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Kim Taerae would say that he lives a pretty mundane life. It wasn't terrible, and he considers himself lucky to even be able to afford to go to college–but he wouldn't call his life fun either. In a way, he was just…kind of there.
Being a music major and being in the vocal performance program definitely brought a bit of a spark into his life. Unlike he had been told, he had yet to lose his love for music and singing, despite it being a mandatory activity now and not something he just does for fun.
Despite this, Taerae would say he was probably the most normal person you could possibly meet. Nothing too extravagant, yet nothing too bland.
That was until his life took a bit of a turn.
It was simply too early for this, he thought to himself. He looked back at his wristwatch, watching as 7:12 blared back at him. He had been planning to head out early to his lecture and possibly get some work done while on campus before class.
Suddenly, that seemed a bit more difficult as a brown blob with two pitch-black eyeballs stared at him on his front doorstep. He didn't really need to have his glasses on to know this was definitely not an object.
His suspicion is confirmed when the thing starts sprinting into his home as if that was okay with him. He couldn't even get the illusion of free choice. Okay, then…
A little confused, he closes his front door and sets his back down on the floor, fishing for his glasses in his pocket and whipping them onto his face to get a good look at the animal.
It’s a dog– which he could have guessed even without glasses, thank you very much —small in size, with an elongated nose and it sat silently as it watched Taerae’s every move. For some reason, it was shaking on its four legs and its eyes were teary as they watched him.
For being so small, the male suddenly felt intimidated by its gaze.
He clears his throat, watching the way the dog titled its head, and its large ears followed suit. “Uhm,” He mumbles, scratching his head. “Hey..?” It’s silent between them for a moment before loud, clumsy, squeaky barks fill the air and Taerae flinches back.
A chihuahua, he thinks. This was fine, kinda. Taerae was a nice man; he couldn't kick a crying dog out of his house just because it looked like an alien, right?
“Are you hungry?” He asks the dog with a hesitant smile as the dog continues to shake and bark at him, although he doesn't expect a reply as he moves to his tiny kitchen trying to search for something he could feed his tiny new…visitor.
On the other side of the street, Kum Junhyeon was stumbling out of his bed with his blankets all warped around his feet. He trips, almost face-planting into the floor but he manages to save himself with his hands.
He lets out a deep sigh, tapping the blanket around his legs before finding his phone which had been blaring for a couple of minutes now. 7:30. It took him a couple of seconds to process the numbers before he sucks in a deep breath, letting out a hissed FUCK!
There was no possible way he was going to be able to make it to his 8 AM lecture on time, not even with a rocket in his ass. Despite knowing this, he still tries to speed through his morning routine, barely even brushing his hair and opting to use his fingers instead to fix his bedhead.
By the time he’s out the door in the same joggers he slept in and a clean sweatshirt, his phone tells him it was already 7:45. Yeah, sure. Now he just had to make a run for it.
Fortunately, living in apartments near the campus had its benefits. Less fortunate for him though, the fine arts buildings were the farthest from the apartments, and he had about ten minutes to run if he wanted to make it before he was chewed out by his professor.
Fuck my life, He thinks for the first time since he's woken up, already starting the jog towards the building.
Once he actually reaches the building, it's already 15 minutes past 8 but his professor must be late as well since the door was still open. When he finally sits down, he’s suddenly struck with a thought.
I forgot to feed Eumppappa!
After another four hours of running around and going to classes, he decides to sit outside for a while until he can find it in him to start doing any work. Although it seems kind of fruitless.
Junhyeon feels like pure garbage the whole day, not because he woke up late and then ran a marathon to get to class, but because the thought of going back home after completely forgetting to feed his only true friend ( hyperbole, but he’s allowed to be dramatic during this tragic moment.) was eating him alive.
He was terrible, a terrible owner, and a terrible human being. He should probably just wave his white flag now and give up on everything. His death awaits him at home, probably.
This was karma finally reaching him for stealing Kim Gyuvin’s dog’s name for his own. To be fair, he tells himself after a moment, Gyuvin’s dog is fugly. At least my Eumppappa is cute.
He doesn’t have much time to continue dwelling over how much he hates himself as the seats next to him are filled by Kim Gyuvin and Lee Seunghwan, the only two men at this school that were nice enough to be his friends.
Seunghwan is scrolling through his phone, a lollipop stick prodding out his mouth as he lets out a hum of acknowledgment at Junhyeon’s presence. Gyuvin sets a cup down in front of him. “Figured I’d be nice today,” He mumbles, taking out his laptop.
Junhyeon smiles widely at the youngest of the three, taking a sip of the coffee Gyuvin had brought him. “Look at you, caring about me for the first time in your life!” Gyuvin had promptly rolled his eyes, but his cheeks had tinted pink because he was just adorable like that.
He and Gyuvin had known each other since childhood, Seunghwan being a newer addition to their lives.
They had met through their shared major; the male audience in the music major was small and was even smaller in the vocal performing program, and Junhyeon had spewed some long speech about how they had to stick together and whatnot during a get-together at the beginning of the year.
Somehow, it managed to get Seunghwan on board. Although he was the only one, Junhyeon is a firm believer that something is better than nothing.
Lee Seunghwan was a sweet man, a little older than Gyuvin and himself and a year above them both, but he still acted as childish as them. He was caring and gentle, something Junhyeon came to appreciate due to his roughness and impulsiveness. Gyuvin was kind of like their glue; neither here nor there, but a good mediator for the two extremes that were Lee Seunghwan and Kum Junhyeon.
Overall, Junhyeon just really loved his (two) beautiful friends.
Seunghwan makes a little noise again, dragging him out of his thoughts as the man sits up. “Have you guys seen Taerae’s new dog? It looks familiar.” He turns his phone to the two males, showing off an Instagram story of a dog asleep on what seemed to be Taerae’s couch, with the caption ‘he looks so cute when sleeping!!’ pasted above the dog.
The picture is a little blurry and the dog is too far away to see any detail, but Gyuvin still furrows his eyebrows as he pushes forward to get a closer look. “Looks a little like Eumppappa,” He says, before turning back to Junhyeon as if to ask for his opinion.
“Isn’t Eumppappa gray? That dog looks brown..” Junhyeon mumbles with a furrow of his brow, taking another sip of his coffee as he watches Gyuvin roll his eyes. “Your Eumppappa. You know, the uglier one?” Gyuvin says as he bites back a smile, trying to stay completely serious as Junhyeon gasps at the offense.
“Excuse you! Your Eumppappa looks like it does crack!” Seunghwan laughs from behind Gyuvin as the younger throws a punch at Junhyeon’s shoulder, and just to be dramatic the male clutches his arm tightly and cries out in faux pain. “That’s assault!”
He kind of forgets about anything dog related after that, not thinking about his Eumppappa back home, or the Eumppappa look-alike in Taerae’s story.
To be fair, it had been a long day. It was nearing the end of the year; his exams and evaluations would be soon, and it was taking a physical toll on him.
Due to the amount of stress, he had decided to quit his part-time job as a waiter after a lot of overcompensation, misplaced anger, and a 30-minute cry in the arms of Lee Seunghwan and his roommate; some big, bulky first-year student named Park Gunwook that was mysteriously good at massaging.
He needed the money. There was no way around it, sadly. He wasn't as lucky as everyone else at school; Gyuvin had been attending school with a full scholarship, and Seunghwan’s parents were rich enough to pay for him. Meanwhile, Junhyeon was smart enough to obtain a partial scholarship, but his family was too poor to help him pay for everything else.
Since he chose to live in an apartment near his school, it was a no-brainer that it was more expensive than a dorm.
He didn't really care about that, at the time all he wanted was a space that would accommodate him and his lovely Eumppappa. Of course, he wasn't going to live in a dorm if they didn't accept his Eumppappa. He wasn't a monster.
Now, in very Junhyeon fashion, he has to scramble to find a roommate to help him pay off housing expenses until the winter is over before exams start. Which was in, my god, two weeks from now.
It's okay , Junhyeon told himself. I always work better under pressure. For now, he just had to focus on not wasting his savings on anything besides rent.
He lets out a sigh, pushing the thoughts of being homeless away in favor of trudging into his home. It was significantly warmer inside than outside, and he smiles at the feeling enveloping him. This is just what he needed.
“Eumppappa! I’m home~” He says as he takes off his shoes, mood already getting brighter as he waited for his little Eumppappa to trot into the room like he always did.
Except, he didn't. Junhyeon frowned slightly. Is he mad I forgot to feed him this morning? He thinks to himself, then rolls his eyes, he’s a dog. He can't tell time. There’s no way he knows I forgot.
He pauses for a second, eyes shifting from his kitchen to the empty food bowl right by the entrance of his home– He can't possibly know, right?!
“Eumppappaaaa!” He calls out again, a little louder just in case the dog had somehow, overnight, suffered hearing loss. He’s heard that can happen. It’s okay, Eumppappa is perfect just the way he was. Deaf or not.
He shakes his head, trying to not get sidetracked as he moves deeper into the house, pushing his bedroom door open and scanning the floor. Nothing. What the fuck.
He doesn't let himself panic, taking a deep breath as he thinks. Did he even see Eumppappa this morning?
To be honest, did he even hear Eumppappa this morning? He bites his lip out of the nerves. Holy fuck. Holy fucking shit balls. My best friend is gone.
Okay, maybe he panicked a little. Maybe he tore his couch apart in hopes that the little creature had fallen into the cushions while he was at school and got stuck.
He checked his bathroom, hoping to catch Eumppappa in the bathtub, or the toilet, or literally anywhere. Just please be inside this fucking house.
Spoiler alert; he was not, in fact, in this fucking house.
He lets himself collapse on his disheveled couch, curses falling from his lips continuously as he shakingly swipes to Gyuvin’s contact and presses the call button, and sighs out in hopes to calm his heart down.
It was getting harder and harder to breathe at the moment. This was the last thing he needed.
“Yeah?” Gyuvin answers with an uninterested tone the moment he picks up, and Junhyeon whimpers into the phone at the sound of his friends' voice.
“Dude,” He gasps out, his anxiety skyrocketing so hard that he feels his legs start to restlessly bounce up and down and tears well up. “Dude, fuck– Eumppappa isn't in my apartment, and–and I’m like…freaking the fuck out right now!”
His voice wobbles and waivers and suddenly his stomach hurts as if he had drank a cup of coffee on an empty stomach. Oh wait, he did.
Gyuvin doesn't say anything for a second, probably trying to process what Junhyeon was saying, but the silence just made Juhyeon even more nervous. He lets out another noise, and Gyuvin begins to talk. “Are you like…sure? Did you make sure he’s not under your bed sleeping?”
Junhyeon sighs, nodding even though Gyuvin can’t see it. “Yes! I even–I even checked the cabinets under the sink to see if the pipes were shaped like him or something–he’s fucking gone!” If the younger one finds it funny, he doesn't laugh out loud.
“M’kay well, let's relax for now, okay? We’ll find him…just, don't send yourself into a panic attack, otherwise you'll just have a harder time finding him.” Gyuvin tells him and the older male can hear the other male shuffling around as he talks.
Taking Gyuvin’s words into consideration, he runs a hand through his hair and nods again, taking deep breaths as he tries to stop his tears.
Truth is, Junhyeon has always been a little emotionally dependent on Eumppappa. He’s been with him ever since Junhyeon was a tween, keeping him company when the kids at school wouldn't even look at him because he was too loud.
They sort of grew up together, Eumppappa being only a few months old when he held him for the first time. He was small, shaky, and super fucking ugly. To Junhyeon, he was perfect.
When he was planning to move out of his home, he had argued with his mother a lot about taking Eumppappa. She wanted to make sure Junhyeon was taking care of him, especially now that Eumppappa was kind of old now.
Junhyeon hated thinking about it, but he could see it in the way Eumppappa got grumpy at the smallest things like an old man. Although, he was a Chihuahua, so maybe he was just naturally that way.
Either way, he knew older dogs needed proper care to live longer. Not to say Eumppappa would be gone any time soon– he’s a chihuahua for crying out loud –but what if someone has him? What if someone, out there, is currently using his Eumppappa for an evil lab experiment or making him join dog fights like in that one movie about talking dogs?
Either way, It had been around 8 years of just him and Eumppappa . He doesn't think he was ready for that to change.
He needed to find that dog, and fast.
After spending a complete night with the alien dog, Taerae was kind of amazed. He noted that it had a permanent shake to him, and it wasn't just momentary nerves of meeting a stranger.
Sometimes his tongue would stick out of his mouth and he would drool on Taerae’s floor. His eyes were always teary, but sometimes he just kind of…let tears fall. For no reason. Taerae vaguely wonders if the dog remembers something from his past life. Maybe a wife. Maybe kids. Maybe he had a good life before he got trapped in the body of this tiny, trembly, drooling creature.
Taerae rubs his forehead with a sigh, pouring himself a cup of coffee. He felt as if he had been going insane for the past few hours; as if he was taking care of a newborn baby and not a (clearly older) dog.
At random times throughout the night, the creature would bark at the walls, scratching at them in despair. It got so bad at one point that Taerae started googling how to check if his apartment was haunted.
He didn't manage to get enough sleep until he buried the dog deep in his blanket, locking him in his arms until he called down and fell asleep pressed against Taerae. By that time, it was already four in the morning.
Whoever put this dog on his doorstep clearly wanted him to die, or at least struggle with the next couple of weeks of his life as much as possible.
Now, the dog sat on his couch, tongue drooling onto a cushion that Taerae has sacrificed in order to save his couch from staining. He tries not to wince at the string of clear liquid oozing out of his mouth and gulps a bit of his coffee.
They kind of stare at each other as Taerae thinks of a plan, but he short circuits because looking at this dog is starting to physically pain him. Why is it so fucking ugly… Taerae pinches his own arm for being so mean.
“Good morning,” He mumbles, approaching the dog slowly and petting it on the head. It stares at him with those big, teary eyes, and Taerae almost flinches at the assumption that he has offended him in some way.
After he manages to get three rubs in, the dog immediately starts screeching at him, his shaking getting even more violent which makes Taeraee choke. “I’m sorry–” He says in a panic, but cuts himself off when he realizes that the dog doesn't really care for apologies , he’ll continue to shake and bark either way.
He sighs, rubbing the sleep from his eyes once again before turning away from the creature. “Are you hungry?” he asks in rhetoric, already opening his fridge.
That morning, Junhyeon felt like he got hit by a truck. For the first time in eight years, he slept without Eumppappa in bed with him, and it was starting to physiologically affect the way his brain treated everything around him.
He felt like there were tears in his eyes already as he got ready in the morning, accidentally bumping into Eumppappa’s empty food bowl while he was putting his shoes on. If Eumppappa had been there right now, he would probably be barking his lungs away at the mistake.
But, he wasn't. Junhyeon was already starting to miss the squeaky sounds of the dog’s yells and barks. Was he weird for that? Maybe, but it was really the only two noises Eumppappa made, so there wasn't much to miss in that department.
Last night, he and Gyuvin made a four-way call with Seunghwan and Park Gunwook, who wasn't actually invited into the call but had been lounging around Seunghwan when he answered the phone, and he got to stay because Junhyeon was too in distress to tell him otherwise.
After Junhyeon had taken a minute to calm down, they formed a plan to get together and create posters to find Eumppappa. Then in the afternoon, they would go around the neighborhood and ask if anyone had seen the dog.
He shows them pictures for reference, ignoring Seunghwan and Gunwook’s sharp inhales and wobbly voices as they ask questions every time he swipes to a new picture of Eumppappa’s little cute face.
Honestly, they could laugh all they wanted, he didn't care as long as he got his damn Eumppappa back.
Gunwook, being the true angel that he is, said he would ask his friends if they knew anything about the dog, but informed Junhyeon that their friend groups were a little too different for him to promise anything good or insightful.
Gunwook was also a music major, but unlike Gyuvin, Seunghwan, and himself, he was in the dance program. Plus, he was mostly friends with freshmen, which Junhyeon usually made a point to stay away from. Their energy intimidated them. Gunwook is a perfect example of that. So he understood the younger's caution. Still, he told Gunwook that the more people they had on board, the better.
Now, he had to sit through three classes before he could even think about his dog. He spends his first lecture making poster ideas, writing all his contact information down, and picking out pictures of Eumppappa to print out.
There was a fire of determination blooming in his chest all morning, along with the sadness of not having his companion near him. Although it was silly, he worried that Eumppappa would forget about what he looked like after being apart for so long ( it's only been a day and a half.)
By his second lecture, he felt less stressed out. Seunghwan had this lecture with him, so at least he had someone to talk to as he continued his plan of action.
When the older man sat next to him, Junhyeon realized that he looked a little troubled. Maybe lost in thought? Either way, he prodded him with his elbow and raised an eyebrow as if to ask; what’s up?
Seunghwan’s eyebrows are furrowed and his bottom lip is caught between his teeth before he whips out his phone and starts typing away.
Junhyeon waits patiently before his phone vibrates twice. He opens it, realizing it was Seunghwan messaging him.
Hwannie (ʃƪ˘ﻬ˘): I’m like…67% sure Taerae has your dog.
Hwannie (ʃƪ˘ﻬ˘): *sent an image*
It was a screenshot of Kim Taerae’s Instagram story from over two hours ago. It was dark, making Junhyeon squint his eyes at the picture, but he recognized those bleary eyes anywhere.
You: Holy fucking shit.
You: WHAT THE FUCK??????
Hwannie (ʃƪ˘ﻬ˘): Is it yours??
Hwannie (ʃƪ˘ﻬ˘): I thought so. Taerae posted the first picture of him yesterday when yours went missing. At least now we don't have to do our search party.
Seunghwan’s enthusiasm was not shared by the younger male; not one bit.
The problem is, he didn't really know Taerae, so he didn't really see why he should care about the fact he had gotten a new dog. If anything, he wanted to stay away from Taerae as much as possible.
Seunghwan had become close to Taerae during a duo assignment they had been paired up on, and ever since then, the older man has found a way to force Junhyeon into exposure therapy when it came to Taerae.
Or maybe it was someone above, playing cruel tricks on him because they know he is a pussy and that Taerae can most likely unhinge his jaw and eat Junhyeon whole while no one is looking.
It wasn't exactly fear, he would say. More like intimidation of the man. He was another guy from the vocal performance program and was probably the most popular guy in the fine arts building in general. That alone made Junhyeon want to stay away.
Besides the social status that Kim Taerae had, it was also the way he was just a little too unreal. No like seriously, Junhyeon swore that the man had to be some type of social experiment. Or maybe a robot set out to take over the world. Yeah, that would make more sense.
He had one of the most beautiful smiles Junhyeon had ever seen, a loud yet beautiful and soulful singing voice, and even his speaking voice made something in Junhyeon want to curl up and set himself on fire.
Despite his amazing physical abilities, he was also one of the kindest people Junhyeon has ever seen, like, ever. He doesn't remember a time when he has ever seen the older man get mad, or even annoyed. How was that a real human?!
Kim Taerae was basically an untouchable angel; someone that Junhyeon would only see in his dreams. Perfect, pristine, lovable, social, and wonderful.
He was also definitely a robot.
And just to Junhyeon’s luck, that amazing robot ended up with his dog. Yeah, Junhyeon was definitely going to set himself on fire.
For the rest of his lecture, he read Seunghwan’s abundance of messages roll in on ways he could approach Taerae and just…get Eumppappa back. For some reason, Seunghwan made it seem so easy. Fucking logical thinking asshole.
Junhyeon dodged every olive branch Seunghwan was giving him, deciding to let Taerae keep Eumppappa to himself. He was okay with that (no he wasn't) he was sure Taerae was a great dog owner (he was terrified.)
Despite making up his mind, Seunghwan did not let him go. When they went to get lunch with Gyuvin and Gunwook later, he broke the news to the younger males, who cheered loudly as if Kim Taerae having his dog was a good thing. Like if he should be relieved, or something.
Their sentiments were not felt, and his mind was unchanged. After these past two days, all that was left to do was pray Eumppappa somehow tells Taerae that he eats at least three times a day and that he needs afternoon walks.
He was not going to talk to Kim fucking Taerae. No fucking way.
Somehow, he ends up face to face with the doors of the fine arts band room, where Kim Taerae takes guitar lessons in the afternoons because why the fuck wouldn't he, Junhyeon grumbles to himself.
Seunghwan had dragged him against his will, rambling about not wanting to take care of a sulky Junhyeon for the rest of his final year, especially not during exam season , and Junhyeon felt like his whole body was just peeling apart the closer they got to the building.
It was like his body knew Kim Taerae was close, the way it clambered up and started to sweat in uncomfortable places. He cringed at himself. Nooooo fucking way.
Unfortunately for him, Seunghwan had his hand pressed to Junhyeon’s back, and the stupid fucker was strong so Junhyeon couldn't even push him away and make a grand escape. He vaguely prays Gyuvin would burst through the doors and knock some sense into Seunghwan.
“Dude–” Junhyeon starts, voice cracking under the pure anxiety he was feeling right now, but Seunghwan didn't really seem to care. “Dude I think I’m gonna fucking cry right now–”
The door opens, and he falls silent as Kim Taerae’s wide eyes stare at them in surprise. He vaguely thinks that they must look a little weird right now, Seunghwan trapping him against the door of the band room.
“Hey, Taerae,” Seunghwan says casually, finally pushing off of Junhyeon and joining him next to him. Taerae smiles back easily, waving his free hand. “Seunghwan, what are you doing here?”
Oh my balls, Junhyeon cries in his head, his fucking VOICE!!!
Before he can fanboy physically, Seunghwan is opening his stupid logically correct mouth once again, “Well, my friend here needs to talk to you about something…” He trails off, a hand gesturing to Junhyeon, who is probably turning green right now.
His mouth opens and closes like a fish, his own index finger pointed to his own chest as he looks between Seunghwan and Taerae and– Jesus fucking christ, did his heart stop working?!
“Uhm,” He manages to say, like the scholar that he is. “I really…” He chokes, coughing a little. Seunghwan pats his back, but it feels more like a pet. “I just wanted to say–” Taerae raises his eyebrow and his smile diminishes a little bit, and something in Junhyeon pops with anxiety.
“Your dog is so cute!” He yelps out, then promptly turns around and sprints towards the exit doors. He can hear Seunghwan’s voice, probably calling out his name, but he just really needed to get away.
Fuck, he was definitely going to cry.
He makes it outside the building where Gyuvin and Gunwook were waiting for them to come out, and he quickly makes his way to get and collapses into Gyuvin’s arms.
It’s so fucking hard, he thinks. He hates having anxiety, hates that the only thing that can help him calm down is probably sleeping in Kim Taerae’s living room right now and that he can't even grow a pair and just fucking ask for what belongs to him.
He was so fucking stupid.
Gyuvin is hushing his softly, running his hand through his hair as he sobs into his friend’s shoulder, and he can feel Gunwook’s large hand patting his back in a little awkward manner.
He was way too devastated right now to even think about saving face in front of the young boy, so sad to even think about how weird it must be for him.
“Can I hug you, too?” Gunwook asks gently, and it almost makes the older male cry louder as he nods, just wanting to feel safe.
The strong arms that fold against his and Gyuvin’s body relax him a little bit, and his crying subsides. “Please take me home,” Junhyeon whispers to them, hiccupping his way through his sentence.
Gyuvin looks at Gunwook as if he was going to protest, but instead, he sighs and agrees with a nod of his head. “I’ll stay back,” Gunwook mumbles as he removes his arms, “I have to wait for Seunghwan.” Even though the thought of Seunghwan makes him feel a little murderous right now, Junhyeon understands.
Gyuvin doesn't say anything as he takes Junhyeon home, but he can see that the man is thinking deeply about something. He just doesn't have the energy to listen to Gyuvin right now, especially when he knows that it's just going to be some bullshit about how Seunghwan was only trying to help.
Junhyeon knew the older had good intentions, he didn't need to be told that. He was just frustrated, and anxious, and he really, really missed his fucking dog.
By the time they reach Junhyeon’s apartment door, Gyuvin finally takes a look at him. “See you tomorrow?” He asks as if it were a coded question, and it takes Junhyeon a second to realize that he has to see Seunghwan tomorrow at 8 in the fucking morning.
He nods. “Yeah,” and goes to unlock his door. Gyuvin doesn't move. He turns to the younger, “I don’t hate Seunghwan, or whatever you’re thinking.” He assures, trying his best to smile.
It probably doesn't work, because Gyuvin is giving him a bit of a side eye right now. “I really don't! Look–I just…I can't be thrown into a situation like that, okay? Especially not when it’s someone like fucking Taerae and not when I know that I have to come home now and—and Eumppappa won't be there…” His voice cracks as he talks, and with each mess up he can see Gyuvin’s eyebrows furrow even harder.
The younger one nods, wordlessly bringing Junhyeon into another hug. He squeezes him a little, “You’ll get Eumppappa back soon. Taerae isn't evil; he just doesn't know. Don't worry anymore. At least you know he's safe.” For some reason, Gyuvin’s words do settle a few of his worries.
He nods mutely, patting Gyuvin on the back once before they release each other and wave goodbye as Gyuvin walks away.
By the time he’s in his living room, he collapses on his couch and lets out a deep sigh.
He logs into his Instagram account, scrolling through Seunghwan’s following till he catches what he’s looking for.
Kim Taerae’s Instagram is about what he expected it to be; there are selfies of him, pictures of places he’s been to, and candid pictures of the man looking like a model. There are also some reels of him singing, but he ignores those for now. He clicks on his profile picture, the orange and pink-hued circle around it making his heart beat a little faster.
He seemed to finally be back home, a picture of Eumppappa with his head inside of a bowl filled with what seemed like water was displayed at an above angle, and the caption the way above him was a simple, “Eumppappa” with a white heart.
Thank the heavens for Lee Seunghwan.
Kim Taerae had been feeling like an honest asshole all morning. Apparently, the ugly as-hell dog that was currently rolling around on his carpet wasn't a random stray that just decided it liked Taerae’s apartment the best.
No, it was a dog that belonged to the boy who had run out on him yesterday afternoon, who also lived in the apartment building across from him.
He wasn't surprised the dog had ended up at his door since he lived on the first floor. But how had he escaped his owner's apartment? He didn't have time to think about the logic right now.
Right now, he needed to find a way to track down Kum Junhyeon , as Seunghwan had informed him, and profusely apologize for accidentally dog-napping his alien dog.
Eumppappa , Seunghwan had said–which was also the worst name Taerae had ever heard for a dog –is kind of like Junhyeon’s emotional support dog, if you get what I mean. He’s been going off the walls without him…
Sure, Taerae had grown kind of fond of the dog. It was ugly and inconvenient, and kind of annoying, but it had a very stupid charm to it that Taerae found quite cute.
Despite his ever-growing fondness for Eumppappa, he wasn't going to let this kid lose his mind over Taerae’s honest mistake. Instead, he was going to do what every sane person would do in this situation.
That’s how he ends up cyberstalking Junhyeon’s Instagram, which he finds through Seunghwan’s highlights of him with Junhyeon and another boy with large eyeballs.
As he scrolls through the endless shaky and close-up selfies, he sees a lot of pictures of Eumppappa, and the feeling in his chest gets even heavier.
Fuck, out of all the people I had to upset, it had to be him. Junhyeon was cute. He had a little bit of a baby face, and he was an energetic person, judging from his post. He also noticed that he had been radio silent for a while, his last post being the day before Eumppappa went missing.
It was a selfie of him with a wide smile and a teary-eyed Eumppappa, both way too close to the camera. It makes Taerae smile just as much as it makes him feel like a terrible person.
It doesn't help that Junhyeon is handsome and that he probably thinks that Taerae is some asshole who takes random people's dogs just because he can.
After three hours of just staring at Junhyeon, he shuts his phone off and glances at Eumppappa who had been twitching in his sleep, tucked around Taerae’s arm.
Don’t worry, Junhyeon. I’ll bring your freaky-looking dog back to you, safe and sound.
Day three of Eumppappa staying in the Kim Taerae residence, and it was hopefully also the last day before he returned Eumppappa to his actual home. Taerae was feeling conflicted, but he knew he had no right.
Especially not after scrolling through four years worth of photos that Junhyeon had of him and Eumppappa together. He briefly wondered if Eumppappa missed Junhyeon, too.
That morning, he makes sure he looks presentable. He doesn't know why, but he doesn't want Junhyeon to think he was also physically ugly, as well as a dog-napper. He hoped that he wasn't either, but only time will tell.
Finding Junhyeon was sort of a mission; they had similar classes, but at different times and days due to their year difference. Still, Taerae had been determined to find the man. To make it up to him because holy shit the photo of baby Eumppappa on his Instagram had actually ruined his night.
Thankfully, he does manage to spot Junhyeon. He was far away, like a little dot in the middle of the large crowd as other students stumbled out of their lectures.
“Junhyeon!” He yells out before he can think, watching as the younger male looks around before his eyes land on Taerae.
Briefly, he can see the panic in his eyes before he just…blanks out. That can't be good.
“Junhyeon, I’m so glad I caught you!” He exclaims once he’s finally face to face– more like face to chest, jesus christ– with the student.
The younger doesn't say anything as Taerae sighs out, “I can't even like..begin to tell you how fucking sorry I am. I didn't know Eumppappa was yours–I swear. He kind of just–just appeared on my doorstep? A-And I didn't see a collar so I was just, kind of like, holding onto him? Again, I’m just so sorry…” He trails off, rubbing the back of his neck.
He can see Junhyeon’s fingers clenching into a fist, and he briefly thinks that if he gets punched then he kind of deserves it, but then Junhyeon is smiling down at him softly. “It’s okay. I’m just happy he’s safe.” This is all he says, and Taerae thinks he stops functioning at the warm blanket that is Kum Junhyeon’s voice.
He splutters for a second, nodding his head viciously, “Yeah! Yeah, he’s safe. Of course, you can have him back–I’m not the best equipped to take care of a dog–but I don't think that matters since Eumppappa is like…yours…” He stops himself from rambling further.
Junhyeon laughs at his words, nodding. “Yeah, I’d appreciate that. It’s been absolute hell without him around!” He seems less tense after Taerae tells him he’s not keeping Eeumppappa to himself, which makes Taerae relax as well.
“Well, if it's okay with you, you can come over later and pick him up. I live in the apartment complex in front of yours, on the first floor, second to last door to the right.” He clears his throat, rocking back and forth on his heel lightly. “Does that work for you?”
Junhyeon thinks he has never met someone to sweat and caring, so he spares Taerae any teasing as he nods enthusiastically, his mood already brightening at the thought of seeing Eumppappa today. “That’d be great, thank you.”
Taerae’s smile widens so much that his eyes squint as he smiles, and Junhyeon tries not to go into cardiac arrest as the older male waves goodbye and turns around to leave.
A cute (robot?) boy talked to me, and I am getting Eumppappa back today.
Today was going great, Junhyeon would say.
The walk across the street could not have felt any longer. Even as he jaywalked, it still felt like it took him light years to get to Taerae’s apartment.
Despite that, he can't help but bounce on the balls of his feet as he hears Taerae shouting something that sounded like coming! And the sounds of a familiar annoying bark.
Fuck, how he’s missed that stupid dog.
Taerae whips the door open, immediately moving aside so Junhyeon can come in, and the younger male immediately crashes onto the floor at the sight of his Eumppappa who bounced up and down, trembling in what Junhyeon will coin as excitement.
“Eumppappa!” He cries, shuffling the dog into his arms, giving him a gentle squeeze as Eumppappa wiggles and cries in his arms. He must recognize me, the thought alone breaks something in Junhyeon.
They stay like that for what seemed like hours, but it was probably only a few seconds. He hears a camera shutter above him and turns to see Taerae with his phone directed to them on the floor, his smile gentle.
He doesn't even try to hide the fact that he took a picture, just turned his phone off and laughed at Junhyeon’s face.
“I hope he’s still in perfect condition.” Taerae jokes, looking at Eumppappa’s teary eyes, trembling figure, and long tongue sticking out of his mouth. Junhyeon laughs tearfully, nodding. “God–He is so ugly,” The younger one says, making them both laugh.
In the middle of his mission of getting Eumppappa back, he kind of forgets about the terribly scary crush he has been harboring for Taerae for the last few months, and he honestly can't be bothered to run from the man anymore.
Or maybe it was just the fact that Eumppappa was back in his arms and for the first time that week he finally felt fucking normal.
After a few more tears and hugs, Junhyeon and Taerae end up on the older’s couch, discussing the last three days of their extremely eventful lives.
He learned a lot about Taerae, like the fact that he lived alone, he loved action movies, and he had never actually had a pet.
Junhyeon also learned that he wasn't stupidly rich but he was going to college due to a compromise he and his mother made about paying off half of his expenses, and for some reason that fact alone makes the younger see Taerae as someone more…human.
Somehow, they got onto the topic of housing that accommodates pets after Taerae asked him why he wasn't living in a dorm since he lived alone.
When Junhyeon threw the question back without giving a proper answer besides a point toward Eumppappa, Taerae had told him that his last roommate had moved out, and he was on the search for a new one.
Something bright and joyful lit up inside Junhyeon at the mention of a roommate.
“Well–” He starts after they're both silent for a second too long, “I’m also looking for a roommate. I just recently quit my job, and my savings won't last me all winter if I’m alone…” He doesn't ask it, but he sees the way Taerae bites his lip at the suggestion.
It’s a stupid suggestion on his part–he has a massive crush on the man in front of him, no way he can handle living with Taerae.
Much less with his anxiety, which Taerae hadn't really been made fully aware of besides a little hint of what Seunghwan had explained to him.
Would Taerae care? Would that be the deal breaker for him? What about Eumppappa?
The male hums, “Well if you can afford to break your lease…I have the room cleaned out. Eumppappa can come if he wants to, of course.” The suggestion is thrown back at him, and Junhyeon smiles widely.
Maybe it wouldn't be an issue. Maybe he really needed to trust Seunghwan’s judgment more.
“But,” Taerae continues, his ears turning a soft shade of pink as his gaze shifts from Junhyeon to his own hands.
“I kind…wanted to ask you on a date. I don't know how you feel about going out with your roommate,” It’s supposed to be a joke, but Junhyeon can't find it in him to laugh as he gapes at Taerae.
He tries to think of what to say, how to say yes, are you joking, what the fuck, and I want you so bad all at once. Instead, he asks, “You…wanna go out with me??” Taerae doesn't look embarrassed and his smile doesn't leave his face and he nods in confirmation.
Living with his crush who wants to take him out on a date. When was he going to wake up from this dream?
Junhyeon subconsciously lays a hand over his heart, and another on Eumppappa’s smooth back. He promptly ignores how the dog’s trembling worsens.
“Well, can I accept both offers?” Taerae laughs, sounding deep and rich as he covers his smile with his hand. Junhyeon wishes he was more confident to swat the hand away.
Once he stops laughing, he bites his bottom lip, as if to stop himself from showing how happy he is through his smile. “I’d be honored if you did, Junhyeon.”
Something in the way the man says his name just makes him scoot a little closer, putting an arm around Taerae’s shoulder and watching him fluster up. He sees the way Taerae glances at his lips quickly and almost leans forward right then and there.
His cheeks hurt so much as he laughs at the male, a hand coming to rest on Taerae’s cheek. He melts into it, almost like a cat. “Of course I accept.”