Chapter 109

Chapter 109. Even If You Hit the Jackpot, Go

-What, Revick himself actually showed up this time? That's insane ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-It's really him. "Revick in the house~" That's exactly his tone.

-Isn't the preview bait? Yoo Jong-hak scams people with previews all the damn time.

-If they faked something like that, people would stone them ㅋㅋㅋ

The audience had completely lost their minds after Revick appeared.

Even the staff on set who hadn't been told what was happening were practically in shock.

Yoo Jong-hak immediately made a teaser hinting at Revick's appearance and started promoting it like crazy.

As news spread that Revick had personally supported Anna's stage, she had now practically become the undisputed top rapper on the show.

Afterward, I asked Revick about it.

Apparently, both he and Billy had wanted to create buzz by performing with Korean artists, but because I never strongly asked them to, the two of them had been protecting their pride this whole time.

Billy had been the one to suggest that they stop being so unnecessarily proud, come to Korea first, and make it clear they were willing to appear on programs.

That was why Revick had handed me the USB containing the rearranged track.

Billy, however, still hadn't made any obvious move himself.

I'd been cautious about making requests of Revick.

With Billy, the reason was simply that I couldn't guarantee the success rate.

But now, there were other ways I could use Billy's help.

[Universe Releases Practice Video of Debut Group ‘Heenari’]

[Billy Aaron to Perform Joint Debut Stage with ‘Heenari’! Shocking Collaboration Announced]

We weren't hiding Billy because he was too valuable to give away.

We had simply decided that right now wasn't the best time to bet on one of his songs becoming a hit.

That was the message I wanted to send.

Billy himself seemed secretly pleased, thinking that his presence alone was being used as a marketing weapon.

If both sides were happy, what was the problem?

A good thing was a good thing.

"Oh, right. Some of my friends said they want to make a song with Maralak too."

"What? Which friends?"

Billy, who had collapsed from exhaustion after practicing for an hour, took a sip of water before answering.

"My friends. Rappers back in America. Guys who do real traditional hip-hop. ZullatKami, Kash Jane, people like that."

ZullatKami and Kash Jane?

I didn't know much about hip-hop, but even I'd heard those names before.

Apparently Billy had been talking about Anna all over America, because more and more people were showing interest.

Obviously, it was a welcome opportunity.

But honestly, I was hesitant about American activities.

I had absolutely no intention of sending Blue Moon overseas.

But would Anna herself feel the same way?

Anyone would see America as an incredible opportunity.

"Hmm. Personally, I'm a little against it. But that's something Anna should decide for herself."

"Maralak said the same thing. She said she'd follow whatever you decide."

This wasn't just Blue Moon expanding into America.

If Anna entered the American hip-hop scene, she'd probably make a fortune.

But it wouldn't end there.

She'd have to be prepared to keep working there.

For a long time.

Possibly permanently.

Anna following my decisions wasn't anything new, so maybe I simply had to carry that responsibility.

Still, I couldn't help thinking about it.

Should she go to America?

Or not?

I felt like I needed to buy Anna a drink and have a serious conversation with her.

Carefully.

Even a casual suggestion from me was something Anna tended to take very seriously.

"By the way, I heard some members left the debut group. I heard those girls are joining another competition program at some amazing set."

Oh, right.

The Odu-ri set.

Hearing about the set reminded me of the Shin brothers' German Shepherd.

I checked the date.

There was still some time before December 24.

The preparations were solid.

But I still didn't understand why the free opt-out number had belonged to an animal protection organization.

Would the incident cause some political conflict between animal-rights groups and ordinary citizens?

Still, a dog had attacked a person.

What was there to argue about?

Who knew.

Maybe once I saved the child, the animal protection association clue would become important.

December 24 arrived without any additional information.

The episode featuring Revick had already aired.

Online, Anna's line—

"Even if you hit the jackpot, I Go."

—and Revick's signature entrance—

"Revick in the house~!"

—had both become catchphrases.

There were even joking reports from online Go-Stop players saying they'd gone all-in because of Anna's lyrics, only for the other player to hit a jackpot hand and bankrupt them.

Just in case, I logged into my own account.

The three hundred trillion won I'd had was now down to two hundred eighty thousand.

It had completely collapsed.

I'd only made that comment as a joke.

Apparently, No Ji-hye had actually been using my account as gambling-addiction therapy.

How bad did you have to be to turn three hundred trillion into two hundred eighty thousand...?

Noona.

Please never gamble for the rest of your life.

Still, it was game money I'd gotten from an old login event, so I decided to let it go.

"Huh? CEO Do Jun-hyeok. What brings you here?"

Shin Woo-ram, with his slicked-back hair, and long-haired Shin Yo-han were just leaving the studio with Denver.

They were holding shopping bags too.

Looks like they were heading out to buy groceries now.

The moment Denver saw me, he immediately jumped onto me and launched a saliva attack.

"Ah, I remembered you said you'd be busy today. I thought I'd come help walk Denver or something."

"What...? You came all the way here just for that? Wow... How did you even remember?"

The Shin brothers looked at me like they'd just witnessed an angel.

I wasn't that kind of person...

I felt a little guilty.

"Still, I don't think we can leave Denver's walk entirely to you. You probably wouldn't even make it out of this neighborhood. He's strong, and he'd spend the whole time following you around."

"Then I'll just stay here and watch him while you go shopping."

"Ah... No, we can't do that. If you're really offering, could you walk in front of us and guide Denver a little? That would already help a lot. Thank you so much."

The important part was keeping Denver away from the supermarket.

But I couldn't exactly kidnap the dog from them either.

So for now, I agreed.

The decisive moment had arrived.

The instant I saw the supermarket from the video, my heart began pounding with tension.

"Could you hold Denver here for a moment? Press this button and the leash won't extend. We were originally going to take turns going inside, but since you're here, we'll both go in and finish quickly."

"What? Ah, no. If one of you could stay here with the dog..."

It would be better if two people were handling Denver.

When I asked, the Shin brothers looked confused by my strange behavior, but agreed anyway.

I locked the retractable leash and stayed outside talking with Shin Yo-han as 11:21 approached.

It was cold, but there was no snow.

I wrapped up my conversation with Shin Yo-han and focused entirely on Denver's reactions.

For now, Denver was still busy rubbing against me.

If he hadn't been wearing a muzzle, I would've been soaked already.

"Hahaha. You'd think he'd be tired of you by now. Denver really likes you, CEO."

"Looks like it."

Then, around 11:18...

Denver, who had been clinging to my leg, suddenly froze.

He turned toward the supermarket.

"Huh? He's looking at the store. Maybe he wants to go inside?"

"No way."

It was only 11:18.

Still, his behavior had clearly changed.

The moment I moved to block the supermarket entrance—

Denver twisted his body and tore off his muzzle in an instant.

"Huh? What the— Denver, what are you... Aaagh!"

Right.

That voice in the future video had been Shin Yo-han.

No time to be impressed.

While Yo-han lost his grip on the leash, Denver sprinted into the supermarket at full speed.

I had to catch him.

I ran after Denver as fast as I could.

I think I shoved about ten people out of the way.

Then, just as I saw the child from the video up ahead—

Denver was barely beyond arm's reach.

Chasing something with four legs using only two was ridiculously hard.

I had no choice.

I threw my entire body forward and reached for Denver's leash.

My hand slipped.

Almost missed.

Then I caught it.

For a few moments, Denver dragged me across the floor.

I quickly pulled myself forward and grabbed one of his hind legs.

We were less than a meter away from the child.

Denver thrashed violently, then sank his teeth into the arm holding his leg.

The pain felt like being bitten by an alligator.

But I couldn't lose consciousness.

Even if Denver bit my arm—

I Go.

If I panicked, Denver would bite the child.

I punched Denver once.

Then I briefly considered what to do before simply lifting the child into my arms.

Terrified, the child burst into tears.

"Waaaaah!"

Shin Yo-han, who had finally caught up, quickly restrained Denver and expertly put the muzzle back on.

"W-Why would he...? Huh?! CEO Do Jun-hyeok! Your arm is bleeding!"

Thank goodness.

At least I'd stopped it.

"I'm fine. Just get Denver outside first!"

"A-Ah! All right!"

Yo-han trembled as he dragged Denver out of the supermarket.

Even while being pulled away, Denver kept barking toward the child.

Hk! Hk!

Once I confirmed Denver was completely gone, I lowered the child back to the ground.

Then a man who looked like the child's father appeared.

"Huh? What's all this blood?! Jung-hwan! What happened to you?"

"A dog almost bit me, but that mister saved me."

The man whipped his head toward me.

Hmm...?

His face looked familiar.

He went pale and rushed over.

"W-What happened to you? You're bleeding so much! Wait, did the dog bite you?"

"Yes, but I'm fine."

"May I take a look?"

The man carefully rolled up my injured sleeve.

"Oh... I suppose this is fortunate, considering. Those are German Shepherd bite marks. There's no way a stray dog would be wandering around a large Seoul supermarket, so it must be someone's pet. Disease probably isn't the biggest concern, but you still need to go to the hospital. I don't even know how to repay you for this."

It was fine.

I'd been hit with a metal pipe before and only ended up with a small crack.

"Wow... As expected of Mr. Ma Cheol-seong. Amazing!"

Then people around us started applauding.

Ma Cheol-seong?

Dog trainer Ma Cheol-seong?

I looked at the man's face again.

Now that I thought about it...

It really was him.

Ma Cheol-seong from 〈My Dog Has Changed〉.

"No. This won't do. Let's go to the hospital right now."

"Ah, no! I have something urgent to take care of... If you insist, maybe just give me your business card."

"I don't have one with me. Are you really sure you're all right? I'll write down my number."

I took his number and left.

I needed a moment to整理 what had just happened.

The moment I stepped outside the supermarket, the Shin brothers came running toward me with completely devastated expressions.

"Are you all right? How could this happen?! Why is there so much blood..."

"I'm fine."

Whether Denver understood my condition or not, he immediately clung to me again, wagging his tail like crazy.

Then I noticed that the leg Denver was hugging suddenly felt very warm.

"Huh? Why is this part warm?"

"Aaagh! Denver peed!"

"What? Why is he peeing on my leg...? This is insane. I've gotten blood, saliva, and urine on me today."

I hurriedly pulled away from Denver.

Denver clearly wasn't behaving normally, so I got into the Shin brothers' car.

"I don't even know how to apologize for this..."

"It's fine. I'm the one who stepped in because I like dogs too much."

Let's整理 this.

The child Denver had been trying to bite was Ma Cheol-seong's son.

And Ma Cheol-seong was supposedly Denver's personal trainer.

Had Denver just happened to attack his trainer's son?

No way.

I called the person around me who probably knew the most about dogs.

"Yes, CEO! It's Serin."

"Serin, I have a question. A German Shepherd just peed on me. Why would it do that?"

I started with the lighter question.

Serin asked a few things first, then answered.

"I'm not an expert, but if a dog likes a person too much, it can get so excited it's almost like pleasure and accidentally pee. Shepherds are a hunting breed, so I don't think it's usually that extreme... but every dog is different. Hehe... Did you at least change your pants?"

"O-Of course."

My left leg was still wet.

"Then what if a dog normally loves people, but suddenly one day completely changes and tries to bite someone?"

"Hmm... I'm not really sure about that. Maybe the dog was in a bad mood that day...?"

Serin trailed off.

Should I ask an actual expert?

I still had the animal protection association's number.

Maybe I should call them.

Then—

Denver suddenly began thrashing inside the car and barking toward something outside.

Hk! Hk!

"Huh? That's Trainer Ma Cheol-seong! Should we ask him for help right now?"

"No! CEO Do is badly injured! Hospital first. Hospital!"

The Shin brothers were too shocked by Ma Cheol-seong's sudden appearance to notice anything else.

But I noticed.

Denver wasn't barking at Ma Cheol-seong himself.

He was barking quietly at the dog being carried on Ma Cheol-seong's back.

"Serin, one last question. What if a dog likes everyone, but there's one specific person it keeps trying to bite?"

"Hmm... In that case..."

Serin answered.

"If that person had been stressing the dog out regularly, it could happen. Like hitting it, or locking it somewhere."

The animal protection association.

And just like that, the mystery behind the free opt-out number was solved.