Sleeping Next to Oppa
Kkotnimi, who boasted a truly remarkable set of muscles, ran hot. Summer went without saying — but even through the coldest winter, he always slept alone. He wasn't the only one. Jageun Hoesaegi and Juhongi were the same. The three of them played together, but when it was time to sleep, they stretched out a good distance apart.
Climbing onto a bed on a freezing winter night and burrowing under the covers? That was something that simply did not apply to these three. And so Kkotnimi had never once imagined sleeping pressed against another body.
And yet here he was, making no move to push away the little one curled into a round ball at his side.
"I'm sleeping with Oppa~."
When Donggeuli flopped down beside him and giggled, the corner of Kkotnimi's mouth curled up too. Still smiling, he stretched a forepaw toward her.
"It's cold."
No. Late spring couldn't possibly be cold. And this was a hospital ward where the heat was cranked up high, lest any of the sick animals catch a chill. There was no way this room was cold. But in Kkotnimi's eyes, Donggeuli lying there all curled up looked terribly cold. And so he pulled her in close.
The moment her body pressed snug against his, Donggeuli beamed.
"Heehee, Oppa."
She nuzzled her head against his foreleg, rubbing and rubbing in delight, until a soft rumbling purr carried her off to sleep. Feeling her warmth, Kkotnimi drifted off too.
After weeks of pain-tossed, sleepless nights, Kkotnimi sank into a deep sleep.
Snnnk... snnnk...
Mrrrowl, mrrrowl...
That night, the two of them slept soundly.
The next morning, Kkotnimi woke to the sound of a silver bell rolling across the floor.
"Oppa! Oppa! Heeheehee!"
A tiny, adorable Donggeuli was beaming right in front of his face. It was a brightness of a completely different order from the big, broad, sly faces of his brother-dogs. Kkotnimi grinned wide.
"Donggeuli, sleep well?"
"Yeah! I slept so well! Sleeping with Oppa was warm and nice!"
What was that supposed to mean? Why should it was nice sleeping with you be such a big deal? And yet a goofy, helpless grin just kept spreading across Kkotnimi's face.
Within a day of meeting, Kkotnimi and Donggeuli had become the kind of close that had a name for it — the dearest of friends, with not a single wall between them. Was it because he had watched her fight through her illness so vividly, right at her side? Or because Donggeuli had come up to him without a shred of hesitation from the very start? Either way, the two of them were stuck together like glue in that hospital room.
Then came a gurgle. It was Donggeuli's stomach.
"You're hungry."
"Yeah, heehee."
"The doctor'll bring food soon. Let's hang on just a little longer."
Kkotnimi sniffed the air, catching the smells from beyond the ward door, and smacked his lips. Something savory was cooking. Breakfast had to be coming any minute. But no matter how long they waited, the door didn't open.
"That's weird..."
The Strong Teacher had definitely come by that morning while they were still asleep. That's why when I opened my eyes and looked at him, he told me to go back to sleep. He could still feel those big hands stroking him. So they knew the two of them were in here. Then why wasn't breakfast coming?
Gurrrrgle.
"Heehee! Oppa's tummy's making noise too! It's way louder than mine!"
Donggeuli was delighted. Kkotnimi was still smiling at her when the door burst open.
The instant they saw Doctor Bow-wow's face, they spoke at the same time.
"Doctor, I'm hungry."
"I'm hungry!"
"I know, I know. You're hungry, huh?"
"Yes!"
Donggeuli answered at the top of her lungs.
"Kkotnimi, you'll eat in a bit."
"What about Donggeuli?"
It was strange that there was no mention of Donggeuli eating too. Kkotnimi asked in his rough, gravelly voice.
"Donggeuli has a procedure this morning, so she has to skip breakfast."
"But Donggeuli only ate this much yesterday?"
Kkotnimi had no idea what a "procedure" was. He just tucked his front paws together at the words "skip breakfast," and Doctor Bow-wow plopped down on the floor. He stroked them both as he went on.
"Donggeuli's going to take a little nap in a bit."
"Sleep again?"
Donggeuli's eyes went round.
"Yeah. While she's asleep, we're going to make it so she can eat a whole lot."
"Wow! That's so exciting!"
Donggeuli bounced up and down. An amount that didn't even look like a single mouthful — that was how much Donggeuli ate. And now she was going to be able to eat a lot. Kkotnimi's face lit up.
"Donggeuli, that's great!"
The doctor scooped up the still-bouncing Donggeuli.
"That's right. Come on, Donggeuli, let's go."
"Heehee, okay! I'm gonna eat a lot, eat a lot!"
"Donggeuli, go on. Come back safe."
"Okay, Oppa! I'll be back!"
Donggeuli waved a front paw with all her might. Kkotnimi waved back. Even after the door closed and the doctor and Donggeuli were gone, Kkotnimi kept waving from that same spot.
He looked ready to keep waving until Donggeuli came back. The Strong Teacher's arrival put a stop to it.
"Kkotnimi, let's eat, yeah?"
Gurrrrgle. The sight of food made his stomach growl even louder. But Kkotnimi stared at the bowl, then shook his head firmly.
"I'll eat later, when Donggeuli gets back. We'll eat together."
Donggeuli was going hungry too. He couldn't eat by himself. Thinking that, he trotted back toward his spot — and then his whole body lifted into the air. The Strong Teacher scooped him up and nuzzled him, those big hands rubbing firmly over his face.
"Heh heh, aigoo, you little rascal. Look at that loyalty. All right, then. Eat together when Donggeuli gets back."
Even as his face was jostled this way and that, the corner of Kkotnimi's mouth turned up. Heehee. Now Donggeuli's gonna eat a whole lot, right? The thought of that frail little thing, so weak she looked ready to topple over, eating well and growing strong — it was enough to make him forget he was hungry. What if she tries to eat my food too? What if? He'd just give it to her, that's what. With that happy thought, Kkotnimi wandered around the room.
After a long wait, Doctor Bow-wow came into the ward. But Donggeuli was nowhere to be seen.
"Where's Donggeuli?"
"Donggeuli's in the recovery room. But Kkotnimi — I hear you haven't eaten?"
"I'm going to eat with Donggeuli."
"That's sweet. But Kkotnimi, Donggeuli can't eat today."
At the words "can't eat," Kkotnimi's eyes went wide. Not that they could get all that wide — his eyelids were so thick they put cowhide to shame. Still, those slightly rounder eyes were packed with worry.
"Kkotnimi, it's not because she's in pain, so don't worry. In a few days she'll be able to eat just fine. So you eat, okay?"
He said she'd get better. But Kkotnimi was still worried. How much must it hurt, if she can't even eat? Not being able to eat meant you were in terrible pain. When he'd been hurting that badly, the thought of food had vanished completely. He'd just curled up tight and waited for the pain to pass. Remembering that, Kkotnimi's face fell.
"Kkotnimi's worried about Donggeuli, huh? Want to go see her?"
"Yes."
Kkotnimi followed Doctor Bow-wow to the recovery room. My butt doesn't hurt. Gurgle. His stomach was still empty, but it didn't hurt. And his rear end didn't hurt much either. It wasn't that it didn't hurt at all — but it was a pain he could bear. That alone was enough to put a spring in his step, his hips swaying as he walked. His tail waved high to match his mood. Then it drooped. Because Donggeuli was lying limp inside a little crate.
"K-Kkotnimi!"
"...Psh-oppa?"
The cry that had been as clear and sweet as a silver bell rolling across the floor had gone strange. Stranger even than his brothers' gravelly voices. A tiny sound, like air leaking in little pshhh-pshhh bursts. Kkotnimi's eyes flew wide.
"Hee-hee, O-oppa..."
She had to have been trying to say, Heehee, it's Oppa.
"D-Donggeuli..."
A short, intense visit. Even after he returned to his own ward, Kkotnimi stayed gloomy. I'm gonna h-hurt too, aren't I? How much pain must she have been in, screaming until her voice changed like that? The image of Donggeuli, unable even to get up, squeezing out a few words in that leaking-air voice — Kkotnimi's shoulders shook. He was terrified.
The next day, Kkotnimi's turn for a procedure arrived.
Kkotnimi was brought into a large room. He hadn't come of his own accord, so "brought" was the right word. A room so bright it made his eyes sting. Doctor Bow-wow was there, and a whole crowd of other doctors too. Kkotnimi already knew why he was here — Doctor Bow-wow had explained — and his ears pinned flat against his head. Donggeuli said it didn't hurt at all, but it's gonna hurt like crazy. That had to have been her trying to comfort him. The voice that had said it didn't hurt still sounded like leaking air. You didn't get a voice like that if it hadn't hurt.
Prostrate, his rear end pointed at the ceiling, Kkotnimi's front legs trembled. His hind legs trembled too. Even his tail, bound tight in bandages and strung up somewhere, trembled. Ears plastered to his skull, Kkotnimi swallowed, gulp after gulp.
"Director, are we really doing a local anesthetic on this one?"
"Let's ask him. Local anesthesia means a faster recovery. It's better."
"But isn't it dangerous? What if this strong guy throws a fit during surgery?"
"Then we make sure he can't."
"Local anesthesia really is a whole lot better, though."
"You use local a lot for large animals, right?"
"That's right. They recover faster. And those big fellas are so huge you can't watch over 'em one by one like these little ones."
"True enough. When cows that weigh close to a ton start thrashing as they come out of anesthesia, you're in real trouble."
"That's right. The ones that panic coming out of it can thrash around and break a leg. It's dangerous."
"Ah, I've heard about that. One of my classmates is an equine vet in England, and it actually happened. They were so happy the surgery had gone perfectly — then the horse broke a leg coming out of anesthesia. A racehorse, apparently..."
"Aigoo, then what happened?"
The doctors' worried voices made Kkotnimi's ears pin back even flatter. His tongue flicked in and out rapidly, and his paw pads had gone damp with sweat, he was so tense.
"Kkotnimi, you'd only have to hold still for a little while. Would local anesthesia be okay? If you're too scared, we can do a general like Donggeuli."
If the doctor had said that dogs who got general anesthesia were the brave ones, Kkotnimi would have chosen that. To him, local or general didn't matter. What mattered was the title: a brave dog who wasn't afraid.
And so Kkotnimi underwent a local anesthetic. Under local anesthesia, he could see, he could hear, and he could smell every scent that pushed its way into his nose. A slicing sound. A buzzing, crackling sound. An acrid smell. A metallic, bloody smell. But he could endure those. He didn't know what they were, anyway. He had only one worry. Ugh... when is it going to start hurting? Thinking of Donggeuli, who'd screamed until her voice went strange, Kkotnimi tensed.
But that, too, lasted only a moment. Kkotnimi was moved straight to the recovery room. Even then, he lay there thinking of nothing but when the pain would come.
"Kkotnimi, it's all done now."
Blink. Blink. But Kkotnimi just rolled his eyes. He had no idea what that meant.
"Your surgery's over. Now we just wait for the anesthesia to wear off. Can you stay still here until then?"
The doctor grinned. Kkotnimi still looked baffled, and gave a little nod. His front legs moved, naturally. Then he put strength into his body, trying to stand. The most natural thing in the world. But his body wouldn't rise.
Kkotnimi pushed strength into his legs. His front legs moved the way he wanted. His hind legs didn't budge. They were supposed to move. Not a single toe would twitch.
"Gweaaaaaagh!"
Kkotnimi let out a scream and tried to lurch to his feet. He couldn't. Th-this is bad. Horror flooded his eyes.
He tried again and again. His body would not get up. Kkotnimi lay there, sinking into sorrow. It's over now. He wouldn't be able to run and play with his brothers. He wouldn't be able to go on walks. And if he couldn't stand, he wouldn't be able to eat, either. Until just recently, his rear end had hurt and his stomach had hurt, and eating had been hard. Now his legs wouldn't move, so he couldn't eat at all. He'd looked at Donggeuli strangely for eating standing up — but that, he realized, was happiness. Donggeuli could still get up and run around, and even if eating was a struggle, she ate. Still... I hope Donggeuli gets to eat a lot. Even now, it made him glad that Donggeuli would be able to eat well from now on.
A single tear rolled from his tiny eye. Because he was lying down, it ran into his ear. Still crying, Kkotnimi fell asleep. He'd worn himself out so completely that sleep took him.
In his dream, Kkotnimi ran through a park. His friends from Mongmong Animal Hospital and his brothers ran hard. He and Donggeuli were out in front. Tap-tap-tap. Driving all four legs into the ground, Kkotnimi ran with a happy smile on his face. A smile settled on the sleeping Kkotnimi's face, too.
That was when it happened. Donggeuli, running ahead, looked back, beaming, and called out "Oppa!" loud and clear. Not the leaking-air "Psh-oppa," but a bright, ringing "Oppa." Even in a dream, it made him so happy that her voice was back. Without meaning to, he wagged his tail and murmured, Heehee, Donggeuli's voice is back!
He ran toward her, delighted — and the body of Donggeuli, still looking back as she ran, lurched and swayed. Startled, Kkotnimi sprinted, shouting,
"No!"
He hurled himself toward the falling Donggeuli. Squish! Luckily, she tumbled onto him. Whew. Thank goodness. He let out a breath of relief — and then something felt strange. This was a dream, but Donggeuli seemed to be right there beside him. He could smell her. He could even feel a light weight.
That was when he heard it. ...ppa! Donggeuli calling him, right beside him. And then a body shaking, shaking.
"...Nngh."
"Kkotnimi, wake up. Let's get you up."
Donggeuli's voice, and then Doctor Bow-wow's. Kkotnimi's eyes drifted open.
"Oppa opened his eyes!"
Donggeuli was bouncing up and down in front of him.
"Huh? Donggeuli?"
Kkotnimi blinked, and Doctor Bow-wow's voice came again.
"Kkotnimi, if you're awake, let's get you up and walking."
Ah. He'd been asleep. Only then did Kkotnimi realize he'd been sleeping this whole time. And in that instant, he remembered what had happened before he drifted off. He'd been crying, lamenting that his legs wouldn't move, and then he'd fallen asleep. The thought made him suddenly sad. So Kkotnimi opened his mouth, his voice wobbling.
"D-Doctor!"
"What is it? Were you scared?"
Shake, shake. Kkotnimi shook his head and stammered,
"I can't... walk. My legs... won't move... hic, they won't..."
"Must've been a nightmare."
The doctor patted him, and Kkotnimi, even more wretched now, leaned into him.
That was when it happened. Smoothly, his body was lifted.
"Huh?"
Startled, Kkotnimi tensed without meaning to. And then — he was on his feet. Strength had gone into all four legs.
"Huh?"
Kkotnimi was stunned. Then he sprang up and spun in a circle. His body moved exactly as he wanted.
"Klheheheh!"
A bizarre laugh burst out of him, and his long tail thrashed wildly, flap-flap-flap.