< Chapter 12 >

Seok Haewon’s father parked the car and crossed the garden.

Tap tap tap. I trotted beside him, keeping pace, occasionally glancing up at his face.

Honestly, when I first woke up at the animal hospital, I thought I’d been abandoned. That hollow dread that turned my mind blank still lingered vividly.

But the moment I saw Haewon’s father walk into the exam room, relief washed over me like a wave.

No wonder Dog Seori used to cling to me after every vet visit and refused to let go.

And when I thought about how he must have carried me, exhausted after digging that hole, all the way to the hospital…

‘…What do I even do now?’

It felt like my opinion of the Bungeoppang father had risen slightly.

Even as I rubbed my paw over my eyes, his face still seemed to glow like sunlight. The halo effect he had back at the hospital hadn’t faded yet.

“Da, Daengdang?”

Click. Madam Song blinked rapidly when she saw us enter.

“I was just about to start looking for you, Daengdang, but Vice Chairman, why are you the one…?”

For once, everyone was gathered in the living room, including Haewon, Madam Song, and his mother, who was taking off her earrings as if she had just returned from work.

Haegang stayed silent for a moment, as if choosing his words carefully, before saying,

“We went out together for a bit.”

Clink. The earring slipped from her hand and rolled across the floor.

Haewon’s mother, Haewon himself, and Madam Song all spoke one after another.

“You did?”

“Did your hearing break?”

“Oh my goodness.”

They all reacted as though they’d heard something scandalous.

Haegang darted his eyes sideways and murmured faintly,

“For a checkup. At the animal hospital.”

“You personally took the dog?”

“Who are you again?”

“Oh my goodness…”

He turned away and strode toward his room like he was fleeing the scene.

“I’m tired.”

Click. The door shut before anyone could stop him.

Three pairs of bewildered eyes turned to me.

Feeling awkward, I instinctively squeezed myself into a narrow space between furniture. My head got stuck.

What a chaotic evening.

* * *

Haewon hid my banana-shaped cushion in the dressing room. After that terrible act, he went one step further and put me on the bed.

Forced to lie down, I found myself staring at his sleeping face.

‘You should’ve gone to a hospital yourself, not taken me to one.’

He had completely denied his father’s behavior and was now sleeping like a baby. Meanwhile, I couldn’t fall asleep at all.

‘Do we really have to sleep together like this every night?’

For someone who was originally human, this was nothing short of torment.

That wasn’t the only issue.

Ever since he decided he was my “owner,” Haewon had been trying to train me, sit, paw, shake, roll over.

I ignored him completely, but even that was exhausting. Mostly because it felt like he was getting attached to Daengdang.

Lost in thought, I studied his peaceful face.

‘This is the first time I’ve actually seen him sleep.’

I recalled the girls back in college gossiping about how his bad personality somehow looked clean and pure thanks to that face.

My gaze wandered down from his eyes to his straight nose, then to his lips, and stopped on his defined neck.

Flustered, I quickly looked away and thought back to the email from days ago.

‘He told me to meet him at the lake plaza, just like that.’

Maybe he just wanted to get rid of my phone, or maybe there was another reason.

Either way, he wouldn’t be seeing me tomorrow.

I wouldn’t even be able to go to the meeting spot.

Would he wait long?

Just as a strange twinge of worry crossed my mind, Haewon’s eyes suddenly opened.

“…”

In the silence, our eyes met. Still half-asleep, he blinked drowsily and patted my rear.

“Why aren’t you sleeping?”

My… rear.

He touched my…

Smack!

My paw struck his face on reflex.

He froze, stunned, then rubbed his cheek.

“Is hitting my face really necessary just because I touched your butt a little?”

“Woof!”

“You hit me and you’re the one barking?”

“Woof!”

I turned away in outrage, my whole body burning red.

Behind me, his voice came again, soft and teasing.

“I don’t really like being hit, you know.”

Who on earth does.

“Ouch, it hurts so bad I might die.”

I will not mourn you.

‘Stop talking to me.’

Unable to hold back, I kicked the blanket with my hind legs and shut my eyes tightly.

“Saturday, noon, at the lake plaza. If you don’t come, I can’t promise what’ll happen to the hostage.”

Whether he waited or not, what did it matter. He was the one who set up that one-sided meeting in the first place.

I didn’t know how long I sulked before sleep finally took over.

* * *

Sunlight slipped through the blackout curtains and warmed my face.

‘Already morning?’

I winced and burrowed under the blanket to block the light. From the sound of running water, Haewon was already in the shower.

‘I want to sleep more…’

I curled up, half-asleep, when something strange caught my eye. The hand gripping the blanket.

“…”

I had turned human again.

‘Don’t tell me… I changed in my sleep.’

My expression stiffened. The veins in my clenched hand stood out.

He never gave me a moment’s peace.

I bit my lower lip to hold back a scream and cautiously peeked out from under the blanket.

Water still splashed against the bathroom tiles.

‘Did I change while he was showering?’

And once again, I was naked. Being human offered even less dignity than being a fluffy dog.

I held my breath as I touched the floor, my feet brushing against the banana-patterned blanket meant for Daengdang.

The moment I hastily wrapped it around myself,

Click.

The bathroom door opened.

“Where’s my razor?”

Haewon muttered irritably and started rummaging through the drawer. The bathroom door shut again with a dull sound.

“…”

I clamped both hands over my mouth, eyes wide open.

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

My heart pounded so loudly I was sure he’d hear it.

Only after the sound of running water resumed did I finally exhale.

I had managed to slip into the pantry in the nick of time, but now…

‘What do I do next?’

I cracked the pantry door slightly open, then quickly shut it again when I heard him moving around.

He was getting ready to go out.

‘Why is that man up so early on a weekend… oh.’

Our meeting.

I’d completely forgotten about it.

“Going somewhere, Haewon?”

“Yeah. Leave the dog alone. It’s still sleeping.”

I heard their voices fade, then silence settled over the room.

Creak.

I peeked out, pulling up the loose waistband of the pants I had thrown on. Time to escape.

* * *

12:50 PM.

I checked the clock hanging under the plaza sign and hurried my steps.

I had stopped by home to change clothes, which made me nearly an hour late.

He wouldn’t be there.

No way someone like Seok Haewon would wait around in the cold just to return my phone.

I was sure of it, yet my pace kept quickening.

It wasn’t guilt. I just didn’t want to owe him any more than I already did. That was all.

I kept repeating that in my head as I reached the lake plaza.

It didn’t take long to spot him. All I had to do was follow the direction everyone was looking.

At the end of their curious gazes stood Seok Haewon, wearing a gray hoodie under a black jacket.

‘Why?’

My certainty shattered into confusion.

I froze for a second, then walked straight toward him.

He glanced at his watch before asking,

“You came here on your own two feet?”

I almost fainted. My eyes darted down to my legs. Thankfully, still human.

‘That’s a strange way to say I’m late.’

He really knew how to make a dog flinch.

“Why are you still here?”

That question came out before I could even apologize.

He studied me, resting his chin lightly on his hand.

“Do I need an excuse for being at the meeting spot?”

“You’re not exactly the type to wait around for someone.”

Understanding flashed briefly across his face.

“You’re right.”

He pulled a white phone out of his pocket.

“I just didn’t feel like keeping this any longer. Does that count as a reason?”

My phone.

I reached for it instinctively, but he lifted his arm above my head.

Whoosh.

I rose on tiptoe.

Whoosh.

Even when I jumped, I couldn’t reach it. Not even close.

Tall, smug, and absolutely infuriating, he smirked.

“You’ve got some nerve. You show up late and still try to snatch your phone like it’s nothing.”

I had no comeback.

He looked down at me for a long moment before speaking again.

“I’m hungry.”

He couldn’t possibly mean what I thought. I blinked and asked carefully,

“Are you saying we should eat together? You and…”

I pointed at him, then at myself.

“…me?”

He shoved his hands in his pockets.

“Meat.”

I stared at him, completely thrown off.

A meal together? What kind of suspicious proposition was that?

He definitely had an ulterior motive.

If he wanted to torment me financially, that plan would succeed instantly, but still.

‘He doesn’t seem that petty.’

A man that rich wouldn’t care about the wallet of an ordinary college student.

Then maybe he had something else to talk about. Maybe he’d seen me this morning and was pretending not to know.

While I was busy second-guessing everything, something else caught my attention.

The red tips of his ears. He must have been standing in the cold for a long time.

There was a faint round mark on his cheek, right where my paw had hit last night.

“…”

Not that I was about to feel guilty. He was the one who’d touched me inappropriately and set up this ridiculous meeting.

Still, fiddling with the bills in my pocket, I muttered after a long pause,

“Is pork okay?”

His lips curved into a knowing smile.

“Beef.”

I knew it. He was after my wallet.