Ganghwa Island (4)
Ganghwa Island (4)
Two days had already passed since arriving on Ganghwado.
The first day started with a headache from a ridiculous incident, but in the evening we grilled some meat and shrimp and slept soundly.
The next day, while we were exploring Ganghwado, we bought fishing rods and bait at a fishing supply store and went fishing for the first time in a while.
That evening, instead of raw fish or spicy fish stew, we had grilled fish.
Feeling a bit unsatisfied, we ordered a few dishes from room service.
It wasn't too bad, but A-ra seemed disappointed with the room service.
Of course, it was bound to be different from the hotels she'd stayed at during her overseas activities in the past.
And since we'd had our fill of fun today, it was about time to head home.
"Sigh... two days sure pass by quickly."
"I know, right. It feels like we just got here."
After tidying up a bit, we sat on the sofa in the living room.
No matter how much you pay to use a place, it's only proper to leave it clean when you go.
This isn't just a matter of common sense; it's basic human decency.
"Noona, you have another shoot starting tomorrow, right?"
"Yeah, this time it's in Busan."
"Sigh... Busan..."
Seeing as she was going all the way down to Busan, it looked like she was heading somewhere she'd have to stay for quite a while again.
And here I was, stuck watching Lil' One at home.
Actually, we'd left Lil' One at Lee Min-ho's place.
Since she seemed to get along well with Cloud, I generously decided to let her have fun at Lee Min-ho's place instead of bringing her all the way to Ganghwado.
Anyway, today, before going home, we had to pick up Lil' One...
Since there'd be nothing to eat at home, we had to go grocery shopping too...
We were busier than expected, running around here and there.
"Should I pack you a lunch box tomorrow?"
"Yes!"
"Then... first, let's check out, head straight up to Seoul, and get the grocery shopping done first."
"What about Lil' One?"
"We can pick up Lil' One after grocery shopping. Since we're going anyway, let's go to Costco."
Costco, with its motto of bulk sizes and low prices.
No matter how big the supermarket in our building's basement was, it was hard to skip Costco.
Especially for someone who handles as much meat as I do, it was practically a mecca.
"Still, Lil' One must miss us, right?"
"Of course. Whose daughter do you think she is?"
I mean, come on!
There was no way Lil' One was just having the time of her life without Mom and Dad!
Yeah... that was what I chose to believe.
***
"Lil' One? Daddy's here..."
"Meong! Meong-meong! Meong-meong-meong-meong-meong!"
As soon as Lil' One saw me, she started barking furiously.
Then she scurried under the sofa, out of sight, and hid.
It seemed she was holding a grudge against me.
"Lil' One?"
"That's strange, she was playing well with Cloud just a moment ago."
"Hmm... really? Then why is she acting like this?"
This was the first time Lil' One and I had been apart for more than a day,
but we had often been apart for over ten hours due to school or other things.
So I thought two days would be okay, but it seemed that wasn't the case for Lil' One.
"Lil' One, Daddy's sorry."
"Meong! Meong-meong!"
"Anyone can see she's protesting and not letting this slide easily, right?"
"Ugh..."
If I'd known it would be like this, should I have brought her to Ganghwado?
Who knew our Lil' One would feel so lonely from being apart for just a little while?
"Could it be... she thought she was abandoned?"
"Abandoned? There's no way I would do that... Ah..."
It suddenly hit me.
Lil' One was a rehomed dog...
What should I do?
Was she really deeply hurt?
"Lil' One, Daddy's sorry."
When I first went to the shelter to pick up Lil' One, I felt like crying after hearing the caretaker's story about her. That exact same feeling began to wash over me again.
This time, I was a hundred, a thousand times in the wrong.
"Please forgive me just this once... Daddy will take you on a 20km walk."
"You shouldn't make promises you can't keep."
"No, I mean it, I really will. I've already run 10km with her before, you know."
"....You already did that?"
There was a time before when she sulked because I forgot to feed her...
No, now wasn't the time to be thinking about that.
"Lil' One. Aren't you going to go see Mom?"
"Kking..."
Still, maybe it was because I mentioned A-ra.
She slowly walked out and came up to me.
I didn't know how to read a dog's expression, but she slowly approached me with a look that seemed to say she'd forgive me just this once.
"Do you want to be held?"
"Meong."
I picked her up as she slowly approached, wagging her tail gently, and held her in my arms.
The weight of a puppy not even five months old was light.
But still, I realized once again that no matter how young and small a dog is, what they feel and think isn't much different from adult or senior dogs.
"Lil' One, I'm sorry."
"Meong!"
"Are you forgiving me?"
"Meong!"
"Okay... in return, Daddy will feed you some short ribs today."
When I cook it sous-vide to make it very tender, Lil' One eats meat well.
She'd like it more than opening a whole can of Cesar.
"Lee Min-ho, thanks for looking after her for two days."
"Thankful? I'm more thankful that she played well with our Cloud."
Then he stroked Lil' One's head as she lay in my arms.
Seeing Lil' One happily accept head pats was a bit unfamiliar, but I had to take into account that they'd gotten this close after spending two days together.
"Keuk..."
"Jealous?"
"I'm not jealous. I'm going to pet Cloud's head too."
I slowly approached Cloud and petted his head.
Since he didn't run away like last time, it seemed he didn't see me as a bad person... Still, since he didn't show much of a reaction, he seemed to still be figuring things out.
"Cloud seems very timid."
"Yeah, he still wakes up when I get up to go to the bathroom at night."
"Is it because he's still a baby~ Aww."
He was wary when I petted his head, but strangely, when I petted his chin, he tried to come into my arms.
So cute.
"Well then, I'll be going now."
"Okay, but I see A-ra didn't come today either after all."
"She's waiting outside. She said it's a bit awkward to come in since your mother isn't home."
"The epitome of politeness as always... Got it. I'll bring Cloud over to your place next time."
"Alright, see you tomorrow."
"Sure thing~"
I chuckled at the cheeky farewell and came outside.
We had planned to meet the guys for coffee tomorrow, so I should bring Lil' One along too.
In that case, we'd have to find a place that allowed dogs...
"Lil' One..."
"Meong?"
"Lil' One. Let's go out with Daddy tomorrow."
"Meong."
Her mood seemed to have brightened up a bit.
Phew... that was a relief, such a relief...
As soon as Lil' One came out, she saw A-ra's face and barked loudly, 'Meong-meong'.
A-ra also jumped out of the car as soon as she heard Lil' One, hugged her tightly, and rubbed her face against her fur, making a huge fuss.
Seeing a cute person hugging a cute dog and nuzzling them made the cuteness multiply several times over.
"Seong-hwan, should we adopt one more dog?"
"Sounds good. Seeing her with Cloud made me think she must be really lonely at home alone."
If we got her a boyfriend and they grew up together from a young age, wouldn't they get along well?
It would be even better if we got the same breed, a Pomeranian.
"Let's look into it sometime."
"Our Lil' One is getting a husband already~"
Lil' One tilted her head back and forth as if she couldn't understand what we were saying, flicking her tongue in and out.
That's right, you don't need to know yet.
When you grow up, the day will come when you'll thank Daddy.
***
"Lil' One, is it good?"
"Meong!"
Lil' One finally showed me a bright smile too.
Lil' One was fierce while eating the sous-vide tenderized short rib meat.
Was it because she was a female...
Our Lil' One was sure fierce even when eating.
"She's just like you, Noona."
"They say eating well brings blessings, right?"
"Yeah, yeah."
At the same time, a large amount of short rib meat was vanishing into A-ra's mouth, too.
The amazing thing was that she'd never once gotten indigestion eating like that.
"Noona, you secretly take digestive medicine every night before bed, don't you?"
"No? I don't take stuff like that."
"Saying it like that sounds a bit strange. You should call them digestive aids."
"What's strange? Digestive aids are medicine too."
"....Never mind. Please, eat a lot."
I placed the short rib meat on the fire with tongs and looked up at the sky.
A few stars were visible in the sky from the terrace.
Forget hotel penthouses and all that, there really wasn't any place better than our home.
"But we mostly just grill meat and eat it, don't we."
"Because it's delicious."
"Hmm... even so, just two days ago we had a barbecue party..."
It was about time to start correcting A-ra's eating habits...
If she just ate a ton of meat, she could get hyperlipidemia or her cholesterol levels could rise, and she might get sick.
"I don't have anything like that!"
"You never know. Do you want to go to the hospital for a checkup?"
"I just had a health checkup recently!"
"Hmm..."
She claimed she was healthy, but...
I wasn't the type to just take that at face value.
Wasn't this something I couldn't just let slide without seeing some real, solid proof?
It wasn't just anything; it was about A-ra's health.
"No. This weekend, go to the hospital with me."
"Ugh..."
"We'll do a CT, an MRI, and check everything thoroughly."
"But then I'd have to be hospitalized!?"
"So be it. I also had an MRI and CT scans done when I was hospitalized before."
Wasn't it A-ra who urged me to get tested back then?
This time, it was my turn to urge A-ra.
"You don't have any work on the weekend, right?"
"Yeah..."
"In return, if we confirm you're healthy, I'll prepare a meat dish for you."
"Okay!"
She immediately smiled and started putting short rib meat into her mouth.
And, for some reason, I saw her slipping one piece of lettuce wrap into her mouth at a time.