With swift hands and voluminous hair that bounced around as he moved, the baker slid across the floor grabbing the numerous piping bags that lay over the kitchen counter. He hummed his favourite tunes while frosting the bare cupcakes, bringing them to life with bright yellow and baby pink icing. The ding from his ovens made him jump a little, but this was just all in a day’s work for diligent baker Do Kyungsoo.

As he was taking out the last batch of cupcakes for the day, he heard a dog’s bark that sounded too loud to have come from outside. Kyungsoo placed his tray down and headed to his back porch; it was the place famous for finding lost dogs.

The smell of his home bakery constantly attracted animals from all around the neighbourhood. Sometimes he’d forget to close the porch doors and would end up taking care of lost pets until their owners turned up. Kyungsoo didn’t mind his four-legged friends, because all they’d do is stare at him with innocent eyes and wait for a sweet snack. But for their own good, all he provided was refreshing water and a cozy place for them to rest.

“POODLE!” Kyungsoo squealed, running towards a ball of brown fluff sitting on his welcome mat. He picked the puppy up and carried it over his shoulders, cooing into his fur. “Aigoo, so cute!” Kyungsoo swung it around with joy before reluctantly putting it down. He fetched a bowl of water from the kitchen and placed it in the living room. “Now be good, okay? I gotta get back to work.” The brown poodle tilted his head and whined. “Sorry little guy! These cupcakes aren’t gonna frost themselves.”  Kyungsoo pet it one last time before returning to the kitchen.

He was working on the last cupcake when there was a sudden bang on the door. Kyungsoo jumped at the noise and the piping bag flew out of his hands and into the dog’s line of sight. It ran towards the bag but Kyungsoo picked him up before it could the sweet frosting.

“Looks like your owner is here...” He kissed the puppy’s head before opening the door.

“MONGGU OH MY GOD” The man roared before clawing at Kyungsoo’s face, desperately wanting the dog back. Kyungsoo quickly let go and the man was finally reunited with his pet. He took his eyes off the dog to examine its irresponsible owner.

“Woah,” said Kyungsoo.

The man standing at his door was incredibly tall and had the finest face he had ever seen. His large eyes shone through a pair of cute glasses and his dark hair was gelled up in a way that made Kyungsoo’s heart flutter.

“Thanks for tak- OW!” The man howled and threw his dog in the air. It yapped in terror before safely landing back in Kyungsoo’s arms.

The ordeal shocked the two men and they stared at each other before Kyungsoo broke the silence. “Why’d you do that for?!” The stranger gave a large frown before shouting back. “HE BIT ME!” “Well he doesn’t seem to like you very much.” Kyungsoo the soft puppy in hopes of calming it down. He looked back at the man and gulped; the guy may be an idiot but damn, he's charming. 

“My name’s Kyungsoo. Are you sure this is your dog?” 

The man laughed and his right eye twitched in a funny way. “I’m Chanyeol, and Monggu isn’t mine. I’m just taking care of him for a friend.”

That explains the unnecessary biting, Kyungsoo thought.

“Don’t you have a leash? Or a cage or anything?”

Chanyeol furrowed his brows and dumbly stood there with his mouth open. “Uhh…”

“Forget it. Just…try carrying him again.” Kyungsoo took a step forward but Monggu growled and snapped at Chanyeol’s approaching hand. Both men jumped backwards and gave the same startled face.

Chanyeol exaggeratedly bent over in exhaustion and spoke to the floor. “Monggu please this is not the reality I wanted please come back to me I’ll give you anything you want please Monggu”

In response, the little poodle barked and growled at Chanyeol. Kyungsoo couldn’t help but pity this innocent giant. All he wanted was to bring Monggu home but this feisty creature won’t have any of it. 

“Why don’t I keep Monggu here for tonight?” Kyungsoo said, looking into Chanyeol’s weary eyes. “You should go home and rest. Come back tomorrow and maybe Monggu will cool down by then.”

Chanyeol looked even more horrified by this and glared at the pup. “Monggu PLS don’t embarrass me MONGGO”

“YAH!” Kyungsoo screeched. “It’s fine, really.”  With one hand still carrying Monggu, Kyungsoo pranced into the kitchen and fetched a pink cupcake from the freshest batch. “Here, take it.” Chanyeol’s glasses drooped down his nose as he accepted the food. The cupcake looked tiny in his large hands and Kyungsoo giggled.

“Thanks,” said Chanyeol, utterly dumbfounded at Kyungsoo’s kindness. “I’ll be back tomorrow!”

“See you then!” Kyungsoo cheered.

Chanyeol gazed at the trifling cupcake in his hands and a toothy smile spread across his face. He thanked Kyungsoo again and bowed before leaving.

Kyungsoo put Monggu down and returned to the kitchen to finish his work. For the rest of the evening, he danced around and packed the cupcakes into their boxes, neatly wrapping them up with ribbons that matched the colour of his blushing cheeks. Monggu sat on the warm rug and soon fell asleep to Kyungsoo’s angelic singing. The blissful baker finished dressing the boxes with his hand-drawn stickers that said “Made with Love”, and Kyungsoo couldn’t help but sigh at the last word. 

The doorbell rang and Monggu barked from surprise. “Shh, it’s okay.” Kyungsoo picked him up and headed for the door. “It’s just Baek.”

Kyungsoo opened the door and welcomed in his delivery boy. “Another dog today, huh?” Baekhyun said. “You should really start charging these people for your doggy day-care.”

“Nah, that’s okay.” Kyungsoo replied. “This doggy right here came with a hunk.”

Baekhyun raised his eyebrows and lowered his voice to a whisper. “You mean the hunk is here?!” He looked around the house and Kyungsoo playfully slapped him.

“No you idiot,” Kyungsoo smirked. “But he is coming tomorrow.”

“Oooooo,” Baekhyun droned. “Can’t wait to see how that turns out.” He picked up the boxes from the kitchen and marched to the door. “See you tomorrow Kyung. But if he’s still here by the time I come, just leave the boxes outside. Don’t wanna disturb you two!” He winked seductively and Kyungsoo chuckled before sending the boy off to do his job.

“Monggu ah…” Kyungsoo hummed and set the dog back on the soft rug. “Sleep well, and hopefully you’ll accept Chanyeol tomorrow…” The puppy Kyungsoo’s face and he returned a kiss to its fluffy head before preparing himself for bed.

The warmth radiating from his heart cuddled him to sleep, and that night Kyungsoo dreamt of the beautiful boy whose round eyes resembled the good ol’ moon.