Good Boy

IV

"How far is this stream?" Namjoon asked the girl.

"Not much farther. Just up this clearing and we're there," she said.

They had been walking for about twenty minutes through a trail in the woods. The sun was high up and shining it's warm rays down on the town below. The spring mornings were always crisp with frosty breezes. Only until the midday did it warm up. It was Sojung's favorite season. Yes she did shiver to the bone when she walks the dog at dawn, but it's only for a few moments. When the sky turns to oranges and rosy pink tints, that's when the cold doesn't bother her. The warm feeling inside her heats her body and the numbness in her toes goes away.

"I don't think I've been through here....." Namjoon mumbled, mostly to himself.

"I barely found out about this," Sojung said. Namjoon turned to her with his eyebrow raised. "I was walking down the trail back there when Monie started to pull on the leash," she explained, much like the dog is doing now. "I followed his lead and he brought me past this bush," she stepped over the shrub and looked back at him while holding out her hand. He looked down at it suspiciously before taking it and stepping over the same bush. "And this is what I saw," she finished her sentence and let go of his hand.

Before them was a small creek with vegetation all around. The sound of the water gliding past the soil and rocks joined the birds' song in a pleasing song of nature. It was barely filled with water but enough to surpass a puddle. The shrubbery around was tangled in bunches while the tress released reviving air that hinted the area was not polluted.

"It's barely anything, but it's far from the public. I wasn't sure if I should bring Monie here since I'd have to wash him when we got home. But, it's worth the hassle," Sojung said and let the dog off his leash.

Namjoon was stunned to say the least. He's been to Ilsan Lake Park more times than he could count, and never once did he stumble upon this place. Everything gave him a welcoming vibe.

"Wow," he whispered. Truly, he was breathless.

"I like coming here to clear my mind. When I had final exams, I came here to study," Sojung said and sat down on a large tree branch that had most likely fallen. Namjoon took a seat beside her and watched as his dog began running up and down while stomping his paws in the water. A ball was thrown to the other side of the creek and Rapmonie ran after it. Namjoon looked beside him and Sojung was taking things out of her bag.

"You're prepared aren't you?" he asked rhetorically with a small grin.

"Well I thought we would be here for a while so I brought some snacks in case we got hungry. Apologies in advanced though," she said while setting a thermos and doggy treats down on her lap, "I wasn't expecting to bring someone else. I only brought some food for one person."

"It's fine. We can share. I'm sure it's enough," Namjoon said. He hadn't eaten that morning and the thought of food made him a bit hungry.

"Who said we were sharing?" Sojung asked, her face serious.

Namjoon was taken aback and his mouth hung loose. "I-I-I-,"

The maiden's face changed from an offended look to a huge smile. He started giggling while covering her mouth. "I'm kidding. Of course we can share. You can take it all if you'd like. I'm sure you're hungry since you didn't have breakfast," she said and pulled out a box from her bag. She opened it up and Monie dropped the ball she threw onto her lap, sitting down with his tongue hanging and his tail wagging excitedly. Sojung moved the food aside and picked up the ball.

"Paw," she said while holding her hand out. The dog took the sign and lifted his paw onto her hand. She smiled and threw it down the stream, a close enough that she could see him.

"I'm telling you! That dog loves you," Namjoon whined while Sojung pulled out a small fork.

"Here," she said while holding up some diced watermelon on the fork.

Namjoon looked to her then the piece of fruit in front of his face. His questioning gazed caused her to answer his question before he asked.

"Hopefully after you eat you'll stop whining," she bluntly said.

Namjoon took the fork and she handed him the box. Rapmonie came running back and barked once he dropped the ball. Sojung grabbed the ball from her feet to throw again. Instead, an idea came to mind and she handed the ball to Namjoon. With his cheeks puffed from the watermelon cubes, he looked at the ball with an eyebrow raised.

"Throw it," Sojung said, more of a commandment.

Looking from her serious gaze to the beaten tennis ball, he set down the fork into the box and grabbed it. He already knew what was going to happen and threw the ball. His dog followed the ball with his head but turned to look back at him while wagging his tail.

"Go! Go get it," Namjoon said while nodding his head in the direction it was thrown.

Again, the dog stared at him. Sojung watched the scene and cracked a grin.

"I guess you were right. He really doesn't listen to you," she said to him. "Monie! Go fetch the ball!" she said and the dog obeyed.

"Just take him already! He's better off without me," Namjoon complained once again and angrily stabbed a grape with his fork.

"I guess since you're often gone he didn't get warm up to you. Maybe he's just really accustomed to seeing me," Sojung said.

Namjoon's conscience agreed with her and he pondered shortly.

After another thirty minutes of eating and playing with the dog, both of them managing to get wet and stained with paw prints, they agreed it was time to start heading back. They both were very chatty. They're conversation would teeter from music to books to cartoons. It seems that they both couldn't decide what topic was more interesting. Sojung even told him an embarrassing moment from her childhood that involved a dog pushing her into a pool while she was daydreaming about being a mermaid. The two laughed and laughed and nearly tripped while walking away from the stream. Rapmonie began to get more excited while seeing them so engaged. He would hop onto both of them while trying to push them into the water. His barks echoed through the small area and so were their hysterical voices. The sun was still high in the sky but the two adults had business to get back to the moment the muddy pawed pooch was back to a glistening white.