Just a day ago, Raum was lively and full of energy. But now, he couldn't even open his eyes properly and lay there weakly.
His breathing was so faint that it seemed like it could stop at any moment. There was no way I could leave for work while he was like this.
Taking a day off because my dog was sick was something that people who didn't have pets might not understand. So, I had to lie to my manager, telling them that I was the one who was sick.
"Raum, can’t you walk at all?"
I had already tried lifting him multiple times, grabbing him by the torso, but carrying a dog bigger than myself was impossible.
I gritted my teeth and used all my strength, but I couldn’t last more than a few seconds before having to put him down again. In the end, my T-shirt was soaked in sweat.
Why did he suddenly become like this? Could he have eaten something bad while I was gone?
But the house looked the same as always, no signs of a mess. If he had eaten something he shouldn’t have, there should have been overturned trash or an open fridge or cupboard.
Unable to bear my growing anxiety, I started searching his symptoms online. My hands were trembling, causing me to keep making typos. I had to erase and rewrite my search four times before I could finally press enter.
I skimmed through countless posts, focusing only on the ones with the most views and comments.
But every post had a different answer.
Brain, heart, stomach... there were too many possible causes. However, there was one thing all the posts had in common, they all said to take him to the vet immediately.
Swallowing hard, I firmly grasped Raum under his armpits again.
"Come on, come on."
But Raum twisted his body away from my hands and let out a weak bark. It wasn’t his usual powerful bark, and hearing it made my heart ache. I stroked his head gently and coaxed him.
"You don’t want to?"
"..."
Raum pressed his forehead against my palm. The warmth of his body and the softness of his fur, which had always comforted me, now made me feel like crying.
"You have to go even if you don’t want to. I can’t live without you. We have to stay together for a long, long time, okay?"
I didn’t want to resort to this, but I had no choice, I called Gwon Jintae.
He agreed immediately, sounding almost a little too eager, and arrived at my apartment in no time.
The sound of the doorbell made Raum's black ears twitch. His eyes, which had been shut tight, slowly opened, revealing his golden irises that stared intensely at the front door.
"He’s not a bad person, it’s okay."
I patted Raum's head once and walked toward the door. I would have reached it if he hadn’t suddenly grabbed onto my pants.
"Inah, it’s me! Open up!"
"Hold on a sec!"
Even when I tried to shake my leg free, Raum refused to let go.
"Raum, you have to let go."
But he stubbornly planted himself on the floor, keeping his eyes locked on the door. His golden irises glowed with a fierce light.
At that moment, I started to worry about Gwon Jintae. I had been so focused on getting Raum to the hospital that I’d completely forgotten, he could be aggressive toward strangers.
"Ah, this is driving me crazy."
Scratching the back of my head in frustration, I sat back down on the bed. Only then did Raum finally release my pants.
"Listen carefully, Raum. The person coming into our home is not a bad guy. He’s a kind person who’s here to help you. So don’t be scary, okay?"
I doubted he would understand, but since he usually acted so clever, I tried anyway.
Raum's eyes slowly shifted toward me. His expression wasn’t as fierce as before, but he still looked annoyed. I kissed his fluffy black forehead and comforted him.
"I know it’s uncomfortable, but just hold on for a bit, okay?"
Before he could grab me again, I quickly jumped off the bed. Holding onto the doorknob, I glanced back one last time. His golden eyes had calmed, but there was still an eerie feeling in the air.
Feeling unsettled, I thought, Did I really just get creeped out by Raum? If he heard that, he’d definitely sulk.
I put a finger to my lips and whispered, "Shhh."
Please, just stay still.
Then, just in case, I closed the door behind me.
As soon as I opened the front door, Gwon Jintae practically spilled into my apartment. He had a bright smile on his face, looking slightly excited.
The moment I saw him, a fleeting regret crossed my mind, maybe I shouldn't have called him.
Raum was struggling in pain, yet Gwon Jintae looked so cheerful. And with his skinny arms, I doubted he could even carry my Raum properly.
"Inah, we had a deal. If I help you take the dog to the hospital, we watch a movie together this weekend."
"Raum is in the room. Before you touch him, go to the bathroom and wash your hands first."
"Don't even think about backing out. I already bought the tickets, so get ready to enjoy the best seats."
"As I told you before, Raum has some aggression issues. He might not have the energy to attack right now, but still, be careful. If he bites you, you might lose a finger."
"If you ever have any problems, just come to me like today. I’m always ready to be there for you."
"Until I say it's okay, do not approach Raum or try to touch him."
The conversation wasn't flowing at all. This was just a collection of individual monologues.
Gwon Jintae was still grinning ear to ear. He strode toward the room, but I quickly stepped in front of him to block his way. He tilted his head, looking down at me.
"Gwon Jintae, did you hear what I said?"
"Of course. You told me to be careful because he's aggressive."
"I also told you to wash your hands first."
"I just took a shower."
He spread his hands in front of my face as if to prove his point. I pushed them away and spoke firmly.
"Wash them anyway. Don’t spread germs to a sick dog."
"You’re seriously overprotective... Fine."
Did he really listen to me properly? I started worrying that he'd just try to touch Raum recklessly and end up getting bitten.
As he was about to enter the bathroom, I grabbed his shirt and pulled him back.
"And what else did I say?"
"You told me to be grateful."
His sly tone was already irritating, but what I really couldn't stand was the way he kept poking me playfully. I scrunched up my face in frustration and let go of his shirt. At this point, if he got bitten, it was his own fault.
"I haven’t even thanked you yet."
Gwon Jintae twirled his finger in front of my face.
"But your expression says it all. It's practically screaming, 'Oh, Kwon Jintae, I’m so grateful! I could just smother you in kisses right now!'"
"Did you hit your head on the way here...?"
Kwaaang!
A deafening boom shook the entire house.
Gwon Jintae's eyes widened in shock, and his shoulders tensed. I was probably no different from him at that moment.
The sudden uproar froze both our thoughts. Just as our senses started to return, another loud, dull crash rattled the house again.
Gwon Jintae grabbed my arm and pulled me behind him. As my body turned, I caught sight of my room, where Raum was supposed to be lying quietly. And at that moment-
Thud!
The door slammed violently, making the adjacent wall tremble. It felt as if someone was smashing a boulder against it.
“What the hell is that? Is something in your room?”
Another thud! A nail securing the door frame popped out with a sharp ping, flying past Gwon Jintae and stabbing into the floor.
“Are you sure there's only a dog inside? Did you hide an Olympic shot-put athlete or something?”
“What kind of nonsense are you spouting?!”
KWAANG!
With a final, forceful impact, the unstable door was completely ripped off its hinges.
As it toppled toward us, Gwon Jintae and I instinctively stumbled backward all the way to the entrance, barely avoiding getting crushed.
The door hit the floor with a heavy thud, sending up a cloud of dust. And beyond that--
A black figure emerged.
Gwon Jintae trembled.
“That... that’s Raum?! How is that Raum?! The photo you sent me looked nothing like this! That’s a damn beast!”
Even amidst my own shock, hearing him insult Raum made my blood boil. I shoved Gwon Jintae behind me and approached Raum.
"Don't go near it!" Gwon Jintae shouted desperately from behind, but I ignored him.
Raum's eyes weren’t on me.
They were locked onto Gwon Jintae.
A chilling, murderous aura radiated from him, sending cold sweat dripping down my back.
"Raum... why are you so angry?"
"Inah, it's dangerous!"
Raum didn’t break eye contact with Gwon Jintae as he stepped toward me. Then, he suddenly nudged me backward and let out a thunderous WOOF! WOOF! right at Gwon Jintae.
The sheer force of the bark made my ears ring.
Just moments ago, he had been lying down in pain, now, it felt like a complete lie. But despite his aggressive stance, his labored breathing was evident. His massive black body heaved up and down erratically.
Raum bared his enormous, razor-sharp teeth, lowering his body as if preparing to lunge.
But instead of worrying about Gwon Jintae, I was worried about Rau,.
What made him so anxious and scared that he couldn't even rest despite his pain?
I wrapped my arms around his massive black body from behind.
I could feel the deep, rumbling growl vibrating through his chest, transferring to my own.
“Yah, Ju Inah! Are you insane?!”
Gwon Jintae flinched and scrambled back all the way to the front door.
“Shh... It’s okay.”
I continued stroking Raum, glancing at Gwon Jintae. His face had gone completely pale, drained of all color.
“Gwon Jintae, I think you should go home for today. Thanks for coming.”
“You... Are you really going to be okay-”
WOOF! WOOF! GRRRR!
Raum tensed up, preparing to pounce, so I held onto him tighter.
"Gwon Jintae, just go. Now!"
“Uh, uh, yeah! Should I... should I call the police or something?!”
-----
<Previous Chapter><Next Chapter>
-----
Comments
Post a Comment