Oneiric Tryst

14. Shelter

San was a regular at the animal shelter. Starting in high school, he had already paid visits to the animals, all collected in the cosy shelter nearby. He knew every rabbit by name, had named a kitten himself because he had been there at its birth and had met several generations of mice. The one he was going to introduce to Wooyoung today was his friend Byeol, the kitten. San loved her more than anything else in the world, and he had always wanted to adopt her. He had never been allowed to, because of his landlord.

Things might change, however. The moment Hongjoong stepped out of the car behind the two ecstatic boys, Hongjoong wondered if there was a possibility for Wooyoung to adopt Byeol and possibly San, too.

The melody of Seonghwa's dream still rang in the back of Hongjoong's head. His mind was occupied with thoughts about Seonghwa and how soft he had been in that past dream. How smooth his skin had been under Hongjoong's lips.

San snatched Wooyoung's hand with his as he ran off. Giggling, Wooyoung followed. Slowly, like a fond parent, Hongjoong trudged behind them. The woman behind the counter recognised San immediately, and her face brightened at the sight of his friends.

"San, nice to see you again! Did you come to visit Byeol?"

San nodded quickly. His eyes already scanned the room and the cats that slumbered in various corners. On the table next to the shelter worker stood a snake in a terrarium.

"Look around, she must be somewhere. Tell me if you need anything."

With a hasty expression of gratitude, San sped off. While he and Wooyoung chased down Byeol, Hongjoong found himself drawn to the dogs milling around. While he loved all animals the same, he had always wanted a puppy as his best buddy when he had been younger. As soon as San and Wooyoung had disappeared in the facility to hunt down the cat of their desires, Hongjoong stepped out of the backdoor. In an enclosed area and joined by another woman, a group of dogs of all kinds was happily playing fetch. Hongjoong saw dachshunds, dalmatians, and various others of all sizes.

He sat down in the corner of the field as to not disturb the group. Their merry game kept the dogs busy, their attentive and lively faces shooting left and right.

Until one time, the stick landed relatively close to Hongjoong. When the quick beauceron who raced over got it first, he handed it to Hongjoong. Amused, Hongjoong ruffled the good boy's fur gently as he took the spit-sodden stick from him. He threw it again, and wet grass flew into the air when the herd stormed off again.

All apart from one. A pretty dog, smaller than some others but still large enough not to be overseen, stuck around to look at Hongjoong vigilantly. He didn't recognise the race, but he had seen the pointy and intelligent features around.

"Who are you?" Hongjoong held his hand out, inviting the dog to come closer. It did instantly and laid down next to him. Chuckling, he petted the long, soft fur. With a yap, the dog rolled to expose its belly to him, getting the best pets.

"A cutie, that's what you are," Hongjoong concluded with a snicker. Then he glanced up when the lady from the counter stepped up next to him. She handed him some treats and watched as he fed them to the dog.

"She's a sheltie, one of the smaller herding dogs," the woman smiled as her hand joined into the thick grey fur to pet through it. The dog's underbelly was pure white, and some latte brown blotches blended into the mostly grey fur coat. Dark spots across her back prettily patterned her.

Her cute brown eyes closed at every happy roll between the ruffling hands on her.

"What's her name?"

"Berry."

"Good girl, Berry. You're such a beauty," Hongjoong cooed at the dog. Instantly, she rolled onto her paws again to bury her head in his lap contently. Her tail did a merry dance.