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with the little downtime they have throughout 'blue paradise' promotions, dodam sort of hates that he agreed to spend a couple of hours at a puppy-cafΓ© with luke, but here he is: standing in line to order a decadent beverage in a place that, in his opinion, will make it hard to enjoy. while he understands the visual appeal of puppies, he doesn't grasp why people can't just watch compilation videos of them on their phone. his coldness to animals isn't one of his more attractive personality traits, he can admit that, however, having grown up sharing studio apartments with his mother, who would go on-and-on about why owning a pet is more hassle than it's worth whenever he'd inquire about one, he's adopted the same mindset.
in a practical sense, it costs a lot of money to raise a dog, and what's more is that, at least according to his mom, they're messy and stinky. the picture she paints clearly isn't a good one, but when luke kept being insistent that he needed to experience hanging out with puppies himself so he can form his own opinion on them, dodam relented. he makes a good point, but finally being here still isn't selling him. at least not yet. "maybe i'm just more sensitive to it, but is this place supposed to lowkey smell like piss?" he asks, sticking his nose up. "that can't be sanitary. like, this is a cafΓ©, luke."
when they eventually make it to the cashier, dodam orders his alt-milk latte, waits for his group-mate to make his selection, then pays for everything, just as he promised to earlier. "like, yes, i can admit that they're cute... like, their little faces are super darling, but like... i don't want their slobber and fur getting in my drink. that, or worse. what if they pee on me? i'm literally wearing lv trainers right now... they were a gift, luke." maybe he's making mountains out of molehills, but being that he didn't grow up with a whole lot, taking care of his belongings, especially luxury ones, matters a lot to him.
after a deep sigh, he internally convinces himself to stop being a wimp. "i guess i'll be fine though. i'll stop being such a baby..." for how much he mentions wanting to explore and try new things, the actual practice of it is harder than he realizes.
"where do you wanna sit?"
okay, to be honest, luke has never owned a dog. his mother was doing her best as it was as a stay at home mother to three and his dad was barely home. three kids of varying levels of responsibility would never be able to keep the creature fed, cleaned, and trained well enough to satisfy either parent enough to let them keep an animal. but his best friend growing up had a dog, a golden retriever who absolutely loved everyone and would spend hours chasing tennis balls in the backyard. he always told himself that when he moved out, he'd get one for himself... and then luke moved out into a small dorm shared with other men with little space left over for any pets, let alone a large animal. it's alright though, because seoul knows they have a problem with tiny housing accommodations so smart business owners have figured out a way to get paid to let animal lovers interact with the critters they so enjoy. and when luke learned that dodam claimed not to be a fan of dogs, he all but said the words prove it.
that's how they find themselves using their rare free time standing in line at a puppy cafe, ready to buy overpriced drinks and maybe a treat for the animals if they're on sale or something. "i think you're making things up," luke dismisses dodams oh so sensitive sense of smell breezily, never too worried about such things. "if they were breaking any health codes, they'd shut the place down, yeah? so it's probably fine." he shrugs. "i think you're just looking for things to complain about," always said with a grin, as if he's just teasing, never taking anything to heart.
"they're not gonna pee on you. look, they're all grown up. they're potty trained... and that doesn't mean they train them to potty on the most expensive shoed in the room," it's meant as reassurance as much as the last part carries a bit of humor. but it's already their turn up at the counter and luke gestures for dodam to order first, accepts that dodam will pay for the both of them, and requests an iced coffee (double nondairy creamer, double sugar) for himself. "you are a baby, you're the baby," he jokes, but then nods to a free table out of the more highly trafficked areas of the cafe, ideal for two idols who would be better off remaining unrecognizable, and perhaps more comfortable for the one who's not too fond of dogs yet. "i'm gonna see if they sell treats we can give the dogs. can you save me a seat?"
