Watermelons for the Hopes
For once, Mongmong Animal Hospital was quiet.
And then—
Nyaooo! Aeohong ieie honghonghohong ruff-ruff-rooough!
The chorus of Hoesaegi, Gkamnyangi, and Sapsaree rang out from Go Gi-jin's phone.
Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi, however, did not so much as twitch. They were sprawled in their carefully chosen spots on the cat tower, and Sapsaree was flopped on the floor beside his cushion. They had heard that ringtone far too many times to be moved by it now.
Sapsaree, unlike the cats, at least lifted his head and stared in one direction. Go Gi-jin stood at the end of that gaze. Sapsaree thumped his tail against the floor a couple of times.
Pick up the phone.
Watching the three of them ignore the ringing completely, Go Gi-jin grinned and tapped the screen.
"Must be the heat, huh? They ain't even budgin'."
"What's that supposed to mean? Who's overheatin' over there?"
"Pa, you eaten yet?"
"Course I have. What time d'you think it is? Anyway—how're my kids?"
"Aigoo! Why would those kids be overheatin'? The AC's blastin' in here."
"How'm I supposed to know you didn't run 'em around the park on a day this hot? Heatstroke wrecks the liver, so you be careful!"
Heatstroke can touch every organ in the body, and its complications include acute kidney failure, acute liver failure, and any number of other grave illnesses. Veterinarian Go Panseok was making sure his son understood just how serious it was.
"I know that, Pa."
"Good. You take care of 'em. Anyway—I'm sendin' some over today!"
"Sendin' what? Meat?"
"That too. And the watermelon's real sweet this time."
"You sent watermelon too?"
"Sure did. Sent along some Korean melons as well, for my boy to eat. You share 'em with the folks over there!"
"That so? We'll eat well, then. Thanks, Pa."
"You do that."
And with that, the call ended.
"Aigoo. What's gotten into Pa, not askin' to see the kids? He must've forgotten!"
The phone lit up again. Go Gi-jin laughed and tapped the screen, and Veterinarian Go Panseok's face filled it, large as life.
"Aigoo, Pa. You forgot you wanted to see 'em, didn't you?"
"I did! And you knew that and still didn't show 'em to me?"
"All right, all right. They're right over there, over—"
Go Gi-jin's voice jumped in surprise.
"Huh? When'd you three get here?"
"There they are, I see 'em. Hey, kids! My handsome ones!"
The three of them had already gotten up and come to stand right beside Go Gi-jin, and they raised their voices in answer, faces bright, eyes fixed on the phone.
"Aeohong!"
"Nyaooo!"
"Ruff-ruff-rooough-woof!"
"That's right, that's right. Cute—no, wait, that ain't it. Handsome and good-lookin' and strong, with those big fine faces—my stylish ones!"
At Veterinarian Go Panseok's words, all three faces lit up like full moons. Sapsaree wagged at the phone so hard his tail looked ready to fly off, and Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi rose up on their hind legs and spun in circles—a brand-new version of their little wiggle dance.
Veterinarian Go Panseok on the screen and the guardians waiting in the lobby all broke into the same wide smiles, heaping praise on the three of them.
"That's right, that's right. My handsome ones. I'll send you somethin' tasty in a bit! You eat it up and don't you get sick!"
The three of them shouted back that he mustn't get sick either, and that he should eat plenty.
And so, with those earnest eyes trading affection back and forth, the call came to an end.
Go Gi-jin walked over to Jang Sora.
"Manager, somethin's gonna show up in a bit. Looks like Pa packed up a delivery."
"Yes, Doctor. I'll take it in."
Jang Sora answered lightly, figuring it would be one box, maybe two.
"All right, then. I'm off to see patients."
Go Gi-jin headed in for consultations.
Packages arrived at the animal hospital all the time—not just one or two. A delivery from Hongseong was filed away as just another box, and it sank beneath the day's busy current.
The notice board that had been glowing with the words In Surgery went dark. A moment later Lee Jun stepped out of the operating room and went straight into the intensive care unit next door.
Time slipped by again. When Lee Jun came out of the ICU, he started toward the stairs to go down to the first floor.
"I need to tell the guardian how the surgery went. Ah—and what time do consultations start again?"
He was sorting through the rest of his schedule as he came down the stairs when a restless murmur of voices reached his ears.
"Hm? What's going on?"
If things were this noisy, the three of them would already have come to tell him. But he couldn't hear so much as a single aeong.
"Come to think of it, I don't think I've seen them since the surgery ended."
On any ordinary day they would have been waiting outside the operating room—all three of them lined up in a neat little row, or at the very least one of them standing watch.
"This feels off. Something hasn't happened, has it?"
Lee Jun's heart kicked suddenly into a faster rhythm. His feet sped up to match. He took the stairs at something close to a run and reached the first floor in an instant.
And then his eyes went as wide as saucers. They were already large; now they were nearly twice that, and calling them saucers was no exaggeration at all.
"Wh-what is that?"
A massive structure had entered his field of vision—a monument stacked out of wooden crates.
"Those are—those are watermelons."
"Director!"
"M-Manager Jang, what is all this? Did we open a farmers' market?"
"That's actually not a bad idea."
Jang Sora smiled, looking a little helpless, and went on.
"It was sent from Hongseong."
"Hongseong?"
Lee Jun blinked. He had been in surgery while Go Gi-jin was on the phone with his father, Veterinarian Go Panseok.
"Yes. Dr. Go's father sent it."
"I'm grateful he sent it, but… who's supposed to eat all of that?"
That was when it happened.
"Aeohong!"
"Nyahaho!"
"Woof woof-woof-woof!"
The three of them raised their voices.
"I'm gonna eat so, so much of it-ong!"
"I-I'll eat it too. I'll eat it now, and after dinner, and tomorrow too."
"Hehe, I'll eat it too, da-yo! It's so, so delicious, da-yo!"
The three of them had tasted autumn watermelon in Hongseong, and they answered now with their whole bodies wrapped around the fruit.
Lee Jun huffed a quiet laugh and answered them.
"Wait. You three were up there?"
Only then did he realize Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi were perched on the very top of the wooden crates.
"We were standing guard-ong!"
"Hyung-nim, now let's eat the tasty-drip-drip!"
"That's right, da-yo. I want to eat the tasty-drip-drip, da-yo!"
Even as they spoke, all three noses were flaring. Watching them, Lee Jun muttered to himself.
"The watermelon'll be ripe and red through, no question."
Then, still smiling, he spoke to them properly.
"You three can't even finish one of those."
"I know-ong. That's why I'll eat it tomorrow, and the day after, and keep on eating-ong."
"That's right! We'll eat it every single day."
"Hehe, Hyung-nims! Let's eat it every day, da-yo!"
They laid out their plan with complete confidence. Lee Jun answered without letting the smile leave his face.
"The thing is, kids, in a few days you won't be able to eat it anymore. You have to finish it before then."
"Why can't we eat it-ong? We will eat it-ong."
"I'll keep eating and eating too."
"Hehehe."
"If you eat it after a few days, your stomachs will hurt. If it goes badly, you might even need a painful shot."
Flump.
At Lee Jun's words, the three of them sat down as if they had rehearsed it. Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi used a round watermelon as a chair; Sapsaree simply dropped onto the floor. Then they looked up at Lee Jun with eyes so empty they seemed to have lost everything they had ever owned.
"I-is that true-ong? We can't keep eating it-ong?"
"We eat the round food all the time, so why can't we keep eating this tasty-drip-drip?"
"I wanted to sleep a whole lot and give some to Bangwool-i hyung-nim, da-yo! But I can't give it, da-yo?"
At Sapsaree's words, Hoesaegi sprang to his feet and cried out.
"Then let's give some to the Evergreen family-ong! And the Bluebird family too-ong!"
This time Gkamnyangi sprang up and stared at him.
"Hoesaegi! You're amazing. That was a brilliant idea!"
"Ahem!"
The two cats looked at Lee Jun, thoroughly pleased with themselves—a far cry from the faces of creatures who, moments ago, had looked as though the world had ended.
Watching them, Lee Jun murmured,
"I already know what those two are about to say."
And the very words he had expected tumbled out of both cats' mouths.
"Hyung-nim-ong! We'll eat it with our friends-ong. Let's give some to our friends' moms too-ong!"
"That's right. Elder Ttangkhongi's mom is staring at it with her eyes all sparkly."
"Kakkong-i and Kakkong-i's mom were looking and doing this, da-yo."
Sapsaree poked his tongue out and gave a little lick. Lee Jun smiled at the sight.
"All right. That sounds good."
He nodded, looking at the watermelons in front of him. Then Jang Sora put in a word.
"Director."
"Yes, Manager Jang?"
"Director Go's hands must be enormous. I already knew that from the meat he sends, but… there's twice this much out in the parking lot."
"What? Twice this much?"
"Yes. He sent Korean melons and meat as well."
"Good heavens. That's incredible. We'll have to talk it over with Gijin—no, with Dr. Go—when he comes out. There's no way we can get through all of this ourselves."
"I know."
That was when a notification chimed from the phone in Jang Sora's hand. She started to slip it back into her pocket, but Lee Jun stopped her.
"Go ahead and look. It's not as if we're in the middle of something urgent."
"Yes."
Jang Sora took out the phone, and her eyes curved into crescents. She held it out to Lee Jun at once.
"Director, a friend at the zoo posted some photos. Look at this. They love it so much."
"Look at what?"
Lee Jun dropped his gaze to the screen. There was a photograph of a polar bear in the water, hugging a block of ice and grinning.
"An ice special."
"Looks like it. Oh my, look at the rest of them."
Jang Sora scrolled, and the photos spilled down one after another—an elephant, a tiger, a brown bear, and more, each of them receiving an ice special and looking utterly delighted.
In that instant Lee Jun's expression turned bitter. It lasted only a moment, so no one noticed. He composed his face and thought to himself, Those kids must be even hotter than this…
His gaze drifted, distant, to the watermelons. Watermelon… should I send them some?
He was still turning the thought over when Go Gi-jin came out from the exam rooms.
"Aigoo, what in the world is all this?"
"Director Go sent it. But why did he send so much?"
"He sent it for everyone to eat together, but honest to goodness, why don't my pa know the meanin' of moderation?"
Go Gi-jin huffed through his nose, looking at Lee Jun. Lee Jun answered with an awkward smile.
"If you don't know, how would I?"
"Just you wait!"
Go Gi-jin called at once. The moment the line connected, his booming voice poured into the phone.
"Aigoo, Pa, did you yank up the whole field? Why'd you send this much?"
"You little—! I send a lot and you still got complaints! You the only one with a mouth? Everybody's gotta eat! What's-it—the guardians who come to your hospital gotta eat, and what's-it—our handsome ones got plenty of friends too! You share it around and it'll be gone in no time!"
"That so? Aigoo, you should've just said so, then. I thought you were tellin' me to go sell 'em!"
"What? Don't be ridiculous! Just share 'em and eat, you hear?"
Click. The call cut off.
Go Gi-jin turned to the guardians in the lobby with an awkward face.
"So, uh! Guardians, grab a watermelon on your way out. Ah—right. If it's too heavy, you can come back for it later."
Go Gi-jin's voice was loud, but Veterinarian Go Panseok's was no quieter. The guardians in the lobby had already heard the entire conversation. They answered, smiling.
"Thank you, Dr. Go. Please tell him we'll enjoy it."
"We'll eat well."
"Dr. Go, please tell your father we'll enjoy every bite!"
The guardians offered their thanks in a chorus.
"It'll be tasty, all right."
Go Gi-jin answered, a little shy, and added,
"The Korean melons'll be sweet too. Take those as well."
Lee Jun asked him,
"Gijin, can you get watermelons in this kind of quantity?"
"Watermelons? You got somewhere to send a gift?"
"Yeah. I was thinking about it."
"Ah, you wanna send 'em to the school? I'll send 'em. These look like Mr. Park's watermelons—that man farms 'em on a real big scale."
"Ah. Sending them to the school would be good too."
"Ohh—so it ain't the school?"
"No. I want to send them to the farms. You remember the Somang-is? The Hopes?"
"The Hopes? Aigoo, Hyung-nim! How could you think I'd forget those kids? You hyung-nims even did their neuter surgeries."
Go Gi-jin's voice suddenly sagged.
"Those kids… they loved eatin' watermelon so much."
"They did. …Let's send them this, at least."
Lee Jun swallowed the rest—even if I can't go to them myself—back down his throat, and his face set hard.
"All right. I'll call right now."
Go Gi-jin dialed at once, explained the situation, and Veterinarian Go Panseok answered in a voice so loud it seemed to shake the air.
"N-no, I—and you really don't have to send that many—"
"Don't you worry about it! I wanna do a good turn myself, that's why."
Click. Staring at the ended-call screen, Go Gi-jin shook his head.
"I swear, my pa just don't know the word moderation. Anyway, Hyung-nim, you got the address?"
"Yeah, it's saved on my phone. Hold on. My phone's in my office. I'll go grab it and ask."
Lee Jun went back to the director's office and took out his phone—and it rang in his hand. When he saw the name on the screen, he smiled a little awkwardly.
It was the senior he had been about to call. Kang Han-ul.
Lee Jun picked up at once.
"Sunbae. I was just searching your number because I was about to call you. Did you plant a security camera in my office or something?"
"Hahaha. You caught me?"
Han-ul—a name that meant to hold someone close, as snug and sheltering as a great enclosing fence. True to that name, his senior always answered with the same steady warmth.
"You busy?"
"No, I'm not. More importantly, sunbae—are you all right in this heat? You haven't gotten heatstroke, have you?"
Unlike Lee Jun, who worked indoors, Kang Han-ul spent most of his time out in the field, seeing patients and running from place to place.
"Me, struggling? They're the ones who are struggling."
"That's true, but you're struggling too."
"Haha. Thanks for worrying. But you said you were about to call me—what's going on?"
He would have called because he had something to say, and yet he always made room for the other person first. Lee Jun spoke with a face brighter than it had been a moment ago.
"It's nothing much. I was thinking of sending the kids a snack. Watermelon, Korean melon, that sort of thing. Ah—how about the feed? Do you have enough?"
"Haha. The feed's fine, thanks to you. But if you send more, I won't say no. There's a lot, and it's never enough."
"Well, they do put away two kilos a day. And they should be eating well."
They put away two kilos a day. They should be eating well. The two statements sat at odds, and yet Lee Jun and Kang Han-ul were thinking the same thing.
"That's right. We've got to feed them a lot."
"We've got to feed them even more. And tastier things."
"I'd like that."
"So I was thinking. Would two one-ton trucks of watermelon and Korean melon a day be all right?"
"You're sending that much? W-wait. When you said a day—you mean every day?"
"Yes. I'd like to, at least until summer's over. Ah—it wouldn't be just me. Gijin's father is helping. We're going to send it together."
Veterinarian Go Panseok had said he would shoulder the whole thing himself, but Lee Jun had no intention of letting him. He had been the one to bring it up in the first place.
"I want to do at least this much."
He added, after a beat,
"It's not as if I can even get out there to see them very often."
"Ah. Still, that really does sound like too much. Once a week, about one truck, would be plenty… isn't that excessive?"
"No. Not at all. Then let's send it that way, and I'll send the rest to the other farms."
"Then I'd be more than grateful."
"Come on, nothing to be grateful for over something like this. Anyway, I'll plan on about fourteen one-ton truckloads a week for now, so pick out the places and send me the addresses. And sunbae—is something going on?"
"Mm. You… have you been very busy lately?"
At his senior's tone, Lee Jun thought, He needs help.
"No, I'm not busy. And these days the other doctors have been covering so well—"
"Meaning you'll make time even if you are busy. Thank you. If it weren't you, I don't think I could have asked. Lee Jun—among the Somang-is, do you remember Haennim-i?"
The Somang-is he had spoken of with Go Gi-jin were the rescued farmed bears. And among them, Kang Han-ul had named Haennim-i—the small, timid one who was missing a front leg.
"Of course I do. She's one I operated on."
"She is. She needs some treatment, and we don't have enough hands."
"What's wrong with Haennim-i?"
"The skin necrosis on her hindquarters is very severe."
"How bad?"
"Mm. Bad enough that I can barely cover it with one hand?"
"Hoo. That prognosis isn't going to be good…"
"I know. And Haennim-i's liver isn't doing well either."
"Her liver?"
"Yeah. We got ultrasound support at the last health check. It was a portable unit, so the images weren't great, but still. That's where we found the tumor."
"Necrosis and a tumor on top of it… Haennim-i must be in a lot of pain."
Lee Jun could not bring himself to say that the prognosis would be poor, so he said that instead.
"She will be. That kid Haennim-i… even without the necrosis on her rear, she's got a year? Two at the most, right?"
Even so, there had to be a reason he had placed this call. Just as Lee Jun suspected, Kang Han-ul's voice came through the receiver.