< Chapter 2 >

Name: Kim Seori
Gender: Female
Status: Soon-to-be senior in college

Characteristic
Dog (presumed).

It wasn’t a dream. I had just fainted after barking instead of speaking human words and only recently regained consciousness.

I tilted my head up and blankly gazed at the night sky.

I thought nothing could surprise me anymore. I’d grown used to sudden misfortunes.

‘But turning into something that’s not human wasn’t supposed to be one of them.’

Restlessly pacing in circles, I smacked my forehead a few times.

‘Calm down.’

I needed to stay calm. Panic would only make things worse.

First things first, I had to call for help. I took a deep breath and began nudging through the scattered clothes with my front paws.

‘I can’t see in front of me.’

So much for staying calm. Why did my head have to get stuck in the pocket?

After some desperate struggling, I finally managed to get free and ran my paws down my cheeks in despair.

‘My phone’s not here.’

Should’ve fixed my habit of leaving it at home.

‘…Not that it’d help anyway.’

Even if I called someone, all they’d hear would be barking sounds.

The phone would’ve been useless regardless. The reason I’d stopped carrying it was simple. There was no one to call and no one who’d call me. Especially after Grandma passed away.

‘What do I do now.’

Even if I went home, there was no way I could open the front door with this tiny body and these paws.

‘Should I try finding someone to ask for help?’

Even now, I couldn’t think of a single person who’d come to mind. My social circle was beyond small. It was practically nonexistent.

I sat there helplessly until suddenly, my head shot up. I’d just caught sight of a familiar face passing by the alley.

‘Huh?’

As if in a trance, I stood and toddled out of the alley. I was so focused on running on two legs that it took me a moment to realize.

‘Mistake.’

No wonder I was so slow. Dogs run on four legs.

Da-da-da. As I ran on all fours and emerged onto a street lit by glowing signs, I saw two figures.

Among the two men in suits, the one with neatly combed white hair was definitely the elderly man I used to see walking Dog Seori at the park…

‘…Or is he?’

Even considering the darkness, something felt different. He had always been well-dressed, but the luxury foreign car and the chauffeur were new.

As I stared blankly, another thought struck me.

Dogs were supposed to see limited colors, weren’t they? But my vision seemed just as vivid as before. And my sense of smell wasn’t particularly sharp either.

“Chairman, it’s dark under your feet.”

The middle-aged man beside him opened the car door respectfully.

‘Chairman?’

As in the highest-ranking kind of chairman?

I watched the old man get into the car, only to snap back to my senses when the vehicle began to move.

‘Wait!’

Before I could think, my legs were already in motion.

As I ran, my ears flopped wildly. That confirmed once again that I really was a dog now.

‘I’m going to lose him.’

Pant, pant. My heart pounded hard as my breath caught in my throat.

The littered coffee cups and trash on the ground looked like obstacles, and the pebbles that hit my paws hurt like crazy.

But I couldn’t stop. That old man was my only hope right now.

The car was moving slowly, yet not slow enough for me to catch up.

‘What do I do?’

If I lost that car, I had no idea what would happen next. My vision blurred from exhaustion, but the car’s taillights still burned bright in the distance.

‘Please…’

As I focused all my energy on chasing it, Seori’s face flashed through my mind.

Was this how you felt that day, when you followed me with everything you had? Did your paws hurt as much as mine do now?

‘I should’ve turned around and hugged you at least once.’

If I had, maybe your little feet wouldn’t have hurt so much. My chest ached as if it were being torn apart.

* * *

Glance.

The chauffeur, Mr. Jung, looked into the side mirror briefly, then again.

Glance.

And again.

After repeatedly checking the mirror, he finally broke the silence.

“Chairman.”

Chairman Seok, who had been watching the passing scenery from the back seat, turned his head.

“Speak.”

“Well…”

The hesitant tone didn’t suit him. Mr. Jung glanced once more into the side mirror.

At first, he thought it was just a plastic bag fluttering in the wind. But no, it had four short legs.

“A dog is following the car.”

“This car?”

“Yes, sir. A very small puppy. I wondered if you might know it.”

Chairman Seok let out a dry laugh at the absurd remark.

“Are you asking if I’m acquainted with a dog?”

“It’s been following us since near Lake Park.”

If it had started back there, that meant it had been running ever since he got in the car.

With mild surprise, Chairman Seok turned around. Outside the window, a tiny puppy was running with all its might.

Mr. Jung hesitated before asking carefully, “What should we do?”

Chairman Seok stared quietly outside before pulling his gaze away. His eyes, once calm, turned cold.

“What do you think.”

Whether human or animal, taking in a life always came with countless responsibilities.

“Do your job.”

Mr. Jung gave a short nod and faced forward. They had already left the main road, and the surroundings grew quieter.

Vroom—

The car gradually picked up speed. In the mirror, the puppy’s figure grew smaller and smaller.

Eventually, the little thing tripped, tumbling forward and hitting the ground face-first.

Chairman Seok sighed softly as he looked at the still body lying on the pavement.

“Stop the car.”

Screech. The tires shrieked against the road.

Stepping out, Chairman Seok walked over at an unhurried pace. Mr. Jung followed behind.

“I’ll carry it, sir.”

The puppy fit neatly in both of Mr. Jung’s hands. Its triangular ears were half-flopped, and its shape resembled a small rice cake.

Looking down at the unconscious puppy, Chairman Seok murmured quietly.

“It looks exactly like my old friend who passed away first.”

Mr. Jung silently swallowed the question of whether that friend happened to resemble a rice cake too.

* * *

“Everyone, gather around.”

The old man’s firm voice echoed from afar.

‘Where am I?’

When I opened my eyes groggily, a massive hand loomed over me.

“Oh my, sir. Where did that puppy come from?”

Flinch.

Startled, I instinctively rolled my body away. I tried to slip between a cabinet and the wall, but—

‘Why does my head always get stuck first.’

Huff, huff.

I struggled to pull myself free, but it was useless.

In the end, I sat there with my head stuck and my body halfway out.

“…”

The silence was unbearable. Even without seeing, I could feel several eyes staring at me.

The old man’s scolding voice cut through the quiet.

“Of all places, you shoved your big head in there, so of course that happened.”

So apparently, I was officially the big-headed dog now.

While I was busy mulling over that unwanted label, the sound of a door sliding open broke the stillness. Someone had entered.

“Clicking your tongue again, sir?”

The old man’s voice carried mild annoyance. “You should come home earlier.”

“Isn’t nine o’clock early enough?”

The new voice belonged to a young man.

“Not for an old man who’s supposed to be asleep.”

“Call me Chairman.”

Thud. The sound of his cane hitting the floor echoed sharply.

It seemed the old man had brought me to his home after finding me unconscious, but since I couldn’t see anything, all I could do was guess from the conversation.

‘That must be his grandson… right?’

I frowned in confusion. The man’s voice, light and teasing, felt strangely familiar.

‘What’s going on here.’

Growing anxious, I wiggled my body to free my head, though all it did was make my tail wiggle uselessly.

“Anyway.”

The old man cleared his throat.

“I’m thinking of letting that dog stay here for a while.”

Even without seeing, I knew he was pointing at me.

After a pause, the young man said flatly, “Where’d it lose its brain.”

“It got stuck in the cabinet. The head’s unusually big.”

Their words gave me a faint sting of humiliation.

“You get it out.”

As soon as he said that, footsteps began approaching.

Step, step.

Step. They stopped right behind me.

After a long moment, the man muttered above me, “Wow.”

Every nerve in my body tensed, waiting for what he’d say next.

“I’ve never seen such a well-fed body before.”

Never in my life had I heard such a well-fed insult.

I was fuming, but the sound of his voice at close range confirmed it.

That familiar tone, that infuriatingly casual speech.

The cabinet pinning my head shifted slightly. Seizing the chance, I pushed myself backward.

‘I’m out!’

The rush of freedom filled me as I looked down and saw a pair of indoor slippers. They belonged to the rude man, no doubt.

I frowned and slowly lifted my gaze. My eyes followed up the long legs, past his torso, until they met his face.

“…”

We stared at each other in silence.

The man, expressionless, raised one eyebrow slightly as if studying me. I twitched the muscles where my eyebrows should’ve been.

‘Kim Seori, if you ever want to beat me, you’ll have to be reborn first.’

‘…Seok Haewon.’

The worst of my bad luck had a name.