The Devils On My Shoulder | ChanHoMin

3

it had been a week since seungmin had turned up at felix's house, and he was trying to get round it without going crazy.

he took the advice of his friend and tried to get out more, the only place he really had the energy to go was the park where he could just go and sit down anyway, without having to do anything that would drain him too much. he left his apartment and walked towards the park, listening to his music through his headphones.

he hummed to himself as he walked down the road, seeing the park gates come into view. he walked in, looking around at the dog walkers, or the families as he found the bench he normally sits at. he sat down and closed his eyes, breathing in the air and focusing on the music tipping his head back, jumping when he felt something on his leg. he opened his eyes with shock to see a big golden retriever sat at his feet with a paw on his knee.

seungmin cautiously reached forward, patting its head as it panted happily. a woman walked down the path, chuckling.

"im sorry about that, he seems to like you."

seungmin just smiled in response, scratching behind the dog's ears. something about petting the dog's soft fur seemed to relieve stress, he relaxed a bit and leant forward, using both hands to pet the dog.

"seems like you like him too." the woman continued.

"hes cute." seungmin smiled.

without warning, the dog jumped up and licked his cheek. seungmin giggled, feeling warm as the dog gave him kisses.

"here, give him a treat."

she handed him a dog treat as he took it, holding it out.

"sit." he mumbled a little unsurely.

the dog sat immediately, looking at the treat in seungmin's hand.

"good boy." seungmin said happily, giving the dog the treat before patting it's head.

the woman moved on, and he thought about it, maybe a dog would do him good, he felt happy petting that dog. maybe a pet would help him cope with everything he was feeling, giving him a sense of purpose and responsibility. he resolved to think more about it.

he sat for a while, actually starting to enjoy the park, until a loud dog bark and growl caught his attention. a feeling of dread pooled in his gut at the sight of two men, holding their dog on a chain leash.

they were walking their dog, who was growling and barking at everyone, it was scary and aggressive. the animal was pulling on the leash hard, but the man holding it maintained control.

seungmin's breaths sped up as he looked at the men, they were wearing black again, their eyes snapped in seungmin's direction at the same time, staring hard at him.

their eyes were just as intense as the first time and seungmin held his breath, getting uncomfortable and scared again. the men stopped walking, sitting at a bench right opposite him. the dog sat at their feet, seeming to stare at seungmin too, this dog didn't look as kind and cute as the other dog, this dog was black and brown, he didn't wear a collar and leash, he wore a chain, one of the men held the chain in his hand, sitting back, locking eyes with seungmin.

he felt himself get anxious and the last thing he needed was a panic attack.

he quickly stood up, feeling light-headed as he walked quickly away, he tried to focus on the music as he turned it up. forcing his legs to carry him towards the exit, he felt his heart rate speed up as he tried to count his breaths. he got so lost in his thoughts, he almost tripped over something, he looked down to see the same dog from earlier.