Hunted, Hidden, and Barely Breathing

The damp thing was Janggun’s nose.

Then his wet tongue licked the back of my hand.

“Whine… whiiine.”

Even in my dazed state, Janggun—freshly bathed—was pure white and fluffy.

With his clean, puffed-up fur, he had scratched relentlessly at my bedroom door and somehow managed to push it open.

“Janggun, that tickles.”

“Woof woof!”

A small laugh slipped out at the ticklish sensation, and Janggun’s eyes lit up as he tried his best to grab my attention.

The way he showed off his tricks was ridiculously cute.

“Did it show that Dad was upset?”

“Woof!”

“Sorry. Instead of being a reliable owner, I ended up worrying you.”

It was embarrassing that my panic had affected this tiny life.

I brought him here to take responsibility and live happily together, yet in reality, I was the one being comforted and strengthened by Janggun far more.

‘The workers aren’t around like usual, right?’

I peeked my head out and looked around.

The house, far too big for one person, was so quiet it felt like not even an ant could be found crawling around.

That was because I preferred not having anyone inside the house.

Even the housekeeper who usually brought side dishes had been told not to come for the time being, so it wouldn’t hurt to open up to Janggun.

I spoke to him as he diligently licked my palm.

“Hey, Janggun.”

“Whine?”

“There are some scary guys chasing Dad right now. So… Dad’s really scared. I don’t know what to do.”

“Woof woof woof! Woof!”

As my voice sank deeper into gloom and despair, Janggun barked as if cheering me up.

Of course, he didn’t stop licking, so my face was soon covered in drool.

When did he even climb onto the bed?

“But… if all I’ve heard is that they’re looking, that means this place is safe, right? They won’t find me, right?”

“Woong.”

As I muttered my hopeful assumptions, Janggun simply burrowed into my side and curled up like a loaf of bread.

Warmth spread through my body.

The gentle heat of this small, fragile puppy seeped into me.

“Are you doing this to comfort me?”

“Woof.”

After answering softly, Janggun closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

He must’ve been tired from playing so much.

And after a bath too, he’d naturally feel drowsy.

Soon, I could hear his soft, steady breathing.

Listening to it made me sleepy as well.

‘Funny… I was so anxious earlier it felt like I’d stay up all night.’

The combination of a soft blanket and a warm Janggun was lethal.

Everything I’d been worrying about just moments ago started to feel insignificant.

‘Besides… what did I even do wrong?’

I personally met Baek Dojun and suggested breaking off the engagement first.

I gave Seo Eunsu compensation and even signed a written promise to never show up in his life again.

And to the other male leads, I at least sent messages apologizing and saying we shouldn’t see each other anymore.

‘Then why are they looking for me?’

Even as drowsiness crept in, that thought snapped my eyes open again.

No matter how I thought about it, there was no reason for them to search for me.

If anything, this situation should be ideal for them.

Seong Chanyeong—the one who used to harass Seo Eunsu nonstop—had disappeared.

They should be busy showering him with affection now.

‘Then why! Why the hell are they looking for me!’

I’d been living quietly like a marimo in a tank, minding my own business, and suddenly it felt like a landslide had crashed down on me.

Frustrated, I kicked the blanket hard, making Janggun whine.

“Whine… whiiine…”

“Ugh. Sorry.”

Feeling guilty for disturbing his sleep, I immediately stopped kicking and lay flat like a stiff board.

Seemingly satisfied, Janggun climbed right onto my stomach and settled there.

The warmth made me even sleepier, and as sleep crept in, my tension eased.

‘Yeah, whatever. Even if they find me, what are they gonna do? It’s not like I did anything wrong after transmigrating.

They’re not gonna kill me or beat me, right?’

Now that I thought about it, it really was strange.

Instead of competing to spend time with Seo Eunsu, why waste effort searching for me?

‘Whatever. If they show up, I’ll grab a hoe, a pickaxe, or even a broom and chase them out.’

I had reliable workers too, and if things got really bad, I could call Secretary Choi for help.

I decided not to worry about something that hadn’t happened yet.

There was no answer anyway—it would only stress me out.

‘Let’s think about something productive instead.’

Apparently, strawberries are usually planted in autumn.

But right now, it was spring.

And I had no intention of waiting until autumn.

I wanted to plant them immediately.

So I decided to use a greenhouse.

These days, strawberries are available year-round, so there was no reason I couldn’t grow them in spring.

‘If I set up a system to control temperature, humidity, and sunlight, they should grow just fine.’

Strawberries were delicious, but tricky to grow.

They were extremely sensitive to environmental conditions, so proper control was key.

Money wasn’t an issue, so installing facilities posed no burden.

If anything, I was excited to try modern techniques like hydroponics and smart farming.

‘Capitalism really is something… there’s almost nothing money can’t do.’

Thinking I should contact Secretary Choi—who practically volunteered himself as my errand boy—I drifted off to sleep.

And for the first time in a while, I dreamed.

The dream was bizarre.

In it, I was a poor woodcutter.

“Huff… getting firewood is seriously exhausting.”

While chopping wood with all my strength, my only axe fell into a pond.

“No! My source of income!”

As I cried miserably by the pond, a mountain spirit with Chairman Seong’s face appeared.

“A kind young man, what have you lost?”

‘Oh. If it’s this setup, then obviously!’

“I lost my axe.”

Grinning in anticipation of receiving a golden and silver axe, I waited—

But instead, the spirit held something unexpected out to me.

“Is this Alpha what you lost?”

…Are you serious? That’s the replacement for the golden axe?

I wouldn’t take that even if you paid me.

The spirit was holding Baek Dojun by the scruff of his neck, dangling him with one hand.

It was terrifying.

‘And he’s soaked and unconscious too!’

Why is he handing me a person instead of my axe?!

“N-no! What I lost wasn’t an Alpha—it was an axe……”

“Then is this Alpha what you lost?”

Damn it.

This time, it was Chae Yunchan.

That’s when I realized—the spirit was a scammer.

“I said no! Give me back my axe!”

“Hmm, what an honest young man. Then how about this Alpha?”

“Oh, for f*ck’s sake!”

At this point, the spirit even presented Joo Taegang and Yoo Iseo.

I had no idea why Seo Eunsu was included, but by then I was too exhausted to respond and just begged for my axe back.

“One last time.”

“…Who are you going to pull out now?”

“Is this puppy yours?”

“What?!”

This time, it was Janggun.

Instead of answering, I frantically nodded and snatched him from the spirit’s grasp.

“He’s mine! Give him back right now! Janggun, you’re soaked!”

“Whiiine…”

Seeing him drenched and pitiful, anger surged through me.

Even if this was a dream, how dare you make my dog suffer?

“You lack manners, but you are admirable. I shall return your axe and give you gourd seeds as well.”

“Huh? Gourd seeds?”

That’s from a different folktale.

Is this spirit teaming up with a swallow or something?

“Well then, I’ll be off.”

The spirit vanished, leaving behind extra items.

Confused by this bizarre folktale crossover, I returned to my thatched house and planted the seeds.

They grew instantly.

“A… random box?”

The fully grown gourd had “Agricultural Random Box” written on it.

I quickly grabbed a saw and split it open with Janggun.

Inside, high-value crops like ginseng poured out.

“Janggun! Dad’s rich!”

“Woof woof!”

I scrambled to gather the harvest with him.

I was happy.

Even happier because in that moment, there were no male leads—just me and Janggun, celebrating a bountiful harvest together.

It started bizarrely, but the ending was grand and sweet.

“Joo Taegang.”

“What.”

“Do you have insomnia or something lately? Why do you look so gaunt?”

Even though it was an unwelcome gathering, the four Alphas attended without fail.

Before, it had been to protect Seo Eunsu from Seong Chanyeong’s cruelty.

Now, it was different.

Though none of them said it aloud, they gathered while watching each other carefully, hoping to pick up even scraps of information about the suddenly vanished Seong Chanyeong.

They all pretended ignorance, but their minds were racing.

Especially Yoo Iseo, who already knew Chanyeong’s whereabouts—yet showed nothing.

‘That unreadable bastard definitely knows something…….’

Chae Yunchan, skilled in handling information, found him suspicious.

He still hadn’t uncovered a single clue.

‘Damn it. Did Seong Chanyeong shoot into the sky or sink into the ground?’

Despite deploying people and money to search everywhere, there were no results.

Chae Yunchan was growing increasingly impatient.

‘I need information, no matter what.’

His eyes, filled with determination to track Chanyeong down, landed on the haggard Joo Taegang.

The man, once impeccably groomed to the point of obsession, now looked disheveled.

Dark circles dragged down his face.

“You’ve aged a lot in just a few days.”

“…Mind your own business. It’s nothing.”

‘Oh?’

A spark flashed through Chae Yunchan’s mind.

Joo Taegang avoided his gaze and hesitated to answer something he could’ve easily brushed off.

‘This bastard… he’s hiding something.’