Chapter 79
Chapter 79
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: The Missing Stray from the Walking Path
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“Is the walking path you mean Bukhansan Ecological Park?”
“Yes, that’s right. The one there.”
“There’s a stray dog there?”
“Yeah. Oh, I guess the Director didn’t know.”
“No, I hadn’t heard. So, how long has that dog been around?”
“Ddolddoli showed up about two months ago, I think. Yeah, probably. Oh, everyone calls it Ddolddoli because it’s so smart.”
“Ah, I see. But two months is a long time.”
“Exactly!”
Lee Jun’s expression darkened a bit. He’d never heard a word about a stray dog there in two months.
‘I don’t remember seeing any lost or found pet alerts mentioning a dog lost at the Bukhansan Ecological Park parking lot.’
There was a group chat for vets in Eunpyeong-gu.
One of its main purposes was sharing alerts about lost and found pets.
Pet pickup and missing reports from the district got exchanged quickly there.
Thanks to those alerts, plenty of pets had made it back home, so vets posted any info they got right away.
‘Did an alert pop up while I was in the US? No, I don’t think I missed any messages.’
Lee Jun stopped thinking about it.
What good would dwelling on it do now?
“Could you tell me more about Ddolddoli?”
“Sure. I remember it being about two months because my friend contacted me. One day, out of the blue, she called asking for some of Ttangkongi’s food.”
“That must’ve been when Ddolddoli appeared.”
“Yeah, seems like it. My friend runs a restaurant near that walking path. She said a dog had been showing up in the nearby parking lot for a few days straight.”
“I see.”
“Yeah, lots of people walk their dogs there, so she figured it was a lost pet. She tried to catch it to find the owner, but Ddolddoli wouldn’t let anyone near.”
“That makes sense. Ddolddoli never comes close to people.”
“Have you seen the owner yourself?”
“Yeah. I took some treats for Ttangkongi and tried offering them, but it just stood far off staring. Never came near me. My friend says if you leave food nearby, it disappears later.”
“What does it look like?”
“It’s big with long fur. So long it covers its eyes. Honestly, I couldn’t even tell you what its face looks like.”
“What color is the fur?”
“Gray mixed with white. Anyway, I’m worried. My friend hasn’t seen it in over four days now. The food’s untouched too.”
Big, gray and white fur, so long it can’t see.
The moment he heard the description, a dog popped into Lee Jun’s mind.
“An Old English Sheepdog?”
“Old… what?”
“I thought of a breed that matches your description.”
Lee Jun opened the dog breed book they kept at the hospital and showed her the one he’d mentioned.
“Hmm, not quite like that…”
“I see. So, up till now, the food you left always disappeared?”
“Yes, that’s why I’m even more worried.”
After that, Ttangkongi’s owner left, still fretting over the walking path dog.
“I hope it’s not injured and collapsed alone in some corner.”
As Lee Jun voiced his concern, Jang So-ra and Go Gi-jin came over.
“If it only shows up when a black SUV parks, that means its owner drove one of those, right?”
Jang So-ra asked after hearing that the dog approached from afar whenever a black SUV pulled into the walking path parking lot.
“Probably.”
“It’s not like the owner just lost it, right?”
“No way. If that were the case, they’d have come looking right away. Why would it stick around just that spot?”
Go Gi-jin continued, his mouth corners drooping.
“It shows up every time it sees that car without even knowing the owner ditched it. So pitiful.”
“What do you think it was thinking when it saw the car?”
“Probably burning inside, wondering when the owner would show. Maybe some animal rescue group took it in?”
“That’d be great. I’ll check the group chat.”
Lee Jun hopped into the group chat right away and asked if anyone knew about the walking path dog.
Replies trickled in soon enough, but nothing beyond what Ttangkongi’s owner had said.
“What if it’s hurt and collapsed alone somewhere?”
“With this heat, maybe someone caught it? It’s a big dog, after all.”
“Who’d catch it without anyone seeing? It evaded people even in daylight—doubt it got nabbed at night.”
“Who knows. Could’ve laced some tasty meat with sleeping pills.”
“You’ve got a point. Let’s swing by after work. Ask the shop owners around there about it too.”
“Let’s go. Meet the shop folks.”
***
Right after work, Lee Jun and Go Gi-jin headed straight to the walking path entrance.
First stop: the hangover soup place run by Ttangkongi’s owner’s friend.
As they walked in, the owner recognized them first.
“Oh my, aren’t you the doctors from Meongmeong Animal Hospital?”
He’d planned to order soup first, then ask about Ddolddoli.
But since the owner knew him, Lee Jun jumped in.
“Hello. We came after hearing about the gray dog.”
“Exactly. Haven’t seen Ddolddoli in four days, right?”
The owner poured out the same story Ttangkongi’s owner had shared.
At first, the big dog showing up had the parking lot restaurant owners worried.
He even mentioned calling the district office—animal rescue came multiple times but failed every one.
“Seeing it every day for two months, feeding it, I got really attached. At first it wouldn’t come near, but lately it’d come close when I called ‘Ddolddoli!’… ”
To the worried restaurant owner, Lee Jun floated Go Gi-jin’s concern.
“We’re worried about that too, so we checked the nearby shop CCTVs, but nothing. No idea where it went or if it’s dying hurt in some corner. Hope it just wandered off somewhere else.”
The restaurant owner sighed, his face full of worry.
Lee Jun and Go Gi-jin checked the parking lot first.
Then they headed to the spot where the owner said Ddolddoli usually appeared.
Off the main path a bit.
“Doesn’t seem like it used the people paths much.”
“Yeah, if it liked people, it would’ve gone to that restaurant owner.”
“True.”
Even for summer with late sunsets, it was already getting dusky.
But Lee Jun, with his aces up his sleeve, kept going.
‘Hoped to ask any cats or birds nearby.’
Not a single one in sight.
“Brother, it’s too dark now. Let’s call it and check tomorrow morning.”
Mornings would have birds at least, so Lee Jun agreed with Go Gi-jin.
“Yeah, good call.”
Back home, Lee Jun and Go Gi-jin fretted over Ddolddoli while talking it over.
“I’ll go search tomorrow morning, so you head to work.”
“Brother, you okay alone?”
“Of course. If Ddolddoli’s hurt and suffering solo, we gotta find it fast.”
“Fair enough.”
Next dawn, as Lee Jun was about to head out, Gray and Shadow were tucked in the carrier at the front door.
[Let’s go.]
[Go.]
Lee Jun petted the cats as he said,
“I’ve gotta make a stop, so go to the hospital with Strong Brother in a bit.”
[We go together. Ddolddoli’s sick.]
[Let’s find Ddolddoli.]
“You guys?”
[Yes. We’ll find it.]
[We climb mountains good.]
“True.”
[Brother can’t climb trees.]
[Brother can’t smell good.]
“Yeah, fair.”
His eyes lit up at their words.
Just like Jamongi found Gray, maybe these two could track Ddolddoli?
“Promise you won’t wander far, and I’ll bring you.”
[Stay by Brother.]
[Obviously.]
So Lee Jun and the cats headed to the walking path to find Ddolddoli.
At the path, the cats first sniffed the food and water bowls Ddolddoli had used.
Then they moved.
After a few sniffs with pink noses twitching, they strode right on.
Down the path Ddolddoli mainly used—the same one Lee Jun and Go Gi-jin had taken yesterday.
Strutting with shoulders back, tails high, the cats halted when a big yellow-striped Cheese-nyang-i blocked their way.
[Hey, you two!]
[Us?]
[Who else? Who’s here besides you, huh?]
Cheese-nyang-i tapped the nearby tree with a paw, strutting as he went on.
[Who said come into my turf? Huh?]
[Who’re you?]
[Who?]
[Who? Oh, you dare ask who I am.]
Cheese-nyang-i growled fiercer than before.
Even smacked the tree trunk hard with a paw.
But Gray stayed calm before Cheese-nyang-i’s aggression. Shadow too.
[I’m Gray—no, Gray. Who’re you?]
Gray puffed his chest, demanding boldly.
[I’m Shadow. Who’re you, where from?]
The turf boss aura poured from Gray and Shadow.
Lee Jun blinked at them.
‘These the same cats rolling around meowing at home just now? That Cheese-nyang-i looks frozen stiff.’
No cat in Eunpyeong-gu hadn’t heard of Gray’s legend, even if they’d never seen him.
Same for mighty Shadow.
[Eek, Sil… Silver… Shadow-nim?]
Cheese-nyang-i finally realized who was before him and flattened himself.
[Y-yes, Gray-nim, Shadow-nim?]
[Yes.]
[Forgive me.]
[It’s fine. Got a question.]
[P-please ask.]
[Know where Ddolddoli is?]
[D-Ddolddoli again?]
[Yes.]
Gray glanced back at Lee Jun.
[Brother says ask.]
“Got it.”
Lee Jun answered Gray, then asked Cheese-nyang-i.
“Seen a big dog? Long fur, gray like Gray here mixed with white like Shadow’s paws.”
[The dog that lived up ahead?]
“Yeah, that one.”
[Eek! Y-you talk…]
Cheese-nyang-i jumped when Lee Jun replied.
No time for ‘I understand you animals, don’t freak,’ so Lee Jun pressed on.
“You know it? Where is it?”
“Well, haven’t seen it lately…”
[That’s our Brother. Way greater than me.]
Gray’s eyes gleamed as he spoke, and Cheese-nyang-i nodded vigorously.
[Y-yes, got it.]
[Find it.]
[O-okay.]
Cheese-nyang-i climbed a nearby rock and wailed, Kyaoong!
Replies echoed back soon.
Some said they’d seen Ddolddoli.
[Anyone who saw the dog, get over here now!]
Cheese-nyang-i bellowed the order.
Lee Jun clenched his fist watching.
“Not captured, then.”
When Go Gi-jin worried it might’ve been caught in the heat, Lee Jun had said no but secretly fretted.
Big dogs snagged in heat? Obvious bad end.
Soon, cats appeared with word on Ddolddoli.
It was down in nearby brush.
[Where?]
[Go!]
[This way.]
[We’ll lead.]
Like with Cheese-nyang-i, the cats bowed low to the two.
They led to a spot with no human traces.
Dense thicket where you couldn’t see ahead.
“No wonder they couldn’t catch it living here.”
Lee Jun barely pushed through the brush when Gray and Shadow yowled urgently.
[Ddolddoli’s lying down!]
[Eyes closed!]
“What?”
Lee Jun’s careful steps sped up.
[Watch out there!]
Cheese-nyang-i, who’d snuck up beside him, shouted.
And kept clearing the path ahead.
There, a dog blanketed in shaggy gray and white fur lay on its side—so matted it looked like a dropped rag.
“It’s a Sapsari.”
The dog before him was a Sapsal—Sapsari.
Just as the cats said, Ddolddoli seemed unconscious.
Lee Jun dropped to his knees beside it, rummaging his backpack for the stethoscope.