:)

Jia slowly closed the door behind her, holding the dog collar in both hands. Tears were streaming down her face as her lip trembled, losing the battle of bottling her emotions up. There was no use anymore, really. Jia looked down at the worn leather leash in her hands as she slowly lifted it to the key rack that hung on the wall. She barely hung it up before falling to her knees, sobbing loudly as she hugged the collar tightly to herself.

No matter how hard she shut her eyes, she could see her beautifully perfect black labrador right in front of her. She could see her adorable white chin, her cataracts in her eyes, the white fur that decorated the space around her eyes. Her smooth and comforting fur, the dog smile she always wore, the soft pants from her excitement, and her consistently, never ending tail wagging.

Jia didn't want to move from the floor in front of her door. Then she would have the face the treat-shaped pills she had to give her dog. She would see her dog bed, her crate of toys, her favorite tennis ball, her brush, her treats, the dog hair on the floor.

She would have to see the memories of her sweet Mari.

For now, Jia would remain on the floor and clutch Mari's collar, away from the rest of her memories with her dog of fourteen years.

—

Jia jolted awake as her phone's alarm rang right by her face. Jia sat up quickly, looking around to orientate herself. She was still on the floor in front of her front door. And she still held the collar.

Jia pushed some hair from her face and turned off her alarm. Jia sniffled as she unlocked her phone, scrolling through her notifications.

- Byeol -

byeol - hey Jia! the office heard about what happened with mari. we're so sorry for your loss hon! i know exactly what you're going through. i'm here if you ever need anything <3

- Haeun -

haeun - i know you just went through something awful yesterday, but we really need you to come into work today. a hybrid sex prison was busted last night and we got about half of those poor babies. please come in sometime before noon

- Siwoo -

siwoo - hey Jia :(

siwoo - byeol told me what happened. i have the morning off today, so if you want, i can totally pick you up some coffee and a muffin? or some bread? or some pastries? or a cookie? hell i can bring you icecream if you want?

siwoo - anyways, i'm here for you 100%. just send me a text and im there :)

Jia dropped her phone into her lap, not even flinching as it fell to the floor beside her. She leaned her head back against her front door, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.

Guess the world doesn't stop for Jia's loss.

She knew better than that.

-

Jia walked into the hybrid facility she worked at, giving weak smiles to everyone she passed. She made quick work getting to the back, clocking herself in and turning towards her locker-

"Oh Jia!" Byeol exclaimed, hugging her friend tightly. "I'm so sorry about Mari! She was the bestest girl ever!"

"It's alright Byeol." Jia patted her friend's back, wanting to chew her own fingers off than talk about her dog right now. "Thank you for the text. Sorry for not responding."

"Don't you worry one bit." Her younger friend held her by her shoulders. "Can I do anything? Get you a snack? A drink? A therapy session? Anything?"

"Nothing, Byeol." Jia took her friend's hands off of her and patted her friend's head, smiling. "I just want to get to the hybrids that need my help." Jia walked past her friend and to her locker, taking off her outside shoes and slipping on her extremely comfortable clogs that never left the facility. Sometimes the outside smells could be too overwhelming for the hybrids she treated, so minimizing any smell from the outside was extremely crucial.