A Quiet Life, A Sudden Omen

Janggun was recovering quickly.

They said it would take two months for a full recovery, but even the veterinarian seemed surprised, saying he might be discharged much earlier.

“I’ve never seen such a resilient dog before.”

“Hm, right?”

It felt like I had chosen the perfect name for him.

Janggun truly lived up to it, showing incredible resilience and adaptability, earning the affection of everyone working at the animal hospital.

“Yes, and according to you, he was caught by a dog trafficker, so he should have a deep distrust of humans… but he’s actually very affectionate.”

“That’s a relief.”

Ever since I rescued him, I had been visiting the animal hospital every few days before heading back home to tend to my small farm.

The leafy vegetables were planted neatly in rows, and every morning, I watered them with quiet satisfaction as I watched fresh green sprouts emerge.

‘I should plant the strawberry seedlings near the slope too.’

Secretary Choi was seriously capable.

I hadn’t even mentioned building a greenhouse, yet he had already prepared not just the house, the field, and the rice paddies, but even that as well.

Honestly, his efficiency was ridiculously satisfying.

So after some thought about what to plant in the greenhouse, I decided on strawberries.

Fresh strawberries would be great to eat as they were, and mixing them with sugar in a one-to-one ratio to make sweet strawberry jam sounded just as good.

‘And I could spread whipped cream on bread and make sandwiches too… yeah, perfect.’

I hadn’t even planted them yet, but in my head, I had already gone through the entire harvest and eating process.

‘When I harvest them, I should pack some for Secretary Choi too.’

The reason I was able to live this peacefully after diverging from the original story was, in truth, largely thanks to him.

Of course, Seong Chanyeong’s wealth played a big part, but without his quick and efficient help, I wouldn’t have been able to settle here like this.

‘And I even owe him for Janggun… I should repay that somehow.’

I didn’t like being indebted to anyone.

As I tightened my grip around the dog food in determination, Janggun began licking my hand eagerly.

Crushed bits of kibble were sticking out from between my fingers.

“Ah. Sorry, Janggun. Dad was just thinking about something.”

By the time I opened my palm to feed him, the kibble had already been completely crushed.

“Whine…”

Even so, he obediently licked it all up, though he looked at me with slight dissatisfaction, as if protesting.

Ugh, feeling bad, I quickly took out some dried sweet potato as a snack and fed him.

Only then did his expression soften.

“Sir… were you thinking about an enemy or something? That kibble is completely pulverized.”

The nurse chuckled as she teased me, looking at the tragic remains in my hand.

I felt a bit embarrassed, realizing I might have gotten too carried away thinking about strawberry farming.

“No, not really. I just got excited thinking about planting strawberries.”

“Oh my, you farm?”

“Yes.”

“That’s unexpected. I thought you were definitely an office worker.”

The veterinary nurse stared at me like she had just discovered something rare.

It was a little uncomfortable, but also understandable.

‘Who would think someone my age moved to the countryside to farm?’

People my age usually left rural areas for the city, even if they grew up there.

In fact, rural areas were struggling with a lack of young labor.

So it made sense she found it surprising.

As expected, her curiosity only grew, and she started asking more questions.

“Are you continuing a family business? Do your parents farm too?”

“Ah, my parents…”

I almost started talking about my real parents, then stopped.

This wasn’t my original world.

And right now, I was Seong Chanyeong.

“…They’ll be coming later. For now, I came down alone to start farming.”

“Alone? That must be hard.”

“It’s okay. There are people who help me, so it’s not too bad.”

I didn’t mention that they were all hired staff.

There was no need to invite more curiosity.

‘Being alone is easier.’

Not just the main and supporting characters from the original story, but even the people in this world…

I didn’t really want to get close to them.

Knowing this was a world inside a book made everything feel a little off.

“Ah, so your relatives or neighbors help you out. Sounds like a nice community.”

“Yes, it is.”

As I expected, she interpreted it her own way and shifted her attention back to Janggun.

His fur had already become much cleaner and fluffier, and he wagged happily at the toy she held.

“Bark! Bark!”

“Aww, good boy.”

It was a peaceful sight.

Now that he was healthy, plump, and his fur had turned bright white, Janggun was irresistibly adorable.

“Do you think he’ll be discharged soon?”

“Probably? The doctor said you could take him home within a week at the latest.”

“That’s great.”

It was good news.

I had already prepared everything to bring him home, so it seemed like it was time to slowly go through the discharge process.

“Janggun, did you hear that? You’re coming to my house now.”

“Bark?”

“It means you’ll become my family, and we’ll live together forever.”

As I stroked his now incredibly soft fur, he licked my hand again.

The warmth felt nice.

‘People are hard… but animals should be fine, right?’

Honestly, I was lonely.

To me, Janggun felt like a gift.

I was confident I could walk him four times a day and make sure he lived happily without any hardships.

‘I miss Deulbo.’

Back when my family ran an orchard, we had a dog too.

His name was Deulbo, taken from the word ‘main beam.’

He really liked me…

Looking at Janggun made me miss him so much it felt like I might cry.

“Whine… whine…”

“It’s okay. Dad’s not crying.”

Thankfully, the nurse had gone to check on other animals.

Imagine how strange it would look if a grown man suddenly started crying in front of a dog.

“It’s okay.”

I repeated it quietly to myself, calming down.

Now that I had Janggun to take care of, I couldn’t afford to sink into sadness.

It wouldn’t help me survive in this world anyway.

And then—

“Grrr…! Bark! Bark bark!”

“Janggun, what’s wrong?”

“Bark! Bark bark!”

Janggun suddenly leapt out of his enclosure and charged toward someone, baring his teeth.

It was just an ordinary man in his forties, but he looked startled as Janggun barked aggressively at him.

“Bark! Bark!”

“W-What’s wrong with this dog?”

“Janggun, stop!”

I rushed between them and quickly scooped Janggun into my arms.

If he bit someone, things would get messy.

“I’m so sorry. He’s never like this… I’m really sorry for scaring you.”

Holding Janggun tightly, I bowed repeatedly in apology.

The man, who had gone pale from the shock, slowly relaxed and cleared his throat before speaking.

“You should control your dog properly. What kind of dog is that aggressive?”

“I’m sorry. I’ll make sure this never happens again.”

“Fine. I’m not hurt, so just go on your way.”

“Yes… thank you.”

Thankfully, he wasn’t the type to make a scene.

Without even looking back, the man left the hospital.

“Janggun, why did you do that? You’re usually so gentle. Why would you try to attack someone?”

“Grr… woof! Woof!”

‘Why is he acting like this? Don’t tell me… was that man a dog trafficker?’

It was a reasonable guess.

This was the first time Janggun had ever barked at someone like that.

If it were the man who had tried to capture him before, it would make sense.

‘But what are the chances he’d show up at this animal hospital?’

That didn’t quite add up.

More importantly, if that man really was the trafficker, he would have tried to claim ownership of Janggun… or demand money.

But the man just now acted like he had never seen him before.

So he couldn’t be the trafficker.

“Seriously, what was that about?”

“Bark, bark!”

I looked into Janggun’s eyes and asked, but of course, there was no answer.

As soon as the man disappeared, Janggun returned to being his usual gentle self and licked me again.

It was strange, but I let it go, assuming maybe the man just had a scent Janggun didn’t like.