Chapter 87: Picking Up a Stray (2)

We picked up a dog, a very small puppy at that.

"Woof woof!"

"It barks sharply, probably because it's young."

Is its tail a helicopter or something?

The pup was sniffing around, getting familiar with the house smell. Its wildly wagging tail was almost too fast for the eye to follow.

'...Dragons are hard enough to raise. Why did I bring this one home?'

I feel like I meddled unnecessarily. I looked at the dragon kids showing interest in the puppy. They were lying on the floor, observing the puppy.

"Hehehe, this one would taste good grilled! When can we eat it?!"

"I told you it's not for eating, Hwaryeon."

"Then why did we bring it home?!"

"That... I don't know either."

Suryeon shook her head, seeming not to know.

It looked like they didn't understand the concept of pets, so I thought it’d be better to explain it to them.

"Dad will explain about pets directly."

"Pets?"

"Yes."

What are pets? They're animals that humans keep close and raise with affection.

Unlike livestock like chickens and cows that produce eggs and milk, they're animals raised as companions to their owners.

"Now do you all understand what pets are?"

"I understand!"

Flash-!

Hwaryeon raised her hand confidently and shouted that she understood.

"We can't eat them! But we can raise them beside us!"

"Yes, you've understood well for once, Hwaryeon."

"In that sense, humans could be pets from a dragon's perspective!"

"Hmm, I was a fool to think you understood well."

Thump-

I put my hand to my forehead at Hwaryeon's statement.

Humans as pets? Really?

"What on earth are you saying, Hwaryeon?"

"I'm right, aren't I!"

Hwaryeon grinned and argued back.

"From a dragon's perspective, humans can be pets too! Dad is my pet too!"

"Calling Dad a pet. Hwaryeon, does that mean you don't want to be my daughter?"

"That's not it! Don't cross the line, Dad!"

She crosses the line herself, but tells me not to cross it. Hwaryeon used the skill 'Talking Nonsense' that only children can use, and Suryeon nodded in agreement with her words.

"This time, Hwaryeon is right, Dad. Humans can be pets to us dragons. Why? Because dragons are great beings. It's only natural for great dragons to raise humans."

"Mm-hmm, that's right!"

Hwaryeon and Suryeon nodded in agreement together. For the red one and the blue one to agree on something, it felt quite scary.

"To think of Dad as a pet... From today, you're not my daughters anymore."

"There's no such thing! Once a dad, always a dad!"

"Are you trying to abandon us, Dad? If so, I'll make all humans pets to keep you. Hehehe, all humans as pets..."

Here we go again, these dragon kids.

"Alright. I take it back. Enough, let's just look at the puppy."

Sigh-

I sighed and focused my attention on the puppy. Then, Hwaryeon and Suryeon naturally looked at the puppy too. By now, the puppy was in Choryeon's arms, panting.

"Oh, Choryeon. You've already become friends?"

"Yes, Mangmung seems to like me! It's so cute, Father!"

Choryeon stroked the puppy while holding it in her arms. The pup closed its eyes quietly, savoring Choryeon's touch.

"Woof woof-!"

"You like my hand, don't you! Mangmung! Will you be my friend?"

"Woof woof-!"

"You're saying yes, right? I'm so happy! Hehe!"

Choryeon was having fun playing with the puppy. It seemed she had decided to name it Mangmung, but Suryeon didn't seem to like this sight.

"Hmm... I'm against that name."

Suryeon came over and took the puppy from Choryeon's arms.

"Woof-! Woof-!"

"Quiet and come to me."

The puppy kept barking after leaving Choryeon's arms. Choryeon reached out to the puppy and shouted:

"Mangmung!"

"What Mangmung? Why are you naming it, Choryeon? I'll name it."

"Th-That's not fair, Suryeon! Give me back my Mangmung!"

Reach- Reach-

Choryeon reached out to get the puppy back. Suryeon looked at Choryeon indifferently and pushed her away with her tail.

"Move. You're in the way."

"Aaah!"

Roll, roll-

Choryeon was pushed by the tail and rolled far away.

"Hmm, finally it's quiet."

Suryeon held the puppy up high and made eye contact with it. Then, she started staring intently at the puppy.

"Hmm."

"Whine... Whine..."

"Why are you crying? I'm about to give you a name, you know. Me, the great dragon."

"Whine..."

"I'll give you an especially good name."

I wonder what kind of name she's going to give. Suryeon stared at the puppy avoiding her gaze and said its name.

"Kaiser. Your name is Kaiser."

"Whine...?"

Kaiser. Hearing that name, I thought to myself:

'Suryeon really has no sense for naming. She's my daughter, but it's hard to defend this one.'

Mangmung would be better. Maybe Choryeon felt the same way. Choryeon, who had been pushed away, reclaimed the puppy and shouted.

"What Kaiser? It's not Kaiser, Suryeon! He's Mangmung! Please don't change his name!"

"No, Kaiser suits him. More importantly, give him back. He's mine."

"No! Don't bully my friend!"

Suryeon and Choryeon continued fighting, taking and retaking the puppy. Maybe because the puppy kept being passed around, it was suffering, caught in the middle for no reason.

"It's mine. Give it."

"No, it's my friend!"

"Whine... Whine..."

You've met the wrong owners. I'm sorry, Mangmung.

I offered a silent apology as I rescued the puppy from between them.

"Dad, what are you doing?"

"Father, what are you doing!"

I said to the two looking at me.

"Don't bully him. We're just taking care of him until we find an owner anyway. Let's just keep the name simple as Mangmung."

Mangmung is the easiest and most convenient to call. This time, it was right to take Choryeon's side.

"From now on, he's Mangmung. Everyone got it?"

"...I don't like it."

"Yes, Father!"

Glare-

Suryeon didn't seem to like that I took Choryeon's side. She glared at me and went to a corner to fiddle with her smartphone.

'I'll need to make it up to her later.'

Suryeon might look cold and emotionless on the outside, but she was actually the one who got upset the most easily.

I put Mangmung down on the floor and said to the dragon kids.

"Anyway, we'll take care of Mangmung until we find an owner. Got it? So get along well and don't bully him. Especially you, Lee Hwaryeon."

"Why me!"

"You were planning to eat him, weren't you? That's why you didn't even try to name him."

"W-What, how did you know! Dad, you read my mind!"

"I don't need that ability to see what you're thinking."

She was obviously drooling. Hwaryeon still sees Mangmung as food, but if she spends time with him, she probably won't see him as prey anymore.

'It's a good opportunity for the dragon kids too. They might gain some experience living with a dog.'

It would be great if they could learn human sensibilities while raising a pet.

Thinking this, I looked at Mangmung. Though he was born not long ago, he ended up in a situation surrounded by dragons.

'I feel a bit sorry about that part...'

But I hope he can spend time comfortably until we find a good owner.

With that thought, I decided to prepare dinner for today. Fortunately, there were good ingredients ready in the fridge.

***

Evening.

After a very long time, the smell of meat filled the studio apartment.

"Hwaryeon, lower the heat a bit."

"Raaah!"

Sizzle, sizzle-

Pork belly browned nicely on the frying pan. To think we can now afford pork belly occasionally, not just pork shoulder. I was moved by the situation of grilling meat at home.

"I never imagined a day like this would come for me."

Somehow, it ended up like this.

I said to Hwaryeon as I put the cooked pork belly on a plate.

"It's done, Hwaryeon. Good job. Go sit at the table."

"Are you giving me more!? Because I worked hard!?"

"Yes, yes. I'll give you extra."

"Yay!"

Hwaryeon spread her arms like an airplane and ran to the table. Then she poked at Mangmung sitting quietly on the floor and said.

"Mangmung, you'd taste good too!"

"Wh-Whine..."

"Hahaha!"

Stop bothering Mangmung for no reason.

I put the plate of meat on the table.

"Everyone, enjoy your meal."

"Yay!!"

"Eat slowly so you don't choke."

Munch, munch-

The kids reached for the meat with their chopsticks and started eating the nicely grilled pork belly deliciously. It was good to see them eating well, looking blessed.

"Choryeon, eat some lettuce and peppers too."

"Yes, Father!"

I also took care of Choryeon's vegetarian diet.

I checked the pot on the kitchen counter. Inside, water with meat was boiling vigorously.

"This should be cooked enough. It'll be good for Mangmung to eat."

Since Mangmung is still a baby, it's better to feed him like this.

I scooped out the well-cooked meat and put it on a plate. Then I put the plate in front of Mangmung and said.

"You eat well too, Mangmung. You've had a hard time outside, right? You might have more hard times until we find an owner, so take care."

"Woof woof-!"

Gulp, gulp-

Mangmung started eating the meat I gave him without any suspicion. Since he was in Tubby's arms at first too, he seemed to have quite a trusting nature.

I sat at the table, looked at the dragons eating deliciously, and patted Mangmung.

"Woof woof-!"

"I hope you find a good owner too."

I hope both the owner and Mangmung will be happy.

For some reason, looking at him reminds me of when I first met the dragon kids. I felt like I was sinking into memories.

"Woof woof-!"

"Yes, eat well."

He’s cute.