”Jjangah, get down!” Jongin panted, chasing his dog.

She seemed to run faster the moment he neared her, speeding forwards without stopping the incessant barking. Jongin huffed, trying to increase his pace. His legs were aching from the sprint, having chased the poodle all the way from convenience store.

“Jjangah,” he called out again, voice growing hoarse. “Get down, now!”

His dog came to a halt, stopping right in front of Jongin. The action happened too fast. Jongin cursed under his breath, sidestepping Jjangah before crashing straight into something.

A cough escaped that something, or rather that someone, as he fell on top of them. The landing sounded harsh, the person gasping for air. Jongin closed his eyes, mentally berating himself. Cautiously, he rolled over to the side. His legs were wobbling as he tried to stand up, one hand outstretched for the unfortunate stranger.

“I’m so sorry,” Jongin hurriedly apologized, head bowed low.

He felt warmth envelope his hand while pulling the other person up. A laugh was heard, although sounding rather pained.

“It’s okay,” the person spoke softly, voice belonging to a man. “What’s important is that no one was harmed, especially your dog.”

At the mention of Jjangah, Jongin released the other’s hand and turned around. He intended to scold the poodle; he was going to stand up for once. His newfound courage died down though as soon as he was met with those giant doe eyes he despised.

“No,” he snapped, wavering slightly. “That’s not going to work, young lady. You’ve really done it this time.”

As if Jjangah could understand him, which was most likely true, she tilted her head to the side. Jongin tried, tried with all his might to withstand the onslaught he was facing.

He was surprisingly not the first one to crack.

“Oh, aren’t you adorable?”

Jongin had almost forgotten the person he’d bumped into. The latter pushed past him, kneeling down in front of the poodle. The action made Jongin feel like a giant, seeing as he was practically towering above the other man.

Jongin watched as he cooed at Jjangah, scratching behind her ear while she wagged her tail in approval. Coughing awkwardly, he managed to grab his attention.

“Ah, I’m sorry!” He apologized, somehow switching their roles as he hurriedly stood up to bow. “I have a soft spot for dogs.”

“No kidding,” Jongin said, unable to pause.

The man stiffened, his ears reddening. Jongin mentally berated himself; he had to quit hanging out with Sehun and Kyungsoo if he wanted to regain any sense of manners.  

“I mean, so do I,” he added sheepishly.

The person scoffed, straightening his posture before grinning at him. The expression surprised Jongin. He had no idea there were people with such radiating smiles.

“No kidding,” the man mimicked.

If one could fall in love with another person by crashing into them, Jongin was the prime example. He felt his breath hitch in his throat, cheeks heating up at this person looking at him in confusion.

It struck him that he was the reason for that confusion; he was blatantly staring at him.

“What’s your name?” Jongin blurted out.

“Um, my name’s Joonmyun,” he replied hesitantly.

Jjangah barked, shutting up when both of them turned to her. She barked once more, the noise sounding somewhat familiar to a laugh.

Jongin was never going to let Sehun play around with her. He was nothing but bad influence.

“Well, that’s nice,” Jongin murmured, cringing at his own behavior. “My name’s Jongin.”

“That’s also nice,” Joonmyun responded.

The air tensed, Jongin trying to rack his brain for any conversation starters. He drew a blank, which was new. Jongin never drew blanks; he was the one who drew on others blanks, not the other way around.

Joonmyun seemed at an equal loss for words, a forced smile on his lips as he tried to maintain eye contact with Jongin.

Once again, Jjangah interrupted their moment. Although this time, Jongin was more grateful than annoyed.

She circled Joonmyun, sniffing his paint leg. That was all it took for that brilliant smile to cross his lips. Joonmyun bent down, patting Jjangah on the head. Jongin had never wanted to swap places with his own dog in that moment.

“Do you have a dog?”

“Excuse me?” Joonmyun asked, glancing up at him.

Jongin repeated the question, focusing his stare on Jjangah. As if she would help him.

“How did you know?” He said, tone a mix between confusion and surprise.

Slowly moving his gaze away from Jjangah, Jongin peered at Joonmyun. He shrugged, feigning an expression of carefreeness.

“Just a guess,” he muttered.

Although he wanted to come off as cool, as well as preserve whatever shred of socializing skills he had left. Jongin seemed to have unleashed up a tidal wave.

Before he could strike up a conversation, a phone was pushed against his face. If it hadn’t been for the reflexes he’d honed hanging around Zitao, the device would’ve smacked into his forehead.

It was a picture of a tiny little dog sitting on a green carpet, dressed in a yellow shirt.

Jongin coughed, muffling any potential squeals.

“Since you’ve asked,” Joonmyun began excitedly, oblivious to what was happening. “It’s only fair that I show you.”

Without waiting for a reply, he began a detailed explanation of his dog. He was practically beaming with joy, making animated hand motions. Jongin willed away the bubbling feeling in his chest. It was familiar, yet at the same time foreign.

He recognized it as fondness, an emotion that crept up on him when he watched Jjangah running after a ball or her own tail.

Yet when he watched Joonmyun happily describing his dog, that fondness seemed different.

“Ah, I miss him a lot…” Joonmyun trailed off, smiling affectionately at the photo.

The sudden change of pace snapped Jongin out of his reverie, he blinked.

The action sent a flush to Joonmyun’s face. He fidgeted, looking anywhere but at Jongin.

“Oh god, I must’ve rambled again?” He whispered.

“Actually-“

“You probably didn’t even hear anything,” he continued, dragging a hand across his hair. “I’m such an idiot.”

“His name is Byul,” Jongin interjected before Joonmyun went into a state of shock. “Meaning star, because he’s the star that brightens your day and shows you the path home, you also easily miss him.”

Silence fell over them, Joonmyun gaping at him. The sight reminded Jongin of a puppy, and everything made sense.

The radiant smiles that surprised him, the feeling of fondness at his display of excitement, Joonmyun was almost like Jjangah.

Except he wasn’t a dog, and he wasn’t mean.

Jongin also couldn’t treat him like a dog, which meant he couldn’t take him home without having to manage another conversation.

Jjangah whimpered, gaining their attention. She stared at Joonmyun with her ridiculous doe eyes, looking as if she was about to cry. Jongin knew this look all too well, she was about to trick someone.

“Is everything okay?” Joonmyun stressed, immediately crouching down.

The scene made Jongin’s heart melt.

He was going to befriend this man; he’d even go as far as to trade Sehun along with Kyungsoo.

“She thinks you’re going to leave,” Jongin clarified, acting out as a translator.

Which was ridiculous, he had to stop spending as much time as he did with Jjangah.

Joonmyun paused, glancing up at Jongin. He seemed to be deep in thought, forehead creased as a sudden serious expression overtook his features. A couple seconds passed until Joonmyun beamed at Jongin, nearly sending his heart into a cardiac arrest.

“Who said I was going to leave?” He spoke, scratching the back of Jjangah’s ear.  “I’d gladly stay with you, Jjangah.”

“Please do,” Jongin babbled, voice betraying him.

The deafening silence that followed was suffocating, to the point where Jongin wished something as absurd as aliens would come along to kidnap him.

“I- I mean,” he stammered, racking his brain for anything logical. “I have two other dogs!”

“You do?” Joonmyun responded, eyes wide in amazement.

“Yes, they’re home right now.”

Jongin inwardly sighed in relief. Joonmyun didn’t seem to be alarmed by his blunder. Taking a deep breath, he shared a brief eye contact with Jjangah before collecting his courage.

“So, would you like to see them?” Jongin asked hesitantly, staring right at him. “You could get to know them as well, Jjangah would like that.”

Joonmyun observed him, the ghost of a smile flashing across his lips. He stood up, sidling next to Jongin.

“But you’re probably busy, so you don’t have to come,” Jongin hurriedly added, feeling the start of a tongue-tie creeping up on him.

“As I said before,” Joonmyun replied, lips curved into a bright smile. “Who said I was leaving?”

Jongin was at a loss for words, his tongue finally tying itself.

“Besides, I also want to know more about you.”

Jjangah barked, wagging her tail as she dashed ahead of them. Although this time, she stayed close enough for Jongin to reach her if he had to.

It was as if Jjangah had sensed Joonmyun as soon as they’d exited the convenience store.

Jongin vowed to never doubt a dog’s loyalty.