The Secret Behind the Name 'Hawon': A 17-Year Promise

 The Secret Behind the Name 'Hawon': A 17-Year Promise



A three-panel illustration showing a soldier meeting a puppy, leaving on a truck, and eventually adopting a new dog years later.



In Korea, military service is mandatory.
I completed mine, like everyone else.

But the name Hawon is deeply tied to that time in my life.

⸻

Near the end of my service, the outpost
commander brought back two puppies from somewhere.

One of them, I named myself.
That name was Hawon.

I took the name from the outpost itself
Even now, if you search for it, you'll find Hawon-dong on Jeju Island.

⸻

The other puppy didn't last long.
Not long after arriving, it ate pesticide that had  
been spread on a nearby field and passed away.

After that, Hawon followed only me.

Among all the soldiers, he chose me.

Soft watercolor illustration of a soldier gently greeting a white puppy by a stone wall in Jeju.

⸻

I grew deeply attached to him as well. Whenever I could, I kept him close.

He followed me everywhere, all day long.


A South Korean soldier walking down a rural road with a loyal white dog towards a military outpost.


⸻

I asked the outpost commander if I could take Hawon with me after my discharge.

He knew our bond and agreed without hesitation.

⸻

Then, the day of my discharge arrived.

After reporting my discharge, I walked back toward the company area, leaving the outpost behind.

Along the stone wall path, all the way to the road, Hawon followed me.

⸻


A soldier in a military truck looking back at a white dog standing on a Jeju island road.



A military truck arrived soon after.

I watched Hawon until he disappeared from sight. Hawon watched me until I disappeared from his.

We just looked at each other.

⸻

The look in his eyes hurt more than I expected.

It was as if he already knew— that I wouldn’t be able to come back for him.

⸻

After my discharge, my family’s situation completely fell apart.

I couldn’t even begin to imagine bringing a dog home.

So Hawon remained only in my heart.

And time passed.

⸻

Illustration of a man standing in front of an abandoned military outpost with the text '17 YEARS LATER'.

Seventeen years later, I crossed the sea and returned to Jeju.

I visited the very outpost where I had served.

As you might expect, Hawon was gone.

And no one there remembered him.

⸻

More time passed.

Then, during my newly married life, the idea came up—

Maybe we should adopt a dog.





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