“Miss! Could I have some water please?”

 “Of course, sir. I’ll just be a moment.” Soo Jin smiled at the customer. She put the rest of the bowls and utensils into the dishes basin and gave the table a spray and wipe down before heading to get the water that had been requested.

“Thank you, miss.”

“You’re very welcome.” She glanced quickly at the customer’s face and saw that he was an older man. Dressed in a white shirt and khakis, he seemed to be a conservative person. Across from him was a much younger guy, around Soo Jin’s age. But he seemed to be upset about something, and had a small troubled expression on his face.

Soo Jin blinked a couple times and snapped out of it. She gave a small bow to the two and moved onto the next table that needed to be cleared and cleaned.

The next few hours seemed to drag on and on. Although bussing tables was busy work, Soo Jin’s mind couldn’t help but wander to her next job. Walking dogs was something she had never done, but it couldn’t be that hard. Right?

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“His name’s Bbangkku.”

Soo Jin stared down at the dalmatian circling her legs. He seemed restless, but that aside, he was probably the cutest dalmatian she had seen.

“This is his leash, the scoop and plastic bags, and the treats,” Bbangkku’s owner handed everything to her in a small black, sports-like bag. He had introduced himself as Daniel when she had knocked on his door, and seemed friendly as well as easy-going.

Soo Jin accepted the bag and adjusted the strap over her shoulder. “Okay. Is there anything that you want me to do specifically? Or maybe remember?”

Daniel knelt down and started scratching around Bbangkku’s ears. “Not in particular. Just take him to the park, let him loose for a little bit. You can throw a Frisbee around if you want.” Daniel stood up, grabbed the leash, clipped it to Bbangkku’s collar, and handed it to Soo Jin.

Accepting it, she opened the door for herself and Bbangkku. Her wave to Daniel only lasted a few moments, as Bbangkku was pulling on the leash. He seemed to know where he was going so she allowed him to pull her along. Eventually, they reached the park. Soo Jin unclipped the leash from Bbangkku’s collar. As soon as this was done, he took off in a mad dash with a bark.

“Bbangkku! Come back here!” Soo Jin called at the dalmatian. But it was no use. In a matter of seconds, he was gone.

Oh God. First day on the job and I’ve already lost the dog!

From there on, it was a frantic search for that energy-filled, restless dalmatian. She ran all over the park, asking other dog owners if they had seen a dalmatian run past recently. Everyone had said no, and with each person that uttered, “No,” the lower her mood sank.

Soo Jin collapsed on a nearby park bench. It was already dark, and she was tired from all the running around and searching. She leaned forward with her head in her hands, trying to think of possible places close by that Bbangkku might’ve run off to.

Suddenly, she felt something rough and wet her cheek. Soo Jin pulled back in surprise and there, staring at her, was Bbangkku with his tongue hanging out of his mouth and his tail wagging happily in the air.

“Bbangkku! Where have you been? I was so worried! Do you know how much trouble I would’ve been in if you went missing?”

Busy scolding the dog, she didn’t notice a boy walk up.

“So you’re his owner?” The boy bent down and patted Bbangkku’s head, addressing him now. “I knew someone was looking for you.”

It’s that boy with the older man earlier! What’s he doing here?

Hesitantly, Soo Jin said, “Thanks for finding him.”

“Don’t worry about it. He found me, actually.” The boy flashed a smile.

Soo Jin couldn’t help the thought that slipped into her mind. Wow. He’s got a really bright smile.

“Well then, I’ll head off. See you!” He waved, slipped a pair of ear buds in, and walked off.

“Wait! What’s your name?” Soo Jin called after him. Of course, there wasn’t a response. But it didn’t matter. She would be finding out his name soon anyway. 

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I had a little help with this chapter from a friend. Shout out and big thank you to Andrew!

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