Pets are probably the greatest thing in the world... at least for my girlfriend. I never really wanted to have a pet so bad. Don't get me wrong, they're all cute and most of them are such fluff balls that I want to squeeze them. Pets here are usually bought, not adopted. There's not a lot of pets that get abandoned, especially since of course people buy them from the start. Why would you waste your money by just buying and leaving your pet elsewhere?

My girlfriend loves fluffy dogs. For some reason, she likes black poodles. I can say they're pretty cute when they're young. Another thing about having pets is that you have to take care of them. They are another responsibility. Taking care of one is pretty much like taking care of a baby. You have to pick up their poop, change their puppy pads, clean up their mess, feed them, give them water, give them lots of attention, play with them, and all kinds of stuff. You also have to pay for medical, dental, and supplies that the pet needs.

My girlfriend has been in the dumps lately in all honesty. She has depression... not diagnosed but it's pretty obvious that she does. I've tried bringing it up to her that she needs to get seen by the doctor but she refuses to, especially with her past visit to the doctor. She told me that they didn't help her at all.

"It just seems like they gave me a pat on the back and told me to move on. They didn't even really want to listen. They didn't give me any medications either. Do they not believe that someone just couldn't be happy at all even though they're trying their best to do so?" she once told me after a visit with a psychiatrist, "what is the point of their job? I don't even think they should be licensed."

If we do end up settling together at some point after college, I'm definitely going to fly her back with me to the US so she could get seen there by people who actually want to listen. I figured there's more psychiatrists in the US who are serious about their job compared to people here in South Korea. But for now, I could do nothing but be a shoulder to her and be an ear for her thoughts and feelings. I'm not going to lie, I did not know what I was getting myself into, but my deepest concern for her overcomes the struggles I face dealing with her worst enemy.

Is it a burden to deal with someone who has depression? I'm not going to lie. It actually is hard. I can't help but worry about her well-being everyday. Sometimes I have to motivate her to get up to go to school. Sometimes it's confusing whether she's just being lazy or if it's the depressive side of her that turns her into one. I, for one, do not have depression so I don't really understand the struggles ones with the sickness face everyday. Since I care so much about her, I stay around for her, even with the bad. I'm just hoping she knows that I am not going anywhere and that I would fight the darkness with her even when it's challenging to do so. I really hope she knows that I care about her and that there are other people that do as well. But knowing a little bit about depression from my experience with her, it's actually her own battle to face and we, from the outside, could only do so much.

My girlfriend and I live in the same dorm room together. That's actually how we met. She seemed pretty quiet although she had moments where she's actually in a cheery mood. She usually always studies whenever she's free. Well, I couldn't blame her since she's trying to major in criminal justice. I major in business administration but I do take some time to have fun while I'm in college, sacrificing some sleep time. She, on the other hand, loves sleep. The first time we really ever did have a good conversation was about 6 months later after rooming with each other. I felt bad because she didn't seem like she goes out at all. Everybody needed some time of fun.

"I never really got your name. What was it again?" I asked her, interrupting her study time.

My roommate looked up at me, pushing her glasses up, and replies, "my name is Taeyeon. Your name is Jessica, right?"

"You're right," I nodded, "not to intrude but do you actually go out? I've always seen you here in the dorm studying or sleeping."

"I don't really have a lot of friends around here. All of them went to other colleges, pursuing the degree they want to be in. I'm the only one who chose to pursue such a degree in law."

"Law school? Damn, that must be hard for you isn't it? No wonder you study so extensively."

"Yeah," she chuckled, "anyway, what about you? What degree are you taking?"

"I'm getting into the business degree. I wanted to own and open a clothing shop."

"That's a lot of schooling for you then. Wouldn't you need to get some kind of art degree for fashion as well?"

"I'm getting a bachelor's for it as soon as I finish my business admin. Having a better degree in business administration is more important because if I'm not as successful opening my own shop, I could try applying for a position elsewhere."

"You must be rich."

"Not as rich as you think I would be," I chuckled then offered, "anyway, come on, let's get some coffee and cake somewhere."

Ever since then we talked and hung out a lot, especially in the room since we're roommates. We both grew a bond together, a beautiful friendship. It started out nicely until I started noticing her even more. I couldn't explain when it exactly happened but time after time passed by and I knew I liked her more than being just friends.

Taeyeon would go out of the bathroom, hair wet, body wrapped up in nothing but a towel. We were comfortable with each other just like that. I would notice little details like the beads of water upon her shoulder, her milky white skin. Her lips would be cherry red and her cheeks would be a bit pink, more than likely because of the hot water and steam from the bathroom. I would usually lock eyes with her and give me a bit of a smile before proceeding to put her clothes on. I try to look away everytime but she's just too mesmerizing. Am I a ert?

Whenever I would go out of the bathroom, I would usually see the back of her head. Of course, why would she stare at me. That's just creepy? But I have no say about that either because my eyes are glued to her whenever she comes out of the bathroom after showering.

"Have you had any other female roommates?" I decided to ask her as I dried myself off, "or more like, have you seen any other girl before?"

Taeyeon didn't respond for a minute. The room was quiet and I heard her gulp down some air.

"You're the first roommate I've ever had in my entire life," she responded.

"You're not uncomfortable with me walking around in here?"

"What kind of question is that?" she turned her head towards me and her face slowly turned beet red.

I didn't realize that I was .

"Put some clothes on!" she yelled and turned her head away from me.

I quickly covered myself with my bath towel.

"I'm guessing you're not comfortable seeing a woman around," I nervously chuckled.

"I-I'm sorry I reacted that way," she bowed a couple of times, still turned away from me.

"It's not your fault. I just didn't realize that I was . I'm sorry."

"I just haven't seen a person before..."

"Not in your entire life?"

She shook her head.

"Not even my mother," she replied.

"So you haven't done it yet, have you?"

"Done what?"

By this time, I was fully dried off and clothed. I told her that she could face me and she responded by slowly turning towards me. Her face was still a bit flushed.

"You know... ?"

"I haven't really given it much thought."

"Are you curious about it?"

"What are you trying to imply?"

Is that an invitation?

"Would you mind if... you try it with me?"

"I-Is that even p-possible?"

It was pretty obvious that she was really nervous with how things are going. Obviously, the girl didn't have any experience at all and obviously she hasn't had a relationship before. I might just take advantage of this if she's fine with it.

I slowly walked towards her and put both my hands on her chair's arm supporters. She didn't want to look towards me and her face was back to being beet red. I took my right hand off and held her chin, slowly tilting her head to face me.

"Just say 'no' if you don't want to," I whispered in her ear.

I heard her gulp hard. She was trembling. I looked at her eye-to-eye until she closed both her eyes. Her lips were cherry red as usual. They were so kissable. But instead of going all the way with her, I kissed her forehead and pecked her lips.

"Let's do it when you're ready. But for now, let's go on dates, shall we?"

Taeyeon let out a huge sigh of relief. She smiled cheekily and nodded at my offer. That was how we started dating.

Little did I know that Taeyeon had more things going on with her. I should have known beforehand but didn't really give it much thought. She had demons that she had been battling for a while now but she's strong for living on in this forsaken world. I could just do so much but I know there are other things that could cheer her up as well. I might just get jealous if it gets more attention than I do.

Taeyeon and I were walking around the mall. They had a pet store inside. She would always want to come by and see them whenever we went on dates to the mall. She also gave a big interest on a certain type of dog compared to the other ones on display.

"You seem to like black poodles a lot."

"You're right," she gave a little nod as she watched and played with the little black poodle from the glass barrier.

"Is there a reason why?"

"I don't really know. I just happen to like them. Sometimes, you don't need a reason to like something. You just get mesmerized by them and fall in love with them without noticing it."

"Seems like you're saying this from experience," I giggled.

"That's pretty much how I like you, Jessica," she turned to me and smiled, "don't think of it as a bad thing either."

In all honesty, I have been working part-time and saving up money to get her the perfect present. Valentine's Day is coming around soon enough but I couldn't wait for it. She needs it more than anything and we could just have a nice time at the balcony during that day. It's not like we wanted to go anywhere on a really cold day anyway.

I went to the store after getting another paycheck from my job. I've earned plenty enough to buy out a black poodle from a pet store. Luckily, the store we usually go to never runs out of black poodles. So, I called in to make sure, made my way to the store, and got the little black poodle puppy. I bought him a cute bow and some other supplies he needed. It cost me a lot overall, more than I thought I would ever spend. Thankfully I have some pocket money with me to help with the expenses.

Slowly, I walked towards the dorm room and opened the door to see my little girlfriend sleeping peacefully with her textbook on her tummy. She was all sprawled out on her bed. I quietly closed the door behind me and took out the puppy from the box slowly. I tip-toed towards Taeyeon and carefully placed the little pup by her side. Immediately, the little black poodle puppy went over to Taeyeon's face and her all over. Taeyeon slowly woke up with a confused look for a second until she saw the little black poodle in front of her. She jolted up from her bed and cuddled it.

"Oh my god, you're so precious!" she squirmed and continued to play with the puppy.

"Surprise!"

Taeyeon looked up at me, her eyes beaming with joy.

"What's the occasion? Valentine's Day isn't until weeks from now."

"You don't need an occasion to surprise your girlfriend, Taeyeon."

"I owe you a lot for this."

"It's a present. You don't need to owe something to someone for giving you a present."

"But he's beautiful!" Taeyeon referred to the black poodle pup.

"So, what are you going to name him?"

"Ginger!"

"Ginger? Isn't that a girl's name?"

"But I want to name him Ginger," she pouted.

"Fine, fine, you can name him whatever you want to name him."

"Ginger, Ginger!" Taeyeon kept repeating as she playfully raised the black poodle pup up and down with her hands. Then, she paused for a moment and asked, "how are we going to keep him?"

"We can both share the pet fee?"

"They allow dogs here?"

"You didn't know?"

"You're the best!!!" she squirmed and play with Ginger some more.

I gave the both of them some space to get to know each other by going back to my side of the room. From behind the wall, I could hear Taeyeon's joy filling up the whole room. I never have actually seen her be that joyful. I don't even think she's been that happy around me. Well, I guess at least I'm not in a competition with another human being. I'm just glad to see that smile on her face. I know she needed it.

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A/N: I'm really excited for Valentine's Day although the plan I had originally was turned away. It could've been really romantic but I guess it's best to save that when we do reach a milestone together and get past through all the challenges we are still facing as a married couple. Yup, I have a wife. What is everyone doing for February 14th???