Ttochi's New Brothers
Hoesaegi opened his mouth, his expression utterly self-assured.
"Ttochi-ong, I am Hoesaegi-ong. Ah, and I'm a cat-ong."
Sapsaree, standing beside him, followed Hoesaegi's lead.
"I'm Sapsaree-dayo. A dog-dayo."
Ttochi rolled himself back into a tight little ball. The two of them coming over to greet him had made him a bit frightened.
Gkamnyangi, standing a little ways off, flinched in alarm.
Eek!
He immediately clapped both front paws over his mouth.
Just then, Ttochi lifted his head again.
Th-there's no way he heard me scream.
Gkamnyangi thought this as he stared at Ttochi, his own neck still hunched into his shoulders.
A tiny face, with black eyes and a black nose that looked as if they'd been pressed right into it, and an expression that seemed a little frightened. Seeing that, Gkamnyangi's hunched neck uncoiled just a fraction.
Ttochi glanced around with frightened eyes, then answered.
"......Ttochi."
Having said that, he added something more.
"I'm a hedgehog... pook."
"Hedgehog Ttochi-ong, where does it hurt-nyaong? Does it still hurt-nyaong? Doesn't it hurt-nyaong?"
At Hoesaegi's words, Ttochi lowered his head, looking down at the site of his surgery.
"Yeah... it doesn't hurt, pook. It hurt a whole lot, but it doesn't hurt now, pook-pook."
Watching Ttochi answer with a face brighter than before, Hoesaegi curled the corners of his mouth upward. Gkamnyangi's mouth tugged up a little, too.
"Our Hyungnim is the one who fixed you-ong."
"That's right-dayo. Hyungnim made it so it doesn't hurt-dayo."
Their voices brimmed with confidence.
"Hyungnim, pook?"
"That's right-ong. The Hyungnim who just came and left-ong."
Only then did Ttochi's face light up.
"Ah, that's the teacher who said my quills were cool, pook! The teacher said my quills were long and all pointy-pointy, so they were cool, pook-pook!"
Quills. Long. Pointy.
Every time Ttochi spoke those three words, Gkamnyangi's shoulders gave a little twitch. But he wanted to keep up his dignified appearance, so he locked every muscle in his body and held on. And the effort paid off. Neither Hoesaegi nor Sapsaree had the faintest idea that Gkamnyangi was terrified of Ttochi's quills.
Hoesaegi, completely smitten with those quills puffed up big and round, asked with sparkling eyes.
"That's right-ong. Ttochi-ong. Your quill-fur is really cool-ong."
"That's right-dayo. I want to wear that too-dayo. It looks so cool-dayo."
Hoesaegi and Sapsaree had never seen a hedgehog before. Lee Jun had explained that the quills were something like fur, but to them, Ttochi looked like he was wearing a coat of spines — the way they themselves sometimes wore vests or clothes.
"Hehe, thank you! Pook-pook, pook-pook-pook."
In high spirits, Ttochi let out a string of pooks and grinned bashfully.
"Ttochi-ong, can I try touching your quill-fur once-ong?"
"I want to touch it too-dayo."
Remembering that Ttochi was easily frightened, Sapsaree asked in a small voice, still lying flat on the ground.
"Hehe, okay... pook-pook, pyo-byo-pook."
Having said that, Ttochi braced his front legs and dragged himself forward, scooting toward the Hyungnims who so envied his quills.
Then Hoesaegi and Sapsaree caught sight of the unnatural way Ttochi was moving, and they both sprang up in alarm.
"T-Ttochi-ong, do your legs hurt-ong?"
"That's right-dayo. Ttochi's legs hurt-dayo?"
"......Yes. I can't walk."
"Bwaaaeng!"
"Euheong!"
Hoesaegi and Sapsaree burst into tears at the same time. Even Gkamnyangi, standing a little apart, had tears rolling down his face.
That tiny little guy — and a guy with pook-pook quills all over his back, no less — couldn't even walk.
Without even realizing it, Gkamnyangi scurried right up in front of Ttochi.
With all three of them crying, Ttochi was at a complete loss.
"H-Hyungnims..."
"T-Ttochi, our Hyungnim is going to fix you. Don't you worry. You'll be able to walk."
Gkamnyangi couldn't quite bring himself to touch Ttochi, but the words of comfort poured out of him.
"That's right-ong. Our Hyungnim will have you standing right up-ong."
"That's right-dayo. I couldn't walk either, but I walk now-dayo. I can even run-dayo."
"Pook-pook-pook, pook-pyoro-pook-pook."
For the first time since being admitted, Ttochi felt a warmth bloom in his chest. Maybe because he was so happy, pook-pook sounds came tumbling out of his mouth in a rush. The kinship the three of them felt toward Ttochi — Ttochi felt it too.
Hehehe. This is nice.
In an instant, the four of them became friends. The camaraderie of those who had been through the same thing bound them tightly together.
"Hyungnims, would you like to touch my quills, pook?"
Ttochi was a hedgehog who thoroughly disliked unfamiliar hands. And yet, to these three, he offered his back without the slightest hesitation.
"I'll touch them-ong."
"Hehe, I'm touching Ttochi-dayo."
Hoesaegi and Sapsaree touched Ttochi's quills with their front paws.
In his good mood, Ttochi's quills had all lain back, sleek and smooth. Touching them, Hoesaegi's eyes went round as saucers.
"Whoa-ong! Th-they're so cool-ong. Way harder than my whiskers-ong. They're like my claws-ong."
"So cool-dayo. Hard like my teeth-dayo."
However hard a hedgehog's quills might be, could they really be as hard as teeth? But that was how it seemed to Sapsaree.
"Ttochi is really strong-dayo. He's got so, so many things like my teeth-dayo."
"That's right-ong. There are so many guys who are scared of my claws-ong. Ttochi is stronger than those guys-ong."
The strong recognize the strong. Hoesaegi and Sapsaree acknowledged Ttochi as a powerful one, just like themselves.
Watching this, Gkamnyangi let out a sigh. Having been pricked by those quills just a little while ago, he knew perfectly well how strong they were. He was probably the one in this room who knew it best. And so he understood just how powerful this timid, gentle-looking little guy really was.
That doesn't mean I want to go touching Ttochi's quills and chatting about it like these guys.
He had no desire to feel that kind of pain again.
Besides, hadn't he himself once suffered terribly in a thorn thicket? With trauma that powerful, Gkamnyangi was afraid of Ttochi and his quills. Even if they were lying flat and neat right now, there was no telling when they might spring up again and jab him full of holes.
Ugh, it really hurt, though.
Gkamnyangi had never once thought of himself as being afraid of anything. And besides, wasn't he the Second-in-Command, rivaling the number one himself? No — in his heart, he was already on equal footing with the top. He considered himself every bit Hoesaegi's match.
And so, when Hoesaegi and Sapsaree showed such interest in Ttochi — that creature bristling with ferocious quills — Gkamnyangi felt a sense of crisis.
If that Hoesaegi bastard thinks I'm scared of that guy, Ttochi, he'll never let me hear the end of it. And that's not all. He's the type who'd go around telling the whole neighborhood that I'm afraid of hedgehogs.
That could not be allowed. It was something that must never, ever happen.
The fact that the great Shadow was afraid of a creature no bigger than a bean was classified intelligence that must never leak. Never mind that Ttochi, however small, was not actually bean-sized, and that Gkamnyangi being afraid of hedgehogs didn't exactly qualify as classified intelligence either. But that was how Gkamnyangi saw it.
So from now on, I'll act.
And acting? That was something he was exceptionally good at!
Gkamnyangi drew in a great breath.
Huuup!
Then he walked over, supremely arrogant and unhurried.
"Ahem! Ttochi's fur is pretty tough, I'll give him that."
Slowly, but with dignity — as if the king of the jungle, a tiger, were on the move.
At the sound of Gkamnyangi's voice, Hoesaegi turned around and blinked. Then he opened his mouth.
"Gkamnyangi-ong! Why are you waddling around like Kkotnimi-ong? Does your butt hurt-ong?"
"Ah, so that's why Hyungnim yelled 'Aaaagh'-dayo?"
Ghk!
Gkamnyangi, who had been walking so magnificently, froze like a statue — one front paw extended forward, one hind leg still lifted behind him.
That evening, Lee Jun told the three of them it was time to go home. Hoesaegi answered with complete conviction.
"Not going-ong. I'm sleeping with Ttochi-ong."
"That's right-dayo. I'm sleeping with Ttochi too-dayo."
Once the two of them had spoken, Gkamnyangi had no choice but to answer as well.
"I-I'll stay with Ttochi too."
The three of them slept together at Ttochi's side. Of course, Ttochi had tucked himself snugly into his nest. Sapsaree lay down beside it, and Hoesaegi lay down on the opposite side. And Gkamnyangi lay down a little farther away.
Looking at Gkamnyangi like that, Sapsaree spoke.
"Gkamnyangi Hyungnim-ayo, are you watching to see if Ttochi is in pain-dayo?"
The spot Gkamnyangi had chosen was one with a clear view of Ttochi's face. Unlike Hoesaegi and Sapsaree, who had plastered themselves right up against Ttochi's nest, he had lain down above it. Seeing this, the two of them assumed Gkamnyangi had stationed himself in front of the nest's opening so he could immediately notice any sign that Ttochi was hurting.
"Th-that's right."
It wasn't that at all, but Gkamnyangi nodded.
"As expected, Gkamnyangi keeps a close watch-ong."
This from Hoesaegi, acknowledging the cat who had once been his rival.
"As expected of Gkamnyangi Hyungnim-dayo. So cool-dayo."
At their praise, Gkamnyangi puffed up and answered.
"Well, yeah."
Having answered that way, Gkamnyangi thought to himself,
Whew, dodged that one. Still, so much for sleeping tonight.
Now that he'd said it, he'd have to keep watch over the little guy all night. Contrary to his intentions, however, Gkamnyangi was soon fast asleep, rumbling snores rising from his throat, without the faintest idea that Ttochi had plastered himself right up against his side and fallen asleep.
And at some point, Hoesaegi had also come over and sprawled out beside Ttochi, purring in his sleep. Ttochi slept truly, deeply, sandwiched between Hoesaegi on his left and Gkamnyangi on his right, his nest left far behind. He hadn't slept this deeply since he'd gotten sick. Nocturnal though he was, that night Ttochi slept without waking even once, as if in hibernation.
The next morning, Sapsaree was the first to wake. Seeing the three of them sleeping in a tight little huddle, he smiled with quiet satisfaction.
Heh-heh, that's our Hyungnims for you-dayo!
Strong Hyungnims, Hyungnims with a powerful sense of responsibility. To think they'd even taken in Ttochi, with those hard quills of his.
One day, two days, three days... time passed, and it had already been five days since Ttochi was admitted.
"He can start practicing walking now."
Lee Jun gave his permission.
It hadn't been a leg surgery to begin with — they had removed masses from his hip and thigh. The masses had just been rather large. And so now it was time to try walking.
"Ttochi-ong, grab my tail-ong."
Hoesaegi held his tail out to Ttochi. Then Gkamnyangi spoke as well.
"Grab my tail too. Mine'll be easier to hold than that guy's. His tail has way too much fur!"
As if he'd never been afraid of Ttochi at all, Gkamnyangi offered his tail right in front of him.
"What are you talking about-ong? Ttochi's front paws are small, so he can grab my fur and walk-ong."
"Hey, if he grabs fur there's no strength in it. No strength. What if he falls?"
"He must not fall-dayo."
"He won't fall-ong. Ttochi can walk-ong."
"How would you know? If that cute little tiny guy falls and gets hurt, are you gonna take responsibility?"
"Hehe, Ttochi-yo, I'm right here-dayo. If you fall on me it won't hurt-dayo."
Watching the three of them bicker, Ttochi smiled with quiet happiness. Then he spoke in a small voice.
"Hyungnims, thank you, pook-pook-pook."
And then.
Tap. Ta-tap. Ta-ta-tap.
As Ttochi toddled forward, taking wobbly steps, all three of them went wide-eyed.
Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi sprang to their feet and clapped their paws like little cotton mallets. Sapsaree waved his long tail back and forth and cried, "Woohoo!"
"You're doing great-ong! You're doing great-ong! Our Ttochi is doing great-ong!"
"Yeah, yeah, go, go!"
"Walking so well-dayo. Walking so well-dayo!"
The next day, Ttochi was discharged. And a few days passed.
Ttochi's guardian woke in the middle of the night, pulled from sleep by a noisy da-da-da-da. In the old days, the thought would have been, Ugh, and I can't even put that exercise wheel outside... and the blanket would have been pulled all the way over their head. But the sound they heard now rang out like a harmony from heaven — Ttochi and the wheel singing as one.
What a beautiful sound.
Ttochi's guardian had come to understand, truly understand, that the sound of Ttochi running on his wheel — a sound they had always taken for granted — was not a sound they could always hear. And so they were so, so grateful for it.
The guardian drifted back to sleep with the drrrk-drrrk of the turning wheel as a lullaby, not quite as vigorous as it once was. Tears soaked the pillowcase, but a smile filled their lips.