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Siyeon's misfortune comes in the form of cute button noses, black pearl eyes, pink wet tongues, and fluffy ears.
Dogs. Four of them exactly. As she's been sitting on this park bench, all four of them have been staring at her, tongues out, panting. Almost as if they're expecting something from her.
What do the dogs want? Siyeon doesn't know. She's terrifed of dogs. But here she is, on the bench, the leashes for each dog in her trembling hand. She doesn't remember any of their names. She knows she should've tried to memorise them, because well, she took on a job to walk these dogs, and she's getting paid for doing it.
See, Siyeon didn't want to take the dog walking job, but living with her college roomate, (who may or may not be a secret stoner) she had to scrape by some money to help out with rent. She took up dog walking, and unfortunately, her first client just had to be a woman who has multiple dogs.
Siyeon looks at each of the dogs' faces. She opens her mouth to speak--until a sudden squeak of a ball is heard in the distance. Instantly, all of the dogs raise their ears, eyes whipping to the pink ball being thrown. Before Siyeon can even pathetically whistle for their attention, the dogs instantly bound off to the ball, and ultimately, Siyeon is yanked by the hand to run along with them.
"H-hey! Stop! Bad doggos!"
But all she can do is struggle to keep up with them. The dogs wind her around a tree multiple times, then around a bench, until their attention goes back to running after the pink ball. Siyeon tries to halt them, but the biggest and strongest of the four dogs -- continues to run like his life depends on catching the pink ball. Siyeon can only pathetically run behind the pack.
"Stop!" Siyeon screeches again, and in the midst of trying to whistle for their attention and raising a hand to keep her baseball cap on her head, three of the leashes flutter out of her hand. Siyeon watches horrified, as the dogs seem to discover freedom, now running in completely different directions from eachother, disappearing in different sections of the park.
"Wait! HEY! WAIT!" Siyeon halts to a stop, and feels her life flash before her. Silently, she crumples onto her knees, squeezing the remaining dog's leash in her hand.
"At least…you're here…"
The remaining dog, a white fluffy small dog, stares at her, before licking its paw. Siyeon thinks it's name might be Berry, or is it Cherry? She doesn't know anymore.
But…what is she supposed to do now? Call her client? She can't do that.
She lets out a empty laugh at the vision of telling the owner, her client, the news.
"Would you like to hear the good or bad news first? I'll start with bad. I've lost three of your dogs, but, the good news? I still have one out of four! Better than anything, hey?"
Siyeon closes her eyes, buries her face in her palms, and weeps silently.
She's gone past the point of death. She's over. Finished.
How will she pay for rent now?
Suddenly she feels a tongue lick her arm, and she removes her palms to see Cherry looking up at her. She laughs, almost in relief. "At least you understand my pain."
Cherry blinks at her, sniffs her arm, then circles around her. Then the small dog settles over her shoes, and Siyeon goes to pet Cherry, until the dog suddenly raises one leg up in a peeing position.
Siyeon feels a tear slip down her cheek. Why is the world being like this to her today?
She quickly picks up Cherry, settles her away from her feet, and turns her back to her so the dog has privacy. She sighs, and suddenly an idea comes to her.
She takes out her phone, dials Yubin, and prays her roomate didn't decide to get high right in the morning. She chews at a nail, as she hears the phone ring. After the third, Yubin picks up.
"Bin! Hello? Are you busy?"
There's a crackle over the line. Then Yubin's deep, heavy sigh.
"Not really. I was talking to a woman on the phone. She's been trying to convert me into her religious cult, which is a shame since she sounds absolutely lovely. Anyways, what's up?"
"…What?"
"Well, actually, we've been talking for over an hour. She's put me on hold because she had to go to the bathroom. I'm not sure when to deliver her the bad news that I'm not exactly the most holy of children."
Siyeon squints her eyes. Yubin doesn't indulge in conversations with random people unless she's high. Great. "You're going to keep talking to her?"
"Yes. And speaking of her, she's calling me back. Can't keep a lady waiting. Anyways, goodluck with the dog job and all--"
Siyeon's eyes widen. How could she almost forget?
"W-wait, Bin! About the dogs, they're--"
There's another crackle over the line, then Yubin's faint, "see you at home!" And then, the line goes dead.
Siyeon nearly crushes the phone in her grip, and curses under her breath.
Now what is she going to do?
"Excuse me? Are you alright?"
Siyeon whips her head to a voice, but the sun blinds her eyes and all she manage is a lame, "Huh?"
"I asked if you're okay? I saw you from afar, I think you nearly threw your phone away. And your dog has been chewing your shoe for awhile now."
The stranger, a girl, moves forward and Siyeon finally sees her. A tall girl, blonde hair, cute bangs, and kind eyes.
Siyeon looks away, puffing her cheeks."She's not my dog."
"Oh. She's not?"
Siyeon sighs. "No, she is. I'm new at all of...this. First time at a dogpark, so, I'm just getting used to everything."
"By patting the grass?"
Siyeon stops patting the grass, and pulls Cherry into her arms. She tuts. "I don't know what I'm doing."
"Clearly," says the girl. She nods to Siyeon's front. "For starters, you're wearing black. Dogs shed fur, just like cats. And you have a very white dog you're cradling."
Siyeon opens her mouth to protest, but sneezes involuntarily. She wipes her nose with the back of her palm, cheeks growing warm at the sound of the girl's delicate laughter bubbling out of her chest.
"And maybe you're allergic too."
The girl steps closer, and Siyeon sniffs, frozen on the floor. The girl smiles, and outstretches a hand towards her. "Here, let me help you."
And perhaps it's because this is the first time Siyeon is properly looking into her eyes. But, with how the sunshine seems to bounce off the crown of the rather kind girl's blonde hair, Siyeon thinks holy shit, am I actually talking to an angel right now?
She beams a smile, and with the way the sunshine outlines the girl's whole body, Siyeon thinks she really is face to face with an angel.
Siyeon reluctantly takes her hand, and pulls herself up. The girl's hands are very soft, fingers slightly longer than hers, and the thought makes her cheeks warm. But her flustered state grows when Cherry jumps out of her hold.
Both of them squeal, stumble after Cherry who lands safely on the grass, and accidentally bump their foreheads against eachother. They both grunt at the contact, apologetically bow, only for their foreheads to collide once again.
"I'm so sorry!" The girl bows again, and this time Siyeon makes sure to bow right after her. The girl sighs, and rubs her forehead. "Gosh, I'm such a klutz. Sorry again."
"N-no! Don't be." Siyeon rubs her head, and offers her a small smile. "I'm the real klutz here. I'm sure you're nothing compared to how clumsy I am."
The girl pouts, and her face…is actually really adorable when she pouts. Her lips too, kind of kissable, and Oh God. What is this train of thought? Siyeon internally slaps herself, and tries not to let the gay panic show on her face.
"Well, If you knew all the stuff I've accidently done in the past, you'd believe me," says the girl. She crosses her arms, eyebrows raised. A smile edges her lips, and Siyeon thinks her expression is kind of charming. Just what is this cute blonde stranger doing to her heart?
"Indulge me in one then."
"No way! You think I'm crazy enough to tell a stranger all of my embarrassing life stories?"
"Okay, fine. Would you tell me if I was your friend then?"
…Ah. The smile on Siyeon dies. She doesn't know what kind of God possessed her to just blurt that out, but hot regret shoots up her spine, and her cheeks burn. She wants to go home. So badly. Why does she never think before saying anything, like ever?
The tall girl doesn't reply, expression unreadable and Siyeon wants to commit seppuku on herself. Of course she'd blurt out something only a serial killer would say. She opens her mouth, ready to blurt out apology after apology--
But the girl's face softens, and she lets out a bright laugh. Siyeon can only watch her, stunned at how even her laugh sounds so pretty.
"You're funny." The girl smiles, bright and kind and it's blinding and Siyeon grows flustered again. The girl averts her eyes to the floor, and her smile disappears, looking almost pale when her eyebrows furrow suddenly.
"Hey…where's your dog?"
"Huh?" And then it's Siyeon's turn to stop smiling. "She's probably just sniffing something--" She looks to the grass, and she gapes when Cherry…isn't anywhere near their shoes. Or with them, at all.
And oh. Oh God. Then it sinks in, and she remembers her suffering.
"I still have to find the dogs!" She slaps a palm to her forehead, and lets out a loud, pathetic whine. Why does the world like to make her suffer?
"What?!" The girl's eyebrows shoot up. "You have more dogs?!"
Siyeon begins pacing around. "Y-yeah…They're not my dogs, but they are mine…I mean--it's complicated--"
"Are you a dogwalker or something?"
Siyeon strains a smile. "Yes."
"…Oh. Oh my gosh."
Siyeon looks away. "I know. I feel horrible."
The girl begins pacing around as well. "How many ran off?"
"Four…"
"Four?!" The girl gapes, and Siyeon winces. "We have to find them! Tell me what they look like!"
"We?" Siyeon feels herself going faint. "You're going to help me?"
"Of course I'm going to help you!" The girl's cheeks grow red by the second. "I'm a dog owner too! And my pup likes to run off all the time, so trust me, it's normal. But I can tell you're about to throw up and I need to tell it's all going to be okay. I'm going to make sure you keep your job, okay?" The girl offers her a small smile, before taking her hand around hers. "Everything is gonna be okay."
Siyeon looks at her, and takes a deep breath. As if electric flows through the girl's hands, suddenly, Siyeon feels calm.
"Okay," she breaths.
She looks down to her hand around hers, then back up to her. Cheeks warm with guilt that she's intruding someone of their time. "I'm sorry for the trouble. How can I repay you?"
The girl hums, before flashing her a bright smile. "You can get me a coffee after this."
Siyeon nods shyly, and and girl looks away, expression almost as if she can't believe what she just said. But the flicker of bashfulness is gone immediately. "But not until we find the babies first. The more we talk, the more lost these dogs are going to be, come on!"
And then for the tenth time that day, Siyeon is yanked and dragged off by the hand.
Both of them scramble around the park like chickens. No exact plan, but that's how they seem to roll and it works because they do eventually begin finding the dogs. Siyeon realises halfway she never asked for her shining saviour of blonde warrior girl's name, and she wanted to ask, but she kept forgetting because of the girl's beauty and kindness.
And while they're trying to find all the dogs scattered around the park, Siyeon has slowly gotten to know the girl.
One: Her name is Yoohyeon, and Siyeon thinks she's never heard such a beautiful name before.
Two: Yoohyeon's pup is named Pie, short for Sapphire, but because of Siyeon's bad hearing, she had repeated the name back as Fly. Yoohyeon had gently bonked her on the forehead for it.
Three: Yoohyeon is the biggest animal enthusiast ever, regularly visiting the local dog and cat shelters to volunteer in her spare time. This, as well as balancing her full time studies to become a vet.
(And really, Siyeon thinks it makes a lot of sense. Yoohyeon is a very kind person, and her soul feels as if it's pure inside, just as she looks outside. A real angel Siyeon is sure she doesn't deserve the kindness of.)
Four: Siyeon may have only met Yoohyeon today, but she'd very much like to meet her again.
"Siyeon, I think I see Cherry!"
"Huh?"
And then Siyeon sees the dog, right in the distance, back leg up and ready to poop on some flowers that's purposely enclosed off from dogs. She screams internally. "Cherry, no! NO! Don't poop on the--"
"It's okay! I got this."
Soon, Siyeon vision is covered by Yoohyeon's reliable backside infront of her. Yoohyeon looks over her shoulder to offer a smile, and Siyeon feels her neck grow warm.
"Cherry, come here girl," Yoohyeon sweetly coos. She slowly approaches the dog, who still hasn't pooped yet but looks as if she's going to very soon. "Look, I have yummy treats. So be a good girl and come here, okay?"
Yoohyeon pulls out a bag of dog treats, shakes it enough to get Cherry's attention. The dog's boba eyes brighten, and Siyeon finally sighs and rests her forehead on Yoohyeon's shoulder in relief. She needs to treat Yoohyeon more than coffee after this--
Ah. Cherry stills poops on the flowers anyways.
-
"I'm so sorry for getting us banned in the dog park," is the first thing Siyeon tells Yoohyeon, as they sit on the sidewall pavement together. Hands buried in her palms, she feels Yoohyeon pat her back gently.
(At the same time Cherry pooped on the flowers, a cop had walked past, and the rest was history.)
"Hey, there's more than just one dog park in this area," Yoohyeon tells her rather enthusiastically, and Siyeon appreciates her positivity. "It's their fault for planting flowers in a dog park and then horribly fencing it around. I mean, come on, right?"
Siyeon looks up at her, smiling a little. "I guess so."
"Cheer up! You got your dogs back safely, and that's all that matters."
Siyeon almost feels blinded by her bright smile. She rests her palm against her cheek, watching her. "How are you always so positive?"
"I don't know," Yoohyeon laughs softly. "I'm not actually. But if someone else is sad, I…I have stay positive. For them."
"Oh." Siyeon averts her eyes down to the concrete. "That must be exhausting to do that all the time. For other people's sake."
Yoohyeon hums, thinking. "Well it wasn't. At least, not this time. Sure it was kind of stressful, but it was fun too. I wouldn't mind running all over the park again with you, Miss Siyeon-sshi."
Siyeon looks back at her, and blushes a little when she says a quiet, "Me too, Miss Yoohyeon-sshi."
Yoohyeon laughs softly. "Well then, how about that coffee? I know a pretty good dog safe cafe around here."
Siyeon returns her laugh. "Sorry, but my parents said don't have coffee with strangers."
"Hey!"
This time, Siyeon helps Yoohyeon up from the ground. Not before blushing a little because she forgot that Yoohyeon is slightly taller than her, and it makes her heart jump in her chest a little. Yoohyeon probably gives amazing hugs, Siyeon thinks, when she watches Yoohyeon cuddle Cherry in her arms as they walk together.
(Lucky Cherry. Never in her life would she think she would be envious over a dog.
But Siyeon thinks she's lucky too, because during their coffee date, Yoohyeon has to leave early after being called to the shelter, but she quickly scribbles on a piece of napkin, and gives it to Siyeon before she apologetically bolts out the door.
On the piece is her phone number, along with a note.
you're cute, I wouldn't mind being more than just strangers, or having another coffee date with you <:
And Siyeon, before she thrusts herself into a whirlpool of overthinking whether that means being friends or something more than just being friends - she takes Cherry in her arms, and squeals into her fur.
Today had ended up being a good day, after all.)