Episode 1: Pitter-Patter Paws, Running Through the City Morning

Episode 1: Running through the morning of the city with quick steps. The sunlight at 7 a.m. was slowly spreading like soft apricot-colored paint over the forest of gray buildings in the city. The moment when warmth begins to settle on the asphalt floor that had remained cold all night,

On a wide sidewalk block in the middle of the city, a man with a more confident and determined expression than any other adventurer in the world

A small creature was standing on all four feet. His name is ‘Kongkongi’. It has shiny dark golden-brown fur and dazzling white fluff from the nape of the neck to the chest.

It was a two-year-old, feisty Pembroke Welsh Corgi. A refreshing nylon leash resembling the blue sky was wrapped around his neck.

In the middle, the contact information 'Kongkong - 010-XXXX-XXXX' is neatly engraved.

The round golden medal caught the morning sunlight and was emitting a brilliant golden light. The morning city seen from Kongkongi’s perspective, located just 25 centimeters above the ground,

It was a huge, mysterious, unknown continent that was completely different from the ordinary commute that people pass by without thinking. The towering street trees were like a giant baobab tree forest reaching into the sky,

The gaps between the sidewalk blocks lined up at regular intervals were exciting, like a canyon where unknown treasures were hidden. Above all, all kinds of smells that tickle the tip of Kongkongi’s moist and shiny black nose! The buttery scent of crispy croissants freshly baked at a street corner bakery,

The smell of wet earth in a flower bed soaked with dawn dew,

And the irresistible, savory smell of grilling meat wafting faintly from somewhere in the alley of food stalls and restaurants in the distance.

The wind violently stimulated Kongkongi's olfactory nerves. Kongkong's eyes were shining with a deep amber color, as clear as freshly roasted hazelnuts. Those eyes were filled with infinite curiosity about the world and pure trust without a single doubt. The white fur stripe across the middle of the forehead was a mysterious pattern called the 'Fairy Saddle' in Western legend. There is a legend that a long time ago, in the dense forests of Wales, fairies rode with saddles on their backs as watchmen of the forest! Every time Kongkong looks in the mirror, he sees the white pattern engraved on his forehead.

He held deep in his heart the pride that he was not an ordinary puppy but a descendant of the ancient fairy knights. Every time the wind blows and tickles my long white beard,

Kongkong raised his head haughtily and pricked up his ears like a medieval knight adjusting his helmet. Kongkongi's history as a dog dates back two years ago, when he was just a fist-sized ball of fur at 8 weeks old. When I first set foot in this city in the arms of my current family member, my older sister Minah, an art student,

Kongkong was a timid puppy who couldn't even cross the threshold of the living room without whimpering. He struggled on his short legs and often fell backwards,

Whenever the vacuum cleaner started making a whining sound, I would hide under the chair at the dining table and shiver. However, the fresh feed and bone-shaped calcium biscuits that Mina gave me every morning,

And above all, growing up eating the legendary ‘smoked beef jerky’ that was given as a special reward every weekend.

Kongkongi was reborn as a brave warrior day by day. Before you know it, you can easily jump over the living room threshold,

He even has the agility to jump and take over the sofa in an instant. For Kongkong, the alleys and parks in this neighborhood were not just walking trails. It was a sacred domain where he had to protect peace and order,

It was a promised land where new adventures and loot awaited every morning. The very moment when the front door of the apartment opens, you take the elevator down to the first floor, and pass through the automatic door,

For Kongkong, it was the most sacred dimensional transfer ritual held every morning. Escape the narrow world of the interior, which is warm and cozy but blocked by all kinds of furniture and walls,

The moment you leap into the realm of Mother Nature, where the sky is open and strong winds swirl! The brilliant morning sunlight pouring in through the automatic door window

It was dazzling, like the cheers of the audience pouring in on a gladiator entering the stadium of an ancient Colosseum. Kongkong easily jumped down the three steps of the front door, Kong, Kong, Kong, and landed on the floor. The moment of landing, the exhilarating shiver that spreads through your toes and throughout your body.

It was the most perfect fanfare announcing the beginning of a new day. Kongkong tilted his big ears from side to side, listening to the sounds around him. The sound of the wind rustling through the ginkgo leaves of the street trees,

The sound of the traffic light on the crosswalk in the distance clicking and turning green,

The sound of a flock of sparrows out for a morning walk chirping and greeting the morning from the bushes of the flower bed. To Kongkong, all those sounds were like a signal whispering, "Come on, little warrior! It's time to start today's great adventure!" Kongkong stuck out his pink tongue and licked the moist tip of his nose. As the tip of my nose became moist, the molecular structure of the smell mixed in the wind was imprinted in my mind in a more three-dimensional way. Among them, the thing that makes Kongkong's heart pound the most is,

Last night, the owner's sister put it deep in the refrigerator's fresh compartment and promised, "I'll give it to you tomorrow morning if you behave well."

It was the lingering scent of those magic words—'beef jerky (my precious twine!)'. Although it was not in my breast pocket or in my mouth right now,

Somewhere in the wide world, there is the best meat snack that will test and reward Kongkong's courage and tenacity.

I was sure it was hidden. "bruise!"

Kongkong cleared his throat and roared toward the morning sky in a short, clear sound. To human ears, it may sound like just a cute puppy barking, but

In the animal world, it was a fierce adventure declaration to take over the city's morning. Two sparrows sitting in the flower bed were startled, flapped their wings, and flew up onto the wire. Kongkong opened his plump chest with a satisfied expression. Before starting the adventure, the Welsh Corgi tribe's historic warm-up exercise had to be done first. Kongkongi took the so-called ‘stretched down-dog’ posture, with his front legs extended forward and his upper body pressed close to the floor. As I stretched out my white front paws, my shoulder blades and spine stretched comfortably.

Next, he took turns kicking his short, chubby hind legs backwards one by one to warm up his butt muscles. “Brrrrr—!”

Lastly, let’s brush off all the hair from the entire body from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail.

The fine dust that had settled into the crevices of the fur all night became sparkling golden particles in the morning sunlight and scattered into the air. It was the perfect wake-up ritual. Kongkong's body was now in peak condition, ready to run across the city lawn at 30 kilometers per hour at any time. Kongkong tried to step on the ground. The granite texture of the sidewalk blocks that had dried slightly from the early morning dew provided a pleasant stimulation to the four pink jellies on the soles of my feet. The dog's paw jelly wasn't just skin. It is the vibration of the ground, the slightest curvature of the terrain, and even the frequency of footsteps approaching from hundreds of meters away.

It was a high-precision seismometer and navigation sensor that detected Kongkong's jelly gave a green signal that this morning's geothermal and humidity conditions were ideal for an adventure. Kongkongi's greatest weapon and the magical charm that catches the attention of everyone in the world is,

It was none other than his delicious butt, golden brown and round like a loaf of bread. Every time the tail is short and joy is expressed with the whole body,

That round butt is like a pendulum, or rather, like freshly baked soft castella.

It would swing violently from side to side, mercilessly bombarding the hearts of those who saw it. “Chak, chak! Bean, bean!”

Finally, the first step was taken. Kongkongi's front and hind legs are short but surprisingly elastic.

I started kicking the sidewalk blocks in a cheerful rhythm. Left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot! Her buttocks swayed from side to side in a perfect heart shape in accordance with her regular gait. ‘Left, Right! Left, Right!'

A cheerful 8-beat march was echoing in Kongkong’s head. The texture of the soles of my feet was pleasant as I touched the irregularities of the sidewalk blocks. A cool, solid sensation as you pass over the smooth granite blocks.

When I passed through a section lightly covered with dirt and sand, I felt a soft, soft feeling when I stepped on it. Kongkong was never intimidated by his short legs. Although the stride length was only one-third that of a long-legged retriever or Jindo dog,

Instead, the revolutions per minute (RPM) was faster than any other sports car engine in the city. Da da da da da da da! Like a small toy car with an electric motor,

Kongkongi minimizes air resistance with a low center of gravity that almost touches the ground.

I glided down the city streets. A plump gray pigeon was pecking at the feed in the middle of the sidewalk block.

I tilted my head in surprise when I saw a bundle of golden fur rushing towards me at breakneck speed. Pigeons make a unique movement of bobbing their necks back and forth, saying, "Coo-gu, coo-gu?" He expressed a sense of crisis. Kongkong was so playful that he stuck his nose towards the pigeon and playfully stamped his front paw. “Food!”

The pigeon was scared, flapped its wings, and took refuge at the top of the streetlamp. Kongkong stuck out his tongue and twitched his butt in triumph at the pigeon looking down from the streetlight. ‘Haha, did you see it? I, Kongkong, have the right to walk in this area!'

The small commotion in the morning made Kongkong's endorphins surge even higher. Kongkong, who was running down the street, heard the cheerful and familiar sound of a single-cylinder engine, ‘Tongtongtongtong—’. It was a postman riding a red post office motorcycle. The smell of dried paper and ink wafted from the large leather bag on the man's shoulder. The postman noticed a bundle of golden fur running gallantly along the roadside.

He slowed down for a moment and raised the shield of his helmet. “Oh, isn’t it Kongkong, our neighborhood mascot? His butt motor is in full effect again today!”

The man rummaged through his pocket and threw out a piece of crunchy dog ​​biscuit. Kongkong jumped up in the air and snatched it with his mouth. 'Wasak!' The fragrant milk-flavored biscuit melted in my mouth. "king!" Kongkong greeted me cheerfully, twirling his tail as a sign of gratitude. The postman smiled brightly, pulled the throttle on his red motorcycle again, and disappeared across the alley. A good explorer always has friendly collaborators. It was when I passed in front of a flower shop located on the side of the road. The florist who opened the store early in the morning was spraying water on the hydrangeas and lavender pots in front of the store with a hose. The fine water mist that comes out from the nozzle at the end of the hose catches the morning sunlight.

A small rainbow arch was embroidered on the sidewalk block. “Shoot—”

Particles of cool water mist settled gently on Kongkongi’s nose and forehead. Kongkong was in a good mood, stuck out his tongue, laughed, and shook his head from side to side. Cold water droplets formed on the tips of the fur, doubling the freshness of the morning. The flower shop guy laughed out loud when he saw the plump butt passing by at his feet. “Oh my, isn’t it Kongkong? Where are you running so energetically in the morning? Looks like you’re going to get an attendance stamp today too!”

In response to the man's friendly greeting, Kongkong wags his tail vigorously even while running and shouts, "Woof!" and sent a short reply. Trust and friendship with local residents were the basic virtues of a good dog. Office workers on their way to work in the morning and young people jogging stopped one by one when they saw Kongkongi's back. “Oh my, look at the way her ass shakes! It’s a complete heart attack!”

“It must be a Welsh Corgi! Look at its short legs, it’s so cute!”

There were gasps and laughter here and there, but

Such worldly praise was not important to Kongkongi, who was focused on a great adventure. Kongkong only looked ahead. Beyond the vanishing point of the long sidewalk block, new smells and scenes were unfolding like a panorama. The wind blew, fluttering Kongkongi's white chest fur in abundance. It looked like a dazzling bow sculpture adorning the bow of a sailing ship sailing on the ocean. Kongkongi’s eyes sparkled with vitality. The world is large, the places to smell are endless, and there were a mountain of exploration tasks to complete during the day. Every lamppost had to be smelled and checked for signs of territory marking.

I had to carefully poke my nose at the fallen leaves blown by the wind to see if they were live game.

Above all, I had to find the precious piece of meat that was hidden somewhere. As Kongkong was running, a roadside fire hydrant caught his eye. The fire hydrant, painted bright red, was like a kind of ‘comprehensive local daily newspaper’ to the neighborhood dogs. Kongkong slowed down and gently approached the fire hydrant. He put his nose to his nose and started a detailed scan for 3 seconds, 'Sniff, sniff...'. ‘Well, Poppy, the Shiba Inu from the neighborhood next door, came by at 5:30 this morning. Looks like they changed the feed to salmon flavor. It smells fishy.'

'And at 6:10, Daebeom, a big golden retriever, stopped by. Still full of energy.'

Kongkong nodded as he deciphered the neighbors’ secret guestbook left at the fire hydrant. And as if he couldn't be left out, he raised one of his hind legs cutely.

He left a neat signature announcing his presence. “I, Kongkong, proudly completed attendance this morning!”

After confirming the area satisfactorily, Kongkongi lightly rotated his body again and resumed moving forward. On the red brick wall at the corner of the street, there is a black tuxedo cat called ‘Butterfly’, a long-time reclusive person in the neighborhood.

He was crouching down in the posture of baking bread and looking down at Kongkong. The butterfly opened its yellow amber eyes and flicked the tip of its tail. Kongkong stopped under the fence and raised his head. A tense snowball fight took place between the two creatures for five seconds. ‘Hey, long-legged cat! 'I'm busy today, so don't argue.'

'Hmph, like a short-legged puppy, he's been shaking his butt noisily since morning.'

It was a silent conversation exchanged through each other's eyes. When the butterfly yawned as if it was laughing and revealed its pink palate,

Kongkong snorted once, ‘Hmph!’ After he gave it to me, he coolly turned around. A true warrior would not waste energy on a fight without cause. His goal was something much bigger and greater. Kongkong, who had been running for a while along the main road, suddenly appeared in front of a familiar and huge landmark.

I tightened my strength on my four legs and suddenly braked. It was the main entrance to a huge apartment complex painted in bright, saturated yellow paint. On both sides of the apartment entrance were large flower pots filled with colorful pansies and petunias.

Beyond them, yellow concrete towers towering high in the sky were lined up majestically. Kongkong stopped and raised his head at a 90-degree angle. Both ears tensed and stood up like antennas. The yellow apartment was a very important place in Kongkongi's memories. There, on the first floor veranda, a friendly voice always says, “Hello, Kongkong!” And wave your hand

This was because there lived a kind, white-haired grandmother who used to throw delicious dog gum or cheese cubes one by one. Kongkong sniffed his nose and analyzed the smell in the air. But now, in the early morning, the veranda window was tightly closed, covered with white lace curtains. It seemed like my grandmother hadn't woken up from her morning nap yet. Only the sweet scent of lavender flowed gently from a small ceramic flower pot placed under the veranda railing. “Sniff, sniff...”

Kongkong licked his appetite and stamped his small feet on the floor as if he was a little disappointed. But the little warrior did not get frustrated easily. If grandma wasn't around, all you had to do was find your own adventure and find your own meat! Kongkong politely nodded his head towards the entrance of the yellow apartment to show respect, and then,

I turned around and started running again, shaking my hips vigorously, towards the gentle hill leading to the park. The morning sun was now filling the whole world with dazzling golden light,

In Kongkong's heart, overwhelming excitement and anticipation for the unknown world was welling up like a lake. As he climbed the hill, Kongkong quietly looked down at his short legs. Although it may appear short and waddling to humans,

These short legs have been used for generations in the vast Welsh pastures of England.

It was a product of the blood of the legendary Cattle Dog, which herded livestock by nipping at the heels of huge herds of cattle. They have evolved so that even when a herd of cattle kicks their hind feet, they are so short that their hooves have no choice but to go over their heads.

It was the most perfect and scientific body type! Although it has now become a cute dog in the city that does not have to herd cattle,

The indomitable spirit and adventurous spirit that flowed through their veins was no different from that of their ancestors hundreds of years ago. Halfway up the hill was the most famous organic bakery in the neighborhood, ‘Sweet Bakery.’ The smell coming out of the ventilation chimney was truly ecstatic. The fragrant, floury scent of golden brown bread,

The rich flavor of the smoked sausage roll fresh out of the oven mingled exquisitely. Kongkong stopped under the bakery window and looked inside, licking his lips. A pastry chef wearing a white hat was kneading the dough with a large wooden spatula. "Crung..."

A small sound of thunder sounded from Kongkong's stomach. Is that plump frankfurter in a sausage bun really meat or bread? Deep anguish continued in the mind of canine philosopher Kongkongi. But the little warrior came to a conclusion. A real winner is not satisfied with the meat hidden in someone else's bread. You will find a whole piece of pure meat, a true trophy filled with the flavor of Mother Nature! The road that left the yellow apartment led to a ramp lined with long green ginkgo trees. The morning sunlight pouring through the branches of the street trees cast a spotted leopard-print shadow on the sidewalk blocks.

Kongkong ran, jumping over the shadow pieces as if crossing stepping stones. His four short legs worked furiously like tireless pistons. Ta-da-dak, ta-da-dak! Every time my toenails touched the sidewalk block, the sound of a lively tap dance echoed through the morning alley. The smell coming from the air slowly began to change. The acrid smell of car exhaust and asphalt dust gradually becomes lighter.

Instead, the smell of moist grass, pine needles, and the cool fishy smell of a pond mixed together.

The vast green air filled Kongkongi’s nostrils. Just ahead, over the ridge of the hill, the majestic cast-iron main gate of Central Park was revealed. The huge door with ivy tangled in an old-fashioned way,

It was a holy gateway that separated the gray civilization of humans and the wild green forest. On either side of the main gate, two majestic granite Haitai statues were guarding the entrance with solemn expressions. When Kongkong passed in front of the statues, he stopped for a moment,

It placed one of its small front paws on its chest and bowed its head to show respect for the warrior. “Seniors, please patrol the neighborhood today too! I’ll be back!”

The statues were silent, but their round eyes seemed to glow softly in the morning sunlight. The wind passed through the crack in the door, bringing with it the fresh green scent of the forest.

The scent infused Kongkongi's whole body with new vitality and courage for adventure. “Woof! Kongkong!”

Kongkong shouted with joy and increased his speed even further. The fur fluttering behind his back fluttered in the morning breeze like a golden flag.

The round golden dog tag made a jingling sound, congratulating the adventurer's advance. The city had only just woken up in the morning,

The heart of Kongkongi, a small Welsh Corgi, has already become a legendary explorer embracing the great outdoors.

I was rushing towards the unknown jungle without hesitation. New challenges, thrilling obstacles, and delicious meat awaiting you like fate.

It was calling to him right beyond the green waves. The memories and emotions of all those moments remained forever as a brilliant light deep in my heart, giving me calm comfort.