Zoya looked at Bamson, a faint smile touching her lips before she turned toward the others.
"So... what do we do now?"
For a brief moment, no one answered.
Every pair of eyes drifted back to Bamson.
He was still sitting beneath the tree.
Quiet.
Weak.
Waiting.
"I think we should take him to the police station," Zoya finally said. "They'll contact Jeon.J and make sure Bamson gets home safely."
Hana shook her head almost immediately.
"We don't have enough time."
"The nearest police station is too far from here."
"Even if we call them, they'll take time to arrive."
She glanced toward the road before lowering her voice.
"And if people find out we've been hiding Bamson..."
She sighed.
"The blame could easily fall on us."
"Especially on us."
"We've been living here for a month except Zoya."
"The university will question us first."
Silence settled over the group once again.
"What if we stay with him until morning?" Hana suggested quietly.
Sophia looked at the darkening sky.
"And spend the whole night outside?"
Before anyone could answer...
A cold breeze swept through the street.
Tiny snowflakes began drifting down once again, settling softly on the branches...
and on Bamson's black coat.
Everyone instinctively looked toward him.
Bamson didn't move.
He simply lowered his head a little further, allowing the snow to gather over his fur.
Zoya's heart tightened.
"We can't leave him here."
Minji nodded without hesitation.
"And we can't stay outside either."
Ruhi let out a slow breath.
"So..."
She looked at each of them.
"Two options are gone."
For a second...
They all stared at one another.
Then, almost together...
They laughed.
Not because anything was funny.
But because the situation had become so overwhelming that laughter was the only thing stopping them from panicking.
When the laughter faded...
Reality returned.
Only two choices remained.
The police station...
Or the hostel.
A heavy silence settled over them.
No one wanted to say the words aloud.
Yet...
They all knew what those two choices meant.
"If we take him to the hostel..." Sophia said slowly, "...we'll be breaking the rules."
"And if we don't..." Minji looked at Bamson, "...we'll be leaving him out here."
For a few moments...
Neither option felt right.
Then Zoya spoke softly.
"I think..."
"If this were any other dog..."
"It would have been much easier to decide."
The others looked at her.
"But this isn't just any dog."
She smiled faintly.
"To all of you..."
"He's part of someone you deeply admire."
"So leaving him behind doesn't even feel like an option."
Hana nodded slowly.
"She's right."
"That's exactly how it feels."
Minji suddenly folded her arms.
"Wait."
She narrowed her eyes at Zoya.
"You keep talking about everyone else."
"What about you?"
"Don't you like Jeon.J?"
Zoya blinked, slightly surprised by the question.
"I do."
"In fact..."
"I respect all of them."
She paused before continuing.
"But I've never really believed in having idols."
"I admire people..."
"Not because they're famous..."
"But because of who they choose to remain after becoming successful."
Her eyes drifted toward Bamson again.
"Anyone can reach great heights."
"But very few remember where they came from."
"I've always respected people who never forget their struggles..."
"...or the values that shaped them."
For a brief second...
No one spoke.
Then Sophia clapped her hands once.
"Beautiful speech."
"But can we continue saving Bamson now?"
The girls laughed softly.
Even Zoya couldn't help smiling.
"Right," Minji said, taking a deep breath.
"So..."
"The hostel it is."
The words had barely left her mouth when Zoya's smile disappeared.
"...The hostel?"
She looked from one face to another.
"You mean..."
"Our hostel?"
Four heads nodded together.
Zoya stared at them in disbelief.
Then, almost under her breath, she murmured,
"Ya Allah..."
"I'd rather stay single forever..."
"...than end up becoming Bamson's mother."
"What was that?" Minji asked immediately.
Zoya forced an innocent smile.
"Nothing."
"I was just..."
"No more words," Minji pointed toward the hostel.
"Now..."
"Mission Save Bamson begins."
Minji took a deep breath.
"Alright."
"If we're taking him to the hostel..."
"We need a plan."
"A good one."
Hana nodded immediately.
"Our dorm faces the back street."
"The window opens completely."
"There are no iron bars."
She pointed in the direction of the hostel building.
"If we can get Bamson beneath that window..."
"We can pull him inside."
"What?"
Zoya stared at her.
"You want to... bring a dog into the hostel through the window?"
"No," Minji corrected with complete seriousness.
"We're bringing Bamson through the window."
"There is a difference."
Sophia pressed her lips together, trying not to laugh.
Ruhi covered her mouth.
Zoya blinked.
"Apparently... there is."
Hana ignored them and continued.
"Our room is on the second floor."
"We'll need a rope."
"A rope?" Sofia repeated.
"We'll tie the bedsheets together," Hana replied.
"They'll be long enough."
Ruhi nodded.
"That might actually work."
Zoya slowly raised one hand.
"I have another suggestion..."
Four pairs of eyes turned toward her.
"Maybe..."
"We don't do any of this?"
Silence.
"We simply call the police."
"Tell them everything."
"And peacefully return to our rooms."
Nobody answered.
Instead...
Four girls looked at her with exactly the same expression.
Minji sighed dramatically.
"I knew it."
"She's scared."
"I'm not scared," Zoya protested.
"I just think prison isn't a good place to start my student life."
Sophia laughed.
"No one's sending us to prison."
"Hostel management might."
Ruhi added with a grin.
"They'll probably just throw us out."
"Oh."
"That's much better."
Zoya muttered.
"Very comforting."
Minji folded her arms.
"Decision made."
"Hana and I will stay here with Bamson."
"You three go to the dorm."
"Collect the bedsheets."
"Tie them together."
"And lower them from the window."
Ruhi nodded.
"Got it."
Sophia gave a thumbs-up.
"I'm ready."
Everyone looked at Zoya.
She looked back at them.
"...Do I get a vote?"
"No."
"...Can I at least complain?"
"No."
"..."So... should I just stay quiet?"?"
Minji smiled.
"That..."
"I'll allow."
Zoya lifted her eyes toward the dark sky.
"Ya Allah..."
"I came to Korea for higher studies..."
"Not higher-level dog smuggling."
Ruhi burst into laughter.
Even Hana couldn't stop smiling.
Only Bamson quietly tilted his head...
As if he, too, was wondering why these strange humans were arguing so much over him.
Without wasting another second, the five girls hurried toward the hostel.
The cold evening air rushed past them as they walked as quickly as they could without attracting attention.
Every few moments, Minji glanced over her shoulder to make sure Bamson was still following.
Thankfully...
He was.
Slowly.
Quietly.
Almost as if he understood they were trying to help him.
Zoya looked back once.
Then again.
Then sighed.
"I still think..."
"This is a terrible plan."
Nobody replied.
She frowned.
"So... should I just stay quiet?"
"Yes."
All four answered at the same time.
"...Wow."
Zoya shook her head dramatically.
"I've never seen people like you."
She pointed toward Bamson, who was following a few steps behind.
"You don't even look this worried about human beings."
"But the moment it's your idol's dog..."
"You've all become his personal rescue team."
Minji proudly lifted her chin.
"Of course."
Hana nodded without the slightest embarrassment.
"He isn't just any dog."
Sophia smiled.
"He's Bamson."
Ruhi added with complete seriousness,
"And that changes everything."
Zoya stared at them in disbelief.
"So you all admit it?"
"Absolutely," Minji answered without hesitation.
Zoya placed a hand over her heart.
"Ya Allah..."
"I've met a very unique group of people."
She looked at Bamson again.
"You..."
"I hope you realize how much trouble you're causing."
Bamson looked back at her with tired eyes.
For a brief second...
Even Zoya felt bad for complaining.
"...Fine."
She sighed.
"But I'm saying this in advance."
"If we get caught..."
"I'm telling the warden this entire operation was planned by the four of you."
Ruhi laughed.
"No."
"You were promoted."
"You're one of us now."
"I never applied for this promotion," Zoya muttered.
"You didn't have to."
Minji grinned.
"It was forced."
The four girls burst into laughter.
Zoya looked up at the dark sky as if asking for help.
Then, under her breath, she murmured,
"I came to Korea for a degree..."
"And somehow..."
"I'm about to become the roommate of a celebrity's dog."
"Not just any celebrity," Minji corrected proudly.
"Jeon.J."
Zoya closed her eyes for a second.
"...That somehow makes this even worse."
Their laughter echoed softly through the quiet street...
While behind them...
Bamson continued following in silence.
Just before reaching the hostel gate, Zoya gathered the courage to speak again.
"Guys... I came to—"
"—you came to Korea to study, not to rescue Bamson."
All four girls completed her sentence in perfect unison.
Zoya stopped walking.
Her mouth slowly fell open.
Ruhi laughed.
"You've repeated it enough times."
Sophia nodded.
"We're practically tired of hearing it."
Hana smiled.
"Try saying something new."
Zoya made a face and folded her arms.
"This is unbelievable."
"Today is the first day of our friendship..."
"And this is how you're treating me already?"
"I don't think this friendship is going to last."
Minji walked over, lightly nudged her shoulder and smiled.
"Stop emotionally blackmailing us."
"Our friendship isn't going anywhere."
"We'll discuss your complaints later."
She pointed towards Bamson.
"Right now..."
"He's more important."
Zoya looked at Bamson, then back at the four girls.
"...Fine."
"But after this mission, we're having a serious meeting."
"Approved," Ruhi smiled.
"Noted," Sophia added.
"Dismissed," Hana said with a grin.
Minji laughed.
"Now..."
"Less talking."
"More walking."
Zoya quietly puffed out her cheeks and followed behind them.
Within minutes, they reached the back side of the hostel.
The narrow street behind the building was almost deserted.
A few dim streetlights cast pale circles of light onto the snow-covered pavement.
Hana looked up toward their dorm window.
"There."
"Our room."
Ruhi followed her gaze.
"We'll go inside from the front."
"You two stay here."
Minji nodded.
"We'll keep Bamson hidden."
"If anyone comes..."
"I'll handle it."
Ruhi looked toward Zoya and Sophia.
"Come on."
"We don't have much time."
The three of them slipped quietly into the hostel.
Meanwhile...
Hana gently crouched beside Bamson.
"It's okay..."
She softly stroked his neck.
"We're almost there."
Bamson lifted his tired eyes to look at her.
For the first time that evening...
His tail moved.
Just a little.
Enough to make both Hana and Minji smile.
Ruhi, Sophia, and Zoya hurried inside the hostel as naturally as possible.
The lobby was unusually quiet.
A few students crossed the corridor, chatting among themselves, but no one paid the three girls any attention.
Only after reaching the staircase did they finally let out the breath they had been holding.
"So far..." Ruhi whispered.
"We're safe."
Without wasting another second, they rushed upstairs.
Meanwhile...
Outside...
Hana stayed close to Bamson, gently resting a hand on his back while Minji kept glancing between the quiet street and the second-floor window.
"Hurry..." she murmured under her breath.
Bamson quietly sat beside Hana, pressing himself closer to the wall as though he somehow understood that he wasn't supposed to be seen.
The street remained silent.
For a moment...
Everything seemed to be going according to plan.
Then...
Footsteps echoed through the snowy street.
Tak...
Tak...
Tak...
Both girls looked up at the same time.
A middle-aged man was walking toward them.
As he came closer, his pace slowed.
His eyes moved from Hana...
...to Minji...
...and finally settled on Bamson.
For several long seconds...
He simply stared.
Minji felt her heartbeat quicken.
Please... just keep walking.
Instead...
He stopped a few steps away.
"여자들, 괜찮아요? 뭔가 걱정스러운 것 같네요. 도움이 필요해요?"
(Yeojadeul, gwaenchanayo? Mwonga geokjeongseureoun geot gatneyo. Doumi piryohayo?)
(Girls, are you okay? You both look worried. Do you need any help?)
For the briefest moment...
Neither Hana nor Minji answered.
Then Minji smiled politely.
"우리는 강아지 밥을 방에 두고 왔어요."
(Urineun gangaji babeul bange dugo wasseoyo.)
(We accidentally left our dog's food in the room.)
"우리의 룸메이트가 안에 있어요."
(Uriui rummeiteuga ane isseoyo.)
(Our roommate is inside.)
"다행히도 우리 창문은 이쪽에 있어서..."
(Dahaenghido uri changmuneun ijjoge isseoseo...)
(Luckily, our room's window is on this side...)
"우리는 그녀에게 전화했어요."
(Urineun geunyeoege jeonhwahaesseoyo.)
(We've already called her.)
"그래서 우리는 기다리고 있어요. 그녀가 음식을 창밖으로 던져 줄 거예요."
(Geuraeseo urineun gidarigo isseoyo. Geunyeoga eumsigeul changbakkeuro deonjyeo jul geoyeyo.)
(We're waiting for her to throw the food down through the window.)
The man listened carefully.
But his attention kept drifting back to Bamson.
His brows slowly knitted together.
The dog...
Looked strangely familiar.
He had definitely seen a dog like this before.
But...
No.
It couldn't be.
The cheerful, healthy dog everyone had seen in Jeon.J's videos...
Could never look like this.
This dog was thinner.
His beautiful fur had become dull beneath the snow.
His body looked exhausted.
Even his eyes...
Had lost their usual sparkle.
The man looked at him one last time before speaking again.
"하지만 기숙사 안에는 반려동물 허용되지 않잖아요."
(Hajiman gisuksa aneneun ballyeodongmul heoyongdoeji anjanhayo.)
(But pets aren't allowed inside the hostel.)
Without the slightest hesitation, Minji gently placed a hand on Hana's shoulder.
"이 사람은 제 언니예요."
(I sarameun je eonniyeyo.)
(She's my older sister.)
"오늘 저를 만나러 왔어요. 그리고 아기를 데려왔어요."
(Oneul jeoreul mannareo wasseoyo. Geurigo agireul deryeowasseoyo.)
(She came to visit me today, and she brought her baby with her.)
Hana immediately continued the lie.
"저는 이 아이 없이 오래 있을 수 없어요."
(Jeoneun i ai eopsi orae isseul su eopseoyo.)
(I can't stay away from him for long.)
"기차 타기 전에 잠깐 안아 주려고요."
(Gicha tagi jeone jamkkan ana juryeogoyo.)
(Before I leave for the train station, I just wanted to hold him for a little while.)
The man remained silent.
His eyes returned to Bamson once again.
For a second...
A thought crossed his mind.
Could this really be... Bamson?
Almost immediately, he dismissed it himself.
No.
If this were Jeon.J's Bamson...
The entire neighborhood would already be filled with reporters, fans, and security teams searching every corner.
Besides...
The dog standing before him looked far too weak.
Far too exhausted.
Far too different.
He finally smiled politely.
"아... 그렇군요."
(A... geureokunyo.)
(Ah... I see.)
"날씨가 너무 추우니까 오래 밖에 있지 마세요."
(Nalssiga neomu chuunikka orae bakke itji maseyo.)
(It's freezing outside. Don't stay out here for too long.)
With a small nod, he continued walking down the street.
Only after he disappeared around the corner...
Did Hana and Minji finally breathe again.
"We were this close..." Hana whispered.
Minji looked up toward the second-floor window.
"Come on..."
"Hurry..."
Just then...
The dorm window above slid open.
Ruhi leaned out first.
The moment she saw Hana and Minji safe, relief washed over her face.
"We're ready!" she whispered.
Minji quickly picked up the bundle of bedsheets.
"Catch!"
She tossed it upward.
Ruhi grabbed it just before it slipped away.
"Good catch," Sophia whispered, helping her pull the sheets inside.
The girls worked quickly, tying each bedsheet tightly to the next.
Ruhi gave the rope a firm tug.
"It should hold."
She lowered the makeshift rope through the window.
As it reached the ground, Hana immediately picked it up.
"Perfect."
She crouched beside Bamson.
"It's okay..."
"We're almost there."
Bamson looked at her with tired eyes.
He didn't resist.
Almost as if...
He had already decided to trust them.
Hana carefully looped the bedsheet beneath his chest and around his body, making sure it wouldn't tighten around his neck.
Minji checked the knots twice.
"They're secure."
She looked up.
"Ready?"
Ruhi nodded from above.
"On three."
"One..."
"Two..."
"Three."
The rope slowly tightened.
Bamson's paws left the snowy ground.
For a second, he panicked.
His legs moved nervously in the air.
"It's okay, Bamson..."
Hana whispered softly.
"Just a little more.
"Oh my God..."
"He's heavier than he looks," Sophia muttered.
Ruhi laughed through gritted teeth.
"Less talking..."
"More pulling."
Zoya held the sheet with both hands.
"I knew university assignments would be difficult..."
"But nobody told me I'd have to lift a celebrity's dog on my first week."
Sophia couldn't help smiling.
"Keep pulling."
Little by little...
Bamson rose toward the second floor.
The window, however...
Was much smaller than anyone had expected.
Ruhi frowned.
"...Uh-oh."
"What?"
"He's too big."
For one terrifying second...
Everything stopped.
No one spoke.
Then Bamson quietly looked at the opening.
As if understanding what was expected of him...
He stretched one front paw inside.
Then the other.
He gently pushed himself through the narrow gap.
"Come on..."
"Just a little more..."
Ruhi encouraged.
With one final effort...
Bamson squeezed through the window and landed safely inside the room.
The rope fell loose.
"We did it..."
Sophia whispered.
A tired smile spread across Hana's face as she climbed through the hostel entrance a few minutes later with Minji.
When they finally entered the room...
Their eyes immediately searched for Bamson.
He wasn't barking.
He wasn't running around.
He simply lay quietly on the floor near the heater.
Only then did Zoya notice him properly.
A small wound marked one of his legs.
His fur, once bright and beautiful in every photo she had seen online, was now dull and tangled.
But what hurt the most...
Was his silence.
His eyes looked empty.
As though he had cried until there were no tears left.
As though...
He had already accepted that he might never find Jeon.J again.
The room fell silent.
No one said a word.
Because at that moment...
Every one of them was thinking the same thing.
For the past three days...
How much had this little soul suffered... alone?
be continued…
Regards
ZK💌