Chapter 44

Annie stared at the young man. The sturdy man’s body flinched every time her gaze touched him.

‘I don’t think he’s as bad as I thought because he’s watching the kids… Did he come to volunteer…?’

If so, he may have really mistaken Lang for a stray dog.

‘Because I sometimes curse at others when I’m confronting someone, so… did I scare him off too much?’

Feeling sorry, Annie opened her mouth.

“I-”

“Hello! I am! E…”

‘E…? what?’

The sudden greeting.

The young man seemed embarrassed, covering his hand on his masked mouth.

“…”

“…”

The silence hung between the two.

‘… You’re not crazy, are you?’

She quickly scanned the young man’s hand, wondering if there was a weapon, and she saw empty hands.

But Annie took a few steps back. The world was ugly these days, so she had to be careful.

Annie, who glanced at the back door to secure an escape route, belatedly accepted the greeting.

“Yes. Hello.”

“… Hiccup.”

“…”

The young man’s long neck was red.

Covering his mouth with both hands, he didn’t know what to do and tried to hold his breath.

“… Hiccup! Hik! Hik!”

The more he did, the more severe the hiccups got.

His hand, desperately covering his face, trembled.

“Hiccup! Hiccup!”

“Hey… are you okay?”

“Hiccup! Hiccup! Hiccup! Hiccup!”

The young man who hid his head in the opposite direction nodded his head. He’s scared like he’s going to be beaten by a monster.

Even the back of his white hand that covered his face was blushing. Even if he didn’t say anything, she was a person who could spot lies.

Annie’s eyes deepened.

‘Ummm… is it possible that he has a phobia of other people?’

Without that, there was no way anyone would wear a dull hat and mask in such weather.

No matter how much of a cold you catch, no one in the world would hide himself this much.

He couldn’t even make eye contact, and his head that kept facing down was a sign.

‘… Poor thing.’

Annie looked sadly at the young man who had barely stopped the hiccups. He wasn’t the one to do any harm as she saw him shake when they made eye contact.

The physique was very fine. His shoulders were wide open, and blue tendons wriggled on the back of his transparent hands.

His fingers were long and pretty as he couldn’t keep it still. His nails were also cut cleanly, and his upright posture was impeccable.

His clothes were also plain black casual clothes, but the materials were quite luxurious.

‘Which house are you from, this neat…’

Moreover, the slightly exposed earlobe under the fedora became red.

The sound of the young man swallowing dry saliva was heard loudly.

Gulp.

She didn’t think he was nervous, so Annie said with an awkward laugh.

“There must have been a misunderstanding. This kid is not a stray dog. It’s Lang. Lang, should you say hello?”

Lang, who was lying quietly, opened her eyes and now glanced at Ejed. The hint of annoyance was clear.

Even so, Lang opened her eyes, and Annie laughed embarrassingly.

“I’m not swearing. Please understand. As the child gets older, she’s getting more deaf.”

There was no sign of the young man opening his mouth. Annie stopped speaking too, in case he might be uncomfortable.

Thump, thump, thump.

The sound of the dogs running around in the silence sounded like background music.

Annie glanced at the young man slightly. For some reason, it seemed like cold sweat was flowing from the face hidden beneath the fedora and the mask.

“Kiing, kiing, kiing.”

As the puppies groaned, the young man extended his arms down. He held a puppy in his arms that kept whining on the ground.

His fingers are straight and tender, which gently scratched the shiny fur. The action was so good that Annie raised the tip of her lips.

‘He is a person who really likes dogs.’

The young man, whose ears were completely red, looked away. Annie looked polite because he seemed to be a person with a severe phobia of others.

The huge pile of dog chew looked exceptionally large. Dog chews piled up like a mountain, and it did not decrease in size even though the puppies took some, one by one.

“By the way… what is this dog chew? I’ve never seen anything like this.”

The young man hastily approached the pile of dog chew and brought some of the cleanest and largest dog chew to his arms.

As she looked, the young man said in a faint voice.

“I’ll carry it for you.”

What’s heavy about this dog chew?  No, rather, does it make sense to volunteer at a stray dog shelter and take the dog chew?

Annie flatly refused.

“No. Thank you, but I will refuse.”

“…”

His ears seemed to be drooping for some reason, so Annie opened her eyes wide.

‘Looks like a dog.’

Like a gentle and cute golden retriever. Somehow, she remembered Lang’s childhood.

As he misunderstood the meaning of that smile, the young man hurriedly set down the dog chew.

But as his long legs came back to Annie, it got twisted.

Stagger.

“Uh uh… are you okay?”

“Ah! Yes!”

She was worried about the young man who replied bluntly. Was his body weak unlike his appearance?

Annie asked in an anxious voice.

“I think you’re also sweating. Can I bring you some emergency medicine?”

“No! I am healthy!”

The young man seemed to have a health complex. The way the man, who caught a cold in the warm weather, replied to her felt unreliable.

Otherwise, he might have been bluffing.

When Annie was silent, the man hastily added his words.

“Really. Even in the battle of Utran, I…!”