episode_0046

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– Gentle in temperament and innocent in character, he followed people well.

– His eating habits were peculiar, making it difficult for humans to control him.

– He had a bear-like shape with an elephant’s trunk.

– A lion’s head with a bear’s body.

– It is said to resemble an insect, as well as the forms of dogs, pigs, cows, and cats.

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“Woof! Woof!”

He cutely barked, continuing to attract our attention.

“Puppy, come here~ I’ll give you something tasty!”

Heesun, who loved animals, tried to get the puppy’s attention by clapping her hands and gesturing, but the puppy remained cautious, only watching without approaching.

“Woof! Woof!”

He looks incredibly cute.

But how did such a small dog survive in the mountains?

I was curious.

While encountering ownerless dogs in the mountains is rare, it’s not unheard of,

This puppy, however, not only appeared small but also lacked hunting instincts, and his shiny coat looked well-groomed, which seemed oddly out of place.

“Monk, is this your dog? Are you raising it?”

“Haha.. Raising… It would be more accurate to say that he was born and raised here….”

The monk’s words sounded somewhat ambiguous.

Hmm.. It seems like there really is a dog at the temple.

But there wasn’t a dog like this when I came last time….

Is it a six or seven-month-old puppy?

“Well, taking care of him and letting him stay here after breakfast, Monk. I can’t leave him alone here. He keeps disappearing and reappearing. Yesterday, the food you brought disappeared completely, leaving only the bowl.”

“Haha.. I see… You must have been quite surprised.”

Am I the only one overreacting? Why are Heesun and the monk so indifferent?

“No, Monk, this is not something to just laugh off! I was so surprised… If the door was properly closed, who knows? Do you know how anxious it was to have him tied up with a leash?”

Despite Heesun’s slightly raised voice, the monk just smiled and remained silent.

Heesun had already come downstairs and started tempting the puppy with food.

“Puppy~ Would you like to try this? It tastes amazing and delicious.”

In the wooden bowl she offered lay curry, still warm and emitting a tantalizing aroma.

“Woof.. woof?”

The puppy, perhaps very hungry, sniffed the scent, then cautiously approached, seemingly entranced by the smell.

Wait, dogs shouldn’t eat onions, right?

“Heesun, dogs shouldn’t eat human food. Give me the bowl; I’ll get some dog treats.”

Feeling anxious seeing the puppy about to dive into the bowl, I quickly got up to fetch some dog treats from the kitchen, but…

“It’s okay. Please sit.”

“What?”

Suddenly, the monk gently restrained my actions.

‘Why… is he stopping me? …Oh, right!’

In my mind, the monk seemed like a wise sage who knew all truths, and I hadn’t realized that in fact, he was also a monk from the medieval era.

Here, people just toss leftover food mixed in a wooden bowl for dogs, so if someone like me offers human food, they might look at me strangely, thinking, ‘What nonsense about dog food?’

The monk must have found me quite peculiar.

“Haha. I am a bit peculiar, aren’t I, Monk? But seriously, don’t feed dogs things like leeks; it’s medicine for humans but poison for dogs, you know?”

Even to my words, the monk smiled and replied.

“Haha, Master… Since the time I called you ‘Master,’ you have always possessed a peculiar amount of knowledge. This old man has never once considered your words to be frivolous lies. That remains true even now….”

“……”

Hmm… Quite touching, isn’t it? But… if you believe, why are you trying to stop me?

At that moment, the monk added:

“The name of that friend is Bugasari.”

“Ah… Bugasari…. Yes, yes? Bugasari? Not killable (不可殺)?”

“Well.. Cannot be killed…. It’s not entirely incorrect, but I prefer to address it this way. Buga (佛可) sari.. This novice chose the name like this.”

Astounded by the name, my eyes widened, and my voice grew louder.

As I opened my mouth to inquire more about the little puppy, Heesun’s cheerful laughter rang out, interrupting me.

“Ahaha! How cute, oh my? Puppy, do you like being petted by me? Hehe, I also enjoy being petted!”

While conversing with the monk, Heesun had already offered the bowl, and the puppy had finished all the curry in it, sat contentedly on his knees, wagging its tail happily as it enjoyed being petted.

The tiny puppy’s name was Bugasari…. Profound.

It must be a coincidence…

“Does Bugasari mean ‘only Buddha can kill’?”

The monk nodded solemnly in response to my question.

“How can we discuss killing in Buga… Just as a dayfly dies in a day, it is called a dayfly because it lives for a day. It’s not about killing, but just as the monk woke up from the food gathered, thinking that Buddha allowed him to live… we call it Bugasari.”

“I see….”

I nodded, noticing the white mixed with ash on the monk’s hands.

I nodded and stood up abruptly, going to fetch an iron rod.

“I need to confirm this… And if my thoughts are correct…”

Slowly approaching Heesun.

The puppy, closing its eyes in contentment as Heesun pets it on the knee.

“Oh, Brother? Earlier, you said curry was not good, then why… give the puppy an iron rod…?”

Heesun seemed puzzled by my actions.

In truth, even I was unsure about my actions, but I needed to confirm this.

Sniff sniff…

When I brought the iron closer, the creature closed its eyes and just turned its head, twitching its nose lightly.

Clang! Clang! The sound echoed.

“Oh?”

Suddenly wagging its tail, the creature opened its eyes wide, grabbed the iron, and swallowed it whole.

Seeing this, Heesun’s eyes widened in surprise, while the monk watched me with a mysterious expression.

“Hehehe… Master… How did you know that the child would eat iron?”

I had no choice but to know… It’s such a famous child in my hometown….

“… I feel that it is related to my mission and this child.”

Unable to explain everything, I briefly answered the question and organized my thoughts.

“Hinges, cauldron, missing utensils… all iron… Yes… it all makes sense…. Fortunately, it’s not a thief or ghost-like entity, right? …This is probably also my doing….”

Muttering to myself, trying to make sense of it all.

Despite having many questions, the monk silently gazed into the distance, allowing me to gather my thoughts.

Finally, I asked the monk:

“It was because of this child, wasn’t it? That you were so moved.”

“… This child has a great appetite. Born from my hands, if viewed with worldly eyes, wouldn’t it be like my own child? By giving generously, it became like this.”

This small temple cannot handle such a child.

Whether it’s a temple or a country governed by laws, it doesn’t matter.

I was certain.

The one who can handle this child’s appetite and eating habits is only me in this world.

Coming to this temple, meeting this kid, it must not be a mere coincidence. This was my calling.

So, I must somehow ensure that this child does not cause chaos in the world and make sure that this child can be happy.

With a firm determination in my heart, I earnestly asked the monk.

“….Can I take this child with me?”

“…….”

The monk seemed slightly surprised by those words.

Then, after closing his eyes for a moment… he seemed to realize something and chuckled before replying.

“If fate flows in that direction.. I dare not stop you, Nohseung…. Perhaps… the destiny of Shiju and this child might be somewhat similar… Yes… It’s fine. Shiju. If this child wants to follow you… take him with you.”

There was a somewhat wistful and relieved expression.

Heesun opened his bright eyes in my arms and approached the dog watching our conversation, bowing down and saying,

“Do you want to come with me? I’ll feed you, put you to sleep, and take care of everything. Let’s live together, you and me.”

The dog with ash-colored eyes stared at me intently.

I blinked silently and made eye contact with the dog named Ddari.

Soon after,

“Arf!”

With a big, cute bark, Heesun wriggled out of my lap and nestled into my arms, a warm bundle of fur.

And so, the creature known as “Sari” began living with us.

“Bark! Bark!”

“Oh, alright, wait a moment, Sari. What should I give you? Brass? Titanium? Korean food? Western food?”

“Bark! Bark! Bark!”

“Ah, titanium? You seem to prefer Western food? Okay, let’s have that. Come here, titanium!”

Rolling around

What would we have done without the rolling toy?

Our Sari has such good eating habits that the rolling toy spins all day long.

It’s been a few days since we stayed at the temple.

Fortunately, the monk can now move around comfortably without crutches.

I wanted to stay a few more days, but the monk said it’s okay, he needs to go out for alms and resume his practices.

I couldn’t disturb the monk’s religious life, so I had no choice but to come down.

Crunch crunch crunch

“Ah, he eats so deliciously…”

Despite the cute sounds, he’s chewing on iron!

He chews iron so deliciously that I almost bit into it out of curiosity, thinking my teeth would break.

How on earth does he eat that?

“Bark! Bark!”

After eating titanium, Sari seems delighted, happily spinning around and offering me his cute little bottom.

A signal to pet him quickly.

Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap!

If you pat his back like giving a cat massage?

“Mmm… Bark…”

He enjoys it so much.

‘Wow… This little one is really cute.’

Just looking at him, he’s just an ordinary dog.

In legends, they say that eating iron makes them grow huge, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

Despite how many iron pieces he’s eaten so far, he’s still so small….

We don’t know how smart he is.

Does he understand commands like going to the bathroom when told ‘hand’ and falling over when told ‘bang’?

Even the smartest dogs can’t do that.

He just understands everything you say?

Call Heesun over, stop eating as you’ve eaten a lot today, let’s go check the traps while taking a walk.

He understands everything through cues and moves accordingly? Really!

He may not speak, but he’s practically human. He might even start writing later on.

Of course, due to being too smart, married life with Heesun… well! It’s a bit diminished…

Last time, there was a fire, and I rolled over once, but I felt embarrassed because this little one was staring at me so intently….

I’ve thought about letting him sleep outside like in foreign countries, but it’s too cold today and there’s no doghouse. I have to be really mean to make this cute little guy sleep outside.

If he were bigger, I wouldn’t mind, but how can I do this to such a small one?

Sigh.. I should either renovate the house extensively or build a new one.

If I can get some steel bars, can I demolish the concrete with a roller and build a new house? But can I do this with just my knowledge?

Moving to the village… Hmm.. That’s impossible! Absolutely not. Grinding stone, golden axe, our millstone…

There needs to be a slight disconnect between the world and us.

“Master! If you’ve given Sarri his snack, please come and get ready! Master Sisuk will be waiting.”

“Oh, I’ll be right out!”

Just in case, quickly hide the grinding stone behind the fireplace and check if Heeseon’s neatly arranged clothes are not messed up.

Today is the day Heeseon and I go for a walk in the village.