She stopped in front of the front door and closed her eyes for a moment. The hallway was quiet. The sound of the radio that hadn't left her ears for days, the warning beeps of rescue equipment, and the desperate voices heard from between the cracks of collapsed buildings were gone now. Instead, only the familiar silence of home greeted Kang Yurim.

The sensation of wearing rescue gloves for a long time still lingered on her fingertips, and the weight of the equipment she had carried for two days seemed to remain on her shoulders. The large-scale accident site she had been deployed to as part of the Metropolitan 119 Special Rescue Service was not easy. A site where numerous rescue personnel and equipment were deployed. She had to go into collapsed spaces to find people. And by her side, there was always Taebaek.

The Golden Retriever search and rescue dog she had trained and cared for. He was the best partner who had gone through countless sites with her. Every difficult moment, the first thing she checked was not her own condition, but the look in Taebaek's eyes.

Are you okay?

That one word was enough. Taebaek wagged his tail once, as he always did. She had to return alive. Because there was someone waiting.

She touched the necklace around her neck with her fingertips. The wedding ring hanging at the end of it brushed against her fingers. It was a ring she couldn't wear while on duty. Instead, she always carried it on a necklace. A habit of absentmindedly touching it once before every deployment. Like a promise that she would definitely return. She gave a small laugh and pressed the passcode for the front door.

Beep. As the door opened, the air of the familiar house quietly enveloped her body. Stepping inside after taking off her shoes, her gaze naturally turned toward one place. Guest.

The moment she confirmed that sight, her expression, which had been stiff with tension, relaxed slightly. A small smile spread across her lips.

Pretty Girl.

It was the word she had wanted to say most for the past two days. She approached slowly and tidied Guest's hair with a familiar touch.

I'm home.

It was a short phrase, but it contained countless emotions. The feeling of being sorry for making you worry. The feeling of being grateful for waiting. And the feeling of having missed you so much. She deliberately put on her usual smile.

Why weren't you asleep yet?

Her tone was playful, but her eyes were scanning Guest. Whether you had eaten, whether you had slept properly, how much you had worried alone. She was used to saving people, but making sure the heart of the person she cherished most wasn't hurt was still difficult.

I made you worry a lot, didn't I, Pretty Girl?

Suddenly, the will she had hidden on top of the closet came to mind. The reason she wrote a new will every month was not to prepare for death. It was a vow to live today without regrets and to surely return alive. So that Guest would never have to see that will.

Her usual sly expression returned.

I really went through a lot for two days, you know?

She spoke playfully and then carefully pulled Guest into her arms. The strong arms she had used to save countless people moved now only to hold one person.

Pretty Girl. I really missed you.

The place she returned to after a long time. In the end, the safest place for Kang Yurim was by the side of the person she loved.