< Chapter 18 >

The night sky was completely swallowed by darkness as twilight faded away.

About three hundred meters from the safe zone, I finally stopped. Having turned into a dog again, I pushed my head into a hole in the wall.

‘Damn it.’

As expected, my head was the problem.

With a grunt, I squeezed my way through until even my tail slipped inside. Once through, I stuck my head into the laundry room door.

“Puppy, puppy?”

The housekeeper’s voice came from inside as she looked for me. Standing on two legs, I pressed my back against the wall and held my breath as quietly as I could.

Getting caught wandering in and out of the laundry room would be bad. Security would get tighter.

“Oh dear, I have to find you before Madam gets home. This house is way too big. Puppy—”

Her slippers shuffled farther and farther away.

‘Now’s my chance.’

Like the wind, I dashed straight to Seok Haewon’s room.

The moment I stepped inside, the mirror reflected a scruffy, wide-eyed dog with messy fur.

‘Seori…’

My gaze softened.

Was it really you who turned me into this? Somehow, I felt that if I could figure out the reason, I might finally break this strange spell.

“Here you are!”

The housekeeper’s voice startled me out of my thoughts.

“This dog really loves looking in the mirror. I guess the saying’s true that big heads come with big egos.”

That horrible rumor definitely started with Seok Haewon.

She crouched down and held her phone to my ear.

“Puppy, it’s a phone call.”

“Woof.”

Out of habit, I almost said “Hello.” Realizing what I’d done, I quickly covered my mouth with a paw and narrowed my eyes.

‘Who else would think to call a dog but Seok Haewon?’

Sure enough, his voice came from the phone.

“What are you doing at home?”

I couldn’t exactly say I’d just been with him and was now back home.

“I called because I’m in a terrible mood.”

Ouch.

He didn’t even have to explain why. I already knew who had put him in that mood. His voice was always different whenever he mentioned Kim Seori.

He didn’t need to keep reminding me how much he disliked me.

‘Did it really have to be “terrible” though?’

Then again, I had gotten drunk and made a fool of myself, so maybe it was deserved. The memory of that night still made my stomach twist. I planned to live pretending it never happened.

But still, how had I gotten drunk so fast when my tolerance was usually fine? Even if I’d let my guard down a little around him…

“…”

Wait. Let my guard down?

That wasn’t right. If anything, I should have been more cautious when I was around Seok Haewon.

“Not saying anything? Are you sulking because I didn’t take you for a walk?”

The low hum of his voice in the wind hit me directly in the ears.

“I’m heading home, so wait for me.”

I stared at the phone, dumbfounded.

‘I’ve… gotten used to the way he talks to the dog.’

“…”

Slowly, I reached out my paw and pressed the end call button.

The housekeeper blinked at the phone, then at me.

“Oh no, it hung up. You pressed the end button by accident.”

But my instincts were shouting at me loud and clear.

Don’t get any closer. You’ll be the only one hurt in the end.

* * *

Recently, I’d developed a new morning routine.

“Puppy, the Vice Chairman’s leaving for work.”

At the housekeeper’s call, I dashed straight to the front door like a bullet. My daily duty was to greet Seok Haewon’s father before he left.

Have a safe trip.

I bowed flat against the floor as he walked past without even a glance.

The housekeeper sighed, a little disappointed.

“It’d be nice if he at least acknowledged you. Poor thing.”

I never expected a response anyway. This was the only way I could show gratitude for the day he took me to the hospital.

After that, Seok Haewon would leave too, and when afternoon came, the housekeeper would go grocery shopping.

Left alone, I quietly opened Seok Haewon’s laptop.

“Who’s the guy you’re playing with?”

Ugh. Another spam email.

“I’ll check your phone, you know.”

My phone was tucked away in a drawer, and he didn’t even care about it. The moment I deleted one email, another came in.

“Now you’re playing with me through email.”

For the past few days, messages from Seok Haewon had been coming nonstop.

He only ever asked two things: when I was going to come get my phone, and who this supposed “guy I was playing with” was.

His clinginess was suspicious, but thinking about his weird behavior never led to answers. There was only one explanation that made any sense.

‘He’s bored.’

He looked the type who didn’t have much to do, but wasn’t he supposed to be busy learning company management?

I was still deleting the messages when—

Thunk.

A sound came from the living room.

I quickly snapped the laptop shut and turned toward the door.

There shouldn’t have been any noise. No one was home.

Maybe the housekeeper forgot something and came back? But there were no footsteps, no sound of slippers on the floor.

Cold dread ran down my spine.

‘Don’t tell me…’

A burglar?

Carefully, I crept down the hallway, pressing myself against the wall. My mouth was dry from nerves.

If there really was an intruder, the smartest move would be…

‘Stay hidden and pretend you’re not here.’

Sure, dogs were supposed to protect their homes, but with this tiny body, I’d be flattened with one toe.

I peeked into the living room and froze.

It wasn’t a thief.

It was Seok Haewon’s mother.

But why were we eye-level?

Had the world tilted without me noticing?

Then I realized the truth and gasped, clutching my head. The world wasn’t tilted. She was collapsed on the floor.

Her eyelids fluttered faintly, her long lashes trembling.

Panicking, I ran over until I was right in front of her face.

‘Hey, wake up!’

She didn’t move even when I pushed at her cheek with my paw.

‘What do I do?’

I moved a paw under her nose. There was a faint breath.

119. I needed to call 119.

I reached for my nonexistent pocket, then smacked my forehead.

‘Right. No pockets.’

I didn’t even have clothes, let alone a phone.

Then I spotted a purple phone lying nearby.

‘Her phone.’

I hurried to it, but it was locked.

If I could just unlock it with her fingerprint, maybe I could make the call.

There was no time to waste. Clenching my teeth, I started dragging her hand toward the phone with all my strength.

* * *

Vice Chairman’s Office, S Group.

“A message from Chairman Seok.”

Haewon dropped a thick envelope on the desk and turned to leave, but Haegang’s eyes followed him.

Something felt off. Even if the chairman wanted Haewon to learn management, his son was unusually obedient these days.

Would he vanish the moment he became an adult, ignoring the family’s plans altogether? That thought had crossed Haegang’s mind more than once.

Haewon had always been that way. He had everything, a perfect life ahead of him, but no ambition, no desire, nothing to tie him down.

That’s why his current behavior felt so strange.

Haegang opened the envelope and asked, “What did your grandfather promise you in exchange for learning management?”

“Money and power.”

“Don’t dodge the question.”

Haewon paused, one hand in his pocket, then turned slightly. He debated saying it, but there was no point in hiding it.

“He promised not to force me into an engagement.”

“Marriage is still an important card in business.”

“Just like it was for you and Mother.”

“…Right.”

Haewon stepped closer to the desk.

“So, tell me. Were you ever happy?”

The pen in Haegang’s hand stopped.

He had never thought of marriage in terms of happiness. It had been a transaction from the very beginning.

‘I think we should stop pretending when we’re alone. We’re partners in business, and that’s all we’ll ever be.’

He could still hear Eunsoo’s indifferent voice echoing in his ears.

Haegang looked up, meeting his son’s eyes.

“If you have something to say, say it directly.”

“I just don’t want to live like that.”

A heavy silence fell between them until a phone vibrated loudly on the desk.

Buzz, buzz—

Both men turned toward it. Haegang’s face stiffened.

The caller ID said “Eunsoo.”

A video call.

She had never once called him like that before.

Haewon leaned his chin on his hand and muttered, “Is this her way of announcing a divorce?”

Haegang’s jaw tensed. He ignored the phone and picked up his pen again.

“She probably dialed by mistake.”

Buzz. The vibration continued, refusing to stop.

Buzz— buzz—

Haegang stubbornly avoided looking, but then he noticed Haewon’s smirk. Before he could stop him, Haewon’s finger slid over the answer button.

“Oops, my hand slipped.”

“You—!”

But instead of Eunsoo’s face, the screen filled with darkness.

What on earth…

Both men leaned in. The darkness rippled and shifted.

Sniff, sniff.

Something was moving.

Two tiny black dots appeared.

“Woof.”

No, not dots. Nostrils.

* * *

Two days had passed since Haewon’s mother collapsed. Sitting on the living room sofa, I recalled what had happened.

‘Eunsoo! Han Eunsoo!’

The image of Haewon’s father rushing into the house, completely disheveled, wouldn’t leave my mind.

He’d tripped over nothing, couldn’t even think to call for help, and simply carried her out in his arms.

Then, when he returned home from the hospital, his face was a perfect mask again.

Maybe their marriage wasn’t just loveless, it might have been broken beyond that.

Not that I could say anything. I wasn’t even a guest here, just a dog.

“Haewon, your mother’s being discharged today. I hope she takes a few days to rest.”

The housekeeper’s kind tone softened, then she winked at me.

“Still, we really owe it all to our puppy.”

Of course, the video call I’d made had been dismissed as an accident, as if the dog had hit the phone by mistake.

Which made sense. Who would believe a dog deliberately used a phone?

“Good job, our honorary rescue dog.”

Haewon sat on the sofa, rubbing my head with both hands. His touch was soft, even if his words were careless.

‘I didn’t really do anything.’

Still, the praise made me shy and a little proud. I rubbed my nose with a paw. Being treated like a kid getting a gold star didn’t feel bad at all.

Then he lightly nipped the top of my head.

That, however, was awful.

I yelped and wriggled in protest just as the door opened.

“Oh? You’re home early. Let me take your things, Mr. Kwon.”

Haewon’s mother entered with Secretary Kwon, and in a panic, Haewon shoved me into his hoodie.

‘Ugh.’

My cheek was squished against his firm stomach, and the world spun around me.

I understood why he didn’t want her to see me, but this was not the way.

When I tried to squirm free, he pressed me down and whispered, “Stay still.”

Fine, but could you please stop crushing me?

The more I moved, the worse it got. My nose brushed against his chest, and his scent filled my head until I felt dizzy.

“Pfft.”

He suddenly laughed, unable to hold it in, then pulled me out of the hoodie.

Composing himself, he muttered, “I’m ticklish.”

Then why hide me there in the first place?

I tried to smack him with my paw, but he blocked it.

“You’re not supposed to growl at your owner.”

When I tried kicking instead, he caught that too.

We were so caught up in bickering that we didn’t notice at first.

Then we froze, me with my back legs raised, him holding my paws, because we could both feel a pair of eyes on us.

Standing in the middle of the living room were Haewon’s mother and Secretary Kwon.

‘I’ll kick it out of the house the moment I see it again.’

Her earlier warning echoed in my ears.

My whole body went rigid. Haewon, unfazed, set me on the sofa like a prop and said shamelessly, “This isn’t a dog. It’s a big-headed doll. Right, Mr. Kwon?”

“…Of course. The popular oversized-head doll everyone’s been talking about.”

Why did the lie have to get bigger? His attempt to help just made it worse.

Haewon’s mother gave us both a cold look, then said flatly, “First floor.”

She turned toward the stairs and added, “It’s free to move around there.”

Wait. Did that mean…

It took a moment for both of us to process it before we looked at each other.

“Why does this feel like we just got permission to get married?”

Exactly.

Wait, no. Definitely not marriage.

I shook my head so fast my ears flapped, only to meet Secretary Kwon’s gaze.

He gave me a deadly serious look before clapping his hands.

“Congratulations on the wedding, Puppy.”

No, it’s not!