[ON HOLD] Sugar || Chaewon x Reader

2

Chaewon placed the final bowl of cat food on the ground and gently petted the small black kitten. Despite the volunteer work wearing her down to the bone, she finished every single one of her rounds with a bright expression and a sweet smile. Aigoo, you're too good for this world, the old lady had remarked. Chaewon had beamed and continued to slowly hand-feed the newly-arrived blind puppy.

She had her reasons for volunteering at this place, and every unfortunate story behind each animal only gave her all the more will to work harder. Sure, it was only for today, but Chaewon made sure that every pet was well cared for. It was the least these poor babies deserved, she thought.

   "Chaewon-ah!" the old lady called from the back.

   "Yes?"

   "Could you please clean the front entrance?"

Chaewon sighed. It felt like there was an endless amount of tasks and a never-ending number of animals to feed and look after. At least they were all super cute, she mused and gave the puppy a final gentle pat.

   "Yes, I'll do it now."

   She stood up with a grunt and wiped the sweat off her forehead with her arm. It was cold, the winter months had just begun, but here she was. Sweating up an absolute storm from all the nonstop work. Since morning the old lady who managed the place had kept Chaewon on her feet the whole day with chores. Whether it was cleaning cages, feeding the animals or refilling water, there were always more tasks to be done.

   Fortunately, Chaewon was no stranger to volunteer work. Ever since she was a child, she had always joined her mother on volunteer experiences. She'd basically done it all, helping out at fundraisers, cooking for the homeless and now helping out at an animal shelter. Chaewon had always wanted to try it out and after hearing that one had recently opened up in her neighborhood, she immediately seeked out contact with the owner. She just hadn't expected it to be this physically draining.

   "Hey."

   Chaewon stopped mopping the floor and looked up to see the old lady leaning against the reception desk.

   "Thank you for today," she smiled. "You were a huge help."

   Chaewon beamed. "It was nothing really, these animals deserve the world."

   The lady gestured for the mop and Chaewon handed it to her. "You can get changed and go home now, you worked hard today."

   "Are you sure? I can help out with more if you nee—"

   "No no no, it's okay," the lady slowly shook her head as she spoke. "Thank you Chaewon, you should get some rest now, you look exhausted."

   "Is it obvious?"

   "Just a little," the old lady gestured with her hands and laughed.

   Chaewon giggled, she really was exhausted. "I'll be going now, thank you."

   She bowed to the older lady and headed to the staff room with a skip in her step. Her gratitude made Chaewon feel content with her day's effort. It had been a long and tiring day, but the idea that she had hopefully made the animals' lives just a little bit better was all the thanks she needed.

   Chaewon zipped her jacket up as she stepped out into the cold winter night. A light breeze brushed her short brown hair back and she shoved her hands into her pockets as she started her walk home. The sun had set and the moon had started its nightwatch, but the sky was still bright with the lights of Seoul. Chaewon pouted. She missed seeing the millions of stars twinkle brightly in the night sky. Maybe a short trip to the countryside was a little overdue. She wondered if Yena and Eunbi would be down for a little winter escape out of Seoul.