Sincerely Yours | Enhypen

three

The sweltering afternoon heat was unbearable as I made my way home from school. Sweat stained my clothes and I bet my face was redder than a ripe tomato. I felt like I would die from the heat. I decided to take a detour to the nearest convenience store to get a cold drink and cool off.

I rounded a corner and walked down an alleyway, holding my breath against the stench of trash coming from the garbage cans. I knew that I could've taken another route instead but this one was much shorter. 

Suddenly, I heard a sound similar to that of a whimpering animal. It seemed like it came from the trashcans. I peered closely and noticed two ears sticking out from underneath a pile of garbage bags. Curiosity got the better of me and I tried to ignore the icky feeling in my stomach as I kicked the bags aside. 

My eyes widened in surprise as I saw a puppy lying on the ground, its white fur matted with dirt and grime. But the thing that caught my attention the most was its bleeding front paw. 

"Oh, you poor thing." I said, crouching down to examine its injury. A shard of glass was lodged into its paw pad. The dog whimpered and whined painfully, and my heart broke for it. 

"Hey, is your dog okay?" A voice came from behind me. I turned. A young boy in a school uniform was looking from the puppy to me and back again. 

"This isn't my dog," I said. "But it's really badly hurt."

"Maybe I can help?" He offered and I nodded gratefully. 

He placed his backpack on the ground and squatted down beside me before gently lifting one of the puppy's paw. He grimaced, "This looks really bad."

He wrinkled his forehead in concentration as he swiftly pulled the glass shard out of the puppy's paw. It howled and even tried to bite the boy but he retracted back quickly.

The puppy calmed down after a while and its breathing slowed to an even pace. The boy then rummaged through his backpack and took out a packet of tissues and a water bottle. He wetted the tissues with water and proceeded to carefully clean the puppy's wound. It didn't retaliate.

He then wrapped the puppy's paw with a handkerchief. The puppy closed its eyes and its face relaxed. Its whimpers ceased.

"I managed to lessen the bleeding but its paw won't heal completely for a few weeks, which means it won't be able to feed itself till then." The boy said, looking at the dog with evident worry on his face. 

"Then we'll just have to feed it until it's paw heals, won't we?" I said. 

He nodded. "Yeah, you're right."

"You care a lot about dogs and you seem really good with them too," I remarked. "Do you have one?" 

He smiled. "No, I don't. But I'd like to."

I nodded in understanding. "Well, thanks for your help. I was panicking a lot earlier and I didn't know what to do. You did great."

He looked shy at the compliment. "Oh, it's nothing." 

"By the way I didn't get to introduce myself," he extended his hand and grinned. "I'm Jaeyun. But most of my friends call me Jake."

"Jake? That's an English name." I said, surprised.

"Oh, yeah. I'm from Australia." He said 'Australia' with a very strong Aussie accent. 

"Well hello, Jake," I said, taking his outstretched hand and giving it a firm but friendly shake. "I'm Hyejin." 

"You live around here?" He let go of my hand and shoved both of his into his pockets. 

"No, I was just going to the convenience store. You?"

"Oh, me too. Wanna go together?" 

We walked side by side to the convenience store, talking as we went. The cold air inside the store greeted me with a gush and I couldn't have been more grateful to be away from the blazing sun. Jake and I hung out for a while before going our separate ways.

But that wasn't the last time I saw him. In fact, it was only the beginning of many more interactions to come.

---

Jake and I saw each other multiple times after our first encounter. Our classes ended at roughly the same time so we'd meet up after school to look after the puppy. We moved it to another alleyway, which was cleaner and safer for it to stay until its paw had healed enough for it to go somewhere else on its own.

Over the course of the next few weeks, Jake and I fed it and nursed it back to health together. Its paw had slowly healed up nicely and Jake said that it'd be fully healed in a few more days.

When we found out that the puppy was a girl, we agreed upon naming her Layla (per Jake's request). She was an absolute bundle of joy, and it warmed my heart to watch her grow stronger and healthier with each passing day.

One Thursday afternoon, I was on my way to see Jake and Layla as usual. My heart pounded loudly with excitement as I pictured Layla's adorable face and big round eyes. Seeing her was always the highlight of my day. 

But it was not just her whom I was eager to meet. It was Jake too. The truth was that I'd started to develop a huge crush on him and every time we saw each other I'd become a stuttering, blushing mess. His beautiful smile, his charming accent, his big heart--I couldn't help falling for him, even though he paid more attention to Layla than he did to me.

I reached the alleyway. Jake wasn't there. I thought that maybe he just hadn't arrived yet, but then I realized that Layla was nowhere to be found either. 

I started to worry. Where did she go? Was she okay? Did something happen to her? Her paw was still delicate, she shouldn't be walking yet. I looked around the neighborhood for her, my heart pounding again but this time with panic. I searched the area frantically.

She couldn't have gone far, I told myself over and over again. Her paw would hurt if she walked too much. She must be here somewhere.

So much for wishful thinking.

I didn't find her. She was gone.

I went back to the alleyway and waited nervously. Maybe she'll show up eventually, or Jake will finally arrive and we can look for her together. But hours passed and there were no signs of either. I gave up and went home, my mind filled with negative thoughts that I'd much rather not have. 

I returned to the alleyway the next day and for a few days after that, only to find it empty each time. No Layla and no Jake. 

I felt like someone had stabbed me in the chest with a knife. I was confused, upset, and devastated. I couldn't tell if the pain came from losing Layla or Jake. I told myself that it was both, but I couldn't deny that I found myself thinking of Jake more. I missed him. I missed everything about him, including the way he'd made me feel. When was the last time I'd felt like that?

It was stupid of me to wish that I could see him again. I knew that was never going to happen. He was just a fleeting acquaintance. I shouldn't even have expected us to be friends for that long. Layla was the only thing that brought us together and now that she's gone, so was he.

This is ridiculous. I thought as I sat at my desk, totally neglecting my homework and thinking about Jake for the hundredth time that week. Stop thinking about him. Just let it go, Hyejin.  

I wanted to let go. And so I did it the only way I know how: by writing a letter.