The Identity of the Truck
“How is it?”
“Well, I don't see anything in particular.”
“Nothing on my end either.”
Dojin let out a heavy sigh at Do-hee and Seung-wan's words.
There was no sign of a dog resembling Nureongi in the footage he was reviewing either.
“Should we give up on checking the CCTV?”
“Phew, it's tough. The CCTVs we installed mostly just cover the area around our house.”
“Even if Nureongi left the village, we won't be able to find him if he didn't pass through here.”
He hadn't expected much from the start, but as time went on, the situation only seemed to grow bleaker.
They had searched the footage from the time Nureongi's owner last saw him up to the present, but they couldn't spot any other dogs in the village, let alone Nureongi.
“Is the action cam all we have left?”
“Wouldn't that be difficult too? Bo-ri and Ttorang-i don't go that way, so there's nothing to see there. I guess we have to look at the hawk trio's cams...”
“Their hunting routes are different, so it's hard to expect much from that either. Maybe if the eel farm were still there, but lately, they don't even look toward Mabong-ri.”
The more they brainstormed, the more negative the outlook became.
Since it wasn't their business, it would have been normal to stop the search here.
But Dojin tried his best to encourage the group.
“Let's check just a little bit more. Seeing how he called himself Nureongi's dad, they must have a really special bond.”
“...True. That mister did look really desperate.”
“If a pet disappears... of course you'd feel that way.”
Recalling the man's face at Dojin's words, the two nodded and gripped their mice once again.
I'm glad Chanarshanhu's family is here at times like this.
Without them, they wouldn't have even dared to comb through the footage.
It was only because they had taken over a large portion of the work Dojin and his team usually did that they had this spare time.
“Whew, I'm going to go wash my face.”
Was it because he had been staring at the CCTV footage for hours?
His mind felt hazy and his vision blurry.
The action cams mounted on Hwindung-i and Cheongdung-i's chests had worse resolution than the CCTVs and shot from a much higher altitude, so he needed to keep his wits about him.
While Dojin and his team were busy searching through the footage in the office, Sun-jam was also locked in a serious dilemma of her own.
Why is she suddenly acting like this?
Sun-jam's eyes had been fixed on Ttorang-i for a while now.
It was because Ttorang-i had been acting strange ever since she went exercising with Dojin.
Even when invited to eat, she wouldn't budge from her cushion.
The dog, who was usually perfectly house-trained, had suddenly peed in Dojin's workshop.
Sun-jam had cleaned it up quickly, but the workshop had almost been left smelling of urine.
What is she so scared of?
As a Mongolian, Sun-jam knew very well why Ttorang-i was behaving this way.
Although she hadn't raised them herself, the neighboring households that raised horses, sheep, and dogs often experienced this phenomenon.
When wolves, foxes, or eagles appeared, or when loud noises erupted nearby, the livestock would become extremely tense or terrified.
Just like Ttorang-i was now.
There are no wolves or foxes here.
There were no eagles, but there were hawks.
However, those hawks were already friendly with Ttorang-i, so they weren't the issue either.
In the end, Sun-jam's question returned to square one.
What on earth is the problem?
She was so tense that the play-loving dog was terrified of going outside.
It was the same no matter how much Sun-jam coaxed, scolded, or tempted her with treats.
Should I tell Mister?
Thinking of Dojin, Sun-jam soon shook her head.
Ttorang-i would definitely listen if Dojin spoke to her.
Just like earlier, when she had reluctantly gone out because Dojin called, despite her reluctance.
But Dojin was very busy right now.
If she had to ask for help from someone who couldn't even rest properly and was focusing so hard, there was no point in her being Ttorang-i's caretaker in the first place.
I have to solve this myself.
Hardening her resolve, Sun-jam went outside.
And a short while later, she returned with a pile of items.
Whine?
Even though she was terrified, Ttorang-i stared blankly at Sun-jam, puzzled by her actions.
With a confident smile, Sun-jam walked over and plopped down next to Ttorang-i.
Before long, the security blanket she had brought was spread out on the floor.
Having prepared to stay by Ttorang-i's side, Sun-jam reached out and stroked her.
Stroke, stroke.
Pat, pat.
Rub, rub.
Whimper...
As the warm, gentle touch continued, Ttorang-i's racing heart gradually began to calm down.
Anxiety turned to stability.
Discomfort turned to comfort.
Fear turned to happiness.
In this way, Sun-jam began to soothe Ttorang-i's agitated state.
“I-I found it!”
“Huh?”
“Really?”
At Do-hee's shout, Dojin and Seung-wan, who had been checking the footage mechanically, rushed over.
Her shout was just that welcome.
“Look here. This is definitely Nureongi, right?”
Do-hee said, pointing to a corner of the screen.
Although it wasn't clear due to the high altitude, the overall shape and movement resembled a dog.
“It looks like him, more or less.”
“What time was this video taken?”
Calculating the time of the video at Dojin's question, Do-hee replied.
“Around 5:00 PM the day before yesterday? Around then.”
“That's not much different from the time Nureongi's owner last saw him.”
Nodding at Seung-wan's explanation following Do-hee's answer, Dojin quickly played the video.
Although the footage shook violently, fortunately, the dog that appeared to be Nureongi remained on screen.
But that didn't last long.
The dog, who had been wandering around the village, suddenly stopped in its tracks and slipped out of the frame.
They waited a bit longer to see if he would reappear, but that was the end of his appearance.
It was because Hwindung-i had returned to his nest.
“...He disappeared.”
“Yeah.”
“Sigh.”
Disappointed, the group replayed the video over and over.
They hoped to find even the slightest clue.
Just then, Dojin, who had been staring blankly at the ceiling, suddenly stood up.
“Wait, rewind it ten seconds.”
“Huh? Ah, yes.”
At Dojin's request, Seung-wan, who was operating the screen, rewound the video.
Then Dojin made an additional request.
“Can you turn up the sound a bit more? To the maximum.”
“Uh... this is the maximum volume, but hold on a second.”
At Dojin's words, Seung-wan imported the video into an editing program and boosted the volume as much as possible.
“This is the best I can do. If I raise it any further, the audio will crack and it'll be even harder to hear.”
“Okay. Please play it.”
At Dojin's word, the video played again.
It was the scene Dojin had just requested.
After about three seconds, a familiar sound flowed from the speakers.
Kkiyak!
“Huh?”
“This sound?”
“...I didn't mishear it. Cheongdung-i must have been nearby at the time.”
Gaining confidence, Dojin quickly searched through Cheongdung-i's video list.
And when he found and played the video from the same time frame Hwindung-i had recorded—
“He's there!”
“Whew, thank goodness...”
“This is much more detailed. Cheongdung-i must have been flying lower.”
The dog in the video was captured in much greater detail than in Hwindung-i's footage.
Thanks to this, Dojin and his team could be certain that this dog was indeed Nureongi.
But that, too, was short-lived.
Just as in Hwindung-i's video, the dog suddenly stopped walking, causing him to rapidly slip out of the camera angle.
But Dojin and his team didn't have the luxury to worry about that.
What they saw next was simply too shocking.
Gasps.
“Oh my god, what is that?”
“What on earth are they doing...”
Just before Nureongi completely left the frame,
a man got out of a truck that had suddenly appeared, approached Nureongi, and threw a net over him in an instant.
Nureongi, who had frozen the moment he saw the man, couldn't even dodge the net. He was kidnapped in the blink of an eye and loaded into the truck. That was the last image of Nureongi captured on screen.
“W-what was that just now? Did I see that right?”
“...Hold on. My mind is all jumbled up too, so just give me a second.”
Having watched the video, Do-hee and Seung-wan were too shocked to collect their thoughts.
But Dojin was different.
Clack, clack.
Rewinding the screen to freeze on the frame showing the truck, Dojin quickly began searching through the CCTV footage.
Although he had watched too much footage to remember clearly, he recalled seeing that truck in one of the CCTV feeds.
Fortunately, Dojin's memory was accurate.
“Found it!”
At Dojin's words, the other two turned their heads, their eyes widening.
The truck on the frozen screen and the truck Dojin had found were an exact match.
But the video was a bit strange.
A "LIVE" indicator was flashing at the top of the screen showing the truck.
And its location was right in front of the main gate of Sekki House.
“...This is creepy. Why hasn't that person left? Why is he just watching from there?”
It was just as Do-hee said.
The vehicle that had stolen the dog in Mabong-ri was parked near Sekki House, completely stationary.
But Dojin thought he knew why that car was doing that.
“...He must be observing his next target.”
“Next target?”
“But that's just a road?”
Do-hee and Seung-wan asked, unable to understand Dojin's words.
But Dojin firmly refuted their words.
“There's a target visible from there. The only dog living at Sekki House.”
“...”
“N-no way?”
At Seung-wan's words, who was stuttering in shock, Dojin nodded and said,
“That bastard is targeting Ttorang-i.”
“...”
Ttorang-i's eyes were warm as she looked at Sun-jam, who had fallen asleep beside her.
The young child had patted her for nearly an hour to reassure her.
Thanks to those efforts, a much-calmed Ttorang-i slowly stood up and looked out the window.
Sniff!
Although the window was too high for her to see outside, she could tell.
Her natural enemy was out there, targeting her.
She could also hear faint sounds.
The suppressed whimpering of her own kind.
Whimper...
Sensing her natural enemy, her body began to tremble again.
In her heart, she wanted to just stay hidden like this.
But Ttorang-i instinctively knew.
The enemy targeting her from beyond the wall would not give up on her just like this.
Growl!
Snorting to steel her resolve, Ttorang-i headed toward the door.
She had to let her master know about the enemy's presence somehow.
While she couldn't do it herself, the master who had rescued her would surely be able to subdue the enemy.
But Ttorang-i's decision came a step too late.
Slide!
"Please call the police. Seung-wan, keep checking the CCTV and let me know their location. I'll talk to the security team."
The office door right next to the workshop slid open, and a familiar voice drifted out from inside.
Bark!
Ttorang-i could feel it.
Her master knew about the enemy's presence and was moving to catch him right now.
She felt she had to help too. But at that moment—
Tap.
“...”
Feeling a warm touch on her back, Ttorang-i turned her head and swallowed hard at the sight of the clear eyes looking at her.
Sun-jam, whom she had thought was asleep, was staring at her with concern.
"I'm sorry, sir. I think he noticed us."
Dojin gritted his teeth at the news coming from the walkie-talkie.
The situation was worse than he thought.
Where did it go wrong?
The initial plan wasn't bad.
All Dojin and the security team had to do was stall for time until the police, whom Do-hee had called, arrived.
It wasn't even a difficult task.
They just had to walk out with a few security team members and pretend to pass by the truck.
The road in front of Sekki House was a narrow two-lane road, so a few adults walking along it would easily block a car from moving.
Yet, somehow, the dog thief had started fleeing in his truck the moment Dojin stepped out of the main building.
Fortunately, a security team member returning from personal business in town had blocked the road.
Seeing the road blocked in the distance, the dog thief had to quickly turn his vehicle around and head back toward Sekki House.
But where is he?
According to the security team, the truck had definitely turned back toward Sekki House.
But the truck was nowhere to be seen.
I can't let him get away.
He was a guy who, even after stealing a dog, persistently targeted another.
Normally, he should have fled for his own safety, but if he was crazy enough to keep trying to commit crimes, there was no telling when he would show up here again.
Just then, a welcome sound echoed above Dojin's head.
Kkiyak!
Kkyaak!
“You guys!”
Dojin called out to Hwindung-i and Cheongdung-i, who were flying overhead.
He knew that they would have no trouble locating the dog catcher's large truck.
But it seemed they already knew what Dojin wanted.
Kkiyak!
Kkyaak!
Instead of landing, they circled in the air once and immediately flew toward a specific direction.
“That way is...”
Tracking their flight path, Dojin suddenly realized something and shouted into his walkie-talkie.
“Boseok-ri! The dog thief is hiding in Boseok-ri. Block the exit roads from the village. I'll head inside.”
"Sir, that's dangerous. Let me go with you."
Surprised by Dojin's words, Eun-seop, the security team leader, quickly tried to stop him.
But Dojin had no intention of backing down.
“Then let's meet in Boseok-ri. Just in case, I'll enter the village through the side path.”
"...Understood. Please, do not do anything reckless."
Checking the walkie-talkie as the transmission cut off, Dojin slipped it back onto his waist.
Now was the time to run with everything he had.
“Whew. I didn't start working out for this, but...”
Dojin had never felt so grateful for the stamina he had built up over the past few days.