Title: Please Take Care of My Dog
Recipient:
yummydaGroup & Pairing: BtoB, Ilhoon/Sungjae (always-a-girl)
Rating: G
Summary: Minhyuk’s neighbours look after his dog for a day. Sungsook loves dogs, and Ilsoon loves Sungsook.
Sungsook gets home from university at 5 pm. The days are already getting longer, and the sun hasn’t set quite yet. “Well, look who decided to show up,” says Ilsoon when Sungsook opens the door to their apartment, and Hamo, the neighbour’s dog, barks and runs from Ilsoon’s lap to make eager circles at Sungsook’s feet.
Sungsook coos at Hamo, stooping to pet his head as he jumps at her knees and tossing her hair to one side behind her. “Aww, was he really that bad? He’s just a little fluffy guy.”
Ilsoon wipes her forehead with the back of her hand and sits back on her heels. “It’s been a long day,” is all she says. Sungsook takes off her shoes and comes inside, shrugging off her coat. Hamo follows her, his tail wagging. “I took him out for a walk to the café this morning, but it didn’t seem to do much.”
Sungsook pauses, then pulls her coat back on over her shoulders. “Then let’s take him for a walk now.” She grins, showing all her teeth. “It’ll be great. Both my pets!” Ilsoon rolls her eyes, but she has to keep her lips tight to keep the smile from coming out.
Their neighbour Lee Minhyuk had showed up at the door the previous day with Hamo in his arms. “I’ve got a gig in Daejeon and my other sitter backed out on me,” he said, sounding apologetic enough. “It would just be for a day, I’ll be back tomorrow night.”
“Oh, no problem,” said Sungsook right away, smiling at the little dog. Then she turned to Ilsoon, who was leaning against the wall behind her. “Uh, that is...”
Ilsoon looked from Hamo, small and white and curly, to her girlfriend, whose lower lip was sticking out a bit in a pout. She knew that Sungsook would defer to whatever she said, whether or not she agreed. She also knew that Sungsook would be out for most of the day at school, so it would be her looking after the dog; she’d probably have to get Penelope to cover her shift at the café. Sungsook’s hands were paused in the air, as if she’d touched something she shouldn’t.
Ilsoon shrugged. “Just for a day, right?”
“Yeah,” said Minhyuk, and Sungsook beamed at her. Sungsook was easy to please, so by extension, Ilsoon was easy to please, too.
It’s nice to walk next to Sungsook, who takes Hamo’s leash happily. Despite her reluctance, Ilsoon hadn’t done too badly with Hamo that day, but her patience had worn thin when he’d refused to heel on their walk back from the café and she hadn’t known how to make him obey without potentially hurting him. He seemed so small and breakable. Sungsook seems less afraid of that, tugging firmly on the leash whenever he starts to wander off to bring him back on course. Ilsoon also suspects that Hamo just likes her more, but she can’t blame him for that, really.
They walk to a nearby park, a different path than Ilsoon had taken earlier today to get to the café. “Wow, he likes it here,” she says, watching how Hamo perks up ahead of them, wandering over to sniff at the bases of the trees they pass, tail curled up.
“I think this is where Minhyuk oppa usually brings him,” replies Sungsook. They stop to let the dog mark a tree. “I’ve run into them here before.”
Ilsoon raises her eyebrows. “Have you,” she drawls around her chewing gum.
Sungsook doesn’t miss her tone, and she turns over her shoulder to smirk as they start walking again. “Why do you think Hamo likes me so much? I’m his future mom.” When Ilsoon doesn’t respond, she adds, “Unnie is his future stepmom.”
“How’s that going to work?”
Hamo pulls on the leash as another, bigger dog approaches on the path and Sungsook stumbles forward a little. “Simple,” she says. “I’ll marry Minhyuk oppa for his money, then I’ll leave him for you and get custody of Hamo.” Ilsoon snorts. “Doesn’t that sound good?”
“Yah, that guy has no money.”
“He’s a model, aren’t they supposed to have lots of money?”
“He’s too short to be a model.”
“Stay, Hamo,” Sungsook calls, gripping on the leash to keep Hamo in place as he and the other dog sniff each other, then move on. “He wouldn’t be important to the family, anyway,” she adds as they continue forward.
Ilsoon blows a short bubble with her gum that snaps at her lips. “Family, huh.” It’s a ridiculous thought, and she’s tempted to say so. But Sungsook is so kind and capable looking after Hamo, and Ilsoon thinks about how Sungsook feels the same warmth towards her, how Sungsook would embrace her with the same eagerness and tenderness. And there’s nothing ridiculous about that thought.
On the way home, Sungsook stands outside the corner restaurant with Hamo while Ilsoon orders dinner to go, kimbap rolls and fried rice - she hadn’t had the chance to get leftovers from the café that day. They eat standing up in the kitchen so Hamo can’t get at the food. He’s well-behaved, but he sits at their feet and stares up at them with big, glossy eyes, even though they’ve put out a bowl with the dry food Minhyuk gave them. Ilsoon has to keep an eye on Sungsook to make sure she doesn’t give him anything.
Minhyuk comes back an hour after dinner. Sungsook is sitting on her knees on the floor, her skirt tucked under her legs as she watches Hamo bat an old sock around, and Ilsoon is on the couch reading Elle.
“Thanks for looking after him,” Minhyuk says as Sungsook hands the dog over. He’s wearing a baseball cap backwards and a big puffy coat.
“I didn’t know you were a model, Lee Minhyuk-ssi,” Ilsoon calls from the couch. “It’s impressive,” she adds with a smile, seeing the bewildered look on his face.
“Thanks again,” he says with a short bow before he leaves and Sungsook closes the door.
She plops down next to Ilsoon on the couch and puts her arm around her. “Unnie, can we adopt one?”
Ilsoon flips the page, not looking up. “You mean Lee Minhyuk?”
“Nooo.” Sungsook giggles and tosses her bangs out of her eyes. “The dog, unnie. Minhyuk oppa, he...” She grins and leans closer to Ilsoon. “He’s not my type.”
Ilsoon looks up then, leaving the magazine open on her lap. “Well, I’m not a dog. Am I not your type either, then?” Sungsook’s still smiling, so Ilsoon feels herself starting to smile, too. “Well?”
“Hmm, well, if I can’t have a dog, I guess you’ll do,” Sungsook says. She brushes Ilsoon’s bobbed hair away from her face and leaves her hand there. “I can’t do this with a dog, right?” She leans in and kisses Ilsoon on the lips, just once, lingering a little before she pulls away. Ilsoon can’t say that every kiss feels like their first, but if anything, it’s better that way. The more Sungsook kisses her, the less it feels like something new and the more it feels like returning home.
“I think you’d go to jail,” she replies, and when Sungsook laughs and pulls her in again the magazine slips from her lap onto the floor, next to the abandoned sock left by Hamo.