SHC Chapter 12

12. Dog Mess

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When I woke up from a short nap, all three of Samdu’s heads were poking out from the cage across the way, staring at me.

” Why?”

I knew he couldn’t understand me, but I asked anyway. That damn Cerberus tilted each head in a different direction in a gesture that meant he didn’t get it, trying to look cute.

It was a bit grotesque since each head faced its own way, but still cute in its own way.

” Yaaawn.”

I stretched and, with my head clearer than before, slowly thought things through.

Even if I tried to run, the Ringmaster would chase me down, so it seemed wiser to behave and endure a month with my human scent erased. And I decided never to act alone. Surely it wouldn’t attack when multiple people were around. The creature seemed like the type to hide its identity, after all.

” I’m hungry.”

The biggest problem was hunger. I felt like I had already lost a kilogram or two from not eating.

” I’ve been starving all day.”

I’d used my body a lot, but hadn’t eaten a thing. It was lucky that there was some flowing water nearby, though it was a very small amount.

At this rate, I had no idea whether the water dispenser in the Ringmaster’s office was just decoration or not, and if push came to shove, I might end up drinking the water from the shower.

I thought about going to see the Ringmaster again, but the idea that I might be bothering him too much made me pause.

Hmm. So that’s why he disliked it so much.

Now that I was thinking clearly, I realized he was hesitant about letting me enter the circus troupe because he knew being human meant I would require all sorts of hassle.

I think he said something like that… but I brushed it off back then.

If I had known it was true, I would’ve listened more carefully.

That thought spiraled into remembering how Kiss had forced me to sign the contract, and just being reminded of his name made me recall kissing the Ringmaster, which made me heat up again. I ended up rolling around on the floor.

” Woof!”

Hearing Samdu bark, I sat up. The blue head was tilting its neck with its tongue hanging out, panting happily. Did I look entertaining?

” What time is it… Oh, my phone died.”

No matter how many times I pressed the power button, it wouldn’t turn on. It looked like it finally gave out. It was already an old phone, so the battery had been unpredictable for a while, yet it had held on until now.

” So how do I tell the time now… Ah.”

There was a pendulum clock in the Ringmaster’s office.

Thinking about it, his office was strange. Very modern, yet oddly old-fashioned. His laptop had a very recognizable logo, clearly high-end and new, but the fax machine looked like some antique relic from before I was born. With a printer already there, he could’ve at least used a multi-function machine.

The sofa looked like something even an antique shop wouldn’t sell, but his personal desk chair was an expensive ergonomic brand known for supporting the spine.

Maybe he only replaced what he personally used.

Either way, it was kind of funny.

Well, nothing to lose. Might as well ask.

Since it was about time to fetch Samdu’s food anyway, I headed back to the Ringmaster’s office.

While walking, the sensation of his mouth on mine kept popping up in my mind, and I rubbed my lips with the back of my hand several times. The heat spreading in me felt hotter than the summer sun.

Why does erasing scent involve kissing…?

Is scent something that comes from the inside rather than the outside?

I bit and pressed on my lower lip with my front teeth over and over while pacing in front of the office.

Would it look like I’m visiting too often?

Earlier, I had pretended that I came just to get Samdu’s food, but the truth was I came to ask about the man-eater case. And right now, I was actually here to ask how to check the time. Well, Samdu’s food was also one of the reasons.

Right. Work is work. I have to feed the dog at least.

I took a breath and knocked on the office door.

Tok tok tok…

I knocked quickly three times, but there was no answer. So I knocked again.

Tok tok tok…

It was the same.

” ?”

I went to the window, pressed my face close, and peered inside. But the Ringmaster wasn’t there. Instead…

” …?”

What was that?

Something was flicking around between the sofas. It looked vaguely like a pair of sharp black animal ears moving, but since the sofa itself was a matte black color, I couldn’t see clearly from my angle.

Then I saw something like a tail swish past, so I hurried back to the door and knocked harder than before.

Tok! Tok! Tok!

It was still silent inside. After a moment of hesitation, I reminded myself I had the excuse of picking up Samdu’s food and grabbed the doorknob. The Ringmaster had entered without a key earlier… so maybe it wasn’t locked.

When I applied pressure, the knob turned. As expected, it wasn’t locked.

Even so, I wasn’t sure if I should really go inside. After a brief internal struggle, I pushed the door open.

The office was empty.

I looked immediately at the sofa again, but there was nothing there after all. Only the Ringmaster’s jacket was draped over it.

Did I see it wrong?

The sleeve of the carelessly tossed jacket swayed faintly in the breeze coming through the open window.

I tore my eyes away and looked around.

” No one’s here…”

Just then, a door behind me opened.

Not the door I had entered through, but the one connecting to the Ringmaster’s living quarters.

” What’s the matter? Coming in so suddenly.”

He came out with his clothes slightly rumpled and his brow drawn together, looking displeased.

” Ah… I’m sorry. I need to feed Samdu, but I don’t know what time it is, so I came to ask.”

Hearing that, he turned around and went right back into his quarters.

What?

But before I could protest, I soon smiled brightly and accepted the wristwatch he brought back with both hands.

” Thank you.”

It was a thin, dark brown leather watch worn on the left, very classic in style. The gold-rimmed face had Roman numerals. The time was 3:53.

He also placed Samdu’s food container, filled with whatever mysterious feed he used, on the coffee table in front of the sofa.

Seeing that, I licked my lips and pointed at the water dispenser.

” Um, could I drink some water?”

” Do as you like.”

I grabbed a disposable cup and drank, feeling alive again. It even dispensed cold water.

” Ah! And about the showe…”

I stopped mid-sentence because his blue eye suddenly flared like it was burning.

” Weren’t you here to get food?”

” Yes. Then I’ll be going now.”

I snatched the food container he held out and practically sprinted away.

Still, he let me drink water and even gave me a watch. Maybe he only helped because it would be trouble for him if others realized I was human, but he did seem to have some boundaries at least.

I’ll save the shower question for next time.

I forced down the urge to wash at least once a day. For now, simple things could be done at the small stream I used for drinking water, and I could ask again later.

And as for the food…

I found myself staring down at Samdu’s food container.

It smelled sweet despite its appearance.

A faint scent like cherries or some kind of berries.

” Hm…”

My eyes narrowed. Still, as a human, eating dog food was worrying. And Samdu wasn’t even a normal dog.

He was a Cerberus.

What if I ate it and died?

” Samdu, your food’s here.”

I went into the shack and poured food into all three bowls. Today too, the sweet scent spread through the air. At a glance it looked like blood, but with the smell, it seemed more like half-melted black cherry jelly.

” Why does this stuff smell so sweet…”

Was that the kind of appetizing scent the man-eater picked up from me yesterday?

Hungrier than ever, I dodged Yellow’s flames and went straight outside. Then I knelt by the trickling water, barely enough to call a stream, and gulped several mouthfuls before splashing my face.

” Haah.”

I sighed and looked up at the sky.

The sky was warm and beautiful, dotted with bright blue clouds. Of course, in reality, the heat was unbearable.

If I stayed out here, I’d roast alive, so I returned to the cool shack.

I went back to Samdu rather than the circus tent. Yellow shot me a tired glance, as if sick of how often I showed up, but I ignored him and went into the corner.

The place was full of miscellaneous things.

Among several empty cages were the ones I had been trapped in, and the one where the flower girl had been kept.

Behind that was something covered in cloth. Box-shaped, sharply rectangular, and large, some were even taller than me.

” What is that?”

Honestly, I wasn’t thinking much. Without any real thought, I lifted the cloth. I was just curious. But I immediately held my breath and lowered it quietly again.

So they were here too.

They were the beasts from the show, the ones handled by the beast tamer. Or rather, monsters.

Had they been here the whole time?

Just like the troupe members, the beasts or monsters were sound asleep during the day.

What about Samdu, then?

Why wasn’t he sleeping? He ate during the day and went on walks… what did he do at night?

Does he not sleep?

But Red was quiet. Looking closely, it was only Red who was asleep. After finishing his food, the other two heads were awake.

So there really was a reason he was the gatekeeper.

It seemed the three of them took turns sleeping. I wondered when the body itself ever slept, but that felt like a pointless concern.

I settled quietly into the corner again.

Even so, I still preferred being with Samdu over the troupe members. The man-eater I saw yesterday looked more like a beast, but…

It was hard to pinpoint exactly why…

It’s running on all fours seemed clumsy.

As if it wasn’t used to moving on four legs.

Maybe it was just my imagination, or maybe I saw wrong. Something that could run lightly enough to make no sound shouldn’t be bad at running on all fours.

Rather than running, it almost seemed like it was flying. That could mean it was actually more accustomed to using four legs.

One thing was certain: it had only one head.

At the very least, Samdu, especially a young Samdu, couldn’t possibly be the man-eater.

Even if he did need food.

” …”

Would the Ringmaster, who kept a water dispenser in his office, ever eat food?

No, that couldn’t be.

If the Ringmaster were the man-eater, he would’ve eaten me immediately, without hesitation.

The moment I reached that conclusion, the tension I hadn’t even realized was in my body loosened, and the hunger came back stronger. I shouldn’t have thought about eating. Even though the food I was imagining was me, the hunger still flared up.

I glanced at the food container, then shook my head and curled up like a shrimp.

Better to sleep.

Sleep.

And whether it was from exhaustion or not, I actually fell asleep just like that.

How long had it been?

I checked the watch. Not even an hour had passed. And after waking, I couldn’t fall asleep again.

I was too hungry.

It felt like my stomach had glued itself to my back.

I kept checking the time.

Six o’clock, seven o’clock, eight o’clock…

A little past eight, I felt my eyes bloodshot.

” I’m going to lose my mind.”

Rolling on the floor from hunger, I noticed Yellow was asleep.

He’s asleep?

The most aggressive of the three heads was asleep.

When I looked around, Red and Blue were playing with each other, wobbling their heads. I reached for the food container immediately.

I was starving. I just had to taste it. Just to see if it would kill me or not, just a taste.

” Whine?”

Red tilted his head. Blue looked at me, too. I dipped a finger into the food container. The red liquid that clung to my fingertip sparkled beautifully like ruby.

I sniffed it. Still sweet.

After a brief hesitation, I stuck out my tongue and lightly pressed it to the liquid.

Ah…

It was delicious.

Savoring it, I was sure it tasted like cherries. Definitely cherries. Cherry juice. Or if not that, then at least some kind of berry concentrate.

Why does a Cerberus eat something like this?

Since there was no spoon, I used my hand to scoop up a chunk.

It looked horrifying, but knowing the taste and smell, I shoveled it into my mouth. The sweetness sliding down my throat was almost euphoric.

Ignoring Red and Blue staring at me like I was insane, I stuck my head into the container and kept eating.

Then…

” Over here, here.”

I heard someone’s voice.

The last time I checked, it was around eight. If someone woke early, this would be around the time they were up.

” Is it here? They said the assistant was here?”

And they were looking for me. The voice sounded like Kiss.

” It’s me, Balbari. Don’t you trust a dog nose?”

” You look human; calling you dog-nosed is funny.”

” Even you, I might bite, Kiss.”

Balbari too?

I swallowed the sweet, thick liquid still in my mouth. Not wanting to make it obvious I’d eaten something, I quickly wiped my lips with the back of my hand.

” Assistant Choi! Are you in there?”

I couldn’t answer and hurriedly wiped my hands on my palms, but the red liquid, Samdu’s food, kept staining my fingers like blood.

This is bad.

” No one’s here? Let’s go in.”

” I-I’m here! I’ll come out in a second!”

But despite my words, the tent flap lifted, and Kiss and Balbari came inside.

” You were gone all day, so I was worried. Why are you he…”

Kiss, who had just stepped in while speaking, froze. Balbari, who followed beside him, also stiffened and stared up at me with wide eyes.

The reason was obvious.

” …Blood?”

Kiss muttered blankly, and beside him Balbari let out a scream-like shout.

” It’s the man-eater!”

” No, it’s not!”

I shouted desperately, waving my palms, but my hands looked utterly drenched in blood.

Balbari barked, not like a human, but like an actual dog, and that set Samdu barking loudly in his cage. Despite having one chest and one set of lungs, his three heads, created a roaring chorus that rattled the shack like a multi-layered howl.

Then the cover over the giant cage fell away, and the beast tamer’s hell lion awoke and let out a monstrous roar. The other beasts woke to the noise as well.

Animal cries filled the shack so loudly it made a zoo seem quiet.

Amid the chaos and the deafening mix of sounds, I yelled desperately,

” No, no! This isn’t blood!”

The uproar didn’t settle until the Ringmaster appeared through the crowd of gathered troupe members, his expression twisted into a fearsome scowl.

It was truly a dog mess… utter chaos.