We walked together on the narrow street that led to the hostel. Hana and Ruhi, who had already been here for a month, had suggested this route. It was a little longer than the main road, but quieter, and they said it would give us more time to enjoy Minji's endless chatter. The main road was busy with students returning, but here, only a few passed by.
As we walked, I suddenly froze. A sharp bark echoed from somewhere close, breaking the calm of the street. My heart jumped into my throat.
"Did you hear that?" I whispered, clutching Hana's arm.
Another bark followed, louder this time, and I instinctively pulled all my friends in front of me like shields. The others laughed at my panic, but my feet refused to move.
"Yah, don't scare her like that," Minji said, but she herself was scanning around curiously.
After that first bark, there was silence—no second sound, no movement. My heart was still racing, and I could feel my palms sweating.
Dogs are a common sight, so most people passing by didn't even flinch when one barked. They just kept walking, never stopping to see where the sound came from. But I wasn't like them—I was already trembling, hiding behind my friends. After calming me down, Minji, being a dog lover, slowly stepped toward the tree, curious to see if a dog was hiding there.
We all followed her hesitantly. And then, just as Minji peeked behind the tree, the dog appeared again. He looked at us once, barked softly, then sat back down as if waiting.
"Wait…" Minji's voice dropped. Her eyes widened. "This isn't just any dog. This is Bamson."
The name hit me like a spark. Bamson? Jeon.J's Bamson? My breath caught, and for a moment, everything around me went silent. The thought of him being here—right in front of us—made my chest tighten.
"Are you sure?" Hana asked, still cautious.
"Yes," Minji whispered, kneeling slowly so she wouldn't scare him. "I've seen pictures. Look at his eyes, his collar. It's him."
I could barely process it. The world felt too small all of a sudden, as if the walls of destiny were pressing closer. What were the chances? Out of all the streets, all the places, we had found him here.
My fear was gone, replaced by something heavier—a mix of awe, responsibility, and a trembling faith I couldn't explain.
"Minji… you're right. This is Bamson. But… how is he here? If he's here, that means Jeon.J must be here too!"
The four of them gasped together. Jeon.J was special to all of them — to me too, but not in the way it was for them. Before I could process it, Sofia said,
"But… why does he look so weak? As far as we know, Jeon.J takes such good care of Bamson. This can't be him."
Just then, a few other students passed by, probably here for street food like us, and were now heading back to their hostels. We watched as Bamson sat down behind a tree, partly hidden from view.
We all exchanged looks—something was definitely wrong.
Minji pointed toward a nearby house where a few steps were built outside the door.
"Let's sit there for a while and watch," she suggested. "If Jeon.J is really around, he'll definitely come looking for Bamson. And if he doesn't, then maybe Bamson has just lost his way here."
"You're right, Minji," Hana agreed.
We all sat down on the steps. Since we were still holding our leftover snacks, nobody passing by found it strange that we had decided to sit there. It looked casual, as if we were just resting.
Minutes passed. No one came. Bamson still sat behind the tree, unmoving.
"Look, we can't stay here any longer," Sofia finally said. "The hostel gate will close soon. We have to think of something."
"Yes, you're right. If the gate closes, we'll be in real trouble," I replied.
"But if we leave Bamson here, maybe someone else will approach him — and that might lead him back to Jeon.J."
"You're right," Hana said to Ruhi.
At last, we all stood up to leave, but then we saw Bamson standing up from behind the tree. Minji suddenly stopped.
"Guys, something is wrong. I think Bamson has lost his way. Look at him—he looks very weak and scared because he has grown up inside the house. Pets like him are used to living with their owner and staying with them, and they follow every word of their owner.
And yes, if such pets lose their way the biggest fear they have is from the street dogs. Street dogs are always alert because, unlike Bamson, they don't have a home, no one protects them. That's why they prepare themselves for their own protection. They are always ready to fight, and sometimes they even become merciless, attacking those pets who lived a life like a prince inside a home.
And when such a prince-like pet loses the way home, first they search for their owner. If they don't find them, they start searching for people who look like their owner—so that they can feel safe from the street dogs."
"But Minji, what can we do? It's already getting very late. If the hostel gate closes, we'll have to wait outside until morning," Sofia said.
"But we can't leave him. This is Jeon.J's Bamson. If anyone passing by in the street realizes it, everyone will rush toward him. In such a crowd, he'll get even more scared. Wait a minute—Hana, can you check today's updates? Maybe from Korea, or from Jeon.J himself? If Bamson has really lost his location, then there must be some update," Minji said.
We all sat down again on the same steps. Hana started checking, but after a while, she switched off her phone and looked at us.
"There's no such update here."
"I'm certain he has lost his way. And if there's no update about it, that shows two reasons: one, Jeon.J doesn't know because he's in the USA for a work with his team members. Or two, Jeon.J knows, but he hasn't shown it to the media and is trying to find him by himself.
But whatever it is, I can't leave him. You all go—the hostel gate is about to close. I will stay here," Minji said.
Until now, I had only been listening quietly to the conversations of these four.
I stood up and came in front of everyone. They were still sitting on the steps, staring at me. From their looks, it almost felt like they were saying, Okay, you go. After all, we've only just become friends. Who really knows anyone so deeply yet?
I took a deep breath. "Look, I need to tell you something. I don't know how Hana missed this news while searching, but Jeon.J is actually in Busan right now. The day I came here, I had a connecting flight from Thailand. When I landed at Busan airport, I saw him. Reporters were everywhere, their cameras flashing, and right in the middle of them, he walked in. What shocked me even more was that Jeon.J had traveled in economy class.
I'm sure he took the same flight from Thailand. Where he was before that, I don't know. But the flight I was on—that was the last one allowed to land that day because of the heavy snowfall. The university staff came late too to pick me up because of it. That's why I'm certain Jeon.J was on the same plane."
Hana frowned. "It could be that he is in business class side."
I shook my head. I'm sure because the passenger sitting next to me was wearing a jacket and cap. When I later saw Jeon.J in the airport hall under the flashes of the reporters' cameras—he was in the exact same jacket and cap. That's why I know it was him."
I took a few steps toward Bamson, who was crouched quietly behind the tree. He lifted his head for a second, then tucked it back down, lost in his own little world. And there, standing in front of him, I slipped into my own.
You were sitting right in front of my seat, I whispered in my thoughts. I recognized you later, in the airport hall, because of your cap and jacket. There was a symbol of your name—one on the front of the cap, and another on the right arm of your jacket. I noticed it only when the plane had landed, when I stood up to leave my seat. You should have left first…but you didn't. You stayed seated, as if you wanted everyone else to leave before you. That's when I saw the symbol, and suddenly I walked ahead faster. Because I couldn't imagine it—you, traveling in economy class.
I closed my eyes, the memory flooding back. And yet, when I was waiting in the hall for the university's driver to pick me up, I saw you again. In the middle of the crowd, under the bright lights—the same jacket, the same cap. It was you. Which means I was right all along…you were in the seat in front of me. And the whole time, if I didn't sleep, then neither did you. The slight movements of your seat told me so. Now I understand—you couldn't sleep because you were worried for Bamson.
My chest tightened. But one thing still keeps me restless…did you hear my whispers? Maybe you didn't understand, because I was speaking to Allah in my own language. But you must have felt my tears—that sound needs no translation.
I tilted my head back, looking at the sky through the leaves. A faint smile curved on my lips.
And now I am happy. Because here we are—in hi the same city, under the same sky, breathing the same air. Allah has sent me to your city. One sky. One air. One day. One night.
To be Continue...