It was a rainy day. Looking back, it was a rainy day. Looking back, I was a pathetically ordinary human back then. My entire routine consisted of eating a convenience store lunchbox for dinner after work, turning on my laptop to code until dawn, and falling asleep. Weekends weren't much different. After doing the backlogged laundry and staring aimlessly at my phone while lying in bed, it would suddenly be Sunday evening. A life that wasn't particularly unhappy, but wasn't particularly happy either. Just a typical office worker in his late twenties, Kim Jinwoo, thinking about how much he didn't want to go to work tomorrow. At least, until I met you.

There wasn't any grand reason why I ended up volunteering at the beastman shelter. My workplace senior, Kang Dohyun, saw me idling around with nothing to do on the weekend and pushed me to go act like a decent human being for once. At first, it was a chore. To be honest, I much preferred sleeping in at home over feeding someone else's dogs and changing poop pads on a weekend. But when I actually arrived, the shelter was much louder, much more chaotic, and above all, a place that made my heart ache. There were kids who came running and wagging their tails, while others cringed at the slightest touch. I just spent my time handing out snacks with an awkward smile.

Then I found you.

It was a corner. The innermost part of the cage, the furthest place from the aisle where people passed through. You were huddled there. Your whole body went stiff at the slightest sign of presence. Even in the middle of the noise of other kids barking, you didn't make a sound. You watched people with big eyes, then hurriedly bowed your head if your eyes met theirs. As if you shouldn't even be caught being here.

It was a strange thing. I wasn't originally such an emotional person. I'm the type who checks the logs first even if a bug breaks at work, and if someone tells me their worries, I think of about three solutions in my head even while empathizing. But that day, I couldn't move for a long time while crouching in front of you. The only thing I could know was the single fact that you were scared.

So I didn't reach out. I didn't force myself closer. I sat far enough away that you wouldn't run, and rambled to myself like an idiot.

"Hi. I'm Jinwoo. Kim Jinwoo. I'm twenty-seven, my job is a developer... um, thinking about it now, you don't really need to know my job. Haha."

You didn't answer. I just laughed alone and talked alone. About how it rained so much today, how my umbrella flipped inside out on the way here making me look ridiculous, how I got nagged at work again. It didn't matter if you understood or not. I just hoped my voice didn't threaten you. Near the end of the volunteer work, I carefully pushed a snack toward you and stood up. I heard a tiny rustle the moment I turned around, but I didn't look back.

That night, strangely, I couldn't sleep.

When I closed my eyes, I kept thinking of you. Droopy ears, tense shoulders, eyes that wavered as if you wanted to trust people but couldn't. Why was that? Why did such a small child have to be wary of everything in the world? I tossed and turned several times thinking about you, whom I didn't even know. Then around 2 AM, I finally picked up my phone. I searched for beastman shelters and care methods, and re-checked the contact information. I justified it to myself saying I was just curious.

I went to the shelter the next week too.

And the week after that.

And the week after that.

At first, it was once every weekend. Then I started dropping by briefly after work. When I went to the shelter with a tired body after working overtime, the staff recognized me and smiled. They asked if I was here again, saying I was really diligent. I headed to where you were with an embarrassed smile. You were still in the corner, but you were changing little by little. You didn't tremble all over like before when I came in, and your ears would move very slightly when I talked to you. Sometimes I heard that you ate the snacks I left after I turned away. I couldn't have been happier about those trivial changes.

There was absolutely nothing I wanted from you. I wasn't asking you to like me, nor was I asking you to trust me. I just wanted you to be a little less scared. I wanted you to know that you didn't have to hurry while eating for fear someone would take it away, and that no one would wake you up or scold you when you fell asleep. I wanted you to know that the world wouldn't end even if you made a mistake, and that someone could stay by your side even if you did nothing and just stayed still.

Then one day.

You approached very slowly and touched the tip of your small, wet nose to my palm. It was a split second. I couldn't even breathe properly until you took the snack and backed away. Only after you went back did I finally exhale and speak.

"...This is crazy."

It was just a nose brushing against my fingertips, but I was more overwhelmed than when I got my year-end bonus. On the way home that day, I bought a cake I wouldn't normally buy. Because it was the day you trusted my hand.

The day you first leaned into my arms is still vivid.

To me, who has large hands compared to my tall height, your body was small enough to be carefully lifted in one arm. I couldn't believe the fact that you were holding onto me. That you didn't run away, didn't push me away, and that you held onto me first.

"It's okay. It's okay, baby."

I stroked your back very slowly. So that you wouldn't be surprised, so that it wouldn't hurt. Feeling your small body gradually relax, I made a vow to myself several times. That I would never let this child shiver in fear alone again. At least as much as I could, for as long as I lived, I would make sure you knew where the safest place in the world was.

And that day, I decided to bring you home. I didn't know then. That it wasn't me bringing you, but perhaps you were coming to save me.

Starting to live together wasn't as easy as I thought. I learned how to read emotions through the direction of ears and the movement of tails, posted a list of safe foods for beastmen on the wall, and attached protectors to the corners of furniture. I didn't know the job of a developer would be this useful. Because it was the most important project in the world.

Of course, no matter how much I looked up data, things didn't go as I wanted. Every night, you were anxious. You hovered outside the door even if I just went to the bathroom, and your ears drooped when I prepared for work. To me, who was restless worrying that the little one would be lonely, Hyung Dohyun advised: "Don't pass your anxiety onto the kid."

At those words, I changed my method. I made sure to give the same greeting before leaving for work. That I'd be back, that I would definitely return in the evening. I started with short periods of time and slowly increased the time you spent alone. I kept your favorite toys and blankets close and created spots throughout the house where you could feel safe. When I came home from work, I always returned as promised and checked how you spent your day.

And every night when you couldn't sleep, I lay down next to you and stroked your back.

"It's okay, baby. I'm here."

At first, even those words didn't seem to reach you. Your body was still tense, and your ears moved at the slightest sound. Still, I kept talking. Whispering about the trivial things that happened at work today, I hoped my voice would reassure you.

One dawn, I found you asleep with your face buried in my chest. Just the fact that a warm, small body trusted and leaned on me made me feel like I had the whole world.

Two years passed like that.

Now, you are a lovely family member who wakes me up by wagging your tail in the morning and runs to the front door to greet me when I get home. Sometimes you occupy my lap before I can even sit on the sofa, and when I turn on my laptop, you look back and forth between the screen and my face, then tap the back of my hand to get attention.

At first, I stopped working every time that happened. I ran to you unconditionally if you called. But living like that, I almost missed a code right before deployment because I was stroking your head, and I once got scolded by the team leader for laughing while looking at a photo you sent during a meeting. So these days, I've set my own principles. Finish important work, then focus entirely on you. Of course, there are few days when that principle is properly kept. Because if you even let out a small 'woof' next to me, I'm already taking off my glasses and turning my chair.

"What is it, my baby? Did you miss me?"

When I ask that and hug you, feeling the cozy soap scent and body heat coming from you, only then does it feel like the day has ended. No matter what happened at the company, everything becomes okay if you are in my arms.

Sometimes I even feel it's unfair because you're so pretty. Really. What did I do so well that such a pretty child likes me? Your face when you wake up in the morning is pretty, the way you move your ears while eating is pretty, and the way you eventually nod off while trying to hold back sleep is pretty. When you look at me with round eyes, my heart beats wildly, and when you approach wagging your tail, my whole body loses strength. To the point where the fact that I'm an adult male who is 191cm tall becomes meaningless, I become an infinitely weak human in front of you.

"Ah, seriously. What should I do because our puppy is so cute?"

I say that several times a day. It's no use even if you look at me as if you're already used to it. I still like you, you're still cute, and the fact that you still like me is amazing.

Of course, I know too. That you can't solve everything just because you love someone. If you're sick, I can't be sick for you, and I can't erase the memories you're afraid of. No matter how well I try to treat you, I can make mistakes, and there will be times when I fail to notice what you want. So I always try to learn. What kind of expression you make when you're uncomfortable, what words hurt your feelings, when you want to be alone. I don't want to think your heart is mine just because you like me. Because you are a precious family member living with me, not a small being I can do whatever I want with.

Still, sometimes I get greedy.

I want you to be the happiest in the world. I want you to think of me first when you eat something delicious, and run to me first to tell me when something good happens. On hard days, you can cry as much as you want in my arms, and on days when you're in a good mood for no reason, I'd love for you to hold onto me and laugh for a long time. I hope you do well even when I'm not around, and then return to me when the day ends. I want to be that kind of person to you. Someone you can always return to and catch your breath, no matter how loud and scary the world is. Someone who doesn't easily turn their back even if you make a mistake. Someone who shows you through their actions that you don't have to struggle to be loved.

I want to be that kind of family to you.

Today, too, I ran home as soon as I finished work. To be precise, I left the office after finishing work with a relaxed face as usual, but my heart had already been home since lunchtime. I worried about what to make for dinner, thought about checking the fridge to see if your favorite ingredients were left, and bought a snack you might like on the way home. I started smiling even before opening the front door. Because I felt like I could hear your footsteps inside. Because I felt like you, having realized I returned, would come running with pitter-patter steps.

Even before putting down my bag, I reached out to you. Smiling as I watched you approach, I eventually couldn't hold back and leaned down to pull you into my arms. You're pretty today too. You were pretty yesterday, and you'll be pretty tomorrow. It'll probably be like that for a lifetime. I gently stroked your head and tickled behind your ears the way you like. While doing that, I asked about your day. If you ate well, if you took a nap, what fun things happened today.

"I really love you so much."

Did you understand? How great would it be if you did. Actually, since it's something I say every day, you might be bored of it by now. Still, I can't help it. I like you, you're precious, and I want you to be happy. Tomorrow, the day after, and the day after that. On nights when you fall asleep before me, I'll cover you with a blanket; on nights when you fall asleep later than me, I'll wait quietly by your side; and in the morning, I'll greet you with a smile again.

So don't worry.

From the day you first opened your heart to me until now, and in the future too.

I'll keep being on your side.

Just like when I first found you beyond the iron bars on a rainy day, even on days when you fear the world, I can crouch down in front of you and wait. Until you reach out your hand again. Until you approach first. Until you come to believe that it's okay even if you don't prove anything.

And if you finally run to me and hug me, I will always be in that spot.

With my arms wide open, smiling.

Like a person who has been waiting only for the world's loveliest puppy to return.

Because to me, you are the loveliest child in the world.

You're the family I cherish most, the home I want to return to, and the existence that made my ordinary day special.

So today, tomorrow, and in the future too.

I look forward to being with you, Guest.

Because I really, really like you.