Chapter 1
    I sighed happily, stepping out from the animal clinic and into the light rain. My feet were aching from a long day of school and then helping out with the new puppies, but my heart felt light and I smiled. Pulling my shoulder bag closer to my body, I stepped out into the rain. 
    My hair was soon soaked, clinging to my back tightly. I walked hurriedly now, trying to reach my car quickly. My brother Yoo Youngjae was away traveling on one of his business trips and he had left his precious car in his little sister's care. The car had really come in handy considering how our house was out towards the country and farther away from school and my volunteer jobs. 
    I absolutely loved our house, with it's open space and giant windows. Grassy fields surrounded the property, my mother's flower garden diligently kept alive by Youngjae. It had once belonged to our parents, who had died when I was 14. Youngjae was 18 at the time, and he had taken over the job of raising me. 
    I didn't mind that much, I mean, Youngjae was a great older brother. But I always felt like something—or someone—was missing from my life. 
    Shaking off such deep thoughts and smiling at myself, I looked around the lot I had parked the car in. I held the keys up in the air, clicking buttons until I heard an answering honk from my car. 
    There was a shuffling, scrabbling sound after my car honked, like an animal had been startled by the noise. I stopped walking, looking around cautiously. Something was shifting in the shadows by a close car, trying to press itself back into the concrete wall behind it. I listened closely, hearing the desperate pants of a scared animal. 
    "Hello?" I dropped my voice, using the tone I usually saved for rescuing stray dogs. I crouched down to the ground, trying to comfort the animal and see what it was at the same time. 
    "Hey, baby. Are you lost?" I asked, still in the low voice. I made my voice friendly, slowly extending a hand out towards the shadows. 
    "I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to help. Can you come here?" I asked, staying frozen with my hand stretched out. 
    A low threatening growl rolled out from the shadows, making me scoot back a little. Two burning eyes glared at me from the shadows, the rain starting to pour down heavily around me. I swallowed down my flicker of fear, determined to help this animal even if I got bitten in the process. 
    "Shhhh, it's okay." I said softly, clicking out the sounds gently. "Come here." I moved my hand slightly in a beckoning motion. 
    The shadow shifted slowly, the light from a nearby streetlight pouring over the figure in stripes. I shuffled back rapidly in shock as the animal moved into the light fully, glaring down at me. 
    It wasn't an animal at all; it was a boy around my age. His clothes hung off him in tatters, every inch of his exposed skin covered in dirt and cuts. His hair wanted cutting, hanging in his eyes and concealing part of his face. He looked underfed, his thin shoulders shaking in the cold rain. He stayed crouched on his hands and knees on the icy ground, looking up at me and growling. There was no true aggression in his eyes, only fear, and he growled at me again.   
    "What's your name?" I asked, searching his gaze for any sign of recognition. His eyes stayed blank with fear, flicking from me to the open street behind me. 
    "Come here, let me help you." I said, scooting forward again. I stretched my hand out, almost able to touch his long hair, and he jerked away. 
    "Okay, okay. It's okay, calm down." I said, holding my hands up. "Are you hungry?"
    His head tilted to the side as he processed what I said, visibly torn between bolting away and staying. I crept forward a little more, trying to see if I could coax him to come to my car. 
    "It's okay." I said, reaching out to grab his neck out of pure habit, looking for a dog collar to hold on to. He stared at me with wide terrified eyes, leaping forward and knocking me over as he stumbled to a run, bolting through the streets. 
    "Pabo!" I exclaimed to myself, not believing I did something so stupid. I heaved myself up, pounding through the streets looking for him. There was no way I would let him stay out on the streets in that condition, especially in this rain. 
    "Here, boy!" I called, looking around. A tiny whimper came from somewhere to my right, and I looked over. A pile of soggy cardboard boxes rested against a wall, and it shifted slightly. 
    "Hey there." I said, crouching down. I dug around in my pockets, looking for anything I could use to lure him. I only found a small bag of pretzels, but I held them out anyway. 
    "Come on, you must be hungry." I mumbled, shaking the bag invitingly. After a few seconds, the pile shifted and the boy crawled forward slowly. 
    His eyes shifted hungrily between the pretzels and my face, and he finally sat down in front of me. He stretched his hand out timidly, cold fingers shaking and dripping rain water mixed with blood. I nodded, smiling slightly as he snatched the package from my hands and tore it open. 
    He shoved the pretzels in his mouth greedily, barely noticing as I reached out and brushed my hand gently across the top his head. His hair was plastered to his head with rain and he leaned into my touch, nuzzling my warm hand as he inspected the empty package. 
    "Come on, let's get you some more food. Come on." I said softly, grasping his shaking bruised shoulders as gently as I could and pulling him up. 
    He leaned on me as we walked, his bare feet leaving smudg