“UUUUAAAAAAGHHHHHH!!!!!”

I shot up, blood rushing to my head from the rash movement. What the actual was that? Was someone getting murdered? Did someone break in?

In my jet-lagged stupor, I nearly knocked my head on the door frame while getting out, avoiding a terrible accident by a hair. I blinked slowly to come to my senses, trying to quell the static buzz of my brain.

“Wh...what happened?” I forced out pathetically. Yeah, good job Jinsoul, way to save the fam.

That’s when I heard something flutter and flap followed by choked sobs. There was a pigeon—a pigeon—perched on the lampshade. Heejin, who I now assume released that scream of bloody murder, was crouched into a ball in the corner furthest from the animal, shaking all over.

Yerim was carefully approaching the seemingly diffident bird with a shoebox, and Hyunjin hovered behind her with a cellphone, casually filming this absolutely ridiculous scene with an indifferent expression. Were they planning on trapping it? None of them seemed to notice me with how focused they were.

Now that I think about it, only one third of the group left the dorm early this morning. Where the hell was everyone else?

“Will this really work?” Hyunjin asked, “I think it’ll just fly away and scare Heejin again.”

“Trust me! Just go look after Rwa.”

She loomed over the bird, poised and ready to pounce and I decided that this was far too ambitious to do in the middle of all our precious, framed polaroids, the television and Hyejoo’s (albeit stupid) ps4. I had to make my presence known.

“Girls, hold up.”

They went still as ice, looking like deer caught in headlights. The pigeon panicked and flew out the open balcony door, goading another whistle-y shriek from Heejin.

“Uhh....” Yerim said dumbly, pupils scrolling to the corner of her eyes before focusing on me again. “Sorry, a pigeon got in.”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah I can see that. Why is the door wide open in the first place?”

“Uhhh......” Yerim turned to Hyunjin for help, but she’d preoccupied herself with picking Heejin off the floor. “It fell on the balcony and we went out to see if it was alive and it was—yay!—but it also flew into the dorm and kinda attacked Heejin-unnie, and we were gonna catch it, but—“

“Who’s ‘Rwa’?” I cut her off, not wanting to get roped into listening to a Choerry Tangent when there was clearly something else they were hiding. Apparently, my question struck a nerve since they all paled. Heejin’s tears seemed to legitimately evaporate off her cheeks and was replaced with a look I can only describe as suspicious.

Once again, Yerim was their spokesperson. “No one!”

I squinted at them. Did they seriously expect me to believe that? “But you said, ‘just go look after Rwa’....who is that?”

Yerim went so white, even a fresh piece of paper would look a few shades darker than her complexion. It was out of character for her to be mum for so long and it honestly freaked me out.

Then it happened. A bark yapped from within one of the rooms.

I slanted my eyes at them, crossing my arms and tapping my foot. Damn. Haseul would be proud of me. “What was that?”

“H-Hyunjin!” Yerim squeaked in a panic.

“She’s right there! I’m looking at her!”

The bark repeated itself again, but this time it was accompanied by hushed whispers. So that’s where the other members were.

They tried to speak over the background noise, but I knew. Like, I‘m not the brightest bulb in the box, but I‘m not completely stupid.

I massaged my temples. Seriously, why did the sane members have to have schedules and leave me behind like this?

“Where is it.”

“Heh heh, where’s what, unnie?” Heejin asked nervously.

“The dog. Where are you hiding it?”

On cue, there was the sound of a latch clicking open followed by paws padding against the ground. A tiny black puppy trotted into the living room, greeting me with its tongue lolled out and its tail wagging happily.

.

I took one solid look at the thing and had to use the all the muscles in my body coupled with the immense power of God Herself to restrain the need to cuddle it to death.

Yeojin, Jiwoo, Hyejoo, and Chaewon darted after it, and the other three girls joined them to build a protective circle around the canine. Like I was actually going to force them to get rid of it. Pshh.

They took turns rambling out nonsensical excuses, but I wasn’t really listening.

I should at least put up an act, though, right? Like, say, ‘guys, we cannot have a dog, this goes against the better judgement of our company and management staff.’ Ooh. That sounds cool and unnie-like. Then I’d slowly open up to the idea after they inevitably sought out my permission by offering private ‘pet-the-doggy time.’ I’d be like, ‘although I can’t speak on behalf of the leader line, I’m not entirely opposed to us having this adorable pup.’

“No, we’re not going to say that, but thanks for your sentimental diary entry,” Hyunjin snarked, and everyone burst out laughing.

Crap. I said that out loud, didn’t I? , , how do I save myself? I felt the blood surge to my cheeks, and I tried not to fidget under their giggling eyes.

“Wh-whatever, j-just get rid of it.”

“It’s a ‘him’, rudey-patooty,” Yeojin corrected me emphatically, “and we all know you don’t want that!”

I didn’t. Have I seriously still not touched that fluffy brindle fur yet?

“Unnie, we know you wanna pet him, just come over and do so!” Jiwoo waved me over, and I instantly brightened up. Kill me for wanting to pet the cutest ing dog I’ve ever laid my eyes on.

...Okay, I probably said that about every dog but let me live!

I dropped to my knees and they dispersed to give me space to pet him, and nothing, not even his already heart-melting visuals, could prepare me for how unbelievably soft his coat was.

I jostled Chaewon aside and scooped the puppy into my arms, sniggering when they all immediately shot up to take him back, well, all except Heejin.

“Guys, wait...”

I leapt around the living room, dodging grabby hands and parrying every querulous complaint with a protrusion of my tongue.

Surprisingly, Chaewon was the most aggravated out of them all, and she jumped onto my back, successfully delaying my flee.

“Give him back, unnie, I found him! He’s mine, technically!”

“Guys—“

“No way! You kept this from me! I’m the oldest in the household so I should have custody.” The puppy barked in my arms, gazing up at me with his innocent beady eyes. Yeah, no, he’s mine.

“What about when Kahei-unnie comes home?” Hyejoo questioned.

“Well she’s not home right now, is she?”

“GUYS!”

We all finally gave Heejin our attention.

“He had to go to the restroom! Remember? That’s why we opened up the balcony in the first place!”

I scoffed. “Nice try. He doesn’t seem like he wants to go at...all...he’s peeing.”

Honestly, I should’ve predicted this. With my luck, of course I’d be cradling a dog as it shamelessly pissed all over me. Chaewon made a noise of repulse and hopped off my back, and I just stood there, not necessarily wanting to do anything anymore.

Sooyoung opened the front door, and led the others inside, freezing upon assessing this mess of a situation. “We’re ho—the ?”

Dead inside, I handed the dog to Jiwoo and blankly stared at the girls at the entrance.

“Jinsoul, did you seriously bring a dog into the dorm?” Haseul asked. “And oh, my God did it pee in here?”

I air into my lungs and exhaled slowly. “I’m...going to shower.”