< Chapter 13 >

With the spoon touching his lips, Seok Haewon looked down at the hot stone bowl in front of him.

“This is beef?”

I quietly pointed to the sign hanging on the restaurant wall.

“Third-Generation Beef Soup.” Grandma herself had approved it as the best place in town.

“Well, I guess it’s technically beef.”

He spoke as if it didn’t really matter and began eating. Watching him calmly dig in, I spoke up.

“Now talk.”

“About what?”

“Whatever you’re planning. You didn’t bring me here just to eat together, did you?”

“You seem desperate to buy me a meal lately.”

“…”

“I was being generous, giving you the chance to treat me. Why, do you not like that?”

His innocent blinking was infuriating. Speechless, I looked down at my soup instead.

Seeing my reaction, Haewon’s gaze shifted. He wore the same look he always did when something amused him.

“So you really did do something behind my back, huh?”

Just then, his phone buzzed against the table. The screen lit up, showing the furious face of a barking puppy.

He wasn’t wrong. I did feel guilty.

‘When did he even set that as his wallpaper?’

If he was going to use my picture, he could have at least chosen a decent one. That look on my face—seriously, what kind of taste was that?

Still, I couldn’t quite figure out what I was feeling.

Despite complaining all the time, he still took me to the convenience store, cleaned my banana cushion, and even brought me along when he ran errands. It was strange how he never pushed me away.

I poked at my soup and pressed the call button. My throat felt dry.

“Sir, one drink, please.”

The owner, who recognized me instantly, came over with a wide grin.

“Seori, long time no see. Here, this should do, right?”

It wasn’t what I ordered. I had asked for a soft drink, yet he handed me a green soju bottle. I froze, glancing nervously at Haewon.

“I just come here sometimes. Once every few months or so.”

Whenever I missed Grandma or Dog Seori too much to bear.

‘Why am I even explaining myself right now.’

Letting out a sigh, I tried to swap the drink, but something about the bottle caught my attention.

Since the symptoms of changing between dog and human were hangover and sleep, maybe alcohol itself was connected somehow. My hand trembled faintly around the bottle.

‘It might be worth a try…’

Yes.

I twisted the cap open and poured the soju into a glass until it was full. Then, gripping it solemnly like I was taking an oath, I took a deep breath.

No one knew what might happen if I drank this.

I could turn into a dog, nothing could happen, or something entirely different might occur. There was also the chance that I’d gain no clue at all.

‘…But still.’

I had to do something. I couldn’t live this fragile double life forever.

My hand tightened around the glass. I hesitated, glancing at Haewon.

I would’ve preferred to test it alone, but that would be risky. If I turned into a dog, there’d be no one to look after me until I turned back.

He raised an eyebrow, watching me.

“You’re actually going to drink that?”

“Seok Haewon.”

At the sound of his name, his black eyes widened slightly. It was the first time I’d said it out loud in years.

“If something happens after I drink this…”

I fidgeted with the glass, then looked at him with resolve.

“I’ll explain everything.”

The liquid went down my throat. Tick, tick. A few seconds passed in silence.

Haewon rested his chin on his hand, studying me with a blank face.

“So I was right. You really thought you’d transform or something.”

“…”

“Amazing. Nothing happened at all.”

The unnecessary commentary stung more than I wanted to admit.

‘Maybe I didn’t drink enough?’

My face flushed as I raised the glass again.

One drink, two drinks. I lost count as they kept going down.

Before I knew it, my vision blurred and Haewon started splitting into two, then three, then four.

That was the last thing I saw before my consciousness shut off like a light.

* * *

Something did happen after she drank, just as Seori claimed.

She nearly faceplanted into her soup bowl.

Haewon barely managed to catch her head in time. If he hadn’t, she would have been eating the soup with her nose.

“Kim Seori.”

He called her name several times, shaking her lightly, but she didn’t respond.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” the owner muttered as he walked by.

“She’s always been the type to know her limits, yet she’s passed out in the middle of the day.”

No kidding.

Haewon chewed on a piece of cucumber from the side dishes, watching her slumped over the table.

Buying him a meal without complaint, drinking herself under the table—none of it was like her.

This was the same woman who would rather starve than sit at the same table as him, and who always left drinking parties before she hit her limit.

But time passed, and she still didn’t wake up. Her body even trembled slightly, probably from the cold.

Haewon sighed and lifted her into his arms, startled for a moment by how light she was.

Now that he thought about it, everything about her was small. Her frame, her hands, her feet. He had just remembered her as taller because she once stood above him when they first met.

Realizing this, his grip unconsciously grew gentler.

“Sir, pay before you leave!”

The owner caught him before he reached the door.

“Ah.”

Still holding Seori in one arm, Haewon stood by the counter.

The older man glanced up at him as he took the card.

His movements were slow and calm, but something about his sharp looks gave off a different impression.

“You’re so good-looking I’ll throw in the soju for free. You’ve got that look, you know, that… what’s it called again… lunatic?”

He probably meant idol. Haewon didn’t bother to correct him.

“You Seori’s boyfriend?”

“No.”

Seori shivered from the chill and burrowed closer into his chest.

“Then what’s your relationship?”

A faint crack appeared in Haewon’s expression. There wasn’t really a word for what they were.

They weren’t friends or lovers, yet they’d known each other for over ten years.

“…Enemies?”

“Enemies, huh…”

The owner stared at him for a moment before saying,

“That girl used to come in here and say she hated beef. Always pushed her soup toward her grandma, saying she didn’t want it. Ever since she was little, until the day her grandma passed away.”

Haewon slowly turned to look at him.

“I thought she was just picky, but turns out she ate just fine. Her grandma probably still thinks she hates beef, even up there.”

After handing back the card, the owner smiled awkwardly.

“So what I mean is, she’s not a bad kid. Just clueless sometimes. Don’t hate her too much.”

Haewon gave a faint laugh as he turned away.

“I never hated her.”

It took a moment for the owner to process those words before he shouted after him.

“If you do anything weird with a drunk girl, I’ll come after you!”

Right then, Seori stirred and swung her elbow back, smacking Haewon square on the jaw.

The owner gaped, then yelled again.

“Seori! You can’t go around hitting people when you’re drunk!”

He watched them until they disappeared from view. The sweater Haewon wore looked far too thin for the freezing weather.

Enemies, huh.

“Sir, we’re ready to order!”

The owner tore his gaze away from the door and smiled at the new customers bundled up in jackets and hoodies.

“Alright, coming right up!”

What kind of fool gives his coat to his enemy in this cold?

* * *

Beep. Beep-beep.

Haewon entered the small apartment he used alternately with his family’s home.

Setting Seori down on the sofa, he sighed softly. He should’ve brought the car. Carrying her all this way was testing his patience.

Twitch.

All of a sudden, Seori flinched and lifted her head sharply. Her eyes barely open, she looked around warily before curling up again.

“…?”

Maybe it was because her hair was sticking up from static, but for a moment she looked exactly like the scruffy dog.

As he rubbed his eyes to shake off the image, a voice cut through the air.

“Hey, you.”

Startled, he looked down. Seori was lying flat, hands neatly folded over her stomach.

“Wash my feet.”

Was she serious? Haewon stared down at her in disbelief. Her wiggling toes suggested she wasn’t joking.

“I must be hearing things.”

“It’s your job.”

“I never agreed to that job.”

Unbothered, Seori raised one foot and ordered,

“Stop being lazy and do your duty.”

Aside from her slurred words, her tone was as intimidating as a gangster’s.

Trying to argue with a drunk was pointless. Only the sober person suffered.

Sighing, Haewon fetched a towel soaked in warm water, but froze halfway back.

She had already taken off her socks and was waiting expectantly.

He sat down by her feet and held out the towel.

“Do it yourself.”

“I can’t. My hands are gone.”

“Your hands are right there, perfectly fine.”

“No, they’re gone…”

Seori covered her tearful eyes with the back of her hand. How could an ordinary human understand the sorrow of having her hands turn into paws?

“They’re gone, that’s why I’m like this…”

Haewon twisted his lips and gave up on reasoning.

“I can’t wait to hear how you explain this when you sober up.”

He hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly began wiping her feet.

His gentle movements loosened her expression, making it soft and sleepy.

Looking at her small feet, barely bigger than his hand, he found himself staring for longer than intended.

Then, the drunk troublemaker spoke again.

“Later, you have to dry them with a towel too.”

“Yes, yes, ma’am.”

He replied dryly and started on the other foot.

His hands moved with practiced ease. After taking care of Daengdang’s paws lately, he had gotten surprisingly good at this.

But then he paused. There was a small scar near her ankle, old and faint.

“I got bitten by a stray dog when I was a kid.”

Her voice came quietly.

He lifted his head slowly. Their eyes met.

The wary, defensive look she always had was gone. Her gaze was soft, almost hazy, and her pale cheeks were flushed.

The wall she had always kept up around him seemed to have crumbled.

His eyes lowered to a strand of light brown hair that had fallen across her neck.

His mouth felt dry. He released her ankle at the same moment she spoke.

“Do you have a pet dog?”