On Education (3)
The memory of how I had greeted that morning was hazy. But the moment I woke up remained crystal clear. Once again, something soft and squishy was tickling the back of my hand.
“Mmm…” As I frowned in my sleep and tried to pull my hand away, a clear voice slipped right into my ear.
“Master! Are you awake?”
It was a bright, pure voice. I had heard it yesterday, yet it was still difficult to get used to.
“…Som.”
“Master! Let’s go for a walk!”
I couldn’t exactly scold her for habits carried over from her dog days. I simply let out a sigh and made a firm resolution to establish some rules for this strange new being as soon as possible.
As soon as I got up, I started preparing breakfast. What used to end with simply pouring kibble had now become a process that began with clumsy knife work—chopping vegetables and blanching them in water. It was almost embarrassing to call it cooking, but watching that being wag her entire body instead of a tail while she waited for my food made the effort feel worthwhile.
Just seeing Som eat with her awkward, clumsy fork work brought me an enormous sense of peace.
But that peace never lasted long.
“Som. I’ll be back soon after my shift.”
As I stood in front of the front door to head off to my part-time job, the trial arrived right on schedule.
“Hngg… Master… are you really leaving me behind…?”
I had expected it, but when it actually happened, my heart still sank. The destructive power was on a completely different level from the whimpering she used to do as a dog. Standing there in human form with a face that looked ready to burst into tears, blocking my path, she left me no choice but to soften.
“Master! Play with Som… let’s play with the duck doll… and hide-and-seek…”
Som grabbed onto my pant leg and gazed up at me with those sorrowful eyes. Perhaps becoming human had made her emotional expressions richer. Every word, every gesture, pressed down heavily on my heart.
“I’m sorry, Som… When I get back, I’ll give you so many kisses and pet you all day long. Okay?”
“…Hiiing…”
“Can you wait for me nicely?”
“……”
When I pulled Som into a tight hug and stroked her head, she tilted her head as if thinking it over, her ears twitching in an imitation of her old habits.
“…Master, you have to come back really soon. Promise.”
“I’m sorry, Som. I’ll be back before you know it!”
It took several backward glances before I could finally close the front door behind me. I instinctively knew that the dejected energy I felt radiating through that door would cling to me like a heavy shackle for the entire commute.
“Seung-ho, you’re here?”
“Hello… and hello to you too, Yu-ri.”
“Hey, oppa!”
The café greeted me with its usual rhythm—the Cafe Boss’s gruff voice and Yu-ri’s brighter one layered on top. Ever since that day, an indescribable, subtle current had flowed between us. We weren’t dating, but calling it a simple crush felt too awkward. It was a strange and uncomfortable feeling, yet I didn’t dislike the tickling excitement it brought.
“Look at you two… honey’s practically dripping from your eyes.”
At the Cafe Boss’s mischievous teasing, we both flushed as if on cue and quickly scattered to our separate tasks.
After the chaotic lunch rush passed and a short break finally arrived, I sat in a corner seat, glanced around nervously, and pulled out my phone. My fingertips trembled slightly as I opened the home camera app.
On the screen, Som was wearing the oversized t-shirt I had slept in, sprawled on the floor with her belly down just like in her dog days, gnawing diligently on the duck doll. The surreal sight drew out both relief and a heavy sigh at the same time. It looked like the moment I got home today, I would have to play with her until she was completely satisfied.
“Oppa, are you checking on Som again?”
“Ah, you scared me!”
While I was making that silent promise to myself, the voice behind me made me flip the phone over and slam it onto the table in a near panic.
“…Sorry. Were you watching something important?”
Yu-ri looked at me strangely. I swallowed hard and forced a smile.
“No, no. I was just… spacing out for a second.”
Had she seen it? That bizarre sight of Som acting like a dog while in human form?
“Pfft… you really jumped. Anyway, is Som doing okay? She’s not scratching everything up anymore, right?”
Luckily, it seemed Yu-ri hadn’t seen the screen. She asked the question playfully.
“Uh? Uh… of course. She’s really well-behaved now.”
I answered awkwardly. She was only asking about Som’s well-being in passing, but just hearing the name made my heart tighten.
I don’t remember how the rest of the afternoon shift went. As if trying to erase the complicated thoughts filling my head, I moved like a machine for the first time in a while. Even while working, the only thought in my mind was how quickly I could return to the house where Som waited.
“You worked hard today. But what’s going on with you? You looked better last time, but today you seem off again.”
“Ah… I didn’t sleep well last night.”
“Aigoo, don’t push yourself just because you’re young… Get some proper rest. Good work today.”
My head had been a mess of complications the entire day. The helplessness of not knowing what to do with human Som. I wanted to forget the weight of all this exhausting reality, even if only for a moment. At times like these, I longed for Som more than anything. That small being who had probably spent the whole day in this narrow room, staring at the front door and waiting for me. The thought weighed heavily on my chest, yet it also became the only force pulling me home.
I wanted to wash away this anxiety with her warm body heat and familiar scent. Before I knew it, my steps had grown faster and faster.
“Som!”
“Masteeeer~~!!”
Before the front door could even open fully, a clear voice crashed over me. A white blur shot forward like lightning and wrapped itself around my waist.
“Master, Master~ I missed you so much!”
Som buried her face in my chest exactly as she had in her dog days, letting out happy little breaths. The awkward atmosphere at the café, the unfamiliar flutter I had felt around Yu-ri—all the complicated noise from the outside world seemed to bleach away instantly in the face of this pure, blind affection.
And at the same time, a sharp pang of guilt stabbed my heart.
Even though she had become human, her world was still filled with only me. She had waited alone for me in this narrow room the entire day.
After a quick wash of my face, I opened my empty notebook. My mind was a complete disaster. Things I needed to buy immediately: spoons, chopsticks, proper rice bowls. And… clothes. What about underwear? Shoes? The list of things I needed to teach her was even longer. How to use chopsticks, how to use the bathroom, not calling me “Master” anymore… Overwhelmed by the question of where to even begin with this parenting diary, a deep sigh escaped me.
That was when it happened.
Squeak, squeak—
When I turned my head, Som had already come over with the duck doll in her mouth, shaking her whole body instead of a tail. It was an obvious invitation to play. Her bright, innocent eyes held not a single trace of my complicated worries.
I crumbled in the face of that purity.
A helpless laugh burst out of me.
That’s right. I couldn’t solve everything right away.
But there was one thing I could do for her right now.
“Okay, Som. Let’s play together!”
I took all my distracting thoughts and heavy worries, stuffed them into that squeaky ball, and hurled it across the room with all my strength.
I set the squeaky ball down on the floor and called her with a sigh.
“Som, come sit here.”
Her excited mood seemed to have settled. Som waddled over.
From now on, I had to teach her the rules necessary for this strange new life together.
“All right, Som. What did I tell you to call me?”
“O…ppa?”
“Good job, good job! Now, who am I?”
“Master!”
Nothing had changed from yesterday. Still, the fact that she was using the word “oppa” just a tiny bit more often gave me something to feel relieved about.
“…Master. It’s too hard.”
The moment title training ended, Som stopped trying to crawl on all fours, looked up at me, and whined. The walking practice she had learned yesterday must have been quite exhausting.
“It’s okay, Som. Let’s practice with oppa.”
I took her hand again and guided her through more walking exercises. Even if it was only slight, she was stumbling less than yesterday. Without realizing it, a faint smile formed on my lips.
This unfamiliar parenting diary might not be such a bad thing after all.
But this clumsy education always ran into obstacles.
“Now, Som. We promised you’d wash every day, right? Today we’re practicing washing by yourself.”
“What?! No way!! Master… oppa has to wash me!”
“No, Som…”
“I don’t want to! I hate bathing alone!!”
Considering how much she had hated baths during her dog days, the reaction wasn’t entirely surprising. But I couldn’t keep washing her myself like yesterday forever. The precarious sensation from before was still vivid on my fingertips.
“Then I’ll stay in the bathroom with you, Som. But you have to practice washing on your own. If you can do it by yourself, we can go on two walks from now on.”
“Hiiing… okay…”
As expected, the magic word “walk” was the easiest way to persuade her.
“First, hold this and turn the water like this.”
“And when you make bubbles, you have to close your eyes. Otherwise it’ll sting.”
I demonstrated everything step by step—from adjusting the shower temperature to making bubbles—as if teaching a small child. Som listened with concentration, but I wondered how much would actually stay in that little head of hers.
“Finally, dry yourself with a towel and the bath is done. Understand?”
“Yes…”
Som twisted her body uncomfortably, glancing at me.
“Hm? Som, what’s wrong?”
“Master… I… I need to poop…”
“Ah…”
I froze on the spot. Beyond walking and bathing, an even greater, far more awkward problem still remained.