My Dead Brother Possessed a Dog to Steal My Life

After my little brother, Cochran Ceberano, dies in a car crash, my parents hand the toy poodle he raised over to me. But I haul the dog to an unlicensed, back-alley animal clinic right away and have him neutered. Why? Because I've been reborn. In my previous life, on the day the dog arrives at our house, he suddenly turns vicious, scratching and biting me at every turn. Afraid of upsetting my parents, I bend over backward to win him over. I feed him the best dog food, and I even sleep next to him on the couch. But he only gets worse. Day by day, my sanity crumbles. Insomnia sets in, followed by auditory hallucinations. I even start dreaming that he's chasing me down and tearing me apart every night. Unable to endure it any longer, I hesitantly suggest rehoming the dog. Dad flies into a rage at this, slapping me hard across the face. "Rehome it? He's the only piece of your brother left in this world, and you can't even tolerate him? How can you be so cruel and heartless?" Mom doesn't say anything. She just clutches the dog close to her as she sobs. Driven to the brink by the relentless torment, I finally snap and jump out of a 30-story window. After I die, I drift into the sky in my ghost form, only to discover something that leaves me stunned. Cochran, who supposedly died in the car crash, is awake and alive. My parents throw their arms around him, weeping tears of joy. "The shaman was right! As long as your soul inhabits a dog and stays next to an immediate family member for seven full weeks, you can exchange lives with her!" Only then do I realize that the toy poodle was never just a dog. He was my own little brother. Chapter 1 It was the third day after my younger brother, Cochran Ceberano, died in a car crash. Mom's eyes were swollen from crying as she placed the brown toy poodle in my arms. "Erika, this is Teddy. Your brother is gone, and this toy poodle is the only thing he left behind for us to remember him by. You have to take good care of him for Cochran's sake." Dad stood right beside her, his eyes also glistening with tears. "This dog was closest to your brother. Cochran loved Teddy more than anything when he was still alive. If you can't even handle such a simple thing for him, you don't deserve to have called yourself his sister for the past 20-odd years." I looked down at the dog. He was nothing like the sweet, obedient pup I'd seen at Cochran's place before. Curled up in my arms, he kept baring his teeth at me. Before I could say a word, he opened his mouth and bit down hard on the back of my hand. I sucked in a sharp breath from the pain. Mom didn't seem concerned at all. "Teddy's just a bit stressed out from being in a new environment," she explained flatly. "Don't take it personally." "Just spend more time with him. He'll warm up to you eventually," Dad chimed in. I stared at the bleeding puncture marks on the back of my hand, saying nothing. I knew this wasn't stress. It had been exactly the same in my previous life. He bit me on the first day, scratched me on the second, and peed in my food on the third. Back then, I'd thought he was just an unruly dog. Not wanting to upset my parents, I did everything I could to win him over. I bought him the best dog food, took him downstairs for walks, and even let him sleep next to me in bed so he wouldn't get cold at night. None of it worked. He continued biting me without hesitation. Yet, whenever Dad petted him, he'd roll over and ask for belly rubs. When Mom held him, he'd lick her hands. He'd even wag his tail when the delivery guy showed up. I was the only person he bit whenever he laid eyes on me. He bit my hands, my ankles, and my calves. There was no escaping him. Whenever I suggested rehoming him, Dad would fly into a rage. "He's the only piece of your brother left in this world, and you can't even tolerate him? How can you be so cruel and heartless?" Mom didn't say a word. She just held Teddy in her arms and cried. And the dog, nestled in her arms, would tilt his head at me and look at me with eyes full of smug satisfaction. And so I endured it all. I endured it for 49 days. During the day, I kept having auditory hallucinations, constantly imagining I could hear a dog barking. At night, I couldn't sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I dreamed of him chasing me down and mauling me, and I'd startle awake, drenched in cold sweat. I went to the hospital, but the doctor said there was nothing physically wrong with me. It was psychological, and I needed to relax. Mom and Dad grew increasingly impatient with me. "Why are you being so petty over a dog?" Chapter 2 "Teddy doesn't know any better. Can't you just be the bigger person?" Dad continued. "Look at Cochran. He used to be so patient with Teddy. Why can't you be like him?" "It must be because you're treating Teddy poorly. Otherwise, why was he so well-behaved and gentle when your brother raised him, but bites you the moment he's in your hands?" Unable to endure it any longer, I jumped from the 30th-floor window. It was only after my death that I learned the truth. It turned out that Cochran's soul had been inside Teddy's body all along. He hadn't actually died in the car accident. Instead, he'd been in a vegetative state the entire time. Desperate to save him, my parents spent a fortune to find a shaman who could perform a life-swapping ritual. The shaman told them that Cochran had to possess a dog and remain at his blood relative's side for 49 days. He would have to bite me and scratch me every day to drain my life force. Once my life force was fully depleted, he'd come back to life. And in my parents' eyes, I—their daughter—didn't matter at all. I was nothing more than a tool to keep their son alive. When I opened my eyes again, I found that I had been reborn. I had returned to the very day they had brought the toy poodle home. Snapping back to the present, I realized the blood was still dripping from the back of my hand. Comment by Belinda Chiew: i added to make the timeline a little clearer Mom was completely unbothered. She just said dismissively, "Teddy is loyal and has always been most attached to your brother. Now that Cochran's gone, he needs time to adjust. Spend more time with him. He'll warm up to you eventually." Dad nodded as well. "Exactly. Take a couple of days off work. Stay home and bond with Teddy." I chuckled at those words. I pulled out two tissues and wiped the blood from my hand. "Mom, Dad, since this dog loves Cochran so much, why don't I send him down so he can keep Cochran company?" The air itself seemed to freeze. Dad's face stiffened. "W-What did you just say? Your brother is dead. Where would you even send Teddy? What nonsense are you talking about?" He hurriedly snatched the dog out of my arms and hugged him tightly against his chest. Mom froze as well, panic flashing across her eyes. "No, absolutely not! Teddy isn't going anywhere! He's the only thing your brother left us to remember him by. If you send him away, what reason do I have to live?" As she spoke, her eyes reddened with tears. I looked at her tears but felt absolutely nothing inside. In my previous life, she'd wept this exact same way. Every time I wanted to give the dog away, she'd cry. She knew this tactic worked on me better than anything else. I was a dutiful daughter who couldn't bear to see her cry, so I'd always compromise. Yet, she'd been plotting to take my life all along. I suppressed the coldness in my eyes and smiled. "Fine. We'll keep him." Mom let out a long breath of relief, and the tension in Dad's face eased as well. I crouched down and looked at the dog. He tilted his head at me, his eyes full of provocation. I reached out to pet his head. He opened his mouth to bite me again, but I jerked my hand back in time, and he ended up snapping at thin air instead. "If you bite me again, I'll sell you straight to the slaughterhouse," I hissed in a low voice so that only he could hear. A flicker of fear crossed his eyes. He turned to my parents and started growling hysterically, as if wanting to beg them for help. But before he had the chance, I scooped him up into my arms. Mom and Dad hadn't heard what I said. They assumed I was simply showing affection to him and thought nothing of it. Immediately after, they began putting their life-swapping plan in motion. Dad moved the dog bed into my bedroom, placing it right next to my bed. Mom piled dog food, treats, and toys all over my desk. They even moved into my apartment so they could keep an eye on me. "Erika, starting today, Teddy will sleep in your room. Spend more time with him. That way, he'll grow closer to you. Better yet, stay with him 24/7 so you two can bond faster." I listened to their words without arguing back even once. I knew full well that they weren't really trying to get me to bond with the dog. They just wanted the dog to bite me as often as possible. Chapter 3 The faster the dog drained my life force, the sooner the life-swapping ritual would be complete. But I didn't show any sign of displeasure. I simply nodded. "Okay. I'll take good care of Teddy." Satisfied, Mom and Dad returned to their bedroom. The moment the door closed, the toy poodle suddenly stood up in his bed and bared his teeth at me. Then he lunged forward, snapping at my calf. I sidestepped him, causing him to miss and crash onto my bed. But he instantly twisted around to attack again, barking madly. I grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and shoved his face into the pillow. He thrashed violently, baring his teeth as he glared at me. There was scrutiny and wariness in his eyes, but not a trace of guilt. Of course, he wouldn't feel guilty. Cochran had been spoiled rotten by my parents ever since he was a kid, so he had never thought that taking things from me was wrong. When he was little, it was my allowance. When he grew up, it was my college tuition. And now, he wanted to take my life. He never felt he owed me anything, because as far as he and my parents were concerned, everything was supposed to belong to him in the first place. I was merely holding on to this life for him for the time being. I didn't kill the dog, though. I simply pulled out the crate I had prepared in advance and tossed him inside. It wasn't out of fear. It just wasn't time yet. … Later that night, when I got up to use the bathroom, I heard hushed voices coming from inside my parents' bedroom as I walked past it. "Sir, how's the life-swapping ritual coming along? Can my son really wake up?" It was Dad's voice. I stopped right outside the door. "Don't worry. As long as she stays right next to the dog housing your son's soul for 49 days, your son will wake up." It was an unfamiliar voice—the shaman, no doubt. Dad let out a breath of relief and thanked him repeatedly. Mom hesitated before asking quietly, "Erika is our daughter, after all. Once this swap is done, does that mean she's…" Dad immediately cut her off. "Is Cochran more important, or is she? Once a daughter gets married, she belongs to someone else's family. Only a son can carry on the family line! Our house, our bloodline, our family name—how else are they going to be passed down if not through our son?" Mom fell silent. After a long while, she finally said, "Okay." I stood outside the door, my fingernails digging into my palms. I had been a part of this family for 26 years. When I was six years old, Cochran fell and scraped his knee. Mom held him in her arms and cried the whole afternoon, while Dad yelled at me for not watching my little brother and didn't let me eat for three days. When I was 12, Cochran didn't do well on an exam. Dad claimed that I'd disturbed him while he was studying, and from then on, I wasn't allowed out of my room after 8:00 pm. When I was 18, Cochran wanted to buy a phone that cost nearly two thousand dollars for school. Dad transferred the money to him without batting an eye. Meanwhile, my college tuition came from student loans, and I worked part-time to pay for my own living expenses. I used to think they were simply playing favorites. I thought they just preferred sons over daughters. I assumed the worst-case scenario was that we'd eventually go our separate ways and live our own lives. I never imagined they would actually ask for my life. My heart went completely cold. Just as I was about to turn away, I heard the shaman add one more thing. "Oh, and there's one more thing you need to remember. Your son's life is directly tied to the dog's now. If the dog gets hurt, he gets hurt. If the dog dies, he dies. Under no circumstances can anything happen to the dog." Dad hastily replied, "Understood, understood! We'll keep a close eye on the dog." "If the dog gets hurt, he gets hurt? If the dog dies, he dies?" I murmured under my breath. A sudden thought flashed through my mind—a thought that would make them regret all of this for the rest of their lives. Chapter 4 Early the next morning, when Dad pushed open my bedroom door, the first thing he saw was Teddy lying listlessly inside the crate. His expression darkened instantly. "Erika, what are you doing? How can you lock Teddy in a crate?" Hearing the commotion, Mom came over and hastily scooped him up. Teddy whimpered pitifully in her arms, and her eyes immediately turned red. "How could you do this, Erika? He's the only thing your brother left us!" I stood by the bed and looked at them calmly without saying a word. It was the exact same story as in my previous life. If the dog bit me, it was my fault. If the dog was unhappy, it was my fault. Even if the dog somehow breathed wrong, it was still my fault. But it didn't matter. Even knowing I hated dogs, they would still keep him by my side, because Cochran's soul was inside Teddy, and he had to stay by my side for 49 days. Any less than that, and their precious son wouldn't wake up again. "W-What's with that look?" Dad asked. Sensing my silence, his expression turned a little awkward. Mom had also stopped crying as she tried to explain, "Erika, that's not what we meant. Cochran's only been gone for a few days, and we're still overwhelmed. We just got a little emotional, that's all." Looking at her, I remembered what I'd overheard the night before. A life for a life. A daughter for a son. I'd known since I was little that my parents favored Cochran. He got the good food while I got the scraps. He got stuff that I never had. They said I was the big sister, and so I should give in to him. I'd accepted it. After I grew up and started making money, I'd always send money back home. But they said it was only right for a daughter to take care of her parents. I'd accepted that too. But trading my life for his? A cold scoff escaped me. Not a chance! "I noticed that Teddy doesn't look well. He might be sick. I'll take him to the vet." I ignored their question about the crate and changed the subject instead. Sure enough, the moment they heard the dog might be sick, they panicked. "He does look a bit sluggish. Is he really sick?" "That won't do! You have to get him to the vet right away! Get him treated, no matter what it costs!" After all, Teddy's life was directly tied to Cochran's, and there was no way they were going to take any chances. I nodded and said nonchalantly, "How about this? I'll take him to the vet this weekend. I'm not working then." "Absolutely not! How can we wait till the weekend? Today! Right now!" Dad said as they ushered me toward the front door. "Hurry! Go now! Don't delay it any longer!" "Teddy's health comes first. The sooner he gets treatment, the sooner he'll get better!" They practically shoved me out of the apartment, each of them urging me on, one after the other. They were terrified of delaying their precious son's treatment. I stared at the closed door in front of me, and my expression slowly turned cold. I pulled out my phone, found a number, and dialed. "Hello, Mr. Grant? Remember that toy poodle I mentioned last time—the one that needs to be neutered? When's a good time to bring him in?" The answer was prompt and decisive. "Today! We can do it today. Just bring him over. Give me a call when you get here, and I'll come out to meet you." "Okay." Hanging up, I looked down at Teddy. He seemed to understand. His beady black eyes had widened in sheer shock, his pupils had dilated, and every hair on his body stood on end. I looked at him, bent down, and picked up the crate. "Don't worry. Didn't you want to swap lives with me? I'm granting your wish. From now on, you can live happily ever after as a little princess. You won't need to worry about carrying on the family line anymore."