Regarding My Dog (2)
Expecting the usual white fluffy bundle to come racing out, I opened the front door. But the house was strangely quiet.
“Som?”
I flipped on the lights and scanned the room. His cushion lay empty. Where was he hiding? Curiosity hit me before any real worry could.
When I passed the living room and turned toward the bed, I froze.
Som was tucked in the corner beneath it. But something was piled all around him. I stepped closer and realized it was every one of his toys—the King Kong plush, the squeaky duck, the rope tug. He had dragged them all into one spot.
And right in the middle of his little hoard, Som rested his chin on his paws, gazing up at me.
“What is all this?”
I let out a soft laugh and crouched down. It looked like a dragon’s treasure pile. Or maybe he had built himself a fortress of safety.
When I drew near, Som gave a small wag of his tail and stood. He picked up one toy, carried it over, and dropped it at my feet with a soft thud.
“Is this for me?”
Instead of answering, he trotted back and fetched another. Then another. And another. It felt like he was presenting his most precious things to me, one by one.
My chest tightened with unexpected warmth.
“Thank you, Som.”
When I stroked his head, he licked the back of my hand, satisfied. My days no longer ended the moment I was alone.
The next morning I headed to the cafe. The familiar smell of coffee and hiss of steam greeted me as always. But the counter looked different today.
Beside the boss stood a woman around my age. Short bobbed hair, bright open features, and an aura of cheerful energy. She looked friendly and healthy.
“Seung-ho, you’re here? Come meet your new coworker. You two should introduce yourselves.”
“Hi! I’m Park Yu-ri! Please take care of me!”
“I’m Lee Seung-ho. Nice to meet you.”
She smiled brightly and offered her hand first. I shook it a little awkwardly. She was the boss’s niece, helping out while she took a break from school.
“She’s brand new, so she’ll probably be clumsy at first. Seung-ho, show her the ropes, yeah?”
“…Yes.”
The boss grinned contentedly and disappeared into the kitchen. That left Yu-ri and me alone behind the counter. The silence felt heavy.
“I really am completely new, so I’ll probably mess up a lot. Is that okay?”
“…Yes, it’s fine.”
“You can speak casually to me.”
“…Ah, right.”
The conversation refused to move forward. That was just how I was.
As soon as we opened, customers trickled in. Even though it was her first day, Yu-ri’s natural sociability let her chat easily with everyone. While I barely managed a word or two, she was already trading jokes and small talk like they were old friends.
She was my polar opposite.
When the rush finally eased and things grew calmer, Yu-ri approached me carefully.
“Um, Seung-ho?”
“Yes?”
“How exactly do you do latte art? My uncle just told me to wing it…”
I hesitated, then picked up the steam pitcher and demonstrated.
“Like this… using a snap of the wrist…”
“Oh… wow!”
Yu-ri watched from a short distance, eyes sparkling with fascination.
“Want to try?”
“Yes!”
She gave it a go, but it was rougher than expected. The foam came out far too thick.
“Ah, why does it keep doing that?”
“The angle of the steam is too steep. Try making it a little shallower.”
“Like this?”
“Yeah, that’s good.”
After several attempts and corrections, Yu-ri finally managed a passable heart.
“Wow, I did it! Seung-ho, you’re such a good teacher.”
“…It’s nothing.”
Embarrassed, I busied myself wiping cups.
During our short break I sat in my usual corner, carefully pulled out my phone, and opened the home camera app. On the screen, Som was curled up asleep right in front of the door. A smile crept across my face without me realizing.
“Oh, do you… happen to have a dog?”
Startled, I looked up. Yu-ri was standing a little ways away.
“Ah, yes…”
“Sorry! I wasn’t trying to snoop, I just caught a glimpse as I walked by…”
She waved her hands, clearly flustered.
“It’s fine.”
“He’s adorable. A Maltese, right?”
“Yes.”
“What’s his name?”
“…Som.”
“Som? That’s such a cute name!”
With that, Yu-ri returned to her station. We didn’t talk anymore, but the silence no longer felt uncomfortable.
That afternoon I headed straight home as usual. The moment I opened the door, Som shot toward me like a bullet.
“Hey, hey. I missed you too.”
When I scooped him up, he licked my face like he was trying to erase it. The warm welcome melted the day’s exhaustion away.
I filled Som’s bowl, threw together a simple dinner for myself, then settled on the sofa and opened my laptop. I needed to do the final check on our capstone project.
While I was deep in the code, my phone buzzed. A message had arrived in our group chat.
My friends were coming tomorrow. I glanced down at Som. He was fast asleep at my feet, breathing softly. I felt a flicker of worry about how he would react to strangers.
The next evening at seven the doorbell rang. When I opened the door, Chan-uk, Yong-jun, and Jae-hyuk piled in.
“Hey, you’re here.”
“Whoa, nice place.”
Chan-uk looked around and his eyes widened. His gaze landed on the fluffy dog bed and pet supplies tucked in the corner.
“Dude, you actually got a dog?”
“Yeah.”
“Where is he?”
Before I could answer, Som lifted his head and peeked toward the entryway. At the sight of unfamiliar men, every hair on his body stood up.
“Grrrr…”
“Holy crap, he’s adorable. Totally unlike you, Seung-ho.”
When Yong-jun reached out curiously, Som darted behind my leg. He looked up at me with eyes that clearly begged for help.
“He’s pretty shy with strangers. It’s okay, Som. These are my friends.”
I gently stroked his back to reassure him. Som stayed tense but stopped growling.
We settled in the living room and opened our laptops.
“Alright, let’s do the final check on the API integration. Match it against the DB schema I’m responsible for. Yong-jun, proofread the presentation slides for typos—”
We were deep in a heated discussion about the code when Som, who had been lying quietly at my feet, began to creep forward. He brought a small toy and bumped it against my knee.
“Sorry, Som. I’m busy right now. Just wait a little.”
I patted his head, but our meeting showed no sign of ending. Som retreated, then returned with the squeaky duck. He started chewing it vigorously at my feet.
Squeak. Squeak.
“What the— the dog is so loud… Ah, sorry, Som.”
Jae-hyuk, who also had a dog, started to snap but quickly looked embarrassed and apologized. Som stayed quiet for a moment, then went right back to chewing beside me.
Squeak. Squeeeak. Squeak.
“Sigh, the owner’s the real problem here… You not training him properly?”
“Sorry, sorry.”
Yong-jun was joking, but I couldn’t let it continue. I picked Som up and carried him to his cushion.
“Play here, okay?”
The moment I turned around, he followed me again. Finally, frustrated, Som planted both front paws on my laptop keyboard.
“Hey, hey! Som, no!”
I snatched him up in surprise. He burrowed into my arms with a whine, as if protesting, Pay attention to me.
“Damn, he really loves you.”
Chan-uk chuckled.
“Total loner with humans but popular with dogs, huh?”
“Shut up.”
I laughed helplessly and settled Som on my lap. Only then did he seem satisfied. He rested his chin on my thigh with an expression that said he owned the whole world.
Their stares felt a little embarrassing, but the small warmth against me brought even greater comfort.
“Fine, I get it. Let’s keep going.”
I stroked Som with one hand while reviewing the code. The meeting dragged on for another hour. During that time Som stayed perfectly still on my lap, as if content now that he had claimed his rightful spot.
“Okay, that’s it for today.”
“Ugh, I’m wiped.”
“Dude, take good care of your girlfriend. She’s obsessed with you.”
“She’s not even a girlfriend, stop talking nonsense.”
The guys grabbed their things, teasing me the whole way out. The door clicked shut and the noisy space fell quiet again.
At that moment, Som—who had stayed tense on my lap the entire time—lifted his head. He licked my chin as if asking, Is it just us now? then burrowed even deeper into my arms.
The anxious little creature from earlier had vanished. I stroked his back and leaned into the sofa.
Suddenly the day’s events clicked together in my mind. Last night, how he had gathered all his toys in one place and waited for me. How he had fought for my attention the entire time my friends were here. And now, the way he expressed pure joy once we were alone again.
This wasn’t simple attachment.
To him, I was the entire world.
That heavy realization settled deep in my chest.
We stayed like that for a long time, sharing warmth, until it was time for bed.
“Alright, let’s sleep.”
When I lay down, Som climbed onto the bed as usual. But tonight was different. Normally he kept a polite distance beside me. Tonight he planted himself squarely on my chest.
“Hey, you’re heavy.”
Som didn’t budge. Instead he pressed even closer, burying his nose near my neck.
Maybe he had been tense all day because of my friends. Or maybe he just wanted to be extra close today.
“Okay, okay. Stay there.”
When I stroked his back, Som let out a tiny sigh and relaxed completely. It was a little heavy, sure. But it was fine. Somehow this weight felt like it was easing my heart.