A Warm Meal for the Staff
Ju Mi-seon clutched Teunteun-i tightly, her sobs flowing like a funeral dirge. Suddenly, an out-of-place word shot up from the midst of it all.
“Director!”
Every gaze turned toward the source of that strange word.
Even Ju Mi-seon’s eyes, still brimming with tears as she held Teunteun-i, followed the direction.
There stood Lee Jun.
His gaze met hers, and without hesitation he spoke.
“Please come see Teunteun-i every single day. Come, hold him, and take him for a walk. Just like always.”
……
Even without that, tears had been streaming down Ju Mi-seon’s cheeks. Now they spilled over in a rush.
“Hic… hic… ugh!”
She had no idea what she had just heard.
She had only received the miracle of being allowed to care for Teunteun-i until the very end a few short moments ago.
That alone had already overwhelmed her with gratitude. The fact that people like these were helping Teunteun-i was more than she could express—pure joy and thankfulness.
Yet something even greater had happened.
They were asking her to come every day.
“Hic… t-thank you… but I… I…”
She wondered if she even had the right to accept such kindness. Everyone here knew she was an unfit owner, and how could she possibly accept such goodwill?
If she did, she would truly be a shameless person.
It was unthinkable.
The desire to see Teunteun-i was already too vast to put into words.
Yet this was different.
She wanted to nod at the sweet temptation, but she couldn’t.
Still, the words “I can’t accept this because it’s shameless” never left her mouth.
Her lips stayed sealed.
Perhaps sensing her hesitation, Lee Jun continued.
“If the guardian doesn’t come, Teunteun-i will suffer. He needs your strength to keep going.”
……?
Ju Mi-seon stared at Lee Jun, still unable to speak.
Lee Jun looked back at her with a gentle smile.
“The guardian’s warmth is the best medicine for Teunteun-i. When we doctors have such medicine available, why wouldn’t we use it? Don’t you agree, Dr. Yoo?”
“O-of course. Absolutely. Director, of course we should.”
“Then, as director, I’m asking you to come every day for Teunteun-i. If it’s possible, please stay for longer hours.”
Lee Jun’s warm, kind tone wrapped around her.
Ju Mi-seon looked up at the director with a heart that felt ready to burst.
The warmth in his eyes reached her own.
It was as if he understood her pain completely.
That warmth melted into something healing, blooming inside her frozen heart.
Perhaps a spark had been lit in her heavy soul.
The tears that had been falling were no longer just sorrow—they were tears of gratitude.
“T-thank you, Director. I’m truly grateful. I’ll repay this kindness somehow…”
The first to notice her heart’s thawing was Teunteun-i himself.
He leaned into his guardian’s arms and let out a tiny, relieved sigh.
Hoesaegi, Gkamnyangi, and Sapsaree wagged their tails happily as they watched Teunteun-i.
***
A snack station had always been ready in the Meongmeong Animal Hospital staff lounge.
Although there were set meal times for lunch and dinner, busy surgeries often made it impossible to eat on schedule.
After intense procedures like surgery, blood sugar levels could drop.
That was why the lounge always had snacks.
On this particular afternoon, the table was overflowing with toast and kimbap.
At 3 p.m., Lee Jun and Go Gi-jin walked into the lounge after finishing surgery and taking a much-needed break.
“Ume, I’m starving. I didn’t feel this hungry during surgery, but I’m starving now!”
“Let’s go to the lounge, eat something, check on the patient’s recovery, then go eat properly.”
“Okay, hyung.”
Lee Jun and Go Gi-jin chatted casually as they entered the lounge.
The table was piled high with silver foil and paper bags.
“Huh? What’s this?”
“Looks like kimbap.”
“Hyung, this side is a sandwich… no, toast.”
“What’s going on today? Kimbap and toast?”
“The head tech probably bought it because we hadn’t eaten.”
“That makes sense. But it’s way too much.”
Lee Jun was surprised at how much food covered the table, but Go Gi-jin only grinned happily.
Go Gi-jin picked up a piece of toast and plopped into a chair.
“Huhu, I was starving. Perfect. Hyung, does this side have soup?”
Go Gi-jin had already bitten into the toast and was opening the lid of the soup cup beside him.
“Then I’ll have kimbap.”
Lee Jun took a bite of the dried kimbap.
“Mmm? This is delicious.”
“Really?”
Go Gi-jin finished the toast in a few bites and grabbed a kimbap.
“Utta, tuna kimbap. Hehe.”
Go Gi-jin, who loved tuna kimbap, laughed with a mouthful and stuffed it in.
“Mmm, so good. Really delicious.”
“Right? It’s been ages since I had such good kimbap. Where did they get this?”
“Yeah. From now on, we should eat here more often. Hyung, the toast is good too. Try it.”
As Lee Jun and Go Gi-jin ate and satisfied their hunger, Jang Sora entered the lounge.
Lee Jun, still holding his toast, waved it at her.
“This is delicious.”
“Tastes great. Order more next time.”
“It really is.”
“Yes. From now on, we’ll order late-night snacks from here.”
“I agree.”
Jang Sora smiled faintly as she watched them.
“By the way, that food was brought by Teunteun-i’s guardian.”
“Eh?”
“Ah, no way!”
The two stared at the overflowing food on the table and groaned.
Lee Jun immediately revealed his inner thoughts.
“I’m afraid I’ve caused unnecessary trouble.”
“Right? Why did she buy so much? Just a little would have been enough…”
“She made it herself.”
“What? Really?”
“Yes. She came earlier. She said the doctors must be hungry, so she brought it. And right now she’s walking with Teunteun-i.”
Lee Jun looked down at the food on the table.
She had wrapped the kimbap and baked the toast with a heart full of gratitude.
“She’s expressing her thanks in the only way she can.”
“If I refuse this too, the guardian will feel even worse.”
Lee Jun decided to accept it.
“Please tell her to eat it with a good appetite.”
The next day and the day after, Teunteun-i’s guardian kept bringing toast and kimbap.
Ju Mi-seon’s toast and kimbap became popular not only among Lee Jun and Go Gi-jin but also with the entire hospital staff.
Originally, Ju Mi-seon’s cooking was already good, but the toast and kimbap infused with gratitude tasted even better.
Because of this, for the past few days the staff had been skipping the cafeteria and eating only Ju Mi-seon’s food.
Yet something felt wrong.
Lee Jun sighed.
“We’re happy to have such delicious food, but she must be feeling burdened…”
“That’s the problem.”
Jang Sora had learned about Ju Mi-seon’s situation through their conversations, and Lee Jun had learned it too.
She had been skipping her usual walks with Teunteun-i to make food.
Lee Jun had to make a decision.
“If I tell her not to bring anything, she won’t come to see Teunteun-i. If I stay silent, she’ll keep making it.”
“That’s right.”
“Exactly.”
“In that case, why don’t we… uh, Head Tech, where is Teunteun-i’s guardian?”
“She should be on the walking path right now.”
Lee Jun stood up and headed upstairs.
***
Meanwhile, Ju Mi-seon was slowly walking along the path with Teunteun-i.
Teunteun-i took each step carefully, his body swaying unsteadily.
Yet he still walked.
If she could, she would have picked him up and carried him.
“The doctor said even five minutes of walking is good…”
Ju Mi-seon looked at Teunteun-i with heartache.
At that moment, their eyes met.
Teunteun-i smiled at her.
Then he continued his slow, wobbly walk.
Seeing that, tears welled up in her eyes.
But she blinked them away quickly.
If she cried, Teunteun-i would cry too.
“Hic!”
She swallowed her tears and took a deep breath, scanning her surroundings.
The outdoor-yet-indoor space was warm and cozy.
Sunlight streamed through the glass ceiling, illuminating the walking path. Teunteun-i sparkled in the sunlight.
“Our Teunteun-i is walking…”
And Teunteun-i showed her a smile.
In that moment, time itself felt like a miracle to her.
“I’m really a happy person.”
Just a short while ago, she had thought she was the most unfortunate person in the world.
A miracle had befallen her.
“Thanks to Director Lee.”
As she thought of Lee Jun for granting her this miracle, he appeared before her eyes.
“Director!”
“I saw you were here, so I came. I ate well today too.”
“……”
“Thank you for eating it all.”
Ju Mi-seon forced out her voice, filled with guilt that she could only offer this much.
“It really was delicious. I wanted to ask for a favor…”
“Please, go ahead.”
“Now that you know, our work is difficult. It’s hard to eat on time. We often miss meals. When we order Chinese food, we order rice too, so we can eat without burning it.”
Lee Jun smiled and added.
“Have you ever eaten a whole bowl of jajangmyeon at once, Teunteun-i’s guardian?”
“Oh my!”
Ju Mi-seon looked surprised, and Lee Jun continued with a grin.
“It’s actually quite popular now. There’s always more food than we can eat. Everyone at the hospital only eats the food you bring because it’s so delicious. They don’t even go to restaurants anymore.”
“That won’t do. You need to eat proper meals…”
Ju Mi-seon said, flustered.
Ah, she was telling her not to bring food anymore.
Thinking that, her face darkened.
Yet Lee Jun spoke again.
“If it’s too much trouble for you, that’s fine. But could we ask you to prepare meals for us in the cafeteria?”
“What?”
“Could you come at lunch and prepare food? As you can see, we can prepare it in the lounge.”
Ju Mi-seon stared at Lee Jun with wide, dazed eyes at the unexpected offer.
Lee Jun quickly continued.
“Ah, I’m a terrible talker. What I meant to say was… we can’t leave the hospital to eat comfortably. Emergencies happen at any moment, so we have to be ready to run back.”
“I see.”
“When that happens, we eat the snacks in the lounge later. But every time I see the staff, I think I should ask the head chef to join us.”
“Ah…”
“With so many staff members, it would be nice if we could eat comfortably in shifts. But we can’t, and our staff’s hearts…”
“When we try to go eat, an emergency comes and all we see is the sick animal.”
Ju Mi-seon already knew this.
Every time she ran to the hospital with Teunteun-i, the doctors would appear first and carry him away.
Each time, she felt truly grateful and relieved.
“That’s right.”
“The staff here are wonderful. Thank you…”
Lee Jun said with a proud expression.
“That’s why I want to give our kind, grateful staff a warm meal. If you come at lunch and prepare it, the staff can eat whenever they want.”
“Of course. The doctors work so hard. They deserve a warm meal.”
Ju Mi-seon accepted with sincerity.
“If you’re okay with it, could I become the head chef? I’m asking formally. I’ll be a full-time employee with proper benefits and salary.”
“Ah… I… I mean…”
Ju Mi-seon was flustered, and Lee Jun gave her an opening.
“You don’t have to answer right away. Listen to the details from Head Tech and decide when you’re ready. What I can promise is…”
Ju Mi-seon stared at Lee Jun.
“If the guardian becomes our head chef, Teunteun-i will be very happy. He’ll be able to see you for much longer.”
Lee Jun’s polite voice brought a tear to Ju Mi-seon’s eye.
……
Director, you want to let me stay by Teunteun-i’s side comfortably for a long time.
Being a staff member would let me move freely in and out of the hospital.
It was more than that.
He was offering this because he knew she was struggling financially.
There was someone in this world who cared so deeply about her and Teunteun-i.
She was grateful. More than grateful.
“No, I don’t understand why I’m crying so shamelessly. Of course I’ll do it. No, I’m the one who should be grateful. Thank you so much, Director.”
From the next day onward, Ju Mi-seon took charge of meal preparation at Meongmeong Animal Hospital.
Previously, she had only stayed about an hour at the hospital. Now she could spend much more time there.
At first she only prepared lunch, but while caring for Teunteun-i she began bringing snacks too. Sometimes she even stayed overnight in the staff room with him.
The one most delighted by this was Teunteun-i himself.
Being able to smell his guardian’s scent for such a long time made him overjoyed.
Companions feel happiness just from their guardian’s scent.
Because of that, from the day Ju Mi-seon started working at Meongmeong Animal Hospital, Teunteun-i’s nickname became Banggeul-i.
It was a name born from the fact that he always smiled brightly.