The following month past by rather quickly for I was very busy in school. Besides from the usual homework, and councillor duties, Inhyeon kept me on my toes with the small little errands that she had me doing for the SC. I actually felt bad for Leejin as since we were supposed to carry out our duties in pairs, she had to suffer along with me.

All the councillors had to do rotating duties on biweekly basis for Monday, Wednesday and Friday. For the first two week of duties, Inhyeon had the both of us cover the morning gate. This means that we had to be in school by 7am and stand by the gate until 8am. We were supposed to help the disciplinary master keep a lookout for untidy hairstyles, untucked shirts, and any other forms of ‘abnormities’ that did not confer to the school rules.

For the third and fourth week, she continued to torture us by assigning us the duty of making sure that all the windows in every single classroom were properly closed and latched before we could go off. There are about 10 classrooms in each level and 6 levels in total. Usually, there will be 3 pairs on this duty so each pair only had to handle 2 levels. However, apparently when it was our turn, Inhyeon had to call in the other 2 pairs for some other duties, leaving us to clear all the classrooms on our own. By the time we managed to check all 60 classrooms, the time would be already about 6pm.

“I’m sorry, Leejin. It’s my entire fault that we have been assigned all these y duties…” I apologised for the 10^th time since the start of our duty. We had finally made it to the last day of this tiring duty. However, I was apprehensive about our fate for the following week.

“Aish, it’s not your fault.” She replied as she tugged hard on the window to ensure that it was properly latched up. Our sense of responsibility prevented us from completing our jobs sloppily.

“Well, it’s my fault that Inhyeon-sshi is picking on us…”

“Nonsense, she’s just being irritating. Okay, that’s the last of the classrooms,” Leejin sighed with relief, “I’ll get going now. See you next week,”

“Bye!” I waved her goodbye and watched as she turned and left. Turning in the opposite direction, I started off for home as well. While waiting for the bus to come along, Leejin popped into my mind. Over the past two week of interactions, I came to realise that she was not the cold and aloof person that she had been portraying. Through the many conversations that we shared while doing our duties together, I learnt more about my new partner.

First of all, she was the overall captain of the school’s taekwondo teams. I went to one of her training session on her invitation, and I was awestruck when she managed to defeat the largest guy in the team. She won the Grand Champion title of the National Taekwondo Championship last year and was actually on a scholarship from our high school.

The next interesting thing that I found out was that Leejin was actually a very warm person underneath that icy surface. Initially, I thought that she was a person with little words. However, as time passes and we saw more of each other, she began to open up more. I have a feeling that her aloofness was actually more of a protection mechanism. Maybe she had had a bad experience which made her build up that wall to protect herself. Maybe, she’s too cool to be bothered with socialising. Either way, she mentioned that she did not have any friends at all.

The bus soon came and I was home 15 minutes later. As soon as I stepped into the house, I was greeted by a tantalising aroma of grilled meat. Heechul and Kyuhyun were sitting in the living room, engrossed in a game of Street Fighters, while I heard clanking coming from the kitchen. Sungmin must be cooking. “I’m home!” I called out as I stepped through the screen door.

“Welcome home!” Sungmin’s head poked out from the kitchen, “Dinner’s almost ready! Go take your bath first okay?”

“Ne~” I answered as I went into my room to fetch a new set of clothes. By the time I came out from my shower, the boys had already started eating. Dinner was grilled chicken with mash potatoes and garden vegetables.

“How did your duty go?” Kyuhyun asked, swallowing his meat with a sip of red wine.

“It was tiring. Luckily today is the last day of that stupid duty!”

“So what is your duty going to be next week?” Sungmin looked at me curiously.

“I have no idea, Inhyeon-sshi hasn’t tell me anything about it,”

“Hopefully it’s something good this time,” Heechul commented, “By the way, what are you doing after dinner?”

“Me?” I threw a puzzled look at him, “Resting, I guess… Why?”

“Do me a favour. Help me take something to a nearby vet-shop,”

“MWO?” I gaped at my brother, “Brother, why can’t you go yourself?”

“I have to get to the pub later!”

“Then why can’t you bring it there after your performance?”

“By then the vet-shop would have closed! Besides, it’s urgent,”

“What’s so important that you have to force your tired sister to make the trip?”

“I brought my friend’s document file home by mistake. He needs it to prepare for his presentation tomorrow,”

“But I’m really tired! Can’t you ask him to come over to our house to pick it up?”

“Aish! It’s just a short walk, don’t be lazy!”

“How about I bring it there?” Sungmin offered, taking pity on me.

“Arasso! I'll go there later okay?” I sighed, not wishing to trouble Sungmin. Heechul was my brother, and it did not seem right for another person to run an errand for him.

“Good, his name is Lee Parkteuk,”

“Lee Parkteuk? What does he look like? How would I know if I’m passing it to the right person?”

“Just go there and ask for him. Then when he comes out, you’ll know you’ve got the right person! Babo,” Kyuhyun looked at me teasingly as he put another piece of meat into his mouth. I glared at him before settling back into my dinner grudgingly.

After dinner, I grabbed my bag, along with the document file that Heechul had passed to me and headed to the veterinary. The night air was damp, hinting at rain. Since I had an umbrella in my bag, I was not at all worried. Finding the veterinary was pretty simple as well, because it was standing right by the main road. Feeling proud that I did not lose my way, I went in through the automated door.

A blast of cool air hit me as I walked in. The clinic was relatively big, with the interior nicely decorated. The reception desk was directly in front of the door and two long couches were placed on either side of the counter, against the wall. There were many pictures of animals as well as informational posters hanging on the walls of the clinic.

“Can I help you?” The cheerful voice of the receptionist pulled my attention back to the counter. She seemed to be in her late twenties, and had a bright smile on her face as she looked at me.

“Oh!” I smiled as I hurried to the counter, “I'm here to look for someone,”

“Dr Kim?” She answered with the same bright smile, “He's currently in the middle of a surgery,”

“Ani, ani!” I replied, shaking my head quickly, “I'm looking for Lee Parkteuk.”

“Oh, he's out for dinner!” She gestured towards the couches, her warm smile never faltering, “But he should be back soon, just take a seat first,”

I nodded and thanked her before settling down on the black leather couch on the right of the counter. However, half an hour passed and Lee Parkteuk had yet to return from his dinner break. Feeling bored and tired from the long day at school, I decided to head home.

“I'm sorry,” I said, walking up to the counter, “I think I'll make a move first, can you help me pass this to him? It's his school document bag,”

“Sure thing! Do you want to leave a name?”

“Nah, thank you so much! Bye!” I answered, turning to leave. I was already dreaming of a warm bath once I reached home when a droplet of water hit my arm just as I was waiting to cross the busy road. Afraid to get caught in the rain, I hurriedly dashed across the road and sought shelter at the nearby bus stop. Just as I reached the safety of the bus stop, a raging downpour ensued.

Smiling at my good luck, I opened my bag to get the umbrella that was inside. Suddenly, a whimpering sound rang out somewhere next to me. I looked over, and found that I was sharing the shelter with a guy.

“Did that whimpering sound come from him?” I wondered before shaking my head at my ridiculous thought. That whimper that I heard previously definitely did not sound human.

I was about to look away when the whimpering began again. As if a cue, the guy looked down and whispered, “Hush, hush. You'll be fine. We'll just need to get you across to the clinic... I'm thinking of a way, you hang in there okay?”

Curious, I tried to get a better look at whatever he was speaking to. To my horror, I discovered it to be a small dog, which was impaled by a short metal pipe. I gasped as I took in the horrible sight before me. The little thing seemed to be losing blood in the gallons, and that guy's shirt was a mess.

Shocked by my gasp, the guy turned in my direction. With a worried frown, he glanced down upon the poor canine before looking back at me, “Poor little fella fell off a ledge at the construction site and got himself into this mess. Have to get him to the vet opposite asap, but I can't risk aggravating his injuries by running across the road. Not to mention that the contaminants in the rain water might cause complications...”

“The injuries look horrible...” I mumbled, my heart aching for the dying canine.

“Yes, yes. It's quite dangerous... if only I have a cardboard or something...” the guy sighed as he glanced around the shelter, looking for suitable materials to cover the dog. Anxious to help, I also began searching.

All of a sudden, it hit me that I actually have the perfect tool with me! “I have an umbrella!” I said excitedly as I fumbled around my bag, trying to find the umbrella,  “Where did I put it... You can have it!”

“But... What about you?”

“FOUND IT!” I jumped up in excitement as I opened it and held out the umbrella to him, “Don't worry about me, I don't have a killer pipe sticking out of me! Thank me by saving that poor doggie!”

The guy flashed me a grateful smile and took the umbrella from me before walking off into the downpour. Even though the situation was rather nerve wrecking, I couldn't help but noticed that he had a great smile that was complemented by a single dimple that was on his left cheek.

“What a rarity he is...” I smiled as I waved him goodbye, “Cute and so much love for animals... Why can't I know a person like that in real life?”

Staring after him, I thought of all the people I know. They were nice people, but I've never met another person with so much passion for animals. Heechul and Kyuhyun were out of the question. Sungmin is nice, but I’ve not sure whether he likes animals or not. Even in my Animal Welfare Society, it was rare to see such a guy, willing to get his shirt dirty to save another animal that was not his pet. “And he has that super bright smile to top it off!”

Shaking my head helplessly, I started running off in the direction of my apartment. It was getting cold and I really wanted to get home quick for that warm shower and then go to sleep. Sungmin was horrified when I arrived home dripping wet, and I got a good teasing from Kyuhyun about being too stupid to bring an umbrella out as he passed me a towel to dry myself. After a quick shower, I jumped right into bed. In a matter of second, I fell into a deep sleep, greatly satisfied that I had helped save a small life that day.

Saturday passed rather uneventfully. The four of us stayed at home and had a bonding session by having a mini-party which consisted of yummy food and stupid games for the whole day. After that, weary of my fate when Monday came, I decided to spend my Sunday all by myself by taking a walk through the neighbourhood.

Leaving a note on the table, I grabbed my wallet and phone and left the house after stuffing them into the back pocket of my shorts. Both Heechul and Kyuhyun were still asleep when I departed. Sungmin however, was already out of the house way before me.

Since it was only 9 am on a Sunday morning, there weren’t a lot of people on the streets. With my mind preoccupied, I did not notice that I had walked into the high-class residential district. I only snapped out of my thoughts when the sudden shrill screech of car brakes rang out in the quiet neighbourhood. Turning my head around in the direction of the sound, I saw a black car speeding away, leaving behind a cloud of dust.

I was about to look away when I notice a white object lying in the wake of the car. “What's that?” I wondered, before deciding that a piece of rubbish was too much trouble for me to retrace my steps.

However, to my utmost horror, the “piece of rubbish” began moving slightly. I was shocked when I realised that it was in fact a cat! A white cat that had been ran over by that black car just now. Horrified, the dangers that the poor feline was in began flashing through my head. To make matters worse, I saw another car heading in its direction.

Panicking, I immediately took off in the direction of the cat, hoping to grab it before it got hit again. A second accident would promise certain death. For a moment, it seemed like I was running too slow, and would not be able to reach in time. Just then, I heard a sudden blast of the bells of a bicycle before it dashed past me. The male rider on the bicycle was tearing down the path at top speed, straight in the direction of the feline in distress. I wanted to yell out for him to help me, but his next move gave me a huge surprise.

I watched as the guy jumped off the bike and dive-rolled onto the ground, grabbing the cat before rolling onto the opposite path. I would have been stunned motionless by the stunt if not for the long blast of horn that the approaching car sounded, missing them by barely an inch.

The driver stuck his head out from his window and hollered as he came to an emergency stop, “Are you crazy! Are you seeking for death?!”

Angered, I ran over and stood beside the car, with my hands crossed, “Hey! Did you even see the injured cat that was on the road just now? Or were you thinking of running it over?!”

“Throwing your own life away for a stupid cat? Are you serious?”

“Mwo?!” I was so furious that I gave his car a hard kick, “Get out of the car!”

“Ya-Yah! What do you think you're doing? Mi-Michyeosseo?!”

“I hate people like you! How can you say that? A cat is still a life!” I gave another hard kick to the car, leaving a dent in the shiny body.

“Cra-Crazy woman,” the driver stuttered before rolling up his windows and sped away. I immediately walked over to the heroic guy, who was now sitting on the path, examining the hurt cat that he held in his arms carefully.

“How bad is it?” I asked anxiously, kneeling down beside him.

“She needs help immediately,” He mumbled, more to himself as he ran his fingers across its trembling body, “She might have broken some bones,”

“Mwo?” I felt pained for the poor cat, “Where can we get help?”

“There’s a vet clinic a short distance away,” He answered, getting up onto his feet, “If you can grab my bike for me, I’ll send her there immediately. Jumping up to my feet, I dashed across the road to get to the bike which had crashed against the wall when its rider left the seat. It was lying on its side with a few broken bottles of spilled milk around it. It also has a huge front basket where I assumed the guy could put the injured cat in.

Pulling it back up proved to be a tedious task as the bike was much heavier than it looked. Probably because of the huge metal basket at the front. When I finally managed to pull the bike to a standing position, the guy was already behind me. I steadied the bike and watched as he placed the cat into the basket gently before turning to get onto the bike. I really wanted to go with him, but was apprehensive of asking the guy to give me a ride as well.

“I’m sorry,” He started, noticing the longing look on my face, “I can’t take you along because I need to go fast,” I shook my head and gave him a smile. I understood that if I was to go along on the bike, our combined weight would slow down the speed that he could send the kitty to the vet.

“The clinic’s called ‘Kim’s Animal Hospital”’,” He said, getting onto the bike, “It’s just down the road,”

“Okay!” I replied, letting go of the bike so he could set off, “I’ll see you there!”

After the guy sped off in his ‘ambulance’, I started making my way in the direction he left. The vet clinic was rather easy to find, since it was directly by the main road. In fact, it was the exact same clinic where Heechul sent me on his errand. As I walked past the bus shelter opposite to the clinic, a sense of familiarity hit me.

“Why is this bus stop so familiar? Have I been here before?” I pondered hard, but nothing came up. Shaking my head, I decided that the current matter was more important, thus I crossed the road and entered the clinic.

“The nice lady from Friday was not on duty today,” I thought as I noticed a different person behind the reception counter. I looked around for the guy, but both couches were empty. Puzzled, I enquired with the receptionist and was informed that he was still in the consultation room. Having no other choice, I trudged towards one of the couch and sat down.

It was only then that I realised my right feet was feeling very sore. “Probably because of all the running around, and the two hard kicks that I gave to that damn car,” I reasoned in my head as I rotated my sore feet, trying to relieve some of the pain.

“Are you okay?”

The sudden voice caused me to jump up in shock. I raised my head and found that guy looking down at me in concern, his hands in his jeans’ pocket. I nodded and he sat down beside me, placing his hands on his laps.

“Kicked the car too hard?” He gave me a big smile as he cocked his head to the side. I laughed heartily at his cheeky comment.

“Probably! Haha! But I don’t regret it one bit!”

“Haha! That car’s probably hurting more than you. You certainly pack more punch than you look!” He laughed along, flinging his golden brown hair to the side as his fringe covered up his eyes. I noticed a single dimple on his left cheek, right beside his mouth. All of a sudden, he looked very familiar.

Where had I seen him before?

I must have been staring at his face while trying to figure out where I had seen him before for the guy looked away uncomfortably. Realising my rudeness, I apologised immediately, “I’m so sorry! It’s just… You look very familiar… Have I met you before?”

With another awkward smile, he shook his head before answering, “I don’t think so, haha!”

“I’m sorry,” I smiled broadly at him, trying to ease the awkwardness, “Mistake on my part,”

“Nah, it’s okay.”

Silence took over as we sat there silently, swimming in embarrassment. Then, feeling the need to say something, I cleared my throat, “So… How’s the cat?”

“Doc’s giving her a check-up,” He smiled again, “She’s not too badly hurt. Probably just a broken leg or something. Thank you for your help,”

“Don’t mention it, you’ve already thanked me by saving that poor kitty!” I gave a sigh of relief and smiled back at him. Now, it was his turn to stare unblinkingly at me. Feeling the same amount of discomfort, I cleared my throat again and ran my hand through my hair. With a jolt, he gave me an apologetic smile and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to stare. It’s just… I don’t think we’ve met before right?”

“Well, seemed like we’ve both fallen victim to Déjà Vu!” I answered and we broke into fits of laughter. He had a very unique laughter that was resonating in the clinic. He was about to say something when the door to the consultation room opened and a man cloaked in a white lab coat walked out from within.

Jumping to our feet simultaneously, we dashed forward to the doctor’s side. “How is she?” I asked, feeling extremely worried for the cat.

“She’s fine. Just a broken leg but no other injuries,” The vet replied with a gentle smile. My heart finally settled down and I believe that guy shared my feelings for he too gave an audible sigh of relief.

“Can we go see her?” We asked at the same time. I looked at him in surprise and he gave me another one of his dimpled smile. The vet nodded and let us into the consultation room. He informed us that the cat was most probably a stray because he could not find any microchip on her that might suggest who her owner might be.

I walked into the room, and found the cat sitting comfortably on the table. One of her front leg was in a cast, but otherwise she seemed unharmed. Walking over, I her head gently as she purred underneath my hands. For the first time, I managed to get a clear look at her. She had white fur all over her body, and the most distinguishable mark on her was a small patch of black fur underneath her left eye. That patch was in the shape of a tear, and it made her look extremely cute and pitable.

“What are we going to do about her?” The guy spoke up, walking over to the table.

“We can’t let her back into the streets… Not when she’s hurt…”

“Cat shelter?”

“When she’s injured?” I asked uncertainly. It did not seem like a great idea. What if the other cats bully her?

“Bring her home?”

“I…” I looked down longingly at her. I really wanted to bring her home, but we already had four people living in our house. Besides, I’m not sure how the boys would react to having a pet at home.

“I’ll take care of her then…” The guy smiled, “It seems like it’s not very convenient for you…”

“I…” I paused hesitantly, “Yeah… I don’t think its convenient… But…”

“How about this, I’ll keep her… Then when you wanna see her, you just give me a call? I’ll bring her out to see you?”

“Really?!” I was pleasantly surprised at the guy’s kind intention, “You can really take her in and bring her out for me?”

“Why not? We both have an affinity with this little princess,” He laughed as he patted the purring cat. In the end, it was decided that he would take care of the cat while I would be in charge of taking care of her when he is busy or away. He would be the owner, and I the co-owner. We even came up with a name for her – Teardrop.

After getting his number and leaving my name, we bade each other goodbye. I had taken less than a few steps when I suddenly realised that I still did not know his name.

“Hey!” I turned around and yelled out to him, “Hey! I still don’t know your name!”

He turned around and gave me another one of the bright smile, “My name?”

“Ne~ Your name!”

“You can call me… Leeteuk!”