“……Raise this puppy?”

“Yes. Is that… not okay…?”

Se Eun’s moist eyes made Sun Woo’s breath catch in his throat.

In her tiny palm was an even tinier life, wriggling so delicately it seemed it might break.

It was obvious that if left here, it wouldn’t survive the night.

Gulp. Sun Woo swallowed dryly.

If he said no, Se Eun would see him as heartless, she’d never open up to him, and inevitably the whereabouts of the Queen’s Tears would remain a mystery forever.

“Yeon Se Eun. I’m afraid this puppy…”

“It’s, it’s my wish!”

Before he could finish, Se Eun cried out urgently.

Then she thrust the puppy right up to Sun Woo’s face, as if to prove her point.

“Look. Ki Sun Woo. It’s so small. If we leave it, it’ll die. Please…”

Why?

He was about to agree anyway, but in this moment he wanted to savor Se Eun’s adorable desperation a little longer.

“Hmm. Do you think you can raise such a young puppy, Miss Yeon Se Eun? You’re working at a company now.”

“…Well.”

Caught off guard, Se Eun mumbled, biting her lip.

As her red, pretty lips moved temptingly, Sun Woo’s heart began to flutter.

“We shouldn’t irresponsibly rescue a life out of mere sympathy. You’re ultimately asking me to raise it, aren’t you?”

“N-no! I… together…”

Realizing she was making an emotional appeal, Se Eun’s voice trailed off.

Finding her quite pitiful, Sun Woo decided to give in at this point.

“Alright. Let’s raise it.”

“…Pardon?”

“I said let’s raise it.”

“Really?”

At the sudden willing agreement, Se Eun’s face lit up as she held the puppy.

In the dark grove, it seemed as if a beautiful lantern had been lit just around her, creating an illusion.

“Yes. It’s your wish, right? I’m not such a petty man that I can’t grant one wish for my wife.”

“Th… thank you! Ki Sun Woo, thank you so much!”

“But not for free.”

“What?”

Se Eun tilted her head, wondering what he meant now.

Finding even that gesture so lovable he wanted to swallow her whole, Sun Woo quickly spoke again.

“A deal should be fair. You’ll have to grant one of my wishes later too. How about it?”

“Ah…”

Se Eun looked back and forth between Sun Woo and the puppy with a dazed expression, then nodded her head vigorously.

“Okay! I’ll grant any wish you want!”

Got her.

This innocent white rabbit had no idea what kind of wish she might be asked to fulfill in the future, just rejoicing at the agreement before her eyes.

Thrilled by that fact to the point of exhilaration, Sun Woo whispered with a satisfied smile.

“Good. Then let’s start by naming it.”

*

The puppy’s name was decided as ‘Cho Bbang’.

It was for the simple reason that chocolate and bread were Se Eun’s frequent snacks these days.

Sun Woo had also suggested naming it after food, saying it would live long that way.

Se Eun readily accepted the name, liking how it sounded cute yet somewhat assertive.

Of course, the house wasn’t at all prepared to raise a puppy, so the two returned after an unexpected shopping spree for pet supplies.

“I think I bought too many clothes for how small it still is.”

As she unpacked, Se Eun realized her impulse purchases and sheepishly glanced at Sun Woo.

Clothes with ribbons, clothes with frills, polka dot clothes, strawberry-shaped clothes…

It seemed Cho Bbang, whom they’d just brought home, now had more clothes than Se Eun herself.

“So what? It’ll grow anyway, we can dress it then. One outfit a day. Like a chaebol family’s dog.”

“Is, is that okay?”

“Of course. Let’s buy more next time. And while we’re at it, spring clothes for Miss Yeon Se Eun too.”

As the impulse purchase transformed into wise consumption, Se Eun nodded happily.

Unaware that she had unwittingly agreed to the spring clothes shopping Sun Woo mentioned.

“Oh? Cho Bbang looks sleepy. We need to wash it.”

“You’re right.”

The two gazed at the puppy nodding off, curled up on a soft cushion.

Perhaps due to an instinctive sense of relief at escaping danger, Cho Bbang seemed about to fall fast asleep.

“For now, let’s just wipe off the dirt on its fur, and give it a proper bath tomorrow after we go to the vet.”

“Okay.”

Answering enthusiastically, Se Eun quickly brought a thick towel.

A moment later, the two were surprised by an unexpected sight.

“Oh my… It’s so… so cute!”

Unable to contain her emotions, Se Eun covered her mouth.

Though they’d thought it was just a Jindo puppy descendant due to its long, dirty fur despite being young, Cho Bbang turned out to be a baby Shih Tzu.

Sun Woo asked Se Eun, who was overjoyed and at a loss for words.

“You really like it. Did you originally want to raise a Shih Tzu?”

“Yes! Somehow it’s so flat and fluffy and cute… and its fur is so soft and cute… and also…”

“Also?”

As Sun Woo leaned in to listen, Se Eun, encouraged, even mimicked hugging with her arms spread.

“It’s… so small, I feel like I could just hug it like this!”

“…”

A strange silence fell for a moment.

Se Eun blinked, wondering if she’d said something wrong.

Finding even that gesture so lovable he wanted to swallow her whole, Sun Woo quickly spoke again.

“No, it’s nothing. I just became curious about how that feeling might be too.”

To think Ki Sun Woo was such an empathetic man.

Overwhelmed, Se Eun smiled brightly without realizing it.

“Later, after we wash it well, I’ll let you hug it first!”

*

After Cho Bbang fell into a deep sleep, Se Eun brought up an old story to Sun Woo.

Though she didn’t want to recall painful memories if possible, for some reason she felt like she had to speak about it now.

“When I was young, my dad raised a dog. A Shih Tzu just like Cho Bbang.”

“Is that why you liked puppies?”

“Yes. It was such a good and cute dog. It fetched balls well and always smiled brightly, but…”

Se Eun’s voice trailed off.

As if waiting for her patiently, Sun Woo gazed at her, looking into her eyes.

As if to say it was okay, go ahead and speak.

Encouraged by that kind gaze, Se Eun gathered her courage and continued.

“My maternal grandfather didn’t like my dad from the start. He disliked him even after he married my mom. So… right after my parents passed away, he sent that dog away for adoption elsewhere.”

“…Oh no.”

“I couldn’t even say goodbye. Later, after a long time had passed, I heard from Mo Na. She said it barked a lot as it was leaving…”

Though she tried hard to hold back, tears finally streamed down her cheeks.

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t going to cry… Seeing Cho Bbang reminded me of that dog. I miss it so much…”

Perhaps what she really missed and longed for were her parents.

Somehow, the Yeon Se Eun before him looked like a small eight-year-old child, and Sun Woo felt sorry for her.

“It’s okay to cry. I’ll wipe your tears for you.”

Without realizing, Sun Woo wiped away the tears flowing down Se Eun’s cheeks.

Perhaps due to the unexpected touch on her soft cheek, she flinched slightly.

In that moment, another strange, wicked magic occurred.

Yeon Se Eun, who just a moment ago had seemed like an endlessly wounded child, suddenly appeared as a full-fledged woman in his eyes.

With eyes moist with tears, Se Eun parted her lips slightly as if surprised and looked up at Sun Woo.

Those lips. Those lips were truly the problem.

“Yeon Se Eun…”

Unable to resist the strange atmosphere, Sun Woo tilted his head slightly.

“Ah…”

A softly trembling voice.

Then, as her long eyelashes fluttered, Se Eun slowly closed her eyes.

Just before their lips could meet and meld together.

“Yip… whine.”

“…!”

Cho Bbang was whimpering again, uncomfortable for some reason.

Only then did Se Eun come to her senses and quickly got up to run to Cho Bbang.

The atmosphere that had almost turned sensual thus ended anticlimactically for now.

Anticlimactic, yet fatal.

That night. After carefully making a bed with the puppy cushion and bone toy they’d bought earlier, Se Eun went out to the living room to get Cho Bbang.

But Sun Woo, whom she thought was asleep, was standing there in the living room.

Already cradling Cho Bbang preciously in his arms.

“Ah, Ki Sun Woo. Please give me Cho Bbang.”

“Why?”

“What do you mean why? I’m going to let it sleep next to the bed. It’s still a baby, so we need to keep watching in case something happens.”

“Hmm~” Sun Woo raised the corner of his mouth.

Feeling ominous at that smile full of scheming, Se Eun reached out her arms to take Cho Bbang.

Cruelly, Sun Woo did not hand over Cho Bbang.

“What to do? I’m going to have Cho Bbang sleep in my room. Or more precisely, in our newlywed room.”

“What do you…”

At the troublesome declaration, Se Eun’s lips quivered.

Whatever his intention, he was emphasizing the words ‘newlywed room’ particularly.

With the feeling she shouldn’t get caught up in this, Se Eun desperately reached out her hand again.

This time, Sun Woo lifted Cho Bbang above his head so her hand couldn’t reach.

Se Eun stood on her tiptoes, but to no avail, and stamped her feet.

“…I’m the one who suggested bringing it home on a whim. It might wake up at dawn, and we need to give it formula on schedule. You’ll be tired, Ki Sun Woo.”

As Se Eun pleaded, Sun Woo’s logical rebuttal came right back.

“Miss Yeon Se Eun, you have to go to work in the morning. Isn’t the one who shouldn’t be tired you?”

“That’s…”

As she was at a loss for words, Sun Woo continued without hesitation.

“I have a solution. A wise resolution worthy of Solomon’s judgment.”

“What… is it?”

For a moment, his amber eyes flashed.

Then his red lips curved upward with pleasure.

“It’s simple. Miss Yeon Se Eun. From today, we’ll share a room. In other words, sleep together. You and I, here in this newlywed room prepared for us.”