“Growl…!”

-Whiiine…

“Growl!! Woof! Woof!”

Today, the young lady’s room was peaceful as ever.

The young lady seated on the bed was engaged in a stare-down with the puppy.

Asserting her position in the hierarchy, she was sprawled across the bed in a feline pose, facing off with the puppy.

With sharp eyes, she watched the black puppy that was hiding behind me, whimpering and trembling in fear.

In the young lady’s battles of will, there was no mercy.

The reason she could reign as a queen within the manipulative and deceitful social circles was precisely because of her prowess in these early confrontations of will.

The young lady always used to say to me,

“Make sure to leave a strong first impression.”

If one is remembered as fluffy and soft like cotton candy, it’s better to crush their spirit from the get-go to avoid any lingering resentment, which is just easier. That was the sage advice uttered by the young lady as she plucked a chunk of hair from Olivia’s head.

The young lady was demonstrating to the dog just what kind of person she was.

The crazy one of the neighborhood… no, the one whose screws had come loose.

“Growl! Woof!”

The young lady, speaking in the language of animals, came off as nothing but adorable.

When she first saw the puppy, she didn’t seem to care for it, saying that there’s nothing cute about a shedding animal while furtively stealing glances and fiddling with her fingers, but being in her service for 13 years, I could identify her lie instantly.

-Bear!
-It’s a puppy.
-…Is it?
-Yes.
-Not a bear?
-It has four legs, so probably a puppy, don’t you think?
-Is that how it is?

The young lady quickly agreed to the idea of raising it as a cockroach vacuum cleaner.

Because a cockroach vacuum cleaner that outdoes even a robot vacuum was necessary for her.

Before welcoming this new family member, the young lady expressed concern to me.

-But what if it takes my job?
-Your job?
-Yeah. I have one, you know.

It was puzzling for me to hear her talk about a job since I thought she was unemployed, but I nodded in agreement with the lady’s objective assessment.

-Protecting the house. That’s my job, right?
-You’ve succeeded then. You’re employed.
-Of course. Can’t live as an unemployed.

I felt like a wicked employer who forgot to pay wages upon realizing that the young lady, whom I thought to be unemployed, actually had a job.

Anyway, the young lady was becoming familiar with the new family. It may have been the traditional way, but sometimes such means are the best.

Even the President of the Dogs had said so.

-It’s extremely important to establish a hierarchy between an owner and their dog. You might get bitten if you seem too lenient.

I prayed that the young lady and the puppy would come to a pleasant agreement.

“Rrrrrr…”

The young lady, glaring at the dog with eyes that seemed ready to unleash a ‘nyang’ punch, made the puppy whimper and press its stubby tail, shorter than a pinky finger, onto the floor.

The puppy resigned itself to the law of the survival of the fittest, much to the young lady’s satisfaction.

The young lady proudly squared her shoulders after winning the lengthy fight.

The young lady, confidently presenting her ample chest, made me feel purified, and I was in good spirits.

“Ricardo. I won.”
“Well done.”
“It was a tough fight. Felt like I was battling a bear.”
“It’s a puppy.”
“…”

The young lady let out a deep sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

Although she had been sulky about not being able to bathe, I could tell that her mood had improved with the refreshing fight after a long time.

It looked like she was going to be sulky all day. Thankfully, I was grateful for the dejected puppy sitting on the floor.

I crouched down and stroked the puppy’s head, sneakily tossing it some jerky behind the young lady’s back.

My mood lifted seeing the puppy wag its plush behind as it moved toward the jerky.

It ate well.

And it seemed to be healing nicely as well.
Though it limped slightly, it was a significant improvement compared to when it couldn’t use its hind legs at all.

It could be the dramatic effect on an animal or perhaps my inability to control my strength well.

One thing was certain: the effect was definitely substantial.

Feeling strangely proud yet also filled with melancholy.

My ability, dubbed the ‘Healing Touch,’ wasn’t something I could use frequently.

It was only possible to use once a month.

Given the strain it put on my body compared to the benefits it provided, the burden was too great.

Intense dizziness and nosebleeds.
Diminished physical stamina.
And the chilling feeling of deteriorating health to top it off.

Not entirely sure, but it was pretty clear that it was not beneficial for my body.

The question arose whether it was worth using my ability on just a mere puppy, but on the other hand, it was somewhat a relief.

Because I learned about the side effects.

Had I recklessly used it on the young lady, I might have collapsed in front of her.

Knowing my personality, I would have pushed past my limits to dedicate all my efforts to the young lady’s rehabilitation.

If I had hemorrhaged in front of the young lady while using the ability, she might never allow me to touch her body again.

So, I resolved to use the ability only in moderation for the young lady’s recovery and to seal it away.

I felt impatient, but I had to consider my well-being as well.

After deciding to gradually use and then seal away my ability, I looked on with pride as the puppy joyfully gobbled up the jerky.

A pup abandoned by its mother due to a disability.

Even after waiting an hour in the same spot, not so much as a mouse crossed its path, let alone its mother.

Somehow, both the maid and the pet dog were orphans – the sense of kinship tugged at my heartstrings.

The young lady reached out her hand to the jerky-eating, sniffling puppy.

“Give.”

At the command from the highest-ranking person in the mansion, I grabbed the puppy’s side to check its condition.

I had bathed it once, but I meticulously checked for fleas or ticks and, most importantly, determined its gender.

Even for an animal that couldn’t speak, the thought of a male dog with male genitalia snuggled in the young lady’s arms panting seemed like it would be tossed into the yard. For the dog’s sake, this was an issue that had to be addressed specifically.

Beneath the black fur was a clean belly.

A female.

‘Approved.’

Now that the worry about having to keep it outside was gone, I handed the puppy over to the young lady’s arms.

“Heh.”

As the fluffy fur touched her embrace, the young lady smiled with maidenly sweetness.

Seeing her innocent smile after such a long time, I too found myself smiling.

It seemed like I made a good decision to bring it home.

The young lady held the puppy tightly in her arms, her eyes firmly indicating she would never let go. I felt a slight pang of jealousy seeing her look at the puppy with such affection.

I worried that I might be pushed down the priority list.

Because women simply can’t resist cute things.

With a bitter feeling, I looked at the young lady,

but she said something completely contrary to what I thought.

“From today, your name is Sagol.”

Did I hear that wrong?

I cleaned my ears and focused on the young lady’s words again.

“Come on, try saying it. Sagol.”

It didn’t seem like I misheard.

Carefully, I asked the young lady the origin of the name, hoping it wasn’t for the reason I was thinking.

“Lady?”
“Yes?”
“Why did you name it Sagol? Why not something pretty like Elizabeth I or Flower girl?”
The young lady frowned.

“It’s ugly.”

It seemed I had no talent for naming. Nevertheless, I asked the young lady once more about the origin of the name.

The name Sagol seemed to foretell this creature’s future.

“Sagol is a bit… isn’t it inappropriate?”

The young lady nodded as if it were obvious.

“Ricardo, you are ill, so we need to make nourishing soup.”

Gulp. The young lady swallowed her saliva.

“Excuse me?”

Only now did I, an inadequate servant, understand the young lady’s affectionate gaze.

I wanted to applaud the young lady’s intention to raise puppies for nourishment, but unfortunately, this fellow was not meant to be food.

A pet dog is family, not provisions.

I calmly explained to the young lady the purpose of the puppy.

“We are not going to eat it.”
“Huh?”
“That, it’s meant to be for ornamental purposes.”

The young lady’s eyes turned cold.

“Not going to eat it?”
“No.”
“You’re not raising it fat to eat it?”
“This is a puppy.”
“It really doesn’t seem like a puppy to me.”
“It is.”

The young lady showed me the puppy’s bulky forepaws in an attempt to persuade me.

“Look at this, the paws are huge.”
“Perhaps it’s a breed that grows big.”
“…Really?”

The paws were indeed big,
as if it could tear apart a person when it grew up.
The black paws with sharply grown claws were impressive, but could it not also be something a puppy could have?

It was an opinion of someone who, in a previous life, had only ever given canned food to stray cats and was an avid fan of animal YouTube channels.

The young lady was convinced. She never raised an animal herself after all.

Although she seemed convinced, she still eyed the puppy suspiciously and said, “You’re not a dog, are you?” Yet the puppy just responded with cute whimpering eyes, making a “whine” sound.

“Ugh.”

The young lady, her interest faded, put down the puppy.

Her interest waned when she realized it wasn’t emergency rations or food.

Brushing off the fur stuck on herself, the young lady suggested a proper name.

“Then how about Tangsuyuk?”

Like owner, like servant, the young lady had a despairing sense of naming.

We looked at the black puppy squatting in the corner and pondered. We were united in finding a name fitting for the villainess Olivia’s status.

We concentrated and concentrated.

“How about Maximus.”
“No, that’s not good.”
“Then, Lambxorghini.”
“What’s that supposed to be?”
“For later… when it starts pulling a sled…”
“Vetoed.”

We brainstormed for about 10 minutes.

Names like Ho-shik, Flounder, and Halibut, which didn’t make any sense, were tossed around, but when the young lady mentioned a decent name, the puppy, hiding in the corner, pricked up its ears and looked at us.

“Gomtang.”

Despite being the most ominous name that had come up, the puppy, with a tail as small as a pinky finger, wagged it as if it liked the name.

The young lady and I smiled at each other.

“That seems good.”
“Yeah.”

The young lady tapped the bed.

“Sagol, come here.”
“It’s not Sagol, it’s Gomtang.”
“…”

Whether it’s that or this, it seemed similar,
but Gomtang felt a bit more valiant.
The young lady called the puppy’s name again, albeit reluctantly.

“Gomtang, come here.”

-Goooong!

With a robust cry, Gomtang nestled into the young lady’s arms. It seemed to like its name.

I smiled slightly as I watched Gomtang cuddle in the lady’s embrace.

“Oh, it’s rustic.”

Bringing it home was the right decision.

*

“Hey, you dog! That’s mine; your food’s on the floor!”

The young lady was playing well with Gomtang.

Gomtang, plotting a rebellion to covet each other’s snacks, and the young lady, who was giving up a bloody fight, came up onto the bed to steal her snacks. She fiercely cursed while pushing Gomtang’s head away who was struggling to take them.

-Gooong!!

“Eek!! Go away!”

-Gooong!!

“Eek!! I said go away! I’ll make you into a soybean paste stew!”

Humiliated by the fierce threat, Gomtang, with its short legs, climbed off the bed and buried its face into the food bowl.

Huff… Huff… The young lady sighed in relief, having defended her snack, and said with trembling eyes as she looked at Gomtang.

“Ricardo. The more I look at it, that doesn’t seem to be a puppy.”
“It is definitely a puppy.”
“Look at that.”

Chomp!

The young lady pointed with her finger at Gomtang, avidly crunching its kibble.

“What kind of puppy eats like that!”
“Maybe it could happen. That’s discrimination against puppies.”
“…Really?”

The young lady acquiesced, nodding her head.

“I will make sure it doesn’t climb onto the bed again.”
“Please do.”

The fact was, the young lady didn’t care whether it was a bear or something else. She was only upset that it had stolen her snack.

I organized in my head what I needed to teach Gomtang and fed the lady a piece of steak.

“Mmm… delicious.”

Slowly, the darkness of night was approaching.

A lot had happened. It was a busy day with the arrival of a new family member.

And.

It was the day when I acquired the most needed ability.

I left Gomtang in an empty room and quietly brought up a subject to the young lady.

“Lady.”
“Yes?”
“Ta-da!”

I pulled out a small tube of ointment from my pocket.

A cheap ointment commonly available in the market. It was a means to naturally come into contact with the young lady’s leg.

Holding the ointment with an awkward smile, I said,

“I have discovered a panacea…”

The young lady firmly responded,

“That’s part of a pyramid scheme.”

The young lady was savvy about the ways of the world.