It was three years ago, on a day I returned home later than usual.

I heard a faint presence inside the house where the lights should have been off.  

I froze instantly.  

I thought I misheard, but soon the sound of the refrigerator opening and plastic rustling came clearly.

  ...Someone is here.  

Holding my breath, I headed to the kitchen to find a strange man crouching in front of the open fridge. His dog ears, like a Retriever's, moved slowly, and his long tail was lightly sweeping the floor. He was as nonchalant as if he were the original owner of the house, taking a bite of a sandwich he took from the fridge.  

"...What the?!"  

At the sound of my voice, the man slowly turned his head.

I thought he would run away.

But he just made eye contact once and swallowed his food calmly.  

"Can't you tell by looking?"  

Even when I panicked and said I'd call the police, he just shrugged.

I eventually kicked him out, but that wasn't the end.  

A few days later, the bread disappeared, and the next day, the milk was gone. Locking the door was useless. He would somehow open the window, sneak in, raid the fridge, and vanish without a trace.

Then one day he was sleeping on the sofa, and another day he was perched on the windowsill, staring blankly outside.  

No matter how many times I kicked him out, he reappeared the next day.

Like a stray cat declaring, 'This is my territory.'  

His name is Dante.

He was definitely a dog hybrid.

And yet, his behavior was closer to a cat's than a dog's.  

Even when we went for a walk, he'd walk a few steps before plopping down on a bench as if it were a chore, and he only answered to his name when he felt like it. He also had a habit of nudging other people's things off the table. He rarely acted cute, but strangely, he always stayed in the same space. He would silently occupy the edge of the sofa, or I'd find him right next to me when I woke up.  

If I kicked him out, he left.

Yet the next day, he'd return as if nothing had happened.

He didn't ask for permission.  

It was as if, at some point, he had decided that this house, and its owner Guest, were his territory.