It was a sunny afternoon in Seoul, the sun shining brightly, and the birds singing peacefuly as the light breeze made Samantha’s hair go a little crazy. She was strolling through the streets, thinking about the last few days that were, if you’d ask her, a huge mess.

She came back in Seoul only a few days ago, but she was already confused. Not because for the past few years she had lived in USA, but because everything that she was expecting to happen..well, didn’t happen at all. At 19 years old it was a big deal to move out of your parents house and live on your own, especially in a different country. However, she didn’t consider Korea a foreign country, since she was born there, and both her parents were also korean.

Her life had always been complicated, to say the least. She was born in Korea, but her parents had always wanted to live in USA, thus her father always applied to different jobs in the States. His passion for the States was also the reason for her american name, Samantha.Her first few years of life were wonderful because, unlike a lot of people, she had lots of memories. She remebers her best friend that she made before moving, the very first and only best friend. Her name was Hyoyeon, and she was a wonderful person. They were always togheder, making plans for the future, though it was silly since they were only 8. Everything was just the way it was supposed to be for a 8 year old girl, and for Samantha, it was pure heaven.

Her heaven, though, had vanished when her father finally got a job in the US, meaning they were going to move there for an undetemined period of time. From that point on, her life went down, because the states weren’t like in the movies (not that she watched movies about the US ), or like she hoped they would. It was cruel. Being a true korean, she didn’t know english, she didn’t look like most of the students, and to top it all off, she was also a little introvert, meaning she wasn’t the type of girl that would talk to everyone and make a bunch of friends on her very first day.

She truly hated that place, and always dreamed of home. She promised her parents, and herself, that she would return home as soon as she finished high school. She never allowed herself to forget her native language, nor her best friend, Hyoyeon. They kept in touch, talking every other day about everything that happened in their lives. You can imagine Samatha guickly found out about her best friend’s first boyfriend, when they were 15, and Hyoyeon was definitely there to support Samantha when her cat died. It was a huge distance between the two of them, but with every single day that passed, they knew the time for Samantha to go back home was nearing, and that was enough to give them strenght. Her parents never aproved their relationship, since they always told her she should make new friends, and live the moment.

Samantha exhaled, her hand gliding through her brown hair. She was here now. Bad things happened, but it didn’t really mattered anymore. She was home. It was just the way she thought it would be. The air seemed fresher, the sun seemed brighter, the wind felt warmer too.

It was a pity though, that Hyoyeon wasn’t there to keep her company. All that Samantha wanted at that moment was to see her best friend, hug her,  look at her and scream her lungs out because they were finally there, together, about to start the same college in a few months. Hyoyeon was on vacation with her parents somewhere in China, at some relatives, and she was only coming back in a few weeks. The sadest part was that Samantha’s birthday was in 6 days, and it seemed like she would spend it alone, since she didn’t really know anyone else except Hyoyeon.

Luckily, her apartment was near the center of the city, which meant that she had lots of nice places to visit and spend her time around. The weather was also nice, so the atmosphere didn’t seem so gloomy. She was one of those girls that were getting emotional and sad when the weather was bad.

She was sitting on a blue, nice shaped bench in a park that she didn’t really know the name of, but it was wonderful. It was around 4pm in the afternoon, so the tall lush trees were providing some shade for her. She was about to start a new book that she bought, thrilled because it has been ages since she read a korean book but suddenly-

Meow. Meooow

She turned her head around, trying to find the source of the sound. It sounded like a cat, but what would a cat do in such a crowded park? In the crowded LA, she wasn’t used to seeing animals walking around parks, so it was strange.

Blinking a few times, she tried to hear the sound again, but nothing, so she just continued her book but-

Meoooow

When she looked up, she was stunned by one of the most beautiful cats she has ever seen. She was a true cat lover, so any cat was beaituful for her, but this one was truly out of the ordinary with her big, green eyes and sharp shaped ears.She, or he, was not to big, nor to small, just fit, with a shiny light grey fur and dark grey stripes.  Her eager eyes were fixed on something situated right next to Samantha. Water.

The girl smiled softly, making soft sounds to make the little cat come closer without scaring her. She took the bottled water and poured some into the cap. The kitten made a light noise and immediately stared drinking.

-You must be really thirsty, aren’t you? She whispered softly while petting the little animal. Her fur was soft, but a bit dirty. She had a small brown collar around her neck, with her name written on it. Haru.

-So you have an owner, don’t you Haru?

The cat looked her in the eyes, purring softly as she climbed in her lap. Samantha’s smile only brightened at the action. It was weird though, seeing such a beautiful, groomed cat walk all alone in a crowded park.

Maybe she wasn’t going to be alone on her birthday after all.

It became a routine for Samantha to feed and play with the little cat every few hours. What? Of course she took her home with her, since it was clear that her owner wasn’t anywhere near when the girl found the little furry animal. She felt a little guilty for keeping a cat that was not hers, and that clearly had an owner, but since she didn’t know who lost her, the best ideea was to just take care of her. And it wasn’t as if she didn’t know how to take care of cats, since she even had one, that unfortunately died a few years ago due to a disease. It pained her to remember, because it was her only friend when she was in the States, but somehow the little Haru reminded Samantha of her old cat, so it was wonderful to be able to enjoy her playfulness and warmth.  She would climb in her lap at times and start purring softly, or rub her small head on her thigh, asking for attention, which Samantha gladly gave her.

Even though this took her mind off of things, she wasn’t one to be happy when she knew others weren’t. She tried to console herself with the idea that maybe the cat wasn’t lost, but thrown away, but it didn’t seem logical. She was in great shape, and the golden collar definitely screamed „money”, so why would someone throw Haru away when they definitely spent money and time taking care of her? That’s right, they wouldn’t. She was definitely lost.

It was stupid and worthless thinking about those things, Samantha told herself. She would give Haru back as soon as she would find out who lost her, she promised herself.

But she didn’t want to, and she was definitely not ready. She was feeling alone without Hyoyeon, so Haru was the warmth and safety that Samantha needed. Humans are so weird, she thought randomly one night, as she layed her head on the pillow. Why do humans get so easily attached to other beings? What was the process of starting to be dependent on someone, or something?

She didn’t want to let her go.But she would have to, right?

She wasn’t ready when the time finally came, though. It was 5 days after she found her, one more week until Hyoyeon came back and one more day until her birthday. Haru had gained some weight, but it wasn’t a big change, her figure still fit and lean.They grew acustomed to each other already, and without realizing it, Samantha forgot about her guilt and uncertainties.

She was watching TV with the cat sleeping next to her, ocasionally purring and changing her sleeping position, when the phone rang.

„Hello?”

„Samantha dear, we finally get to hear your voice again. These international calls are so expensive, for god’s sake. How are you feeling? Everything okay? Are you eating well? What about the neighbours?”

Samantha rolled her eyes as she heard all the questions being thrown at her. She understood that it was hard for her parents to let her live on her own with thousand of kilometers separating them, but that didn’t mean they had to be so god damn suffocating on the phone.

„Slow down, mom.”she laughed softly.”Everything is okay here, I’m eating well and the neighbours are also nice.”

It wasn’t really a lie, but the truth was she didn’t even know who her neighbours were, since she lived in a kinda small apartment building, and she didn’t really spend so much time out. She just assumed they were nice since she didn’t bump into any weird kid or grumpy old person.

„Well I’m glad to hear about that. Now tell me honestly, are you feeling lonely? Because we could always-„her mom stated with hope laced in her voice.

„Mom, stop. I’m not going to come back home, everything is fine.”

Samantha contemplated for a second if she should tell her parents about Haru. She was tempted to do so, since her relationship with her parents had always been a good one. On the other hand, her parents would probably tell her it was too early to get a cat when she just arrived back in Korea. Moreover, they would probably freak out when they would hear that it was a cat found on the streets. „She could have all kinds of diseases or even fleas!” they would say. So in the end she just told herself she would keep it a secret. For now at least.

„Anyway dear, we called you to tell you that we’ve send you a little birthday present. You should go to the nearest post office and lift it up, since it would take a lot longer for it to be delivered to you directly.”

The rest of the discution consisted of Samantha thanking them and all. She was the curious type, so she just thought that she would go there today and find out what it is, because her parents were a tease and didn’t want to tell her what it was.

She dressed up quickly, in some casual clothes and figured that she should buy a little toy for Haru. She promised her little cat that she would come back soon.

It turned out she wouldn’t need to buy a toy for Haru, because as soon as she arrived at the post office, the first thing she saw on the door was a photo of..the cat herself. The picture was in black and white, but any doubts soon vanished when the girl quietly read the information printed below the picture.

                                                              LOST: AMERICAN SHORTHAIR CAT

Lost at aproximately  2 PM on the 4th of June around the Gangnam District. She answers to the name of Haru (also written on her collar). Please don’t hesitate to call of you’ve seen or found her. I will be sure to reward you.

Under the text  were a few contact details such as phone and e-mail. She didn’t know how many times she read the announcement, but she felt as if time had stopped. Never did she think that she would feel so down when the time to return her would occur. After all, she should be happy that Haru will be back to her owner soon, right? Haru wasn’t her cat.

She stood there, looking at the picture, then at the phone number. Again at the picture, again the phone number. Picture. Phone number.

She needed to do this, it wouldn’t be right to just ignore it. No, she just couldn’t live with the thought of someone missing his or her animal. She went through the same thing when her cat died, and it wasn’t a pretty feeling at all. She would never want someone to feel the same thing. Like ever.

She took her phone from out from her pocket, and rapidly typed the phone number, saving it as Owner.

She was so out of it that she didn’t even go inside the post office to pick up the package. Forgeting everything about it, she went back home, telling herself she would call the same night and talk to Haru’s owner, even though that would mean the end of her time with the little kitten and the begining of a lonely week. She had to do that. That was right. She wasn’t one to be selfish.

Fidgeting with the phone in her hands, she replayed what she nedeed to say in her head.Somehow, she always felt weird speaking on the phone, especially when she didn’t even know the person. She didn’t know what to expect, and she also didn’t even want to talk to that person, since she or he was the reason for Haru leaving her. So, the nervousness she felt couldn’t even be described, no matter how much she tried.

 Meoooow

Haru rubbed her head on her thigh, purring for attention, but instead of making the girl feel better, it only made her heart sank even more.

That was it. She pressed the green button, waiting for an answer.

It ringed once. Twice. Three times. After the fourt time she was almost determined to end the call when-

„Yeah?”

Samantha froze for a few seconds, not knowing what do to. In her imagination there was no question that Haru’s owner was a woman, probably over the age of 30. There wasn’t any particular reason for her to think that, it was just..the way she saw things.

But right now, hearing a man asking if she was still on the phone, she felt a little..well a lot more nervous than before.Clearing , she remebered what she needed to say. She rehearsed everything a lot of times, right?

„Yeah, uhm. Hi.” Cold. Weird.

„Hi.” He said, probably just a little less cold than her. But still cold.

Could this conversation get any weirder?

The man quickly added something after seeing that the girl was quiet, but Samantha didn’t quite catch it.

He exhaled, almost as if this conversation was tiring him.

„I said, if you are another one of those that want to go out with me, it won’t work, I’m sorry.”

Samantha widened her eyes, not understanding a single word. Why did he say such thing? Why did he sound so apologetic? Did she have the right number? Or was it just a stupid joke?

„What? No, no..I, uhm, I actually found your cat.”

Silence.

She prayed for the guy to say that he didn’t lost any cat, but again, her wished were in vain, because after a few seconds he gasped loudly.

„R-really?”he said so loud that she had to take her phone away from her ear. Happiness was obvious in his voice, so it actually made the girl feel a little better. She was doing the right thing, and deep inside she felt it.

„I almost thought that I wouldn’t see her again. God, thanks.”he breathed out, forcing Samantha to forget about his first remark.

„Yeah, welcome.”she said awkwardly, clearing for the nth time in those 5 minutes. „S-so how am I going to give her to you?”

 Let’s just get this over with, she thought.

„Anywhere is fine, really. Just tell me a place and I’ll be there.”

„I don’t really know any places here. I just moved in Seoul.”

„Oh, so you are a foreigner? You korean sounds really good. Natural almost.”he said, curiousness in his voice.

„No, I’m not a foreigner.”she said coldly. That small, innocent remark got to her nerves, and even though she knew it wasn’t the guy’s fault, she couldn’t help but be a little angry.

She heard him clear his throat.

„Ok then.”

Silence.

In the end she just figured it would be a good idea to just met him in the same park where she found little Haru.  She knew that place well, and she figured it would give her some kind of closure, thinking that she would return the cat in the same place in which she found her. Maybe it didn’t make sense to others, but it made perfect sense to her.

After telling him the exact place, she hung up without any other kind of formalities, since she thought it was useless. She felt weird, as if her hapiness was counted by the tiny clock on the windowsill. In less than 24 hours she would have to give Haru back, which felt extremely wrong. She was one in constant need of affection. Without people or animals around her she felt alone and without any kind of purpose.

She shook her head. She was acting childishly, as if a week alone would kill her. She was 19, for god sake, she was able to live on her own, she was able to deal with an empty apartment and she was definitely able to wait another 7 damn days until Hyoyeon came back from her trip. She needed to be able to do all those, because that was what a mature person needed to do, right?

Telling herself that while making some tea, she called Haru a few times, deciding to make the best out of these less than 24 hours left.