III

Pastel pink wallpaper decorated the room of a quintessential young girl. The plushie sitting quietly on the bed resembled a chipper, smiley little hamster, optimistic even in the hollowness of this family home. The conjugal bedroom was pristine and adult-looking with less vibrant, childish colors, but with a faint desire to be young again wafting about. The portraits that hung on the walls told a story of a family. A happy couple that met during their time in the University, a twinkling star growing brighter and a dashing young man not giving up on his quest for love.

From their graduation came the struggles of life and the strengthening bond of love, succeeded by the surprise of a baby girl and the passing of an old loved one. The girl was born healthy, with high aspirations and even higher motivations while their parents did their best to educate a child wise beyond her years.

Seulgi patted the awfully cozy couch and sprawled out on it, feeling the comfort of luxury (using that term loosely) for humans. She wiggled in comfort but was eternally amused. “This is nice!”

Joohyun inquisitively watched the paintings and the portraits, looking at the smiling faces, the candid pictures, and -- sandwiched between the family photographs -- were the paintings of landscapes simplified and gorgeous to the eyes. Was that place real or did it only exist in the wild imagination of a man living in his own head? They would never know, but they could always find out.

“Look at this, Seulgi,” the bunny said softly, pointing at the pictures. “This are humans.”

Real humans?

Seulgi instantly got up and jumped on over, looking at the direction she was pointed. Those… those are humans? “I thought they would move,” Seulgi said confused.

“No, no. These are pictures, paintings, of humans. They look like this.”

Seulgi blinked a few times and tilted her head. “Pictures…?”

“Static images, taken by a little machine called a camera,” Joohyun smiled wide, seeing Seulgi’s face light up with knowledge. “These humans lived here.”

“They look… happy,” Seulgi said abruptly. “Why are they so happy?”

That’s where Joohyun’s domestic knowledge ran out, humming with a hand on her cheek. “I dunno, I think they just felt so happy to be next to one another. Safe.”

“Ah, I get that! I feel that way when I played with my siblings,” Seulgi said.

“I felt the same way when I was with a friend, too. I think humans feel this way as well, sometimes.”

Seulgi then pointed to the landscapes. “Is that a picture, too?”

“No, I think those are painted, someone made them. I remember my master drawing something.”

Seulgi looked at Joohyun quizzically. “Master?”

Joohyun, who had forgotten that Seulgi was not a domestic animal, giggled. “The person who rescued me and took care of me.”

“They were humans, too?”

“Yes, she was,” Joohyun nodded, still looking at the landscape. “I don’t know where she is, though.”

“I never had a master,” Seulgi scratched her head, soon shaking entirely at the delightful tingles. “I just had a mother.”

“Well, masters are kind of like mothers, just… different.”

“That’s so interesting, I’m learning so much,” Seulgi placed her hand in her heart, feeling it race within her at the excitement.

Moving on from the pictures, they went onto the kitchen. For Joohyun all the utensils looked familiar, but she could never think of her master using them or when. To the bear Seulgi, it was all highly amusing. The silverware shined without any shame, the curvaceous shape and the small decorative engravings had the bear entertained for a while -- letting her fingers (claws, too) trace along the ornaments with wonder. However, that source of interest lasted only some measly minutes as they walked along to the rest of the house, soon coming upon the pastel colored bedroom. Then, all the beautiful colors overwhelmed both the bunny and the bear.

It was a soothing color that had them both in trance. Hypnotizing them towards the room was the various objects that belonged in a room from a young girl. Toys and plushies, especifically, which had both of the strangers cautious.

Especially the awfully static hamster that remained zen, unbothered by the hollowness of the house. Standing very far from the bed, with the bunny hiding behind the bear for protection, the two looked at the hamster in absolute silence, awaiting for the abrupt movements and the escape of the fluffy, caricaturesque animal. It was like a simplified, slightly terrifying, confusing version of an animal, to them at least.

“Why isn’t it moving?” Joohyun asked, still staying behind the bear -- who she suddenly trusts a lot more.

“I don’t know, I was going to ask you!” Seulgi replied, instinctively puffing her chest out and making herself look taller and bigger, protecting her new friend out of the kindness of her heart. “Hello?”

But of course, the hamster said nothing. Fixated on is mission of not moving an inch.

“Do… you listen?” Joohyun asked, peeking out of Seulgi’s protection. 

And it did not respond.

“YAH!!!” Seulgi said loudly, a ferocious growl jumping out of her and shaking the foundation of the house a bit with its might!

It made Joohyun tremble a bit, made her hide behind Seulgi further, but the hamster never moved. Always smiling, always cozy.

Seulgi was stunned, to say the least. Most animals cower away at the sound of such a mighty roar, rumbling from deep within her, but this hamster moved not an inch let alone a centimeter. “W-what.”

Joohyun, now filled with even more curiosity, jumped onto the bed to look at the hamster closer. An inquisitive poke to the Hamster revealed its plushie nature, making it fall quietly to its side with its smile unmoving.

Was this like a picture as well? Something unmoving but permanently embodied to the world?

It wasn’t real, then.

Seulgi too leaned close, boldly grabbing the hamster and giving it squeezes, not feeling anything but softness in her paw-like hands. Seulgi didn’t know much about humans or their world, but her strangely genius intuition (and her creative mind) made her smile. “I think this is fake.”

Joohyun’s big eyes got a little bigger in surprise, head tilted adorably, ears flapping a little. “Fake? Not real?”

Seulgi nodded who slowly gave it over. “Here, touch it.”

Cautiously as always, Joohyun grabbed it and squeezed it, squeezing it hard enough for it to squeak and making both of them jump.

Then the laughter erupted from the Seulgi first, followed by Joohyun. 

It was strange. Joohyun’s initial doubts over the bear were slowly dissipating watching her laugh so heartily, so purely.  As far as she knew bears were frightening, fast and huge; she understood that they would devour her in second. But this bear was… very friendly, very gentle.

The way she patted and smiled at the fake hamster was strangely reassuring, watching her putting it in its place. Turning around with that charming smile, showing off her sharp fangs and yet threatening not a soul in sight. While their attention directed itself towards the trinkets, objects and furniture, Joohyun was deep in thoughts, absent and floating in the highest clouds of her imagination. Was Seulgi trustworthy? Snooping around without an ounce of hesitation, touching and feeling, Joohyun thought about it. By far, she hasn’t shown any signs to not be trusted, especially now that she had the chance like the other impatient animals ready to attack. No, no, this Bear seemed different. Her train of thought stopped upon seeing a lonely ukulele, varnished and pristine, hung on the wall high up. It was intriguing, having not seen something like this in ages. The poor bunny jumped and stretched as much as she could to get it, her hands falling short from actually getting it. It was frustrating! It made the pouty Joohyun even poutier.

“I got it!” Until Seulgi’s slender, long arm reached up with ease and brought it down. “Here you go!” she said excitedly, handing it over for Joohyun.

With  a soft thank you, Joohyun grabbed it and watched the excited bear skipping on over to another side of the room, exploring and smelling things, letting her back at full display to the bunny, letting her body slump and hunch without a care of showing off that she was bigger than the bunny in any way.

Defenseless, carelessly exploring without concern.

Joohyun touched the ukulele and let her soft fingers strum down the off tune strings, letting the sound echo in the empty house. Once again, she was lost in thought, strumming away a made up, atonal song that lingered ever so softly in the air -- the house suddenly alive for however long she strums without thinking.

Maybe Bae Joohyun could trust Kang Seulgi?