The Last Night of the Year

It was the last night of the year.

They had put together a gathering to see off a year packed with more than its share of trials, and to welcome the one about to begin. And then the guests started arriving at ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Lee Jun's house.

Ding-dong!

At the doorbell they had been waiting for, Hoesaegi, Gkamnyangi, and Sapsaree — who had all been sprawled out asleep — sprang to their feet.

Hoesaegi, the fur on the left side of his face squashed flat like a steamed bun. Gkamnyangi, who couldn't even get his eyes properly open. Sapsaree, awake but still wearing a thoroughly vacant expression. All three, however, turned their heads with perfect accuracy toward the source of the sound.

The intercom.

"I'm comin', I'm comin'!"

Go Gi-jin, who had been in the kitchen, bellowed as he pulled open the front door and headed outside. Lee Jun followed him out.

"What's the point of having an intercom if you never use it?"

"Aww, how can you compare the two? When a hyungnim's visitin', you gotta open the door yourself and greet him proper, face to face."

Go Gi-jin said this as he opened the outer gate, and with a clunk, Choi Woo-jin stepped inside.

"Welcome, hyungnim."

"Yeah. Our junior's got some real manners, I'll give him that."

Choi Woo-jin chuckled as he accepted the greeting, and Lee Jun grinned at him.

"Must be nice, having such a polite junior."

"Of course it is. You don't think so?"

"Me? Of course I do. You think our Dr. Go is just good at hellos? He's the ace of our hospital. The ace."

"Hahaha. Dr. Go must be on cloud nine, getting praised by the great Lee Jun himself."

"Heh, ain't that the truth. Live long enough and even a day like this rolls around."

"Come on in."

Lee Jun herded the two of them toward the house.

"Hyungnim, hand that over here."

Go Gi-jin took the plastic bag from Choi Woo-jin's hand, and Lee Jun said with a smile,

"You didn't have to go and buy all this."

"If we don't have chicken and beer on a night like this, when would we?"

"True, but… we could've just ordered delivery."

"Come on, come on, let's go in."

The moment the three men stepped inside, the three animals erupted in cheers.

Meow! Nyaooo, woof!

Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi lifted their front paws and wriggled their whole bodies, while Sapsaree spun in place, round and round.

"Haha. These guys. Just looking at them puts me in a good mood."

Choi Woo-jin stroked Hoesaegi, Gkamnyangi, and Sapsaree in turn.

"Hey, kids, you been well? You too, Sapsaree?"

Watching Choi Woo-jin handle the cats without a hint of hesitation, Lee Jun smiled softly. Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi have done so much good. Go Gi-jin, who used to insist that cats hated him, now handled feline patients with ease. Choi Woo-jin, who had been afraid of cats since childhood, now treated them without a second thought. And Yoo Mu-hwan, currently on duty tonight, could examine cats on his own as well.

Lee Jun was gazing at Choi Woo-jin with quiet satisfaction when Go Gi-jin called them over.

"Hyungnims, come on over this way."

"Yeah."

A large table had been spread in the middle of the living room, and on it sat the chicken and beer Choi Woo-jin had brought, along with cups and plates already laid out.

"That guy is way too fast for someone his size."

"I was thinking the same thing."

Before the two of them had even sat down, the cats spoke up.

Sapsaree joined in, wagging his tail with delight. Lee Jun smiled and started walking toward the front door, and Choi Woo-jin called after him.

"Going out to buy more already? Let's finish this first and go if we run out."

"No — I'm opening the door for Kwak Suho."

The cats called Kwak Suho Cool Hyungnim. It was not because Kwak Suho himself was particularly cool. Whenever he photographed or filmed Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi, the word that never left his mouth was cool. Cool Hoesaegi. Gkamnyangi, so cool. Hoesaegi's so cool. And on and on.

Lee Jun buzzed the gate open through the intercom, and a moment later Kwak Suho came in.

"How'd you know who it was, just throwing the door open like that? Even with Gi-jin here, isn't that a little careless?"

"Come on in. The kids told me."

"Welcome, hyungnim."

"Kwak. It's been a while."

Kwak Suho exchanged a glance of greeting with the three men, then immediately bent down and scooped up each of the three animals rubbing against his legs in a tight hug.

"Didja miss me, you widdle ones?"

At Kwak Suho's words, the three men all went ugh at the same time, turned on their heels, and walked toward the table.

"There it is again. That baby-talk lisp."

"Does this guy catch a disease that makes half his tongue disappear the second he sees an animal?"

"Eugh, I'm gettin' goosebumps over here."

Go Gi-jin said this, then unfolded the bags he had taken from Kwak Suho and set their contents out on the table. When the chicken and soju hit the table, Choi Woo-jin grinned.

"Heh. I knew you'd bring soju, so I only bought beer."

"Well, you can't have a night like this without soju."

Eager at the thought of mixing soju into his beer, Choi Woo-jin asked Lee Jun,

"What about Han sunbae?"

"He should be on his way."

This time, too, Lee Jun opened the door before Han Na-hyeok could even ring the bell. Han Na-hyeok gave him the same warning, and Lee Jun gave him the same answer he had given Kwak Suho.

"Haha. These kids. They're seriously smart."

"They sure are."

"That's right. You wouldn't believe how smart they are."

Lee Jun and Go Gi-jin looked at the three animals with thoroughly proud expressions.

"What is this, a drink-ourselves-to-death party? Why did you all buy so much?"

Han Na-hyeok had brought chicken as well. Plus beer and soju. Lee Jun shook his head at the bottles piled up beside them.

"Hey. If we don't drink now, when will we?"

The next day was New Year's Day, January 1st. A day when all four of them were off at the same time was a genuinely rare thing, and everyone nodded. Lee Jun answered for the group.

"Fair enough, sunbae. You're right. Days we can actually sit down and drink in peace don't come around often."

"So let's drink already. Time's ticking away as we speak!"

"Woo-jin's right. Everybody sit."

The five of them sat down at the table, and the three animals circled around and around them, beside themselves with joy. Every person in that room was someone they loved.

Choi Woo-jin was the animal-hospital doctor who had treated Dalkom-i, so they liked him. Kwak Suho called them cool, so they liked him. They had already liked Han Na-hyeok, but he had also given a bad person a piece of his mind at the scene where Aji was rescued, so they liked him even more. The truth, though — the actual fact of the matter — was simpler than all of that. These were people their beloved Hyungnim, Lee Jun, liked. And that was enough.

There was another reason the three of them were so giddy tonight. Never before had this many people gathered at Golmokjib, filling the house with noise and chatter. So the three of them were simply, boundlessly happy.

"Seeing these guys, I'm not sure it's true that cats hate noise."

"They don't like noise for no reason either. They like it because these are all people they love."

"That so?"

"That's right."

Han Na-hyeok smiled as he watched the three animals, who had eyes only for the people and had not so much as glanced at the chicken on the table.

"I bought boneless just in case, but still — they're really good kids. They don't even think of touching it, and they don't ask for any either."

"Wait, sunbae, you bought boneless chicken too?"

"So did I."

All three of them, as if they had planned it, had brought boneless chicken.

"Eome, y'all think exactly the same, don'tcha. Well, I s'pose so — the second I see chicken or jokbal, first thing that pops into my head is the ones who swallow a bone and come runnin' in as emergencies."

"That's true. Emergencies are really…"

"Haa. Let's rest on a night like this. Let's just rest."

Choi Woo-jin and Han Na-hyeok waved the subject away, laughing, and the other three laughed with them.

"All right, all right. Let's drink."

"Drinking at home is so comfortable. If we pass out, we just pass out."

"Right? Let's just drink."

"I'll stay till the end and pull the blankets over you sunbaes, don't you worry."

"That's reassuring. So what did you all do last year?"

"I was on duty."

"I was out on a house call at Sodeuljib Ranch and ended up watchin' the sun come up."

"Suho, you would've been in Africa."

"Aigoo. Not a single cool bone in any of you. That's why none of you have girlfriends."

Lee Jun picked that up with a grin.

"I don't think you're in any position to worry ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠about us, sunbae. That day you were at Uriteul with me. I was only there for a day, but as I recall, you were there three days straight…"

Han Na-hyeok clamped a hand on Lee Jun's shoulder.

"Let's just leave it there, yeah?"

"Hahaha. All right. Anyway, sunbae — you're opening soon. The opening ceremony's on the third, right?"

"Yeah. This is probably my last real break before things settle in."

"Take it easy. You've got plenty of staff. What, are you trying to work Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday-Friday-Friday-Friday again?"

"And you?"

"I'm off tomorrow."

"You said you start again the day after, though."

"That's so Dr. Cha and Dr. Yoo can take time off. And it's not like I'm the only one working. This guy's working with me."

Lee Jun pointed at Go Gi-jin, and Han Na-hyeok nodded as he answered.

"This job is a good one. It just isn't easy. If I want my body to rest, I start worrying about the kids. And if I start worrying about the kids, I have to give up on my body."

"Still — when the kids make it, it's good. It makes you glad."

"It's rewarding."

"That's right. That's why we do this work."

At some point, the three animals had claimed spots beside the five of them and dozed off. The men looked down at Hoesaegi, Gkamnyangi, and Sapsaree for a long moment.

"That's what I mean. I don't mind resting a little less, as long as these guys — as long as the animals — get through it unharmed."

"We're all thinking the same thing."

Choi Woo-jin nodded in agreement, then turned to Han Na-hyeok.

"We are. But sunbae — I saw the promotional video, and that rehab center looks incredible."

Choi Woo-jin had visited Namgoong Animal Medical Center once before, but at the time the interior had still been under construction.

"Yeah. Even I think it turned out really well. Come by and take a look around."

"As it happens, our director's been waiting. We've got a large-breed dog that needs rehab."

"Do you? That's perfect. Our large-breed pool is genuinely excellent. There's a long hydrotherapy track running around it, too."

"It looked that way. Oh, and Jun — I heard you're doing outpatient hours at Namgoong. What day are you going? The director was really torn up about it, you know. Said he should've locked you down for at least half a day."

"Haha. We already do collaborative care with Life Love."

Lee Jun maintained a close working relationship with Life Love Animal Hospital. It was a clinic he was close enough with that Haeng-un-i had even had surgery there.

"Is that the same as a regular visiting slot?"

"Haha. Sorry. I already told the director I was sorry. You know how grateful I am to President Namgung."

"I'm just saying. Of course you're grateful to President Namgung. He built the Uriteul clinic, and he made the shelter that big and that good."

"That's true. And he helped a great deal when Mongmong Animal Hospital relocated, too… Come to think of it, there's no one around me who isn't someone I owe."

Lee Jun looked at them with quiet gratitude — and then Go Gi-jin suddenly shot to his feet, whipping his head this way and that.

"Atta. Where'd the remote go?"

At the word remote, Sapsaree's ears twitched. He sprang up, trotted over with quick little clicks of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠his nails, and came back with the remote from the table held in his mouth.

"Eomae, look how smart… Thank you, now."

Go Gi-jin stroked Sapsaree, then headed for the television and called out loudly,

"Hyungnims, ten minutes left now. Come on over!"

"It's the same bell we hear every year…"

"Of course it matters. You gotta make a wish while the bell's ringin'."

"A wish?"

"That's right. We oughta wish for everyone to be healthy. That's why my pa and ma, and me too, we're all healthy. And the animals that come to Pa's clinic, they do alright more often than not."

At Go Gi-jin's last words, everyone got up in a rush.

"In that case, we'd better wish. Who do we even wish to?"

"My pa and ma, they look up at the sky when they wish…"

At that, they all rose and walked over to the window. As the people moved, Hoesaegi, Gkamnyangi, and Sapsaree put on thoroughly bewildered faces. Seeing this, Go Gi-jin spoke to the three of them.

"Hey, you lot — when the bell rings out there, you make a wish, alright?"

The three animals still wore blank expressions. Faces that had no idea what a wish even was. Lee Jun asked them,

"When you wake up, how would you want things to be? And the next day? The day after that? In spring? In summer — how would you want it to be?"

They were still blank, and Lee Jun smiled as he went on.

At Lee Jun's words, all three pairs of eyes lit up at once.

The three of them looked at one another, then shouted together.

At their chorus, Go Gi-jin laughed, warm and easy.

"That's right, of course. Let's all stay healthy and live well together!"

At Go Gi-jin's words, Lee Jun smiled. Gi-jin really does understand what they're saying.

And just as he thought it, the bell began to toll.

The three animals looked up at the sky beyond the window in unison and made their wishes. Lee Jun, standing beside them, made his as well. Please — let this year pass without incident, too.

Go Gi-jin, Choi Woo-jin, and Han Na-hyeok all looked up at the night sky and made their wishes.

How good this is.

When had Golmokjib — once silent as a grave — become a place this full of noise and life? To Lee Jun, who had grown used to a house brimming with warmth, the three animals before his eyes had become precious in a way he could no longer do without.

And beside him, colleagues he could lean on.

Hoesaegi, Gkamnyangi, Sapsaree. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Han sunbae, Go Gi-jin, Choi Woo-jin, Kwak Suho…

Looking at the people and animals he held dear, Lee Jun's eyes shone and shone.