The house was unusually quiet.
Not because it was empty...
But because everyone inside was waiting.
Jeon J couldn't stay still.
He walked across the living room, stopped by the window, looked outside, then glanced at his phone.
Five minutes.
Another call.
"Jea?"
"We're almost there."
The answer was always the same.
Yet somehow, hearing it never made the waiting easier.
He slipped the phone back into his pocket and began pacing again.
Searching had been exhausting...
But waiting was worse.
Searching had given him hope.
Waiting only gave him fear.
His eyes wandered toward the corner of the room.
Bamson's little hut remained exactly where it had always been.
His favourite toy still rested beside it.
Even his food bowl had never been moved.
No one in the house had touched a single thing.
It was as though everyone had silently believed...
He would come home.
Jeon J slowly sat down on the sofa, his fingers tightly intertwined.
Fourteen days.
Just two weeks.
Yet they had felt unbearably long.
Every morning he had woken up hoping for good news.
Every night he had gone to bed with the same unanswered questions.
Where was Bamson?
Was he hungry?
Was he cold?
Was he frightened?
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a car pulling into the driveway.
Jeon J stood up immediately.
The car door opened.
His heartbeat quickened.
Without waiting another second, he hurried to the entrance and pulled the door open.
There—
Standing beside Jea—
Was Bamson.
For a single heartbeat...
Neither of them moved.
Bamson looked at Jeon J.
His tired eyes seemed to search his face, almost as if making sure this wasn't another dream.
Then his ears slowly lifted.
His tail wagged once.
Then again.
The very next second—
He ran.
"Bamson..."
Jeon J's voice broke.
He dropped to his knees before Bamson even reached him.
Bamson leapt straight into his arms, letting out the same familiar cries he always made whenever he returned home after being apart from him.
Jeon J wrapped both arms tightly around him.
So tightly...
As though he were afraid that if he loosened his grip, Bamson would disappear again.
"I'm sorry..."
His voice trembled.
"I'm so sorry..."
He buried his face into Bamson's neck.
"I couldn't protect you."
Bamson gently licked the tears from his cheek.
The same comforting habit he had always had.
As though telling him—
I'm home.
The sound of Jeon J's broken voice brought his parents rushing out of their room.
The moment they saw Bamson safely back in his arms...
Their eyes filled with tears.
For them, Bamson had never been just a pet.
He had always been family.
Jeon J's mother slowly knelt beside them.
Her trembling hand rested gently on Bamson's head.
"Oh, Bamson..."
"You really came back."
Bamson looked up at her.
His tail wagged softly before he rubbed his face against her hand.
That simple gesture was enough.
She could no longer hold back her tears.
His father quietly walked over as well.
He looked at Bamson for a long moment before gently stroking his back.
"You worried everyone."
His voice remained calm, but the relief in his eyes couldn't be hidden.
Jeon J finally loosened his embrace just enough to look at Bamson properly.
His hands carefully moved over the Bamson body.
Checking him.
Making sure he was truly safe.
Then...
His fingers stopped.
A faint scratch mark.
Another one near his shoulder.
His expression immediately changed.
"What happened here?"
He gently parted the fur around the mark.
"Were you hurt?"
His voice cracked again.
"I'm sorry..."
"I wasn't there."
Bamson let out another quiet whine and rested his head against Jeon J's chest.
Almost as though he understood every word.
Only then did Jeon J notice the cream-coloured sweater properly.
He blinked.
"This isn't yours..."
He carefully straightened one sleeve before looking down at Bamson again.
"...Someone bought this for you."
A faint smile appeared through his tears.
"So you wouldn't feel cold."
Jea, who had remained silent until then, finally spoke.
"Jeon J..."
"I don't think whoever found him meant him any harm."
Jeon J slowly looked up.
Jea continued,
"When we reached the university, we expected to meet the person who had called."
"But no one came forward."
"We had only just started asking the staff about Bamson..."
"...when he suddenly came running down the hostel stairs."
Jeon J listened without saying a word.
"There wasn't even time to ask questions."
"The moment people recognised Bamson, students started gathering."
"And after your post this morning..."
"...everyone already knew he was missing."
"The place became crowded within minutes."
Jeon J gently stroked Bamson's head.
"So..."
"You never met the caller?"
Jea slowly shook his head.
"No."
"But whoever looked after him..."
He glanced at the sweater.
"...took very good care of him."
"The scratches are minor."
"He wasn't hungry."
"He wasn't frightened."
"And someone even made sure he stayed warm."
A quiet silence settled over the room.
No one knew who that person was.
But every one of them silently felt grateful.
Jea took a slow breath before continuing.
"There was something else..."
Jeon J looked at him.
"What is it?"
Jea hesitated for a moment.
"I think... we should thank the person who looked after Bamson."
Jeon J lowered his gaze to Bamson.
Bamson had already curled up beside him, completely at ease.
He gently stroked his head.
"You're right."
"They deserve that."
Jea nodded.
"I still have the number that called me."
"I was planning to speak to the university owner tomorrow."
"But maybe there's no need."
"We can simply thank her over the phone."
Jeon J looked up.
"Call."
"I don't want her to think we forgot what she did."
Jea immediately took out his phone.
"I saved the number earlier."
He unlocked the screen and searched through his contacts.
"There it is."
He pressed the call button.
The room fell silent.
Only the ringing tone echoed through the living room.
Jeon J unconsciously tightened his hand around Bamson's paw.
After the third ring—
The call connected.
"Hello?"
A cheerful female voice answered almost instantly.
Jea blinked.
"Hello... am I speaking to the person who called earlier regarding Bamson?"
There was a brief silence.
Then the girl suddenly gasped.
"Oh my God!"
"Mr. Jea?"
"Jeon J's manager?"
"I can't believe you're calling me!"
Jea frowned slightly.
"You... know who I am?"
"Of course!"
"I saved your number from Jeon J's post this morning!"
"I wanted to help find Bamson too, but I was busy. By the time I came downstairs, everyone was already saying you had arrived."
She spoke so quickly that Jea barely had a chance to respond.
Jeon J quietly watched him from across the sofa.
Something about the conversation didn't feel right.
Jea gently interrupted.
"I'm sorry..."
"But around noon today, someone called me from this number."
The excitement on the other end suddenly faded.
"Oh..."
There was a short pause.
"That wasn't me."
Jea exchanged a glance with Jeon J.
"It wasn't?"
"No."
She stopped speaking.
Jea's expression slowly changed.
"Then..."
"The person who called me..."
"...was who?"
"The girl who borrowed my phone..."
Jea immediately sat upright.
She borrowed my phone for a few minutes."
"I didn't even ask why. She only said it was urgent."
The girl continued without realizing the importance of what she was saying.
"I thought she was just making a normal phone call."
"But..."
"If she called you..."
"...doesn't that mean Bamson was with her?"
Her own words seemed to surprise even her.
She spoke faster.
"Oh my God..."
"So that's why she borrowed my phone!"
Jea's expression grew serious.
"Please listen carefully."
"Is Zoya still there?"
"No..."
"She left the hostel this afternoon."
"But..."
The girl suddenly remembered something.
"The university management is trying to find out how Bamson ended up inside the hostel."
"They've been asking everyone questions."
Jea's voice became calm but firm.
"Then I need to ask you for one favor."
"Please don't mention her name to anyone."
There was a brief silence.
"But... why?"
"Because she helped Bamson."
"She kept him safe."
"That's all that matters."
The girl didn't reply immediately.
She quietly lowered her eyes.
Then, in a much softer voice than before, she answered,
"...I understand."
"I won't tell anyone."
"Mr Jea..." Her voice suddenly brightened. "Is... is Jeon J there? Could I please speak to him for just a moment? Even a few seconds would be enough."
Jea's attention, however, remained fixed on something far more important.
He didn't answer her question.
Jea thanked her politely before ending the call.
The call ended.
Ji-won stared at the dark screen for a long moment.
Then—
She flung the phone across the room in frustration.
Luckily, it landed on the bed instead of the floor.
"Unbelievable!"
Her chest rose and fell with anger.
"He didn't even let me speak to Jeon J..."
"...but he's worried about protecting her?"
Her jaw tightened.
"Don't tell anyone."
"She took good care of Bamson."
A bitter laugh escaped her lips.
"Fine."
"Let's see how long her secret stays a secret."
Ji-won stormed out of her room.
The corridor was unusually lively.
Ever since Bamson had been found, students had gathered in small groups, talking excitedly.
"Did you hear? Jeon J's dog was actually inside our hostel."
"I wonder who found him."
"The management is still asking everyone questions."
Ji-won stopped.
Her eyes slowly swept across the girls standing nearby.
A cold smile touched her lips.
She didn't need to tell anyone directly.
All she had to do...
...was ask one simple question.
She walked toward a small group.
"Have they found out who had Bamson?"
One of the girls shook her head.
"Not yet. The management is trying to figure it out."
Ji-won folded her arms.
"Really?"
"I thought someone on our floor already knew."
Instantly, the girls looked at one another.
"What do you mean?"
Ji-won shrugged casually, pretending it wasn't important.
"Oh... maybe I misunderstood."
"I just remembered seeing a girl acting strangely today."
Curiosity spread through the group immediately.
"Who?"
Ji-won gave a faint smile.
"I'm not sure."
"But..."
"...I think her name was Zoya."
The name passed from one student to another almost instantly.
"Zoya?"
"The new international student?"
"The one staying on this floor with Hana and Ruhi?"
Ji-won didn't answer.
She simply turned and walked away.
Behind her...
The whispers had already begun.
And whispers...
Had a way of spreading much faster than the truth.
To be continued...
Regards,
ZK💌