"I don't need your help, just get out!!"
Only after I shouted did Gwon Jintae finally leave the house.
Even after he was gone, Raum remained on high alert, staring at the front door for a long time.
"He's gone now. It's okay. It's just you and me here."
The fierce glint in his eyes gradually softened.
I spent a long time soothing and calming Raum. It wasn't until nightfall that I was finally able to coax him onto the bed.
I stayed up all night, stroking his hypersensitive body, and before I knew it, I drifted off to sleep. If something warm and damp hadn't persistently pressed against my lips and cheeks, I probably would’ve stayed buried in bed until noon.
“Mm… Raum?”
I barely lifted my heavy eyelids.
Above my blurry vision, golden eyes filled my sight like a full moon. I let my eyes close again and reached out an arm. As if waiting for it, a soft, fluffy mass burrowed into my embrace.
"Are you feeling better now?"
Raum's body was still warm. But at least I could relax knowing his breathing, which had once sounded like a steam locomotive, had steadied.
I forced myself to shake off the drowsiness clinging to my body and sat up slightly. Raum was lying calmly with his head resting on my arm, looking up at me.
Even though I had only lent him my arm for a moment, it was already throbbing and numb. Still, I didn’t complain, I simply stroked his round, little nose with my finger.
It was hard to believe this was the same dog who had bared his fangs at Gwon Jintae just yesterday.
I leaned over him, pressing my forehead against his black fur.
“Do you know how much you scared me?”
His breathing, slightly faster than a human's, passed onto my skin.
"Sigh... You broke down the door, and you're still sick, where did all that strength even come from?"
I kneaded the fur on his belly as if molding dough. He turned over, did he like being touched?
Resting my chin on my hand, I gazed at Raum, who had closed his eyes like an angel while I massaged him.
Had his previous owner abused him before abandoning him in front of my house? If his aggression stemmed from past trauma, his sharp attitude made sense.
Still-
"I just wish you'd let yourself rest when you're sick… Do you really not trust me enough for that?"
A mix of worry and sadness filled me.
Raum suddenly cracked open an eye to look at me, then let out a small whimper.
My heart sank.
He had seemed fine just moments ago, what was wrong now?
Panicking, I wondered what I could do for him. Then, I quickly grabbed my phone and searched for dog massage techniques.
Until the very last minute before work, I stayed in bed, massaging the back of his neck, his legs, and his spine.
Only when my alarm blared, warning me I'd be late if I didn't leave immediately, did I finally force myself to get up and get ready for work.
As I moved, Raum sluggishly followed me, trailing right behind me wherever I went.
By the time I reached the front door, he had come to see me off.
The thought of leaving him alone while I went to work weighed heavily on me.
"I'll come home as soon as I can."
I kissed his cheek and forehead before closing the door.
When I arrived at work, my boss asked, “Are you feeling better?”
I couldn’t even lift my head in response.
“I’m fine… It’s just that my dog isn’t feeling well.”
Perhaps mistaking my guilty conscience for exhaustion, my boss patted my back and said, "If it's too much, you can leave early."
Ah, please don’t be so kind… If you keep this up, I won’t be able to face you properly.
I worked nonstop, not once sitting down, as if my feet were on fire.
"Why are you working so hard? Today isn't even the day for cleaning the windows. You'll end up sick again and won't be able to come in."
"It's fine. I was lying down all day yesterday, so I just want to move around a bit."
"Ugh, Hyunju, we should just tie her up in the break room or something."
Hyunju, who rarely showed emotions, gave me a glance with her usual indifferent face, then simply shrugged.
The manager sighed, lamenting how not a single employee seemed to acknowledge that he was, in fact, the boss.
After finishing even the dishes, something I didn’t actually have to do, I checked the time. Less than a minute remained until the end of my shift.
The moment the long hand of the clock hit 12, I untied my apron and dashed into the changing room.
Even though no one was chasing me, I bolted out in such a rush that even Hyunju, who never cared about other people's business, frowned and asked, "Did your house catch on fire or something?"
If even she thought I was acting strange, I must have really looked suspicious.
"My dog is sick."
As I hurriedly jammed my foot into a crumpled shoe, Hyunju's expression turned oddly complicated.
Right, I lied about this before, didn't I?
Putting on my best pitiful face, I added, "I caught it from him. A cold."
"You have a kid?"
Hyunju's voice shot up, an unusual occurrence for her.
Realizing what she had misunderstood, I quickly opened my mouth to explain, but just then, a customer walked in.
Hyunju gave me a knowing look before switching to a business smile and attending to the customer.
I could clear up the misunderstanding tomorrow.
That wasn’t the priority right now.
Ever since I shut the front door this morning, I'd been anxious about leaving Raum alone.
Checking on him as soon as possible was my top priority.
Spring’s lingering cold snap made my hands so numb that I barely noticed how fast I was running. By the time I reached my door, my fingers were so stiff that they wouldn’t press the keypad properly.
Stomping my feet and blowing on my hands, I managed to enter the code and swing the door open.
"Raum!"
The black furball that had occupied my mind all day lay sprawled out on the entrance floor, chin resting on the ground.
If he were his usual self, he would’ve greeted me with an excitedly wagging tail, as if he could fly.
Without even taking off my shoes, I lay down beside his face.
"Are you still feeling really bad?"
I slipped my hand under his fur.
"Your fever’s gone down since this morning."
Suddenly, Raum whimpered and pressed his forehead against my face.
"Oh, does it still hurt? Sorry, sorry."
I stayed there, stroking him for a long time.
The next day...
Thankfully, Raum's temperature had returned to normal.
It was hard to believe he had been sick at all, his body was bursting with energy again.
I wanted to take him to the vet right away, but just mentioning the word hospital made him bare his teeth, so I never even got the chance to try.
While his health had noticeably improved, a new problem had emerged.
Calling it a problem made it sound serious, but it really wasn’t anything to worry about. It was just a small, amusing issue.
"Our Raum is back to normal, huh?"
…The moment I said that, Raum let out a whimper and flopped onto the floor dramatically.
At first, I panicked, thinking he was really in pain. But after watching him for a while, I realized, he was faking it just to get petted.
Smart dog. No, a genius dog.
Maybe I should contact a broadcasting station. In my head, I could already see him trending at #1 in search rankings, landing commercial deals left and right.
Well, as long as he wasn’t actually sick, I was happy to indulge him.
Even though I hadn’t taken him to the vet for an official diagnosis, seeing him get stronger and livelier each day put me at ease.
And then, a real problem occurred.
Not just a small, laugh-it-off kind of problem.
A serious, massive problem.
"Raum, why aren’t you eating your food?"
Even when I pushed the kibble right under his nose, he didn’t so much as sniff it, he simply turned his head away.
"Yum, yum, see? It's delicious! I’m gonna eat it all~"
I pretended to take a bite, but Raum's golden eyes narrowed slightly, as if he was judging me for acting ridiculous.
Reality hit me, and I dropped the act.
Since recovering from his illness, Raum had completely refused to eat kibble.
He still drank water occasionally, but every time he did, he let out deep sighs, which was concerning.
No matter how much I tried to coax him into eating, he would just flip over the bowl with his front paws and walk away.
In desperation, I posted about it in a pet owner’s forum.
A reply came almost immediately.
[User: StomachUlcerZetsubou]
Dogs get tired of kibble too. People don’t eat the same food every day either, right? Try changing his food.
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