Barney was sick again.

He didn’t sleep, he didn’t eat and he barely drank. Every time I was near him, he gazed at me with his mesmerizing toffee-brown eyes but his orbs were so lifeless that I couldn’t help but wonder what had I done to deserve such behaviour. I didn’t remember that I had committed anything against him. I always gave him enough food and water, took care of his shiny fur and every single day, I even took him for a walk. What could be the matter then?

Oh yes, if I failed to mention, Barney was my fluffy little dog – a 3-years-old golden retriever. He had been my constant companion for 3 years now, small wonder why he meant so much to me. Whether I was single, whether I wasn’t, he was always there to cheer me up.

Yet, he was sick again. I had already taken him to the vet 3 times but he relapsed. They said that it was normal at his age because he eventually became older and was more exposed to illnesses. Despite the fact that I had tried my best to help him get through this state, he didn’t get any better. My poor little dog…

„What should I do?” I murmured frantically as I patted Barney’s head. He looked at me with his cute puppy eyes and whimpered a little. I let out a small albeit tired sigh. I must have been such a terrible owner.

„Maybe I should bring you to a different vet. What do you think about that, Barney?” I forced a smile to make him believe that I actually felt more at ease than I looked like. However, I was absolutely terrible at acting and he also knew that. Dogs were man’s best friends after all.

After giving it some thought, I realised that it would be the best if I really took him to a different expert. But who? The question hit me like a tornado. I didn’t know anyone apart from Mr. Oh who was actually excellent at his field but he never had a single pet, so he couldn’t really understand their emotions. Not like I was the Dog Whisperer or something but I had learned maybe a thing or two since I got Barney.

In the end, help came when I least expected it. I was actually taking Barney for a walk – or to be precise, I literally dragged him out of the flat since he didn’t want to move an inch. It was a brand new symptom, he did his best to move as little as possible and it was seriously getting on my nerves. What was wrong with him?

„Hey,” Jungkook - my neighbour - cheer