By Zephyria 
#Side Story 2-8
Hey, Kim Lee-eum! Over here, over here! As soon as I opened the restaurant door and entered, Roh Seon-gyu waved his hand busily. He was dressed in a proper suit, unlike before, and his hair was neatly styled with wax, making him look like a different person.
“Do you always have to make your hyung wait for you first, huh?”
“Cut me some slack. I barely slept after pulling all-nighters for days.”
“Kim Lee-eum will catch all the criminals in Korea. Auntie, over here!”
He ordered pork belly and drinks. He said we should eat moderately since he’s on a diet, but then suddenly ordered enough for five people. After that, he showed me photos of the girlfriend he recently started dating. He hinted, saying he might get married next year, asking if I would of course be the host, and if it would be okay to ask Choi Won-joon to officiate.
Lee-eum filled his glass with a look of disbelief.
“Isn’t the officiant supposed to be someone respectable?”
“If he pays me a salary, that’s respectability right there.”
Roh Seon-gyu got a job in the security team at Sehwa Construction, and he said it was thanks to Choi Won-joon pushing for him hard back in his Young-shik days. Still, contrary to my worries, he seemed to be pulling his own weight sufficiently. He went around calling himself a parachute hire, but Won-joon wasn’t the type to be so careless as to hire someone solely based on connections.
If Seon-gyu had acted high and mighty claiming to be an acquaintance or hadn’t properly handled the tasks entrusted to him, Won-joon would have cut him off without hesitation. Even though he seemed slick and carefree, when it came to work, he had a cold, sharp side.
“You’re already here.”
Just then, someone came and stood beside me. Looking up, Lee-eum smiled with a happy face. You came? Long time no see. Jeong Dae-han pulled out a chair and sat down, then placed his bag in the corner. There was white snow clinging to his hair.
“Is it snowing?”
“Yeah, a lot. The traffic was terrible.”
“Ah. I hate snow.”
Listening in, Roh Seon-gyu poured him a drink and teased him.
“Kim Lee-eum’s getting old. You used to run around like a puppy when it snowed.”
“Me?”
“Yeah, you.”
When on earth was that? I’m turning thirty the day after tomorrow. When I said I didn’t really remember, they teased me, asking if I was getting dementia already. As the meat cooked properly and we passed around drinks, the topic of conversation shifted to our school days.
“Kim Lee-eum was really popular back then. There was a truckload of people who liked him.”
At Roh Seon-gyu’s words, Jeong Dae-han laughed. Lee-eum felt awkward and just fidgeted with his glass. After his relationship with Choi Won-joon became clear, one day under the wisteria in front of the National Forensic Service, the two of them had a long talk. Dae-han carefully brought it up, saying he had neatly sorted out his feelings and wanted to remain good friends from now on.
At first, I was worried, but when Won-joon heard about it, he readily agreed. Instead, he acted quite maturely, saying I should definitely tell him first whenever we meet, as he didn’t want to misunderstand and cause me trouble.
Just then, the shop door opened, and a group of teenage students noisily came in. They ordered meat, stuck candles in small bread, and sang Happy Birthday. Watching them, Roh Seon-gyu expressed regret, saying we had times like that too, and how time flies.
The soju bottles piled up, and everyone got tipsy, their faces turning red. After putting Dae-han, who couldn’t hold himself up, in a taxi first, Roh Seon-gyu said he was going to meet his girlfriend. Seeing him laugh slyly, saying it’s okay to stay out tonight, even though he’s a friend, it was a bit creepy.
Once even Roh Seon-gyu disappeared, Lee-eum shoved his hands into his jacket pockets. The snow had mostly stopped, but it was piled on the ground, making a crunching sound with every step. He briefly considered buying an umbrella but gave up since it was only a 10-minute walk home.
Walking slowly, Lee-eum spotted a man loitering near the apartment under a black umbrella. The tall man in a black coat was puffing out white breath with every exhale. Feeling happy to see him, Lee-eum hurried over, and Choi Won-joon turned to look this way.
Striding over, he held the umbrella over Lee-eum and first brushed the snow off his head and shoulders.
“I told you to call. I said I’d come pick you up.”
“It’s right here, why bother.”
“You could have at least used an umbrella.”
His tone was annoyed, so Lee-eum just laughed. The two walked under the umbrella and stopped by a convenience store to buy beer and snacks. When Lee-eum said he’d have one more can at home and then sleep, Won-joon teased him, calling him a drunkard, but then put on airs, saying he’d drink with him.
“Did you have a good time with your friends?”
When Lee-eum nodded, Won-joon ruffled his hair once. Before, he used to glare just at the mention of Jeong Dae-han’s name, but now he showed enough grace to let it slide. Lee-eum wanted to believe it was possible because their relationship had become that stable.
As they passed near the playground, a sound came from somewhere.
“It’s coming from inside the slide?”
The two went near the spiral slide and looked around. Looking closely, the sound was coming from inside the slide cylinder. Won-joon climbed up, shone his phone’s light, and said it seemed like there was something in the middle. But he couldn’t reach it.
“I’ll go in and get it.”
Looking at Won-joon taking off his coat, Lee-eum was startled. Worried that a mishap like getting stuck in the slide again might happen like before, Lee-eum barely managed to stop him, saying not to. Then Lee-eum went into the lower passage and shone the light. A whining sound was heard, and then something peeked its face out. The brown mass was bigger than expected, and its pitch-black eyes were full of fear.
“There’s a dog here!”
Won-joon came down and peered inside from the same position as Lee-eum. So there is. When Lee-eum tried to reach out his hand, Won-joon stopped him, saying it might bite. But they couldn’t just leave it like that. They contacted the security office, and soon a security guard came.
“Ah—this guy was still here.”
“Do you know who the owner is?”
“I don’t know about the owner, but I’ve noticed it since yesterday. Since no one came looking even after the daytime announcement, it seems it’s not a dog that lives here.”
The security guard said he’d contact the animal shelter, so they were about to turn and leave. But then a whining sound was heard. Then, it quickly came out from inside the slide and followed behind Lee-eum. Hey, hey, I’m not your owner. He gestured for it to go away, but there was no way it would understand. The dog wagged its tail continuously and circled around Lee-eum. Seeing his troubled expression, Won-joon stepped in.
“Should we take it for now?”
As if to prove the point, the dog rubbed its face against Lee-eum’s leg. The creature with pitch-black eyes and a gentle face showed not a hint of wariness. Unable to leave it behind with a clear conscience, Lee-eum finally nodded after much deliberation.
After explaining the situation to the security guard and saying they would look for the owner themselves, they took the dog and entered the house. Under the bright light, the dog’s condition was messy fur and a skinny belly. They roughly wiped its paws and let it in, but couldn’t guarantee they’d find the owner.
Lee-eum first took a photo of the dog and searched the local community. After posting the photo, Won-joon rummaged through the fridge, took out some beef, cut it into small pieces, and put it in a bowl. Seeing it eat ravenously, it must have been quite hungry.
“It’s best to let it stay here just for tonight and take it to the vet tomorrow morning. It might have a chip.”
“What if the owner abandoned it?”
“Then we’d have to send it to a shelter.”
The dog, having finished the meat, quietly lay down on one side and stared intently at the two. How old is it? Usually, dogs are said to be lively, but maybe this one is old. Then, Won-joon said he absolutely couldn’t stand it anymore and took the dog to the bathroom.
“Are you going to wash it?”
“Yeah.”
“Don’t hit it if it doesn’t listen.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t harm the dog.”
“…….”
Lee-eum sat in the living room and let out a low sigh. Won-joon’s voice could be heard intermittently from the bathroom. Is he even talking to the dog? Quietly going to the bathroom, he peeked through the slightly opened door and saw Won-joon meticulously soaping the dog’s body. Seeing him with his sleeves and pants rolled up, Lee-eum laughed without realizing it.
“Is it okay to wash?”
“Yeah. It’s well-behaved. Gentle like you.”
As Won-joon said, the dog was gentle and quiet. Then, it suddenly shook its body, water splashed everywhere, and Won-joon got completely soaked. Even so, without showing any irritation, he diligently washed the dog. He said he liked dogs as a child and had raised one too, so it seems it wasn’t an empty statement.
“If there’s no owner, should we raise it?”
Won-joon looked at him with a surprised expression. Because Lee-eum had once said he didn’t like raising puppies. He said that’s why he gave the puppy he brought before to his noona. But in truth, Lee-eum didn’t dislike animals. It’s just that animals don’t live as long as people, and he didn’t have the confidence to handle the parting, so he avoided it.
Moreover, after becoming a violent crimes detective, it got worse. Worried about leaving a dog alone and lonely or something happening, leaving it behind. Someone said he was the type to buy worry for himself, but for Lee-eum, responsibility was a heavy word to that extent.
Won-joon asked if it would be okay, and Lee-eum nodded. When he said, “What’s a dog compared to raising something even more troublesome?” Won-joon asked back if that ‘more troublesome thing’ was him. Lee-eum just laughed and ultimately didn’t give an answer to that.