That's My Dog!

"Hangover soup is ready! Take your time talking and eat first!"

Haeyeon shouted as she came out carrying a large tray.

On the tray were several steaming hot earthenware bowls.

"Wow, as expected, Haeyeon is really strong."

"Better than most men."

"Serve Ahn Bin first over there. He did the biggest job today."

"Yes, understood!"

Haeyeon promptly set a bowl in front of Ian. At the same time, she stared intently at his face.

Ian sensed a strange feeling and looked up.

Somehow, Haeyeon seemed to be smiling way too brightly...?

"It's hot, so be careful."

"Thank you."

Ian quickly turned his gaze to the hangover soup. He was hungry, having skipped breakfast and been busy until now.

Steam was rising from the bowl, filling the air with a savory aroma.

The hangover soup was filled generously with pork bones and plenty of greens. It looked very delicious.

"The hangover soup here is the real deal. Ahn Bin, try it."

"You worked hard today—eat a lot."

"You elders should eat first."

"Chief, take the first spoonful! The young man must be hungry."

The men sitting next to Ian doted on him more than ever before. They even slid all the side dishes on the table closer to him.

His heart fluttered.

With it, Ahn Bin's memories and emotions surged. As time passed, memories continued to pour in.

'Do you really like hangover soup that much? Alright, alright. I'll eat it quickly for you.'

But the fluttering in his chest wasn't just because of the hangover soup. It was pleasant, thanks to Haeyeon and the men's warm welcome.

It seemed Ahn Bin's ego hadn't completely disappeared yet.

Now, it wasn't just a matter of instinctively choosing the food he wanted. Ahn Bin was trying to synchronize his emotions with Ian.

Maybe, when Ian's soul entered Ahn Bin's body at the moment of the accident, Ahn Bin's ego hadn't died, but had just been deeply compressed.

'Well, this body is still alive and well...'

So what should he do?

What else—share the space, even if it's cramped.

'We should try to seek peaceful coexistence.'

Ahn Bin's ego was probably only barely hanging on.

And even if Ahn Bin did somehow come back to life, Ian thought calmly, a thirty-year-old soul would never be able to overcome a thousand-year-old soul who was both a lord and the master of a great farm.

'Anyway, let's talk more later. For now, let's eat. This body is for both of us, so you have no objections, right?'

Of course, there was no objection.

"Thank you for the meal!"

Ian scooped up a spoonful of hangover soup and tasted it.

As expected, it was very delicious.

The deep flavor of pork bone broth mingled with the well-boiled greens, giving a savory, umami taste.

On top of that, a heap of perilla seeds added to the nuttiness.

"Mmm. This is really good. It's absolutely the real deal! Mmm!"

Ian let out a series of contented sounds as he admired the taste.

He was so intent on savoring it, he even closed his eyes without realizing.

"Wow, it must be that good! Eating with your eyes closed and all."

"Hahaha! The hangover soup here really is tasty."

"Of course. Sometimes I drink just so I can come for this soup."

"Oh, please. You'd drink with or without hangover soup."

"No, I'm just going along since Ahn Bin said it's good."

"Alright, eat a lot. Haha!"

"Oh, yes. My stomach feels so much better now."

Laughter periodically burst from the table, while everyone busily moved their spoons.

Even Jeongnam, who'd often butted heads with other villagers, now laughed and ate hangover soup as if nothing had happened.

'That's what I like about this village.'

Whatever the reason, the local culture of sharing a meal whenever people gathered was something Ian truly appreciated.

It was an atmosphere where worries and conflicts melted away over food.

'That's right. Eating is the most important thing.'

With that in mind, Ian eagerly ate the hangover soup and tried each and every side dish.

To understand Earth and humans, one had to eat Earth's food. After all, energy is drawn from nature, no matter where you are.

He tasted all sorts of mountain vegetables, savoring the essence of Mount Jiri village, and as he ate spicy kimchi, he found himself thinking he couldn't live without it anymore.

"Hmm? Is this sl...?"

Just as Ian picked up some acorn jelly with his chopsticks, he muttered to himself without realizing.

Jiggly but also tender.

If not for Ahn Bin's memory telling him this was acorn jelly, the texture would have made him mistake it for the slime he'd just dealt with earlier.

"Why? Don't you like acorn jelly? We make it ourselves—it's really savory and tasty. It's totally different from the kind you get in Seoul."

Suddenly a voice came from behind. It was Haeyeon, holding the tray at her side.

She must have been standing there, watching Ian all along.

"Oh, I like acorn jelly too."

Even though it was the first time he'd tried it.

Ian promptly put the acorn jelly in his mouth. The tangy and spicy seasoning immediately awakened his taste buds.

'Mmm. It's good. And the texture is unique and fun, too.'

Again Ian made satisfied noises, enjoying the novelty. The people at the table burst into laughter once more.

But it wasn't a mocking laugh—it was a warm, friendly one filled with affection.

His heart fluttered once again.

In that pleasant atmosphere, as the hangover soup bowls began to empty—

Suddenly, Kim Yongcheol's cell phone rang loudly. The ringtone was so loud it startled Ian.

"Hello!"

His voice was just as booming as the ringtone.

"... What? Is that true?"

Kim Yongcheol exclaimed in surprise. Though no one knew the details, the atmosphere grew tense.

All eyes turned toward him.

"Okay, got it. We'll head out right away!"

As Kim Yongcheol hung up, everyone immediately asked,

"Why, what's going on?"

"What is it?"

Kim Yongcheol gulped and opened his mouth to speak.

"They say a monster appeared again."

"What? Again?!"

"Where is it? Is it the same monster?"

"This time it's at the house of the medicinal herb woman again. They say it looks even bigger."

"That house again? Do monsters like medicinal herbs or something?"

"This isn't the time for stories—let's move out!"

"Yeah, let's go! Volunteer patrol, let's go!"

Everyone jumped up from their seats.

"Ahn Bin, let's hurry. This time, I'll get to see how you deal with it directly."

Jeongnam, who'd somehow come to stand next to Ian, spoke to him.

"Yes. Let's go."

Ian quickly started to move.

'What appeared now? I should have sealed that portal gap earlier.'

He'd been putting off closing the portal to come eat.

Then again, it couldn't be helped with the villagers present.

Thinking he definitely had to seal it this time, Ian began running.

"Let Ahn Bin go on ahead!"

"Yeah, clear the way."

"Let him through quickly."

"We'll bring blankets and ropes."

The village men cleared a path. Ian rushed to the front.

* * *

"Huff...! Huff!"

Even though Ian was running in front at first, he soon fell to the middle of the group.

'Why are these middle-aged men so good at running?'

Ian panted as he thought.

The way from the wisteria restaurant to the herb woman's house (located below his own) was all downhill, but after passing the village hall, it turned into a steep uphill climb.

Downhill, Ian was in the lead. But he couldn't keep up with the villagers going uphill.

'They must be mountain people... so they're strong on hills. How embarrassing when this body is the youngest...'

Thinking he really should train, Ian took a breath.

They were almost at the herbalist's house now. Whatever it was, the creature from the portal might have already moved, so he needed to survey the area.

As he reached out with his detection, Lee Donghoon from Baekmu Lodge at the front called out in a low voice,

"There it is!"

Lee Donghoon was standing right in front of the herb woman's house, pointing to the bushes across the way.

The bushes rustled violently. It seemed the monster had just run over there.

Ian's detection swept in that direction.

At the same time, between the bushes, a white, furry bundle appeared. The creature's large, black eyes peeked out from behind the shrubs, meeting Ian's gaze.

Ian immediately identified what it was.

'Hao?'

It was Hao. Hao, by Earth's standards, was a creature equivalent to a dog.

Extremely loyal, very responsive to people, often kept as a household companion animal.

Appearance-wise, it looked like a dog, but with a pointier nose and much larger eyes.

Its legs were longer than an Earth dog's, and with its thick, shaggy fur, it looked like something between a dog and a sheep.

'But they called it a monster? How could they call something this cute a monster?'

Of course, it was bigger than an Earth dog. It was naturally bigger than a large dog, and since creatures from Praeri dimension were about 1.5 times the size of Earth's, this Hao was about twice the size of a big dog on Earth. In terms of bulk, it was much bigger than a person.

'Still, just because it's big, is that any reason to call it a monster?'

From Ian's point of view, it was absurd. Hao was a lovable creature.

'So Hao was out in the field, then slipped through the portal somehow, huh.'

It wasn't the Hao Ian had raised, but whoever it belonged to, it was definitely a Hao from Praeri. He couldn't kill a Hao.

"Is that it? Is that the monster?"

"Wow, it's big!"

"It's not the same as the last one, right? This one has shaggy fur."

The men in the front stopped and whispered as they watched Hao.

Hao was crouched quietly in the bushes. Thrown into a strange, unfamiliar environment, it was clearly frightened and wary.

Ian strode forward.

"Ahn Bin, how do we catch that monster?"

"A blanket won't work for this one, will it?"

As Ian passed by, the men called out to him. After his previous feat, they couldn't help but unconsciously rely on Ian.

Ian quietly walked up beside Lee Donghoon in front.

As he walked, he sent out energy toward Hao in the bush and gave an order.

'Stay calm, Hao.'

At that, Hao crouched even lower and took a step back.

'Good job, Hao. Stay just like that.'

Now at the front of the group, Ian pretended to closely inspect the bushes, then shouted in feigned surprise,

"Wait! Isn't that Hao? That's not a monster—it's my dog!"

He dashed into the bush and hugged Hao tightly.

"Hao!"

Already obedient to Ian's command, Hao stayed completely still.

"What? You're saying that's your dog?"

"It's not a monster? Are there really dogs that big?"

"But I thought you didn't have a dog before?"

"Yeah, it's my first time seeing it in the village. Wait, is it even a dog?"

The village men looked on in confusion.

But they didn't doubt Ian's word.

Since his feat earlier, their trust in him had grown dramatically, and now, seeing Ian hugging and petting the 'dog,' how could it possibly be a monster?

"Last night a friend brought it over for me. I'm looking after it for a while."

Ian made up a reasonable excuse.

"Oh, so it really is a dog? No wonder. It's huge, but if you look, it's kinda cute!"

Haeyeon clapped her hands. As if it was a signal, the others gradually joined in.

"Yeah, the shaggy fur is actually kind of cute..."

"True. It doesn't look like a monster. It's super gentle, isn't it?"

"I saw on TV that there are dogs that big overseas, too."

"Looks like the herb woman was just overreacting. It's totally docile."

"Right? Our Hao is such a sweetheart."

At last, Ian chimed in. Everyone seemed to accept Hao as a dog now, so he was relieved.

"Still, you should keep a leash on a dog that big—don't let it run loose."

"Of course. I'll definitely keep it leashed from now on."

Ian replied politely.

It seemed like the incident had been resolved without any more trouble.

"What do you mean, a dog? How can you say that's not a monster?"

Suddenly, the herbalist woman burst out of her house, shouting.

"Look at my leg! That beast did this!"

She abruptly pulled up her elastic pants to reveal her leg, exposing a bright red abrasion.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=Hmm, this is a slow chill novel...The MC is laid back, and this is my first time reading a reverse-possession where the MC possesses someone from Earth, instead of a person from Earth possessing someone else...【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】

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