The Honorary Police Dog

Nestled in Inspector Yoon's arms, Benji opened his mouth wide and yawned. Then, his face heavy with drowsiness, he leaned into the inspector's chest.

Lee Jun's jaw tightened at the sight. He watched the two of them in silence, lips pressed firmly together.

His tension's finally let go.

Benji, who had spent so long anxiously wondering when his owner would come, had at last allowed himself to rest in those familiar arms.

Which meant—how much must he have agonized over those past six months, waiting?

If only I had met Benji a little sooner.

If he had been able to explain why Benji needed to live with a new owner, the dog would have settled in and rested easy. And then he could have kept seeing Inspector Yoon, too.

Lee Jun felt a pang of regret at all that had been lost to a simple absence of communication. And then another thought followed.

This ability of mine exists so I can resolve heartaches like these.

A fresh wave of gratitude for his gift washed over him. And he intended to put it to use right now.

"It seems Benji was very attached to you, Inspector Yoon."

Inspector Yoon shook his head, though the hand stroking Benji never paused.

"I was the one who leaned on him. Benji was my family and my friend."

"I lived alone, so it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say we were together nearly twenty-four hours a day."

"I see. You must have missed him terribly."

Inspector Yoon nodded slowly in place of an answer. The look in his eyes as he gazed at Benji said everything.

He stayed away out of consideration for Inspector ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Kim, the new owner.

Inspector Kim Woo-seok, who had taken Benji in as family—and Inspector Yoon, who had stepped aside so that Benji could settle into his new home, even though he missed him. They were both good men.

"Inspector Yoon. As you've heard, Benji believed that if he mastered a new game, he would get to see you. That's why he worked so hard at it."

"And that 'game' was rehabilitation therapy."

"Yes."

Lee Jun answered, then came to the point.

"Dogs think about their former owners even after they have a new one. They wonder when that person will come back."

Both men nodded.

"But if the old life was hard and the present one is comfortable, they don't dwell on the past."

Sapsaree and Aji were living proof of that—both of them thriving now, after the abuse they had suffered at the hands of previous owners.

"Animals who had a good relationship with their former owner, though, can't make sense of their situation. Why are they in a new house? Why doesn't their owner come? Eventually they give up and adapt."

"Are you saying Benji doesn't think of Inspector Kim as his owner?"

Inspector Yoon asked, alarm flickering across his face.

That's right. He doesn't think of him as his owner. He's only recently even started thinking of him as a temporary one. Rather than say that outright, Lee Jun gently redirected the question.

"When you were Benji's handler, Inspector Yoon, was there ever a time the two of you were apart? He's a clever dog. I wondered if he might still be waiting for you, thinking this is like that time."

"Ah… damn."

Inspector Yoon let out a short sigh and looked down at Benji with aching eyes, his stroking hand pressing a little more firmly.

"Inspector Yoon was injured in the line of duty. He was hospitalized for about two months, and I took over Benji during that time. Benji probably thinks this is the same situation."

Kim Woo-seok answered on Inspector Yoon's behalf, then continued.

"Back then we ramped up Benji's training intensity a bit, and he's been thinking of that period, and…"

"Which is how Benji ended up playing the multiple-scent target game."

"That would be it."

"I see. In that case, Inspector Yoon."

"…Yes."

A hint of moisture clung to Inspector Yoon's voice as he lifted his head to look at Lee Jun.

"There's no rule saying you can't see Benji, is there?"

"No, there isn't."

Which left only the new owner's answer. Lee Jun turned his gaze to Kim Woo-seok.

"Then, Inspector Kim. Would you be willing to let Benji see Inspector Yoon from time to time?"

"Of course. Absolutely."

Kim Woo-seok answered firmly, then added,

"The truth is, Benji is very affectionate. A lot of the guys at the station have been saying they miss him. I think I'll start bringing him by headquarters now and then."

"You might wonder what a dog that size is doing being affectionate," Inspector Yoon put in, "but our search dogs' job is rescuing people."

"He's right. These dogs spend their lives finding people and working with people, so they love people."

"They couldn't rescue anyone if they didn't."

Lee Jun nodded.

"That's true. So they must love the work of saving people. They look so happy after a rescue—like they own the whole world."

Kim Woo-seok gazed steadily at Benji as he spoke. Inspector Yoon, still stroking the dog, looked at him with the same expression and picked up the thought.

"They're really something, aren't they. And the only reward they get is a little something tasty to eat…"

"There's a greater reward than that."

Both men looked at Lee Jun. He met each of their eyes in turn and went on.

"This guy…"

"I think you're right."

"So what I'm asking is—Inspector Yoon, would you come see Benji whenever you have the time?"

"…I'd like to. But I worry it would confuse him."

"That's right. Isn't bouncing between one house and another bad for dogs?"

Lee Jun smiled at the two of them.

"Leave that part to me. Inspector Kim already said he'd bring Benji to work, after all."

"He did, didn't he."

The corner of Inspector Yoon's mouth lifted, just slightly. He had been hoping for this all along.

"Then you're saying there's no problem with Inspector Yoon seeing Benji?"

"If Inspector Kim is all right with it, I am too."

"Yoon, I'm more than all right with it."

"Thank you, Inspector Kim."

"There's one more thing I'd like to mention."

"Please."

"Is there work Benji could do?"

"Work?"

"Benji's a dog who's worked his whole life. He thinks of it as play, of course, but still."

"That's true. He started before he was even two and worked through last year, so that's a very long time."

"Exactly. Even something simple would be good for his mental health. I know a retriever named Heemangi, and…"

Lee Jun told them about Heemangi, the retriever he had described to Han Na-hyeok. He finished with this:

"Benji's affectionate and he loves people, so I think something like what Heemangi does would suit him well."

The two men listened carefully. Then Kim Woo-seok turned to Inspector Yoon.

"Yoon, what do you think of this?"

"Of what?"

"What if we made Benji an honorary police dog of the precinct? He could come in about once a week, do a little inspection of the grounds."

"That's a good idea. Then Benji showing up at headquarters would be the most natural thing in the world. I think he'd love seeing not just me but everyone else, too."

Inspector Yoon beamed as he stroked Benji, a wide, unguarded smile—the smile of a man who would finally, from this day forward, get to see the dog he had missed so much.

A few days later, Lee Jun received a text from Kim Woo-seok saying Benji was doing well. A video was attached.

Lee Jun tapped the video at once.

There was Benji in a police uniform, be between Kim Woo-seok and Inspector Yoon, grinning from ear to ear. The Benji on the screen was brighter and more radiant than any expression Lee Jun had seen on him yet.

"Look at him. He really is happy."

Lee Jun's assessment was accurate. Benji was barking with joy—a bright, ringing keong, keong.

It was only a sound from a phone, but the moment Sapsaree heard Benji's bark, he walked over to Lee Jun's side.

"Benji-hyungnim says he's happy, he does."

"That's right. Benji says he's happy."

"Why's he happy?"

Sapsaree tilted his head and peered at the screen. Then his eyes lit up, gleaming.

"I know! Benji-hyungnim likes that hat, he does. And the clothes are so cool, they are."

Sapsaree had decided that Benji's enormous smile was because of the splendid uniform and the cap. Even to Sapsaree's eyes, Benji looked tremendously pleased.

"That's Benji, nyaong?"

Hoesaegi, seeing Benji on video for the first time, asked.

"That's right, it is."

"Benji is a fine fellow, ong."

Praise for another animal from Hoesaegi, who rarely acknowledged anyone, was no small thing.

"The clothes are cool, too."

"They are, they are. The clothes are really cool. Way cooler than usual, they are."

Meaning Benji looked far more magnificent than usual because of the uniform.

"Is that so, nyaong?"

"That's right, it is."

"Then isn't that outfit something special? I want to wear it too."

"I want to wear it too, ong. Then I'd look even more magnificent, ong."

"I'd look cooler."

"No, ong. It would suit me better than you, Kkamnyangi, ong."

"What are you talking about! I'd look cooler. An outfit like that is meant for me."

"It is not, ong!"

The two of them bickered fiercely over who would look better in a police uniform. Sapsaree snorted at the display.

"Benji-hyungnim is big like me, he is. I could wear it, I could."

The implication—that the cat hyungnims were too small to wear it—left both cats crestfallen.

"I-is that so, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠nyaong?"

"Really? Is Benji that big?"

"That's right, he is."

The cats, who had so wanted to try on the splendid clothes and the cap, let their shoulders droop and gave up watching the video. Hoesaegi trudged a few heavy steps away, then turned his head to look back at Lee Jun.

"Hyungnim-ong. Can only big dogs like Sapsaree wear cool clothes like Benji's, ong?"

"Well, I don't think it's about being big."

Hoesaegi's face brightened at once. His eyes shone as he asked,

"Is that so, nyaong? Then how do you get to wear clothes like Benji's, ong?"

"You heard Benji has a good nose, right?"

"I heard, ong. He finds things that smell the same, ong."

"That's right. Benji received that uniform as a gift because he's so good at it."

"We got a gift too, ong."

Hoesaegi pointed to the glittering crystal figurine on one side of the living room.

"Yes, just like that."

"Then if I find things too, can I get one, ong?"

"If we find things that smell the same, we can wear the clothes, we can?"

"Then I'm the most confident. Of the three of us, I have the best nose."

All three raised their voices. That was how magnificent Benji's uniform and cap had been.

"Well, I'm not sure about that."

"Understood, ong. I will try my hardest, ong."

"Me too. I'll practice hard."

"That's right, it is. Benji-hyungnim said he played that game a whole lot, he ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠did."

Seeing the three of them so fired up, Lee Jun smiled faintly. They've been dozing off at every opportunity because of the warm weather anyway. This works out well.

That aside, he told them what he had read in the text.

"Benji wants to invite you all over."

It was the reply that had come after Lee Jun mentioned he'd like to meet the search dogs when he had the time. The flowers were blooming, the scenery was lovely, and they wanted to invite Sapsaree, who had helped with Benji's treatment, along with Hoesaegi and Kkamnyangi, the clinic's most popular cats.

"Invite? What's that, it is?"

"It means Benji wants to have you come to where he lives. Do you remember Taesan's house?"

"Of course, ong. It's huge, and there are lots of kind cow friends, ong."

"It's so wide, it is."

"It was fun."

The three of them brightened at the memory of Hongseong.

"Well, I think this place will be a lot of fun too, like that. Benji has a lot of friends there."

"I want to go, I do. I miss Benji-hyungnim, I do."

Sapsaree and Benji had grown close during rehab. They had seen each other faithfully once a week—sometimes twice—and it had been nearly two weeks now. Of course he missed him.

"I want to go too, ong."

Hoesaegi was curious about Benji, certainly—but the corners of his mouth curled up at the thought of getting a closer look at that glittering cap and uniform.

"I'm going too."

If those two were going, there was no world in which he would be left behind. Kkamnyangi said so, then pitter-pattered off at a run, calling back as he went,

"I'm going to pack. I'm going to bring tasty things for the friends."

"I-I'll bring some too, ong."

"I'll bring some too, I will. Benji-hyungnim said he has so, so many friends, he did."

The other two raced after Kkamnyangi toward Lee Jun's bedroom.

Just then, Go Gi-jin came down from the second floor and looked at Lee Jun with a puzzled expression.

"Aigoo, what's gotten into those rascals?"

"I think they want to bring presents for some new friends."

"New friends, yeh?"

"Yeah. Inspector Kim sent a text saying he'd love for them to come. Sounds like the playground over there is pretty big."

"That so? Then there's gotta be lots of big dogs like Benji, yeh?"

"They're probably all like Benji. That said—those three are going to clean out the treasure box today."

Lee Jun smiled and began typing a reply to Kim Woo-seok's message.