They walked inside with heavy steps — and the sight before them was enough to shake them completely.
Bamson was standing next to Jea, Jeon.J's personal assistant.
And Zoya was nowhere to be seen.
"Where is Zoya?" Minji whispered, her voice barely audible. The four girls glanced around in panic, scanning every corner. Zoya was nowhere in sight. Despite it being vacation season, the hostel entrance was crowded with students, cameras flashing as everyone tried to capture a glimpse of Bamson.
Hum… hum… hum…
A sound behind them made all four spin around. And there she was — Zoya — standing right behind them, breathless, as if she had been running. The girls' eyes widened. They turned back again — Bamson was still with Jea. Then back to Zoya. None of them could make sense of what was happening.
Before they could process it, Jea (Jeon.J's PA) began leading Bamson away. Students swarmed closer, trying to take pictures and selfies, laughing and cheering. The four girls just stood frozen, watching as Jea walked Bamson through the hostel gate. Then, all of a sudden, Bamson turned around and looked back.
Zoya's heart sank. She knew exactly why he turned — she felt it deep inside her soul.
And then he was gone.
The crowd slowly began to scatter, leaving behind only five figures — four of Bamson's self-proclaimed aunts and one quiet, teary-eyed mother.
Zoya quickly wiped her eyes, not wanting the others to see. When she turned back, the four of them were staring at her — waiting. She knew the time had come. She had to answer their questions. And she was ready.
"I know what you want to ask," she said softly. "But it would be better if we talked in the room."
Without waiting for a reply, she started walking. The others followed silently.
When they reached the room, Zoya stood in the middle, feeling like a criminal about to face judgment. The four of them stood opposite her, like police officers ready to interrogate.
"Without wasting time, tell us — what exactly is going on?" Minji demanded, folding her arms.
"I was in the room with Bamson," Zoya began quietly. "We always lock him inside whenever we leave…"
Minji cut her off sharply. "That's when all of us go out together. But you stayed in the room this time. You didn't come with us. Why? Because you wanted to stay with Bamson, right?"
Zoya flinched but nodded. "Yes, I stayed in the room. Then I went to the hostel's small store. Bamson was sleeping at that time. I thought no one would come to our room and he would keep sleeping. I thought I'd be back in five minutes. I only went to get some tea biscuits — mine had finished. But when I reached the canteen, not even two minutes had passed before I heard shouting outside. Everyone got scared at first, thinking maybe there was a fire or some other emergency. I ran outside and towards our dorm side. And there in the hall I saw — a man on his knees, hugging Bamson. I was stunned. How could that be? Bamson was supposed to be asleep in the room, and it had only been two minutes since I left…"
Her voice trembled. "When I reached the dorm, the door was open. Inside, everything was exactly as I had left it. All this had happened in just two minutes. I came out, looked down from upstairs — Bamson looked so happy with that man. Then I saw you four entering the gate, and I ran down the stairs towards you… and the rest you already know."
Minji's eyes narrowed as she studied Zoya's face carefully. "You are saying that when you went to the store, you locked the door, and when you came back, it was open?"
"Yes," Zoya nodded.
"There are two possibilities," Minji said slowly. "Either you didn't check the door properly and only thought it was locked… or someone knew Bamson was here."
"The first one is possible," Zoya admitted softly. "Maybe I didn't check properly. But if someone really knew Bamson was here, why didn't they inform the warden earlier? Pets aren't allowed here. Anyone could have reported us before…"
"Yes, Minji," Hana spoke gently. "Zoya is right. Even if someone knew, why would they stay quiet for so long? Whoever knew could have told the warden much earlier."
Minji shook her head. "No. Suppose no one knew. Zoya just went for five minutes. It only takes two minutes to reach the store…"
"Minji dear!" Zoya interrupted, trying to calm her. "You are counting every single minute! I just said five minutes casually — in normal conversation."
But Minji's gaze stayed sharp. "I want every single minute accounted for. This is not a joke. I need to know whether someone already knew about Bamson."
Zoya exhaled slowly and began narrating again in detail. The three other girls sat silently, only nodding from time to time.
"When I left, Bamson was sleeping. I stayed in the store around five minutes. I checked the shelves, picked the biscuit, paid the bill. In total, maybe ten or fifteen minutes passed before I heard the noise outside."
"Ten or fifteen minutes?" Minji interrupted again.
"Okay… fifteen minutes," Zoya said finally, just wanting the questioning to end. But Minji wasn't done yet.
"Why are you so confused?" Hana asked gently, watching Minji's tense face. "Yes, we are all shocked about Bamson leaving. But what exactly is troubling you?"
"Look," Minji said, pacing slightly. "I'm afraid — if someone already knew Bamson was here, they might still report about us. Because everyone knows who lives in this dorm. But if it's just about Zoya's timing, then I think it's impossible that in fifteen minutes someone could inform Jea, and that he could come here so fast. That means the information must have been given earlier — maybe an hour before. This cannot be a plan made in just fifteen minutes.
Jeon.J only shared the missing news today morning around 11 o'clock — when we were all here, talking with Zoya about shifting. We watched the video at the restaurant after 3 hours of Jeon.J's live — around 2 o'clock — and then we ran towards the hostel and we saw Jeon.J here already. That means whoever knew we had a dog in our dorm entered our room, checked, and then informed Jea. Because before today, no one even knew Bamson was lost."
Zoya stared at Minji silently, her heart pounding. (She's calculating every single minute. Oh God, please save me. If she ever finds out I was the one who informed Jea, she'll kill me. Half my soul is already gone because of her questions!)
Ruhi gently placed a hand on Minji's shoulder. "Minji, Bamson has gone back home. He is safe. Yes, we should have gotten a chance to say goodbye, but now just be happy. He's with Jeon.J. Be proud that we did our duty as true fans. Yes, it's a little sad that Jeon.J will never know we took care of Bamson, but it's okay."
Minji finally sighed, got up, and walked to Zoya's study table. "Where are your things?" she asked.
"Not again, please…" Zoya whispered. Then she spoke louder. "I've already packed all my luggage. After you all left, I thought — I can't stay alone. And I definitely can't live with new roommates. So I packed everything. After that, I sat with Bamson, talked to him. Then he fell asleep. I started scrolling on my phone…" (And during scrolling, Zoya had seen Jeon.J's live video about Bamson being missing — the post that spread across social media within minutes.)
"Then I went to get the biscuit."
Minji didn't look fully convinced but let the matter drop. Sofia then asked gently, "Did you complete the hostel leaving formalities?"
"Yes, I did all of them."
"One minute!" Minji turned back sharply. "When did you do that? From packing your bag to going to the store, you never mentioned you went to the hostel office to complete formalities."
"Minji, I did all that before packing!" Zoya replied, a little frustrated. "You're doubting me? How could you? You all know I'm not a fan of Jeon.J. I wasn't sitting there watching his videos!" (Oh God, just don't let her check my phone. What have I gotten myself into!)
"Okay, leave it," Hana finally said. "Now tell me — we stayed here tonight only for Zoya and Bamson. Now that everything is settled, Zoya's luggage is packed, Bamson has gone home — should we leave?"
Hana nodded. "Yes, let's go."
"Okay," Zoya said quietly. Then she lifted her chin slightly. "But let me make one thing clear — I will contribute to everything. Whether it's rent or food, I'll pay my share. I don't need anyone's sympathy."
The girls smiled softly at her words.
---
Meanwhile, Jeon.J had been waiting restlessly ever since he got the real call about Bamson. Jea had gone to bring Bamson, while Jeon.J waited at his parents' house. Every minute felt like hours. His hands kept fidgeting with Bamson's toy ball as he stared at the door, waiting.
Ever since the missing news was shared on social media, millions of fans had sent messages, prayers, and warm wishes. Jeon.J's heart felt heavy — but also strangely comforted.
"They are amazing," Gunwoo quietly said.
Jeon.J looked at him.
Gunwoo said, "Your fans. They cried for Bamson like he was their own family dog. They prayed for him in so many languages…"
Jeon.J lay back and said, "Yes. I've never felt this much love before. Sometimes I think — I am who I am only because of them."
Gunwoo smiled softly. "They love you, Jeon.J. And you love them. That's why they trust you with their hearts."
Jea entered the room, exhausted. "This is the last call of the day," he said, rubbing his forehead. "I'm honestly drained from answering your fans' calls. During calls my cheeks hurt from smiling because they are your fans, Jeon.J."
Gunwoo chuckled. "We are drained too — but you have to admit, we are built stronger because we keep answering them."
Jeon.J's tired face softened into a smile. "We can't upset them. An idol only shines because fans choose to keep him shining. That's why we replied to every single call with a smile — even the audio calls."
Everyone laughed softly, and then focused on the last call.
"Hello?"
"Mr. Jea?"
"Yes!"
"I'm calling from National University Busan hostel."
"Yes ma'am, please tell me why you called."
Zoya's heart had almost stopped at this point. (Why am I doing this? Why can't I just hang up?!) she thought.
"I wanted to ask…"
"Sorry, wrong number."
"Hello? Wait — actually I called to tell you about a dog."
"Dog?"
"Yes, sorry — I mean, I was going to tell you about my friend's nephew…"
"Nephew?"
"Oh no, no — there's a dog here that looks exactly like the one in the picture you shared on social media. Please come and take him. Bring his father too, because I can't take care of him anymore. I've fed him two of my favorite snack packs and a biscuit pack — but I can't keep him. And if possible, please don't reveal my name or number to the media. Because I'm not your fan, I just saw him and informed you. Just come and take your dog."
"Dog? No, his name is Bamson, ma'am." and thank you, you fed our dog mean son mean Jeon.J with your snacks and biscuits
"Oh, okay — Fine. Bye."
The call disconnected.
What is she?
then
Jea ran outside, and Gunwoo followed him.
Jeon.J sat back on the sofa, eyes wet. It still wasn't clear whether it was truly Bamson — but Jeon.J didn't want to think about anything else anymore.
He whispered softly, "I'm coming for you, my boy. Just wait a little longer."
To be Continue...