Chapter 38 : Bite the Bad Guy

“Bite him!” 

My shout rang out, and across the street, a massive Jindo dog whipped its head around, its sharp eyes locking onto mine. 

Is this human talking to me? 

I could read the dog’s thoughts in its puzzled expression.

But there was no time to explain. 

“That guy in the blue pants! He’s a bad one—hurry, bite him!” 

“Huh?” 

“What? Bite… wait, what?” 

The cops beside me stood dumbfounded, their jaws practically hitting the pavement. 

“Woof! Woof!” 

At the words “bad guy,” the Jindo barked in acknowledgment, its four legs pounding the ground as it charged straight for the criminal. 

“Whoa!” 

An elderly man, startled by the sudden sprint, fumbled and dropped the leash he’d been holding. 

“O222—” 

“Aargh!” 

The Jindo, growling fiercely, didn’t hesitate. It sank its teeth into the criminal’s calf, and the man, caught off guard mid-run, screamed and collapsed onto the ground. 

“Get him!” 

Perfect timing—a car passing by screeched to a halt, and the cops, seizing the moment, swarmed the fallen man. 

“You damn mutt…” 

The criminal lifted his head, glaring at the dog that had brought him down, but it was too late. 

“Hey, hey! Don’t move!” 

The police pounced, snapping handcuffs on him as his face met the filthy pavement. 

“Man, look at this guy! No wonder he was running like he was hopped up on something.” 

“W-What are you talking about?” 

“What, you think I’m blind? Look, boss, needle marks on his arm!” 

“Damn it…” 

The criminal muttered curses under his breath, caught red-handed. 

“Talk about a piece of work. Hey, thanks, kid—looks like I’m getting that promotion early. Take him away!” 

“Yes, sir.” 

The officers grabbed the criminal’s shoulders and hauled him off. 

“If it wasn’t for that damn dog…” 

He limped, glaring murderously at the Jindo, but the dog didn’t spare him a glance. 

Who are you?

How can you talk to me?

What’s going on? 

The Jindo’s attention was entirely on me now, circling me excitedly, yapping away. 

“Good job. You’re a smart one, aren’t you?” 

A timid Shih Tzu or a skittish Poodle could never have pulled this off.

Only a clever, fearless Jindo could. 

Heh! I’m smart! I got the bad guy, right? 

I patted its head, and it wagged its tail so fast it looked like a propeller. 

“You did great.” 

“Good heavens, this rascal!” 

An elderly man, his back hunched, came hobbling over in a panic.

He swatted Jindo’s rear and yanked the leash back into his grip. 

“This one’s never bitten anyone before…” 

“No, don’t worry. Thanks to him, we caught a real nasty one,” the remaining officer reassured the old man, who seemed worried about repercussions. 

“Is that so? Well, my boy takes after me—brave as they come. Back in my army days…” 

“Must’ve gotten it from his master, then.” 

The officer gave Jindo a couple of pats before turning to me. 

“That guy trashed our fruit stand while making his getaway. Think we can get compensation?” 

That was the whole reason I’d chased after him in the first place.

Four boxes of fruit, ruined—easily over 100,000 won. 

“Wait, you ran after him for that?” 

“Yup.” 

What else would it be? 

“They’ll cover it later, don’t worry.” 

“What? Really?” 

Then why the hell did I run like a maniac?

I thought if he got away, I’d lose the money too.

No wonder no one else bothered chasing him. 

“Thanks to you, we got him. But how’d you even think to do that?” 

It wasn’t something just anyone would’ve done.

Yelling “bite” at a random dog and expecting it to listen?

Slim chance. 

“Oh, my uncle runs a vet clinic, so I’m pretty good with dogs.” 

“Good with them… does that even work?” 

I can talk to him, you know. 

“Just got lucky, I guess.” 

I winked at Jindo, who was panting at me. 

Give me something tasty!

Tell my owner to get me chicken! Lots of drumsticks! 

The dog’s demands came through loud and clear as our eyes met. 

“Alright, alright. Sir, take this to buy him something nice.” 

I pulled 30,000 won from my pocket and handed it to the old man.

The Jindo’s tail wagged contentedly. 

“Those eyes… I bet he’s craving chicken. Get him some.” 

“How’d you know he loves chicken?” 

“I live at a vet clinic. I can tell just by looking.” 

“You learn that at a clinic? Keep your money, son. I was gonna get him something nice today anyway.” 

The old man waved off my offer, but then the officer pulled out his wallet. 

“No, take it. Thanks to you, we caught a bad one. Thank you.” 

“Well, alright then… Looks like you’re eating well today, boy!” 

The old man had refused my money but accepted the officer’s, and with that, he and the Jindo shuffled off. 

“So, about that compensation—how’s it work?” 

“They’ll probably contact you. If not…” 

The officer held out his hand expectantly. 

“You got a smartphone, right?” 

“Oh!” 

I handed him my phone, and he casually punched in a number. 

“Call this.” 

“Whose number is this?” 

It started with 010, not a regional code. 

“Mine.” 

“Huh?” 

“You chased down a criminal for compensation. If you don’t get it, I’ll take responsibility.” 

“Oh.” 

I saved his number under “Officer Uncle.” 

“You from around here? I can swing by the local precinct—” 

“I’m from Seoul.” 

“Seoul? To catch that guy?” 

I’d figured he was just a petty crook or scammer, but maybe he was a bigger deal than I thought. 

“We’ve been staking him out for three days. If he’d gotten away, I wouldn’t have slept from the frustration.” 

“All the way from there to here…” 

“Doesn’t matter where when it comes to catching criminals. Anyway, thanks for today. Gotta go—the guys are impatient.” 

The officer checked his ringing phone and dashed off. 

I thought all cops were half-assed, but… maybe not this one. 

I’d lost faith in the police because of my boss’s troubles—shoddy investigations, believing lies without question.

That was the Korean police I knew. 

Maybe this guy’s different. 

I stared quietly at the new number in my phone. 

***

Finally, the first day of shooting for Today’s Fruit Store began. 

The opening scene was set in high school, capturing the camaraderie of four close friends. 

“Yo, Hyunjae, you look good in that uniform!” 

Jiwon grinned, giving me a once-over as I stepped out in my school uniform. 

“I mean, I was wearing one not too long ago. Don’t I look too old for this, though?” 

“Nah, you’ve got that baby face, hyung. It works!” 

“Yeah, you pull it off.” 

“I’m sick of it. This damn uniform.” 

Jiwon glanced down at his own uniform, grumbling. 

“I thought I was done with this after graduation, but here we are again.” 

“Don’t you like wearing it?” 

Maybe because I’d only seen uniforms in dramas, they always felt fresh, brimming with youthful energy.

I couldn’t help but feel good putting one on. 

“It’s fine once in a while, but this is…”

Jiwon held up four fingers.

“My fourth time. Ugh, I’m over it.” 

“I think it’s great!” 

Unlike Donghyeok, who played a delinquent with a loose, rebellious uniform, Taehwan’s model-student vibe—crisp and proper—gave off a completely different energy. 

“Oh, right. What’s that about you working a side gig? You mentioned it in the group chat.” 

Jinwook brought up a conversation from a few days ago when we’d been catching up in the group chat. 

“Oh, I was curious about running a fruit store, so I worked part-time at one in the next town over.” 

“What?” 

“Whoa, you’re really going all in, huh?” 

Jinwook and Jiwon’s eyes widened in unison, stunned by my fruit store saga. 

“It’s not like you only shadow doctors or lawyers for research.” 

“But a store job?” 

“There’s a real skill to it. Like a subtle push-and-pull with customers.” 

There was this delicate dance—charming hesitant customers without being too pushy, subtly highlighting the goods’ appeal. 

“I just copied what my boss does.” 

“Where’d you learn that? Some fancy academy in Gangnam?” 

Jinwook, usually reserved, suddenly unleashed a barrage of curious questions. 

“No academy. Just learned from someone I know.” 

“Who? My gut’s telling me it’s someone big.” 

Jiwon crossed his arms, stroking his chin like a detective. 

He’s got a nose for this stuff. 

“Nah, no way.” 

I waved it off casually, and Jiwon’s lips pursed in disappointment. 

“Ugh, this is where you’re supposed to drop a famous actor’s name for some drama!” 

“Sorry to let you down.” 

“You guys look great.” 

A new voice cut through our chatter, and we all turned to see the director. 

“Hey!” 

“You’re here!” 

“Pretty perfect, right?” 

The director smiled at Jiwon’s playful boast, then scanned the group. 

“Where’s Taehwan?” 

“He’s getting ready in the van. Should be out soon.” 

“Got it.” 

The director shot me a quick glance, his eyes asking, He okay? 

Since the second script reading, no one else—not even the director—had seen Taehwan act. 

He’s fine. 

I reassured him with a look, and the director’s tense expression softened into a relieved smile. 

“Alright, I’ve got some things to check. Get ready.” 

Neither Jiwon, Jinwook, nor the crew knew about what had happened between me and Taehwan. For his image and to avoid pointless gossip, we’d kept it quiet. 

“Something up with you and the director?” 

The second the director left, Jinwook pounced with a question. 

“Huh? Me?” 

“Yeah.” 

“I saw it too. What’s going on?” 

Jiwon jumped in, interrogating me about the silent exchange. 

“Oh, the director was worried I’d look too young next to you guys. So I got my hair and makeup done to look a bit older. Just confirming it with him.” 

It was a quick lie, but since we’d discussed the age gap before, they bought it without question. 

“Oh, that’s why your hair’s like that?” 

“It’s just a drama. Does it matter that much?” 

“If you’re gonna do it, might as well blend in, right? Haha.” 

“But seriously, where’s Taehwan? What, is he too good to come out until he’s perfectly ready?” 

Jiwon sneered, eyeing the still-absent Taehwan. 

“He’ll be here soon.” 

“All that talk about bonding, but he’s barely said a word in the group chat, and now he’s hiding in his van.” 

“People wait however they want, don’t they?” 

Jiwon seemed to have a top-star filter on Taehwan—every move he made screamed entitled celebrity to him. 

“That’s when you’re actually good at acting. Mark my words, the first episode airs, and it’s gonna be chaos.” 

“I didn’t expect much anyway. At least it’ll get people talking about the drama.” 

“He’s gonna shoot straight to number one for worst idol actor. I’d bet my hand on it.” 

Jiwon raised his right arm confidently. 

“Then I’ll bet against you.” 

I took the opposite side. 

“What? After seeing that acting?” 

“You’re not being too generous, are you?” 

“No need for your hand. Loser grants the winner’s wish. Deal?” 

Why dodge a bet I already knew the outcome of?