♡ ╏ apartments

@´☆ sun zhenni. Hoping to clear his head after the day's events, Soohyuk decided to take a walk. Staying in his apartment only served as a constant reminder of what had transpired, with the sight of his closed blinds looming like a shadow over his thoughts. Perhaps a meal outside might help too, considering his earlier attempt at cooking had ended in disaster.

As he reached the lobby, Soohyuk moved so quietly that the receptionist barely noticed him until he was almost at the door. "Ah, Mr. Lee!" the older man called out, causing Soohyuk to stop in his tracks and turn back. Knowing Soohyuk’s reserved nature, the receptionist offered him a warm smile before continuing. “I almost didn’t see you, you walk like a ghost.” the man joked. Soohyuk smiled faintly, unfazed since his adoptive father used to say the same thing. “By the way,” the receptionist went on, “a young lady was here not long ago with her fluffy dog. Dog looked like a walking cloud. She left a message for you. Something about meeting them at the park in the usual spot?” Soohyuk’s brows furrowed slightly in confusion. The older man nodded, as if to confirm his recollection. “Oh, right the dog’s name is Yun, if I remember correctly.” “Oh.” That was all Soohyuk could muster as he processed the information. His neighbor, the very same one who had accused him of stalking and sent the police to his door, was now inviting him to meet her? He couldn’t tell if this was some sort of prank or an elaborate setup to get him in more trouble. “Thank you.” Soohyuk finally said, grateful that the receptionist had taken the time to relay the message, even if it left him feeling perplexed.

As he stepped outside, his mind raced. Should he go? Or would it be wiser to ignore the message altogether? What if it was a trap to make him appear guiltier than he already felt? Despite his uncertainty, his feet seemed to have a mind of their own, carrying him along his usual evening route toward the park. He only realized where he was when he caught sight of the unmistakable puff of white fur in the distance. Instinctively, he froze, then quickly turned to leave. It was probably better to keep his distance for now. But before he could retreat, a familiar bark rang out, stopping him in his tracks. Just like earlier when the pans clattered in his kitchen, Yun seemed to sense his presence. The dog barked again, as if calling him back. Soohyuk froze mid step, his shoulders tensing as the sound of Yun’s barks cut through the stillness of the park. He glanced over his shoulder and saw the little Samoyed pulling on its leash, wagging its tail enthusiastically as if welcoming an old friend.

@´☆ lee soohyuk. Peeking through a tiny crack in her blinds, Zhenni watched as the police car pulled up in front of the house on the other side of the street. They had arrived rather quickly, she noticed, feeling relieved that her concerns had been taken seriously by the police force. Too many times had she heard stories of stories like this being downplayed, resulting in crimes that could have easily been prevented taking action. Cradling Nangua, her pomeranian who had conveniently settled in her lap, the young artist continued to watch the other housefront, the passing minutes feeling more like hours. But eventually, the two uniformed officers left the building. Seeing how they walked past their car and headed into her direction, she could only assume that they wanted to talk to her as well. Well, it did make sense. After all she had made the complaint.

Slowly, she drew in a deep breath, casting one last glance at the stranger's window. Her heart almost skipped a beat when she saw his figure appearing behind the glass panel, her body tensing up immediately. It didn't seem like he had noticed her though as he walked over, or rather slouched over, his whole body language screaming dejection instead of the expected anger. Before she had any time to mull over it though, her doorbell already rang. Carefully, she put the small canine on her lap onto the ground before she headed over to her front door. One peek through the spyhole confirmed that it was indeed the two police officers.

Opening the door, she greeted the two men with a "Good evening, officers." and a faint smile, quietly listening to them explaining the nature of their visit despite being fully aware of it, before she invited them in. There were too many nosy neighbors, she herself was one of them, in this building and she wasn't keen on becoming the next hot issue among their gossip, though she was fairly certain that it was already too late. Motioning over to the living room couch, Zhenni herself took a seat in the single armchair to its left, her five loyal companions immediately rushing over to inspect the visitors. Of course Yun, being the social butterfly that he was, openly welcomed them with tail wags and friendly headbutts, while the four smaller ones seemed more cautious on varying degrees.

Once the policemen had settled down, after giving the white cloud some ear scritches and head pats, they went straight to the main reason for their visit, describing their visit to her across the street neighbor and their findings from that encounter. Zhenni was listening intently with a faint frown on her face. Had she just blown things out of proportion, making things bigger than they actually were? Had she actually just misunderstood a kind soul who had simply tried to do something nice for her and her dogs? Of course there was the possibility that the man was just a good actor, the police officers told her that as well while reminding her to continue to be cautious in general, but as far as they could judge from their findings, he did not seem to have any ill intentions towards her. With that, the officials excused themselves, wishing her a good evening before they eventually left.

Falling back into the armchair, she hugged one of the decorative pillows to her chest, a heavy sigh slipping past her lips. What had she done? With eyes closed, Zhenni tried to sort through the jumbled mess in her head, once again going through the times she had crossed paths with her neighbor, trying to look at them through a less paranoid lense. The more she thought about it, the worse she started to feel, especially since that picture of him looking so defeated while closing his blinds kept popping up in her mind. Despite some tiny part of her feeling justified in her actions, one could never be too cautious as a young single woman in today's society, the much bigger part of her felt guilty for most likely putting a huge dent into an innocent man's self-confidence.

Letting out a frustrated groan, Zhenni jumped up to her feet. She had to do something. Or else she wouldn't be able to sleep tonight. Grabbing Yun's harness, she quickly put it on the ever happy sammy before slipping into her coat and boots, already on her way out. By now Mrs. Kwon, the receptionist, had already finished her shift, now replaced by an older gentleman, their guard for the evening and night. She simply greeted him with a little nod of her head before already rushing out of the building, quick footsteps leading her across the street.

Only when she had made it to the receptionist desk in the other building, she halted her steps, a look of determination in her eyes as she greeted the worker with a smile. "Good evening, sir. I'm sorry for troubling you, but I really need your help finding someone. He's really tall, dark hair, most times has this serious expression on his face. He...uh, makes wooden figures. He made one for me of my dog." Nodding towards her fluffy companion, Zhenni tried to ignore the awkwardness rising inside of her. "If you perchance know him, could you please call him and tell him that Yun wants to meet him? We'll be waiting in the park, the usual spot. Please, could you relay that message to him? It's really important. Please. And I'm really sorry. Truly." Bowing several times on her way out, Zhenni didn't even look back when she headed for the park. Judging by the concerned look on that man's face, chances were that he would simply brush her off as some crazy girl and not tell her neighbor at all. But still, it was better than not doing anything at all.

@´☆ sun zhenni. Soohyuk hummed quietly to himself as he cleaned up the kitchen, wiping away the mess left from his earlier accident. He felt lighter after catching a glimpse of Yun, despite how brief it was. Seeing Yun's wagging tail and hearing his barks had somehow brightened the day he thought would end on a sour note. “Guess today wasn’t all bad.” he murmured, placing the clean pans back into the cupboard. He straightened up, brushing his hands off on the rag as he considered what to whip up for dinner. However, just as he was about to rummage through the fridge, a knock on his door startled him. He froze, his brows furrowing in confusion. Rarely did anyone visit him unannounced, and if it were his adoptive father, he would’ve been informed beforehand. Wiping his hands on the rag, he walked toward the door, unlocking it and opening it cautiously.

Two uniformed police officers stood on the other side, their presence both unexpected and unnerving. “Yes?” he asked, his deep voice calm but tinged with bewilderment. “Good evening, sir,” one of the officers said, showing their badge. “We received a complaint from one of your neighbors and wanted to speak with you regarding the matter.” Soohyuk’s heart sank. A complaint? His mind immediately flashed to Yun’s owner across the street. He had assumed she would have been happy with the gift, maybe even amused. But now, it seemed, his attempt at kindness had backfired spectacularly. Taking a deep breath, he stepped aside to let the officers in. “Of course, please come in.” he said, his voice steady despite the pang of disappointment settling in his chest. The officers walked in, their eyes scanning the apartment as part of their procedure. Soohyuk explained his side of the story, from his admiration for Yun to the carving he had left as a friendly gesture. He was careful not to leave anything out, wanting to clear up any misunderstanding. The officers asked a few follow up questions, inspected his home briefly, and then exchanged glances. Finding no evidence of wrongdoing, they handed him their card. “Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Lee. We’ll follow up with the complainant, but as of now, there’s no reason for concern on your end.” Soohyuk nodded politely, though his shoulders slumped as he closed the door behind them.

He stood in silence for a moment, staring blankly at the window. Slowly, he walked over, his gaze drifting across to where Yun and his owner lived. Too much for trying to be friendly, he thought bitterly. He sighed, reaching up to pull the blinds down, something he rarely did. For the first time, he shut out the view, and with it, his hope of ever bridging the gap with Yun's owner.

Across the street, the officers knocked on the neighbor's door next. “Good evening, ma’am. We wanted to follow up with you about the complaint you made regarding your neighbor.” one of them said, their tone professional yet understanding.

@´☆ lee soohyuk. Once she had made it back into her apartment with the two very confused pups, Zhenni made sure to lock her front door, even considered pushing the shoe cabinet in front of it to block the path should anyone decide to break in. A little paranoid, but right now the young woman was scared out of her mind. Which was rather ironic. As an author of dark fantasy and mystery webtoons, she was used to bringing much darker plots to life, used to drawing much more suspenseful and shocking images, yet somehow having to experience something that could be straight out of one of her works in real life just felt so much worse. Or perhaps it was just her vivid imagination running wild?

In moments like this, her grandmother would usually sit her down, make her a cup of tea, put on some music and make her do some breathing exercises to calm her nerves. Oh how she wished her beloved granny was with her right now, to take her into her arms, gently brush her hair and tell her that everything was alright. But alas, the older woman was living thousands of miles away in Europe and most likely still fast asleep. Still, simply thinking of the older woman did help make her calm down enough to look at things objectively.

Settling down at her desk, Zhenni took out a notepad, writing down everything surrounding this weird neighbor/stalker of hers. From what she remembered, the male had been around pretty much since the time she had moved into this new apartment, so either he had followed her there or he had actually already been living in this neighborhood before her. Then, although they had seen each other many times now, he had actually never taken the initiative to make any contact with her. Which of course could also just be him playing the long game. But at the same time wasn't it like a missed chance? Getting closer to the victim to lower their guards? And then...now that she thought about it, it seemed like the stranger was most of the times mostly focused on Yun. She couldn't even blame him for it, as she herself knew just how adorable the canine was.

Still, their encounter earlier that morning had left an eery feeling in her, one that was only heightened by the sculpture left for her. Even if it was just a well meant gift, couldn't he at least have left a note or something? Though, even that would have most likely freaked her out. Mulling things over in her head again and again, Zhenni let out a heavy sigh. Was she making too big of a deal out of this? Perhaps. But better safe than sorry, right? But at the same time, living in constant fear wasn't the solution either. It would only interfere with her work and her mental health. Something she really didn't need. Screw it. Screw him!

With a surge of newfound confidence (or recklessness), the young artist rose from her seat to march over to the playroom. Just in time to see her land cloud rush towards the window, his usual excited barks sounding a lot more distressed, yet not exactly scared either. Perhaps alarmed was the right word. Rushing over to the window, she yanked the curtains back, a grim look on her face as she stared at the window across the street. Yet the moment she caught sight of the tall male, once again waving at them, all blood drained from her face, her complexion turning ashen grey.

Without even thinking about it, Zhenni grabbed her phone, making sure to take a photo of that sick psycho before she dialed the emergency services. It took just a few rings before she was connected to an officer on duty, her voice shaky as she explained the current situation to the woman on the other end of the line. It was probably a jumbled mess of an explanation, but sensing her distress, the officer promised to send someone over to check up on that neighbor of hers before instructing her to keep her doors and windows locked, perhaps even to call someone over to stay with her while they would take care of the matter.

By the time Soohyuk arrived at his workshop, the usual sense of calm he felt when stepping into the familiar space didn’t come as easily. His thoughts kept drifting back to the sculpture he’d left with the receptionist. Did it reach its owner yet? Had she liked it? The questions buzzed around in his head as he unpacked his tools, preparing to start on his backlog of orders. He had always been drawn to creating things with his hands, pouring himself into every curve and detail but this project had been different. He hadn't made the carving as part of his work or even as a gift he intended to give at first. It was something he’d been compelled to do after seeing Yun's bright personality. It was that lively energy he’d wanted to capture.

He glanced at the clock on the wall. He'd given himself a tight schedule today and he figured he better start moving and resolved to focus. As the sun dipped below the horizon, Soohyuk carefully placed the last finished piece of furniture in its designated spot, wiped his hands on a clean rag, and began tidying up his workshop. The day had been productive, but he still found his thoughts wandering back to the wooden sculpture he'd left with the receptionist earlier. He wondered again if Yun’s owner had received it yet and, if so, what her reaction might have been. He locked up the shop, slung his leather bag over his shoulder and began the familiar walk home. Despite himself, he felt a small spark of anticipation. Sometimes, around this time, Yun's owner would draw the blinds open, and he'd get a glimpse of the energetic samoyed bounding around the living room with the other dogs. On those days, it was a small but comforting sight that brought a smile to his face after a long day of work.

By the time he reached his apartment building, Soohyuk’s gaze instinctively lifted toward her window. To his disappointment, the blinds remained tightly shut, just as they had been that morning. “Maybe tomorrow..” he murmured. With a faint sigh, he shook his head and made his way inside. Back in his apartment, he set down his bag and leaned against the window sill, staring at the spot where Yun's fluffy white tail would usually wag with excitement. He hoped everything was alright. It wasn't like her to keep the blinds closed for so long. Eventually, he stepped away and busied himself preparing a simple dinner.

As Soohyuk prepared dinner in his small but tidy kitchen, his thoughts still lingered on the closed blinds across the street. He absentmindedly sliced vegetables, his deep voice softly humming an old folk song to fill the quiet space. His rhythm faltered though when his mind wandered a little too far, and the knife slipped. A sharp sting shot through his hand. He hissed, dropping the knife onto the cutting board as a thin line of red began to bead along his finger. "Ah, so careless." he muttered under his breath, grabbing a towel to staunch the bleeding. The pain wasn't severe, but the surprise of it left him momentarily off balance. As he reached for the first aid kit on a high shelf, his elbow knocked against a small saucepan he'd left too close to the edge of the counter. It clattered to the floor with a loud bang, scattering its contents across the tiles.

Across the street, Yun, lounging near the closed blinds of the apartment, suddenly perked up. His ears twitched, and he leapt to his feet, running to the window. He barked loudly, his fluffy tail wagging frantically as he pawed at the blinds. Yun's barking grew louder, more insistent, as he pressed his nose against the glass, his eyes fixed on the faint figure moving inside the apartment across the street.

Back in his kitchen, Soohyuk cleaned the small cut on his finger and sighed, glancing at the mess on the floor, shaking his head. He moved towards the living room to grab a rag he was using earlier that morning and caught sight of movement out of the corner of his eye. He paused and turned toward the window, surprised to see Yun's face peeking through a small gap in the blinds, the dog's tail wagging furiously despite the barrier. Soohyuk's lips curved into a faint smile. "Fluff." he said softly. For a moment, the ache of his cut and the annoyance of the spilled dinner vanished as he raised a hand in a small wave, grateful for the unexpected but welcome sight of his fluffy friend.

@´☆ lee soohyuk. A sigh of relief left her lips when she peeked over at the building across the street. No more strange man standing in the window, waving a knife. It seemed like he had given up on watching her little family. At least for now. For a few more heartbeats, Zhenni continued to observe his window with hawk eyes, making sure that he had really left before she eventually retreated as well, taking a mental note to keep her curtains drawn for the next few days, weeks, or perhaps forever whenever she was home. She only felt a little bid bad for the dogs, especially Yun, who liked to people watch from his favorite spot at the window, but safety first!

Too shaken to actually go back to work, the young artist decided to spend the remaining hour before lunch time snuggling and playing with the pups, their happy little yips and tail wags quickly able to ease her mind. Lunch also went by without a hitch, though if she wanted to have proper food for dinner, she really needed to get some groceries. Not just for herself, but her five very spoiled fur babies as well. Chewing on the last piece of her sandwich, she tried to come up with the most efficient and least dangerous plan how to go about her grocery shopping trip. It was probably better to go out as soon as possible while it was still bright outside. And she would have to take one or two of the canines with her. Probably Yun because of his size. And then perhaps Quibao, her yorkie. Although being the smallest of the bunch, he was definitely the feistiest and more likely to protect her from any dangers than the social butterfly Yun. Perhaps it was time to add another bigger dog, one that was better at guarding and protecting, to her pack.

Jotting down her grocery list, Zhenni also made sure to draw a mental map of the store to come up with the shortest route through the aisles. Only once she had perfectly planned everything out in the littlest of details, she eventually rose from her seat. Calling the chosen fluffs over, she put their harnesses and leasheson before slipping into her coat and shoes. One last glance into her apartment and triple checking that she had properly locked all windows and the front door, and Zhenni was on her way down to the lobby.

"Ah, miss Sun!" She had just stepped out of the elevator when she heard her name being called, a curious look on her face when she walked over to the receptionist's desk. "Hello, Mrs. Kwon. How are you today?", she asked with a soft smile. Although Zhenni wanted nothing more than leave as quickly as possible, she did have a soft spot for the older woman who always greeted her so kindly. "Oh, I'm quite alright. It's my husband's birthday soon, so I'm still trying to decide on what kind of gift to get him. Speaking of gifts, someone left this here earlier, asked me to give it to you. Or rather, he said give it to the owner of the dog that looks like this." Putting the carved sculpture onto the desk, Mrs. Kwon carefully pushed it closer for Zhenni to see. "Looks just like our Yun, doesn't it?"

Staring down at the wooden sculpture, all blood drained from her face when she easily recognized that wide, silly smile of her beloved pet dog. Whoever had made it (she was fairly certain that she know who it was) had been thoroughly studying the sammy's features for a long time. What was the meaning of this? Was this supposed to be a warning? Like 'i know where you live'. Or something even worse, more ominous? Whatever it was, Zhenni could feel her stomach churning, a sickening feeling overcoming her. Hastily, she excused herself, grabbed the sculpture before she made a beeline for the elevator, deciding that the pups would survive one or two days of kibbles instead of their usual raw food diet. Just as she could survive eating instant ramen for a few days.

@´☆ sun zhenni. By the time Soohyuk glanced up from his carving, the blinds on the window across the street were already drawn. He tilted his head, a flicker of curiosity crossing his face, wondering why Fluff's owner had closed them so abruptly. Perhaps she was simply trying to block out the morning sun, he reasoned. Still, he couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed since his usual routine of waving goodbye to Fluff hadn’t happened. He sighed softly, looking at the wooden sculpture in his hands, which is a near perfect likeness of Fluff. He’d been planning to hold it up to the window, imagining how the cheerful samoyed might wag its tail in approval. The thought made him chuckle quietly. It was a silly idea, really, showing off a carving to a dog. Somehow, he felt certain Fluff would have appreciated the gesture.

As he sat there, Soohyuk’s mind wandered to the many times he had seen Fluff and his owner outside. Their paths had crossed more often than he cared to admit. There were casual encounters at the park, where Fluff’s fluffy tail seemed to have a magnetic pull on his eyes, and those moments at the supermarket, where he had caught sight of them in passing. He recalled seeing her struggle to grab something from a top shelf once and hesitated to offer help, unsure of how to approach her without seeming intrusive. At the park, Soohyuk had often admired Fluff’s playful nature from afar, his troupe of smaller dogs trailing behind with equal energy. Each time, he thought about walking up to her, introducing himself, and asking if he could pet Fluff. But of course, shyness always got the better of him. Instead, he resigned himself to observing their lively interactions from a safe distance, occasionally exchanging polite nods or smiles but never summoning the courage to say more.

With a shake of his head and a small, self deprecating smile, Soohyuk decided it was time to head to his workshop and finish some customer orders. Glancing one last time at the now closed window, he hoped for a glimpse of Fluff, but the blinds didn’t so much as flutter. Letting out a resigned sigh, he stood and tidied up his small workspace. He took his empty teacup to the sink, rinsing it meticulously before placing it on the drying rack. His movements were unhurried, methodical, as he packed his tools and supplies into his well-worn leather sling bag. The bag, a sentimental gift from his adoptive father, bore the marks of years of use but remained sturdy and reliable just like the man who had given it to him.

Before leaving, Soohyuk paused to pick up the wooden sculpture again, turning it over in his hands. The more he looked at it, the more the idea of giving it to Fluff’s owner started to take root in his mind. It wasn’t something he’d normally do, approaching a stranger with a random gift, but he couldn’t shake the thought that the carving belonged with Fluff.

Standing at the front steps of his apartment building, Soohyuk stared down at the sculpture, lost in thought. How would he even go about giving it to her? What would he say? He mulled it over for a moment as he looked up the apartment building across. Summoning his courage, Soohyuk made his way to the lobby of the apartment building across, his footsteps measured and purposeful. Clutching the sculpture gently, as though it were a fragile treasure, he approached the receptionist’s desk. He hesitated for only a moment, his fingers brushing over the polished wood before he spoke. “Excuse me.” he began, his deep voice resonating softly, carrying a calm yet hesitant tone. Holding out the sculpture, he continued, “Could you give this to the owner of the dog that looks like this?" The receptionist’s eyes lit up immediately as she glanced at the carving. “Oh, you mean Yun and his owner!” she said with a warm smile. “Don’t worry, I know exactly who this is for. I’ll make sure they get it.”
Relieved, Soohyuk nodded, a small but grateful smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “Thank you.” he said, his deep voice carrying a quiet sincerity.

With that, he turned and stepped out of the lobby, heading off to work. "So Yun is his name.." He muttered to himself and as he walked down the street, his thoughts lingered on the moment when Yun’s owner would receive the carving. A rare smile lingered on his face, this simple gesture felt like his way of finally saying hello, even if it wasn’t face to face.

@´☆ lee soohyuk. Unable to see any squirrels or even birds up in the tree, her attention soon focused on the building across the street when she saw a flicker of movement behind one of the windows. With no other living soul in sight, she deducted that it must have been her across the street neighbour that had caught her pet's attention, a soft chuckle leaving her lips. The sammy had always been the friendliest of her bunch, usually prancing around the park and running up to other dogs and their humans to say hello (and to snag some treats). He especially seemed to like guys, always greeting the male guests first whenever she invited friends or her editors over.

Her soft chuckles were quick to die down though when she noticed something unsettling about the man sitting by the window. The way he seemed to look...or rather stare into her apartment felt rather unsettling, but she had met her fair share of people with intense gazes that she didn't want to judge him for it just yet. That was, until she noticed an object in his hand as he was waving at them. Squinting her eyes to focus on the small object, Zhenni quickly turned pale, a choked up gasp leaving her lips when she recognized it to be a sharp blade, its metallic surface reflecting bits of the morning sun as he moved it around, the smile on his face she had interpreted as just a friendly one moments earlier now looking a lot more threatening. Grabbing the ends of the curtains, the young artist clumsily yanked at the thick fabric with shaky hands, just wanting to get out of that psycho's view as quickly as possible. She almost tripped over her own feet as she rushed along the front wall of her apartment, drawing each of the matching curtains closed before her knees eventually buckled and she sank down to the ground, visibly shaken by this odd encounter.

By now, her pups had noticed the distress in their owner's body language, immediately stopping their playtime to run over to her, nudging and pressing up against her, even trying to climb into her lap to comfort her. Reaching out, she brought her arms up to circle around Yun's body, nuzzling her face into the soft white fur as she tightly held onto the canine, the pups' soft whimpers mixing with her shaky breaths as Chopin quietly continued to play in the background. It felt like an eternity later when she had eventually calmed down enough to sort through her thoughts, still snuggling with her fluffy bunch though.

Could this just be a misunderstanding, she wondered. She surely hoped so, but the way that man had looked at her with that dark and menacing smile, it felt more than just unsettling. Not to mention that something about him seemed eerily familiar. The more she thought about it, the more Zhenni realized that she had actually met that man several times before. Well, somewhat. Hadn't she seen him just days ago at the supermarket? She was fairly certain that it had been him, standing at the detergent isle, glancing over at her as she had struggled to grab one of the bottles from the top shelf. Yes, of course it was him! For a moment Zhenni had even considered asking him to grab it for her when she succeeded on her last attempt. After that she hadn't paid much attention to him, but now that she thought about it, he had been right behind her when checking out. And a week ago at the park, too! She had been on a run with just Yun and Jiuyue, as the other three were too small to keep up with the energetic sammy, when she had run past that weirdo. Even back then, he had been intently staring at the trio. At that time, she had chalked it up to him just admiring her floofs, as so many other people liked to do, but now, she wasn't too sure anymore. Could it be....?

Taking a deep breath, the young woman slowly got up from the ground, basically crawling over to the window, all while being accompanied by her five pet dogs. Body pressed against the wall to make herself as flat as possible, she carefully lifted one corner of the curtain up in an almost painfully slow manner, before peering outside the window, trying to get another look at the apartment across the street.

@´☆ sun zhenni. The mornings were a sacred time for Lee Soohyuk. He considers it a pocket of calm before the hum of the workshop filled his day. As the steam from his tea curled into the air, he often found himself gazing out the window at the world waking up around him. That was when he first noticed the fluffy white Samoyed that often bounded along with a pack of smaller dogs during their morning walks. At first, he thought little of it but the fluff of cloud had a way of standing out, whether it was the way his tail wagged like a flag or how his curious eyes seemed to notice everything. Sometimes, when the dogs passed by, the dog would glance up, locking eyes with him in a way that felt almost deliberate. Without realizing it, he began looking forward to those brief moments of connection. He’d occasionally wave, and the dog, in his dog like wisdom, would respond with a wag or an approving bark.

It wasn’t long before Soohyuk realized the dogs lived just across the street. One morning, while sipping his tea, he saw the unmistakable white fluff pressed against the window of the neighboring apartment. From then on, their “hangouts” became a daily ritual. Fluff , as what he started to call the dog, would appear at the window, tail wagging in excitement, while Soohyuk sat by his own, offering a small smile or a playful wave. It was an unlikely bond yet strangely comforting and this connection inspired him in unexpected ways. One quiet afternoon in his workshop, he decided to carve a wooden sculpture of Fluff and every detail mattered from Fluff's soft, cloud like fur, the mischievous tilt of his head, even the sparkle of curiosity in his eyes.

One morning, Soohyuk sat by his window as usual, carefully putting the finishing touches on Fluff's wooden sculpture. He was fully engrossed, whittling away at the final details with focused precision. As always, Fluff was at the opposite window, tail wagging enthusiastically. What Soohyuk failed to notice, however, was a figure stepping into view on the other side. From that perspective, the scene was far less innocent since Soohyuk was holding a carving knife, appeared to be staring intently in their direction. Oblivious to the presence of anyone else, he adjusted the sculpture in his hands, examining it with keen eyes. His thoughts were entirely consumed with capturing the dog's lively essence, unaware that he now had an unintended audience.

@´☆ lee soohyuk. Usually, Zhenni enjoyed the fact that she could work from home as it gave her more time to spend together with her five furry babies. And over the past few months since she had moved into this new apartment, they had quickly fallen into a routine. At 7am sharp, the fluffy troupe would show up at her bedroom door, barging in without any care as if they owned the place(and in some kind of way, they really did). Luckily, as they were all mostly just small breed dogs, none of them except for her samoyed were able to climb onto her bed. So the bunch would sit at one side of the bed, making sure to voice out their concerns about her still being in bed. Rolling over, the young webtoon artist would reach into her bedside drawer, feeding each of them a treat to bribe them into quieting down as she headed for the bathroom to get ready. A quick shower and a change of clothes later, she would take them out for a morning walk to the nearby park, giving them some off leash time while she took photos as reference material or did a few sketches.

By 8am, the group would usually be back home, enjoying breakfast together as Zhenni sat at the kitchen island with a cup of tea and a slice of toast, the five pups at each of their respective foodbowls scattered around the spacious kitchen. After that was playtime for the pups, while she tried to get some work done before lunch time. It was usually the noisiest time of the day, with Yun, her samoyed, being a rather vocal pup, so she would turn on some music, glad that the walls were soundproof enough to keep her from getting into trouble with any neighbors. As of late though, it seemed like the walking land cloud had calmed down a little, being a little less talkative when playing with his siblings.

Today was just like any other day, the soft tunes of a piano piece playing from her loudspeakers as Zhenni was working on the sript for the newest chapters of her current novel, jotting down ideas on her laptop, while the pups were playing in the other room, their little barks and whines cutting through the background music every now and then. It felt almost peaceful. But of course, as soon as she dared to think that thought, the young woman could hear a high pitched whine, followed by the barking of her youngest addition to the pack. Perhaps just a squirrel, she thought to herself, trying to ignore the little bit of commotion. Yet when the noise wouldn't stop even after a good few minutes, she decided to go take a look. Just to be safe.

Pushing herself up from her seat, Zhenni walked over to the dog's playroom, easily locating the big floofy white coud at the window, his tail wagging faster than windshield wipers during a rainstorm. "Hey, buddy. Did you see something fun outside?" Talking to the canine in a higher pitched voice, she was walking over to the window to take a peek outside as well, curious eyes searching for any critters in the branches of the tree in front of her house.