“Calm down, please!”

Hyuna’s pet was having a hard time adjusting to its new home, mainly because Hyuna wanted to bath the dog. Hell erupted from the pits of a bubbly volcano. Water was splattered everywhere and foam covered Hyuna from head to toe. It was going to be an exhaustingly long day. She kind of gave up after the dog refused stay put in the bathtub. She watched the mess and decided the dog’s name to be ‘Geopum’ (bubble) or ‘Binu’ (soap), just for the irony of it. The dog looked back with innocent brown eyes, wiggling its tail.

“What about Joon Hee? Joon Hee the dog...” she smiled, petting the animal as it sneezed lightly from the soap. “Mangmang?” she exhaled deeply. Choosing a name was harder than she expected.  “What if I just call you Dog?” both her and its expression turned blank from the horrible idea. “...maybe I should wait until Joon returns from his business trip.”

The dog barked at the mentioned name. It came closer to Hyuna and started shaking, trying to dry its fur. Hyuna placed her hands in front of her, droplets of water cornering her. She laughed. Her lungs filled with air and made her whole body tremble of joy.

“I know!” her face lit up in realization “...you’ll be Chingu from now on...” she smiled and kissed the dog’s nose “You’re my new friend... my Chingu.”

It was hard on Hyuna. Joon’s job essentially involved a lot of travelling. He warned her after their first date of his condition and how people depended on his choices. She understood very well. Her father had been the same. The first year was the easiest on her. He used to disappear maybe once a month, sometimes twice. As his promotions went up, their days together were scarcer. Because of that, their bond grew stronger. Hyuna was ready to give up everything for Joon. She loved him too much to demand more from him. Even if it was only for a minute, Joon would be there whispering a good night sleep or a wonderful morning. Sometimes, loneliness truly embraced her. Whether she was out, admiring by herself the scenery, or in front of the TV with DVD cases piled up, popcorn thrown all over the floor and hundreds of pillows underneath... she coped with it. Baking for nobody or cooking for some of her older friends, she liked it. Cutting hearts out of sheets of red paper, gluing them on fabrics and writing messages for her Joon... she loved it. No matter what the world had to offer, her own universe revolved around Joon. She tried not to change it as the freedom and all the passion she received could never be found elsewhere. Chingu lazily left a wet trail behind as he escaped from the bathroom. Hyuna giggled and decided to take matters into her own hands until her loved one returned.

⚜

Hyuna kneeled before Chingu and flashed its new identity card. Chingu’s ears lifted and his eyes focused over the letters, not understanding what the human was showing.

“Look Chingu... that nice doctor gave you this. Now you’re ours for good”

The dog’s name was glowing and Chingu’s new collar jiggled from its tag name. Chingu took a seat and approved of the new master. Its tail swept the autumn floor. Hyuna grabbed the leash and tried to budge Chingu from its place, but the dog would not move. She lowered herself again to Chingu’s level, petting its gleaming fur.

“Do you want to stay here a little more?”

Chingu her nose and wiggled its tail again, lowering its body completely. Hyuna gave up, understanding Chingu’s sudden wish. She kidnapped a free seat on the bench nearby. She leaned backwards, her fingertips the leash from time to time.

There was a cool breeze dancing through her locks. Rusted leaves left their trees and got carried away within the tune, singing their stories of warmer days. The sun shared the sky with grey clouds, lingering like a bittersweet flavor. The city had been orchestrating a profound tension with its tall buildings, bustling of cars and secluded neighborhoods. She craved for a persimmon from the trees growing in her grandparents’ garden. She longed for that sweet juice as her teeth smashed through its core. Her lips parted, dehydrated in delight. Or a mango, a beautiful fruit carved by nature for her taste buds. Goosebumps covered her like a summer rain as she grinned like an idiot from the bowls of delicious food floating around her head, round and around, until her stomach protested loudly from the torture. Her eyes remained attached to the kids playing with a white and red ball, passing it from one another. They had no care and lived only for that day. The colors revolved around her head until the image of Joon’s face popped out of nowhere. She could picture it flawlessly, them playing with the same ball. Joon would for not catching it right. Hyuna would back for acting like a tough guy. In the end, Joon would let her win... he always lets her win and Hyuna always complains. She always wants to win wholeheartedly, to make Joon proud of her.

“Excuse me...”

Hyuna had to wave goodbye to her obnoxious galaxy and welcome the new voice. A rather handsome man was in front of her with Chingu’s leash attached to his hand. He was dressed in a long black coat, similar to the one Joon would always wear, with a white shirt under and a pair of black trousers. She decided to ignore everything else, including the necklace hiding under the shirt’s ed collar. His smile was enough to make Hyuna wonder just what did the man need from her. His hair drew attention due to its unusual color. It was probably dyed. His eyes on the other hand were placed... strangely. They were just like a cat’s, sank in amusement.

“You’ve dropped this” he let the leash fall on Hyuna’s lap.

“Ah... thank you” she got up and respectfully bowed for his help. She was so lost in sketching her thoughts, she had no idea Chingu might have left without her.

“I’m sorry for being rude, but are you lost? You seem so” his politeness caught Hyuna off-guard.

“No...” she evasively responded, as she was somehow lost, but not physically.

“I’m sorry again”

“It’s just that... Chingu here doesn’t want to go. So we’re admiring... the view” her last words had been almost broken as Hyuna was having a hard time communicating with the stranger. His scheming orbs, that feline curiosity, a chord inside her.

“Chingu... aren’t you a bad boy... forcing your owner here...”

“I don’t mind, really, I ---”

“What do I have here?” the stranger searched his pockets, keeping something tight inside h