Big Puppy
Big Puppy
"So big..."
I held Lil' One in one arm and looked around Lee Min-ho's large, spacious house.
I had been curious about what kind of houses chaebols lived in, and as expected, they seemed to prefer large mansions over apartments.
Anyway, how much would it cost to build a house like this in Seoul?
It wasn't on the level of Jeong-hwan's family's fisheries center, but it still must have been quite expensive.
Well, chaebols probably don't care much about that sort of thing anyway.
"What are you doing? Let's go inside."
"So you're a total rich family's son, huh..."
I felt the difference in status once again.
It was because I had never imagined a single house could be this big.
"Why are you suddenly saying something so embarrassing?"
"No, I'm serious this time, not joking around."
"So you're saying you've been joking around up until now?"
"Well, now... don't take it that way."
Oops...
I made a slip of the tongue.
Still, the emotions I was feeling now were genuine.
Lee Min-ho slowly walked up to the door and pressed the doorbell.
In dramas, the doorbells of rich houses were large and made a loud, grandiose sound, so I expected to hear something similar.
But it didn't sound much different from the bell at a restaurant, so I was a little disappointed.
Clunk.
The door opened with the sound of a lock turning.
Seeing Lee Min-ho go inside, I followed him in.
The moment I opened the front door and entered, scenes that seemed straight out of a drama or movie unfolded before me.
It wasn't quite a spacious garden... but anyone could see it was a considerably large yard.
There were wooden tables and chairs, and a swing hanging from a large tree.
I guess you could say it gave off the feeling of a rich American household.
"Little one, do you like places with a big yard too, Lil' One?"
"Kkeing."
The child, who would normally respond with a resounding 'Meong!', avoided answering.
Did she not prefer a wide yard where she could run around?
I thought all dogs liked places like that.
"What did she say?"
"I don't know. She didn't bark 'Meong' like she usually does."
"Isn't it because the terrace at your place is so big?"
"Hmm... but it's not quite enough to compare to a real yard."
I had recently installed artificial grass on the terrace so Lil' One could play comfortably, making it feel like a yard, but
it was hard to compare it to an actual yard.
Well, I guess she just didn't feel like answering.
"Isn't she acting like that because you keep kissing Lil' One?"
"What's that supposed to mean."
To try and pick a fight over my physical affection with Lil' One.
What a jerk.
"It looks like she doesn't like it??"
"Doesn't like it... she's obviously enjoying it."
She was even clinging tightly to me and nuzzling my head right now.
Our Lil' One whines when her dad isn't around.
"Anyway, where's the puppy?"
"In the room."
"Inside? What about the yard?"
"She's still a baby, so we haven't even taken her out for walks yet."
"Ah-ha..."
The reason I came to Lee Min-ho's house today.
It was to see the baby Samoyed he had adopted recently.
I had seen a full-grown adult before, but I had never seen a baby one, so I came over when I was dropping by Lee Min-ho's place.
As a bonus, I brought Lil' One along, thinking they might get along well.
"Since they look similar, don't you think they'll get along?"
"Well, they're both gentle breeds, so they'll probably get along fine."
I calmed my pounding heart, full of anticipation, and held Lil' One comfortably.
It's not even like I was going to meet my own child, so why was my heart beating so fast?
***
"Wow... this kid, is she really a baby?"
"She's only 2 months old."
"She already looks twice the size of our Lil' One."
The Samoyed was sitting on a soft, fluffy mat laid out on the marble floor.
I wasn't sure if it was because her fur was so fluffy, or just because her body was big, but
she already looked as big as a full-grown Pomeranian.
"Did you say she's only 2 months old? Lil' One is 4 months old now."
"Meong."
"Right, little one? She's your little sister, a little sister."
Lil' One sat on the floor too, staring intently at the Samoyed.
The Samoyed, perhaps feeling pressured, slowly shifted her sitting position and turned to the side.
"I think she's shy."
"Aww... come here."
When Lee Min-ho reached out his hand, the Samoyed came rushing into his arms as if she had found her mother's embrace.
Her actions were that of a baby, but her body size was that of an adult, which was a really fascinating sight.
"She follows you incredibly well."
Our Lil' One had also followed me well from the very beginning, but I had heard that was a very unusual case.
And on top of that, Lil' One had been hurt by being returned once before.
"The place I adopted her from was a home, so that's why. She seems to have been raised with a lot of love."
"Haah... can I hold her for a bit too?"
"Here."
Since she was quite big, I carefully took her so I wouldn't drop her.
The Samoyed stayed calmly in my arms even once I was holding her.
But it was only for a moment.
When a sound came from beyond the door, she wanted to get out, so I gently set her back down.
Then the door opened, and someone who I guessed was Lee Min-ho's older sister walked in.
He had said she was a late-born child, but the age gap didn't seem to be that large.
"Lee Min-ho, you're home?"
"Mom, I told you to knock before coming in."
Goodness.
I thought she was his older sister, but she said she's his mom.
The world is truly unfair.
"Oh my, you had a friend come over? You should have told your mom."
"Hello, ma'am. My name is Yu Seong-hwan."
"Hello. I'm Lee Min-ho's mother."
I bowed my head deeply to greet her, and Lee Min-ho's mother also bowed her head deeply to return the greeting.
It seemed like my first impression wasn't too bad.
"Mom, what about work? Didn't you say you had a board meeting?"
"The directors were so noisy that I postponed it to next week."
Was that something you could just postpone?
Board meetings were supposed to be incredibly important in large companies.
In some movies, they depicted them as meetings so crucial that executives were made to wear diapers because they couldn't leave in the middle.
Though, as for our company...
I would have had to see other executives besides the Director first.
"Hmm... I guess I'll be on the news again."
"It's okay. Mom will just go read a book in the study, so have fun playing with your friend."
"Alright."
Lee Min-ho nodded obediently.
It seemed he was a good son who didn't talk back to his mother.
"It's okay if I call you Seong-hwan, right? Have fun playing while you're here."
"Thank you."
I bowed my head deeply once more to show my respect.
"But, I feel like I've seen Seong-hwan somewhere a lot before..."
"The cooking channel you've been watching lately, Mom."
"Huh? That Seong-hwan is this Seong-hwan?"
"Didn't I tell you before? That he goes to the same school."
With an expression that seemed to be half-listening to Lee Min-ho's words, his mother squatted down on the floor and picked up the Samoyed who was whining and crying under the legs.
"This one too. Are you the kind of son who tells his mom things like that?"
"Did I?"
At his mother's pointed remark, he scratched his head and started staring intently at the Samoyed in her arms.
Was it because the owner was staring at it?
It started whining to be held by Lee Min-ho.
"Give her here."
"As expected, maybe she just doesn't like an old lady."
"For your information, this fellow is a male."
I wasn't sure if that was a normal way to have a conversation, but she suddenly started laughing heartily.
Lee Min-ho also seemed to really enjoy talking with his mother.
"This isn't the time for this. Mom, I'll come by again later then."
"Knock when you come later."
"This kid suddenly says I should knock?"
So he didn't do it originally.
His mom put on a tearful expression, asking if he was going through a rebellious phase or puberty since he was suddenly telling her to knock.
Lee Min-ho just gave a bitter smile, saying that wasn't it.
"The puppy gets startled. If you suddenly walk in, she tries to run away."
"Ah, so that's how it was. If that's the reason, I understand."
Come to think of it, maybe because she hadn't fully adapted to the room yet,
when someone opened the door and came in, she had darted into the corner.
The sight was a little cute, but thinking that she was startled made my heart ache a bit.
She must miss her mom.
*
"Maybe it's because they're both dogs, but they're becoming friends quickly."
"Is it because Lil' One is a female and older? Don't you get a kind of older sister vibe from her?"
Though they were clearly just two puppies playing, I felt a sense of familiarity watching them.
Hadn't it been just a moment ago that Lil' One brought a toy and placed it in front of that kid?
"Yeah, I think so..."
"No matter how smart she is, can a dog really be that smart?"
I felt like I should report this to one of those TV shows about amazing events in the world.
Put her on TV as a genius dog...
No, no.
I can't put our Lil' One on TV.
What if her previous owner decides to cancel the return and tries to take Lil' One back!?
I've heard that in dramas and novels, bad people do that sort of thing without a second thought.
"Hmm... I'll absolutely never put her on TV."
"Ehh... is this that thing? The look of an immature, foolish parent who thinks their own kid is a genius."
Who's an immature fool...
Anyone could see Lil' One was smart.
"But, haven't you given the Samoyed a name yet?"
"What should I name her... I haven't been able to think of one yet."
Usually, people think of a dog's name before adopting them.
He said he adopted her from a home, so wouldn't she have a name she was called before?
Even if it was temporary, they would have used something.
"Hmm... Seong-hwan, can I ask you for a favor?"
"What kind of favor?"
"I want to ask A-ra-nim to name her; would that be okay?"
"A-ra noona? Her naming sense is really terrible, though..."
She nicknamed her beloved Ferrari Boxster 'Bungbungi', so do you think she'll come up with a good dog name?
Well, it's not like I'm one to talk, considering I named my dog Lil' One.
Still, I might be the better option for naming.
"For something like this, it's not about whether you name them well or not, but about who gives the name."
"Oh, really? Then I'll ask her about it."
I nodded and took out my phone.