“Hey Marty, you want to go for a walk?” Hye Jin asked, a smile tugging at her lips. She chuckled softly as her five year old, pure white Samoyed lifted his head from his paws, a large smile spreading across his face. Tongue lolling and tail wagging, his ears perked up in anticipation. He definitely wanted to go out and Hye Jin didn’t blame him. They had been cooped up inside all day, suffering from jet lag. Well, Hye Jin felt like she was dying; Marty seemed to be doing all right.

                “So, what do you say? Want to go for a walk?”

                He barked twice, jumping up on all fours, his tail wagging back and forth in a steady beat. He barked yet again, stepping side to side in excitement. She giggled at his lopsided grin and reached out to scratch his furry head.

                “Okay, why don’t you go get your leash while I go get my things? Race you to the door!” Muffled footsteps and a flurry of toenails tapped against the floor, echoing off the blank walls. They both scrambled into separate rooms to gather their things, Hye Jin for her wallet, phone, and keys, and Marty for his leash. She had just reached for her cell phone when she heard his padded footsteps jogging towards the front door.

                Wait a second, how did he get the leash so fast? I hung it up on the second hook this time! That sneaky bear!

                Stuffing the device into her pocket, she rushed out of her room. Playing hot potato with her wallet on the way, she skidded to a stop at the front door to see that her baby bear of a dog was already chilling on the doormat with a leash hanging from his mouth. He nodded his head at her, swinging the leash around.

                I think he wants to go now, she thought with a snigger.

                “WOOF!”

                “Okay, okay! Geez, don’t get your tail in a knot. Talk about subtlety,” she muttered.

                Clipping on the leash, Hye Jin led Marty out of their apartment and down three flights of stairs. The lady in the elevator hadn’t seemed too uncomfortable standing in a five by five foot compartment next to a fifty pound beast of dog, so they ducked out after two floors and headed down manually.

                He’s gentle, I swear. Okay, only when you give him treats, she thought, laughing as Marty knowingly grinned at her. He definitely knew why they were taking the stairs, and he was sure proud of it.

                “Good Evening, Ms. Park.”

                “Hi Mr. Choi, working the graveyard shift tonight?” she asked, waving to the big security guard behind the front desk. He sighed exhaustedly, giving her a tired nod.

                “If it gets food on the table for the Missus and the kids, then so be it,” he replied. He chuckled at Marty, who had stood up on his hind legs and had rested his goliath paws on top of the marble counter. Tongue hanging, he looked between Mr. Choi and Hye Jin, giving them a toothy smile.

                “Anyway, where are you heading out to at this time? It’s nearly four in the morning.”

                She shrugged, unconsciously Marty’s fluffy coat. “Just walking off the jet lag, I guess. Also, this big ball of energy needed some fresh air. He kept moping around the apartment all day.” Marty let out an annoyed whine in response. “Hey, at least you get to go out now, eh?” She ruffled his puffy ears and helped him off the counter.

                “Okay then, if anything happens, you have my number,” Mr. Choi said, tipping his hat as they headed out the door.

                Marty tugged impatiently on the leash. He smelled freedom beyond the glass doors and couldn’t wait to get out there. Chuckling, Hye Jin waved behind her, letting the baby bear lead the way.

                “Thanks Mr. Choi. I’ll be back in a bit.”

                “Stay safe, Ms. Park,” he advised, pressing the button to buzz them out.

                “Don’t worry, Mr. Choi. I’ve got Marty with me.”

--

                Marty and Hey Jin ended up staying out for several hours, wandering the trail of a nearby dog park. They lost count of how many rounds they went, but there were enough for them to catch the sunrise and grab some breakfast on the way home.

                It was almost half past seven when Marty and Hye Jin arrived in the lobby. Business people were shuffling out of the building, each carrying a briefcase and a cup of coffee to fuel their morning commute. Hye Jin nodded her head to each one of them as they passed by, earning her some tired, yet grateful, smiles. Quietly, she made her way past the front desk, hiding her face under her hood in hopes of disguising herself from Mr. Choi. Too bad Marty was hard to miss.

                “Good morning, Ms. Park. I was expecting to see you earlier,” Mr. Choi teased.

                Hye Jin flinched and stopped mid step. Busted. She looked down at Marty who looked back with a mocking grin. “Don’t look at me like that. Remember who feeds you every day,” she mumbled at him. Breathing in, she turned around and tried to give Mr. Choi her sweetest smile. “Sorry, Mr. Choi. Marty here had a little difficulty with his bowel movements. You know, the usual,” she laughed as Marty growled, irritated at the blatant offense. If dogs could speak, he would be throwing her down like an energizer bunny on helium.

                “I’m just playing with you, Ms. Park. Anyway, the mailman just came in. Here are all the letters from today and this,” he paused to reach under his desk, “is your mail from the past two months. Enjoy!” He slid over a three inch high stack of envelopes, grinning from ear to ear. Hye Jin choked back a laugh and grabbed the pile, giving Mr. Choi a wave before letting Marty drag her to the stairs.

                “Elevator, Marty. I’m tired,” she whined. Tugging on his leash, she tried to redirect him to the elevator doors, but he resisted. Brows furrowed, she glanced at him, puzzled. “What’s wrong, buddy? Did you suddenly develop a fear of elevators?” she asked, kneeling down beside. She pushed back his ears and looked him in the eyes.

                Marty wriggle out of her hands and shook his head. He groaned and looked over to the doors before looking at Hye Jin. She peeked at the elevators and instantly snorted. She cupped , trying to hold back her laughter as best she could.

                By the elevator stood the same old lady they had met in the morning. The lady hadn’t noticed their presence yet, but Hye Jin would confidently bet a million bucks that the lady would scream this time if she saw Marty. Wiping a humorous tear, Hye Jin led Marty to the stairs and began their journey up to the fifth floor.

--

                They entered the quiet apartment, settling down on the couch to catch the morning news stock exchange. With Marty at her feet, Hye Jin sat back for the first time that summer. It was nice, finally being able to relax and just hang out with her best friend. Summer vacation wasn’t really much of a vacation since she was working full time at her parents’ restaurant. But, it wasn’t so bad. At least the business was steady, even with the economy dangerously dropping and threatening closure on small businesses like theirs. She would like to take over the business if she had the time and funds to, but she didn’t. Not with her final year of university looming ahead.

                Fourth year – the very last year in her post secondary career. It frightened her; knowing that once she completed the spring term and walked across the stage at her convocation, that that would be the beginning of a whole other chapter. Seventeen years of preparation just to exist in a new world, in what society like to call reality.

                Those brutal four years of university don’t pale in comparison to what the world has in store though. Other than the similarity in hours of slaving away in front of a monitor, reality leaves a bitter after taste. It becomes a never ending cycle of monotonous routines, a cycle that cannot be broken for it would break down society. Although education systems still give people the opportunity of freedom and leeway, with reality there were no re-dos, there was no rescheduling. Everything is set and everyone is made to follow. Nobody has choices after university, unless they become their own boss. Who says that would be easy though?

                Hye Jin sighed, turning off the TV. She couldn’t stand watching the news anymore. All she saw was news of war and debt.

                What happened to relaxing? she wondered. Pushing the negative thoughts away, she picked up her stack of letters and slowly sifted through them. Thank goodness for online bill payments. Ad, bill, ad, bill, bill, letter from school, bill, bill—Wait, letter from school? Flipping back to the white envelope, she took it out and placed the rest onto the coffee table. To her knowledge, the school only sent out letters for registration or academic probations. Hopefully they sent this as a joke. Please don’t let me be on probation. Not when I’m almost done.

                Gingerly, she opened the letter. The emblem on the top left hand side immediately caught her attention. It was a letter from the theater department. I’m not in trouble. Phew, she thought, sighing in relief. She scanned over the letter, reading its contents thoroughly. Her brow furrowed the further she reading, becoming a deep frown by the end of the page.

                Confusion. All she could feel was confusion. What were they asking of her? Why were they asking her? Was she capable of complying with their requests? Did she want to agree with their requests? She didn’t know. She couldn’t know. At least, not without advice.

                “I’ll be back, Marty.”

--

                The halls were empty, the floors newly polished. The only sound echoing through the corridor was Hye Rin’s soft footsteps. No students, no peers; just Hye Rin and the maintenance crew.

                And Professor Nam.

                “I told you already, I wanted the fifth edition. Not the second; the fifth. If I find out that the bookstore is carrying the second edition or anything other than the fifth, I will make sure your kids never set foot into Seoul International, got it? Good. Thanks, Noona. I’ll see you at Mom’s and Dad’s on Sunday. Bye. HYE JIN! WELCOME!” Professor Nam greeted her with a smile. He hung up his call and motioned for her to join him at his desk. She smiled back and tried to maneuver her way through his office.

                The room was a warzone; stacks of paper littered the floors, books piled precariously on everything but the shelves, everything seemingly out of place yet where they were supposed to be. Hye Jin stumbled through the organized mess and finally managed to reach her destination after a few trips and slips along the way. Upon reaching the chair, she turned back to inspect her triumph with a grin. Not many could admit to crossing Professor Nam’s office without leaving with a battle wound or two. Those who did had reason to gloat.

                You’re only halfway done, Hye Jin. The hardest part is getting back out. Chortling quietly, Hye Jin turned to Professor Nam with a bow and took a seat at his desk.

                “So, to what do I owe the pleasure of seeing my best student before the term has even started? Having second thoughts about Majoring in Linguistics, hm? Might a bit late for these doubts now, don’t you think?” he teased. He sat back in his chair with crossed arms, a playful smirk on his face.

                “Ha ha, very funny, Professor. You would just love that, wouldn’t you? No more nagging for grades, right?” she joked back, playfully sarcastic.

                Having spent the last four years taking every single course he taught, Hye Jin developed a friendly bond with Professor Nam. Pulling pranks, sharing jokes, creating laughs, yet handling situations seriously when needed to. They were like friends, long time friends who understood the qualms and quirks of each others’ thought processes. She was never afraid to speak her mind to him and never gave up the chance to show him up in class.

                But, he was okay with it. In fact, he encouraged her to speak out against him because he wanted her to succeed. She once came to him as a timid first year - always indecisive and never offering an opinion inside and outside of school. Having prodded and provoked her incessantly for four whole years, he finally managed to lift her spirits and bring forth an out spoken linguist with an archive of questions and an almost infinite number of retorts to his claims.

                This was how their relationship grew to be. Comfortable. Laid back.

                Yet, there were times like these where she came to him with the mindset of her seventeen year old self. Scared. Self-conscious. Doubtful.

                “Professor, I don’t know what to do. Tell me what to do. Should I reply? Should I not?” Hye Jin chattered, losing herself in a train of uncertainty and thought. She leaned back into her chair, staring at the ceiling while swiveling her chair around and around. Running off on her own tangent of doubt, Professor Nam finally decided to stop her trance.

                The crumpled paper ball made contact with the side of her face and she stopped everything. The spinning, the talking, the thinking. Everything.

                “Now are you going to clearly tell me what your crisis is, or do I need to throw another ball at you?” he asked, throwing her a playful glare with a paper ball ready and raised. She held up her hands in surrender and motioned for him to unload the ammo. He slowly put his arm down, but kept the ball in hand just in case.

                “Well, to keep things short, I got a letter. Read it for yourself and see what you think.”She reached into her pocket and pulled out the crumpled letter. Smoothing it out, she placed it on his desk and slid it over.

                He carefully picked up the sheets and pulled out his reading glasses. He flipped through the pages, glancing at the sender before proceeding to read the contents aloud:

 

“Dear Ms. Park Hye Jin,

                My name is Director Kim Min Jung, Head of the Theater Department at Seoul International University. As you may already know, the department holds an annual theater production which is open for public viewing during the winter break. This year, we have decided to challenge ourselves and produce an adaptation of the classic play. We’ve re-written the play and have named it, Jack the Ripper: Through His Eyes. The script will be spoken entirely in English, which will be a first for our institution, so we need some assistance with teaching our actors and actresses the correct accents. We were informed of your expertise in languages and speech by the Dean, so we are formally inviting you to participate in this year’s play. Preparations for the show have already begun, so we need your response within a week from today or else we cannot move on with our schedule. Please email me or drop a message in my mailbox as soon as possible.

Thank you for your time and we hope that you will join us on this journey of dark pleasures and murder mysteries.

Sincerely,

Director Kim”

 

He sifted through the pages once more before placing them onto his desk. Silently, he stared at the sheets of paper, weighing out the pros and cons if Hye Jin were to accept the proposal from Director Kim. Obviously, it would be a great asset to her resume. Future employers would love to see the experience on her record. However, she might not be able to handle the pressure. Sure, she grew older and gained more confidence these past years, but it doesn’t completely hide the fact that she was an introvert and is still very uncertain. He wanted the best for her, and maybe it was time she took on a role of responsibility and action. She wants to be a speech therapist, after all. Besides, a personal reference from the Dean is enough to prove she is trusted to handle it, he thought. Yet, he still pondered some more.

                Hye Jin took his silence as hesitation, hesitation of her skills, of her capabilities. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea for her to even consider the position. I can’t do it. Or can I? They don’t need me. But, they did ask for me. I’ve got talent, right? Bah, who am I kidding? I’m not cut out for a job like this. I have no skills. I have no experience. I’m not worthy of this or anything else, for that matter. I’m hopeless. A failure. The lowest of th—

                “You should accept, Hye Jin.”

                “What? But I—I—I…Come again?” she sputtered.

                Professor Nam nodded his head at her and repeated, “You should accept the position. I think you can do it.”

                “Really? Are you sure, Sir? Because there are so many other students and faculty out there who are more than capable of helping out and probably have more skills and experience and—”

                “Hye Jin. Stop,” he snapped, interrupting her ramblings, “Let me rephrase that. You should accept because I know you can do it. You have the skills and you have the experience; don’t deny that. Were all those hours you logged in the children’s center just brownie points? Of course not, they’re hours of experience. You helped those kids with speaking like you’ll be helping out the cast of this play. Also, it’ll be good on your resume for future job opportunities.”

                “I guess they’re similar. But, what if-“

                “No buts, you’ll be accepting the offer. Besides, a personal recommendation from the principal? Is that not enough to convince you of your capabilities? Come on, Hye Jin. It’s only for the fall term. Once winter break ends, so will the play. It’ll be fun.” He got up from his seat and gathered his jacket and briefcase, getting ready to leave his office for the day. “Write back to Director Kim. I’m sure she’ll be ecstatic. Oh, and do it soon, preferably now. If I remember correctly, she wants a reply within a week, and that letter is dated four days ago. Knowing her, she’s not going to wait a whole week for your reply.” Herding Hye Jin out of his office, Professor Nam swiftly walked through his cluttered office while she tripped over just about everything in her way. “Now hop to it. I expect to hear good news from the Director at the staff meeting tomorrow.”

                “You guys have staff meetings already? There’s still a week before the term starts.”

                “Yes, there are staff meetings already. And office hours too, apparently.” He glared at her, but then broke out into a smile. Hye Jin guiltily scratched the back of her head and threw him a peace sign.

                “Thanks for your help, Professor. I’ll go drop off a note right now.”

--

                “Hey Marty, I’m back!” Hye Jin called out from the door. A rush of footsteps and excited whines echoed down the hall before she was tackled by her dog. “Whoa, someone’s excited. Was I gone for too long?” she asked, sitting up and nudging him off of her. He whimpered in reply and sat down. She swore he looked like he was frowning.

                “I’m sorry, bud. Let’s get some food, shall we?” she cooed, scratching his ears and standing up. He happily followed her to the kitchen where she began pulling out some food. Quietly, he sat and waited by his bowl, watching her prepare his meal. She finished cooking and brought it over, carefully putting the food into his bowl.

                “So, Marty, guess what?” she asked, crouching beside him as he ate, petting his back absently. He grumbled, quickly looking at her as if to ask her to continue. Chuckling, she spoke, “I got a letter from the theater Director. She wants me to help with their production this year. Crazy, right? Yeah, I thought so too.” She paused, watching him clean up his bowl. “Honestly, I didn’t know what to do. A part of me wanted to accept right away, but another, bigger part of me wanted to reject the position, the logical part of me. All the pressure, the hours I would have to put into it. Would it be smart to take on such a large project in my final year? Would I be able to live up to their standards? The questions and doubts…I was so confused. That’s why I went to see Professor Nam. You remember him, right?” she asked and laughed as he barked, recognizing the name.

                They moved to the living room, cuddling up on the couch. Marty rested his head on her lap and prodded her hand with his nose. She smiled down at him and rested it on his head, lightly massaging circles into his fur. “Anyway, he told me to accept the position. He said it would be good on my resume. I think he wants me to work with older clients, not just with the children at the center. What do you think? Do you think it will look good on my resume?”

                Marty breathed hard out of his nose, a sign of agreement and fatigue. Hye Jin looked out the balcony window, staring at the star dotted night sky. “It would, wouldn’t it? Maybe that’s the reason why I accepted the position.”

                It was getting late, so she ushered her sleepy dog into the bedroom, helping him onto her bed and crawling in after. “I don’t know what to expect out of this, but I hope it’s all good.” Marty lifted his head and looked back at her, telling her to be quiet. “All right already, I’ll be quiet now. Just know that I won’t be at home much this term. Looks like you’re going to have to hang out with Grandpa and Grandma Park more often until the play is over.”

                Marty let out a panicked whine and squirmed around. “They’re not so bad. I’ll remind them to not over feed you like last time. Stop worrying and go to sleep.”

                He looked back at her with one last thought before going to bed.

                You’re one to talk about worrying, Hye Jin.

---

 

Here's chapter 1 for you all. I purposely didn't include character introductions in the Foreword so that I can introduce them as they appear throughout the story. So without further ado, here are three, basic character breakdowns:

Park Hye Jin

- 22 years old
- 4th year at Seoul International University
- Double Major in Linguistics and English
- Aiming to be a Speech Therapist

Professor Nam

- Linguistics professor
- Head of the Linguistics Department
- Hye Jin's advisor and friend

Marty (Ursus Maritimus Park)

- 5 years old
- Breed: Samoyed
- Hye Jin's best friend
- Fun fact: his full name translates to 'polar bear'.

I think that's about all you guys need to know. Hope you enjoyed it!

See you in the next Chapter!

-greenninjapanda GNP-