7. Seulgi vs. Baechu

"Aw, look at him! He's so cute!" Yeri was awed at sight in front of her. 

"You're right! Look at his eyes, like an angel!" added Seungwan. 

"I can wait for him to play with Haetnim!" Sooyoung cheered. 

The fluffy creatures who become the main attraction in front of us moved his ears. With his soft and thick chocolate furs, short legs, the poodle sat calmly while stuck out his tongue. He closed his eyes when Sooyoung patted him in the back. 

"Look, Soo! He seemed to like you!" Yerim squealed when she saw their interactions. 

Sooyoung smiled. "Of course, he likes me. He knows I love animals."

Park Sooyoung was known as animal lovers. Due to her love for animals, she attended many volunteer activities at animal shelters around their neighborhood. It was no wonder why she had chosen veterinary as her major. In the future, she wants to open her veterinary clinic. 

"Have you named him Hyun?" She stared at Joohyun, who was busy looking at her new pet. 

"Not yet. I didn't think about it before."

"You must name him, Wendy!" Seungwan shouted suddenly and made us startled. 

Joohyun narrowed her eyes at her best friend. "Why would I have to name my dog with your English name?" Seungwan or known as her English name Wendy Son didn't like to use her English name. She insisted her close friends call her by her Korean name, Seungwan. Only those who didn't know her well enough would call her Wendy. But it didn't mean that she hates Wendy. 

Seungwan shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe because Wendy is a cute name?"

Yerim shuddered in amusement. "All of the names, why must Wendy? As far as I have known, Wendy was the name for a fast-food restaurant." 

"What did you say?" Seungwan raised her eyebrow. 

"Hey Joohyun, why don't you name him Little Yerim? He is cute like me." Yerim teasingly wiggled her eyebrows. That made us wanted to puked. 

Seungwan stared at Yerim with disbelief. "Lil' Yerim, you said? One Yerim already makes me sick. How about two? That's a nightmare!"

"What did you say?" Yerim felt offended. "Oh, come on! At least it is better than Wendy!"

"Shut up, Kathrine!"

The pink-haired girl widened her eyes. "Don't call me Kathrine!"

Joohyun, Sooyoung, and I exchanged worried glances. The situation right now isn't good. No one ever called Yerim with her middle name, Kathrine. Those were unspoken rules between us. Her middle name was like Voldemort, who must not be named. Why? Because Yerim hated her middle name. No one was sure why she hated her character so much. 

Seeing her expression, Seungwan smirked at her. "Do you have a problem with that, Katy?"

Yerim blazed in anger. "Song, Seungwan! You are looking for trouble, aren't you?"

"What's wrong, Katy? Do you feel afraid?" She mocked Yerim. 

"You!"

"Katy Katy Katy!"

Yerim pulled Seungwan's hair, who sat in front of her aggressively. Receiving such treatment, the blonde-haired girl was not silent. She choked Yerim while the poor girl struggled to be free from her grip. Neither of them wanted to give in. At first glance, the two at them were like two cats fighting. 

"Could you please grow up? Jesus, you guys, make this puppy scared!" Sooyoung pointed to the poodle who was hiding behind her legs. 

"Wow, this is the first time I have seen Sooyoung not fighting with you guys."

"That is because I am the normal one between them!" She boasted herself arrogantly. 

"Who says?" Yelled Seungwan and Yerim at the same time. They stopped their fight temporarily. 

Sooyoung crossed her arms. "I say!"

"Liar!"

"Disgusting!"

I facepalm myself. Why didn't my best friends act like ordinary people? 

"So, what name do you want to give it?" Sooyoung asked in wonder. She ignored the other two, who were rolling over at each other. No one gave them attention anymore because we have known they were joking around. If they were tired, they would stop themself. 

"I am still don't know. Do you have any suggestion?"

I stared at the poodle in silence. The poodle's size was tiny for its kind. It's furs that looked like a cotton ball made him more adorable. Who has expected his previous owner has neglected him? 

Joohyun and Sooyoung found him covered in wounds on the road. They immediately took him to the veterinary hospital for treatment. After he had received the therapy, Joohyun brought him to her apartment to take care of him. When he had healed, they planned to open adoption for him because they couldn't take any pet with them. Sooyoung already had Haetnim, and Joohyun had Irene. If there were not anyone who adopted him, they would send him to the animal shelter as the standard policy for a stray animal. 

Fortunately, Joohyun changed her mind. She didn't want the puppy to be adopted or sent to animal shelters. The raven-haired girl already spent so much time taking care of him, and as time passed by, she grew fond of him. Its innocent face and its cute behavior have melted Joohyun's heart. In the end, Joohyun had chosen to adopt him. 

I knew the other reasons why Joohyun adopted the puppy. When I saw him, I felt I saw Joohyun in him. Its energetic and curious personality, cute face, and many more similarities may become the reasons. Whatever the reasons were, I couldn't wait to play with him. 

"Baechu."

"Yes?" Joohyun replied as I have called her. 

"No, Baechu."

"Are you mocking me, or what?" She asked in annoyance.

"What do you mean?"

"You called me, Baechu. My name is Bae Joohyun. Bae-Joo-Hyun" She emphasized her name with each word. 

I groaned loudly. "You are a very confident person." I  pointed to the puppy, which wiggles its tail at me. "No, I mean him. Baechu." 

"Oh." Her face was red in embarrassment.

"You named him, Baechu? Cabbage in Korean?" Sooyoung asked in amusement. "That's a cute name. I mean, Baechu? Sounds cute and fresh."

"How is it for a puppy name? It has the same pronunciation did as Joohyun. What do you think, Hyun?" I need her agreement because she is Baechu's owner. She has the rightful to decided the name for him. 

Joohyun crouched in front of him and patted its head. "What do you think, little guy? Do you like Baechu?" The puppy answered her question with a bark. 

The raven-haired girl nodded in agreement. "I think so too. Alright, welcome to your new home, Baechu!"

Baechu answered with a loud bark. It jumped from Sooyoung laps then began chasing its tails. It looked very happy with its new home. 

 

 

"Baechu, come here!" Joohyun patted the floor and urging the puppy to come over. Not long after that, little Baechu came after her. The raven-haired girl smiled and gave him the snack. 

"Good boy! A very good boy!"

Little Baechu was wagging its tail. Its big eyes looked at Joohyun with curiosity when she began commanding him. 

"Baechu, sit!" The little puppy did as Joohyun told him. 

"Good boy!" Every time Baechu did what Joohyun told him, she would give him snacks. Of course, nothing could make Baechu happy as much as snacks. 

This time, Joohyun took a small ball. She put the ball in front of its snout to got Baechu familiarised with it. Then she told her puppy to touch the ball. 

"Baechu, touch the ball." At first, the puppy didn't understand what she wanted. Then, Joohyun taught him patiently. 

"Come on, Baechu. Touch the ball."

Finally, Baechu understood, and he touched the ball with his little paw. Every time Baechu had touched the ball, Joohyun would give him snacks. Then the raven-haired girl taught her pet to take the ball that she had thrown away. After a few minutes of practice, Baechu could obey her command diligently. 

"Ah, good boy! You are really good boy!"

I saw their interaction with a big smile adorn my face. I was amazed by Baechu's intelligence. He was fast to understand what Joohyun told him to do. On the other hand, I saw Irene as a fantastic trainer. No wonder why Baechu loved her owner. 

"You are a great trainer, Hyun. Especially to train dogs!" I applauded her training with Baechu. 

Joohyun smiled at me. "It's not that hard. You are exaggerating, Seul."

"I think it's fun to train dogs. Meanwhile, it's hard to train cats. They are lazy." I grumbled slowly. 

 Joohyun laughed. "Of course, there are differences between training cats and dogs, Seul. You should know that." She teased me, and it was making me rolled my eyes at her. "Actually, cats can be trained too."

My head perked up. "Really? But Lala is lazy, Hyun. She prefers to spend her time just for eat and sleep." I huffed while thinking about the fluffy creature of mine. 

"I will teach you later how to train her properly."

"Great! That's what I needed!"

"By the way, would you like to train Baechu too?"

I was surprised when I heard that. "Me?" I pointed at myself. 

"Yeah, you often meet him. So I think he needs to listen to you too."

What Joohyun have said was logical. I used to spent my time in her apartment. Even I acknowledged Irene as my pet too because I used to take care of her. I agree with Joohyun. I need to befriend Baechu too. 

"Okay. Would you like to tell me how to train him? I have never trained a dog before." As much I could say that dogs are cute, I preferred cats more. I have a cat as my pet in Los Angeles. A graceful British shorthair cat named Lala. She has been taken care of by my sister since I moved to San Diego to study. 

"Of course, because you already familiar with cat before."

"That's right. Moreover, I have only taught Lala potty training, not scratch and bite people, and not damage our house. I have never trained her a trick like this."

Joohyun rolled her eyes. "What a loser."

"Hey!"

"I will teach you later how to train Lala. You really need some help." She chuckled while shaking her head in pity. "By the way, when we are talking about dog's training, we can use clicker or whistle, but most of all, you can train your dog just with command and snack." I nodded while listening to her explanation while Joohyun has been busy Baechu's furs.

"You need to remember to give a short command. Give your dog a snack as a reward after they do what you say. Don't forget to praise your dog. Like saying, good boy or good girl. They will love it." Then Joohyun was demonstrating a simple command to Baechu. She commanded Baechu to shake hands with her. The raven-haired girl put her palm in front of Baechu while waiting for him to give his paw. Little Baechu just stared at Joohyun with its confused face. 

"Paw. Give me your paw." Joohyun was repeating the same command over and over again. She took Baechu's paw and put it in front of her. After a while, Baechu understood what she wanted and gave her its paw. Then she shook his paw as the gesture of handshaking.

"Good boy."

"Give me your other paw." The brown poodle gave its other paw to Joohyun. The raven-haired girl smiled at her pet. She was proud of its ability to understand her command quickly. 

"Wow, you can make him do handshaking! As simple as that?"

Joohyun shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah, it's not that hard."

"Can I try?"

"Yes, please go ahead. Give him a command."

I positioned myself in front of Baechu. At first, the dog just tilted its head in confusion. "Paw. Give me your paw, Baechu."

Baechu just stared at me in silence.

"Come on, give me your paw." I put my palm in front of him. Unfortunately, the little dog just stood in its place while stuck out its tongue. It was like he mocked me. 

Geez, this dog is a pain in the . 

"Baechu, sweetie, give me your paw, honey." After a long time, finally, he came towards me. Unfortunately, he went without the intention to did what he has been asked. He bit my fingers. 

"AW!"

ROOF ROOF

"Hey?! Why did you bit my fingers?" I asked, surprised by the puppy's action. Lala has never bitten me in my life. Even the annoying Irene never did. Meanwhile, this little puppy dared to bit my hand. Baechu stuck out its tongue before approaching Joohyun and rubbing its head against the girl's leg. 

"Haha, I'm sorry, Seul. I didn't know Baechu would bit you. But it was funny!" Joohyun laughed at me, who stared at her dog with piercing eyes. Like I want to hit the poor puppy. 

"I will let it slide because you are still a puppy, Baechu." I huffed in annoyance. 

ROOF ROOF

"Oh, come on, Seul. He wants to play with you. Right, baby?" Joohyun carried Baechu and pointed him at my face. There the devil poodle stared at me with its innocent face. Then the poodle stuck out its tongue at me as it mocked me. I stared at the devil poodle sharply. It has the puppy eyes look, but its cute face couldn't; it fooled me. Just wait and see, Baechu. You were on my watch. 

 

 

"You are delusional, Seul."

"No! I'm serious!"

Sooyoung raised an eyebrow. "How could you think that he hates you? It doesn't make sense."

"Oh, you didn't know what the devil poodle could do. You didn't know, did you?"

"What can an innocent angel-like Baechu do, Seulgi?" She stared at me like I was ridiculous. 

When I thought if Baechu's behavior to me were a joke, I would think again. Every time I visited Joohyun's apartment, the little dog would bark at me in front of the front door and didn't let me go through. Baechu could only be stopped if Joohyun came over to him. Not only that, when I was alone with Joohyun, the annoying dog always put himself in the middle of us. As if it didn't want its owner to be sole with me. The little puppy also didn't allow me to touch its body. It only wants to be handled if I brought its snack. Baechu was always evil to me. Bark at me without reason, and bit my hand or my leg, and do other annoying things that it could do. Only if Joohyun neared him then would he behave. If Joohyun were nowhere to be seen, he would become a rascal as usual. 

"Trust me, Soo. Baechu hates me."

Sooyoung shrugged her shoulder. "But he loves me."

"That's the problem! He doesn't like me but he loves everyone!" The devil puppy always behaved in front of everyone but me, even to the aggressive one like Yerim. Until now, I never knew the reason why. 

"Maybe because your ugly face!" Sooyoung snorted at me. 

"My what?" I gritted at her, thoroughly annoyed. 

"Or maybe you stink! I don't know, Seul. There are many reasons why a dog can behave like that."

I raised my eyebrow. "I'm not stink, you dumb-."

Sooyoung, who was reading fashion magazine on my bed, only rolled her eyes. "But, seriously, Seul. He is only a puppy. Don't make a mountain out of an anthill!"

"That's the problem, Soo! He is only a puppy! Wait until he grows up and can bully me whenever he wants!"

Sooyoung stared at me for a while before turn her attention to her magazine again. "You talked like Baechu is German Shepperd, Great Dane, or Siberian Husky who have a big and muscular body. He is just Toy Poodle, Seul.  A puppy, indeed. He can't do any harm."

I folded my arms across my chest. "I'm not going to tolerate him even he is just a puppy" I wasn't familiar with dogs, but if we talked about cats here, I have never tolerated Lala if she did something terrible. even though she is cute. If the poodle puppy were to bit you, you would still laugh. But imagine, if Baechu were an adult Siberian Husky, would you still laugh over it? It would be no fun anymore. Maybe Baechu could be ended up in an animal shelter because his aggressiveness could danger everyone around him. 

"Maybe, you were right about it. If Haetnim did something bad, I would never tolerate him. Even he has cute face."

"Finally you have understood, Soo."

"But come on, maybe if you spend your time a little bit more with him, he will be behave around you."

"I don't want to spend my time with him." I said while shuddering in fear. I could imagine what that little puppy did if he looked at me. As if he had planned something terrible every time he saw me. 

Evil Baechu. 

"Unfortunately that is going to happen, Seul. Sooner or later Joohyun will ask you for help to take care of her pets."

What she has said made me interested. "What did you mean by that?"

"Our department are going to have a field trip for a couple of days the next week. I already told Yerim about it, and I will just leave Haetnim to her care."

"You guys are going to do what?!" I exclaimed surprisingly. 

"A field trip at the end of this week. Relax, just for two days, but we can't leave our dogs alone."

"Oh, Joohyun can leave Baechu to Seungwan. It's not a problem anymore."

Surprisingly Sooyoung just laughed. "Do you remember Krystal, is allergic to dog Seul? Joohyun can't leave her dog to Seungwan."

I stared at Sooyoung in horror. My eyes went wide. I realized that Seungwan's roommate, Krystal, didn't like animals, especially dogs. Krystal has a bad allergy to that fluffy creatures. So that's why Sooyoung only left Haetnim to Yerim or my care.

I groaned loudly. "Oh, damn it! I can handle Irene, but Baechu is another matter."

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