Becoming a 'Real' Owner
A few days had passed. The awkward moments with Som had gradually melted into a familiar daily routine.
It had been a while since Gomo called for a video chat. [Seung-ho, how's our Som doing?] I turned the camera toward Som, who was resting her chin on my knee, her face visible on the screen.
“She's right here, Som. Say hi to Mom.”
[Oh my, Som! It's Mommy!]
Gomo waved cheerfully, but Som only glanced at the screen before turning away and burrowing deeper into my arms.
[Oh dear, is she following you more than me now? She's become completely obsessed with Seung-ho. Your aunt's going to get jealous, hoho.]
“Haha… No, Gomo…”
Her playful compliment sent a thrill through my chest. The pride of becoming Som's fully trusted guardian. And maybe, just maybe, the unfamiliar belief that I could actually do one thing right in my life was beginning to take root.
The pride of being trusted completely.
A small, unfamiliar belief that I might be capable after all.
That evening, I finished organizing the final materials for my capstone project. After backing up all the data onto a USB drive and checking my laptop, our team group chat pinged.
> Chan-wook: Backup done? If we lose that tomorrow we're screwed
> Jae-hyuk: All good, Park Yong-jun's gonna handle everything anyway
> Yong-jun:
I let out a small chuckle at their messages.
“Just the presentation left now.”
The end of the project that had weighed on me all semester was finally in sight. With a sense of relief, I set the USB on the desk and stepped away to the bathroom for a moment.
But when I returned, I heard a strange sound.
Crunch. Crunch.
“Som?”
I walked into the living room to find Som on the desk chair, chewing on something. Her movements were slower than usual, as if she were simply scratching an itch. But what caught my eye was the object in her mouth.
The USB… or rather, what used to be a USB. My heart sank.
“Hey! Som!”
I rushed over and snatched it from her mouth. The plastic case was half-crushed with tooth marks, and the internal circuitry was dangerously exposed.
“What the… hell…”
My hands were shaking. This was the result of an entire semester's hard work from everyone. What was I supposed to tell the others… In that brief moment of despair when everything went white, a fear far greater than anger pierced my heart.
“Som, open your mouth! You didn't swallow anything, did you?”
I checked inside her mouth first. Thankfully, there was nothing there. I took a deep breath.
Calm down. First, the files.
I turned on my laptop and checked the cloud. All the files had been safely backed up.
“Phew…”
A sigh of relief escaped as the tension drained from my body. Only then did I scold Som, letting out another sigh.
“Som, you can't do that.”
But she just tilted her head in confusion. As I stroked her head, I noticed her nose felt a little drier and warmer than usual, but I brushed it off as a result of the earlier commotion.
“It's okay as long as you didn't get hurt.”
Fortunately, the presentation the next day went off without a hitch. The liberating feeling of shedding the weight that had pressed down on me all semester. When I got home, Som greeted me like she owned the whole world. Everything felt peaceful. I thought this daily life would continue forever.
“Seung-ho, two Americanos please!”
“Coming right up!”
Ever since Yu-ri started working here, the atmosphere in the cafe had subtly changed. Thanks to her bright and cheerful personality—which was the complete opposite of mine—the cafe felt much livelier than before. The initial awkwardness had also become quite familiar by now.
During the hectic lunch rush, orders started pouring in. While Yu-ri was a bit flustered, I quietly brewed the coffee, organized the cups, and kept the flow steady. In a brief moment of catching my breath, I could feel Yu-ri looking at me with admiring eyes.
“Whoa, look at Park Yu-ri's face. She's practically dripping with honey.”
The Cafe Boss had perfect timing as he emerged from the kitchen, catching the exact moment and letting out a hearty laugh.
“Uncle!”
Yu-ri smacked his back in embarrassment, but there was a smile on her face that didn't seem entirely displeased.
I didn't know where to look, so I just kept wiping cups that were already sparkling with a dry dishcloth.
During our break, the Cafe Boss handed me a cup of coffee.
“Good work. Have a cup.”
“Thank you.”
“By the way, what do you think of our Yu-ri? She's completely fallen for you.”
“…Excuse me?”
I stared at the Cafe Boss with a dumbfounded expression.
“Well, it's not a bad thing. Think about it.”
The Cafe Boss chuckled, patted my shoulder, and headed back to the kitchen. Left alone, I mulled over what he'd just said.
Me? Why? I'd always been alone. I never knew how to approach anyone first. I'd never once thought of myself as someone with any charm. My face burned.
It must have been one of the Cafe Boss's mischievous jokes. It had to be. But… the occasional glances I'd felt from her. The mysterious sparkle in her eyes came to mind. It was awkward, unfamiliar, and a little… frightening.
We went for our usual evening walk that day too. It had somehow become our most precious ritual to end the day—our own special time together.
“Oh? Seung-ho?”
I looked up at the familiar voice. It was Yu-ri, lightly jogging in her workout clothes.
“Ah, hello.”
“We keep running into each other. Out for a walk?”
“Yes.”
“Oh my, it's Som! I've only heard about her, but she's a hundred times cuter in person.”
Yu-ri looked at Som with genuine admiration. That was the moment.
Som tucked her tail between her legs and hid behind me, showing far stronger wariness than she'd ever displayed toward other women. Unlike her usual lively demeanor, she seemed somehow limp and drooping as she let out a low “Grrrr…”
“I'm sorry, she's really shy around strangers…”
“Still so cute though. Can I pet her?”
Yu-ri smiled and reached out her hand. In that instant, the shattered USB from last night flashed through my mind like lightning. An instinctive warning screamed in my head: danger.
“Ah, no!”
Almost at the same time as my shout, Som lunged forward like a wild beast.
“Grrrr…! Woof!”
“Ahh!”
A sharp scream. Som had raked her claws hard across Yu-ri's arm. I hurriedly pulled Som back. Yu-ri clutched her arm, her face twisted in pain. Clear red marks stood out vividly on her fair forearm.
“Are you okay?!”
It felt like all the blood in my body had turned to ice. The guilt toward Yu-ri, the helplessness of not being able to control the situation. But greater than all of that was fear.
The USB last night had been a warning. A warning of how careless I was as a human. And this wound now was the consequence. Terrible proof that I was an incompetent guardian who couldn't even take proper responsibility for one small living creature.
“You should probably go to the hospital…”
“It's fine, it's not that bad.”
Yu-ri tried to hide her pain and checked on me first instead.
“Seung-ho, you don't have to look so scared. I approached too suddenly.”
She forced a smile, as if trying to reassure me. But the red marks proved her words were a lie. She kept saying she was okay, but the worried look in her eyes toward me only stabbed my heart harder.
“I'm really sorry.”
“I told you it's fine. Instead… buy me a meal next time. We'll call it even, okay?”
She winked once, waved, and flagged down a taxi. I stood there for a long time. At my feet, Som looked up at me with her tail tucked between her legs. With completely innocent eyes, as if she had no idea what she'd just done.
As soon as I opened the front door, I unclipped Som's leash.
“Som.”
My voice was colder and lower than even I expected. Som approached me as usual, wagging her tail. At her innocent expression, as if nothing had happened, the dam of suppressed emotions finally burst.
“Why did you do that…”
It wasn't a shout. Just an icy question. At my tone, Som's tail slowly stopped wagging. She tilted her head and looked up at me. That pure ignorance ignited the fear and self-loathing that had been boiling inside me.
“How could you attack a person like that! What if you'd gotten hurt too! No, you can't do things like that!”
The shout that finally burst out was closer to a scream than anger. I took a step toward Som. She flinched at the sound of my footsteps and backed away. Her ears flattened back, and her tail curled completely between her legs. The moment I saw those terrified eyes, the world stopped.
What… am I doing right now.
“Ha…”
With a sigh, all the strength drained from my body like sand.
“Go to your cushion, Som.”
Som looked up at me once, then lowered her head and crawled into the darkest corner under the desk. Not to her cushion, but the corner. That small, wounded back stabbed my heart like a dagger. I couldn't bring myself to approach her. My fingertips trembled with shame. I didn't even feel qualified to say I was sorry.
That night, I curled up on the sofa and stayed awake until dawn. The room wasn't filled with silence. It was a heavy, suffocating stillness created by my guilt and her hurt.
Even as dawn broke. Unlike usual, there was no whimpering sound from beside me. Som was still curled up in the corner under the desk. In the exact same position as before. Her food bowl remained untouched. Not a single bite.
“Som… you need to eat.”
Som lifted her head. But the usual sparkle in her eyes was gone. She just looked at me once before weakly lowering her head again.
Something was wrong.
I cautiously approached and touched her nose. It was burning hot. Her eyes lacked any vitality.
“Som, are you sick somewhere?”
Instead of answering, she let out a weak, pained whine. It was completely different from usual—far too faint. Anxiety swallowed my heart whole.
I quickly scooped her up. She wasn't the usual firm little bundle. Her small body hung limply, trembling faintly.
“Ah… fuck… is there a 24-hour vet…”
My shaking fingers fumbled across the phone screen. I held her close. Som weakly closed her eyes. The rapid, shallow beating of her small heart dug into my guilt like a knife.
“I'm sorry, Som. Just hold on a little longer.”
My whispering voice trembled terribly. After searching, I found a 24-hour animal hospital. Without a moment's hesitation, I burst out the front door with Som in my arms. The cold dawn air pierced my lungs.
“It's okay, Som. Everything's going to be okay.”
But I couldn't tell if those words were comfort for myself or a prayer for her.