"Ok. I got it dad. Yes, I know. I'm feeling better now don't worry. Yes. Ok, love you too. Bye" I hung up after receiving a lecture from my dad. I have been home for too long, I have prolonged my job hunting for too long. I promised my dad I would look for a job these past few days, but instead I have been staying at home looking after Chewy. I just can't leave her alone; I don't know how she will be when I'm gone. She doesn't eat properly, she doesn't know how to use the TV, she doesn't know where her medicines are. I could go on; my mind went wild thinking of endless possibilities of how the poor girl can harm herself. But I need to do this, I need to look for a job or else I wouldn't be able to earn money which means I wouldn't be able to provide for Chewy or worse.... my dad could find out about her. Knowing the way my dad is, my mind didn't react positively at how he could possibly react if he finds out that I have been spending time and money on a poor, homeless girl and that she was living in the house. The house that he bought for me, that house he spent so much money on just so I could live closer to my dream school. I can still remember some of the rules he set for me staying in the house.

"You can bring girls over but not longer than one night. If you're going to bring your guy squad over make sure they don't touch any of the expensive stuff and that they keep the place clean" Yeah, Chewy has been staying here for way more than one night and my friends? Yeah, that ain't happening after half of them left the country to work. I stepped out of my room after getting dressed in my business suit: a white polo shirt coupled with some black slacks and a black necktie. I decided not to wear my coat today since I didn't really need it and it was hot. I descended the stairs and arrived at the living room to find Chewy sitting on the couch. I gave her my white tank top since it was hot and let her wear her pair of shorts that she wore when I first found her on the streets while the shirt was still drying up after I washed it.

I watched how she hugged the couch pillow around her slim arms and pressed against her torso. Her big, bulbous eyes wandered around the house, gleaming with curiosity as she examined the surroundings, possibly trying to adjust to the urban environment. She probably hasn't gotten the chance to do so considering how stressful these past days have been. Chewy got up early today as I found her searching the fridge for food when I came down to make breakfast. She ate her first proper meal which was a bowl of cereal without any technical difficulties. Could this be a sign that she was growing more comfortable to the house? Does this mean that she's starting to find a home in this place? Somehow my heart didn't react positively as I don't know how long she's staying here. I was afraid of growing attached to this girl as it'll probably hurt me when she leaves, but is it too late?

I walked over to the couch and sat beside her, leaving a few inches of space in between. I pulled out my phone from my pocket to check on the messages I had sent to a certain someone. Someone I begged to come over and do me a huge favor. I browsed through the messages, slightly feeling sorry that said person has no idea what I'm going to ask him to do.

'Where you at?' I typed. Suddenly, I felt a familiar weight leaning on my left arm and a familiar warmth engulfing my body before noticing that the space I had left earlier was now gone. I turned my head to find Chewy's just a few inches from mine, her sharp jaw pressing against my shoulder and her round eyes fixated on the screen.

"Chewy-ah" I whined as I tried to shove her away. She didn't budge, only leaning her tall-slim body against mine trying to read my text messages.

"Chewy no. It's private" I said as I moved the phone away from her.

"Go watch TV or something" I said. She finally gave up and leaned back on the couch releasing a cute pout in the process. Before I had time to chuckle, I felt my phone vibrate.

'Nearly there. What's up anyway?'

'I'll tell you when you get here' I sent before shoving the phone back into my pocket. I turned to face Chewy to find her still sulking. I'd try to win her over but I didn't have time for that today.

"Ok Chewy-ah. I'm going out for a while, I'm going to look for a job. But don't worry I'll be back right away. I'll be calling someone over to watch over you for a while, is that okay with you?" I asked even though I knew she didn't have a choice. She turned her head to face me, eyes growing big and face looking flustered as if she didn't know what to say.

"He's really nice I promise. Plus, he knows how to cook, way better than I can. I won't be long I won't I promise" I tried my best to convince her. I didn't want to leave as well, but I needed to do this for the greater good. As Chewy opened to say something, the doorbell rang as if it didn't want me to hear whatever she was about to say making me even more curious. Was it something important? Was it something too big that it had to be interrupted? Was it something that I really needed to know? Whatever it was it looks like I won't be able to know anytime soon as the doorbell impatiently rang once again sending me off the couch and storming towards the front door. Patience quickly running out just as much as the person from the other end of the door's was. I harshly grabbed the door handle, nearly pulling it off its hinges and twisted it like snapping some poor bastard's neck. There could only be one person who would so rudely ring my doorbell twice in a short amount of time, only one person that knows how to push my buttons and grind my gears in all the wrong ways.

"G'day mate!" he greeted me with that aussie accent of his. Eyes curling up to form a smile that replicated the one on his lips. I cringed to see that he was all dressed up in a black cotton jacket with a white polo shirt inside, black skinny jeans, boots, and a white scarf around his neck.

"Did you think I was bringing you over for a party or something?" I sassed as I examined his overly dressed get up.

"No" he smiled and let himself in, not even bothering to wait for me to move out of the way. Instead, using his slim figure to pass through gap between my right shoulder and the doorway.

"Don't expect anything good here today" I said as I turned around and closed the door behind me. Felix made his way across the room and stopped in his tracks as he arrived in the living room.

"Oh when it's you, Jun. It's never good. It's better" he said as he stared at the beauty who didn't seem to acknowledge his presence. I immediately felt my inside swerve, as if a trigger was pulled inside of my guts. I found my feet dragging me towards the living room and before I knew it, I was next to my annoying cousin.

"Is this what you had me come over for?" He asked, not once breaking eye contact with Chewy. I felt my heart beat race, blood rushing to my head and my chest constricting itself, blocking the airways yet my breathing somehow intensified. I didn't want to answer because he was right and I seldom wanted to admit it when he's right and I didn't like the way he acted around her.

"Uhm..." I wanted to cuss, I wanted to curse but instead I let out a stupid sounding response.

"Don't worry, man. I'll take care of her. I'll do it for the whole day, no charge" he said as he placed his hand on my shoulder. I felt the heat from his palm enter my body and circulate across my system, intensifying the hatred that I was feeling at that moment.

"You won't be 'taking care' of her the whole day. You'll only be watching over her while I'm gone" I said causing his face to gloom down a little. But nevertheless it still had that bubbly look that annoyed me so much.

"And there will be rules that you're going to have to follow" I said.

"So I AM looking after her oh my!" Felix said as he seemingly celebrated in his place. Why was he so damn happy? I thought he was busy with his store and everything.

"Come here" I said as I pulled him by the ear. I dragged him towards the kitchen, ignoring his squeals and pleas in the process as I was focused on getting him to the kitchen.

"Ow! Why so rough?" He groaned as I release his ear.

"Here are the rules that I have set for me and her and therefore it applies to you as well" I said and handed him a piece of paper with everything written down. Felix grabbed the paper and fixated his eyes on it, eyes roaming the paper back and forth at a fast pace making me wander if he was really reading the rules or just looking at the words carelessly.

"That's not all. I also have a bunch of other rules made specifically for you" I said,

"Oh what?" he replied.

"First of all, you can only serve her the food that I prepared for her. It's all in the fridge, if she's hungry just take it out and heat it in the microwave. She has a sensitive stomach and she can't eat just anything, got it?" I said as I pointed my finger towards Felix causing him to raise his eyebrows up and down before looking back at the paper.

"Second, you CAN'T bring anyone over. You know that, Felix" I said sternly.

"Of course. I know you don't like anyone coming over to your house unless you've known them for at least 5 years" Felix said in a highly suggestive tone and giving me a highly suggestive look while raising his eyebrows so high that I swear it was going to fly off of his face. I didn't need to be told twice to know what he was talking about. I immediately flustered, feeling my heart stop and my breath leaving me. I didn't know how to respond to that.

"Anyways, any more rules?" Felix said snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah, you can't sleep in my room" I said.

"Awww. Why? I was hoping to snuggle in your bed tonight. It's really comfy" he said.

"Because Chewy sleeps there" I said. Immediately, Felix's eyes widened at what I said. Mouth slowly opening as his eyes grew bigger. Again, I immediately knew what he was thinking.

"D-Does that mean-"

"I sleep in another room ok" I said before averting my gaze from him. Technically I was right, but he wasn't wrong either.

"Oh s-so you don't-" Felix continued.

"I don't have time for this! You know the rules already you have the paper!" I said as I stormed out of the kitchen not because I was in a rush to leave but because I couldn't stand the thoughts that Felix was putting into my head. I walked to the living room with Felix following behind, my mind slightly calming down at the sight of Chewy who was now lying down on the couch, still gripping tightly to the pillow she was hugging earlier. She was lying on her side, curled up into a ball forming a very awkward position and angle from where I was standing. I had a perfect view of her...

"Chewy, wake up" I called her even though she wasn't sleeping. I slightly cringed at how she can be so careless sometimes.

"Chewy this is Felix, he's my cousin. He'll be watching over you while I'm gone" I said. Felix flashed her his best smile but Chewy eyed him like he was a foreign specimen.

"I already told him everything he needs to know so don't worry he won't be messing the place up. I won't be gone for long but I hope the two of you can grow comfortable with each other. But not too comfortable" I said receiving no words from the two. Only weird awkward looks.

"Ok Felix, I trust you can handle it from here?" I said breaking the silence.

"Don't worry about me" he said. I nodded and grabbed my bag and walked towards the door. I placed my hand on the cold doorknob before looking back at the two people who were staring at me. I twisted the doorknob and exited the house. Looking back before closing the door, looking at Chewy's eyes before the gap between the door completely shut itself.

Buzzing cars, cold sweat, terrible 80's radio music, it had only been 10 minutes since I left and I already want to go back to Chewy. I wander how she is doing with Felix? I hope they are okay. Were they following the rules? Is Chewy feeling any better? Is Felix really looking after her? What must he be doing now? I felt very uneasy despite the atmosphere around me being calm and not out of the ordinary. The cab driver seemed to notice me through his rearview mirror and asked me if I was feeling alright, to which of course I replied "Yes". The only thing that bothered me right now are my thoughts. My thoughts of doubt, endless worrying that never ceased as the cab rolled on its wheels. I realized that I could not afford to go to an interview with this kind of mental state so I decided to give Felix a call. I grabbed my phone from my pocket and browsed through my contacts to find Felix's number. I dialed it up and pressed the phone against my ear, hearing nothing but the ringing tone and no response.

*ringg*

*ringg*

Nothing.

*ringg*

*ringg*

Why wasn't he picking up?

*ringg-* "The caller cannot be reached. Please try your call later" A monotone, automated voice greeted me.

Dammit, he wasn't answering. He always had his phone in his pocket but why wasn't he picking up? What could he possibly be doing that hindered him from answering my call? I saw him bring his phone out earlier in the house. Not willing to give up, I dialed his number up once again.

*ringg*

*ringg*

*ring-* "Yoboseyo* A deep husky voice answered the phone.

"Felix! I've been trying to call you, why haven't you been picking up?" My worried state caused me to ask impatiently.

"Uhm- everything's fine you don't have to worry" Felix said, voice obviously trying hard to sound convincing but was failing miserably. Just then, I heard a voice echoing off the background, a choked cough resonating off the background and it definitely wasn't Felix.

"What was that?" I asked worriedly. Lifting myself up on my seat to sit and leaning forward.

"Ughh... n-nothing that was me hehe" Felix said followed by another cough resonating from the background. Felix followed suit, replicating the cough and timing it with whoever else it came from in a desperate attempt to cover up whatever what was transpiring in my home at that very moment. I know for a fact that wasn't him, the voice sounded too high to be his voice, it sounded like a female's, like Chewy's.

"What's going on there?" I asked. My heart thumped at the thought that something bad could be happening to Chewy at this very moment. Why was she coughing? Why did she sound so choked? Was it even her?

"Sorry what?" Felix faked a tone.

"You heard me. What's going on there? Is Chewy okay?" I sternly asked, demanding an immediate answer.

"I can't hear you bro, signal is very weak here." Felix bluffed. He was obviously playing the weak signal trick right here as he probably can't think of an explanation to tell me right now. My blood boiled at the possibility that Felix could be responsible for causing Chewy harm.

"Hello?... Jun, hello-" and just like that, the reception was cut off, obviously Felix hanging up the phone.

"Hello? Felix, hello?" I futilishly called out despite knowing that the reception was cut off.

"Sir, we're here" The middle aged cab driver informed me. I turned my head to see that I had already arrived at the clinic. I snickered at the fact that I had already arrived at my destination, because I wasn't done with my cousin. I needed to know what was happening, I needed to know if Chewy was ok. Any further attempts to get in contact with my cousin would not prevail at this moment as the driver demanded his money. I gave him his pay and rushed out of the cab, unintentionally slamming the door behind me as I approached the big-modern structure. It was a huge, multistory building that looked like it was entirely made of glass, the height of which I cannot determine since the floors seemed to go on forever.

I entered through the front doors and was greeted by a bustling wave of people, all busy with their schedules and such. I dragged my way across the busy crowd and made my way towards the reception desk.

"I'm here for a job interview" I told the female receptionist.

"Make your way to the 5th floor and just go straight. You can use the elevator over there" the receptionist said and directed me towards the nearest elevator. I thanked the young lady and made my way towards the silver shining doors. I pressed the up button and waited for the elevator to arrive. I noticed how luxurious and well maintained the place was. The elevator doors were shiny and produced a nearly perfect reflection, the walls were so white that I couldn't spot a single gray area on the white cement. The elevator arrived and opened up, revealing no one inside. I made my way and pressed the '5' button, leaning back as I let the doors close in front of me. It was dead silent inside the elevator, allowing my thoughts to evade me once again. I remembered how the cough sounded through the phone and how Felix tried his best to cover it up. It scared me, why would he have to cover it up and was it really her that made such noise? It can't be anyone else as they were the only two people left at home. I was thinking too hard that I didn't even notice the elevator doors opening at the 5th floor.

I exited the elevator, looking straight towards my direction and saw an office at the end of the short hallway. I walked towards the office, stopping in front of the transparent doors. I grabbed the cold, metal handle bars and made my way inside. It was very cold and the smell of minty air fresheners and antiseptic entered my nostrils. I turned to the right to see a small reception table and a middle aged woman situated behind it, probably the secretary.

"Oh you must be here for the interview" the woman brightly smiled at me.

"Yes I am" I politely replied.

"Mr. Hong is inside his office over there. Don't forget to knock on the door before you go in" The woman said as she directed me towards a white porcelain door on the left. I thanked the woman and made my way towards the door. I knocked, hearing a voice from the inside telling me to come in. I made my way inside and was greeted by a sharply dressed man in his 60's sitting on a large desk.

"Please take a seat" he said, I walked over to the desk and took my seat on the black-cushioned seat on opposite side of the large table and handed my resume over.

"So please introduce yourself" the man said as he opened the folder. I sat nervously as many thoughts ran into my head at the same time, causing my breathing to intensify and my sweat glands go to work before I could even say something.

"My name is Lee Sangjoon, but people call me Jun. I studied medicine in Seoul university for 5 years and my father is a successful doctor" I said.

"Mhmm. So why are you applying for this job?" Mr. Hong asked.

"Well I want to be a doctor one day. But like my father said, in order to get there, I need to start at the bottom" I replied, I flustered a bit after feeling my head spin for a moment.

"Well, your resume is very decent. I see that you did very well in school and that you really studied hard. Do you have any medical or health conditions?" Mr. Hong asked me.

"None that I know of" I replied.

"Well, you seem to be in decent health and you're clearly a smart person. I think I can use a guy like you" Mr. Hong said.

"Really? So does that mean I'm accepted?" I giddily said, feeling my heart race in excitement and anticipation.

"You sure are. But don't celebrate yet I'm still going to brief you on your job" Mr. Hong said.

"Oh my! Ok, sorry. Thank you so much Mr. Hong." I said nearly jumping in excitement but controlled myself.

"Ok so here's what you will need to know. First you will have to come early, maybe around 6:00 am. You will take the mor-" and just like that I was hit by an excruciating headache. It felt as if I was hit by a heavy force at the back of my head. My head throbbed violently, blurring my vision and Mr. Hong's voice. I could no longer hear what he was saying, only muffled speaking. My surroundings slowly forming into blurry circles. I pressed against my temple with my right hand, trying to ease the pain to no avail. The next thing I felt was the force of gravity pulling me sideward and sending me crashing towards the ground before losing all my sense of consciousness

I regained consciousness, feeling soft covers engulfing my body. I struggled to open my eyes but as soon as I did, I was greeted by a white porcelain looking ceiling. I stared at the ceiling, trying desperately to make my eyes adjust to the environment. I lifted my head only to get hit by a wave of drowsiness. My head spun rapidly not allowing me to get up from my spot. I felt my throat swell up and my insides trying to force themselves out through my mouth. I felt like throwing up right there but then a woman in a white uniform came to me.

"Take it easy, sir. You're still not well" she said as she held me by the arms. I struggled to make out her face as my vision was still blurry.

"What happened? Where am I?" I asked as I relaxed myself on the soft bed after several futile attempts of getting up.

"You passed out on your interview. The doctors could not exactly determine the cause of the incident but they believe it might be caused by extreme fatigue or overwhelming stress." the woman said. As soon as I felt that I could, I propped myself up on my arms and lifted myself off the bed, finally taking notice of my surroundings. White walls, medical tools, a nurse, the smell of ammonium, I was in a hospital, probably the one on the ground floor.

"Unfortunately, you weren't able to get the job. Mr. Hong told me to inform you as soon as you awoke" the nurse informed with a regretful expression on her face. I furrowed my eyebrows and groaned at the realization that I wasn't accepted for the job. But...

"Mr. Hong?" I asked.

"Yes, the man you conducted your interview" the nurse informed with a confused tone in her voice. I decided to shrug it off and stood up on my feet. I lifted my hand to fix my collar, only to realize that my tie was missing.

"Here's your tie sir. We had to loosen up your shirt in order to make sure you could breath." the young nurse said as she handed me my black necktie. I found my bag lying next to my bed and grabbed it. I approached the door and grabbed the handle to open it, finding myself in the cold hallway of the building. I noticed that there were less people around before checking my watch to see what time it was: 11:00 pm.

"You were out for the whole day" the nurse said from behind me, surprising me in the process. I turned to see her as she walked past my side, her youthful face giving me a bright smile before walking away and returning to her duties. I lifted up my bag and walked towards the exit, finding myself in the cold dark streets. It was that time of the night, where there weren't many cars and transportation around. I decided to give Felix a call so he can give me a ride.

*ring*

*ring*

*ring*

Dammit pickup...

*ring*

*ring*

*ri-* "Caller out of reach" the same monotone voice greeted me again.

I sighed in frustration, walking to the pavement and waiting for my ride to come. If there will be one...

Later...

*creeek* The door hinged open as I used what little of my strength I had left to open it. I dragged myself inside and shut the door behind me, not even bothering to look back. I found myself in the dark living room of my house. The lights were off and everything was neat and tidy making me question the whereabouts of my two companions. It was never this neat without me around, it almost looked as if everything was cleaned on purpose. I slowly walked to the stairs, dragging my feet behind me before staring at the mountain of the steps that greeted me. I took one step, each feeling like a mountain and ascended the stairs. As soon as I arrived at the second floor, I was already out of breath. I gasped, trying to restore my breathing and messily losened up my necktie with my free hand. I walked towards my room, my actual room, necktie lazily hanging from my neck. I needed to check on Chewy before I went to sleep. I found myself at the wooden door of my original room, twisting the handle and opening it gently not wanting to wake her up.

It was dark, the lights were off, even the TV. The only thing that was on was the lamp beside my bed. I squinted my eyes, trying to adjust to the bright light that shone in the darkness and noticed something just beside of it. I tilted my head to the left trying to make it out before finding a pile of jet black lazily spread across the white pillow. Felix? What was he doing here? Where was Chewy? I walked inside, never breaking my eye contact with the sleeping man. He had his arm wrapped around something, something long and dark, it wasn't a pillow. My eyes immediately widened at the sudden realization that he was hugging a person, the only other person that lived in this house.

"Felix!"

"Felix, wake up you !"

What was Felix doing? And why was Jun so upset about it?

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