They walked together along the narrow street leading to the hostel. Hana and Ruhi, who had already been in Korea for a month, had suggested this route. It was a little longer than the main road, but quieter, and they claimed it would give everyone more time to enjoy Minji's endless chatter.
The main road was crowded with students returning from the evening rush, but here, only a few people passed by.
As they walked, Zoya suddenly froze. A sharp bark echoed from somewhere nearby, slicing through the calm of the quiet street. Her heart jumped into her throat.
"Did you hear that?" she whispered, clutching Hana's arm.
Another bark followed—louder this time—and Zoya instinctively pulled her friends in front of her like shields. The others laughed at her panic, but her feet wouldn't move.
"Yah, don't scare her like that," Minji said, though she herself was curiously scanning around.
But after that first bark, everything went silent again. No movement. No second sound.
Zoya's heart was still racing, palms sweating.
Dogs were common here—students passing by didn't even flinch at the sound. They just kept walking. But Zoya wasn't like them; she stood trembling, hiding behind her friends. When she finally calmed down, Minji, a dog lover, stepped toward the tree cautiously, hoping to see if a dog was hiding there.
The others followed her hesitantly.
And then, just as Minji peeked behind the tree, the dog appeared again. He looked at them once, barked softly, then sat back down as if waiting.
"Wait…" Minji whispered. Her voice shrank to a hush as her eyes widened. "This isn't just any dog. This is Bamson."
The name hit Zoya like a spark. Bamson? Jeon.J's Bamson? For a moment, the world around her went quiet. Her breath caught in her chest.
"Are you sure?" Hana asked.
"Yes," Minji said, slowly kneeling so she wouldn't scare him. "I've seen pictures. Look at his eyes…his collar. It's him."
Zoya's mind spun. The world suddenly felt smaller, as if destiny's walls were closing in. What were the chances? Out of all the streets in Busan, out of every place—here he was.
Her fear dissolved, replaced by awe, responsibility, and a trembling faith she 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!"
All four of them gasped. Jeon.J was special to all of them—for Zoya too, but in a way she didn't dare speak.
Before Zoya could gather her thoughts, Sofia said,
"But… why does he look so weak? Jeon.J takes such good care of him. This can't be him."
A few students passed by, heading back to their hostels after grabbing street food. Bamson quietly sat behind the tree, partly hidden.
Something was wrong. They all felt it.
Minji pointed toward a nearby house with a few steps built outside.
"Let's sit there and watch. If Jeon.J is around, he'll definitely come for Bamson. And if he doesn't… then Bamson might really be lost."
They all agreed and sat on the steps. With leftover snacks in their hands, no one passing by questioned why they were sitting there. It looked casual—like a break.
Minutes passed.
No one came.
Bamson remained still, waiting behind the tree.
"We can't stay here any longer," Sofia finally said. "The hostel gate will close soon."
"She's right," Zoya said. "Leaving now is the only safe option."
"But if we leave Bamson here," Ruhi argued, "someone else might approach him—and maybe that will lead him back to Jeon.J."
Hana nodded.
They all stood to leave, but Bamson rose slowly from behind the tree—unsteady, as if scared.
"Guys… something is wrong," Minji whispered. "I think Bamson has lost his way. Look at him. He's weak and frightened. Pets like him grow up safe inside their homes. They follow every word their owner says.
But when a pet like him gets lost, the first thing they fear is street dogs. Street dogs live in survival mode—they're alert, always ready to fight, ready to protect themselves. Sometimes they even attack gentle pets like Bamson… because they sense weakness."
The others listened silently.
"And when such pets lose their way," Minji continued softly, "first they search for their owner. And if they don't find them… they look for people who look like their owner. Someone safe. Someone familiar."
"But what can we do?" Sofia said painfully. "We risk being locked out of the hostel."
"And we can't leave him either," Minji insisted. "If people realize who he is, the street will fill with a crowd. He'll get more scared."
She looked at Hana.
"Check today's Korean updates. Maybe Jeon.J posted something."
They all sat back down while Hana searched. After a minute, she shut her phone and sighed.
"There's no update."
Minji exhaled deeply. "Then there are only two reasons: either Jeon.J doesn't know because he's in the USA for work… or he does know, but he's hiding it from the media and finding him alone."
She looked at Bamson, her resolve firm.
"But whatever it is, I can't leave him. You all go—the gate is about to close. I'll stay."
Zoya had been listening quietly all this time.
She stood, stepped forward, and their eyes lifted toward her. The look on their faces almost said, You're new. You don't have to stay.
But Zoya took a breath.
"There's something I need to tell you," she said softly. "I don't know how Hana missed it in the searches… but Jeon.J is actually in Busan right now."
All four froze.
"The day I came here," Zoya continued, "I had a connecting flight from Thailand. When I landed at Busan airport… I saw him. Reporters everywhere. Cameras flashing. And there he was. What shocked me more was that he had traveled in economy class."
"What? Why would he—?" Ruhi began.
"I'm sure he took the same flight," Zoya said. "The jacket and cap of the passenger in front of me… I later saw them clearly under the reporters' cameras. Same jacket. Same cap. Same symbol on the front of the cap, same symbol on the right arm."
Hana frowned. "Maybe he was sitting in business class?"
Zoya shook her head. "No. I'm certain. When the plane landed, he didn't get up first. He stayed seated until almost everyone left. And only then did I recognize the symbol."
She stepped toward the tree where Bamson lay trembling.
Bamson lifted his head for a moment, then rested it again.
And there, standing in front of him, Zoya fell into her own world.
You were sitting right in front of my seat, she whispered in her heart. I didn't sleep. And you didn't either. Your seat moved slightly every few minutes. You were worried for Bamson… that's why you couldn't rest.
Her 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 my tears… those needed no translation.
She raised her head, gazing at the night sky through the branches. A faint smile touched her lips.
And now I'm happy. Because here we are—in 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 continued…
Regards,
ZK 💌