PHUW 56

The fangs of the giant dog were the size of an adult finger joint. Even a graze would wound, and if bitten properly, it could tear away a chunk of flesh with ease. It could even crush bone.

Rising on all fours, Gom-i wrinkled his muzzle and continued to threaten Jeong Mok. Haeri’s heart sank in terror, yet the one under attack, Jeong Mok, only looked at Gom-i indifferently, as if daring him to try.

No matter how much they raised their voices in a fight, biting could never be allowed. If that happened, not only Jeong Mok but also Gom-i would be in danger. A dog that bit a person usually ended up euthanized.

“Gom-i! Sit!”

He shouted for him to sit. But as if that was a trigger, Gom-i reared and barked.

Woof! Woof!

The deafening sound nearly split his ears. He looked ready to launch at Jeong Mok , so Haeri threw himself over him. But it was no use. Gom-i dragged him along as he advanced toward Jeong Mok. At this rate he couldn’t stop him. Haeri tried to pull Gom-i back, then with that rebound rushed forward to block him. He thought if he spread his arms in front of Jeong Mok and held Gom-i’s face to cut off his line of sight, he could calm him.

But that was a huge mistake. Instead of being pulled back, Gom-i pushed onto his hind legs, bore his weight, and shot forward like a cannonball.

Woof!

His teeth sliced the air.

“No!”

Haeri shouted, but it was already too late.

Instinctively, Jeong Mok thrust his arm toward the gaping jaws aimed at his throat. The sharp fangs sank into his thick forearm, and at that instant he shoved the rearing dog back with brute force.

Thud!

Toppled onto his back, Gom-i loosened his jaw from the shock, and Jeong Mok mounted him. Crossing both arms, he pressed down on the flailing lower jaw while pinning the massive body with the weight of his lower half. Even Gom-i, who could move easily with Haeri hanging on him, could not throw off a towering frame over 190 centimeters tall.

Woof! Woof woof!

The enormous dog barked savagely and twisted his body, but Jeong Mok showed no fear, only bearing down on him all the more fiercely.

“Shut up. Be silent.”

Watching the two locked in a battle of will, Haeri flailed helplessly. He worried not only for Gom-i, choking and on the verge of losing breath, but also for Jeong Mok’s arm bleeding heavily. He wondered if he should call 119, when suddenly Jeong Mok roared.

“Stop distracting and sit down!”

“Y-yes!”

Haeri dropped down as if collapsing.

Jeong Mok continued to grapple with Gom-i. Gom-i strained with all his might but gradually lost strength. His breathing grew rough and ragged, so Jeong Mok eased his grip on his throat slightly. Then Gom-i thrashed again, shaking his head to try to bite.

“Where did you learn this bad habit!”

Jeong Mok’s bellow thundered through the whole house. Louder and harsher than Gom-i’s barking, it hardly seemed possible a human could make such a sound. It startled not only Haeri. Coming right by his sensitive ears, the roar made Gom-i flinch and freeze in fear.

From that moment, the struggle tilted completely to Jeong Mok’s victory. Having lost both strength and will to resist, Gom-i went limp. Yet Jeong Mok kept pressing him down for a long while. Just as Haeri began to worry Gom-i might suffocate, Jeong Mok finally released his grip and straightened up.

“Leash.”

Haeri jumped up and fetched Gom-i’s leash. Jeong Mok fixed it tightly on Gom-i’s neck, glaring at him all the while. Gom-i didn’t dare look at him, staring only at the floor.

“Take him.”

Jeong Mok handed the leash to Haeri.

“Gom-i, come.”

Haeri dragged him away. Unlike before, Gom-i faltered and followed where he was led.

He wanted to take him straight out of the house, but Jeong Mok was standing near the entrance, so he couldn’t. Instead, he went to the garden and shut the heavy double glass door firmly.

“Hey! Gom-i! What was that!”

The moment they stepped into the garden, Haeri yelled at him. Upset, he smacked Gomi’s rump with his palm. The massive dog whimpered and sat.

“Are you crazy? How can you bite a person! Do you realize how much trouble that could cause? You, you’re sleeping out here tonight!”

Panting, Haeri glared at him. Gom-i whimpered and cried.

“Don’t act pitiful! You did wrong! Bad dog! Bad dog!”

After venting all his anger, Haeri rushed back into the living room.

“Hyung-nim!”

Jeong Mok was kneeling on one knee, using his t-shirt to wrap his bitten arm. The white shirt was dyed red, and blood that had soaked his hand dripped onto the floor.

“Wh-what do we do?”

Panicked, Haeri grabbed the first aid kit. But Jeong Mok didn’t even look at him. He rose and headed for the front door.

“Hyung-nim! Where are you going?”

“Hospital.”

“Ah. Right. Yes, the hospital. We have to go to the hospital.”

Haeri, flustered, set the first aid kit on the sofa and spun in circles before finally grabbing his phone.

Jeong Mok, who had already picked up his car key and phone with his uninjured arm, blocked him.

“Where are you going?”

His voice was casual, as if the blood dripping down meant nothing.

“I have to go with you to the hospital.”

“Stay at home.”

“But…”

Haeri looked at the blood dripping from his arm.

“You’re not even going to drive. Honestly… you’ll just be a nuisance.”

“Ah.”

The remark, pointing out how useless he was, made Haeri flinch. Then he realized that with an arm like that, Jeong Mok shouldn’t be able to drive either.

“I’ll call a taxi.”

He quickly raised his phone. But when he tried, he realized he didn’t have a single transport app installed. Panicking, he opened the app market. For some reason his phone was unusually slow.

“Taxis don’t come out here often. Driving will be faster.”

Jeong Mok ignored him and strode out, he quickly went down to the parking lot.

“Then call 119!”

Haeri, finally remembering the emergency number, ran barefoot after him. But Jeong Mok gave no reply and simply drove off in the navy supercar. Staring blankly at the fast-disappearing taillights, Haeri snapped back to himself.

“Clothes! Clothes!”

He had taken off his t-shirt to stop the bleeding. He still had on the white short-sleeved undershirt he used as underwear, but it wasn’t enough.

He rushed back upstairs, dug through the folded laundry for one of Jeong Mok’s shirts, grabbed his wallet, and hurriedly installed a taxi app. But as Jeong Mok had said, no taxi came. Feeling helpless, he decided to walk until he found one.

When he reached the convenience store where he had first met Gom-i, he was lucky that a taxi accepted his call. After waiting nervously for ten minutes, he got in. It turned out to be a taxi leaving a well-known diner in the opposite direction after finishing dinner.

Once inside the cab, the hospital was close. Despite it being evening, the emergency room was crowded. He searched everywhere for Jeong Mok. He thought a tall, handsome man would be easy to spot, but it wasn’t. He approached the reception desk, ready to lie that he was the guardian.

‘No, it’s not really a lie.’

As he thought this to himself, a doctor beside him recognized him. It was the ER doctor who had treated him.

“Oh?”

“Doctor. Hello.”

“Your companion came earlier. You’re looking for him, right? Go that way.”

The doctor remembered Jeong Mok too. Haeri bowed quickly and rushed in the direction indicated.

Jeong Mok was in a nearby treatment room, his wound being cleaned and stitched. When Haeri arrived, the emergency care seemed done, and a bandage was being wrapped around his entire forearm.

“Um.”

Peeking in, Haeri was met with a frown from Jeong Mok sitting on the hospital bed. The doctor treating him asked Haeri,

“Are you the guardian?”

“Yes.”

“We stitched him well, and disinfected. He’ll get rabies and tetanus shots, then an antibiotic prescription. He lost a lot of blood. No transfusion needed, but he’ll feel dizzy, so make sure he rests. He’ll get a week of antibiotics with stomach medicine included, but it’s very strong, so never take it on an empty stomach. No alcohol, no smoking, or it could cause inflammation. Don’t remove the bandage. If it gets wet or dirty, come back for dressing.”

The doctor rattled off the instructions mechanically. Then the nurse gave him two injections, one in the arm and one in the hip, before leaving. The nurse then explained where to collect the prescription. The bloody t-shirt on the bed was taken to the medical waste bin.

As another patient came in, the two stepped into the hall. Haeri held out a paper bag.

“Here are your clothes.”

Jeong Mok silently accepted it and changed. Haeri kept the empty bag.

While Haeri went to pay and collect the prescription from the pharmacy, Jeong Mok said nothing. He even handed his own card to the counter. Feeling guilty, Haeri lacked the courage to speak and just trailed after him.

Jeong Mok walked toward the ER parking lot. Just before they reached the entrance, he stopped. With a long sigh, he suddenly swayed. Haeri hurriedly grabbed his uninjured arm to support him. As expected, after so much blood loss, his face was pale.

“You can’t drive like this. Let’s take a taxi.”

Since it was right in front of the ER, there were a few taxis waiting. Haeri was just about to lead him that way.

But the arm he was holding jerked violently free. The force shoved Haeri back, making him stumble. The reaction was so unexpected he stood dumbfounded, staring blankly at Jeong Mok.

“Don’t touch me carelessly.”

Jeong Mok warned and turned around.