Chapter 8 : The Hound’s Revenge

Every step I took closer to Han Jungwoo sent countless thoughts racing through my mind.

Should I grab him by the collar right now?

Should I expose him—tell him I know exactly who he killed?

I mulled over every possible reaction.

But in the end, I knew I would do none of the things I imagined.

“Hello.”

As I approached, Jungwoo welcomed me with a bright smile, holding out a gift.

“Congratulations. Here, this is for you.”

The moment I regained my human form, the first person I sought out was Han Jungwoo.

Not that I even needed to look for him—he made sure he’d be seen.

“I really wanted to see you.”

It had been three weeks since my master’s death.

In just twenty-one days, every trace of him had vanished from the world—and this man had stepped in to fill that void.

“Oh! So you’re a fan? Wow, it’s an honor to have a male fan!”

The man who stole my master’s place now played the role of a benevolent hero, burdened by guilt for failing to save his close friend and dedicating himself to helping other victims.

Ha, your acting has really improved.

The last time I saw him, he was trembling over my master’s lifeless body.

The fear, the anxiety, the desperation—none of that remained now.

He was the picture of calm confidence.

“Oh my! You’re a male fan?”

A staff member who was helping manage the event perked up at the word ‘fan.’

“Wow~ Then Jungwoo, you should give him a hug! He’s special, after all!”

“Hahaha, shall I?”

Jungwoo spread his arms wide, and I stepped forward to let him hug me.

“Thank you for supporting me.”

He said it lightly, patting my back as if we were old friends.

“Don’t you play games anymore these days?”

“Sorry?”

At the mention of games, Jungwoo pulled back from the hug and looked at me curiously.

“I’m Jung Hyunjae.”

I told him my name, half-expecting—half-hoping—he’d remember the dog that used to be by Jaehyun’s side.

“Ah, right.”

But his reaction was cold.

So, he really had forgotten me?

It seemed I no longer existed in his memory at all.

“Please remember me.”

It’s only been a year.

You don’t get to forget everything you did.

“Haha, sure.”

“All right, let’s move on to the next draw, shall we? Minjoo, would you do the honors?”

I could feel Jungwoo’s eyes on me as I returned to my seat, but I didn’t bother to look back.

Keep enjoying yourself while you can. It’ll make it hurt more later.

I’ll return the favor for what you did to my master—twofold, threefold, even more.

“Wow, you even got to hug Han Jungwoo today. Lucky you!”

“Are you jealous?”

“Haha, no way. He’s not my type.”

Eunha laughed and held up her palm as if to ward off the thought.

“What kind of guy do you like then?”

“Me? …Wait a second. Let’s ban that line.”

“Sorry? What line?”

“Those sweet little comments—off-limits.”

Sweet?

What part of that was sweet?

“I didn’t even say anything special.”

“Uh-uh! And no boarding the ‘haha-bus,’ either.”

Haha-bus?

What the hell was that?

No matter how many slang terms I learned, there was always some new one popping up to trip me up.

“Hahaha! Yeah, that’s the charm of the haha-bus.”

Eunha burst out laughing when she saw my blank expression, as if she couldn’t stand how clueless I looked.

“All right! Everyone, let’s wrap up with a group thank-you! Thank you, everyone!”

“Thank you~!”

The actors bowed together, Jungwoo waved at his fans, and then he disappeared backstage.

“Oh, the movie’s starting.”

As soon as Eunha spoke, the theater went dark.

The title ‘Glory Day’ appeared on the screen.

Glory Day.

A title I could never forget.

Unit 706, operation commencing.

Jungwoo’s voice crackled through a radio, while the surround sound erupted with gunfire and helicopters, heightening the tension and excitement.

Well, fancy seeing you here.

What are you, my stalker?

If you’re gonna stalk me, at least write me a bloody love letter.

You want a blood letter?

I’ll write it for you—in your own damn blood!

Explosive action, dazzling CGI—it was clear why this film earned its blockbuster status.

“Wait, are you… crying right now?”

It was the most thrilling scene, but tears streamed down my cheeks.

Watching it brought back memories of Jaehyun, dressed the same way, reciting those same lines.

I couldn’t help it.

“What part of this is sad?”

Eunha glanced at me like I’d lost my mind, but I just pretended I didn’t hear her question.

They say people don’t want the truth.

They only hear what they want to hear.

It was a line the protagonist hurled at the villain—one that summed up the whole story.

But people love it even more when bastards like you get completely wrecked.

But people love it when scum like you get destroyed.

Han Jungwoo, I’ll make sure you get your own taste of that sweet revenge.

A school gymnasium.

“Are you done changing?”

“I did, but…”

A week after I agreed to do the promo shoot, they called to set a date.

Today was the day.

“Wow! You look amazing.”

“You really look like a high school student.”

The stylists fussed over me, praising how well the uniform suited me.

But wearing a school uniform for the first time felt awkward.

“I feel like it looks weird. Are you sure it’s okay?”

“Totally.”

Eunha gave me a big thumbs-up, and I finally felt a bit relieved.

“You got the storyboard I sent you, right?”

“You mean the one you texted? Yeah, I read it.”

Laugh while playing basketball, laugh at your desk, laugh while running—Jintae’s directions were basically just ‘smile.’ Over and over.

“I figured it was your first time, so I made it super simple. No need to overthink it.”

So that’s why all I had to do was smile?

“You know idol Yoonji, right? Think fresh and bright, like her…”

Judging by my blank look, Eunha quickly backtracked.

“Never mind! Just be yourself—relaxed and natural. That’s all you need.”

“Got it!”

“Great. If you’re ready, let’s go.”

I followed her to the basketball hoop where Jintae was bustling around.

“Could you angle the light more this way?”

“Here?”

“Yeah, right there.”

He was busy giving orders when I greeted him.

“Hey~”

“Hey, Hyunjae! That uniform looks amazing on you.”

“Really? Thank you.”

“See? I’ve got an eye for this stuff.”

At our first shoot, every trainee wore the same uniform, but none of them looked quite like this.

“Okay, we’ll get started in a bit. Just relax and have fun.”

“What exactly should I do?”

“Just look cool playing basketball. You know what I mean, right?”

“Basketball?”

“Yeah, don’t worry about being good. Just look cool. Not like that—over here!”

He dashed off mid-sentence, leaving me standing there.

Wait. I’ve never played basketball in my life.

The only experience I had was watching boys dribble at the park. I’d seen the storyboard—holding a ball and smiling.

That’s all I thought I had to do.

“All right, we’re rolling!”

“Here’s the ball, Hyunjae.”

Before I could even look up how to dribble, a basketball landed in my hands.

“Just dribble a few times, then go for a shot.”

Shooting?

That wasn’t in the storyboard.

How do you even shoot?

“Ready… action!”

The camera’s red light blinked on, and my mind went blank.

At least I had a rough idea from the reference photos.

I’d played enough fetch to know how to chase a ball.

Was it like this…?

I bounced the ball once, then chased after it.

“Wait—what are you doing?!”

Jintae looked so shocked he forgot to yell ‘cut.’

“Isn’t this how you do it?”

Basketball’s just playing with a ball, right?

“Don’t tell me you’ve never played basketball.”

“I haven’t.”

I was too busy learning to be human. Who had time to learn sports?

“We’re screwed.”

“We’re so screwed.”

“I have plans tonight—this can’t be happening.”

One comment from me, and the whole crew sighed like the world was ending.

“PD-nim, should we scrap the basketball and shoot something else?”

“Ugh. What sports do you know how to play?”

“Running?”

If it’s running, I’m faster than anyone.

“Running doesn’t look good on camera.”

“Then… what do we do?”

“Try dribbling again.”

“Like this?”

I bounced the ball once more. Jintae just turned away with a sigh.

“What do we do with you?”

Overhearing the crew’s whispers made my ears burn.

“Don’t they teach this in school?”

“Right? We had to do it for PE evaluations.”

“Did he go to school abroad?”

“No way—kids overseas should be even better at this.”

At this rate, they’d start asking questions I couldn’t answer.

Living locked away with the bodyguard at the hospital hadn’t prepared me for this.

“Give me ten minutes.”

“Ten?”

“Yeah. I’ve got good reflexes—I can pick it up. Just give me a chance.”

If I didn’t know something, I’d just learn it now.

“You sure?”

Jintae still looked doubtful, but my confidence won him over.

“You said I just have to copy the moves, right? I’ll get it.”

“All right, everyone, take ten!”

“Thanks~”

I ran to a quiet corner, pulled out my phone, and searched ‘how to play basketball’ on YouTube.

Dozens of videos popped up.

I picked a five-minute beginner tutorial.

Hi everyone, this is Rover.

Today I’ll teach you the basics of basketball.

The more I watched, the more I understood why everyone had been so horrified.

So this is how you actually play basketball?

You were supposed to guide the ball while dribbling—not chase after it.

“Hold it like this… shoot like this… okay.”

It wasn’t so hard in theory.

Keep your wrist steady as you shoot.

That’s it for today’s lesson—this was Rover!

I closed the video, stretched my shoulders, and gave it a try.

“Hyunjae, time’s up. Do you need more?”

Eunha came looking for me.

“No, I think I’ve got it.”

“Really? Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

Eunha gave Jintae the signal. It was time for take two.

“All right, let’s nail it this time. Ready… action!”

The camera light turned red.

I bounced the ball, this time guiding it just like the video.

I dribbled toward the hoop.

“Oh.”

Jintae let out a small sound of surprise.

This should be good, right?

I found my spot, lifted the ball, and shot. It hit the backboard, spun around the rim, and dropped right in.

“Whoa!”

“It went in!”

“Did you see that?”

Voices rose up around me. No one had expected that.

“Cut! What the hell—how’d you do that on the first try?”

Jintae looked at me, wide-eyed. I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Did I do okay?”

“Are you kidding? That was perfect. Are you a genius?”

“Told you—I’ve got good reflexes.”

I was still the same as I’d always been: a dog’s eyes, a dog’s senses, and a body that could move exactly when I needed it to.