In the early hours, standing at the boundary between dawn and morning, Ha-eun was already up as usual. She left the house for her routine morning jog, an activity that had long been part of her daily life.
But today was different. Unlike the countless mornings she had jogged alone, this time, she had a companion—a promise she had made with Na-yeon finally fulfilled.
-Pitter-patter. Pitter-patter-patter.
‘She’s sniffing everything around here.’
As Ha-eun walked, she glanced down at Baekseol, who was eagerly sniffing every corner of the trail. The sight of the little puppy’s playful energy, full of cuteness unique to such a young dog, made Ha-eun instinctively pull out her phone.
Tapping the record button on her camera app, she began filming their walk as if shooting a vlog. For the next ten minutes or so, she captured clips of Baekseol energetically running ahead.
However, because Baekseol was always a few steps ahead of Ha-eun, it wasn’t her but the puppy who caught the attention of passersby.
"Oh my, it’s such a baby!"
"Hi there, little one!"
People greeted Baekseol first, cooing over the adorable puppy wagging its tail at them. But as Ha-eun drew closer, their expressions shifted.
‘Wait a minute... Is that...?’
‘No way... Is that really Lee Ha-eun?’
The realization dawned, and they blinked silently, stunned to encounter a celebrity in the flesh.
"It’s Seol—Baekseol," Ha-eun said with a small smile.
"Oh... The puppy’s name?"
From that point on, the passersby’s focus shifted from Baekseol to Ha-eun herself. Within seconds, the women—still slightly nervous—gathered the courage to speak.
"Um, could we take a photo with you?"
"Oh, sure. Let’s take one."
After getting their coveted photo, they left in a daze, unable to believe they had just run into a celebrity while out for a morning walk. They kept glancing back at Ha-eun as she walked away, still processing the surreal encounter.
Meanwhile, Ha-eun found the experience with Baekseol far more novel than the fan interaction. After all, it wasn’t her first time being stopped for a photo.
But taking a dog on a walk? That was a first.
Wearing a tracksuit, walking her puppy early in the morning—it was like a scene straight out of a drama or webtoon. Ha-eun felt oddly thrilled yet amused by the whole situation.
‘This is the part where the male lead is supposed to show up.’
With that thought in mind, she instinctively glanced around. However, the only people she saw were office workers rushing to their early shifts and street cleaners starting their day.
Realizing that dramas were, after all, just dramas, Ha-eun sighed and sat on a nearby bench. Taking out her phone, she uploaded some of the photos and videos she had taken during the walk to Instagram.
Moments later, comments started flooding in, and Ha-eun’s gaze shifted to her phone. Her lips curved into a smile every time she saw someone calling Baekseol adorable.
‘Is this what being a parent feels like?’
Of course, Baekseol wasn’t really her child, but seeing people react positively to the puppy brought Ha-eun genuine joy.
As she scrolled through the comments, completely absorbed—
"Huh? Seven o’clock? Already?!"
Time had flown by. If she didn’t hurry, she’d not only miss breakfast but also risk being late for school.
Quickly scooping Baekseol up from under the bench, Ha-eun realized that leisurely following the puppy back home wouldn’t get her there in time.
After checking the route, she broke into a full sprint, clutching Baekseol securely in her arms.
The sudden burst of speed made Baekseol’s floppy ears flutter in the wind. The puppy’s eyes widened in surprise at Ha-eun’s pace, far faster than their earlier leisurely walk.
Yet all Baekseol could do was stay still, clinging tightly to Ha-eun as she raced back home.
“Lee Ha-eun, are you raising a dog now?”
It was just as Ha-eun stepped into the classroom, narrowly avoiding being late. Da-yeon, unable to contain her curiosity, immediately bombarded Ha-eun with questions about Baekseol.
In response, Ha-eun proudly showed pictures of Baekseol on her phone, adding enthusiastic comments about the puppy’s cuteness.
“Her paws are so soft and squishy! And every time I call her name, her ears perk up—”
‘…She’s completely smitten.’
For Da-yeon, this was an entirely new side of Ha-eun. She couldn’t resist asking what had caused this sudden transformation.
To be fair, Ha-eun had never disliked animals like dogs or cats, but she’d never been proactive enough to actually take care of one.
“So, why did you suddenly decide to get a dog?”
“Well, I wanted to raise a lion cub, but apparently that’s illegal in Korea.”
“A… lion cub? What are you talking about?”
Ha-eun explained her recent experience filming Job People, where she and co-star Seo Jin-tae had tried out the zookeeper profession.
“Lion cubs are super gentle. They’re like big dogs!”
“You realize when they grow up, you’d just be a snack to them, right?”
“No way! They liked me!”
“Go back in a few years. They’ll drool while roaring and charge at you.”
“To them, you’re just walking meat.”
As usual, Da-yeon’s playful teasing targeted Ha-eun. But secretly, Da-yeon felt a tinge of envy—not for Ha-eun, but for Baekseol. She couldn’t help but ask if Ha-eun had more pictures of the puppy.
Their conversation went on for quite some time, with Ha-eun recounting even the smallest, most trivial moments with Baekseol. Eventually, Da-yeon reached a conclusion.
“Can I come see her?”
While scrolling through photos of Baekseol on Ha-eun’s phone, Da-yeon inadvertently blurted out her desire to visit Ha-eun’s house.
Technically, as Ha-eun’s friend, visiting her house wasn’t a problem. However, from Ha-eun’s perspective, letting Da-yeon into her house meant revealing her soundproof booth—a key part of her secret as Diah.
“I want to play with Seol too! We can’t have dogs at my house because my mom’s allergic.”
“Oh… I didn’t know your mom was allergic.”
It felt strange to outright refuse after spending so much time boasting about Baekseol. Ha-eun couldn’t think of a valid reason to deny the request, so after a long moment of deliberation, she came up with a compromise.
Rather than bringing Da-yeon to her house, Ha-eun suggested they meet at a nearby dog café instead.
“There’s a new dog café near my house, and their smoothies are amazing. You’ll probably become a regular after one visit.”
“When did you even find a place like that?”
“Well… while getting ready for Seol, I looked around for places like that.”
In the end, Ha-eun’s persuasion worked—though, in truth, Da-yeon simply went along with it. Unaware of this, Ha-eun confirmed the meeting date.
‘I can combine this with her birthday party.’
The date Ha-eun proposed coincided with Da-yeon’s birthday. Her plan was to surprise her by taking Baekseol to a pet-friendly restaurant in the evening for a small birthday celebration.
‘You’re trying so hard, Ha-eun.’
What Ha-eun didn’t realize was that Da-yeon had already figured out her intentions. Wanting to avoid any awkwardness, Da-yeon chose not to pry further, even if it meant deliberately dodging any potential revelation of Diah’s identity.
Finally, the day arrived.
“Say hi~. She’s my friend!”
“How is the dog supposed to say hi?”
“She just blinked! That’s her saying hi!”
Amused by Ha-eun’s over-the-top interpretation, Da-yeon reached out to pet Baekseol. As expected, the puppy showed no hesitation, nuzzling into the stranger’s hand.
“She’s adorable… Takes after her owner, I guess.”
“Huh? What did you say?”
Quickly covering up her slip, Da-yeon turned her head slightly, only to find herself facing the large TV mounted on the dog café’s wall.
Initially, she hadn’t meant to look at it—she was just trying to avoid meeting Ha-eun’s gaze.
But she couldn’t tear her eyes away.
On the screen was none other than Ha-eun herself, effortlessly lifting a large lion cub during her appearance on Job People.
“Oh, Leo is such a gentle boy~.”
“…Gentle? That thing looks terrified.”
“No way! They both liked me!”
“Imagine a four-meter-tall giant holding you up like that. Wouldn’t you be scared?”
Da-yeon’s sharp remark left Ha-eun unable to argue. She became even more flustered when Da-yeon mentioned that the lion’s tail had seemed curled in fear.
“Look, even Triewiki mentions it. ‘Lee Ha-eun controversy: fined ₩5 million for treating a lion cub like a toy—’”
“Just kidding. Why are you so gullible?”
Baekseol, still nestled in Ha-eun’s lap, wagged her tail instead. The playful exchange dissolved into laughter, the tension of the moment forgotten.