A Place to Sleep
The three of them padded into the room and, as naturally as breathing, climbed onto Lee Jun's bed and settled in.
Hoesaegi took the right side, Gkamnyangi the spot beside the pillow, Sapsaree the left.
The same places as the night before. And the night before that, and the night before that. For as long as anyone could remember, the three of them had always gone to sleep in the same spots. Well — once they actually drifted off, the arrangement tended to wander. But this was how it always started.
Lee Jun looked at the three of them sprawled across his bed and smiled, warm and content.
"Buying this was the right call."
The bed they occupied was extra-large — a family bed, a queen and a super-single pushed together.
There had been a reason Jun had bought something so enormous.
It had been back when they were still sleeping on a smaller mattress. Jun would lie down, and Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi would claim their spots — one tucked against his side, the other beside the pillow, just like now. And Sapsaree would settle on the floor, on a wide mattress of his own.
Jun had told the three of them good night and reached to switch off the bedside lamp. That was when Sapsaree's expression caught his eye.
He was looking at them with such naked envy.
Sapsaree had gazed up at the three on the bed, then looked down at his own body. And then he had let out a long, heavy sigh.
After that, he had curled up on his mattress — a mattress so large he could stretch all four legs and still have room to spare.
Jun had replaced the bed that very week. From that day on, the four of them had slept like this: piled together, one warm heap.
Still smiling, Jun climbed onto the bed. Hoesaegi, as if he had been waiting for exactly that, wriggled over and pressed himself against Jun's side.
"I'm going to sleep-ong. Hyungnim-ong, sleep well-ong. Gkamnyangi-ong, Sapsaree-ong, sleep well-ong."
"I'm going to sleep too. Hyungnim, Hoesaegi, Sapsaree — sleep well."
"Hehe, I'm sleeping too! All four of us are sleeping! Sleep well!"
"Yeah. Sleep well."
No sooner had Jun finished wishing them good night than the snoring started.
Kraaah~~ kraaah!
On the right, Hoesaegi was snoring with gusto, all four legs splayed wide, his mouth hanging open in a great aah to match the stretch of his limbs.
Kooo~ kook!
By the pillow, Gkamnyangi lay on his side, legs and body stretched out long.
Drrung~ drrung!
On the left, Sapsaree snored like a person, occupying a space even larger than himself.
Bathed in the moonlight slipping through a gap in the curtains, Jun watched the three of them sleeping in the most unguarded, comfortable postures imaginable.
"You guys must've been exhausted."
A smile touched Jun's lips. His eyes, though, couldn't follow it. They were heavy with worry.
Looking at the three sleeping on his bed, Jun thought of nameless lives huddled somewhere far away.
A November night cold enough that you might as well call it winter. Lives that would spend this night shivering. To those kids, even this cold is probably nothing. Because far greater problems were piled on top of it.
Lives that might not even get to draw breath tomorrow. Living things enduring that kind of existence.
What were those kids thinking, as they got through the days? How did they see the world? No. When would they even have time to think about that?
They weren't the type to ask for much. Kids who would be happy if they were just full and safe. Then they would be the happiest creatures in the world. That's all they need...
A comfortable place to sleep. Water. Food. That was all.
And yet giving them even that was no ordinary task.
For one thing, no one even knew how many dogs were locked up for meat. The surveys weren't being done properly. There are quite a few people raising over a thousand of them, apparently.
Raising poor creatures on a massive, corporate scale for money — no, "raising" wasn't even the right word. They were just locking them up.
How many places like that were there...? The activists from the animal groups will handle the rescues. I just need to prepare a place for them to stay once they're out. Is there any cheap land around? If buying is hard, a long-term lease would work too. Maybe a farm that's gone out of business? And before that — how much spare money can I even put together?
Jun considered getting up to check the banking app, then decided against it. If he looked at his phone, the three of them would definitely wake. Knowing the balance wouldn't let me do anything about it right this second anyway. I'd just wake the kids. Sleep.
But Jun's mind was too crowded, and sleep wouldn't come. Hah. I still need to find a home for the Somang-is too. I should go see them soon. And I need to get out to Hongseong and check on how the kids are doing. Yom-yom-i is doing well, right? Director Go said the squirrels seemed to have gone into hibernation...
One thought snagged on the next, and Jun didn't fall asleep until past three. For a man whose alarm went off at six.
The next day, Jun showed up to work with a hollow, exhausted face. Jang Sora asked him about it.
"Oh my, Director — are you feeling unwell?"
"No, I just didn't sleep well... I'll be fine once I have a cup of coffee."
"You too? I couldn't sleep either. The new law takes effect today, you know. Aigoo, just let me catch even a glimpse of anything — I'll report it on the spot."
Jang Sora clenched her fist, making the vow with real heat. Jun smiled.
"Of course we should report it. But do you think we'll actually see anything like that?"
"That's why we have to go looking."
"Looking where?"
"Secluded farms out in the middle of nowhere. Or — I hate even saying the words, but — meat farms. We need to go around those places."
"Aigoo! Don't even talk like that — you'll get yourself in serious trouble. Manager, you can't just go wandering in. Those people are rough."
"I'm not going alone, so don't worry. I picked a day with some friends."
"Ah, your classmates from the department?"
If they were Jang Sora's friends from the animal science program, they were probably all thinking the same thing. That was why Jun asked.
"Yes. I really hope this time we pull it out by the roots."
"I feel the same way."
Jun said so and went to the director's office to change into his scrubs. As he changed, he hesitated. Should I check now?
He'd overslept that morning and hadn't gotten around to looking at the balance. But then he shook his head. Later, if I have time. And the hospital's doing well enough that the revenue alone will be a big help.
Today was already stacked with things to do. Three surgeries, and appointments lined up one after another.
First, do what was in front of him, and do it well. When it came down to it, he was someone who treated animals.
Jun steeled himself and went to do the first thing he always did when he arrived: check on the inpatients.
The three of them came bounding toward him, grinning.
"Hyungnim-ong, the kids are all smiling like this-ong."
Seeing Hoesaegi giggling, it seemed none of the inpatients had taken a turn for the worse.
"And it smells way better than yesterday, too."
Gkamnyangi was giggling right along with him.
"Yeah? Sounds like everyone slept well."
"That's right! Nobody's hurting!"
Apparently no one had said they were in pain, either.
Jun spoke to the three of them as they trotted ahead.
"Thank you, guys."
At his words, all three of them grinned so wide their mouths nearly reached their ears, and they padded on, giggling.
Watching them from behind, Jun thought, If I tell Kwak Suho I want to put the money he sent us toward something good, he'll definitely say yes, right?
Grinning just as brightly as they were now.
Once evening rounds were over, Jun planned to ask the three of them for their opinion. It was money they had earned, so it was theirs to decide.
A little later, during the staff meeting, Jun put a question to the Mongmong Animal Hospital family.
"Happily, the law's been revised, right? So to mark the occasion, I want to make a donation in the hospital's name to an organization working to rescue dogs from the meat trade. Is everyone okay with that?"
"Sounds good!"
"I like it. I wanted to contribute too. Let's pool it."
"Should we give it to the manager?" Cha Da-jeong asked, and Jang Sora looked at Jun.
"Director, should we do it that way?"
"Huh? That's not what I meant — I was saying we'd donate from the hospital's revenue. You want to contribute personally?"
"That's your income, Director. You donate in your own name, and we'll all chip in together..."
"What, you think I earned that by myself? We all earned it together, as a hospital family. Looking at the room, it seems like everyone's on board. So that's how we'll do it?"
"If you're donating to a good cause, of course it's fine. It is fine, but — Director, what you've already done for the Somang-is alone is enormous."
Yoo Mu-hwan spoke up, a hint of worry on his face. Jun smiled and answered.
"Thanks for worrying, Dr. Yoo. But as you all know, our hospital's revenue... it's pretty solid, right? And since it came up — I'm here from morning till night, so it's not like I have anywhere to spend it."
"Same here. At least I used to buy food out, but these days Chef Joo's cooking is so good I don't even do that..."
"Right. So we'll contribute too."
Jun had only meant to sound out the staff before donating in the hospital's name. But everyone had responded so warmly that his chest felt full. They're all thinking the same thing I am.
Heartened, Jun found it a little easier to say out loud what he'd been turning over the night before.
"Um. What would you all think about something like medical volunteer work?"
"Woori Hamkke already got in touch, didn't they?" Go Gijin said. "If the schedule works, we'll go."
"I'll join as well," Yeo Un-hyeok added. "There are bound to be a lot of agitated ones."
Yoo Mu-hwan drove it home.
"The people who are off that day can take turns going on the volunteer visits."
Ah. That wasn't what he'd meant. That much was a given...
Jun looked toward Jang Sora and the technicians and swallowed.
"Um, well, that much is a given. Or — rather than a given, I'd be grateful if you'd do that. But I was wondering... whether it would be all right for those friends to come here. To our hospital."
Jun said it carefully. However much it was an animal hospital that bore his name, he wasn't running it alone.
"Ah, so a lot of the rescued ones are sick, then."
At Yoo Mu-hwan's words, Jun shook his head.
"No, it's not that yet. But those friends almost certainly never received any care at all. They won't have been neutered, of course, and plenty of them will have heartworm..."
"You think people who don't even feed them properly know what heartworm prevention is?"
"Even if they knew, they wouldn't have bothered. At most a year or two, and then..."
Meaning dogs raised for meat were never given any longer than that.
"That's why I'm bringing it up. Spay and neuter surgeries we can do in the field, that's fine. But the ones with something serious like heartworm disease will probably need to be hospitalized."
"We'll help."
Jang Sora said it, then looked at the technicians. They all nodded at once and spoke up.
"We will too. Director, don't worry about taking care of those friends. We'll take full responsibility and do it right."
"Thank you. If those friends do end up coming to our hospital, I'm counting on you."
"Of course. Don't worry."
The omitted word: meat dogs.
It was a word these people didn't need. Even saying "those friends" was enough for everyone to understand and keep the conversation going.
Jun was grateful for staff who joined his thinking with one heart.
Then he remembered something Jang Sora had mentioned in passing a few days ago.
"Manager Jang. Didn't you say a few days ago that a shop was moving out?"
Mongmong Animal Hospital occupied a six-story building. They used the entire first and second floors, and about a third of the third. The third floor held the cafeteria and break room, and lately — as if Jun's intentions had gotten through — a fair number of veterinarians had been coming by.
If Chef Joo and the cafeteria lady were still there, people would get a meal; after the two of them clocked out, food and drinks were left out for anyone who stopped by the cafeteria late. Once evening closing time passed, one or two people always dropped in. Sometimes nearly ten would gather.
The purpose was communication, and in that sense, they were getting the results they'd hoped for.
"One shop on the third floor, and the basement."
"Is that so? The basement — the yoga center?"
"Eugh, Director! Yoga center? It's Pilates. Pilates!"
At Jang Sora's correction, Jun stared at her blankly.
"There's a difference?"
"Of course there is. Completely different. Anyway, they're closing. But why do you ask?"
"I was hoping there'd be a vacancy. If the basement is opening up, I thought it would be good to take it. Then we could hospitalize those friends more comfortably."
"Aigoo, hyungnim, that's a real fine idea."
"The basement would be cheaper on rent, too, and even if the kids bark, being underground means less noise, right? Director, I think it could work. Using the whole basement would be more space than a single shop unit, too."
Jang Sora, who had spent a fair number of years in animal-hospital life, offered her opinion.
"You think so?"
The corner of Jun's mouth ticked up. It felt like he'd found a way through.
He'd lain awake the night before turning it all over, and this was the conclusion. Right. Let's do what we can, one thing at a time.
This much, at least, was well within what their current income could cover.
Thinking that, the weight on both shoulders — as if a bear had been sitting on each one — seemed to lighten, just a little.
On top of that, the hospital family had said they would join Jun's plan. And gladly. Jun was so happy he could have jumped.
Hope had taken root, and the fatigue seemed to melt away. Maybe that was why Jun went about his work with far more energy than usual.
And then evening came, and at last a quiet stretch of time opened up.
Jun went out to the lobby and spoke to the three of them.
"Kids, can you come with me for a minute?"
The three of them didn't ask why, of course. They trotted after Jun to the director's office, pitter-patter.
"It's about that thing — the one where you three look so cool. The one your awesome hyungnim shot for you."
Jun opened Myeotube and clicked on a video featuring the three of them.
Soon a scene appeared of the three of them acting with deadly serious expressions. It was Don't Eat This, You'll Die.
Watching it, the three of them grew visibly smug.
"Hyungnim-ong, I am really cool-ong."
"Hmph. I'm cooler. I really am a looker."
"Hyungnims! I do the coolest collapse! Look, look!"
The three of them put their heads together and squabbled over who was cooler. Jun spoke to them.
"You really are cool. But kids, there's something even cooler. If you do it, you'll be even cooler. What do you say — want to?"
"Of course I will-ong. I'll get even cooler-ong."
"I'm a looker, so of course I will."
"Hyungnim-ayo. Of course I will! But what is it?"
The three of them looked at Jun, eyes shining. That was when Jun clicked on another video.
In that instant, the three of them froze as if they had been turned to stone.
Hoesaegi, standing on his hind legs, his stubby front paws planted at his hips. Gkamnyangi, also on his hind legs, frozen in the middle of a wink. Sapsaree, both front paws up on Jun's knee.
On the screen the four of them were staring at, this is what played.