“Sarge Han, it’s me, open the door,” Hyungseok said into the interphone.

Maru replied that the door was open. He opened the door and went inside. The desolate-looking living room had not changed. There were only simple pieces of furniture and some books placed throughout. It was when he took his shoes off and took a step inside that he found something that was different. There was a sound of something scratching against wood before a dog popped out into the living room. The dog that came over to his feet with its tail rotating around like a propeller started rubbing its body against him as though it had missed human interaction for a long time. He was slightly confused but still reached out his hand. As he was patting the dog’s round head, he saw more dogs rushing out. One, two, three… there were four dogs in total. He wasn’t that well-versed in dogs, so he didn’t know what species they were, but he knew the one that rushed over to him first: Border Collie. He recalled having seen on TV that they were smart dogs. These dogs ranged from tiny ones the size of his forearm to large ones that would be taller than him when they stood up.

“What’s up with all the dogs?”

Hyungseok looked at Maru, who was sitting on a chair in the living room. He was eating with dark patches under his eyes as...