Hehehe
Hehehe.
Watching Bokshil beam as she licked her bowl clean, Yeo Un-hyeok felt a current of electricity spark through his fingertips.
She ate it all.
To his eyes, that spotless, emptied bowl was more beautiful than any masterpiece hanging in a museum.
If only Bori had eaten like that, he never would have coughed up blood and suffered the way he did.
A sudden sting rose in Yeo Un-hyeok's throat, and the world in front of him seemed to blur. The smiling Bokshil before him almost seemed to overlap with Bori.
Gulp.
He swallowed hard and tried to speak.
"Boksh…"
His voice came out all wrong, snagged in his throat. He cleared it, composed himself, and tried again.
"Whew. Bokshil won't be hungry anymore. Looking at that smile, it seems she's gotten her strength back, too. I'm so glad."
Beside him, Lee Jun nodded at Yeo Un-hyeok's words, then turned to Bokshil.
"Bokshil, you're not hungry anymore, are you? The doctor next to you is happy you ate. He says your smile made him really glad."
That was when Bori gave his short tail a rapid little wag. He even let out a tiny woof!, as if he were saying thank you, and the mouth of Yeo Un-hyeok — who had been gazing at Bokshil — fell open all on its own into a wide, goofy grin.
Hoesaegi, Gkamnyangi, and Sapsaree watched Yeo Un-hyeok smile and swished their own tails, grinning right along with him.
Bokshil's guardian was stunned to hear that Bokshil had eaten the prescription canned food. She could hardly believe that a dog who had refused everything at home had eaten at an animal hospital — and a hospital she was visiting for the first time, no less. Only after they replayed the footage from the CCTV installed in the ward did the emotion truly hit her.
"B-Bokshil really did eat."
That day, Bokshil was admitted to Mongmong Animal Hospital.
Knowing that full well, Yeo Un-hyeok arrived the next morning earlier than usual. He was already the type to clock in before eight, so when he appeared just after seven, Yoo Mu-hwan — who had been on overnight duty — stared at him in surprise.
"Dr. Yeo, why are you here so early?"
He had been about to say he'd come in early because he was worried about Bokshil, but the mere thought made his fingertips curl with embarrassment. So he fumbled out a vague excuse instead.
"I just… happened to wake up early, that's all."
"Well, I appreciate it. Coming in early because you were worried this senior would be run ragged — you know how precious ten extra minutes of morning sleep are to a working man."
Yoo Mu-hwan said something Yeo Un-hyeok hadn't expected at all, studying him with a steady gaze before he went on.
"Our Dr. Yeo really does have a lot of heart. You haven't had breakfast, have you? I'm fine, so go on up to the second floor and grab something to eat."
Warmth sat thick in Yoo Mu-hwan's voice.
"Ah, no, that's all right. Please rest, sir. I'll do the rounds."
It was still before clinic hours, and the words senior and junior slipped from both their mouths as naturally as breathing.
"Oh, you will? I was about to get the kids' breakfast ready anyway, so I'll take you up on that. I already checked on the dogs a little while ago, so could you look after the cat ward?"
"Yes. I'll change and go straight there."
"Okay."
Watching Yoo Mu-hwan turn to leave, Yeo Un-hyeok called after him.
"Um, sir."
"Hm? What is it?"
Yoo Mu-hwan stopped and looked back.
"H-how was Bokshil last night?"
"Bokshil? She's fine. She was doing well."
"Did she eat?"
"She had another round of wet food at ten last night and slept soundly. I was going to feed her again after we draw blood in a bit. Though I still don't understand why a dog who eats this well at the hospital wouldn't eat at home."
Yeo Un-hyeok felt a wave of relief wash through him. She ate. Thank goodness. And on the heels of that relief, Lee Jun rose immediately to mind. Once could be a coincidence. Twice is not. Which meant Lee Jun really did have something special about him.
Yeo Un-hyeok answered without even realizing he was smiling.
"It must be because she likes you, sir. I'll go change and come right back."
He changed into scrubs in a hurry and checked on the hospitalized cats. Then he headed to the dispensary and helped Yoo Mu-hwan prepare breakfast for the inpatients.
Together, Yoo Mu-hwan and Yeo Un-hyeok gathered the prescription diets and medications for the ten dogs and cats currently admitted and made their way to the wards. As they walked from the cat ward toward the dog ward, Yoo Mu-hwan spoke up.
"Honestly, before I came to our hospital, I never watched the kids eat one by one."
"There wouldn't have been time for that."
"Right. But Director Lee said that whenever the kids have to eat alone, someone has to be there with them, and I wondered if that wasn't going a little overboard — and then the kids started eating better."
"People would rather eat together than eat alone, too."
"That's exactly my point. How did he even think of that?"
"And having the kids gather together to eat? That surprised me even more."
"Same here. At first I was a nervous wreck, wondering what we'd do if they started fighting."
If an animal had to stay in its kennel and eat inside it, someone had to watch them eat. And if the case wasn't critical, the animals were brought together for meals. That had become the rule at Mongmong Animal Hospital — the same way Hoesaegi, Sapsaree, and Gkamnyangi put their heads together over a shared meal.
"I'll tell you something. I really love our Mongmong Animal Hospital. I love our director, and I love all the other doctors, too."
The confession came out of nowhere — and he said it while pushing a tray loaded with kibble and medicine. But Yeo Un-hyeok had been thinking much the same thing, so he answered in a voice full of genuine warmth.
"I love it too."
As Yeo Un-hyeok spoke, the ward door opened. The door to the room where Bokshil was staying.
"Come on, kids. Breakfast."
There were five of them in the ward, Bokshil included. The dogs, who had caught the scent of food long before, were already up on all four legs, waiting. Bokshil was no different.
The two of them hurried through the meal prep, and then — click, click — they opened the kennel doors and set the dogs down on the floor. Five small, adorable heads formed a circle, each claiming a bowl of its own.
Chomp, chomp, chomp.
Listening to the happy sounds of wet food being eaten, Yoo Mu-hwan said, "Hearing them eat always puts me in a good mood. It's proof they're getting healthier."
"It is."
The two of them watched the dogs empty their bowls and smiled. Before long, Bokshil had licked her bowl completely clean and was wagging her tail in a rapid little flutter, grinning from ear to ear.
Knock, knock.
"Come in."
The door opened at the sound of Lee Jun's voice.
"Oh, Dr. Yeo. Come in."
Yeo Un-hyeok stepped inside and bowed his head to Lee Jun.
"Director, I'm sorry."
"Hm? For what?"
Lee Jun looked puzzled, then added, "I don't know what it is, but sit down first."
Yeo Un-hyeok sat and said, "The truth is, I've been a little suspicious of you, Director."
Lee Jun had already heard the situation from Hoesaegi, Gkamnyangi, and Sapsaree, so he had a fair idea of why Yeo Un-hyeok was acting this way. But acknowledging that would only make him look more suspicious, so he played ignorant.
"Suspicious? Of what?"
Rustle. Yeo Un-hyeok pulled a small bag from the pocket of his white coat and held it out.
"This…"
"The kids' treats."
"Yes, that's right."
"What about them?"
"The kids — the animals — listen to you so well that I thought you must be feeding them something strange."
Yeo Un-hyeok confessed everything he had felt, from the day he interviewed at Mongmong Animal Hospital right up to the present. Lee Jun never once interrupted. He simply listened.
When at last the confession ran its course, Lee Jun smiled faintly.
"You observe the kids very carefully, Dr. Yeo. That's how you noticed all of that."
"That's not it."
"Oh, it is. It's because you have that kind of heart that you read the animals' feelings so well. You chose the right specialty. That's how it seems to me."
"Not at all. I don't come close to even the tips of your fingers, Director."
Lee Jun offered an awkward smile at that. Well, that's because I can actually talk to them. Not that he could say that. Even if he did, no one would believe him.
Lee Jun met the eyes of Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi in turn, who were looking down from the cat tree installed in the exam room, and then Sapsaree's, who sat on his own cushion on the floor watching Yeo Un-hyeok.
"I look forward to a great deal of guidance going forward, Director."
Having poured out every last suspicion, Yeo Un-hyeok left the director's office looking thoroughly unburdened.
Watching him go, Sapsaree spoke up.
"Petting Teacher's face was so kind, it was. He became a good Petting Teacher, didn't he?"
"Yeah. The bad Petting Teacher is gone."
Lee Jun stroked the smiling Sapsaree and locked eyes with Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi.
"That's right-ong. Hyungnim drove out the bad Petting Teacher-ong."
"That's right. Hyungnim won! He won and saved Petting Teacher."
At his cat-hyungnims' words, Sapsaree swished his tail.
"I knew it, I did. I knew if it was Hyungnim, he'd save Petting Teacher, I did."
"That's right-ong. Hyungnim is strong-ong. But Hyungnim-ong."
"What?"
"Why did Petting Teacher bring us a present-ong?"
"Because Hyungnim saved him, so it's a thank-you, it is. A thank-you present, it is."
The answer came from Sapsaree's mouth. His eyes sparkled as he went on.
"Petting Teacher became Hyungnim's underling, he did."
"That's not it. An underling?"
"No, ong. Sapsaree is right-ong. Petting Teacher swore his loyalty to Hyungnim-ong."
"That's right. That's why he offered Hyungnim this tasty stuff."
When Gkamnyangi sided with Sapsaree, Lee Jun burst out laughing.
"Hahaha, that's not what happened. Petting Teacher brought these because he wanted me to give them to you."
"No, ong. I saw it-ong. Petting Teacher tucked it in there ever so carefully-ong."
"I saw it too. Looked like he was putting snacks in a treasure box."
"That's right, it is. That's what happened, it did."
When all three of them insisted they had seen Yeo Un-hyeok putting the cookies in a drawer, Lee Jun told them the truth to clear up the misunderstanding.
"The truth is, Petting Teacher misunderstood because you all listen to me so well. He thought you listened because you ate these, so he got suspicious of the cookies."
"Is that so-ong? If you eat this, you listen well-ong?"
Hoesaegi asked with an innocent look, and Gkamnyangi scoffed.
"Does that even make sense? You listen to Hyungnim just fine without eating any of that."
"M-me too, I do. I listen to Benefactor Hyungnim real well, I do."
"Gkamnyangi's right-ong. Even without eating this, we listen to Hyungnim-ong."
"That's what I'm saying!"
Gkamnyangi raised his meow a notch, then flared his nostrils, sniff-sniff-sniffing.
"But it smells really good."
"It smells like Hyungnim Teun-teun-i's mom's cookies-ong."
"That's right, it is. It smells the most delicious, it does."
The smell of cookies, freshly baked.
"Let's go ask for some-ong."
Hoesaegi swept his tongue around his muzzle, leaped down from the cat tree, and headed out. Sapsaree smacked his lips and trotted after him.
"I'm gonna eat some too, I am."
Gkamnyangi climbed down from the cat tree at a leisurely pace and tapped Lee Jun's leg.
"Aigoo, Hyungnim. You've got it rough."
"Hm? What do I?"
"If one of your underlings can't read the room and is slow as molasses, the boss is the one who suffers."
Gkamnyangi gave Lee Jun a look of brief, pitying sympathy, then ambled out. Watching him go, Lee Jun let out a quiet laugh.
"These guys. I can never tell what they're thinking."
From that day on, Yeo Un-hyeok wiped away every last suspicion he had harbored toward Lee Jun. And he made up his mind to learn everything Lee Jun had to teach.
He copied everything Lee Jun did. The expression Lee Jun wore with the animals, the look in his eyes, the gestures of his hands, even the way he spoke. He simply imitated it all.
And the dogs and cats began to come to him. The dogs who visited the hospital smiled when they saw Yeo Un-hyeok, and even the animals in the exam room visibly let go of their tension.
Ah. So this is how it works.
Lee Jun's ability to communicate with animals was still beyond anything he could comprehend, but Yeo Un-hyeok decided to move forward one step at a time. For the first time since joining Mongmong Animal Hospital, he found himself working with a truly settled heart.
A few days later, over lunch, Cha Da-jeong asked him a question.
"Dr. Yeo, what made you decide to specialize in animal behavior? It's still basically uncharted territory in this country."
"That's true."
"And yet watching you study it and actually practice it — you're really something. I can barely read what's right in front of my eyes."
Yeo Un-hyeok received that with a faint smile.
"It's a miserable thing, when stress makes some other part of the body sick."
"Stress is the root of every illness, it is. Even a perfectly healthy cow, you get it stressed and next thing you know it's got the runs and a fever and all hell's breakin' loose."
"That's right. Stress really is the root of all illness. There's a reason a group called Fear Free exists in the United States."
At Lee Jun's words, Go Gi-jin's eyes went round.
"There's a group like that, is there?"
"Of course there is. Fear is a terrifying disease. Animals seized by terror can die from that alone."
"That's right. There's research showing that if you can just manage the fear of animals admitted to a hospital, they recover much faster."
"Keeping animals from feeling fear — that matters. There's a reason the Fear Free organization even gives awards to people who research ways to reduce the fear animals experience at veterinary hospitals."
"Is that why our hospital has such high recovery rates? The kids aren't scared of this place."
At Yoo Mu-hwan's words, everyone smiled and piled on.
"Our hospital is just a playground. A playground, that's all it is."
"Looking at their faces, you'd think they were just dropping by for a stroll."
"That's true. They all love it here. Plenty of them stamp their feet outside, begging us to open the door faster."
They finished the meal in high spirits, each taking a cup of coffee Ju Mi-seon had sent down, and headed out. Some went to the second-floor break room; others returned to their own exam rooms. Lee Jun went down to the first floor and walked straight toward Jang Sora.
He had heard from Hoesaegi, Gkamnyangi, and Sapsaree that a stranger had come in — and that she was on the verge of tears.
He crossed the floor at a quick pace toward the two people standing there, and both of them turned at the sound of his approach. The kids were right. The guardian's face looks awful. Sensing that something was seriously wrong, Lee Jun asked,
"Is your baby very sick?"
He glanced around the guardian. There was no animal in her arms, which meant she must have brought a carrier.
"Ah, well…"
"She says her cat has gone missing."
When the guardian stammered, Jang Sora answered for her.
"She came to ask if we could put a flyer up out front."
"Aigoo, that's terrible!"
The sound of worry left Lee Jun's mouth all on its own.
"When did your baby disappear? And what's their name?"
"…Yesterday."
The guardian barely managed the word, and Jang Sora handed Lee Jun the flyer as she filled in the rest.
"She just moved here yesterday, and the cat disappeared in the middle of the move. The baby's name is Tan."
"…I named him Tan because he's black like a coal briquette. He's a boy, and he's five years old."
The guardian seemed to have gathered herself enough to tell the story at last.
"When I find our Tan, I'll come back and take the flyer down myself. Until then, please, I'm begging you — please keep it up."
She bowed deeply and started toward the entrance. Lee Jun called after her.
"Ma'am."