The Heroine’s Weakness Is Puppies
S-class hunter Kim Soyeon. Morning sunlight tickled my eyes. I slowly opened them and rubbed the sleep away. The very first thing I did was grab my smartphone and check my bank balance with a grin.
“Heh heh heh.”
No matter how many times I looked, I couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across my face. The money I’d earned over the past few days was enough to make an ordinary salaryman grind for months. With this much, I could easily leave this dump and rent a decent place.
“…Kim Soyeon.”
I stared into empty space, recalling the woman I’d seen yesterday. Then I pulled up the gallery and posted a thread to learn more about her.
The comments were flooded with question marks, and so was my head. I’d asked for her weakness and she drops puppies on me?
Kim Soyeon must have sensed the confusion, because she added more details. She was ridiculously weak to cute things. She tried really hard to act indifferent because she had an image to maintain. She wanted to raise one, but her schedule was so packed that she was often away from home for days at a time. She didn’t have the confidence to take responsibility, so she settled for watching from afar.
Only after reading the full explanation did I understand why it was a weakness.
In short: use a dog to seduce her.
I still had no idea how to actually use that information, but at least I had it. I closed the gallery and stepped outside.
The additional intel I’d gathered was that her left ear was extremely sensitive—if you blew on it, her legs would give out and she’d collapse. And surprisingly, if you gently praised her hard work, she’d start hyper-aware of the person who said it.
I kept repeating those facts to myself as I hurried along. My first stop was the real estate office I’d had my eye on.
“Welcome! What kind of property are you looking for?”
A middle-aged agent approached with a bright, professional smile. I kept my hands in my pockets and answered in a deliberately arrogant tone. Honestly, I’d always wanted to try acting like this once.
“Just show me the cleanest, nicest place you’ve got.”
My straightforward request made the agent’s eyes sparkle. He immediately began guiding me around.
The first apartment was an officetel, but too ordinary, so I passed. The second was a brand-new three-room villa with plenty of space and good airflow, but the location lacked infrastructure, so I passed. The third had high ceilings and looked impressive—a duplex officetel—but something about it didn’t click, so I passed. The fourth was a super-convenient one-minute walk from the subway, but parking was terrible. The fifth had perfect interior design, but another building completely blocked the living room’s floor-to-ceiling windows, so I passed.
After that tedious cycle, I finally stepped into the tenth and last place and felt a satisfied smile bloom on my face.
“Oh, this one’s different.”
The agent let out a visible sigh of relief, his face lighting up. The infrastructure, parking, natural light, size, and cleanliness were all excellent. Plus, it was pet-friendly.
“No need to look further. Let’s sign the contract right now.”
I transferred the deposit on the spot and sealed the deal. As I left the office, I rubbed the back of my neck and let out a long sigh.
“…Why the hell does finding a place wear me out this much?”
With a new home secured, my next destination was the equipment shopping district.
From the eleventh floor onward, kobolds and stronger monsters started appearing. It was basically standard procedure to gear up properly at this point.
Even in the early evening, the shopping street was packed with people. Hunters were everywhere, and the voices of street vendors enthusiastically hawking their gear echoed through the alley—the pride of the district.
I was strolling along, casually browsing, when—
“…Huh?”
I stopped dead in my tracks, letting out a dumb sound. A certain figure stood out sharply among the crowd.
To everyone else, her outfit was nothing special. A black cap pulled low, a mask covering her face. It was the kind of look you saw everywhere after the pandemic. But her body shape and the way she wore it matched someone I knew perfectly.
I couldn’t possibly miss it. She was dressed exactly the same as yesterday.
‘Kim Soyeon.’
Why the hell was I running into her here again? What were the odds of bumping into one of Korea’s handful of S-class hunters two days in a row?
My confusion lasted only a second. When I saw what she was staring at, I had to desperately fight back the laughter threatening to burst out.
She stood frozen, completely transfixed. Beyond the glass window was a large pet shop filled with adorable, wriggling creatures. In particular, her eyes were locked on a brown puppy wagging its tail.
The look in Kim Soyeon’s eyes as she gazed at that puppy was so tender and longing that I almost doubted it was really her. She looked like the tragic heroine of a drama, staring at the world’s most precious treasure yet unable to reach out and touch it.
‘…It really was true.’
Now what? How could I use this to approach her?
I racked my brain and came up with one idea. I pretended not to know her, walked past naturally, and pushed open the door to the pet shop.
A cheerful chime rang out as the scent of the shop washed over me.
“Welcome!”
I returned the staff member’s bright greeting and headed straight for the transparent enclosures displayed near the window. Then I walked over to the brown puppy that Kim Soyeon couldn’t tear her eyes away from.
“What breed is this one?”
“Ah, well… actually, this one’s a mix, so customers don’t really prefer him. That’s why…”
A mix meant it didn’t have a clear pedigree. From the staff’s tone, I could tell no one wanted him, so he wasn’t selling. Makes sense. Most people preferred obvious breeds like poodles.
Thinking that, I looked at the puppy. It was jumping around excitedly at the sight of me, and it was ridiculously cute. Up close, its cotton-candy-like fluffy fur tugged at my heartstrings.
“He’s cute.”
It was an honest impression.
The staff member’s face brightened immediately. “Oh my, would you like to take him? Shall I prepare the contract right away?”
“Yeah, sure. And while you’re at it, recommend a big fluffy dog bed, food, pads, toys—everything he’ll need.”
“Yes, understood!”
The employee quickly rattled off the health guarantee period, refund and exchange policy, and liability for any illnesses. It was obvious she was terrified I might change my mind.
I swiped my card without hesitation and signed the contract. The entire time, I could feel a burning gaze on my back.
When I snuck a glance, I saw her glaring at me through the glass. Her eyes were a chaotic mix of regret, shock, and jealousy.
Ignoring that stare, I placed the puppy into the carrier the staff handed me.
“Thank you. I’ll raise him nicely.”
I opened the door and stepped back onto the street. I could feel that scorching gaze following me, but I pretended not to notice and kept walking. Then—
Grab.
A hand clamped down on my shoulder with crushing force. It felt like it might shatter my bones. I involuntarily sucked in a sharp breath.
Feigning complete ignorance, I put on my best confused expression and turned my head.
“Wh-what the—?”
The woman with the mask and cap was gripping my shoulder, breathing hard. I made a displeased face and tried to shrug her hand off.
But she only tightened her grip, refusing to let go.
“Um, could you let go? Do I know you?”
I asked pointedly, but she still wouldn’t release me. Instead, she lowered her head and began trembling, as if wrestling with some intense internal conflict.
After a moment, a tiny, barely audible voice slipped out from behind the mask.
“…C-can I… come over to your house?!”
“…Excuse me?”
For a second I thought I’d misheard. What the hell?
…Wait.
No matter how I replayed it, the question she’d just asked me was whether she could come to my house.
I stared at her in utter disbelief. The visible tips of her ears were burning bright red, like they were about to explode.
She seemed to have finally realized what she’d just said.
‘…This is ridiculous. It actually worked.’
S-class hunter Kim Soyeon, completely flustered and at a loss for what to do.
And me, standing there dumbly with a puppy carrier in one hand and a shopping bag in the other.
In this absurd situation, the only emotion I felt was pure bewilderment.
While desperately holding back the laughter that kept trying to burst out, one question floated through my mind.
…How is this any different from “Wanna come over for ramen?”
That was seriously the only thought I had.