“Bet you can’t walk over and pet that great dane,” Sooyoung says, flashing Yeri a malicious smirk. They’re trailing arm in arm along a leaf-littered sidewalk in the outskirts of a dog park. The autumn air is cool, tickling their noses with the crisp scent of dry air, wood rot, and earth. Their breath trails out in front of them and Sooyoung’s border collie, Gunner, strains against his leash, attempting to pull them in the direction of the massive dog.

“I’m not afraid of dogs anymore,” Yeri frowns, tugging on her scarf with her free hand. “I even asked if you wanted to go to the dog park today!” As she side-eyes the great dane from across the way, her girlfriend’s eyebrows shoot up her forehead. “Is that so?” Another smirk is forming on Sooyoung’s lips, her eyes crinkling up at the sides with pure joy at posing a challenge to Yeri’s fears. “Then you’re fine if I let Gunner say hello, right?”

Yeri hesitates for a moment. The great dane looked enormous, even from a distance. The owner of it had taken off its leash, as most people did with their dogs in an enclosed dog park, and it stood tall in the midst of a line of bushes. The color of its coat was of a deep, pitch black, like the darkest of nights, and its eyes burned auburn in the sunlight. For a split second, the hellhound myth flashed in Yeri’s mind.

The great dane’s ears perked up as it caught sight of them, and it stood wagging its powerful tail, watching Gunner with interest alight in its eyes. “You know what, let’s do it! That’ll show you I’ve gotten over my fear one hundred percent. They’re supposed to be gentle giants, right?” Yeri says, forcing enthusiasm into her voice. Sooyoung gives her arm an affectionate squeeze before leading them over towards the other dog.

Sooyoung lets go of her and Gunner’s leash a few steps away from the massive dog, leaving her straggling behind for a moment. Naturally, Sooyoung’s right at home with the dog, putting her hand out for the great dane to smell before giving its large head a pat. The tall brunette’s face lit up light a child’s would on Christmas morning, and the sight of Sooyoung’s happiness made Yeri’s heart swell within her chest.

But even though Gunner and Sooyoung rushed forward with excitement, Yeri, on the other hand, stood a little further away, watching. “His name’s Brutus!” Sooyoung called over her shoulder, shooting Yeri a gleeful look. Gunner circled the pair of them, curiously sniffing at the other dog. Yeri just stared at the scene before her, taking everything in. Brutus was taller than Sooyoung when she bent down on her knees to pet him and Yeri was still trying to wrap her head around how that could be possible. The entire situation seemed like something out of a K-Drama.

“Isn’t that a fitting name for him?” Sooyoung cooed, petting the great dane as if it were a toy poodle and not towering a few inches above her. “I think he’s taller than Joohyun-unnie when he stands up!” Yeri chuckled at that and began inching closer to Sooyoung and Brutus, reassured by the great dane’s calm nature. As she took a few baby steps, Brutus’s attention turned to her and she found herself staring into the depths of his dark amber eyes.

Rather than being struck with terror, there was something about Brutus that calmed Yeri’s nerves. Though she’d recently gotten over her fear of dogs and was fine with most of the dogs they’d met, she had yet to see a dog bigger than Gunner before. Granted, it had taken her a month or so to get used