Mastore 72 - Dumpster

Magic Realm Convenience Store – Ch. 72

Convenience Store Clerk and Mystical Counseling (1)

At first, I didn't understand. Did this puppy somehow get ‘adopted’ by a gang or something?

I thought, but thinking about it carefully, getting involved with gangsters might actually be better for this puppy's survival.

Even if gang bosses treat their underlings like old shoes, they treat their pets like genuine Nike. You know, like how mafia bosses sit cats on their lap and pet them...

(Perhaps a reference to Godfather… I’m not sure.)

I can totally understand those bosses' position too. Besides pets, all they have to pet are old guys covered in tattoos, and they probably hate that themselves. It must be less rewarding compared to dogs and cats.

Of course, it wasn’t as if this puppy actually got involved with real gangsters.

“Those Black Wind Gang weren’t originally active on such a large scale. They used to just wander around the park in groups….”

“Hey, puppy. Are you talking about a pack of stray dogs?”

“That’s right.”

"Then damn, who came up with the name ‘Black Wind Gang’?”

"The pack's leader calls himself 'Black Wind'. I assume they adopted that name based on his.”

"Black Wind..."

Literally translated, it’s “black black wind.” It feels like the "destiny of fate" type of naming.

The stray dogs probably didn't know the concept of double passive expressions, they likely just named it after what looked cool...

"That leader must be a Doberman."

"A Doberman, you say?"

"Yeah. You know, the ones with short fur, black color, looking sharp with broad shoulders."

Mainly bred as military or police dogs. Naturally, they’re high on the intelligence scale, making them perfect for leading a pack of strays.

As I finished speaking, the puppy nodded vigorously.

"That seems correct. I always feel this way, but Owner-nim really know a lot.”

"But how did you end up getting involved with them?"

"Well, rather than getting involved..."

He couldn't help but get involved.

He said this first, then explained the details. First of all, the last time this puppy had left here was a few days ago.

After that, he wandered around the streets trying to somehow make a living. Sometimes almost getting mauled for trespassing territory, and sometimes receiving kindness.

"Kindness?"

“For instance, there’s a gukbap (rice soup) restaurant not far from here. That restaurant owner was so good at taking care of strays like myself."

"Then you must not have starved, huh."

“For a few days, yes.”

The problem was, that place was also other stray dogs' territory. It was so well-known among strays that they would even set up a rotation to take turns eating there.

Still, they didn’t drive him away harshly, and a sapsali dog even gave him a meaty spine bone to chew on. With the bone in his mouth, he continued wandering and ended up at a park.

Maybe because it was mid-May, peak picnic season, different species were coming out for picnics and throwing away loads of leftover food.

And since the grass there was well-maintained, his fur didn’t get too dirty even after sleeping on it, and there was even a low fountain for young different species, so he could just barely reach it and drink water with his short legs.

I interrupted him.

“Hey, Puppy. Didn’t you say that park was that Black Wind Gang’s territory?”

"That's right. From what I heard, they had been settled there for about three years."

"But they didn't say anything about you eating there? I would think they would bark like crazy."

In gangster movies, they would play soccer and baseball with heads while arguing about territory invasion and such. That’s exactly what this puppy did, putting himself in a situation ripe for a fight.

“I did run into them, actually. However, we managed to reach an understanding of sorts.”

“Understanding?”

"They told me this: 'We'll let it slide now because there are many watching eyes, but if we see you again later, you might not live to see another day.’”

That made sense somehow. They said there were loads of different species out for picnics, so there must have been just as many watching eyes.

If they got caught fighting to chase off other strays under such circumstances?

It's obvious that they'll be reported as rabid dogs. After that, the animal shelter would become their new home. These Black Wind Gang have been living in the park for three years, so they must have some experience.

After saying all this, the puppy drooped his ears and added softly,

“They also said, ‘Since you’re such a little guy, you probably won’t eat much anyway.’”

"They said that to you?"

"They did. And then... they sneered. Saying things like whether I could properly chew dog treats with these teeth."

The way he keeps drooping his ears while talking, it must have hurt his feelings quite a bit.. He stayed quiet for a bit before he looked up at me, his eyes bright.

“So I thought to myself and told them: ‘I can definitely chew a dog treat more deliciously than you lot can.’”

“Well said.”

Anyway, the puppy chose the latter of the two options, and he was planning to stay in the park for the time being while looking for the next place to stay.

That was until yesterday.

“But then, the park went into lockdown.”

“Because of the pollen?”

“Correct.”

Just two nights ago, he had eaten discarded kimbap well and slept with a full stomach, but when he woke up the next afternoon, he was surrounded by a world of different species. Different species in protective suits, cameramen, reporters, and so on...

Wondering what on earth was happening, he wandered around the park and eventually arrived at the central area, where, up until recently, the trees had been just fine—but now they were glowing, as if transforming like a magical girl.

"When I first saw that radiance, I just thought it was beautiful... but it turned out that wasn't light."

Only after hearing the different species shouting 'This damn pollen!' did he realize what it was, and when they started pulling out various tools and putting on gas masks, he finally understood how serious the situation was.

“There was such an uproar, I felt like something bad would happen if I stayed any longer, so I hurried to get out.”

He narrowly avoided getting kicked, ducking under the caution tape that had been wrapped around the main entrance. That was his last memory of the park.

And it didn’t even end there.

“After that, with nowhere else to go, I tried to head back to that gukbap restaurant where I had had some luck before. But that place was in chaos too."

"Why there too?"

“The Black Wind Gang has invaded. Claiming it's their territory now."

With the park becoming a mess, the Black Wind Gang mutts suddenly found themselves as homeless strays.

So they had to find new territory, but the problem was these guys lost all reason as soon as they were driven out. In the park, they had been mindful of the different species around, but out the street, they had no reason to hold back.

So they started ransacking every corner of the streets half-crazed, and the small society established at the gukbap restaurant was no exception.

"Neither the Black Wind Gang nor the existing group wouldn’t budge an inch. Metal trash cans dented, food waste scattered everywhere… it was a bloodbath."

However, he says the existing group's resistance didn't last long. Turns out the Black Wind Gang had them outnumbered. Well, compared to the back alley behind the gukbap restaurant, the park is far better in size with plenty of resources.

"They fell one by one, and among them was the old sapsali who had given me the spine bone. I couldn’t ignore the favor I’ve received me, so I tried to protect him, but….”

“It didn’t go well?”

"Actually, it did. One of the Black Wind Gang pressed down my body with his front paw and said this: 'I don’t bother with the old or the weak, so scram.'"

That Doberman must have some kind of royal lineage or something.

Though, of course, even if he does, it doesn’t change the fact he’s just a thug raiding the gukbap restaurant for bones… but if the puppy didn't get hurt, that's good enough.

"After escaping from there, I parted ways with old sapsali. Even after parting, I looked around many places, but the Black Wind Gang were swarming everywhere, so there was nowhere suitable to stay."

So until a few hours ago, he was lying in a styrofoam box under a streetlight, and as soon as he woke up, he came to find me. After hearing everything, I felt….

“Hey, puppy.”

"Speak, Owner-nim."

"You, that’s... have you eaten today?"

What a tough fate. In short, he’s been wandering, starving, getting driven out, ignored, and then finally pinned down by some stray gang member.

And while I sometimes forget it because he acts so mature, this puppy’s only two years old.

That’s fifteen in human years. The age to be going through puberty and middle school syndrome, even acting up a bit.

"I haven't eaten, but... it's fine. Actually, I discovered a talent I have."

"What talent."

“I can manage to endure about two days without food. Perhaps this might be my talent as a mystical beast."

"That’s not a talent, puppy. It’s just because you’re young."

This little puppy has a habit of coming out with nonsense sometimes, maybe because of his background. Even as I'm patting his fur, I can clearly feel how skinny his body is, so what is he talking about?

And he didn’t say he wasn’t hungry; he just said he could bear it.

I took my hand off the puppy’s body and looked at him. Most of the clumped-up pollen seemed to be brushed off. I got up and offered him.

“Come on in, I’ll get you some food.”

If I set out food outside, he would end up eating pollen along with his food. So I held the front door open, but he didn’t budge from where he stood.

"It's quite alright. Today I didn't come to be indebted to you. I just wanted to ask something."

"What is it."

"Perhaps, does Owner-nim know when this pollen might subside?"

“When the pollen will end?”

"That's correct. I thought when this pollen subsides, those Black Wind Gang fellows might return to the park as well."

It made sense, but I hadn’t checked the news yet today, so I really had no idea. Might as well sit him down here and watch the news together.

"If Owner-nim don't know, that's fine. I shall take my lea…"

"Hey. Since you asked me something, can I ask you something too?"

“Of course, Owner-nim.”

“Do you have a place to sleep tonight?”

At my question, the puppy's tail drooped slightly. The answer that came after a moment was in a tone completely lacking confidence.

"That’s... I was planning to go back to where I slept earlier...."

"Well. It's probably long gone by now."

He had mentioned sleeping on a styrofoam box under the streetlight as his makeshift bed.

That was hours ago, so by now the box would have blown away. Or someone might have taken it.

If he's lucky, there might be a post office box size-5 left, but unless it's hasn’t flattened out, he won't be able to use it. He can’t exactly unfold it into a shelter with his little paws.

(post office box #5; a specific size of cardboard box used by Korean post office. 48 cm × 38 cm × 34 cm)

"In that case, then perhaps I’ll settle on a regular garbage bag…”

“If you want me to scrub you clean later, we’ve got a sink in the back of the store. We sell pet shampoo too."

“That... I must decline. When the lady of the house I was previously indebted to washed me, her hands were quite rough..."

He says he almost died when water got in his ears, and since then his fur stands on end just at the sight of a shower head. As if it wasn't even worth getting lost in the memory, he shook his head repeatedly and added in a dejected tone.

“Anyway, I don’t want to impose on you any further, Owner-nim.”

“Impose? What are you, in the middle of shedding season?

"That's not it, but."

He keeps talking about imposing, but it doesn’t feel like that to me. I’m just treating him like any other Pomeranian, as far as I’m concerned.

Honestly, if I said that, he would probably get more dejected, so I changed the subject.

“If you’re so worried about it, don’t stress about being a burden; think about something else.”

"What worry do you mean?"

"Worry about paying back what you owe."

"But I've already received too many favors from you, Owner-nim."

With that, he drooped even more, looking even more miserable. This guy, seriously—is he going through some teenage angst?

“How am I ever going to repay…”

"There are ways. Like when a rich family's dog comes in to buy dog treats, you could interpret for them."

"Has that ever happened?"

“Not yet, and hopefully it never does, but… you never know.”

For all his quirks, this little guy is a mystical beast. We can communicate, and he has something like that S-rank passive skill that phoenixes are said to have - regeneration or whatever.

And according to Manager, there might be other things besides these.

So you really never know what the future holds. This puppy might awaken something like precognition abilities and tell me NASDAQ trends, right?

(NASDAQ is a Stock market.)

“Owner-nim, Owner-nim.”

"What."

"I, someday, shall definitely try summoning a hamburger. Then wouldn't I be able to fill up the store shelf?"

Boy, he really likes hamburgers.



|Note

I believe I previously used this dog then the puppy refer himself but I will just simplified it. Sorry for this.

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