Found by One, Hunted by Many

Lately, a few of the elders in the village had been whispering.

One or two dogs had gone missing.

They had suspected dog traffickers.

But no one thought it was real.

“…And yet it was.”

The truck disappeared completely from sight.

Gone.

Just like that.

I tightened my grip around the trembling puppy in my arms and immediately pulled out my phone.

‘At least this one… tried to escape.’

Maybe it had struggled too hard to get away.

Its small body was covered in wounds.

Scratches.

Bruises.

Its breathing was uneven.

Painful.

My chest tightened.

Anger rose with it.

This thing—

Whatever it took—

I had to save it.

[What is it, Young Master?]

“Secretary Choi—it’s me.”

“It’s urgent. Find me the nearest animal hospital. Fast.”

I had just moved here not long ago.

I didn’t know the area well.

‘And Chanyeong doesn’t even have a license…’

I hadn’t expected something like this to happen.

So without thinking,

I called the one person I trusted the most.

[An animal hospital? Did you get a pet?]

“No, it’s not that—”

“I’ll explain later. Just hurry. Please.”

“Whine… whimper…”

Even as I spoke, the puppy cried weakly in my arms.

I had called him out of urgency—

But he wasn’t my secretary anymore.

There was no guarantee he would help.

Still—

He did.

[I checked. The closest one is Parang Animal Hospital.]

[It’s quite rural where you are, so you’ll need a car.]

“A car… then what should I—”

My mind went blank.

The puppy’s breathing was getting shallower.

Each fragile inhale felt like it could be the last.

And suddenly—

It felt like I couldn’t breathe either.

‘No.’

‘I have to save it.’

That thought consumed everything.

If this puppy died—

It felt like something inside me would collapse with it.

Maybe I was projecting something onto it.

Maybe not.

But one thing was certain—

I couldn’t let it die.

[Young Master.]

“…”

[Breathe.]

“…Okay.”

[Don’t worry.]

[I prepared for situations like this.]

[I hired caretakers who can all drive.]

[I’ll contact one immediately and have them take you to the hospital.]

[So please, calm down.]

“…Secretary Choi…!”

That was—

Honestly—

Incredible.

‘The real Seong Chanyeong treated someone like this as just a servant?’

Unbelievable.

“Thank you. Seriously.”

[If you’re thankful, send me photos later.]

[When the puppy recovers.]

[People who raise dogs always share pictures, right?]

“…Alright.”

That much—

I could definitely do.

I nodded instinctively, even though he couldn’t see me.

And waited.

Not long after—

A car pulled up in front of me.

“Young Master! Hurry, get in!”

“Yeah!”

I rushed into the passenger seat, clutching the puppy tightly.

It had stopped crying.

Now it was barely breathing.

‘This is where I use rich villain money.’

“Sir—”

“I don’t care about traffic fines.”

“Just get us there as fast as possible. Please.”

“Understood!”

“Fasten your seatbelt and hold on tight.”

Mr. Kim—

The one in charge of my security—

Grinned confidently.

And slammed the accelerator.

“—!”

The car shot forward like a bullet.

So fast it made my stomach drop.

But I didn’t care.

All I could think about was—

‘Please… hold on.’

By the time we arrived—

The puppy was still alive.

Barely.

But alive.

And that was enough.

“It’s a fracture.”

“It’ll need at least two months of hospitalization.”

“We’ll monitor its progress.”

The puppy endured the trip.

And after X-rays and several examinations—

The diagnosis was complete.

“Doctor… is it serious?”

“No.”

“If it receives proper treatment and eats well, it’ll recover.”

“…Really?”

“Yes.”

“For falling off a moving truck, it’s actually not that badly injured.”

“It’s a lucky one.”

“…That’s a relief.”

My legs nearly gave out.

The tension drained all at once.

It was safe.

Alive.

That alone made everything worth it.

“That’s great, Young Master!”

“Yes… thank you too, Mr. Kim.”

“It’s nothing.”

He chuckled warmly.

The doctor glanced between us.

“…Excuse me, but are you two father and son?”

“…No.”

“I work for him.”

“And he’s the owner of the puppy.”

“Yes. I’m the guardian.”

The doctor scratched his neck awkwardly.

“Ah… I see. Sorry for asking.”

“You two didn’t really look alike, so I was curious.”

Whatever he had assumed—

Didn’t matter.

Right now, only one thing mattered.

The puppy.

“It’s fine.”

“Anyone would be curious.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

“Then please sign the hospitalization form.”

“And write the puppy’s name here as well.”

“Ah, right.”

I took the pen.

And paused.

A name…

Then—

Something came to mind.

I wrote it down.

—Janggun

‘Be strong like a general.’

‘Grow healthy.’

‘I’ll take care of you.’

There was no question anymore.

I had picked it up.

So I would raise it.

Shelters—

Too many dogs ended up euthanized there.

This was better.

Much better.

I approached the small hospital cage.

The puppy—

No.

Janggun—

Curled up inside.

“Hi, Janggun.”

“We’re going to live together now.”

As if it understood—

It let out a faint whine.

“Whine…”

The doctor had said it was just a mixed rural breed.

A Jindo mix.

Nothing special.

But to me—

It didn’t matter.

If it grew well—

It would become a strong, healthy dog.

‘Mutts are the strongest anyway.’

Mr. Kim chuckled beside me.

“That one’s tough.”

“With that kind of survival instinct, it’ll definitely grow strong.”

“Just like its name.”

“It’ll run around your yard in no time.”

“…Yeah.”

“I think so too.”

“We should prepare.”

“Dog house, food, everything.”

“A new family member deserves it.”

“…Please do.”

“And today’s speeding fines—”

“Charge everything to me.”

“Understood, Young Master.”

Mr. Kim left first.

I stayed a little longer.

Watching Janggun breathe.

Slowly.

Steadily.

Then—

When it finally fell asleep—

I stepped out.

“Get better soon, okay?”

“I’ll come visit you.”

The thought of it running freely in my yard—

Made me smile.

Taking responsibility for a life wasn’t easy.

But—

With money.

And care.

I could do it.

‘I should give Secretary Choi a bonus.’

With that thought—

I headed home.

After Seong Chanyeong left—

Someone slipped out of the hospital.

A man in a worn cap.

His clothes were shabby.

Cheap.

Worn down.

He grinned widely—

Too widely.

Then pulled out an old phone and made a call.

[Hello?]

“You were offering a reward for finding someone, right?”

[Yes. Why?]

“I think I found him.”

“He looks exactly like the photo.”

‘Jackpot.’

The man was a gambling addict.

Drowning in debt.

Running from loan sharks.

He had seen the notice by chance.

‘With this… I can finally get out of this hell.’

He hadn’t expected to find him here.

Not in some rural backwater.

But fate—

Had other plans.

He had been sleeping inside the animal hospital.

And when he woke up—

He saw him.

The exact same face.

[Are you sure?]

“Absolutely.”

“And he left a puppy here.”

“That means he’ll come back.”

The man watched carefully.

Every move.

Every detail.

[Where are you?]

“Parang Animal Hospital.”

“The address is—”

He gave everything.

Without hesitation.

“Make sure I get paid.”

[Of course.]

“We’ll be in touch.”

The information moved fast.

Up the chain.

And when it reached its destination—

An Alpha smiled.

Slowly.

“…So that’s where you were.”

Seong Chanyeong.