By Zephyria 
A reply from his younger brother Mackerel came back not long after.
: Huh?
: I heard Lee Sa-young was a kid model?
: Seriously?
: How old was he?
…How old would he have been? Eui-jae tilted his head and replied.
: Dunno
: Since he was a kid, probably elementary school at most, right?
: He said he was a children’s clothing model? He says he doesn’t remember doing it himself.
: I heard he was on magazine covers too.
The sound of rustling plastic came from beyond the door. It seemed he was taking out the trash and tidying up. Younger brother Mackerel promptly sent a reply.
: Wow… Lee Sa-young lived a busy life.
: ‘K, got it.
: But pre-Day of the Rift materials might be hard to find, so bear with me~♡
As expected, they were on the same wavelength. Just as he was about to put his phone away with satisfaction, a notification chimed. They were puppy photos sent by Ham Seok-jeong.
‘Crazy!’
Eui-jae swiped through the photos of soft, chubby, lump-like puppies. They were various colors too. Black, brown, white with black spots, brown with white spots, white, cream. Six in total.
There was also one photo of the mother dog lying down nursing her pups. The mother dog had a mix of brown, black, and white fur. It seemed they inherited their mother’s colors evenly.
A text notification arrived over the photos.
: The cream-colored one is the maknae, and since it doesn’t nurse well, I’m taking special care of it separately.
Understood, please send photos often…. As Eui-jae was sending a reply, Sa-young slid the door open and came back in.
“How much washing up is left?”
Eui-jae abruptly shoved his phone towards Sa-young’s approaching face.
“Hey, hey, look at this. Puppies. Aren’t they cute?”
Sa-young glanced at it with his eyes and gave a slight nod.
“Yes, well… They are cute.”
“What’s this. Why is your reaction so lukewarm? Aren’t they cute?”
It wasn’t the reaction he expected. He thought at least he’d get a ‘Yes, they are cute’ or something along those lines, but he was acting half-hearted. The expression on Sa-young’s face as he looked at Eui-jae became subtle.
He stared intently at Eui-jae, lifted the corner of his mouth, and smiled.
“Are you curious?”
“Huh? Yeah. Do you dislike dogs?”
Thick lips approached his ear. What now, what’s he going to say? Eui-jae gulped. A low voice whispered.
“Hyung is cuter. Than the puppies.”
A breath whooshed against his ear, and goosebumps rose from his ear outward.
“Are you crazy! What kind of creepy nonsense is that, right now!”
Eui-jae slapped the broad back with a rubber glove. Smack! Along with the satisfying sound, water droplets splattered everywhere.
“Ahahaha!”
Sa-young laughed out loud. He was laughing so hard his eyes narrowed, he seemed to find it really funny. Eui-jae pointed to the hall.
“Just go finish clearing the table!”
“Hahaha… Ah, I laughed too much… Got it.”
Sa-young headed towards the hall, intermittently bursting into laughter. Eui-jae rubbed his burning cheek with the back of his wet hand.
\ \ *
After Ham Seok-jeong’s call, Eui-jae began visiting her house periodically. Following online advice, he brought loads of pee pads and dog food.
“Puppies, puppies!”
From some point on, Ha-eun came along too.
Holding the hand of Ha-eun, who was walking with little bounces, Eui-jae let out a small sigh.
After seeing the puppy photos, Ha-eun immediately threw a tantrum, lying down and demanding to be taken along too. Since she was usually well-behaved, Eui-jae was at a loss.
‘They say you shouldn’t give in to all tantrums…’
But isn’t this level of cuteness acceptable? In the end, Eui-jae called Ham Seok-jeong and got permission to visit.
―A niece?
“Yes.”
―Did you find a relative?
“Ah, no, not a blood niece, it’s… a relationship like the one between my aunt and me. She’s the granddaughter of the grandmother from the Hangover Soup Restaurant, and she lives with her grandmother.”
The grandmother and Ha-eun still lived alone together. Eui-jae visited whenever he had time, stocked up on various daily necessities, did housework, and sometimes even cooked. He wished the four of them, including Lee Sa-young, could live together, but Sa-young refused.
‘Can’t do it. Because of the Poison. It’s safer to avoid any contact at all.’
He was right. The gas mask and gloves specially made from Monster byproducts had become useless. Sa-young avoided contact with ordinary people himself first. He said he didn’t want to cause any unnecessary accidents.
‘What would you have done without me, seriously.’
People can’t live alone. They have to live by forming relationships with others. If Cha Eui-jae hadn’t existed, Sa-young would have had to live alone until his ability disappeared. Eui-jae fiddled with his phone.
‘Will we be able to live together, the four of us, in about five years…?’
―…….
On the other end of the phone, Ham Seok-jeong was silent for a while. Around the time Eui-jae was scuffing the floor with his sneakers, she spoke.
―You really are… just like your aunt.
“…….”
―Alright, bring her along.
On the first day he brought Ha-eun to visit, Ham Seok-jeong greeted the two with a faint smile. The woman who used to only offer a cup of tea, from that day on, also brought out simple snacks for Ha-eun.
“Puppies, puppies!”
“Excited, huh? You like them?”
“Yeah!”
Ha-eun bounced onto the elevator. Ham Seok-jeong, who had been staying at her aunt’s house for a while, had bought the apartment opposite and was living there. It was a familiar place to Eui-jae too. Because he had visited a few times after his aunt was assigned to the Incheon branch.
Every time he got off the elevator, Eui-jae would sink into a strange feeling. As if he had returned to the past. Had the passcode to his aunt’s apartment changed? Sometimes he was seized by the desire to try opening his aunt’s door, but he shook it off. There was no way Ham Seok-jeong wouldn’t hear, and it was also impolite.
Ha-eun stood on tiptoe and pressed the doorbell. A cheerful voice called out.
“Teacher!”
The door opened along with the sound of barking.
“Here you are? Be careful coming in. Eui-jae, carry Ha-eun in.”
Ham Seok-jeong was dressed in a comfortable t-shirt and pants. Eui-jae, about to step over the fence as usual, stopped with his leg raised. Puppies that had grown quite large were already wagging their tails, running over, and clinging to the fence. Some were whining, others barking sharply, Arf! Arf! Arf! Eui-jae swiftly picked up Ha-eun and sat her on the sofa, then scooped up one of the puppies swarming around his legs.
“Wow… You’ve gotten heavy. Why are you guys growing so fast?”
“That’s what I say. Maybe because they’re having both mother’s milk and puppy food. Hoo… They’re really draining my energy.”
“Uncle, me puppy!”
“Yeah, yeah, just a moment.”
Eui-jae handed the brown puppy he had picked up to Ha-eun. Ha-eun hugged the puppy tightly with sparkling eyes.
“Wait a moment. I’ll bring something to drink. Ha-eun, orange juice?”
“Yes!”
“Alright.”
Ham Seok-jeong disappeared into the kitchen with a low laugh. Eui-jae dodged the puppies clinging to his legs and sat next to Ha-eun. The mother dog approached in front of his knees, wagging her tail as if she had been waiting. When he petted her head, she stuck out her tongue and panted happily.
‘Ah, cute.’
Eui-jae grinned and scratched her head and neck vigorously. In response, her tail-wagging speed gradually increased. The small puppies clung to Eui-jae’s legs as if asking to be petted too. Ham Seok-jeong, coming from the kitchen with a tray, chuckled.
“Now you finally seem your age, you too.”
“Huh?”
“It’s a compliment. I didn’t know you liked dogs.”
“Understandable. When I was active as a Hunter, there weren’t many chances to see dogs. Ah, I’ll take that.”
As Eui-jae tried to get up to take it, Ham Seok-jeong shook her head.
“It’s fine. Just hold it and drink today. The kids might knock it over. They’re already stretching their paws up to the tabletop.”
“Ah, yes. Understood. Ha-eun, here.”
“Thank you!”
Ha-eun was busy playing with the puppy, barely drinking her juice. Eui-jae held Ha-eun’s cup in his own hand too. Ham Seok-jeong sat down next to Eui-jae.
She took a sip of coffee and then spoke.
“I’m thinking of starting to send them off for adoption soon. They’ve finished their second round of vaccinations too.”
“Are you sending all six away?”
“You see the smallest one over there? I’m considering keeping that one along with the mother.”
It was that cream-colored puppy she said was the maknae. Eui-jae nodded while taking pictures of Ha-eun playing with the puppy.
“Understood. I’ll try to find reliable people.”
“I’d appreciate that.”
Ham Seok-jeong petted the mother dog who had come to her and asked.
“I heard you took over the Hangover Soup Restaurant entirely. Is the shop doing well?”
“Um, yes. It’s doing reasonably well.”
“Is the work fun?”
“Yes. It’s fun. Maybe because I’m doing business with people I know? Haha…”
“That’s a relief.”
Eui-jae hesitated for a moment and then asked.
“How have you been lately, Aunt Seok-jeong?”
With the title of Director gone, an appropriate form of address was lacking. After some thought, Eui-jae attached ‘Aunt’. When she first heard the title ‘Aunt Seok-jeong’, her eyes widened briefly, but then she gave a faint smile. It was silent permission.
“Well, I’m so busy raising dogs I can’t think straight. Just living day by day.”
Eui-jae looked at the reflection of the three of them in the turned-off TV across the sofa. Would there be time to talk with her alone after this? If the connection of the puppies disappeared, would there be any reason to visit this house?
‘We’ll probably just check in on each other occasionally from now on.’
This might be the last chance. Eui-jae clenched his fist tightly and opened his mouth.
“Um. I want to see Auntie’s house. …Aunt Hye-kyung’s house.”
“…….”
Seok-jeong’s hand, which had been petting the dog, stopped abruptly.