A Place on the Dream Team
Hoesaegi, Gkamnyangi, and Sapsaree immediately went on high alert, launching a full-scale surveillance operation. Their target: none other than Petting Teacher himself—Yeo Un-hyeok.
From the moment he clocked in at the hospital to the moment he left, the three of them tracked every last thing Yeo Un-hyeok did, missing nothing.
Not that they could spend every waking hour on him. They still had to eat, drink, and use the litter box. There were friends in the inpatient ward to visit, guests to greet when they arrived, and rest they genuinely needed. And above all, they could not neglect the most important duty of all: guarding the hospital.
So they set a rotation and took turns keeping watch. Then, once they returned to Golmokjib, they dumped every scrap of intelligence they had gathered.
The first thing the three of them learned was that Yeo Un-hyeok was not hungry.
"Teun-teun-i's mom piled Petting Teacher's plate high, ong."
"I saw it too. He patted his belly like he couldn't eat another bite."
Gkamnyangi drummed a white forepaw against his own stomach, mimicking Yeo Un-hyeok.
"Petting Teacher isn't hungry, dayo?"
"He wouldn't be, ong."
"No way he's hungry."
"Then why was he going after our snacks, dayo?"
"That's just it, ong. Why was he staring at our food like that, nyaong?"
Hoesaegi slid his eyes sideways.
"That's why, dayo. Petting Teacher is after Benefactor Hyungnim, dayo. He's waiting for the right moment to switch places, dayo."
Sapsaree paddled his paws in place, fretting.
The cats, who knew the truth, let it go in one ear and out the other—but even they had to admit the situation was strange.
"It is weird, ong. If he's not after the snacks, why's he looking at us so funny, nyaong?"
"Yeah. It's weird. So let's keep watching a little longer."
"Got it, dayo. Evidence is bound to turn up, dayo. The second we find it, I'll go straight to Benefactor Hyungnim and tell him, dayo. So you Hyungnims have to find evidence too, dayo."
"Yeah, yeah. You do that."
"Understood, ong."
The cats nodded, unwilling to crush their little brother's enthusiasm.
And a promise, once made, had to be kept.
Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi put every skill they had honed watching over their old street subordinates to full use, keeping Yeo Un-hyeok under watch.
A few days passed, and the three of them uncovered something new.
Yoo Mu-hwan was watching the newly arrived Yeo Un-hyeok.
"Good Teacher was looking at Petting Teacher like this, ong."
Hoesaegi demonstrated with a sidelong glance at Gkamnyangi beside him.
"I saw it too. Petting Teacher went into Hyungnim's office, and that's when Good Teacher looked at him that way."
"I-I saw it too, dayo."
All three wore grave expressions at once. A brief silence settled, and then Sapsaree spoke.
"Good Teacher knows Petting Teacher's true identity. He has to, dayo."
"What?"
"He's watching because he's suspicious, dayo. Same as us—he's looking for evidence, dayo."
The cats knew perfectly well that what Sapsaree had said was not true.
Even so, it sounded plausible.
And so, in the end, the three of them reached a conclusion.
"We watch both of them. Petting Teacher and Good Teacher, ong."
"Yeah. Got it."
"Got it, dayo. We'll expose them for sure, dayo."
The three of them grew busier by the day.
The three of them were not being strange. What they had seen was real.
Yoo Mu-hwan was in the dispensary, checking the newly arrived medications against the delivery invoice, verifying that everything had come in correctly.
Hmm. Dr. Yeo really does have a strong grasp of pharmaceuticals.
Yoo Mu-hwan studied the drugs Yeo Un-hyeok had ordered, lost in thought.
Lee Jun understood animals so well he could tell what they wanted at a glance. His surgical skill was overwhelming, beyond any need for comment. Even working under someone that exceptional, Yoo Mu-hwan had never felt small. He had a field of his own.
Pharmaceuticals.
When Yoo Mu-hwan joined—armed with a gift for delicate, precise dosage control—Lee Jun had welcomed him with open arms, and had given him complete authority over medications. Which was why every prescription at Mongmong Animal Hospital passed through Yoo Mu-hwan's hands. Insulin adjustments for diabetic dogs and cats, the scaling of cardiac medications—all of it was his responsibility.
That was why, however extraordinary Lee Jun's skill, Yoo Mu-hwan never felt particularly stressed. Or perhaps it was because Lee Jun was so overwhelmingly gifted you had to wonder if he was even human.
The Director's skill isn't something you can get just by working hard.
In any case, Yoo Mu-hwan considered himself a lucky man to have the chance to work alongside Lee Jun. And now that he had grown reasonably comfortable treating cats as well, he was living a thoroughly satisfying life at the hospital.
Until a week ago, that is.
I do wonder how Dr. Yeo plans to combine these medications.
Yoo Mu-hwan found himself looking forward to seeing how Yeo Un-hyeok would work the newly ordered psychotropics—controlled psychoactive medications—into the existing regimens.
On the other hand, he was worried.
If Dr. Yeo is better than I am...
Then his own standing at Mongmong Animal Hospital might well shrink. And Yeo Un-hyeok was the one who had him worried.
After checking the last of the medications, Yoo Mu-hwan signed the delivery invoice to confirm he had verified them.
"Checks out."
Having finished the inspection, he arranged the drugs in the medicine cabinet and set the controlled psychotropic medications aside in a separate plastic bag. Those required special handling, and at Mongmong Animal Hospital a dedicated space had been built into the dispensary for that purpose—a small room just large enough for a compact refrigerator and two safes, accessible only with a passcode.
Yoo Mu-hwan entered the code, stepped inside, placed the corresponding controlled medications in the two safes and the refrigerator, and came back out. As he headed toward his exam room, his thoughts returned to Yeo Un-hyeok.
And I heard Dr. Yeo is preparing to sit for the Board...
Yeo Un-hyeok was a junior from the same school. Yoo Mu-hwan knew he was studying for the American veterinary license.
The Director said he has Board certification too, didn't he?
One way or another, it looked like his junior was going to show him up. A sudden sense of crisis left Yoo Mu-hwan's throat feeling tight and scratchy.
He checked the clock. He had about twenty minutes to spare.
"I'll grab a coffee."
On his way to the exam room, he changed direction and headed up to the second-floor cafeteria. Cha Da-jeong was already there, sitting with a cup of coffee.
"Dr. Yoo, try this. It's so good."
Cha Da-jeong waved a piece of bread in her hand.
"Ah, I'm all right, thank you. Chef Joo, could I have a cup of coffee?"
"Americano all right?"
"Yes, please."
While he waited for his coffee, Yoo Mu-hwan asked Cha Da-jeong,
"Dr. Cha, you mentioned you have Board certification, didn't you?"
"The American veterinary license?"
"Yes."
"If you mean the Board, I got it right after graduation. I haven't thought about pursuing a residency yet, though."
"Is that so? Is it very difficult?"
"Are you going to sit for it too, Dr. Yoo?"
"Mm... I'm considering it."
The moment the words left his mouth, Yoo Mu-hwan was startled. He had never once in his life thought about getting Board certification. Why had that answer come out of him?
Is it because of Dr. Yeo?
He found his own reply absurd. Cha Da-jeong, however, did not. She beamed and picked up the thread.
"You should. You can prepare for the Board here in Korea, after all."
"So I've heard. But did you get it because you were planning to go to the States, Dr. Cha?"
"No, I just got it. My older brother said it was something you obviously had to have, so I figured that was how it was and sat for it. Who knows? I might end up going to America someday."
Cha Da-jeong answered with a sunny expression.
Cha Wuk had been famous since his days at Myeongseong University, and he had made a name for himself studying in the United States as well. And Cha Da-jeong was that formidable Cha Wuk's younger sister. Recalling that, Yoo Mu-hwan replied.
"That does sound like Director Cha Wuk. Come to think of it, I heard a lot of the doctors at Daehan Animal Hospital have Board certification?"
"Everyone on the Dream Team has it. You need it if you want to practice wherever you go. Ah, I wish we could put together a team like that."
At Cha Da-jeong's words, Yoo Mu-hwan's mind snapped to attention.
The Dream Team...
The legendary veterinarians of the field, who flew anywhere in the world to treat the most difficult cases—they were the Dream Team of Daehan Animal Medical Center.
Yoo Mu-hwan had always thought of the Dream Team as simply the Dream Team. It had never occurred to him to connect it with himself. But the veterinarian sitting in front of him, her dark eyes sparkling, was hoping that they themselves might become veterinarians like that.
"With our Director, it would be more than enough. No—we might even put together a team greater than the Dream Team. Dr. Yoo, don't you think our Director could do that?"
"I do."
Yoo Mu-hwan answered without a single second's hesitation. That was how unshakable his faith in Lee Jun was.
If Director Lee were to put together a team like that, then I...
Would he even make the cut? Did he have the qualifications, the skill?
He had come for coffee to clear his head, and now his head hurt even more. Yoo Mu-hwan downed the rest in a single gulp and stood.
"Well, you enjoy yours."
"Yes, Dr. Yoo."
With Cha Da-jeong's sunny farewell at his back, Yoo Mu-hwan returned to his exam room.
Seated at his desk, his thoughts were a tangle. The more time passed, the more urgent he felt.
If the Director puts together a team like that, I hope he picks me.
For that, he needed skill. What he had now was not enough. How could he build that skill? First, sit for the Board, so he would have the credentials.
Having decided that much, Yoo Mu-hwan did not get any further into a concrete plan.
Lee Jun had called for him.
"You wanted to see me, Director?"
"Yeah, Dr. Yoo. We were going to do Obok's procedure today."
"Yes—Obok, the Shih Tzu who swallowed the stocking?"
"That's right. I was thinking maybe you should be the one to do Obok's procedure."
Obok was a two-year-old Shih Tzu with a ravenous appetite. Perhaps because of that, he ate a great many things he should not. Last summer they had administered an emetic after he swallowed a plum pit and made him bring it up, but this time even the emetic had failed. They had waited a week, but Obok had neither vomited up the stocking—which resembled a footie sock—nor shown any sign of passing it in his stool. In the end, they had decided to retrieve it by endoscopy.
"Me, sir?"
"Dr. Yoo. You did these all the time at school."
Endoscopy was primarily an internal medicine procedure, and Yoo Mu-hwan had performed them often enough when he was still at the university.
"That's true, but..."
Since starting at Mongmong Animal Hospital, however, he had never performed an endoscopy himself. He had assisted plenty of times, of course. The reason was simple. When it came to endoscopy, Lee Jun was a master who needed no introduction.
"What happens if an emergency comes in while I'm out? And it's not as if Dr. Go can do it."
That was true enough. Yoo Mu-hwan thought the same as Lee Jun. He simply did not say so out loud.
"I'll assist from the side. You take it today, Dr. Yoo."
On any ordinary day he would have demurred further—How could I, when the Director is right here?—but that was before Yeo Un-hyeok's arrival had lit a fire of crisis under him. And after hearing Cha Da-jeong talk about the Dream Team, he found himself wanting Lee Jun to see him—to recognize his worth.
Yoo Mu-hwan swallowed, then answered.
"Understood. I'll get ready."
"Good. I'm counting on you."
That day, in the endoscopy suite, Yoo Mu-hwan had a startling experience.
I—I'm this good?
His hands flew over the endoscopic equipment. Even back at school, his peers had said he was good. But the man he was now displayed a skill that could not be compared to the man he had been then. His ability had advanced by leaps and bounds.
"That's our Dr. Yoo."
"Eotta, his hands are really flyin'!"
Listening to Lee Jun and Go Gi-jin's praise, Yoo Mu-hwan thought, All those months of following the Director's technique with my eyes—that's become skill.
He had only watched Lee Jun operate, for a few months. He had not performed the surgeries himself. He had merely stood beside him and observed. And still his skill had changed.
I want to learn even more at the Director's side.
From that day on, Yoo Mu-hwan threw himself into his studies. Whenever he had the chance to enter a procedure room or an operating theater with Lee Jun, he made sure not to miss a single moment of what Lee Jun did. Fortunately—or perhaps coincidentally—he had also taken on a string of endoscopic procedures in recent days.
"Well, well. Our Dr. Yoo is getting too good at this. I think you could handle any emergency that walked in now."
Lee Jun praised him.
"Not at all. That's only because you've been guiding me from the side, Director. I'd still be shaking if a real emergency came in."
So far he had only done scheduled endoscopies. He had never taken an emergency case, and he answered with humility.
"Just do it the way you are now. Exactly like this."
The chance for that Yoo Mu-hwan to prove himself arrived sooner than expected.
On a day when Lee Jun was away at Namgoong Animal Medical Center, a Dachshund named Ttaengkkeu came in as an emergency.
"Our Ttaengkkeu's been gagging ever since he snuck some pork hock, Doctor."
"What's that now? Cha—Dr. Cha! We gotta get Ttaengkkeu an X-ray!"
Go Gi-jin scooped up Ttaengkkeu and thundered off toward the radiology room, and—
"I'll get the endoscopy suite ready."
Whenever an animal in respiratory distress came in, the endoscopy suite had to be prepped and standing by, whether they ended up using it or not. Following the protocol Lee Jun had established at Mongmong Animal Hospital, Yoo Mu-hwan ran for the endoscopy room.
The radiographs showed a bone lodged in Ttaengkkeu's esophagus.
"Think we can wait till Hyungnim gets here?"
"No. I don't think so. Better to remove it now."
"Director Lee has already gone into the OR!"
Jang Sora called out, having phoned Namgoong Animal Medical Center. At her words, Yoo Mu-hwan raised his voice.
"We're going in immediately. Dr. Yeo, can you manage Ttaengkkeu's anesthesia?"
Endoscopy was supposed to be performed on an empty stomach. But they could not afford to be particular about that now. Ttaengkkeu would stop breathing long before his stomach had a chance to empty.
"I'll take care of it."
"Then I'm counting on you."
Until now, Yoo Mu-hwan had carried a sense of inferiority toward Yeo Un-hyeok. He shook all of it off and asked Yeo Un-hyeok for help.
"I'll assist."
"I'll help too, I will."
Cha Da-jeong volunteered, and then Go Gi-jin as well.
Yoo Mu-hwan thanked them, then took his place as the lead surgeon.