Still a Crybaby
—Hey! What the heck! Ya sprayed water on me?
—Eek! Raccoon dogs die if they touch water!
After all the twists and turns to get back to the villa, the first thing I did was scrub them all down thoroughly.
“What are you talking about? Raccoon dogs or dogs, nobody dies from getting wet. And your paws are caked in poop—shouldn't we clean them? Next. Maeng-maeng-i, you're up.”
—Nyeng!
Washing just Ssal-i was tough enough, but giving five poop-and-pee-covered mutts a bath one after another left me feeling like I'd just finished major surgery.
“Aigoo. I'm gonna die.”
After finishing baths for all five doggos, I collapsed flat on the living room floor.
Bath + blow-dry + towel-dry + cleanup. The result? I felt like a wilted cucumber. Meanwhile...
—Ehehehe! Aren't I super fast?
—Maeng-maeng-i's super fast too! Running's fun!
—Speed? Nureoguman ain't slouchin' either.
The five doggos ignored my exhaustion completely, drawing summoning circles as they spun circles around me.
Thud! Thud!
They even...
Trampled right over my face.
'I... wanna cry.'
Part of me wanted to just close my eyes and pass out right there. But...
“Ugh... time to get up.”
What day was it today?
The plans had gone completely off the rails, but it was still Ssal-i's birthday.
I bolted upright.
“Alright. Cake... let's start with the cake.”
—Whoa! Guys! We're eatin' cake!
—What's that?
—Cake's special feed ya only get on birthdays.
—Maeng-maeng-i wants some too!
I pulled out the pre-made cake and set it on the floor, and their reaction exceeded my wildest expectations.
Whoosh~ Whoosh~!
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
The five doggos surrounded me, wagging their tails like propellers in a frenzy.
'Hmm. Five doggos make it extra cute, I guess.'
Chocolate, sugar, milk-based cream, etc.
Dogs eating human cake can lead to severe vomiting, diarrhea, or worse health issues.
Even the cake I'd made looked no different from the local bakery's on the outside, but the inside was completely dog-safe.
Mashed tofu instead of whipped cream, rice flour dough stuffed with sweet potatoes, pumpkin, and chunks of meat—a cake made just for pups.
—Whoaaa! This is gonna be sooo good!
—Sniff! Sniff! What's this smell? Whoa? Drool's just pouring out!
The doggos' eyes glazed over at the sight, drooling like newborns and sniffing wildly, but...
“Hey hey! Everyone stop. Freeze. Right now.”
That didn't mean they could dive right in. Birthday cakes have a proper order.
“Birthday cake isn't something you scarf down like regular kibble. You follow the rules.”
—What rules? Hurry up, I'm starving!
“It's not complicated, so pay attention. Before cake, we sing a song.”
—What song?
Today was Ssal-i's historic first birthday party. Might as well do it right.
I set my phone to loop the birthday song and ruffled Ssal-i's curly fur wildly with both hands.
—Uwoong? Dad?
Caught off-guard by my sudden attack, Ssal-i looked up at me with his steamed-bun face half-munched.
I pulled the teddy-bear-like Ssal-i between my thighs and said,
“We all sing along to this song. Ssal-i's the star, so you just sit pretty while your friends sing for you.”
—Hmm. The kids singin'?
—Hey! What'd he say? Ain't ya heard of Big Rock's singers?
“Come on, everyone—no more talk, let's practice singing. Happy birthday~ Happy birthday~ To our dear Ssal-i~ Happy birth...”
At first, the Big Rock doggos eyed each other warily, but soon they were howling off-key along with the birthday song in chorus.
“Happy first birthday, Ssal-i. From the bottom of my heart.”
—Happy birthday, Ssal-i!
—Hehe, thanks everyone.
—Alright! Let's eat!
“Wait, everyone! Let me cut it and hand it o—.”
Lick lick lick!
Slurp! Slurp slurp!
Chomp chomp!
No time to slice—the five doggos smeared their faces with tofu cream and inhaled the cake like vacuums.
'Eh, whatever. Ssal-i looks happy, so it's fine.'
Birthdays aren't about what you do—it's about who you do them with, right?
I set water bowls next to the ravenous crew and flopped onto the sofa.
With birthday cake doubling as dinner done, time for a little rest, I thought.
—Dad.
“Yeah, Ssal-i?”
Ssal-i came bounding over, panting, face plastered with tofu cream.
“Ugh, don't get it on Dad's face.”
—Hehe. Dad, now we're goin' for a walk, tag, and play! Swimming too!
...Walk? Tag? Swimming?
Each word from beaming Ssal-i crushed my soul a little more.
“Haha... right now?”
—Yeah! Right now! I wanna go walkies now! It's my birthday!
Losers cry when they're tired.
Winners smile—that's what they say.
It's Ssal-i's one day a year. As his dad, I had to step up.
“...Okay. If our Ssal-i wants a walk, we go.”
—Yay! So exciting! Guys, get ready to go!
—Maeng-maeng-i's gonna ruuun!
—Heehee. Hey! With those stubby legs, how far ya gonna—huh? Did ya just hit me, bro?
—Hehe! Maeng-maeng-i's bigger than Thunder hyung!
—You little punk!
The doggo full villa had a special nosework trail.
No idea where they got it, but the path had buckets of urine from wild animals like tigers, lions, boars, deer—scents pups never smell.
That's what Ssal-i meant by walk. But we didn't have enough leashes.
Villa allowed off-leash, but nosework was the exception—dogs get too hyped sniffing.
“Everyone wait here. Gotta rent leashes from the shop first.”
—Okay. Hurry back~.
—See ya, bro.
—Dad! Ssal-i wanna go too!
“You sure? It's a bit of a walk to the shop.”
—Yeah! I'll pretend it's a walk with Dad.
My body weighed a ton, but seeing Ssal-i stick out his tongue and grin melted the fatigue away.
“Alright, let's go. Be back soon—you guys stay out of trouble.”
—Don't lick too much! It tickles!
—Whoa! Thunder hyung's so fast!
The doggos were too tangled in play to hear me.
“Jeez, those guys.”
—Hehe, Dad. Hurry. It'll get darker soon.
“Yeah. Let's head out, Ssal-i.”
Outside the annex, the sunset hung like watercolor over the ridgeline of the surrounding hills.
“Whoa~ Ssal-i, look at that sunset on the ridge. Pretty, huh?”
—Hehe... yeah, pretty.
As we walked, soaking in the picturesque view, Ssal-i seemed increasingly tense the closer we got to the shop.
“What's up? Something you wanna tell Dad?”
—Huh? N-no? Why?
“Hey, no hiding. Spill it. Dad can tell just by looking at your face.”
—R-really?
Ssal-i peeked up at me, startled. Definitely hiding something.
“Dad can't solve all your worries, but we can share them. So if something's bugging you or you wanna tell Dad anything, speak up anytime. Got it?”
—Yeah. Got it. But it's not really a worry... ugh. Anyway, we're here, Dad!
“Shall we go in?”
Ssal-i had something on his mind but wasn't ready to share.
I'd probe gently during the walk later. For now, we entered the cozy, storybook log-cabin shop.
Inside felt like a pet supply store, warm and inviting.
“Heh heh, welcome. Having a good time?”
The villa owner greeted us with a kindly smile from the counter.
“Yes. Kids were playing inside—heading to the nosework trail now.”
“Heh heh. Here for leashes, then? Let me see... two small dogs, two mediums, so these should...”
As the owner bent to grab leashes, Ssal-i tapped my leg with his paw.
“Hm? What is it, Ssal-i? See something you want?”
—Dad, that thing there.
Like a kid at the mart with parents, eyes sparkling at the toy aisle.
I wanted to scoop him up and roll around on the floor.
“If it's a birthday gift our Ssal-i wants, tell me. If we can take it home, Dad'll buy anything.”
—Hehe... really?
“Of course.”
—That's nice, but not that... look left once.
How badly did he want it to act like this?
Ssal-i's eager tension brought a big dad smile to my face.
“Okay, let's see what our Ssal-i likes.”
Top shelf: dog houses. Cruder than Ssal-i's—probably not.
My eyes scanned down past food and treats to the bottom toy shelf.
“Hard to guess what Ssal-i's after... huh?”
At the shelf's end.
A neatly groomed fawn Shih Tzu.
I'd seen countless Shih Tzus as an intern and since opening my clinic.
But pale fawn fur still triggered a conditioned jolt, like an electric shock.
'I know full well... it can't be.'
Startling at fawn Shih Tzus was inevitable. But I recovered faster now.
I knew too clearly that the one I longed for could no longer exist.
Snapping back, I scanned for Ssal-i's gift, when...
—Long time no see.
The voice from the shelf's end froze me like ice.
“...?”
It couldn't be her.
She wouldn't remember me after all those years of no searching, and Shih Tzus live 13-15 years.
If alive, she'd be 23—over 100 in human years.
'No way. Impossible. Can't be...'
I didn't know who the white-eyed Shih Tzu mistook me for.
But she absolutely couldn't be...
—Long time no see. Missed you, bro.
Impossible.
It shouldn't be.
“...Byul-i? Byul-i?”
“Heh heh. How'd the director know our Byul-i...?”
“B-Byul-i!!”
I bolted to the shop corner like a madman.
Ignoring the owner's stare, Ssal-i's confusion—nothing mattered.
I rushed to smiling Byul-i and dropped to my knees. The tiny, precious one I'd missed so much.
“Byul-i... is it really you?”
I couldn't hug her hard—she'd shatter. Instead, I placed trembling hands on her tiny body, feeling only her warm life.
—My bro. Still a crybaby, huh.
Byul-i tottered forward on shaky legs, placing her paw on my knee.
Just like back in those young days.
“Haha... Byul-i... Byul-i.”
Byul-i, nestled in my arms, gently licked my blurring eyes.
I held her close for a long time, imprinting her warmth on my chest.