s arm, resting his chin there.
Perhaps from crying, Han Jun’s body temperature was higher than usual.
Clinging tightly to him, Yi-hyeon didn’t move away—he kept licking Han Jun’s cheek until his grief subsided. Around the time dawn began to break, they fell asleep almost simultaneously.
***
Beep—. Beep—.
So noisy.
What if Han Jun woke up after finally crying himself to sleep?
Hearing the mechanical beeping so often heard in TV dramas, Yi-hyeon slowly lifted his eyelids.
He clearly remembered looking at Han Jun’s face as dawn light painted it—yet when he opened his eyes, a strange white ceiling filled his view, and instead of Han Jun’s cool, faint scent, the sharp smell of alcohol stung his nose.
What……? Where is this place?
His left arm ached dully.
When he slowly lifted it, he saw an IV needle and tangled tubes. Turning his head from side to side, Yi-hyeon finally realized he was lying in a hospital.
A hospital? Then… am I human again?
The very first thing that came to mind was Han Jun’s face, smiling as he looked at him.
“Han Jun!”
Yi-hyeon shot upright and tore off the unfamiliar tubes attached to his body. Even knowing they were needles, he yanked out the line embedded in his wrist.
Dark red blood splattered onto the floor, but what mattered to Yi-hyeon was whether Louis had remained by Han Jun’s side after he’d returned. If not—then the kid who lived looking at nothing but Louis would……
Without even checking his own condition, Yi-hyeon burst out of the hospital room and ran toward the elevator. Before he could press the button, a nurse rushed over and grabbed him.
“You can’t wander around like this as soon as you wake up, Patient Yoon Yi-hyeon. Please return to your room.”
“I’m fine. I’m really fine. I just need to check one thing.”
“You’ve only just regained consciousness—going out is out of the question. You need to see your attending physician first, and then we can talk slowly.”
“I’m sorry, but there’s a situation—”
“The hospital also has a responsibility to ensure the patient’s recovery, you know?”
