< Chapter 22 >

The winter wind tousled his black hair as it swept past.

After stepping out of Seori’s villa, Haewon ruffled his hair roughly, as if to shake off the thoughts clinging to him. The cold air cleared his head, if only a little.

Half his shirt had ridden up, yet all she cared about was guarding that paper bag.

And that scent. That same faint, sweet smell that always clung to Seori. He could never tell if it came from her shampoo or her perfume, only that it was something soft and sugary, like vanilla mixed with warmth.

The whole house had been filled with it. And when she looked up at him, startled, eyes wide and trembling, he had barely managed to keep his composure.

Good thing he’d left right away. If he hadn’t, he might’ve done something reckless. And knowing her temper, she would’ve avoided him like a bug for life.

‘A bug’s fine, but being avoided isn’t.’

Honestly, if anyone deserved the nickname “monk,” it was him, not Seori.

Haewon rolled his neck until it cracked, then suddenly paused. The memory of that “deep-sea creature” floating in front of Seori’s villa flashed through his mind.

His jaw tightened as he pulled out his phone.

‘You’d be better off writing another line of your assignment than wasting time with weird men like that.’

He hadn’t noticed any trace of another man inside Seori’s house.

He couldn’t say he believed her completely, but if there wasn’t another man involved, then what could she possibly be hiding?

‘It must be related to that paper bag.’

He reached into his coat and took out the white phone he still hadn’t managed to return to her.

Maybe she was forced to leave it with someone. Or maybe she was in some situation where she couldn’t ask him directly.

“I need you to look into something. No, not that. About a debt. And also…”

He spoke quietly into the phone as he strolled around the villa. The man from earlier, the one he hadn’t had time to deal with because of the “darling” incident, was long gone.

“Put someone near the address I’m sending. The place isn’t exactly a palace, but there’s something strange floating around there.”

He stopped mid-step.

House?

A realization struck him. He had missed something.

The place had been cold, as if empty for days. Too quiet.

His dark eyes lifted to the old villa, dulling like tarnished glass.

Didn’t she say she had a dog?

* * *

Luckily, I was the first one to return to the safe zone, not Haewon.

Inside his dressing room, my eyes sparkled with determination.

When I’d changed back near the house and seen the clothes scattered on the floor, a thought had hit me.

Every time I transformed back into a person, I had to wear Haewon’s clothes. If this kept happening, wouldn’t he eventually notice something missing from his wardrobe?

The more of his clothes appeared in my house, the more my anxiety grew.

I’d managed to sneak away with just a sweater this time, but hiding it was the real problem.

My gaze swept across the dressing room before landing on one spot.

The storage space where out-of-season summer clothes were kept. It was deep enough that he wouldn’t touch it for at least a month or two.

Rustle, rustle. Shuffle.

‘Perfect.’

I’d done it. Hidden flawlessly.

I wiped my forehead with my paw, relieved, then froze.

Haewon’s head was poking through the doorway, eyes staring right at me.

We both went completely still.

I forgot how to breathe. My eyes darted around, pretending to be calm, but I couldn’t help glancing toward the sweater I’d just hidden.

Had he seen?

No way. Probably not.

I tried to convince myself, but my nose twitched from nerves.

His gaze was unreadable as always, cold and blank.

Then, without a word, he withdrew his head and disappeared.

Where did he go?

I darted out of the room, but he was gone. I looked around frantically.

“…?”

Not on the sofa.

“…??”

Not on the bed.

“…???”

Not even in the bathroom. No sound, no trace. He’d vanished completely.

What? Where did he really go?

Panic spread through me like spilled ink. My heart thumped so hard it felt like it might burst.

As I ran through the hallway toward the living room, I came face-to-face with Haewon’s father, who was calmly holding a teacup.

Did he hate being disturbed?

I hid behind the wall, but he didn’t seem to care at all and simply walked past me.

Encouraged, I began my investigation again.

Tap tap tap. I looked around the living room, the sofa, the kitchen.

Dash dash dash. The dining room, the laundry room. Nowhere.

‘Did he go outside?’

Just as I turned toward the entrance, Haewon’s father cleared his throat softly.

“…Ahem.”

Had I been too noisy?

I lowered my body and my tail drooped, but then he cleared his throat again.

“Ahem, ahem.”

I hesitated, confused, and looked up at him.

“Ahem!”

He wouldn’t actually think my name was “Ahem,” would he? Maybe he wanted to tell me something.

Tilting my head, I cautiously stepped closer. He gave a small glance toward his own room.

“Ahem.”

What did that mean?

I followed his gaze. The door to his room was half open. Too suspiciously half open.

Ah. So that’s where the local slacker was hiding.

“Woof?”

I looked up at Haewon’s father.

He gave a slight nod.

Thanks to my anonymous informant, I had my answer. I puffed up with determination and marched toward the door.

‘Had me worried for nothing.’

So that’s all it was. He hadn’t caught me hiding clothes. He just wanted to play hide-and-seek.

‘…That’s something I used to play with Dog Seori a lot.’

Maybe the dog version of me used to hide, waiting for her master to find her.

I poked my head through the door, and there he was crouched on the floor. Haewon looked up, a hand over his mouth to stifle a laugh.

“Woof.”

Found you.

At my little bark, he chuckled quietly.

“Not bad. You found me fast. Did you crawl around looking for me?”

Seeing his clear, unguarded face, I realized something.

He really was different. Whenever I faced him as a human, his expression was impossible to read.

My snout twitched in small irritation, but before I could react, he suddenly reached out and pinched my cheek between his fingers.

‘Ouch!’

I yelped, pawing at my face while he raised an eyebrow slightly.

Haewon furrowed his brow as if trying to figure something out, then pressed his nose against my cheek.

‘Oh no.’

Please, not that.

I squirmed, my paws pushing weakly at his chest as he murmured under his breath.

“You smell like Kim Seori.”

What?

* * *

The high school I attended was just far enough to be a pain to walk to but too close to justify taking a car.

Given how much money went into workbooks and supplies, being within walking distance was actually lucky, except during extreme heat or cold.

One summer morning, the weather was unbearable, so I took the bus.

Most of the students from our school used the shuttle van, so the bus was almost empty.

I sat near the back and gazed out the window.

The heat shimmered across the landscape beneath a blinding blue sky. It was the start of a particularly sticky summer.

Screech.

The bus stopped at a station, and a few passengers climbed aboard. Then, an old man sitting in the priority seat suddenly spoke.

“You’re tall and handsome, and your face is pretty too. Are you an actor?”

“How did you know?”

“Really?”

“Nope.”

That voice. I turned my head, and sure enough, it was Seok Haewon.

He grinned at the old man, chatting easily, then froze when he noticed me. The only open seat left was right across from mine.

‘Great. Just great.’

Ugh.

Whatever.

Our eyes met for a moment, a silent exchange of annoyance. Then he turned and sat down.

He was famous for being the rich heir type, so why on earth was he riding the bus?

The bus hummed to life and began to move.

Haewon leaned forward slightly, eyes fixed on his phone. The constant buzzing of messages was oddly irritating.

I flipped open my vocabulary book, trying to focus, but my gaze drifted back to him.

Not a drop of sweat on his neck, even in this heat.

There was a cool, clean scent around him, like a lake hidden deep in a forest. It felt like summer itself refused to touch him.

I was still lost in that thought when I realized he was gone.

‘…What?’

I turned quickly, and through the window, I saw him outside, hands in his pockets, walking along the street.

‘When did he get off?’

He looked back at me, eyes curved mischievously, and mouthed silently, syllable by syllable.

L, A, T, E.

“What…?”

Before I could finish, the bus pulled away. That day became my first tardy record.

* * *

“…”

I woke up staring blankly at the ceiling.

Maybe because I’d dreamed of something from years ago, but even after a short nap, it felt like I’d slept for hours.

When I sat up, Haewon’s room came into view. It felt as familiar now as my own.

That evening from my dream, after that morning’s bus ride, I had stopped by a cosmetics store for the first time in my life.

I couldn’t afford much, but with the clerk’s help, I bought a body mist that smelled like vanilla.

And I was still using it to this day.

Now I knew why that random old memory had surfaced in my dream.

‘You smell like Kim Seori.’

Because of that offhand comment he’d made two days ago.

Sniff.

I brought my paw close to my nose, but all I could smell now was that faint, warm dog scent.

‘Seriously, dog nose or what.’

I wished I could smell nice too.

Who would’ve thought that a simple bottle of vanilla mist I bought out of envy would come back to bite me like this.