The Day We First Met
Hoesaegi had always possessed a gift for observation—the rare ability to study a thing, or a moment, until it yielded its meaning. Over time he had honed that gift into insight.
It was a faculty born of necessity. To keep the pack that trusted him and followed him from ever falling into danger, he had fought and watched and worried until the watching became second nature.
So of course he had noticed. These past few days, the air around him had gone strange.
Gkamnyangi and Sapsaree would slink off somewhere and whisper together. Whenever curiosity got the better of him and he asked what they were talking about, they only shook their heads and insisted it was nothing.
The hyungnims were no better.
Strong Hyungnim, who used to break into a warm chuckle the instant he spotted him, now simply stared.
He made his eyes like this-ong!
Hoesaegi drooped his front paws over his own eyes, recreating the heavy, downcast look Strong Hyungnim had given him. The man was chuckling in front of him now, true enough—but only last night that same hyungnim had stuck his lower lip out while gazing at him.
It looked like he was saying I was pitiful-ong.
Hoesaegi had heard that word before. It was when he had been coming up out of the anesthesia after his leg surgery.
She cried, saying what should we do, he's so pitiful-ong.
He turned his head, searching for the noona who had wept those words. There she was among the hyungnims, smiling at him as if the sun had come out.
Noona asked what my favorite food was-ong.
And he had told her that everything was delicious. It really was. The round kibble was crunchy and nutty and wonderful; the square kibble was fun, light and crisp between the teeth. Delicious went without saying.
And the Mallang-gogi...
He swallowed hard, a slick click in his throat. Just thinking about it made his mouth flood. Meat so good it summoned drool from memory alone.
The triangle kibble is tasty too-ong. The round ones with the hole in the middle are tasty too-ong.
He walked through every food he had ever eaten, tasting each one again in his mind. And out of all those delicious things, Noona had told him to pick just one.
He was still turning that strangeness over when Gkamnyangi and Sapsaree asked him the same question. What was the tastiest thing he had ever eaten? It was Noona's question, word for word. And then the two of them had started whispering about toys, muttering over what they ought to get ready.
That was when Hoesaegi sensed danger.
What if they were preparing to send him far away?
That would explain Strong Hyungnim's sadness. Soft-hearted Noona would want to pack food for the long road ahead. He couldn't carry much with his own body, so of course they would tuck his favorite food into a backpack for him. And Gkamnyangi and Sapsaree—his precious friends, beaming so brightly right beside him—were planning to slip his favorite toys into that same backpack as a farewell gift.
That was what he believed.
He did not want to believe it. He pretended not to see and pretended not to hear. But in the end he had no choice, because the hyungnim he trusted and followed above all others had changed too much. Even when his friends vanished, that face had stayed calm.
He wasn't worried-ong.
And so, after days of applying that hard-won insight, Hoesaegi accepted the conclusion he had reached. They had decided to send him far away.
He did not know what a birthday was. He did not know that on that day, the ones who cherished you gathered to celebrate you. He did not know they gave you presents. And he certainly did not know that everyone sat down to delicious things and shared the joy together.
Insightful as he was, Hoesaegi had never heard of a birthday party. That was how he had arrived here.
It was so sad-ong!
It was not the thought of losing delicious food that hurt. It was not the thought of never again sleeping in that nest of a bed—cool through the blazing summer, warm through the winters that drove ice into your bones. It was this: that he would never again see the hyungnim who smiled at him so gently, who stroked him with such soft hands. The hyungnim who called, Hoesaegi, come here!
That was what was sad. It was so terribly sad.
But the instant he understood that every bit of it had been a misunderstanding, the tears of sorrow turned into tears of joy.
"Eotta, our Hoesaegi's all moved. Cryin' 'cause he's happy?"
"Oh my, how adorable!"
"Of course he's happy. Everyone's celebrating his birthday."
"Hoesaegi, isn't this nice? Your friends and the doctors are all here to celebrate you!"
The hyungnims and the doctors each offered him a word. Then Hoesaegi, as if he had never been close to crying at all, thrust both front paws high and shouted.
Dong-dong-dong-dong! Lee Jun tapped his closed fists together in Fist Applause and said,
"Happy birthday, Hoesaegi. Live a long, healthy life!"
"Hyungnim-ah-ong! Thank you-ong!"
With Lee Jun leading the way, the well-wishes poured out.
"Our Hoesaegi—may only joyful things fill your days."
"May happiness overflow for Hoesaegi!"
"Hoesaegi, live a fun life."
"Hoesaegi, you handsome fellow!"
Blessings and Fist Applause rained down around him, and Gkamnyangi stepped forward. Tuk. He set a fish toy down in front of Hoesaegi.
"It's a present!"
Hoesaegi wrapped both front legs tightly around the grinning black cat.
"Gkamnyangi-ya-ong, thank you-ong."
Sapsaree laid a little mouse toy at Hoesaegi's paws as well.
"Hyungnim-ayo, I have a present too-dayo!"
"Sapsaree-ya-ong, thank you too-ong! I'll sleep hugging the fish and the mouse-ong!"
Then Norangi came forward. He set down the single yellow flower he had been carrying and bowed his head.
"Boss! Congratulations. Please live a long, long life."
"Norangi-ya-ong, thank you-ong."
After the thanks, Hoesaegi went on.
"Norangi-ya-ong, you live a long life too-ong. And you're doing well-ong."
He praised the yellow tabby who was leading the Ever Green family in his place.
"Thank you."
Then tok, tok, tok. Flowers and leaves and twigs piled into a heap before him—offerings from the Ever Green cats.
"King Boss! Please live a long, long life!"
"King Boss, congratulations."
"King Boss! Hurrah!"
"Hurrah!"
The cats mewed the words softly and thrust their front paws high. Kwak Suho, who had come rushing over the moment Lee Jun messaged that a birthday feast for Hoesaegi would be held at the park, framed every "paws up!" in his camera and grinned from ear to ear.
Soon a lavish spread was laid out across the wide park. Chicken, beef, turkey. Cloud-soft vegetables—sweet potato, potato, pumpkin, carrot. Apples, bananas, and strawberries arranged so prettily they made the mouth water. All of it was for Hoesaegi's friends gathered here today.
And in the center sat a large box.
"Hoesaegi! Happy birthday!"
Lee Jun said it, and when he opened the box, gasps burst from every side.
A cake, baked from mashed sweet potato, pumpkin, and carrot folded together with minced chicken and beef, bound with oat and barley flour. The surface was jeweled with every kind of treat Hoesaegi loved. And that was not all. At the very top, Hoesaegi himself stood in a magnificent pose—a sculpture of him, carved as if from mousse, made of boiled sweet potato, pumpkin, and chicken.
Hoesaegi started when he saw it. But he was not trembling from shock or alarm. He was startled with joy.
"That's me, that's me-ong!"
A fellow who looked exactly like him was standing right there on top of the cake. He had received any number of figurines and plush toys in his own image—gifts from fans who had fallen for his magnificence. So that splendid figure standing atop the cake had to be the same.
Hoesaegi sprang up onto his hind legs, planted his small, humble front paws on his hips, and declared,
"That's me-ong!"
The cats erupted.
"It's Hoesaegi."
"It's Hyungnim-dayo!"
"I-it's the Boss."
"It's the King Boss!"
Then Hyungnim placed a large stick into Hoesaegi's front paw.
"Hoesaegi, let's cut it and share it with your friends."
"Cut what-nyaong?"
He asked it with full dignity. Then Hyungnim's hand moved toward the figurine.
"This."
In that instant Hoesaegi's pupils darted left and right.
"Wh-why are you cutting me-nyaong?"
He had been planning to take the figurine of himself home to Golmokjib and keep it. Cut this? Why?
Contrary to every thought in his head, though, his front paw traveled toward the crown of the figurine's head. Hyungnim had scooped him up and aimed him straight at it.
And then—pook! The stick plunged into the head.
"Guh!"
A groan escaped before he could stop it. Then came the sound that followed. Geuuuk. He had been split in half—by the stick in his own front paw.
The groan died almost at once. Hyungnim had smeared whatever was on the stick against his mouth.
Lap. He licked on instinct, and a rich, savory flavor bloomed through his mouth. His eyes went perfectly round.
"I-it's delicious-ong!"
"Right? Teun-teun-i's mom made it to celebrate your life."
"I-is that so-nyaong?"
"Yes. So everyone can eat together."
"Th-thank you-ong. I have to say thank you-ong."
"Go ahead."
Set down on the grass, Hoesaegi ran to Ju Mi-seon, who was standing beside a tree. He rubbed the length of himself along her legs and beamed.
"Thank you-ong!"
"That's right. Our Hoesaegi—live a long, healthy, strong life."
He answered the woman who was looking at him with shining eyes.
"Teun-teun-i's mom-ong! You stay healthy a long, long time too-ong!"
"Yes, thank you."
Whether she understood his words or simply felt them, Ju Mi-seon stroked him as she answered.
In moments the figurine of Hoesaegi had been dismantled and portioned onto small plates. The cake itself was served onto more than a hundred dishes, each one set gently at a cat's paws. A savory smell filled every nose—and not a single cat took a bite. They were all looking at Hoesaegi. But Hoesaegi, with hundreds of eyes resting on him, looked at Lee Jun.
"Thank you for celebrating me-ong. It feels so good-ong. But Hyungnim-ah-ong, why is today my birthday-nyaong?"
He had never been able to stand not knowing. His eyes sparkled as he asked. Lee Jun smiled.
"Because today is the day we first met, at that restaurant over there."
"Is that so-nyaong?"
"Yes. You came over asking for that yellow fluffy thing, remember?"
He did remember. He had gone out on patrol to find the veterinarian who understood the dogs. And he had followed that man around to decide whether he was a good person or not.
"Meongmeong Hyungnim is a good person-ong."
The corners of Hoesaegi's mouth curled up.
"That's right. Meongmeong Teacher is good!"
"Meongmeong Teacher, thank you."
"Hehe, he's good!"
"Meongmeong Teacher, hurrah!"
"Hurrah!"
"King Boss hurrah! Meongmeong Teacher hurrah!"
Suddenly cheered by a park full of cats, Lee Jun looked bewildered. Then a gentle smile found him.
"Yes, thank you. I'm grateful—and glad—that you're all healthy!"
"Yay~!"
"Euhit! Meongmeong Teacher praised us!"
The cats rose together and set their hips bouncing. The park cats' signature doom-chit-doom-chit hip dance. The Mongmong Animal Hospital family, who had only ever seen it in videos, gasped aloud.
"G-good heavens. I can't believe this."
Cha Da-jeong, who watched those doom-chit-doom-chit clips every morning while getting ready for work, looked ready to cry from joy.
"I-I never thought I'd witness this with my own two eyes."
Even from the usually calm and taciturn Yoo Mu-hwan, hearts seemed to pour.
When the festive moment ebbed, the park filled with the sounds of smacking and munching, a song all its own. Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi moved among the cats, checking that no one had been left without a share. Watching them, Go Gi-jin turned to Lee Jun.
"Eotta, lookit those kids—not even eatin', just tendin' to their subordinates. Bet they wanna eat somethin' fierce..."
"They're something, aren't they."
The two of them watched Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi with the same fond expression. Cats who caught Lee Jun's eye smiled brightly up at him.
"Meongmeong Teacher, it's delicious."
"It's delicious."
"Good. Eat plenty, and don't get sick."
Lee Jun smiled as he looked at them. Seeing that smile, Hoesaegi smiled too, wide and bright.
A birthday, he decided, was a truly wonderful thing.
The day I met the best hyungnim in the world is my birthday-ong!