Jinhwan paddled his bicycle, feeling the fresh morning breeze  his black hair. He started to hum a random tune as he cycled towards his workplace.

He took a right turn around the corner of the street before spotting a place that caught his eye. The building was made of bricks, giving off a comfortable vibe, and its large windows are made from glass. Lots of cute animals behind those glass seems to be calling him to them.

Oh, it’s a pet shop, Jinhwan thought to himself.

The short male stopped paddling his bike, guiding it as he parked it in front of the shop. He peeked through one of the large windows as a cute pug started running towards the window where he had stood. Inside a cage right in front of the window, a white hamster started running in its toy. Jinhwan grinned.

But one particular creature caught Jinhwan’s eyes.

An orange cat was snoring peacefully on its fluffy pillow, its tail curled around its body to keep itself warm. The cat's chest was rising slowly and steadily, those movements seemingly to have put the male in a trance.

Jinhwan just stared at the cat.

All of a sudden, he thought of Junhoe, He must be feeling so lonely. Why don't I adopt this cat to keep him company?

Jinhwan made a mental note to adopt this cat once he gets back from work.

He was 10 minutes late for work due to his previous distraction, and his boss slash co-worker slash best friend, Hanbin, was clearly unhappy at Jinhwan's lateness.

“It’s because of your lazy boyfriend, isn’t it?”

Jinhwan sighed,  “Hanbin, he’s not lazy; I told you a million times already. He even made me some breakfast this morning!”

"Sheesh, fine. Just go to work already." Hanbin muttered before playfully ruffling Jinhwan's hair, earning a grunt from the latter. 

The doorbell chimed, signalling the arrival of their first customer of the day. Soft footsteps were heard echoing on the wooden floor as the two turned their heads towards the source of the sound, later finding out that those footsteps belonged to Jung Chanwoo—a regular at their bookstore.

The young man walked towards the counter before flashing a smile at Jinhwan who was in charge of managing the cash register. The latter returned a smile towards the familiar face, "So, what kind of book are you looking for, Chanwoo?"

***

Junhoe was exhausted. He'd been sweeping every nook and cranny of the apartment, throwing out the trash and cleaned the whole place until there isn't a speck of dust left. He plopped himself on the couch, exhaustion seeping into every pore of his body. The only thing that got him back up on his feet again was the reminder that he needed to cook for dinner. 

The male walked sluggishly towards the kitchen area, where the fridge is located. He opened the fridge door and found only two eggs and a bottle of soju inside. Shutting the frid