< Chapter 20 >

He had missed the right moment to step in, and now it felt too awkward to interrupt.

Haewon leaned back in his chair, hands in his pockets, slouched in that lazy, familiar way of his.

Seori, completely unaware that he was sitting behind her, pulled out a chair and sat down.

“I thought you wouldn’t come.”

“I was curious why someone would suddenly ask to meet through an email, so I came.”

For someone who claimed to be curious, her tone was as indifferent as ever.

Seori looked across the table at Deokmi, who had her headset hanging around her neck.

They were in the same department, but this was the first proper conversation they had ever had. Deokmi rarely joined in any class activities, after all.

All Seori knew about her was that people tended to avoid her because of her quiet and slightly odd personality.

‘Did you hear that? Lim Deokmi says she saw a ghost.’

‘That can’t be true, but she is gloomy enough for that rumor to stick.’

There were occasional stories about her seeing spirits, but most rumors that spread around the department weren’t worth believing.

“I have something I want to ask you.”

“Then ask.”

Seori fidgeted with her hands on her knees, hesitant to bring up the real reason she was here.

Out of everyone, why had she chosen to call Deokmi?

After a brief pause, she finally spoke.

“You like fiction, right?”

Lim Deokmi, a self-proclaimed hardcore otaku who devoured everything from animation to webtoons.

What Seori needed now was the deep well of knowledge Deokmi had built up from years of diving into the unreal. Her current situation was too far removed from reality for anything else to help.

“Fiction?”

The expression hidden beneath Deokmi’s shaggy bob cracked slightly.

“Don’t be ridiculous. Vivi and Bendy live forever in my heart.”

Seori blinked, speechless. She had no idea what that meant.

Putting her headset back on, Deokmi grabbed her bag covered in dangling keychains.

“This is why I can’t deal with ordinary people.”

Seori couldn’t let her leave. She stood up quickly and grabbed Deokmi’s wrist.

“Wait.”

Her brown eyes shimmered with a serious light.

“There’s a dog living in my heart too.”

Thump.

Deokmi’s heart skipped.

That look. It was the look of a protagonist, burning with life and determination.

“Are we talking about 2D?”

“…Well, it’s definitely not 3D.”

Even if Dog Seori showed up as a ghost, she wouldn’t count as 3D. Seori’s vague mumble faded in her throat.

Haewon, now too tired to pretend he wasn’t listening, scratched his ear.

‘Are they talking about comics?’

He couldn’t make sense of the conversation at all.

Just when it looked like Deokmi might leave, she dropped back into her chair.

“So what do you want to ask?”

Seori tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

“…Do you, by any chance, believe in magic?”

A heavy silence passed between them.

Believe in magic?

Deokmi blinked slowly, then gave her a pitying smile.

“Kim Seori, you need to get off the internet sometimes.”

How could a hardcore otaku suddenly turn so realistic? Feeling unfairly scolded, Seori pressed her fingers against her temple.

“I got too into it and asked without thinking. The webtoon I’m reading these days is about magic.”

Nodding in understanding, Deokmi crossed her arms.

“What’s the title?”

“It’s kind of embarrassing to say. Anyway, since it’s my first webtoon, the worldbuilding and stuff are a bit confusing.”

“Reincarnation by truck? Hunter? Magic tower?”

Seori had no idea what any of those meant. As she listened to the list of cryptic terms, she raised one finger.

“…Transformation magic.”

“Transformation?”

“Like turning into an object or an animal.”

“Oh, you mean beastman stuff? That’s not exactly transformation, it’s more of an ability. The power to freely change form.”

She still had no clue what Deokmi was saying, but at least the conversation was moving somewhere. Seori took out a notebook and pen, ready to jot things down.

“If someone can’t transform freely, what would that mean?”

“There must be some kind of restriction. Maybe a spell or curse, like you said.”

“And how can they break free from that spell?”

Seeing Seori’s sparkling eyes, Deokmi suddenly felt mischievous. She leaned back proudly.

“You forgot to address me properly, student.”

“…”

“Say it.”

Seori’s hand trembled as she forced the words out.

“How can someone break free from a spell… teacher.”

Her voice grew smaller near the end, like an ant whispering.

“It depends on the story. Usually there’s a specific condition or goal that must be met.”

“Condition…”

Seori pressed her pen against her lips, thinking hard.

“Usually a spell has a caster, right? The magician who cast it. If you fulfill the condition or purpose they set, sometimes the spell is broken.”

“What if you don’t know what the magician wants?”

“Teacher.”

“Teacher, sir.”

“How should I know that?”

Her face didn’t even twitch, which made it all the more frustrating. Seori bit the tip of her pen.

‘Condition, huh?’

If that theory was right, then to break the spell, she needed to fulfill whatever condition or desire Dog Seori had left behind.

‘Was she angry because her memorial meal was too small?’

Trying to guess what went on inside the head of a gluttonous dog was a hopeless task.

While Seori silently pondered, Deokmi spoke again.

“What if the one who cast the spell isn’t a magician?”

“Then who?”

“For example, an evil spirit.”

An evil spirit.

A storm rippled in Seori’s eyes.

‘Did you hear that? Lim Deokmi says she saw a ghost.’

Was it just coincidence? Or could she really see something?

Her lips trembled before she finally spoke.

“…A dog?”

The question lacked any context, but Deokmi understood immediately.

“Probably.”

“I see. Then that’s all I needed.”

Gathering her bag, Seori stood up.

“Sorry, I have to go. Something came up.”

It was time to head back to safety. Every time she turned human, it never lasted a full day before she became a dog again.

She needed to prepare before the dizziness started.

“This is for you.”

Deokmi took the box of macarons Seori handed her and smirked.

“Thank you for your boundless wisdom, teacher.”

Seori froze mid-step, gritting her teeth.

“…Th-thank you for your… boundless… wisdom… teacher.”

Deokmi watched her go with an amused grin. The rebellious look on Seori’s face only made teasing her more fun.

As she reached for a macaron, a shadow fell over her.

It was Haewon, hands stuffed in his coat pockets.

“Why didn’t you tell her I was here, Otaku Deokmi?”

Deokmi, who had understood the words he didn’t say out loud, replied calmly.

“Kim Seori seems to dislike you. And it’s Lim Deokmi.”

“How could anyone dislike this face?”

Without a hint of embarrassment, Haewon muttered to himself and turned to follow Seori out.

Deokmi spoke a beat too late.

“That’s exactly why she does.”

A perfect face with zero emotional intelligence. Definitely the type to bulldoze his way through a romance story.

She sighed, then glanced to her side.

Something shimmered faintly in the air, invisible to most eyes.

Thanks to her small gift of sight, she could recognize it as the soul of a dog.

Rustle. She opened the macaron box and took one out.

“Seori looks half-dead these days. That’s your fault, isn’t it? I’ll share this with you, so stop following her.”

The faint dog-shaped figure didn’t respond. It passed through the window and faded away like smoke.

Deokmi stared down at the now-empty box.

‘Did I mistake a pig spirit for a dog?’

Gone already, and it had eaten everything too.

* * *

Winter days ended early. The faster the sky dimmed, the faster my feet moved.

‘An evil spirit.’

‘An evil spirit…’

‘An evil…’

Deokmi’s words buzzed in my ears the entire way home.

If the rumor about her seeing ghosts was true, then what she said might not have been random at all.

It felt like I had been forced to face a truth I didn’t want confirmed.

I bit my lip hard enough for blood to rush to my face.

Fine. If it’s resentment, I’ll resolve it. If it’s unfinished business, I’ll settle it.

‘Dog Seori, an evil spirit? Yeah right.’

If anything, she was just a glutton who couldn’t let go of earthly food.

Tap tap tap. My destination, the old villa, came into view.

‘I should drop off my bag and head home.’

I stopped and covered my face with one hand.

More than evil spirits, this kind of slip-up embarrassed me more.

Calling that villa “home,” even for a second.

Little habits like that made it too easy to get attached again.

‘Focus, Seori.’

I straightened my back and took a step forward, but a man’s voice stopped me.

“Kim Seori?”

I froze.

It was someone I knew.

The manager of the café I had worked at part-time last year.

He had been obnoxiously flirty while I worked there and even after I quit, he kept sending me messages. One of the squid men.

By now, the streetlights had flickered on, casting light over his smirking face. His eyes darted toward the villa.

“What a coincidence. I texted you yesterday, but you never replied.”

‘Coincidence…’

He had been hanging around my neighborhood even when I worked there. This excuse wasn’t even funny anymore.

“Don’t be like that. It’s been a while. Let’s grab a coffee.”

He suddenly stepped closer without warning. Before I could back away, he grabbed my wrist.

“I don’t think so. My stomach’s weak.”

A hand suddenly grabbed his wrist and twisted it.

Haewon’s.

“If I have coffee with you, I’ll probably throw up.”

“W-what the hell!”

The man jerked back, trying to shake free. Haewon’s hand tightened, crushing his cheeks in one swift motion.

‘How…’

My knees almost gave out. I could only stare, speechless, as relief washed over me in waves.

“Ugh, what’s your problem? Let go!”

The man struggled, but it was useless, like a mouse caught by a cat. Haewon tilted his head, his voice dripping with mockery.

“So this is the guy you were playing with?”

His dark eyes glinted with teasing amusement as they turned toward me.

“Fishing, huh? Can’t believe you hooked something from the deep sea.”

That wasn’t true. I opened my mouth to deny it but stopped myself.

Might as well use the situation to my advantage. I could think about how he got here later.

‘Be shameless. Be shameless.’

I repeated it like a mantra and pinched the edge of Haewon’s coat.

“…Darling.”

He lowered his eyes, his tone flat.

“Darling?”

“Darl— ugh.”

“Hangover again?”

“You’re the only one for me. Why would I play with anyone else?”

I almost gagged midway, but still, it came out naturally enough.