"Yeah .. yeah, it's nice. Mmhm." The first thing Eli had done when he had reached his new apartment was call his mother. It came as no surprise that she kept him on the phone for almost fourty-five minutes, going through a list of questions about how his new place was and when he planned on visiting next. It took him another ten minutes for him to finally get her off the phone so he could actually start unpacking his things. He felt accomplished now that he had his own place, even if it was nothing to brag about. Now that he was on his own, he didn't feel like he was dragging his family down as much. Not that Eli was a lot of trouble at home, but he knew it was hard for his family to provide for him and themselves during times like this. He took it upon himself to get a job and save up to get an apartment with the hope of making life a little easier. Plus, he figured it would do him good to start doing things on his own.

 

Eli had gotten a job as a waiter at one of the restaurants nearby.  His mother had suggested tutoring, but Eli wasn't very strong at any of the subjects that people needed tutors for at the moment. Now that he had to buy his own food, pay bills, and provide for himself, he needed to focus on saving his money. His parents wanted him to go to college, get a good career going, start a family, and all that crap that all parents dreamed of. Eli wasn't sure if he'd get to have that kind of life, but he wasn't even sure that was what he wanted. Sure, having money and a big house sounded nice, but he didn't want to become like those rich s who sat around and drank their lives away.

 

The last box was finally unpacked around 2:54, which gave Eli plenty of time to spend the rest of his day however he wanted. He decided to take a shower before heading out to buy some groceries. What was a kitchen without food, after all? Once he arrived at the market, he filled his basket with ramen packages and some cups. For now he'd just trust the water in his sink was sanitary enough to drink from. Paying for his things, Eli started on his way home, taking in the surroundings of the area he would be living in from now on. 

 

It wasn't glorious by any means. The houses were average and the stores didn't carry fancy items. From what he gathered the neighborhoods surrounding the area sometimes had problems with burgerlers, but Eli figured that problem could arise even in the best of places. He had lived in a decent neighborhood as a child, but his neighbor had still experienced someone breaking into his home and taking some of his valuable. This of course made his parents want to relocate, but Eli had never saw the point.

 

"Hey! Can you grab that dog!?"

 

Eli was brought out of his thoughts as he heard someone shouting, turning his head to see a large white dog running in his direction. A short ways away was a boy chasing after the loose animal, who Eli guessed was the one who had shouted. No one made any move to help the boy catch the dog, only choosing to stare as if they had never seen such a spectacle before. Eli didn't get much of a chance as the white blur ran past him, though the dog managed to run into the bag in his hand in the process, causing him to lose his hold on it and spill the contents along the concrete.

 

"S-sorry.." The boy who had been chasing the dog panted, slowing to a stop. Eli craned his head to get a better look at him. He was incredibly thin and something about his features reminded him of a girl. His hair was dyed a dity blond color and it was somewhat messy, probably from running for who knows how long. "It's fine.." He drawled after a moment, though his gaze drifted to the crumbled plastic cups and crushed ramen. The blond did the same, pausing for a moment before smiling at Eli. "I'm Kevin."

 

"Eli." The older male stated, bending down to pick up the spilled contents, dumping them in a trash can that was located outside the flower shop they were standing by. Kevin was still standing there when he turned around. "... Weren't you chasing that dog?"

 

He nodded, though made no move to leave.

 

"Shouldn't you go find it?"

 

Kevin shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "Actually .. I was wondering if you could help me?"

 

He wasn't expecting that, especially from a stranger who had more or less just caused him to lose his breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The blond appeared to catch on and quickly added, "I'll make it up to you-- for helping me and giving you so much trouble I mean."

 

-

 

So Eli found himself helping Kevin find the dog. It turned out that the dog wasn't really his, but some old lady's. Apparently the younger male took it upon himself to walk her dog for her since it was getting harder for her to take it out. Unfortunately the leash had snapped and the dog got away. He had to admit that the idea was a nice gesture, something that Eli definitely wouldn't think to do. He also learned that Kevin wasn't from around here (though he could have guessed from his name), but was actually born in California. His dad was currently travelling, so he came to Korea to live with his mother.

 

"We're never going to find her at this rate." Eli grumbled as they continued their search. It was getting later in the day, and pretty soon the street lights would have to be . Kevin didn't say anything, peering around in hopes of spotting the animal they were searching for.

 

"You boys looking for someone?" An elderly man called as he spotted the two wandering around helplessly. He had been sitting in his chair while watching the two since they had entered the neighborhood.

 

Kevin smiled politely and walked up to him. "Yes sir. You wouldn't happen to have seen a white dog roaming around, have you?"

 

"Actually, I saw a young boy with a large white dog a little while ago. He may have taken it home.."

 

The two boys got directions to the house that the boy lived at. He didn't live too far away, so it only took then about five minutes to find his house. Sure enough, a boy around Kevin's age was sitting on the steps of his porch, petting the dog. He looked up as the two approached him, smiling softly. "Is this dog yours?"

 

"Kind of." Kevin nodded, watching as the dog appeared to be enjoying the attention she was getting. The boy continued to pet her before he stood and went inside for a short moment, returning with a dark leash seconds later. "You can use this to bring her home and just return it to me when you get the chance." 

 

Eli thanked him and took the leash, lightly tugging at it to get the dog to stand up. Kevin thanked him as well and held his hand out to shake hands. "I'm Kevin."

 

"I'm Dongjin." He flashed the blond a smile before looking to Eli, who didn't bother to introduce himself. "It was nice meeting the two of you, or three, I should say."

 

"Likewise." Eli mumbled, turning to lead the dog out of Dongjin's yard. Waving, Kevin jogged to catch up with the older male. "Thought of anything for me to do to make up for you helping me?"

 

Eli eyed the blond. "How about not giving me any more trouble?"

 

If only he had been aware how much trouble Kevin Woo would bring him in the future.