"Hyejoo, why can't you go? There will be a lot of girls and I've heard one of them is interested in you..." A tall girl told her friend as they came out from classes.
"Sooyoung, you know why. Maybe another day." Hyejoo answered nonchalantly.
"It's the fifth time this month you blow us off. Just call in sick or something." Sooyoung demanded her best friend.
"I can't call in sick. The puppies and the kitties need me." Hyejoo said sweetly.
Sooyoung had invited Hyejoo to another group date. Hyejoo rejected the invitation because she was busy. She had a part-time job. Sooyoung couldn't understand why Hyejoo preferred taking care of animals instead of letting herself be taken care of by a bunch of beautiful girls. Hyejoo was quite the catch and she had a few people interested in her but her schedule didn't let her see anyone. Pet sitting was her priority.
"Furry." Sooyoung said and Hyejoo didn't even try to deny it.
"Next time. I promise." Hyejoo said and really meant it. After this particular job, she would have next week free.
"I'll hold you to that. See you later!" Sooyoung said and waved Hyejoo goodbye.
Hyejoo had adored animals since she was a little girl. Therefore, it was no surprise when she decided to go to vet school and become a veterinarian. She was currently in her second year and at the same time, she was also a pet sitter. Juggling the two had been troublesome at first, but fortunately, the job hours were flexible enough, so she didn't neglect her studies.
For a person like Hyejoo, being a pet sitter was a dream job. She did not only get to spend time with adorable critters, but she also gained hands-on experience for her career. Furthermore, earning some extra money never hurt. It would be ridiculous to disregard her job for meaningless things such as group dates.
This afternoon, she was going to see 'Aeongie' who in less than a month had become her favorite pet. Aeongie was a black Maine Coon who lived not far from her neighborhood. She used to see her often with whom she assumed was her owner, a college girl named Heejin. However, she had recently found out that she had been wrong.
Apparently, Aeongie's owner was a girl, who she had never met, called Kim Hyunjin. She had been the one to contact her via the agency she worked at to pet sit Aeongie. She had told the establishment that she would be away from home for three months and couldn't take her kitty. Thus, the job consisted of pet sitting Aeongie every day after classes and also on the weekends until she returned.
Since a month ago, her schedule consisted of going to classes and then spending the rest of the day with Aeongie. Naturally, she had gotten used to the presence of the cat because this had been her most demanding and long-duration job since she had become a pet sitter. One month was left for the contract to end and she hoped that she could still see the cat afterwards.
Nonetheless, Hyejoo didn't know that those lingering thoughts about not being able to see the cat she had gotten attached to so much would be meaningless after today's appointment. Hyejoo was in for a surprise and fortunately, it wouldn't be a bad one.
xxx
Hyejoo opened the door to Kim Hyunjin's apartment and the first thing she noticed was the smell. It stunk of urine and something else she couldn't decipher. It was quite strange but instead of finding it disgusting, she found it appealing. Any other day, the odor would make her want to puke but she felt enthralled by it, so she followed it.
Normally, Aeongie would be waiting for her at the door. Somehow the cat knew when she was approaching the apartment and waited patiently next to her food bowl. Yet, this time, Aeongie was not around and Hyejoo was so distracted by the smell that was calling for her that she didn't give the cat any thought as she opened the door of what she guessed was Kim Hyunjin's bedroom and almost got a heart attack because of what she saw.
