Every day of that summer break, Hyunjoong visited my house without fail. Sometimes, we would go outside and hang out with Hachi or by ourselves and sometimes, we would just stay inside the cool house. Summer break was much more fun than I had expected.

Soon, school was about to start again and that meant that Hyunjoong wouldn't be able to come as frequently anymore. I felt a little down at the thought for he was the one that really lit up my life again.

The next Friday, there was a track meet and my idol, Kim Kyujong, was competing. He was a year older than me and was currently the best in the track team. I used to follow his footsteps but now, there was no hope in doing so. I invited Hyunjoong with me to watch the competition.

"Kyujong-ssi is there with his team," I told the older boy.

"You admire him?" Hyunjoong asked.

I quickly nodded and glued my eyes to the team. "I used to qualify for that team... But then after an accident, I couldn't run anymore so I all I can do now is watch."

"Are you giving up?" his voice came suddenly.

I turned to him. "Eh?"

"Are you giving up in running? Isn't that your dream?" he continued.

Looking up into the sky, I sighed. "It used to be. But what am I supposed to do with a leg like this?"

"Maybe you can find a way to heal it," Hyunjoong explained. "I once tore a ligament but I can still run properly. It was a miracle but I somehow did it."

"You had this once and you healed it? How? The doctor said it was permanent!" I exclaimed in surprise.

"I ran and ran. I didn't believe that I couldn't run anymore. I just couldn't. I'm a dog. Running's my life," he started. "I didn't want to give up on my life. So I endured the pain and kept running. Like a miracle, the pain eventually went away and the next time I went to the vet, he said I was okay."

I was speechless. How could that have happened? A miracle... Maybe...

All of a sudden, I heard a gunshot and realized that they were starting. My eyes brightened when I saw the starters sprint. Beside me, Hyunjoong cheered childishly, shouting wholeheartedly for my school to win. I cheered along with him and watched eagerly as the baton was passed to Kyujong. Like the wind, the boy flew across the track, quickly widening the gap between him and the other boys and soon, crossed the finish line, earning 1st place.

Hyunjoong and I screamed in joy and hugged each other happily. We jumped up and down as our team won many of the races but of course, like any other team, lost a few. But we continued to cheer.

After the race, the two of us relaxed a little and sat there, not wanting to move.

"Awww... So cute!" a few girls cooed from beside Hyunjoong as they pet his head.

Without knowing, I felt a burn of rage come up my throat. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?????" I screamed, fists clenched and teeth tight.

The girls flinched and backed away, murmuring insults and curses. "Wow, I feel sorry for that dog." "I would hate to have such an owner." "What a ."

I spotted Hyunjoong turn and look at me with concerned eyes.

That day, I went home wondering why I had yelled at the girls. Why had I become so frustrated? Why? I didn't know why. Was I jealous? Jealous over a boy? No, I was straight... I knew that. I was definitely straight. I couldn't be... gay... could I?

The next day, there was a downpour. Hachi and I stayed inside the whole day. My mom didn't have work that day so she was also home. And without fail, I saw Hyunjoong, once again, at the window.

"HJ!" I called. "You should come in or you'll catch a cold."

He moved closer but then squatted down in front of the window. "It's okay, I'm already soaking. I'll just talk from here."

"I think you should come in," I insisted, worried that he may actually get sick.

Hyunjoong shook his head. "It's alright. I just came here to tell you something."

"What is it?"

"Remember yesterday when the girls were petting me. That's because I'm actually a dog," Hyunjoong explained sincerely.

I laughed awkwardly. "What? We've gone through this so many times. You're not a --"

"Youngsaeng!" my aunt suddenly shrilled from behind me. "Close that window right now! There's a big dirty dog outside! You might get hurt!"

I whipped my head back to Hyunjoong. "But... How...? How come I see you differently?"

"This is why the people at the river bank were giggling at you," Hyunjoong told me. I understood now. Why I was so confused that time. Why people were laughing at me when I had done nothing.

"So... You're actually a dog...?" I murmured in shock. "That's why you have a collar?"

He nodded and stood up. "Well, since I'm a dog. I guess you don't want to hang out with me anymore, do you?"

I was silent. I didn't know what to say. I could only watch as he walked away, fading into the rain. I wanted to reach out to him and tell him not to go but no words came out. It was as if I had lost my voice.

"Youngsaeng! Don't ever do that again," my aunt scolded me right after I closed the window. "You're lucky that mangy dog didn't claw your face off!"

"Auntie! That was a nice dog," I persisted.

"How do you know? The neighbor's rabbit was ripped apart the other day by a big dog like that," she told me with disgust and turned away back towards the kitchen, muttering to herself. "And that was such a muddy dog, too. How could...  ... --"

My mind thoughtless, I scooped up Hachi and brought him up to my room where I lay down on my bed and stared at the ceiling to clear my mind, though it was already clear. Finally, wonders and thoughts filled it up again.

Hyunjoong? A dog? Was that really true? How could it be?

Then, I remembered. That second time we had met. When we were saying good bye. When I looked back, I had seen a golden retriever standing where Hyunjoong was and after I binked, I saw that he was still there and not the golden retriever. In fact, at that time, there were no dogs close to Hyunjoong so it couldn't be possible that a golden retriever had passed by him.

So... Hyunjoong was actually a dog... Then, who was his owner? Just how old was HJ?

Too many questions filled my mind. I shook them out of my head and closed my eyes, took a breath and fell into darkness.