WebNovels

Chapter 23 - Part_18

(Present in Korea)

Jeon.J waited restlessly for Bamson, unable to stay still even for a moment. Sometimes he paced across the room, sometimes sat down, but every few minutes his eyes would move toward the door. Then, almost out of habit, he would look at his phone — and every five minutes, he called Jea again. Waiting was becoming unbearable.

The dog he had raised like his own son was coming back after two long weeks. Jeon.J's heart felt like that of a father who had lost his child — who searched and searched, but when hope faded, finally learned that his child was alive. That desperate kind of relief, that silent prayer now taking shape in tears — Jeon.J was feeling all of it.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of a car stopping outside. A few seconds later came the sound of car doors opening. Sitting on the sofa, his fingers entwined, Jeon.J looked tense and breathless. He stood up abruptly and opened the hall door — and there, right in front of him, was Bamson.

Jeon.J froze for a heartbeat. Then, without realizing, he dropped to his knees. Tears filled his eyes as he reached out.

Bamson looked exhausted, his eyes heavy and filled with something that looked like pain mixed with affection. As soon as he saw Jeon.J, he ran toward him, lifted his front paws, and made that familiar soft sound — the one he always used when he wanted to say, "I'm home."

Jeon.J pulled him close, hugging him tightly. "Bamson…" his voice broke, "I'm sorry." He pressed his face against the dog's neck, his tears wetting its fur.

Hearing the noise, Jeon.J's parents came out of their room. The moment they saw Bamson, they too began to cry. Bamson wasn't just a pet for them; he was a family member — a part of their home, their memories.

Some time later, they were all sitting on the sofa in the hall.

"Bamson, you look fine, and your sweater looks very nice," Jeon.J said softly, examining him carefully. "It seems like someone took good care of you. But wait— what is this mark on your body? Were you hurt?"

His voice trembled. "Oh Bamson, I'm sorry… I couldn't protect you."

Once again, Jeon.J broke down. Bamson looked up at him and made that same loving sound again — the one he always used to comfort Jeon.J, as if saying, "Don't cry, I'm okay."

Jea, standing nearby, tried to soothe him. "Jeon.J, wherever he was, he must have been safe. There are a few scratches, but he's fine now. Please don't worry."

Jeon.J nodded weakly, stroking Bamson's head again, gently massaging behind his ears the way he always did.

After a while, Jeon.J asked softly, "Did you meet the girl who gave the information about Bamson?"

Jea looked up, his expression serious. "No," he continued, "When we reached the destination, we didn't meet anyone. We were talking to some of the staff about Bamson, but before we could ask more, we saw him running down the stairs toward us. There was no need to question anyone after that. A crowd had already started to gather — your morning post about Bamson being missing had already reached your fans. They were alert, and soon the whole place knew."

Jeon.J listened quietly while still caressing Bamson's fur. Jea's voice softened. "But Jeon.J, I'm worried about that girl. The place Bamson was found — it's not a small thing. He was found inside a hostel that belongs to the university. The owner might start an inquiry. We wanted to talk to her, but she didn't want her name to come out. Bamson looked healthy, so we didn't insist. Which means… she took care of him really well."

Jea smiled faintly. "She even mentioned that she fed him two of her favorite biscuits — and she still reminds her friends about the sacrifice."

Everyone smiled softly at that. Jeon.J, while listening, didn't stop stroking Bamson's head.

"Jeon.J," Jea said after a moment, "if you'd like, I can talk to the university owner and make sure the girl's name doesn't come up in any report."

Jeon.J sighed. "No, Jea… not now. I don't want to talk about anything today. I just want to see Bamson."

He stood up, brought Bamson's food from the kitchen, and placed it in front of him lovingly. Soon everyone was eating dinner together — happiness and tears mixing in the same air.

After dinner, Jea spoke again, hesitantly. "Jeon.J, if you allow, may I still meet the university owner tomorrow? Just to be safe."

Jeon.J looked at him for a moment, then nodded. "Yes… but we'll leave for Seoul tomorrow. Try to come early."

"I will, Jeon.J."

Then Jeon.J paused. "Actually, Jea, why not just call her? The number from which the call came — you can thank her on the phone. There's no need to meet in person."

"Yes, Jeon.J, you're right. I didn't think of that. Let's call her first."

Jea quickly took out his phone. He had saved that number with a small symbol, planning to call after reaching the hostel, but the situation never demanded it — Bamson had returned on his own.

The phone began to ring.

Jeon.J watched quietly while rubbing Bamson's back.

"Her name…" Jea muttered softly, trying to recall it — when suddenly the call connected.

"Hello, Mr. Jea! You're Jeon.J's PA, oh my God! I can't believe this, I might go crazy from happiness!"

Jea hesitated for a second. "You know me? And where did you get this number…?"

"O, from Jeon.J's morning post — the missing video about Bamson! I saved your number. I wanted to help find him, but I didn't get the chance. I had typing work today and lost track of time. I only realized later that you were right here in our hostel hall with Bamson! Can you believe it? Bamson was actually in our hostel! Now the university management and all the staff are investigating how he came here and who had him — because Jeon.J's pet is like a celebrity."

The girl kept talking nonstop, but everything Jea wanted to know was already coming out of her mouth. And one thing became clear — this girl wasn't the one who had called earlier. Maybe the real girl had used her phone to make the call. But who was she?

Before the girl could continue, Jea quickly interrupted. "Before a few hours… around noon, a call came from this number," he said cautiously.

"No, sir, you must be mistaken," the girl replied politely. "At that time, I was busy typing some university files. I didn't use my phone — except once, when one of our hostel girls—"

She stopped mid-sentence. Her tone suddenly changed, and then she fell silent.

Jea felt awkward, but continued, "So… that means it was your friend, the one who called about Bamson, right?"

The girl's voice grew louder. "That means Zoya called you! It means Bamson was with Zoya. The management team is already searching for the member who hid Bamson. And look here — Zoya hid him! I should tell our warden. Zoya is very clever!"

Hearing that, Jeon.J and Jea exchanged a look. The conversation they thought would be a simple thank-you had turned unexpectedly strange.

"No, please don't mention her name," Jea said quickly. "She took such good care of Bamson, and he's perfectly fine—"

But the girl cut him off, speaking fast. "Sir, do you know how worried Jeon.J was because of Zoya?" She just wouldn't stop.

Jea finally ended the call, lowering the phone and exhaling deeply. "Her name's Zoya," he said quietly.

But a thought weighed heavy in his mind — What if Zoya gets into trouble because of this?

He looked toward Jeon.J, who leaned back against the sofa, eyes closed, his hand still resting over Bamson's head.

---

(In the Hostel)

Just as Jea ended the call, Ji-won stepped out of her dorm room. Outside, she saw Yuna passing by. Ji-won called out to her.

"Hey, Yuna! Do you know who had Jeon.J's Bamson?"

Yuna looked surprised. "Who?"

"Zoya," Ji-won replied, "the girl who lives in the dorm next to mine — the one who came here about two weeks ago."

And the news didn't stay limited to Ji-won and Yuna. It spread everywhere, like a gust of wind through the hostel corridors.

To be Continue.....

Regards

ZK💌

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