PHUW 47

Jeong Mok stopped the car and stared blankly at the person sitting beside him.

“So we should always live happily, right?”

Haeri grinned like a fool. But in Jeong Mok’s eyes, he did not look like a childish kid. Another boy his age might have, but not Ahn Haeri. He had lived a life as hard as anyone’s. His words carried weight.

“If you think bad thoughts, it only gets worse. What happens in ten or twenty years, you can worry about then.”

It was the kind of cliché sermon that sounded different only because Haeri was the one saying it.

“What’s the point in worrying about things you can’t help. If something happens, it happens. Somehow it will work out. Living like this is easier on the mind.”

“Is that so.”

“I’m telling you, it is.”

“Alright.”

Jeong Mok nodded at Haeri’s words.

‘That was close.’

Haeri secretly pressed down on his pounding chest.

Who could have guessed the talk about Gom would turn that way. If he hadn’t spouted some half-baked philosophy he had picked up somewhere, he would have drowned in that heavy silence.

All living things die one day. But for Haeri, who was too busy living day by day, death waiting far off in the future didn’t feel real. If anything, he figured he himself would cross the river first, not someone he knew. The moment he thought that, his stomach churned. His insides went cold and goosebumps shot across his body.

“…Huh?”

“What’s wrong?”

Jeong Mok, who had just parked in front of the house, turned toward Haeri. His hands and feet trembled for no reason. It was a panic attack. But why so suddenly? He hadn’t had a nightmare or thought of the past.

“An Haeri?”

Jeong Mok grabbed Haeri’s wrist. His hot, firm grip pressed down on the trembling hand.

Slurp, slurp.

A wide tongue slid up Haeri’s cheek from behind. It was Gom.

Between Jeong Mok’s grip and Gom’s licking attack, Haeri’s frozen insides loosened. He exhaled a breath that he didn’t even realize he was holding in.

“Was that another attack?”

“Not exactly.”

“They’re getting worse.”

“Maybe my blood sugar dropped.”

He answered lightly, since it passed quickly. But Jeong Mok did not. He stared at Haeri like something was bothering him.

“Could it be that you…”

That I what? Haeri had no idea what he was about to say.

“Never mind. You might just be tired. Let’s go inside, eat something simple, and take your medicine.”

Jeong Mok let go and got out. His grip had been so strong that marks were left on Haeri’s wrist. Haeri rubbed it as he followed.

After he took his medicine with a snack, Jeong Mok brought a large mat out from the pantry by the kitchen. He spread it in the yard and brought Gom, who had been sprawled out after lunch in the entryway.

“If you’re going to raise him, you have to start with a bath.”

“Here?”

“No. Before that, brushing first.”

He held up the pet brush they had bought at the vet. At the sight of the brush, Gom flopped straight down onto the mat.

“Shameless mutt.”

Jeong Mok clicked his tongue and dug the brush into the thick fur of Gom’s neck. Like hoeing the ground, he scraped hard and pulled out a clump of black fur.

“You have to work all the way from here down to the rear in this direction. Once you finish one side, do the other the same way.”

He handed the brush to Haeri after Ahn Haeri demonstration.

Haeri had boasted he could care for Gom on his own. He eagerly grabbed the brush and scraped away, showing off.

At first, the chunks of fur coming out were fun. He even imagined that if he had two brushes, he could hold one in each hand and tear through the fur like a game. But his enthusiasm did not last.

“No matter how much I brush, the fur just keeps coming?”

He made no progress around the neck and front legs. Some spots were so tangled that the brush would not move at all. If it hurt, Gom twisted and whimpered, so Haeri had to take his time loosening it gently.

About thirty percent of his enthusiasm was gone. His forehead was covered in sweat.

“Here.”

At some point Jeong Mok appeared, handing him a large bag. It was the size of a kimchi sack. He said to put the fur inside. As Haeri stuffed the pile in, he asked if such a big one was really necessary.

“If it’s not enough, tell me. I’ve got another.”

“Ah.”

He should not have asked.

Sure enough, it was just as Jeong Mok had warned. The second bag had been a joke, but one whole kimchi sack really did get filled. Was Gom running some endless fur generator? No matter how much he pulled with that hoe-like brush, more clumps came out. If the fur had been crops, it would have fed a whole school of ravenous boys.

By the time he finished one side, sweat streamed down his forehead. When he collapsed to the ground, Gom flipped onto his back in delight and squirmed loudly, his huge legs rolling over to the other side. He lifted only his head to look at Haeri, urging him to brush more. Haeri was speechless.

When he finally finished the other side, both his arms were sore and his back ached. Gathering up the flying fur into the bag left his head dizzy from crouching too long.

“All done?”

Jeong Mok appeared again.

“Probably.”

At his answer, Jeong Mok smoothed Gom’s fur. As his large hand passed, more fur floated away.

“You barely did it.”

“I worked really hard!”

He shouted before he realized it. He was already on the verge of muscle aches. Jeong Mok shook his head, brushing fur off his palm.

He set down a plastic basket. Inside were tools like pliers, a large clipper, and several other grooming items.

“You have to trim the paw fur and nails too. And clean the ears.”

So much to do before even the bath.

“Is it too hard?”

“It’s really hard. I didn’t know it would be this hard.”

“That’s why I told you a big dog is difficult for a beginner. It’s not too late even now…”

“Ah, you said we have to trim the paw fur? Sorry, but please show me how.”

Haeri cut him off and dug through the basket.

“Haeri.”

“You said Gom’s time goes by fast, right? Then let’s hurry and take care of the paw fur and give him a bath.”

He flipped the switch on the clipper he picked up. Jeong Mok was silent for a moment, then took the clipper out of his hand.

“First, lay Gom down.”

Haeri did as told. Gom looked uneasy and kept lifting his head to watch. Jeong Mok gently held a front paw and skillfully shaved the paw fur with the clipper. Dust and tangled dirt clumps scattered down.

Gom kept trying to pull his foot away. Each time, Haeri petted him to calm him. When it came to the back paws, the struggle got worse. He nearly tried to bite.

“Hey, he’s the boss of this place. If you bite him, you and I will both get kicked out. Then we’ll starve outside in the rain. So stay still.”

“I won’t kick you out. And it’s not even raining.”

Jeong Mok frowned mid-trim.

“It’s just a way of speaking.”

“Words turn into seeds. So don’t say it.”

“Yes, sir!”

It took both grown men to cut the paw fur and nails. Right after, they moved to the bathroom and bathed him. Jeong Mok stayed outside the tub while Haeri got in with Gom, scrubbing all over. It was heavier work than brushing.

One round of shampooing wasn’t enough. They shampooed, rinsed with the shower, then shampooed again. Three full times. With a large dog and thick fur, the new pet shampoo was nearly gone. Like the endless fur clumps, no matter how much they scrubbed, the dirty water kept running off.

“Gom, you’re filthy.”

Haeri’s face went pale. It was inhumanly filthy. He had no idea it was this bad. The mostly black fur, except around the muzzle and paws, had hidden it.

“It’s because it’s his first bath.”

Even through the long ordeal, Jeong Mok never frowned as he sprayed him again with the shower. As the fur soaked, Gom suddenly shook his whole body.

“Ugh!”

It wasn’t just a few drops flying. It was a full water slap.

“Hey!”

Haeri shouted. Gom shrank back with a whimper.

“Why are you yelling. It happens.”

Jeong Mok was lucky with the distance and angle, so he barely got wet.

“Look at me.”

Haeri showed himself. Jeong Mok, mid-rinse with the shower, glanced and froze.

“See? I’m completely soaked.”

The T-shirt, which had only been slightly damp, was now dripping and clung to his chest and stomach. Even his hair was wet.

“Ugh.”

Haeri shook his wet bangs. Meanwhile, the troublemaking furball panted happily, licking Haeri’s wrist and wagging his soaked tail.

“Hey, who told you to act cute after causing trouble. You’re built like a boar.”

Haeri scolded Gom and took the shower from Jeong Mok’s idle hand.

“Rinse him.”

Irritated, he pinned Gom between his legs and sprayed him down. Gom, delighted, shook himself again. In the end even Haeri’s underwear was drenched.

While Haeri furiously sprayed Gom in revenge, Jeong Mok just stood outside the tub, half dazed.

“Why are you standing there?”

“Huh, what?”

Noticing the awkwardness, Haeri spoke to him. Jeong Mok flinched as if snapped back to himself. Gom stared at him strangely.

“What’s wrong?”

“Your clothes are really soaked.”

“I told you they are.”

“Of all clothes, those ones.”

Jeong Mok frowned, then suddenly turned away. He walked straight out of the bathroom. Haeri tapped Gom’s head with the shower.

“This is your fault. You made hyung mad.”

“Woof!”

Gom protested.

“Quiet. It’s your fault.”

Haeri scrubbed Gom and rinsed out the shampoo.