Yongguk’s thoughts has been wandering about Tigger for the next hour of filming. He just can’t concentrate on work with Tigger missing.

Somehow, Tigger sort of symbolises the relationship between the two of them. Yongguk almost scoffs. Poor Tigger’s been returned to him three weeks after their breakup. Does that mean she only took three weeks to get over it? Dumped all the broken pieces between the two of them to him so he can see what a mess it actually is? But Yongguk still wants to savour whatever she’s left behind, whatever that reminds him that the two of them once existed, even if it comes with a painful withdrawal he tries to get over everyday like a horrible hangover. Since when did Jieun feel so faraway? It’s like they’ve met in a movie and now the lights are on, with him still sitting there, watching the last of the credits with his name repeating over and over again.

He’s still a mess.

“Tigger! Aish, you stupid dog. You’re just like your owner. The two of you never answer when people call your names!!” Daehyun’s about to go mad wandering about in this countryside. Even the little kids think he’s a little loose up the head, running around shouting for some fictional character that only exists in cartoons. Daehyun’s pride surely wants to go up to them to clarify the fact that Tigger’s actually his dog’s name, but whatever, he’ll never come back to this place again.

“Tigger!” Where can a dog go?

Yongguk quickly thanks the staff members and the director before shoving pass a bewildered Himchan who calls after him futilely. It’s been two hours and Daehyun’s still not back yet. It means Tigger’s not found. His leather shoes run on the coarse sand and gravel, giving up when the vastness of the view up ahead greets his sight. An ominous sound of thunder warns him of rain and he runs back to his car, the rain pouring down the moment he shuts his car door. He tries to call Daehyun but the countless ringing didn’t bring a single answer.

At this rate, he’ll probably never find Tigger… Like how he lost it. It.

He punches the steering wheel and glares at the heavy raindrops beating down on his windshield. He suddenly feels so tired, exhausted. He’s been racing but he’s hardly gotten anywhere further and Jieun’s already out of his sight. And now Tigger’s really gone. Is this a sign?

The thunder cracks down, jerking him out of his thoughts and leading him to another.

“…” He peers out his window. The dark clouds are full and heavy, ready to last this downpour for a few hours, but stupid kid can’t handle thunder.

He starts the car and drives as fast as he can on the slippery sand roads at the countryside. Landslides seem probable and the badly lit roads makes it very difficult to manoeuvre under heavy rain. He makes a little prayer, gritting his teeth as he keeps an eye on his surroundings. His hand is already on his phone when he’s a distance from the hill they were filming on, about to call Daehyun again when a lonesome figure catches his attention. 

He peers hard at the silhouette as he drives to it, his headlights shining down on a figure at the roadside under a tree swaying in the strong winds. Daehyun’s form is squatting under the rain and curling into himself by the road, looking beaten. Yongguk curses under his breathe and honks his car but Daehyun remains crouching, seemingly oblivious. Impatient and worried, Yongguk slams down hard at his car horn again and throws his car door open.

He raises a hand to his eyes from the battering rain and dashes over to Daehyun, shaking the boy and yelling in the howling wind, “Yah! Get up!”

Daehyun’s pale frightened face stuns Yongguk momentarily. He grits his teeth and grips Daehyun by the arm to jerk the boy up. Daehyun stumbles and gasps in surprise, but Yongguk’s grip keeps him upright.

He was running uphill back to where the crew were at but the rain suddenly poured. Then the thunder growled and raged and made him immobile from fear. He squatted like a coward and tried to hide himself but never found enough courage to start moving again, until Yongguk came along.

Yongguk’s a lifeline and Daehyun holds onto it tightly, trembling with relief. 

“Seriously? In this kind of weather? Do you want to get struck by lightning?!” Yongguk pushes Daehyun off of himself and tugs the boy back to his car, flinging the door open and shoving Daehyun inside before slamming it shut and running back to his seat.

The raging wind is closed out when he slams the door shut but another one starts when he turns to Daehyun, both their chests heaving in trepidation from the sheer might of the storm. Daehyun’s drenched from head to toe, arms still hugging himself. Yongguk stares at Daehyun, too shocked and furious to speak. Daehyun’s head is lowered, back slouched and battered from the rain. Yongguk tugs off his soaked suit jacket and dumps it to the backseat. He exhales with an annoyed sound and surveys Daehyun’s trembling form when the boy doesn’t say a single word.

A small yelp breaks the stifling silence, surprising Yongguk who notices the moving lump in Daehyun’s hoodie. Daehyun seems to be out of his trance from the noise, lifting the hem of his hoodie to release the wet poodle, fur pathetically stuck to its body as it barks, finally having been rescued from the storm. Yongguk grabs Tigger, surprised. He glances at Daehyun when he places Tigger in front of the heater, the dog barking relentlessly as it shakes as hard as Daehyun is from the cold.

“Yah, are you crazy? Squatting in the middle of the road like this, have you lost your mind?” Daehyun cringes from Yongguk’s yell, feeling like he could sink slowly into the seat from the slowly surfacing embarrassment.

“You…” A sudden thunder cracks down and Daehyun jumps, surprising Yongguk as well. Yongguk looks at Daehyun’s no good expression and decides to just start the car. 

Yongguk doesn’t say another word to Daehyun’s relief as he drives them down back to the city. On the way, Daehyun silently removes his soaked hoodie, Yongguk’s car already made a mess of. Daehyun holds the wet material, shifting his wet T-shirt uncomfortably. Yongguk glances at the boy, who’s finally starting to look a little more alive.

“Leave that at the back.” Yongguk says and grabs Daehyun’s hoodie for him, throwing it to the backseat, hand still on the steering wheel.

“Are you okay? Your face is white.” Yongguk asks after a long silence and Daehyun just keeps nodding. Daehyun is obviously shaken from the thunder and Yongguk knows his question is redundant. Daehyun is worryingly quiet throughout the trip back to Yongguk’s house and Yongguk just knows that things aren’t right when Daehyun’s still sitting stiffly in the car at the garage. Tigger barks at Daehyun who looks up a little before realising where they are.

“Get off. We’re here. And you’re scaring me.” Yongguk grabs their wet clothes at the backseat and opens the car door, watching as Daehyun slothfully makes his way out with Tigger leaping after him.

They reach the second floor of Yongguk’s house, both of them leaving wet footprints behind.

“You can use the other bathroom.” Yongguk says to Daehyun who nods stiffly.

“Yah, are you mute?” He grumbles when Daehyun doesn’t say a word.

“I’m fine…” Daehyun mumbles, voice a little shaky from the cold. He pushes the door open to the guest room and leaves a trail of water behind him. Yongguk rolls his eyes at the wet patches they left behind. Urgh, he’ll have to clean up later.

He tugs out a couple of his smaller clothes and dumps them on the guest room bed before going into the shower himself. 

A few minutes later, he was just aiming the hairdryer at a reluctant Tigger when Daehyun appears at his bedroom door with wide eyes that resembles that of a doll’s. And that head of messy hair reminds him of a flustered chicken.

“My clothes…” Daehyun starts, tugging at the hem of his shirt.

“Your hoodie’s in the washing machine.”

“Oh… I… Should get going?” Daehyun points with his thumb a little hesitantly and Yongguk rolls his eyes at him.

“You can stay here. Where the hell do you think you’re going in this kind of weather."

Daehyun’s eyes stare up at Yongguk, surprised at the offer but relents with a nod when Yongguk glares. 

“Yah, are you that afraid of thunder?”

Daehyun could just pretend he can’t hear it over the hairdryer but Yongguk glances at him expectantly, waiting for an answer. And so Daehyun shuffles on his feet and admits reluctantly, “Yea…"

He was waiting for the chuckle Yongguk always makes whenever he’s making fun of him but Yongguk only shuts off the hairdryer and pets Tigger on the head silently. Tigger leaps off the bed and scrambles up to Daehyun on the slippery wooden floor, barking up at the boy who lifts him up quickly.

“You can sleep with him tonight. Since you’re so scared of thunder. Now get out ‘cause I want to sleep too.” Yongguk runs a hand through his moist hair and yawns, spinning Daehyun around and pushing him out of his room.

“Ahjussi—“ Daehyun couldn’t finish his sentence when the door shuts in his face.

“Tsk, this old man.” Daehyun clicks his tongue and pouts. He snuggles Tigger and pushes the door to the guest room.

In the master bedroom, Yongguk stares at the doorknob with hesitation. He locked the door so he wouldn't get woken up by Daehyun in the middle of the night again and that's rational. But, he decides against it and unlocks the door before slapping the lights off.

"Goodnight Tigger!" In the guest room, Daehyun lays Tigger beside him and covers the puppy with the blanket before turning off the lights. "You better not pee or poo on the bed!"