Greener Pastures

Greener Pastures
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One sunny morning, a businesswoman from Angel Farms visited FNC Industries, making a successful negotiation and purchasing their finest flock of sheep. By the next morning, the sheep were loaded onto three trucks and transported to their new home. It took them a few days to adjust, and the farmer fed them hay and grain before allowing them to roam freely and graze on the pastures. The animals wandered across the vast, green fields, nipping at the luscious grass at their hooves.

"The grass here is much greener and tastier. If this is where we're going to stay, I wouldn't mind. This pasture will be a better place to live."

"Agreed."

"Agreed."

"Agreed."

After several more agreements from the rest of the flock, one of the younger sheep, Seolhyun, spoke up. "Just because the grass here is greener and tastier doesn't necessarily mean it will be better. Have you seen those bags lying around in the barn? They are full of sheep wool. They are going to shear us."

The sheep exchanged curious glances, wondering if they should believe Seolhyun. Not only was she one of the younger sheep, she was a black sheep, with dark, delicate wool. She was very different, as they all possessed white wool. Should they trust this outsider?

"Don't listen to her. That is cow dung." The head of the flock trotted forward, standing directly in front of Seolhyun. "We are going to live here comfortably. The shepherd made her promise."

Before Seolhyun could argue further, the rest of the flock moved away from her, choosing to graze near their leader instead. After all, the leader always knew best. The sheep would blindly follow whatever she did and go wherever she went. On the other hand, Seolhyun simply did as she pleased, usually straying from the flock and earning a scolding from Mina, the shepherd.

"What a naughty sheep you are, Seolhyun. But I do not fret, because I will be able to manage all of you very soon." Mina made an attempt to pet Seolhyun, who bleated defiantly and scuttled away.

 

 

On a particularly bright day, Seolhyun was out on the pasture, grazing by herself as usual. The shepherd would be arriving any time now to scold her and carry her back to the flock, so she tried her best to enjoy the thickly growing grass away from the flock's feeding area. Just as she bent down to gnaw at a stubborn patch, she heard a frightening, unfamiliar noise. She looked to her side and saw a large fluffy creature sitting beside her, making those terrible sounds. 

Another bark later, Seolhyun was fleeing from the intimidating newcomer, making her way back to the flock. She would warn the others of this fearful threat, who was at her hooves, pursuing her as she scampered away.

"Hi! Hi! Hello! My name is Hyejeong, and I'm a sheepdog!"

Although the tone of the sheepdog seemed very friendly and excited, Seolhyun could not stop fleeing out of pure animal instinct, not with the sheepdog continuing to run after her.

"Why are you chasing me?!"

"Because I'm a sheepdog, and this is my job! The shepherd told me to! She is my master! I love her a lot lot lot lot!"

Seolhyun went as fast as her hooves could carry her, bleating in panic. "Take that love back to her! Go away!"

"But I can't! I need you! You're Seolhyun right? Black wool, black wool, Master pointed you out and said to get you!"

"I'm just fine on my own!"

"Master doesn't think so! It'll be okay, I'll take you back! This is fun too! I'm having fun, are you having fun?!"

"No! I'm getting tired! Stop running after me!"

"Not until you reunite with the flock!"

Just as Hyejeong claimed, she immediately came to a halt once Seolhyun reached her flock's daily feeding grounds. She took wary steps away from the sitting sheepdog, accidentally brushing against one of the other grazing sheep.

"Watch where you're going! You're gonna stain my lovely white fluff with your ugly wool!" 

Hurt by the sheep's insult, Seolhyun began to dejectedly retreat from her flock. However, the sheepdog surprised them all as she bounced forward, wagging her fluffy tail. "What are you talking about?! Seolhyun's black wool is beautiful! The loveliest! I've never seen wool like this before! I love it! I love her!" Hyejeong began to excitedly run in circles around Seolhyun. "I love you! Not as much as my master, but I love you a lot lot lot!"

The sheep hadn't noticed Hyejeong's presence before, and upon their leader bleating and fleeing from the large canine, they followed and did the same. "Wait! Where are you going?! Listen to me!" Seolhyun observed in amazement as Hyejeong chased after the fleeing sheep and eventually returned them to their original location. "Seolhyun's wool is beautiful, okay?! Okay?!"

"Yes!" The sheep cried, cowering amongst each other.

"Yay yay yay! Seolhyun, Seolhyun, let's play! Play with me, I love you!"

Seolhyun appreciated the sheepdog's efforts to defend her, but she didn't like the force she used to do it. "No. I can't play with you."

Upon rejection, Hyejeong instantly dropped onto her side and rolled in the grass, whining. "You don't love me! That's why you don't want to play with me!"

"That's not it, you're just annoyi - oh my goodness! Why are you chewing on my wool?!" Seolhyun began to bleat in panic again, a habit of hers.

"It's so beautiful I wanted to taste it! Not so tasty, but I still love you! Your wool is so beautiful, so beautiful!" Hyejeong suddenly stopped running around, her tongue dropping out of as she panted. "I have a great idea! Let's mate!"

"What?! No!" 

"I want my offspring to have your beauuuutiful wool! My fur is white and gray and so so boring! Come on, come on, let's mate!"

"No! Go away!"

"Please please please please please! I promise that I'll watch the pups!"

"No!" Hyejeong dropped flat onto the grass again, whimpering pitifully. "Look here, even if I wanted to, it's not even possible! I'm a sheep and you're a sheepdog! Completely different!"

"We can still try! It won't hurt to try!"

"No means no."

"Okay." Hyejeong got back on her paws, recovering quite easily from rejection this time. "But let's play! Play with me!" With that said, Hyejeong darted forward and Seolhyun instinctively moved away, eventually breaking into a run as the sheepdog began chasing her again.

"Would you cut that out?!"

"We're playing! You're playing with me! Yay yay yay! I'm so happy! I love you! But not as much as my master, who I love lots lots lots lots!"

Mina was chatting with the farmer, Yuna, when she noticed a commotion in the distance. She squinted her eyes and saw that Hyejeong was chasing the black sheep away from the flock. "Sorry, please excuse me." She hastily told the farmer before rushing to the pasture. Once she was close enough, she shouted, "Hyejeong! Stop!" 

Hearing her beloved master's command, Hyejeong yielded and stopped in place. Seolhyun slowed down, watching as Mina expressed her control over th

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Comments

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myflows #1
Chapter 1: TBH i didn't think i would enjoy this fic knowing that it revolved around sheep. I was wrong lol
Bookworm01
#2
Eccentric, but humorous. Aw, Hyejeong's such a cute sheepdog. And I was caught completely offguard with the ending but it was all the more hilarious. I can't imagine doing that to get an extension for my assignments... And I think Miss Park was quite wrong in her assumptions. Joohee did say that that was her masterpiece. Why must she alter it? It was one word: perfection! Bravo Brava Brave Bravi Bravu!
mwafiq
#3
Chapter 1: sheep with sheepdog... hahah
Boksoongah
#4
Chapter 1: OH MY GOD.
BEST. SEOLJEONG. EVER.
that's even considering all your other amazing seoljeongs.
omgomgomg 4688359842/10, this beauty has no words to describe it. ;-;
anchoding
#5
Chapter 1: I'm officially lost it the moment hyejeong the sheepdog said "let's mate"

What you've done to me author-nim???
I can't stop imagine both of them as sheep and sheepdog...... they're cute btw
rikkse
#6
Chapter 1: you forgot biological alienation and the exploitation of minorities/immigrants in a factory industry, but this will do, joohee, this will do. 100. Whoo, man, Sheepdog!Hyejeong and her exclaimations, what a doozy, so the transition to periods really set the mood ehehehehehe.
rikkse
#7
reading the intro: avocado u ok
daimeng
#8
sheepxsheepdog? seems legit LMAO
ElBeard
#9
Chapter 1: This was a masterpiece, thank you for gracing the earth with this beautiful piece of art.