A Girl's Charisma
“The comments are overflowing. Sun-jam really wrapped up this year's harvest.”
Do-hee said with a smile as she checked the comment section.
She had looked quite satisfied for a while now, mostly because the comment section had been cleaner than ever lately.
The trolls who had gathered as the channel surpassed 100,000 subscribers and various videos went viral had somehow gone quiet recently.
“Having a child on screen definitely chased away the attention seekers.”
“Huh? The malicious comments disappeared because of Sun-jam?”
Surprised by Seung-wan's words, Do-hee asked.
Seung-wan replied as if it were obvious.
“Of course. Normally, videos featuring children don't get hate comments. What are they going to do, swear at a kid? Harass them? The moment they do that, even the people who used to agree with them will turn and attack the troll.”
“Ah, so that's why...”
“Even the occasional hate comments target someone very specific to avoid misunderstanding. But targeting a specific person with hate comments isn't easy either. Cross the line even a little, and you'll get slapped with a lawsuit immediately.”
Vague insults and targeted insults aimed directly at someone were completely different.
Under these circumstances, malicious comments were bound to decrease.
These days, even trolls knew exactly where the line was to avoid getting sued.
Just then, the office door opened and Do-jin walked in.
“Whew~ It's getting quite chilly now. I should start pulling out my thick clothes.”
The two women nodded at Do-jin's words.
Just watching Do-jin rub his hands together was enough to guess the temperature outside.
They, too, had started wearing cardigans in the office a few days ago.
Unlike the outdoors, it was still relatively warm inside, but as expected of a building with few people, it got quite chilly in the mornings and evenings.
“It's almost December, after all. Winter is just around the corner.”
“Whew, you're right. I can't believe it's already December.”
At Seung-wan's words, Do-jin looked at the calendar with a wistful expression.
Unlike the others, this past year had been a rollercoaster between heaven and hell for him.
The news of his divorced wife's suicide and being kicked out of her funeral hall without even being able to mourn had happened just seven months ago.
But after regressing to the past, everything had changed.
Except for one thing: he had met his beloved wife again.
“Whew... I'm happy.”
“Huh? Did you always like winter that much? Enough to make you happy?”
Do-hee, who had approached him at some point, asked. She must have overheard Do-jin muttering to himself.
Perhaps because of their height difference, his girlfriend looking up at him from below seemed exceptionally lovely today.
Was that why? Do-jin unconsciously pulled her into an embrace.
Squeeze!
“O-Oppa?”
Flustered by the sudden display of affection, Do-hee looked back and forth between Do-jin and Seung-wan.
Although she liked her boyfriend's physical affection, she felt self-conscious in front of her friend who shared the office.
At least it was a relief that Obei was away.
Of course, the situation was different for Seung-wan, who had to witness this alone.
“...Is that perhaps a new symptom of the COVID era? A sudden seizure that makes you crave physical contact without caring about your surroundings?”
“Cough, cough! Ah, my body was just so cold that I did it without thinking...”
“...”
Snapping back to reality at Seung-wan's irritation-filled words, Do-jin hurriedly sputtered an excuse, but
“Ah? So that's why you did it last month too. But it wasn't cold at all last month. Are you perhaps feeling physically weak?”
“...”
Naturally, no one in the room believed him.
It was just a bit intense today, but Do-jin acting like this was nothing new.
In the end, Do-hee stepped in on behalf of the embarrassed Do-jin.
“Heheh! Seung-wan~!”
“Tsk! Get away from me, you pair of cockroaches. You're just as bad.”
Seung-wan backed away with a look of disgust at Do-hee's aegyo.
Waving her hands to block their approach, she delivered the final blow to Do-jin.
“If you're going to keep doing this, send me a radio message. I'll make myself scarce. Or should I leave right now?”
“Haha...”
“Hey! Seriously! That's it, get over here!”
“Kyaah! Get away, you cockroa—hahaha!”
The end of Seung-wan, who had been diligently scolding Do-jin, was disastrous.
Seeing her boyfriend teased, Do-hee went into serious mode, closing the distance in an instant and mercilessly tickling Seung-wan's weak spots.
Since Do-hee knew all of Seung-wan's ticklish spots, Seung-wan could barely breathe as she rolled around on the floor.
“Cough, cough! I'm going to go check on the garden.”
Seeing the two of them, Do-jin hurriedly left the office.
Although he had only been inside for ten minutes, it was much easier on his mind to leave rather than watch the embarrassing scene unfold.
“Huh? Sun-jam, is something wrong?”
Leaving the main building, Do-jin called out to Sun-jam as she passed by. It was because she was riding Ttorang-i.
Normally, Sun-jam didn't ride Ttorang-i around.
Since she only rode Ttorang-i when going for walks around the village or when there was an emergency, he couldn't help but feel a bit tense.
However, Sun-jam's response was completely unexpected.
“...Ttorang-i needs to burn off energy. It's hard.”
“Huh?”
Not quite understanding Sun-jam's words, Do-jin turned his gaze to Ttorang-i.
Pant, pant, pant!
Except for her heavy panting, Ttorang-i's condition seemed normal. In fact, she looked in much better shape than usual.
Unable to find anything wrong, Do-jin asked Sun-jam.
“What do you mean by hard? Uncle doesn't really get it.”
“Uncle” and “niece” were the titles Do-jin had established with Sun-jam.
He hadn't thought much of it at first, but after seeing Chanarshanhu and Altani teaching Sun-jam what to call him, he had made a quick decision.
No matter what, I don't want a five-year-old calling me 'Boss.'
What would people think if they saw that? An exploitative boss running a child labor ring? An authoritarian obsessed with titles?
Either way, it was highly prone to misunderstanding, so Do-jin insisted on the uncle-niece titles despite the parents' reservations.
While Chanarshanhu and Altani felt quite awkward about it, it allowed Do-jin to form a much closer and comfortable relationship with Sun-jam.
But that relationship suddenly became very awkward with Sun-jam's next words.
“Mom said. Ttorang-i can have puppies. But there's no stud dog. So she has to burn off energy.”
“Uh... I see...”
Do-jin looked around awkwardly. He felt too embarrassed to meet Sun-jam's eyes.
Even if it was about Ttorang-i, Do-jin didn't want to hear a five-year-old girl talking about heat cycles or mating.
“You're right. She's in heat.”
Arriving at the Good Doctor Animal Hospital with Ttorang-i, Do-jin wore an “I knew it” expression at the vet's words. He had already expected as much on his way here.
The vet continued to explain to Do-jin.
“If you look here, it's stained pink, right? That's evidence of estrus bleeding. Bleeding occurs when a female dog enters her heat cycle, but fortunately, Ttorang-i doesn't seem to have a very heavy flow.”
The type and amount of bleeding vary from dog to dog. In Ttorang-i's case, it was pink, but some dogs showed red bleeding like humans, or even transparent discharge.
“In cases of heavy bleeding, some dogs leave spots on the floor wherever they walk. For a first heat, it's rare to have that much bleeding, but even considering that, Ttorang-i is at a normal level.”
“Then what should I do? This is my first time raising a dog. Should I look for a mate for her?”
As someone who had never raised a pet, let alone a dog, Do-jin couldn't help but feel flustered by the situation.
However, the vet found Do-jin's reaction puzzling.
“Aren't there other rescued dogs at your place? I thought you could just mate her with one of the suitable ones among them.”
“Ah...”
At the vet's words, Do-jin's expression darkened.
The dozens of stray dogs that used to stay at Sekki House had now all been moved to the stray animal shelter run by Paju City.
There were about three dogs left behind because the security team wanted to raise them, but...
“There are two males and one female, but I heard they've all been neutered and spayed. The rest were sent to the shelter.”
“Ah...”
Hearing Do-jin's explanation, the vet understood why he was in a bind.
Right, they were the dogs stolen by the dog thieves.
Unlike in the past, neutering and spaying had become almost standard for pet dogs these days.
Thus, it wasn't surprising at all if the stolen dogs had already been neutered.
“Well, first of all, the owner's intention is the most important. Do you have plans for Ttorang-i to have puppies? If not, getting her spayed would be good for her health.”
As he spoke, the vet had to hide his bitter feelings. Spaying and neutering were ultimately for the convenience of humans, not for the animals.
Though it's sometimes medically necessary, honestly, most people do it now just to make them easier to raise.
A dog in heat becomes difficult to control, unlike their usual self.
But what if a dog confined to a small house goes into heat? If the heat cycle is added to animals that are already highly stressed, they truly become uncontrollable.
In other words, most spaying and neutering was done for the owner's convenience.
A dog like Ttorang-i doesn't really need it, though.
The vet glanced at Do-jin. He was the best owner the vet had met since starting his practice.
From his character to his attitude toward animals, everything about him was an exemplary model for other pet owners.
Of course, having the financial means made it possible, but even without that, the owner in front of him seemed like someone who would make the same choice.
So the vet was curious about Do-jin's decision this time. Will he make a decision for Ttorang-i's sake this time too?
Saying that spaying was good if there were no plans for puppies wasn't a lie. But it wasn't the absolute truth either.
Ttorang-i was only experiencing her first heat. She was still very young, so it was better to postpone the decision for her future.
And sure enough, the words the vet wanted to hear came out of Do-jin's mouth.
“I'll... postpone the spaying for now. We don't know what the future holds, and I don't want to put her through an unnecessary surgery right away.”
“Yes, I understand.”
The vet nodded calmly at Do-jin's words, but beneath the table, he clenched his fist in triumph.
I knew it! The best owner. That assessment was unlikely to change in the future.
Sniff, sniff!
Returning to Sekki House, Do-jin smiled bitterly at the constant sounds coming from the back seat. Ttorang-i was sniffing around the back seat without resting for even a second.
“So you're the hyperactive type?”
Do-jin had listened to the vet's explanation about dogs in heat.
Contrary to popular belief, there were various types of behaviors during heat, and Ttorang-i was definitely the hyperactive type. She was a far cry from the lethargic type that lost energy and appetite.
“We're in for a rough month.”
For a large dog like Ttorang-i, the average heat cycle lasted about a month. The thought of dealing with Ttorang-i in such a high-strung state for that long made Do-jin's head spin.
“I'm glad we have Sun-jam.”
He wondered if it was right to feel this way about a mere five-year-old child, but honestly, she was incredibly reassuring.
If it was Sun-jam, who had managed Ttorang-i without any trouble even when Do-jin was busy, she would easily be able to handle Ttorang-i now.
In fact, since she was the first to notice Ttorang-i's heat and had been caring for her accordingly, his trust in her grew even stronger.
“If all else fails, I'll have to ask Do-hee and Altani for help.”
Woof!
As if she understood Do-jin's words, Ttorang-i let out a short bark. But there was a strange hint of disappointment in her bark.
It felt as if she were saying, Are you really going to keep dumping me on other people like that?
Startled, Do-jin forced a smile and said,
“Oh, of course I'll look after you too. No matter what anyone says, I'm your owner. Right, Ttorang-i?”
...Snort!
Snorting at Do-jin's words, Ttorang-i turned her head toward the window. Yet, Do-jin could instinctively tell that Ttorang-i's mood had softened.
If asked how that was possible, he couldn't give a clear answer, but somehow, Do-jin just knew.
Screech.
“Alright, we're here!”
Woof, woof!
As Do-jin opened the door, the excited Ttorang-i threw herself out of the car.
Having wagged her tail like a propeller since they passed the front gate, she was already running toward Do-hee and Seung-wan, who had come out to meet them.
“You're back? Ah! Ttorang-i, you rascal!”
“Whoa, her greeting is pretty intense today.”
“She's in heat.”
Do-jin, arriving a step late, explained to the two women. Do-hee and Seung-wan nodded.
Even just looking at her now, they could tell she was different from usual.
“Then what should we do? Does she need to eat something special?”
“Not really, they said to just feed her normally. Oh, but since the bleeding might get heavier, we should give her iron-rich treats a bit more often.”
“Iron... If it's iron... Okay! I got it—whoa!”
“Ttorang-i, you rascal! Calm down—kyaah!”
Despite Do-hee and Seung-wan's attempts to stop her, Ttorang-i's rampage didn't settle down easily.
She was already struggling to control her emotions due to her heat, and she had just returned from a rare outing alone with Do-jin.
With excitement piled upon excitement, Ttorang-i had entered a state of absolute frenzy.
Since she was a large dog with plenty of strength, the two women were helplessly dragged around by her.
In the end, just as Do-jin was about to step forward, unable to watch any longer—
“Ttorang-i, stop—”
“Зогс! суух!”
“Huh?”
Turning his head at the unfamiliar language, Do-jin saw Sun-jam standing with her hands on her hips.
“Зогс! суух!”
The same words spilled from Sun-jam's mouth once more. While Do-jin and the others stood there bewildered,
Sniff...
As if she understood the meaning, Ttorang-i began to watch Sun-jam's reaction.
Then, this time, Sun-jam spoke in Korean.
“Shh! Stop! Sit!”
Whine...
At the sight unfolding before their eyes, not only Do-jin but also Do-hee and Seung-wan stood dumbfounded.
The large dog that had been running wild just a moment ago sat down quietly at the shout of a mere five-year-old girl.
“Good job! Good girl!”
Satisfied with the result, Sun-jam walked straight up to Ttorang-i.
She fastened a harness—which she had brought from who knows where—onto Ttorang-i and dragged her toward the playground.
Whine...
Ttorang-i, being led away by a five-year-old's hand, desperately sent rescue signals to the three adults, but no one responded to her plea.
They were simply staring in awe at the charismatic young girl.