Chapter 116
Chapter 116
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 116
Chapter Title: Yeolmu's FISS Suspicion
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Yeolmu's owner set the carrier bag containing Yeolmu down on the exam table, beaming brightly.
“Doctor, our Yeolmu has improved a lot. She's scratching her ears much less, and the smell has gone down too.”
“Really? That's great. Let me take a look.”
Just as the owner said, Yeolmu's ears were much cleaner.
The dark discharge that had been so prominent had noticeably decreased, and the redness around her ears had subsided.
“Keep applying the ear drops for another week, then we'll check again.”
“Okay.”
The owner replied cheerfully.
This was only the second time the owner had visited Meongmeong Animal Hospital.
She had heard of the hospital's reputation beforehand, but that wasn't the reason she switched.
She had simply moved, making her previous clinic too far away.
But the owner was thrilled with Meongmeong Animal Hospital.
The best part was how comfortable it was.
‘No barking dogs—it’s so nice.’
Even when dogs did bark, it was just once or twice before they quieted down.
‘And being a new clinic, it’s spotless.’
As the owner assessed, Meongmeong Animal Hospital was impeccably clean. The reason was the interior renovations, just as she suspected.
There was another reason she didn't know about: the cooperation of the dogs and cats.
At Meongmeong Animal Hospital, the dogs and cats strictly followed bathroom etiquette.
They all used the designated restrooms.
‘And having a separate exam room and waiting area for cats is great. So relaxing.’
As the owner felt satisfied with Meongmeong Animal Hospital, Yu Mu-hwan's face, hand on Yeolmu's back, grew slightly tense.
‘It doesn't seem smaller than last week. No, it feels a bit bigger.’
His sense of touch told him so.
Yu Mu-hwan regretted not measuring the swollen area last week.
‘I should have insisted, even if they called me overly fussy.’
Then he could speak confidently now.
Should he measure it now?
As Yu Mu-hwan hesitated, Lee Jun's usual words echoed in his mind.
‘Early detection is key for any disease. And we're on the front lines of spotting them.’
Recalling Lee Jun's words, Yu Mu-hwan looked at the owner.
She might come back next week for a check. But after that?
Next month? The month after?
Maybe not for six months.
‘What if it grows huge by then?’
Sarcoma was a malignant tumor in the bone or muscle—highly invasive and aggressive.
If it became inoperable by then?
He would surely regret not saying anything today.
Remembering Lee Jun's advice, Yu Mu-hwan spoke up.
“Yeolmu's owner, this swelling here. You know it hasn't gone down, right?”
“Oh, yes. Maybe Yeolmu was stressed from the move, but strangely, it’s not subsiding this time.”
The owner's face hardened as she continued.
“Honestly, if you hadn’t mentioned it, Doctor, I might have overlooked it. But now that you did, it’s bothering me. It hasn’t shrunk at all—it actually seems bigger.”
Yu Mu-hwan had braced for anger over over-treatment, but her reaction eased his expression.
“Could it be inflammation from the injection?”
“That’s possible. In cases like this, we suspect fat layer inflammation or myositis first, and then…”
Yu Mu-hwan trailed off, and the owner guessed he had something serious in mind.
With a cautious expression, she asked.
“And?”
“In very rare cases, cats can develop injection-site sarcoma.”
“You mean… cancer?”
As Yu Mu-hwan nodded slowly, Yeolmu's owner's face crumpled.
“N-No way. It can’t be, right? It’s just inflammation, isn’t it, Doctor?”
Yu Mu-hwan couldn’t give the answer she wanted.
The owner left, pale-faced, clutching Yeolmu's carrier.
Three days later,
The owner returned alone, without Yeolmu. Her complexion was rough.
“I looked it up online.”
“I see.”
“That FISS you mentioned, Doctor—it’s such a scary cancer.”
Yu Mu-hwan nodded in agreement.
“Even if it is cancer, early surgery should be fine, right?”
“Most likely.”
“Our Yeolmu… please run tests, Doctor.”
“Understood.”
From then on, Yu Mu-hwan called Lee Jun in for a joint consultation.
“Whether it’s sarcoma or not, removal is best. If it grows bigger, it’ll be tough even if benign or malignant.”
“……”
Yeolmu's owner just nodded at Lee Jun's words.
“I haven’t examined Yeolmu yet, so I can’t say for sure, but if the mass is attached to muscle and keeps growing, surgery will be very difficult.”
“……Yes.”
“For most sarcomas, we remove a 3cm margin around the Mongchi during surgery.”
“3cm?”
The owner’s eyes widened.
“Our Yeolmu’s back is only so big—3cm from there would…”
“Exactly. It sounds impossible. But FISS is even worse. We need a 5cm margin.”
“What?”
The owner’s eyes nearly bulged.
“I thought the same as you, Yeolmu's owner. It doesn’t make sense—practically removing half the body. And even after, there are issues. The skin gets excised too, so how do you close it? It’s a serious problem—not something you can just stitch up.”
“R-Right… what do you do?”
The mere thought was horrifying; the owner’s voice trembled.
“We take skin from the belly and graft it. In a case two years ago, we even used thigh skin.”
“How did it go?”
“Surgery was successful, fortunately.”
“That’s a relief.”
Seeing the owner relax, Lee Jun’s expression turned subtly complex.
In the past three years, Lee Jun had performed five FISS surgeries.
Of course, he’d done countless other sarcoma surgeries.
Having only that many cases in such a large hospital over three years meant feline injection-site sarcoma wasn’t common.
Of the five cats Lee Jun operated on, three recovered fully, but two passed on to the Cat Star.
Those two had come in with tumors too advanced.
Lee Jun had done everything to save them, but couldn’t prevent recurrence or metastasis.
‘If only they’d had surgery sooner.’
Lee Jun’s large eyes grew misty.
Remembering the cats that suffered and died from recurrence, he spoke firmly.
“This disease has a high recurrence rate—30 to 70%.”
“Oh my god… what kind of disease is that?”
“Exactly. A real… nasty one.”
“I thought so.”
“That’s why we resect aggressively. Incomplete removal can lead to recurrence in a month.”
“It’s… too scary.”
“But with clean removal, average survival is about 1,500 days—around four years. And that’s average, so many live much longer. Best to remove before metastasis.”
After hearing Lee Jun’s full explanation, Yeolmu's owner fell silent for a long time.
Knowing she needed time to process and decide, Lee Jun waited quietly.
After a stretch of silence, she spoke.
“Is our Yeolmu really FISS?”
“I can’t say for sure. We need a biopsy. But there’s a rule for deciding on biopsy.”
“A rule?”
“Yes. It’s only been five weeks since Yeolmu’s injection.”
Lee Jun said, checking Yeolmu’s chart.
“There’s the 3-2-1 rule: if a Mongchi persists three months post-vaccination, grows over 2cm, or doesn’t shrink after one month.”
“So for our Yeolmu…”
“None of those three apply yet. The issue is it’s grown noticeably since Dr. Yu saw it last week…”
Lee Jun glanced at Yu Mu-hwan beside him.
“Dr. Yu, how much bigger does it seem?”
“It was 0.8cm a few days ago. I didn’t measure last time, so not exact, but about 0.5cm growth, I’d estimate.”
“Dr. Yu was at university before coming here—he always measured precisely. If he says so, we can take it as fact.”
Lee Jun fully backed Yu Mu-hwan. The owner nodded and chimed in.
“I think the same. After Dr. Yu mentioned it, I got worried and took photos.”
She showed pictures from a week ago and today.
“…It’s definitely bigger.”
At the grim confirmation, Yeolmu's owner's eyes welled up.
Even a simple sarcoma needs removal; if FISS, surgery ASAP.
She knew immediate surgery was right.
But Yeolmu's owner hesitated.
Yeolmu wasn’t young—already ten. Could she handle anesthesia and major resection?
That worried her most.
Could she even afford surgery? With such high recurrence, maybe leaving it was better for Yeolmu?
No—what if she regretted it later?
In that brief moment, every thought raced through her mind. Then she spoke again.
“Hypothetically—if Gray or Shadow had a case like our Yeolmu’s, would you do surgery?”
“I would, no question. Fine when small, but painful when big. And smaller means more aggressive surgery—reduces metastasis risk.”
Lee Jun answered without a second’s hesitation, giving Yeolmu's owner courage.
She took a deep breath and said.
“Director, hearing you makes early surgery sound safest.”
“You’re right.”
“Then let’s do surgery on our Yeolmu. I hate waiting anxiously. And if I’m stressed, it’ll affect her too.”
Both vets agreed.
An anxious owner transmits stress to the pet, worsening condition.
“Yes. We’ll do our best.”
***
A few days later, Yeolmu visited the hospital.
For small masses like Yeolmu’s, exams and surgery are usually same-day—CT and surgery both under anesthesia.
But Lee Jun suggested pre-op tests, including bloodwork, the day before.
Hospital visits stressed cats, but Meongmeong was different.
Yeolmu seemed to like it, so the owner agreed and came the day before.
Lee Jun, with much to tell Yeolmu, picked her up and said to Yu Mu-hwan.
“Dr. Yu, want me to handle Yeolmu’s blood draw?”
“I was about to ask—please do.”
Lee Jun’s draws were quick, and animals loved him. Yu Mu-hwan gladly accepted.
“Wait just a bit. We’ll draw after she settles.”
Taking Yeolmu to the exam room, Lee Jun said.
“Yeolmu, hungry?”
[…Tolerable.]
The stunning white Persian Yeolmu tilted her chin haughtily.
But her face showed clear displeasure from skipping breakfast.
“Sorry. I told them not to feed you.”
Yeolmu blinked her sky-blue eyes at Lee Jun.
A why? expression.
“We need blood today to check if you’re healthy.”
Lee Jun explained patiently, and Yeolmu’s grumpy look softened.
[Does that mean the weird thing goes away?]
“Yep.”
[Good. I’ve been displeased with this blemish on my elegant body.]
Like a noblewoman fanning her mouth, Yeolmu brought a dainty paw to her lips and mewed softly: nyaa~.
“But there’s one problem.”
[Do tell.]
Lee Jun smiled at haughty Yeolmu.
‘So cute. That imperious tone and manner—noblewoman Yeolmu, elegant noblewoman Yeolmu.’
But something worried him slightly.
Even small, the mass required wide excision—removing as much tissue as possible.
‘Yeolmu’s so focused on looks—how will she take this surgery? Will she accept it? Maybe ask Gray or Shadow for help?’
No, that didn’t feel right.
Since gaining animal speech, this was Lee Jun’s first beauty-related dilemma.