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sunny days. hot days. cold days. rainy days. no matter what, ricky’s neighbor, gyuvin, always went out to walk his dog. ricky noticed it in the small ways—hearing the door open and close every morning like clockwork, the high-pitched bark of a small dog echoing through the paper-thin walls, the quiet jingle of a leash. he had even run into gyuvin once or twice by the elevator.
“oh, hey,” ricky said, giving a small polite bow of the head.
gyuvin smiled and bowed back. he held his dog in his arms like she was the most precious thing in the world.
“what’s your dog’s name?” ricky asked, eyeing the tiny grey pup. short fur, big boba eyes. kind of cute, like its owner. wait huh?
gyuvin lit up like someone had flipped a switch. “oh! do you like dogs? her name is eumppappa!”
...what kind of name is that?
“oh wow! that’s such a cute name for your dog!” ricky said, keeping his expression neutral. “i actually prefer cats, though.” he could’ve sworn eumppappa growled in response.
🐶🐱
after that, by some twist of fate, ricky kept running into gyuvin and his oddly-named dog. sometimes out front of the apartment complex, sometimes in the lobby when the mail hadn’t been picked up yet. gyuvin always greeted him with that same warm smile, always cradling his oddly named dog like she was royalty.
does he always carry his dog around? ricky wondered.
but then one morning, there was no bark, no door opening and closing, no rattle of the leash. ricky thought nothing of it at first. maybe they were sleeping in. maybe eumppappa finally decided she didn't need to take a walk at the crack of dawn.
day two, ricky was more cautious. he lingered a beat longer before entering his apartment. it was still quiet on the other side of the wall.
day three, something about the silence felt off. ricky hestitated whether he should do this or not. he held his hand up to gyuvin’s door and knocked. once, then twice. there was a shuffle inside then the door creaked open.
gyuvin looked awful. hair a mess, face pale, eyes rimmed red. eumppappa peeked out from behind gyuvin's leg.
“ricky?” gyuvin blinked. “oh. hi. um… sorry, did we wake you?” his voice was hoarse and barely there.
“no, no,” ricky said quickly, scratching the back of his neck. “i just noticed you haven’t been walking eumppappa lately. thought i’d check in.”
gyuvin’s face wavered a bit, like he was debating whether to lie. then he sighed. “i haven’t been feeling well. the walks in the rain must've caught up to me.”
without thinking, ricky blurted out, “want me to come in? keep you company or something?”
gyuvin blinked, surprised. even ricky was surprised by himself. he immediately wondered if he’d gone too far. they were just neighbors. barely friends.
but then gyuvin gave him a soft, tired smile. “sure. i’d like that.”
🐶🐱
ricky stepped in, making sure to take off his shoes. the apartment was similar to his, just mirrored. a nest of tissues and empty water bottles cluttered the bedside table.
“have you eaten anything?” ricky asked, glancing around.
gyuvin shook his head. “no… just been sleeping.”
“i’ll cook something real quick for you then,” ricky walked to the fridge.
“wait i-”
ricky opened the fridge to the sight of water bottles. only water bottles.
“...don’t have food right now,” gyuvin mumbled. “i was supposed to go shopping, but i got sick the same day.”
ricky turned to see gyuvin looking embarrassed, fingers twisting the hem of his shirt.
cute. wait. no, not now, ricky.
“it’s okay! let’s just order something,” ricky said, pulling out his phone. “how about porridge? is that fine?”
gyuvin nodded. “thank you... for being here.”
ricky felt something skip in his chest. “it’s nothing!” he said too quickly, laughing afterward to cover it up. “i ordered the food so it should be here soon.”
they found comfort in each other’s presence, talking about small things. the doorbell rang, signalling the food was here.
“i’ll grab it,” ricky stood up, eumppappa trailing behind him towards the door.
“you’re not growling at me anymore, huh?” ricky murmured. eumppappa blinked and wagged her tail once. progress.
he brought the food over to the counter. “you want this in a bowl or are you okay with the takeout container?”
gyuvin had settled back onto his bed, huddled under the blanket. “container’s fine.”
“lazy,” ricky teased.
“sick,” gyuvin shot back, grinning weakly.
ricky brought the container over and pulled a chair beside the bed. he scooped a spoonful of porridge and held it out.
gyuvin stared at him. “i can feed myself.”
“oh! right—sorry,” ricky stammered, offering him the spoon instead.
gyuvin hesitated. “...i wouldn’t mind if you fed me.”
ricky froze. that fluttering feeling in his chest again. “…okay,” he said softly.
he scooped another bite, carefully blew on it, then held it out. gyuvin didn’t look away as he leaned in and took it.
“you have good taste in restaurants,” he murmured after swallowing.
“you’re just hungry,” ricky replied.
he kept feeding gyuvin slowly, carefully. something about it felt intimate. not romantic, not yet. just... gentle. personal. like he was being let into a part of gyuvin no one else saw.
after a few more bites, gyuvin sighed. “i think i’m full.”,
“then you should sleep more,” ricky said, setting the container aside.
gyuvin closed his eyes and got into a more comfortable position. “will you still be here when i wake up?”
ricky hesitated. the question felt weighty. like it meant something more than it said.
gyuvin peeked one eye open. “you don’t have to. just—was nice. having you here.”
ricky reached over, lightly brushing gyuvin’s hand. “i’ll stay. for as long as you want.”
a small, sleepy smile curved across gyuvin’s lips. “okay.”
as gyuvin drifted off, ricky stayed by his side. the room was quiet except for the faint hum of the heater and eumppappa’s soft breathing by gyuvin’s side. and when gyuvin’s fingers reached out in his sleep—found ricky’s hand resting on the bed and gently curled around it—ricky didn’t pull away. because something about this, gyuvin curled up in bed with that soft smile before falling asleep, felt like the start of something he didn’t want to miss.