By Zephyria 
While making the call, he undid his shirt buttons and rubbed his stiff neck.
[Hello, I’m sorry for contacting you so suddenly. Could you go to the house for a moment? Yes, I just need you to check if everything’s okay.]
When finding a place for Hui-won to live, he had prepared a few backup plans. No, could this even be called a backup? Contacting the neighbors to look after him was essentially no different from surveillance.
He knew it wasn’t an honorable thing to do, but it was a necessary choice to protect Hui-won. Not being able to reveal it to the person involved… was a cowardly act.
But there was no other way. In urgent situations like this, someone had to check on Hui-won in his stead.
Nancy was, at least, a neighbor with a fairly close relationship with Hui-won, and he had received help from her in various ways before. He ended up rudely asking her to see how Hui-won was doing.
Even after hearing her agreement, the anxiety didn’t subside. How many minutes had passed like that? The awaited call finally came.
– [It’s nothing serious. He was lying on the sofa and fell asleep.]
[Is he alright?]
– [Yes, he seemed a bit low on energy… but otherwise, he looked okay. Please don’t worry too much.]
[Thank you.]
After ending the short call, he too felt completely drained. It was because he had been tense for a long time.
How long would he have to keep doing this? It’s already been over a month, and hasn’t the situation remained unchanged?
His endurance was also gradually reaching its limit. Since things have come to this, he might have no choice but to intervene more in Hui-won’s life, even if it means taking some criticism.
Faint light began seeping through the blinds. It was already past six in the morning.
Kwon Young-je rubbed his face, heavy with fatigue, and got up. Regardless of his own condition, it was time to start another day.
\*
About a week after the consultation, the grandmother living next door came all the way to Hui-won’s house and cautiously asked for help.
[My hip joint hurts so much. They say surgery is only possible in six months… Could you walk my dog until then?]
[…Walk the dog?]
[About twice a day. Just one lap around the park in front here is enough. My Alberto, being cooped up at home, is so pitiful…]
The Golden Retriever stuck closely to the grandmother barked, “Woof woof!” at the mention of a walk. Its stiffly raised tail wagging vigorously showed it was quite excited.
Hui-won quietly looked down at Alberto, who had a gentle appearance. He had never raised a dog before… Could he handle a large breed? Though concerns arose, since it seemed like a very docile creature, it probably wouldn’t be too difficult.
He could guess why the grandmother was asking him. Unlike other neighbors who went out to work, he must have looked like someone who lazed around at home all day. Well, that was actually true. He had an excess of time.
Moreover, with just one fence separating the houses, it was an easy structure to go back and forth. Instead of giving a verbal agreement, Hui-won opened the fence gate. The sturdy Golden Retriever promptly dashed into Hui-won’s yard.
While Alberto explored the garden, Hui-won was handed basic dog supplies like a leash, a treat pouch, and poop bags. They agreed he would walk the dog twice a day, in the morning and early evening, without setting specific times.
[I hope your leg gets better soon.]
[Thank you, I’m so glad you’re here! Right, Alberto?]
Woof woof! Alberto barked loudly at his owner’s voice. Hui-won smiled comfortably for the first time in a while. Seeing the energetic dog made him feel energized too. This must be why people keep pets.
How hard could walking a dog be? He thought it was just a matter of holding the leash and strolling leisurely. However, there was one thing Hui-won hadn’t anticipated: the strength of a large breed dog is incomparable to that of puppies.
“Hey, Albe! Don’t run! Walk!”
The extremely docile dog transformed into a racehorse charging forward the moment they entered the park entrance. No matter how tightly he gripped the leash, Alberto didn’t stop, powerfully digging his four paws into the ground.
While others walked leisurely along the path, Hui-won and Alberto sprinted around it twice at high speed.
The dog leading the charge and the human being dragged along holding the leash. To anyone watching, it looked like Hui-won was the one being walked.
By the time they returned home, he was out of breath. Unlike Hui-won, drenched in sweat, Alberto flaunted his golden fur with his characteristically gentle face. Seeing his tail spin like a helicopter, it seemed he had a satisfying walk after a long time.
“Ah, I’m dying. You… walk tomorrow. Got it?”
Pant pant.
“Can’t you understand if I speak Korean? Want some water?”
Pant pant pant pant.
Does he understand? He’s clever. Hui-won poured plenty of cold water into the lid of the pet water bottle he brought. Watching Alberto lap up the water frantically, he also quenched his own thirst with bottled water.
No wonder she asked. How does the grandmother control this guy?
A Golden Retriever only three years old has abundant stamina. Enough to be hard for an adult man to handle. Of course, it might be because he had been pent up at home, causing his pent-up energy to burst out. Hoping for a peaceful walk tomorrow, he opened the fence gate.
The grandmother next door provided daily sustenance as compensation for the walks. She said she made plenty while preparing her own meals, and he couldn’t dare refuse the elder’s intention to provide meals instead of payment.
Though he had no appetite and often made do with scraps of bread, the pork stew the grandmother made was enough to stimulate Hui-won’s salivary glands. Maybe it was because he came back hungry after running hard.
The pork stew was freshly made and still warm. Moderately spicy with sizable chunks of meat, it was good enough to be served as a restaurant menu item.
Just as Alberto drank water hastily, Hui-won also buried his face in the plate and frantically finished his dinner. Somehow, it tasted more like spicy stir-fried pork than pork stew. Perfectly suited to his taste, he even heated up some instant rice for the first time in a while, ate it with kimchi gifted by a neighbor, and finished the entire bowl.
Then, after showering, he fell asleep as if collapsing. It was the most sound sleep he’d had since coming to Boston.
After that, Hui-won’s life changed a bit. A slight routine was added to his daily life of living comfortably as he pleased.
Around ten in the morning, he’d lazily get up, read a bit, then call Alberto and go out for a walk. After returning, he’d eat the lunch prepared by the grandmother, take a short nap, and before sunset, go out for another walk.
The grandmother next door provided things that were overly generous as compensation for the walks. Lunch and dinner, of course, and last week, she even gave him plant seedlings. Gratefully accepting them, he planted herbs and cherry tomatoes in a corner of the garden. It meant more things to take care of.
Though not as good as when he was in Korea, he was living diligently in his own way.
Being forced to get sunlight, moving diligently, and on top of that, eating quality meals made him feel mentally healthier too.
Perhaps because of that, the frequency of text exchanges with Kwon Young-je noticeably increased.
Kwon Young-je
Did you have dinner?
Hui-won sipped his beer and selected a few photos to send. Roast chicken with gravy and mashed potatoes he had for dinner today, and even the peach pie Nancy baked and gave him.
Looking back, he ate quite a lot. Hui-won smiled and took another sip of his remaining beer. Soaked in a languid mood, they ended up exchanging stories about how he became responsible for walking Alberto.
You don’t really like dogs, do you, Jeonmu-nim?
He still used the title Jeonmu-nim. It’s been a while since he was promoted to Vice President. But Kwon Young-je didn’t particularly point it out, telling him to call him as he pleased.
Kwon Young-je
Dogs are a bit like that.
I know. You have a fur allergy.
Kwon Young-je
Maybe it’d be okay if I took medicine. If you want to raise one later, you can.
I don’t really like them enough to raise one either.
The back-and-forth texts were quite smooth. Since when had it been like this? Scrolling through their past message history, Hui-won discovered that he himself was gradually talking more.
Even so, most of it was trivial things like greetings. And even that, done very cautiously. Both Kwon Young-je and he were like people cautiously feeling each other out before dating.
He didn’t know why they were acting so foolishly when one phone call could end it.
Hui-won crumpled the empty beer can. Thinking it was pointless to bother a busy person with texts, he put down his phone after a short “Good night.”
After a quick wash, he lay down on the bed. Staring blankly at the ceiling, he blinked his sleepy eyes.
“It’s been a while since I heard Kwon Young-je’s voice.”
The muttered voice echoed in the empty house.
Is he doing well? Does he miss me? The recovery period felt so tedious. Seeing his mood swing like this made him feel he still had a long way to go. He wondered if Kwon Young-je was experiencing similar emotional turbulence.
“……”
Somehow, he felt that man wouldn’t have changed at all. A lethargic appearance like his own didn’t suit Kwon Young-je. Because he was always solid and consistent.
Hui-won quietly sighed, recalling Kwon Young-je from memory. Thinking of him made him miss him, and then bad memories naturally surfaced, making him depressed. He didn’t know what to do with himself either.
Closing his eyelids as if escaping, falling asleep was instantaneous.
Much later, the phone placed on the sofa blinked and lit up.
Kwon Young-je: I miss you. Hui-won-ah.
The text message that arrived in the late hours of the early morning, when Hui-won was deeply asleep, shone alone for a long time before fading.