This Hyungnim Said Let's Play Together
"This hyungnim said he wants to play together!"
Sapsaree gave a puffing little laugh as he answered.
Hoesaegi, Gkamnyangi, Jamong, Kakkong-i, Ttangkhongi... even Mongi and Haeng-un-i. Sapsaree had made so many friends by now. And oh — the Unruly Trio had become his friends too, so he could truly say he had a great many.
There had been a time when Sapsaree sat alone at home, staring blankly at the door, waiting for his person to return. Now he had wonderful hyungnims and friends besides, and his whole dog-life sparkled. That alone was enough to make him happy.
But the stories he'd heard today from Bangwool-i — Kim Kang-hoon's dog, a hyungnim he'd only just met — were a whole new world.
"He said you jump this high, he did!"
Sapsaree poked his nose into his Benefactor Hyungnim's side as he spoke.
"Jumping? You mean hurdle jumping?"
Sapsaree didn't quite understand what Hyungnim was talking about. He tipped his head, giggled, and went on.
"And he said you run like this, and like that!"
Sapsaree twisted his steps, shifting left and right as he advanced.
"Oh! I think Sapsaree wants to do the weave poles."
"Weave poles?"
"Yeah, weave poles. You set up poles like dominos and weave through the gaps."
"Ah, those?"
"Mm. Does he like weave poles?"
"We've got a toy made of six poles in the ward, actually."
"That's what the small dogs play with. It's different from real weave poles."
"Then he's probably never..."
Lee Jun, who didn't know Sapsaree's past, turned and asked him.
"Sapsaree, have you ever run like this — weaving side to side?"
"Never tried it, I haven't! But it looks like so much fun!"
Sapsaree answered with his eyes sparkling, dying to give it a try. Seeing that, Lee Jun turned to Kim Kang-hoon.
"It does seem like Sapsaree's really interested in agility, like you said."
"Then why not give it a shot while we're at it? For a smart, active kid like him, it's a perfect fit. Sapsaree would do great in an obstacle therapy program."
"Ah — the kind of thing where seniors whose exercise has fallen off play with dogs to get their activity levels up?"
"That's right. They work through the obstacles one by one with the dogs — get some exercise, blow off stress. Dog therapy, using these guys as a medium to improve physical and mental conditions. Give it a try. From what I can see, he's got the aptitude."
"Well, Sapsaree's smart enough that I think he could do it... but like I said a moment ago, I don't want to make him do anything he doesn't want to do."
While Lee Jun and Kim Kang-hoon talked, Sapsaree and Bangwool-i were blooming into a conversation of their own.
"I am a Polite Dog."
"What's a Polite Dog?"
"A very cool, magnificent, handsome dog is a Polite Dog."
Bangwool-i held his head high and proud as he spoke.
"Wow~. My hyungnims are cool too!"
When Sapsaree said that, thinking of Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi, Bangwool-i lifted his head even higher.
"Hmph. Then did your hyungnims cross the far sea too? A Polite Dog must travel somewhere very far away."
Bangwool-i had completed the GCDS (Good Citizen Dog Scheme) course in the UK. He was bragging to Sapsaree about having flown there by plane.
"My hyungnims crossed the sea too, they did!"
Bangwool-i nodded, assuming Sapsaree's hyungnims had gone through the same kind of test he had.
"...Hmph. Fine hyungnims, then. In that case, your hyungnims must have one of these as well."
"One of what?"
"This. This right here."
Bangwool-i lowered his stance and showed Sapsaree the therapy-assistant certificate attached to his back.
"Wow~ wow wow! That's amazing! That's so cool!"
Sapsaree's eyes went round as saucers as the exclamations tumbled out of him.
The certificate on Bangwool-i's back had a photo of Bangwool-i and his guardian, Kim Kang-hoon. A moment ago Bangwool-i had been going on about being a Polite Dog, but Sapsaree hadn't envied any of that. This, though — this photo right in front of him — this he wanted.
I... I want one too.
Sapsaree wanted a photo of himself taken together with his Benefactor Hyungnim.
Bangwool-i, who had no way of knowing what was in Sapsaree's heart, was simply pleased by the enthusiastic reaction.
Heh heh. My dashing figure is pretty magnificent, isn't it.
Bangwool-i put on the same stern expression from the photo and said to Sapsaree,
"You should get one too."
"I... I can get one too?"
"Of course you can. Do as you're told, and they'll give you one."
"I'm great at doing as I'm told!"
If he just did as he was told, he'd be able to look at Hyungnim's face all day long.
I won't stick it on my back. I'll keep it in my treasure box.
That way, whenever he missed his Benefactor Hyungnim, he could take it out and look at it. Sapsaree laughed, bursting with excitement.
Eu-heheheh!
"You little guy. You want to be a therapy assistant that badly?"
When Benefactor Hyungnim asked, touching the photo on Bangwool-i Hyungnim's back, Sapsaree answered at the top of his voice.
"Yes I do!"
A few days later, Sapsaree went to a wide playground to meet Bangwool-i.
"Bangwool-i Hyungnim!"
"Come on over."
Bangwool-i wagged a tail that looked just like Sapsaree's as he welcomed him. He'd only met him once, but Sapsaree found Bangwool-i wonderfully familiar. The same eye level as his own, the same kind of face — Bangwool-i Hyungnim.
"Heehee, Bangwool-i Hyungnim!"
Sapsaree pressed his head against Bangwool-i's and rubbed. Then he turned and looked up at his Benefactor Hyungnim.
"Hyungnim. Thank you, thank you."
Sapsaree greeted the Hyungnim who had let him meet Bangwool-i Hyungnim.
"You little guy. What's there to thank me for."
Hyungnim had said he just needed to watch what Bangwool-i Hyungnim did and copy it. That was no problem at all.
"Got it!"
Sapsaree watched Bangwool-i.
First, Bangwool-i shook out all four legs. Then he ran very slowly. Sapsaree did that all the time.
"Heehee, that's what I do when I go to the playground at Neulpureun Park with Hyungnim!"
On walks, he always shook out his four legs, walked a slow lap, then ran fast. Sapsaree followed along behind Bangwool-i.
Tok-tok-tok-tok.
Then he picked up speed and ran.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud.
Sapsaree grinned at Bangwool-i running at exactly the same pace as himself.
It's like running with Taesan.
After a good run for the first time in a while, Bangwool-i led Sapsaree to stand before the obstacles.
"I'll show you how it's done."
With that, Bangwool-i took off — tap, thud-thud-thud-thud. Sapsaree filled both eyes with the sight of him charging forward, his face utterly serious.
Thud-thud-thud...
Bangwool-i ran hard, then launched his body — whoooosh! He soared high into the air. Front legs stretching wide toward the sky, hind legs lifting, Bangwool-i Hyungnim's whole body shot upward.
Thump-thump-thump!
Sapsaree's eyes went as round as great big bells. Then — tap — he landed and, without stopping, kept right on running. That alone was so cool Sapsaree's heart felt ready to burst, but Bangwool-i ran on, leaping the bar in front of him and charging forward. He cleared no fewer than four bars, then this time dove into a long tunnel.
Heehee, Taesan's house has one of those.
Sapsaree had gone into a tunnel at the ranch before, so he expected Bangwool-i to come back out the same way he'd gone in. But contrary to Sapsaree's expectations, Bangwool-i burst out the far end of the long tunnel. And still keeping his speed, he raced onward.
Bangwool-i, still running thud-thud-thud, leaped another high-floating bar. Then he ran up a tall standing plank —
"Wow!"
The plank went thunk, dropping to the floor, and Bangwool-i loped on with easy grace. And then, at last, he began weaving nimbly through a long row of standing poles.
"Wow wow wow wow!"
Sapsaree's eyes could not possibly have gotten any bigger.
Thump-thump-thump!
His heart pounded hard.
I... I wanna try it.
Without realizing it, Sapsaree started bouncing in place, do-do-do-do, matching Bangwool-i's speed. And this time Bangwool-i dashed up a high hill, da-da-da, then dashed down the other side, da-da-da. That kind of thing, Sapsaree could do even better. His pupils blazed.
After that, Bangwool-i leaped bars of varying heights and came loping back to where Sapsaree stood.
"Hoo!"
Bangwool-i caught his breath and looked at Sapsaree with a proud expression.
"I-it's over? Hyungnim, that was so cool!"
Sapsaree had Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi as his hyungnims — two who loved being called cool more than anything. He poured praise on Bangwool-i, telling him how magnificent he was.
"Heh heh. I am, a bit."
Bangwool-i, too, was a dog addicted to being called cool. He found Sapsaree, who kept lifting him up as magnificent, terribly cute and admirable. So he made up his mind to teach Sapsaree every last one of his secret techniques.
"Follow me!"
I shall pass down everything I have.
Bangwool-i began instructing Sapsaree, step by careful step.
"Here you put on a burst of speed and lift your hind legs up like this — that way this pole won't touch your legs."
Not a bar. A pole. Sapsaree, enchanted by the word pole, tucked it away as something precious.
"For the weave poles here, you have to bend your body nice and flexible. If you touch them, they fall over."
Another magnificent word settled into Sapsaree's head.
Heh. Pole. Weave poles. I love those. Hoesaegi Hyungnim and Gkamnyangi Hyungnim have a cat tower. I've got poles and weave poles.
Sapsaree had always been a little envious when Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi talked about their "cat tower," so this made him very happy. He loved this playground, this place packed with cool words.
Kim Kang-hoon was startled watching Sapsaree follow Bangwool-i so well, clearing the obstacles with ease.
"Lee Jun, is this really his first time?"
"Yes. First time."
He'd confirmed in conversation with Sapsaree that he'd never been to a place like this, and even after arriving at the training ground, Sapsaree's whole attitude — saying it was his first time, that it looked fun — made it obvious.
"That's incredible. He looks like a dog who's been training for three years."
"Hahaha. Does he?"
Lee Jun laughed, bright and easy, pleased by the praise for Sapsaree.
"Yeah, Sapsaree might even pass in one go without any training period at all. What do you think? Want to try the test?"
"Would that be all right?"
"Try it once, and if he doesn't pass, then we train. No harm done."
Lee Jun was tempted for a moment. Then he shook his head.
"Even so, I think it's better if he sees what being a therapy dog actually is — what he'd have to do — and then decides."
Sapsaree had said he wanted to be a therapy dog, but he clearly didn't really know what that meant. So Lee Jun figured this was a good chance to show him what the work actually involved.
Volunteering is a good thing, but if Sapsaree doesn't want to, I won't make him. I can't put him through hardship just because it would make me feel good. If I really want to volunteer, I can do it myself.
Thinking that, Lee Jun said to Kim Kang-hoon,
"If Sapsaree's not into it, I won't have him do it."
"All right, then. But I guarantee you — that Sapsaree is going to love it."
"That'd be great."
"Shall we go, then? Today he just has to go, show off a little, and come back. It'll be easy."
Ah... well. That might actually be the hardest thing of all for Sapsaree.
Sapsaree had been disappointed by people before. Lee Jun hoped he would come to know that there were plenty of good people too, and shake off the old hurt. With that in his heart, he called to Sapsaree, who was still playing.
"Sapsaree, come here."
"Yes! Heehee!"
Sapsaree, who had been tearing around with Bangwool-i and leaping obstacles, ran straight to his Benefactor Hyungnim. Playing was fun, but the best thing of all was being with Hyungnim.
"We're going to observe Bangwool-i Hyungnim at work."
At the word work, Sapsaree's ears pricked up. Working was a very good thing. Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi went to work too. They crossed mountains and walked through hot deserts. They climbed steep slopes and scaled very, very tall trees. And they brought back so, so much food for their subordinates.
Taesan works too.
Taesan, who lived in a very big house — a ranch — herded cows much bigger than Sapsaree himself. Watching Taesan run thud-thud-thud, gathering the cattle together, had been so cool.
Heh. Bangwool-i Hyungnim works too.
If Bangwool-i Hyungnim, who looked just like him, could work, then Sapsaree could too. Sapsaree swished his tail loosely as he headed for Bangwool-i Hyungnim's workplace.
Will it be mountain-climbing work, like Hoesaegi Hyungnim and Gkamnyangi Hyungnim? Or maybe a cool job leading big animals, like Taesan. Heh.
Sapsaree had been bursting with expectations about what Bangwool-i Hyungnim's work would be. The place they arrived at was a building. Sapsaree was disappointed. There was no vast plain, no steep mountain, no densely wooded place anywhere in sight. Instead, people were sitting there.
"Bangwool-i's here!"
"Did Bangwool-i eat?"
"Oh my, our Bangwool-i looks so handsome. This old granny's been in such a good mood since yesterday, just thinking about seeing our Bangwool-i."
"Heh heh, same here. I couldn't even sleep, thinking about seeing our Bangwool-i."
The people greeted Bangwool-i Hyungnim with bright smiles.
"Heheh, Gwandpa! Gwandma!"
Bangwool-i Hyungnim wiggled his hips and toddled forward, a clumsy little waddle — and on top of that, he was making lisping baby sounds, just like Mongi. At the sight, Sapsaree's pupils shook wildly.
Hy-Hyungnim...
Bangwool-i Hyungnim, who hid flashing, charismatic eyes behind the fur covering his face. Bangwool-i Hyungnim, who had bursting, rippling muscle packed under the long fur that flowed like waves from head to toe. Bangwool-i Hyungnim, whose running instinct could stand shoulder to shoulder with Taesan's. The cool, magnificent, handsome Polite Dog, Bangwool-i Hyungnim.
That hyungnim had, in a single instant, fallen apart right before Sapsaree's eyes.
The behavior that had thrown Sapsaree into such confusion showed no sign of stopping.
"Heehee, s'good~."
Bangwool-i was acting as if he'd turned into Mongi or Haeng-un-i. With that big body of his, he pressed up against the people and rolled around, tumble-tumble. And slurp-slurp, he licked their hands, and even slurped at their faces.
"Heh heh, yes, yes. This old granny packed something tasty to give our Bangwool-i."
"Gimme pwease!"
The lisping baby talk spilled out again. Sapsaree clapped his front paws over his ears.
"Th-that can't be..."
Why had Hyungnim fallen apart like that?
But Sapsaree was the only one thinking that. The people poured praise on Bangwool-i.
"Haha, how is Bangwool-i this cute?"
"I've been waiting all day just because I wanted to see you."
"There's no puppy as cute as Bangwool-i. Nope, not a one."
Flap-flap-flap-flap.
Bangwool-i wagged his tail hard, looking at the person holding the treats. Sapsaree gazed at him quietly. Bangwool-i wasn't putting it on. He was smiling from the heart.
Sapsaree's gaze shifted from Bangwool-i to the people. They were beaming too. Just the way Benefactor Hyungnim and Strong Hyungnim smiled when they looked at him. Now those people looked at Sapsaree. And they said, smiling brightly,
"Aigoo, Bangwool-i's friend is so cute too, so cute."
Now the attention had turned to him. Sapsaree found he didn't mind this feeling at all.
"Aigoo, so cute. How in the world are you this cute!"
"Our Bangwool-i's fur is yellow and pretty, but you're even prettier."
Sapsaree met the eyes of the people praising him. All the things he'd found so strange a moment ago melted away in an instant. Before he knew it, he too was making lisping baby sounds like Bangwool-i Hyungnim, walking forward with his paws turned in, in a little pigeon-toed toddle.
"Hehe, Gwandpa-yo! Gwandma-yo!"
Toddle-toddle-toddle.
As Sapsaree walked, everyone laughed and clapped. Sapsaree beamed right back at them.
As he looked around the room like that, someone sitting still in the corner caught his eye. Just the way he himself had once sat alone at home, staring blankly out the window.
Sapsaree's eyes locked on that person.