Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Director Lee's Dream
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“This kid—no, Director Lee’s dream is to build a local animal medical center just like this.”
Han Na-hyuk said from the side.
“I must be lacking knowledge, because I have no idea what you mean.”
“Right? I made the exact same face as you when I first heard Director Lee’s goal.”
Han Na-hyuk picked up the thread and turned his gaze to Lee Jun.
“Director Lee. Tell the CEO what you told me.”
“As I mentioned to the CEO last time, my treatment goal is to prevent illness in pets before it happens and catch it early if it does.”
“That’s right.”
Namgung Hyun nodded as if recalling.
“By the time guardians realize their pets are sick, the condition has usually progressed quite a bit. Of course, excluding minor cases like vomiting and diarrhea.”
“That’s unfortunate.”
“Exactly.”
Lee Jun and Han Na-hyuk both regretted that fact.
“The key is detecting it early, and I see that as a physical exam.”
“Physical exam—you mean like weighing them, taking temperature, and... yeah, blood pressure too? That kind of health checkup?”
Namgung Hyun responded, recalling his past visits to the animal hospital with Banji.
“Yes, exactly. But what I mean goes beyond formal health checkups—it’s about things you can check with your eyes.”
“With your eyes?”
“Yes. Every time an animal visits, you check their eyes, see if their nose is moist, listen with a stethoscope. Check their skeletal structure too. Those don’t require a full health checkup.”
“That makes sense. Excluding the stethoscope, it’s just visual... Ah, so that’s why you call it a physical exam.”
Namgung Hyun understood why Lee Jun specified “physical exam” instead of “health checkup.”
Lee Jun was distinguishing based on whether the guardian pays extra or not.
“Why not just include it in the health checkup?”
“Few animals get annual health checkups.”
“Ah! So that’s...”
Lee Jun smiled faintly at Namgung Hyun’s words. Instead, Han Na-hyuk spoke up.
“You can think of Director Lee letting dogs loose in the clinic as an extension of physical exams.”
“That’s part of it?”
“What do you think happens when you set them down? They walk, sniff around, handle their business. Even letting Gray out now is to check his health.”
At Han Na-hyuk’s words, Namgung Hyun’s gaze shifted to Gray.
Then Lee Jun’s too.
As six eyes focused on him, Gray shot up and backed away smoothly.
His wild instincts had kicked in.
[Why are you staring like that, meow!]
“You’re so cool.”
[I-I’m always cool, meow!]
Gray stammered in embarrassment.
Watching him, Lee Jun said,
“Take Gray here. Watching him move like this lets me check if his legs have strength. Plus, his balance seems normal.”
“He’s walking backward straight, so his brain’s definitely fine.”
Han Na-hyuk commented as he observed Gray’s gait.
“Man, Gray’s recovering fast. His fur’s got a shine now. Most of all, he’s got life in him.”
“Ah, so you check all that one by one.”
Namgung Hyun nodded at Han Na-hyuk’s words.
“We vets assess health just by observing that. You can gather a ton of info from it.”
“I see. I thought Director Lee just loved animals and let them roam free.”
“You couldn’t do this job if you didn’t like animals.”
“Exactly. That’s a given.”
Lee Jun and Han Na-hyuk laughed in unison.
“Even people indifferent to animals end up loving them after years around them.”
“That rings true. My secretary freaked out at Banji at first, but now she’s got her own dog.”
“That’s how it goes. And going back to earlier, knowing an animal’s usual state at the clinic helps catch issues fast.”
“Ah, yeah.”
Namgung Hyun nodded at Lee Jun’s words.
“I get why Director Lee emphasizes community animal hospitals. Stuff like this wouldn’t fly at secondary hospitals. Who visits a specialist hospital like it’s their backyard?”
“Exactly. And secondary hospitals are too busy for that kind of observation.”
“But what did you mean by ‘medical center’ earlier?”
“Small clinics like this have limits on diagnostics and treatments. Equipment shortages for starters. To fix that, you scale up—but then you lose the close-up observation we do now...”
“I get it.”
“Someday, I’d like to build a comprehensive animal medical center that offers the services I envision.”
Namgung Hyun was impressed.
‘Director Lee’s even more remarkable than I thought.’
Han Na-hyuk smiled warmly.
“Isn’t the CEO impressed?”
“Yeah. Most people prioritize personal gain first.”
“I’m thinking of my future too. I told you, I’m not selfless.”
Lee Jun shot back, but the two didn’t mind.
To them, Lee Jun was already a vet pouring everything into improving animals’ quality of life.
“Oh, CEO, we need to discuss the animal hospital at Our Yard Shelter. And show Director Lee the blueprints.”
“Oh right, I forgot why I came. Got caught up in your vision.”
Namgung Hyun made a call.
His secretary, waiting in the car, entered.
“Show him the renderings.”
“Got it.”
The secretary pulled a tablet from her briefcase and showed the renderings to Lee Jun first.
“Wow, impressive!”
“Right? The site’s huge. It’ll even have a rehab pool for large dogs. Remember? The one at KUVTH-BK in Thailand.”
“The pool the Thai king gifted?”
“Yeah. If built to spec, it’ll be about that size.”
“Amazing.”
“Right? And a separate pool for small dogs’ hydrotherapy.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, isn’t it killer? Money talks... Haha, pro builders are something else. Looks like real photos.”
Namgung Hyun blinked at their chatter.
Lee Jun elaborated for him.
“There’s a university in Bangkok called Kasetsart. Their vet school runs four animal hospitals, and this refers to the Bangkok campus one.”
“A university running four animal hospitals? Sounds massive.”
“The Bangkok campus is huge. My jaw dropped on my first visit.”
“I was shocked by the waiting room alone. It was as big as a human university hospital’s.”
“Ho! Sounds epic just hearing about it.”
“It is. They use two nine-story buildings.”
Namgung Hyun’s gaze flicked to his secretary.
“Tell Team Leader Kang to go check it out.”
“Understood.”
At Namgung Hyun’s words, Lee Jun and Han Na-hyuk exchanged glances.
‘He’s decisive. Sending someone right away.’
‘Yeah.’
As they conversed with looks, Namgung Hyun asked,
“Any other animal hospitals worth benchmarking like that Bangkok one?”
“A few, but this design holds its own.”
Lee Jun pointed at the tablet.
“Really?”
“Yeah. And placing the endoscopy center next to the ER on the first floor? Smart.”
“Director Han says emergencies with foreign objects in the throat are time-critical.”
“It’s nerve-wracking.”
Answering, Lee Jun felt an intense gaze.
Turning, he saw Gray staring fixedly.
His expression looked expectant.
‘Hm? What?’
Not hungry.
They’d arrived near 8 p.m., and Gray ate dinner at 7.
So then.
Gray alternated glances between Lee Jun and the waiting chair.
‘Ah, this guy wants the comfy seat.’
Gray had discovered the plush cushion and blanket.
“Gray, wanna sit here?”
[I do, meow!]
“Yeah, hop up.”
Lee Jun gently picked up Gray and set him on the chair.
[So plush and nice, meow!]
Gray smiled contentedly.
“Hah, seeing a cat grin like that is just too good.”
“He looks so happy.”
Namgung Hyun and Han Na-hyuk smiled at Gray.
“You can tell he’s blissful from his face alone.”
[It’s great, meow!]
Gray leaned against Lee Jun.
Then he purred happily and closed his eyes.
Lee Jun stroked Gray’s small head.
The warm feeling at his fingertips lifted his mood too.
That warmth spread to Han Na-hyuk and Namgung Hyun.
The three enjoyed a relaxed moment.
Namgung Hyun looked up from the purring, sleeping Gray.
“We’ll refine the medical center plans step by step. Now, onto Our Yard Shelter?”
“Yes. Didn’t expect you to bring it up so soon, CEO.”
Lee Jun said honestly.
“You push when the iron’s hot. Otherwise, it drags on.”
“True. No one would complain about a one- or two-year delay.”
“Haha, not on my watch. How would Director Lee think of me if I did?”
Do I need to say it? Lee Jun just smiled.
“I don’t want to lose talent like Director Lee over something like that.”
Namgung Hyun shrugged.
“It’s where Haenguni’s friends are, right? Can’t bring them all, but I want to do this much.”
“Feels like Haenguni brought us luck.”
“Haha, well said. My chronic insomnia vanished after Haenguni came. Appetite’s back too.”
“That’s great.”
“All thanks to Director Lee. Hahaha.”
“Glad to hear it. With your firm commitment, I’ll share the good news with the members. They’ll be thrilled.”
“They sure will. They were fundraising for a proper surgery room at Our Yard.”
“Haha, really? Then I’ll await your call.”
***
The next day, Lee Jun was busy from dawn.
[That smells so good, meow!]
Gray, still half-asleep, wandered into the kitchen.
“Special treat day today. That’s why I’m boiling chicken.”
He didn’t get “special treat,” but “chicken” registered.
Gray licked his lips with his slender pink tongue and trotted into the kitchen.
Then rubbed his head against Lee Jun’s calf.
[I wanna eat now, meow!]
“Yeah, just a bit longer. I’ll give it once it cools.”
Lee Jun had already shredded boiled chicken breast and was letting it cool.
Soon, he portioned some into Gray’s bowl and set it down.
Ecstatic Gray froze in confusion.
The portion was less than half of last time.
But the savory aroma was irresistible. He dug in.
A few bites later, the bowl was empty.
[I-Is this all, meow?]
Lee Jun grinned at flustered Gray.
“Just this?”
[No, meow! I want more, meow!]
Meooow!
Gray raised his voice.
“We’ll share the rest with your friends.”
[Friends?]
“Yeah. Your crew. We’re heading to the park. Tastier with them, right?”
Gray’s eyes widened at Lee Jun’s words.
“You said it yourself! You wanted to eat with friends!”
[I-I did say that, meow!]
Moisture welled in Gray’s round eyes.