Chapter 117
Chapter 117
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 117
Chapter Title: Yeolmu's Resolve
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Yeolmu matched her demeanor and speech with an equally refined appearance.
Her fur was snow-white and fluffy like snowflakes, gleaming like silk, and her pale blue eyes sparkled like a clear autumn sky.
Lee Jun looked down at Yeolmu, who had her large, round eyes tilted slightly upward and her ears perked.
To be precise, at Yeolmu's scruff.
‘This spot's about to become a bald patch...’
For surgery, he'd have to shave her back fur.
It would stay bare for a while until it grew back.
‘Should I just tell her about the surgery and skip mentioning the shaving?’
But he soon remembered what the owner had said.
Yeolmu got brushed twice a day. Her owner did it, and she loved it.
When he'd first heard that, Lee Jun had chuckled and said she'd hit the jackpot with a lottery cat.
It was spot on.
There were hardly any dogs or cats who liked brushing.
Most either ran away because they hated it or gave up and endured it.
She actually enjoyed it.
Even better, if her owner forgot to brush her, Yeolmu would fetch the brush herself and bring it over.
‘But if she wakes up and finds her back bald, she'll freak out.’
If the fur she was so proud of vanished, Yeolmu might get really down.
‘Gray and Shadow are super conscious about their looks too, so she'd definitely be upset. That wouldn't help her recovery.’
Illnesses were like that. Prognosis often hinged on the patient's mindset.
And animals were no different.
Lee Jun always emphasized one thing to owners of pets he'd operated on and hospitalized.
Visit every day at the same time, if possible.
Even humans got depressed in the hospital—how much more for animals?
Nine times out of ten, animals thought they'd been abandoned.
So he told them to come daily at the same time to reassure them.
In reality, when owners visited, the animals perked up and recovered faster.
‘Animals' outlooks make a huge difference in their prognosis too.’
The same would go for Yeolmu.
If she was hurting, it'd be different.
If her scruff ached and they shaved to remove the pain, she might accept it.
But right now, Yeolmu wasn't in pain anywhere.
‘Other than being grumpy from skipping breakfast, she's totally fine. Still, she knows something's wrong on her back...’
Her scruff didn't hurt yet, but she knew it felt Mongchiy when she pawed at it.
Lee Jun lowered himself to eye level with Yeolmu and gently brought his hand to her scruff.
He barely brushed the area—like stroking with a feather—and pulled away.
“Yeolmu, to get rid of this, we have to cut some fur.”
Blink, blink.
Yeolmu slowly blinked her big eyes a couple times and asked.
[You're removing fur?]
“Yeah.”
[...May I know why?]
Her voice carried dignity despite her curious gaze.
‘What kind of cat...’
It felt like she was saying, ‘Explain the situation to this honorable self.’
Lee Jun had been pondering how to tell a cat that fur had to be shaved due to infection risk, but he decided to just lay it out.
“So the bad guys called bacteria won't bother you.”
[Bacteria?]
“Yeah. Didn't your ears itch and hurt a while back?”
[They did. It hurt.]
“That was bacteria messing with you. They invaded your ears.”
There was such a thing as normal flora, but they'd overgrown suddenly and caused illness. Unable to explain that simply, Lee Jun kept it basic.
It worked, though—Yeolmu nodded.
[I see.]
“Exactly.”
[But do bacteria live in fur? Are they living in this fur too?]
Yeolmu nailed the key point.
“They do.”
[But it doesn't hurt.]
She gestured to her own fur.
No, right now your healthy skin acts as a shield, but after surgery when that barrier's gone, it could get infected.
Lee Jun struggled to explain.
As he racked his brain for simple words, Yeolmu asked.
[Did this honorable self's ears have fur inside?]
Ah, there it was. Honorable self.
Lee Jun swallowed a wry inward chuckle and replied.
“No fur in your ears.”
[I see.]
Yeolmu fell silent for a moment.
Her eyes looked thoughtful.
Soon after, she stared straight at Lee Jun, curling the corners of her mouth up slightly.
She placed a small, snow-white paw on his hand and said softly.
[Then there's no need to shave. Just remove the Mongchi here.]
Wait, how'd she reach that conclusion?
Lee Jun stared at her blankly.
‘No helping it. If she's that smart, better to be straight with her.’
Lee Jun took Yeolmu to the director's office.
Knowing cats watched videos, he pulled up photos of an infected surgical site on the monitor.
Yeolmu blinked rapidly at the sight of pus oozing from a mangled wound.
She was clearly shocked.
[That... must hurt terribly.]
“Yeah. It hurts a lot. Bacteria attacked the surgery site and made it like that. If we remove your Mongchi without shaving, it could happen to you.”
Yeolmu blinked even faster, staring at the monitor. Then she let out a small sigh.
[Better not to risk it. Fur can cover this much. Please do that.]
She added quietly that she'd rather keep the tumor than look like that.
“But Yeolmu, if you don't remove it...”
Lee Jun sighed like her and continued.
“Yeolmu, do you like your mom or your fur more?”
[What a silly question. Mom, obviously.]
She gave him a look like, why ask something so obvious?
“Right? That's why I'm saying—if you don't get it removed...”
Lee Jun paused and took a deep breath.
Talking death was tough, whether human or animal.
He stroked her forehead and went on.
“You might have to go to the Cat Star.”
[Cat...]
Yeolmu trailed off, frozen for a long moment.
Lee Jun watched her quietly.
After blinking thoughtfully for a while, her little mouth opened.
[What a dilemma.]
“What's the dilemma?”
Knowing animals thought and worried too, he asked gently.
[I don't want to go to the Cat Star. But I don't want to look like this either.]
“I know you love your pretty looks. But give it time—the fur will grow back. By next spring, it'll be there again.”
[...]
***
Yeolmu turned back to the cat the teacher had shown her.
A filthy, pained-looking cat filled her view.
Just as he'd said, it looked agonizing.
‘I can endure pain. But leaving Mom... no.’
Yeolmu adored her mom, who called her pretty every day.
Mom would coo the moment she saw Yeolmu—how could she be so pretty, had an angel come down, eye fairy—and pet her.
Yeolmu didn't know what angels or eye fairies were.
She just loved Mom's gentle touch and warm gaze.
[If this honorable self goes to the Cat Star, no more seeing Mom, right?]
“Yeah.”
At the vet teacher's words, Yeolmu's gaze drifted to the door.
Mom's scent wafted through the crack.
[That would be sad.]
Yeolmu replied calmly.
But her face looked like she'd lost the world.
Thinking of parting from her favorite person in it made her heart ache.
[No more watching Mom pick my fur and say how pretty...]
Yeolmu treasured those moments—Mom grooming her fur with delight.
Mom gave treats, hugged tight, called her the prettiest, cutest ever.
Her reliable rock.
Never seeing that Mom again...
[N-no. T-teacher, I don't want to go to the Cat Star.]
Nyaaong, nyaaong, nyaaong.
Yeolmu clung to the teacher's arm and cried.
It was her first time acting spoiled, and her wails were heartbreakingly sad.
***
The next day, two cats approached Yeolmu lying in her cage post-surgery.
Gray and Shadow.
They pulled bags from the backpacks on their backs and held them out to her.
The shiny bags caught Yeolmu's eye.
As she stared, they beamed.
Gray spoke first.
[Yeolmu-meow! Take this-meow.]
[This too.]
Blink, blink.
Yeolmu eyed the cats before her.
A long, glossy-furred cat sparkled with round eyes.
Beside him stood a sleek black cat. He had white paws like hers.
Both looked incredibly cool.
The shiny bag intrigued her. But you couldn't just take from strangers.
Her scruff stung a bit, but Yeolmu straightened up.
Not wanting these handsome cats to see her sorry state, she backed up slightly.
Pressing her back against the cage wall, she asked.
[Who might you be?]
[Gray-meow.]
[Shadow.]
[Nice to meet you. I'm Yeolmu.]
[We know-meow. Pretty Yeolmu-meow. Wear this-meow. You'll be even prettier-meow.]
Yeolmu smiled faintly at Gray's words.
Being called pretty felt good, and prettier sounded amazing.
Truth be told, despite her haughty chin tilt, she didn't feel confident inside.
Not only was her fur gone from her back, but ugly stitches dotted the spot.
[Drape this too. It'll make your gorgeous neck fur stand out.]
[Yeah-meow, perfect match for your starry eyes-meow.]
The cats laid on the cheesy lines without batting an eye.
[Thank you. May I take a peek?]
She already desperately wanted it, whatever it was, but kept her chin high.
[I'll open it-meow.]
As Gray reached for the bag, Shadow stopped him.
[Why're you opening Yeolmu's gift? She should do it.]
Nyaa~.
Yeolmu smiled, placing a paw—sans leash—to her mouth.
Yeolmu's cage was on the first floor.
The cats had opened the door and offered the bag.
Rustle, rustle.
Each crinkle made Yeolmu's eyes sparkle.
The ceiling light made it shimmer nicely, and the sound was delightful.
Finally, the contents emerged, drawing a gasp from Yeolmu.
Kyuuong~!
A colorful, sparkling vest.
The edging was fluffy white fur like hers.
[Try it on-meow!]
[H-how do I...]
[We'll help-meow.]
The cats used paws and mouths to dress her, but it wasn't perfect.
Gray meowed at the door.
[Big Bro-meow, help-meow!]
“Got it.”
Big Bro came right in, fitted the half-on vest properly, and tied the colorful scarf Shadow had given her.
“Yeolmu, you look awesome. Super cool!”
[Right-meow. Yeolmu's too cool-meow!]
[Pretty.]
Yeolmu beamed beside them.
***
Ten days after Yeolmu's discharge, Yu Mu-hwan approached Lee Jun.
“Yeolmu's test results are back.”
“What'd they say?”
“You were right, Director. It was FISS.”
“Good thing.”
Meaning it was fortunate they'd operated.
“Thanks to Yu's thorough palpation.”
“No, sir. If you hadn't pointed it out then, I'd have overlooked it 100%.”
Lee Jun smiled at him and said.
“Early diagnosis is key for any illness—it's the surest way to extend life and improve quality.”
“Feels like it.”
Just then, the door opened. A dog and owner entered, the dog's tail whirling like a propeller.
‘You diagnose and operate great, but above all, you truly care for the animals.’
Yu Mu-hwan knew better than most that good intentions weren't enough to keep that up running an animal hospital.
Watching Lee Jun pet the dog that barreled over and flopped happily at his feet, Yu Mu-hwan smiled.
‘I came to the right place, Meongmeong Animal Hospital.’
Yu Mu-hwan bowed to Lee Jun.
“Director, please keep guiding me from here on.”