The Door Is Open

"Writers, could I ask you to give the dogs some treats? I'll check on the mother and join you after."

He meant he would go on treating the Tosa who had convulsed from postpartum eclampsia only a short while ago, then come back.

"Yes, Director. Leave it to us."

Lee Jun and Go Gi-jin walked toward the mother Tosa. The large basin she was lying in came into view. She seemed to have come around; her face poked out from between the sides of the basin.

Go Gi-jin looked at that face.

"Hyung-nim, how's she lookin'?"

"We'll hang an IV first and wait. Once Park PD gets here, we'll take her with us."

At the implication that they would keep treating her, Go Gi-jin asked,

"But d'you think those folks'll actually give 'em up?"

"They will. With this much evidence, how are they going to hold out?"

"That's so, but they're such rotten people..."

"They are. But the door's already open, isn't it?"

Go Gi-jin understood at once. The look in his eyes changed.

"Oh! That's right, then. However you slice it, those bastards' door is open now. What's he gonna do if a dog runs out through a door that's standin' open? Ain't that so?"

"Exactly. So don't worry — let's just treat her."

If he'd had his way, he would have opened every last latch on those floating cages. He wanted to let the dogs out of those cramped, filthy spaces. He wanted them to feel earth under their paws instead of the hole-riddled wire mesh that had swollen their feet until they could barely stand.

But doing that would put this side at a legal disadvantage. So they would do what they could do right now.

With that thought, Lee Jun walked closer to the mother.

As Lee Jun and Go Gi-jin approached, she opened her eyes and looked at them — her expression thick with wariness. She was trying to protect her pups, no doubt.

Then, from behind them, came a low ggung-ggung.

It was Ggungggung-i, who had followed the two of them. He ggung-ggunged at the mother, telling her that Lee Jun and Go Gi-jin were good people. As he spoke, he looked at Lee Jun several times — the look of a dog who trusted him completely.

Perhaps because of that, the mother's drooping ears pricked up, twitching, and she soon made a ggung of her own as she looked at Lee Jun. The wariness in her eyes had eased, just a little.

Judging that he could examine her on the strength of that look, Lee Jun spoke to her in a gentle voice.

"Even if it hurts here, just bear with it a little. Then you'll start getting your strength back, bit by bit."

He connected the IV to the vein he had already found, and cautioned her not to pull the line out.

"Once you've finished this, I'll give you food. So even if you're hungry, hang on just a little longer."

When Lee Jun took off the puffer jacket he was wearing and draped it over the puppies, a faint smile bloomed on the mother's face. A terribly awkward smile. She was probably more grateful that he had covered her babies with something warm than for any promise that the drip would give her strength.

"Look at her eyes, Hyung-nim. Seems like she understood what you said."

"She would. She knows we came to help."

"Well, these ones do have a pretty sharp sense for that, don't they?"

They did.

Lee Jun felt an inexpressible pity for this mother who had given birth in fear and then had to put her pups to nurse. He vowed he would save her, and treat her, no matter what.

Perhaps that feeling reached her. The mother let out a low sigh — a sigh of relief — and laid the head she had been holding up down against the floor.

When the heart is at ease, the body follows. That was only natural. Watching the mother lie down, the tension leaving her body, Go Gi-jin's face grew warm with satisfaction.

"Aigoo, already feelin' easy, are ya? That's it. Stay like that a while. In a bit we'll have some tasty food, okay?"

"Get some good rest."

Lee Jun told the mother he would be back, and left. She had taken a liking to him and even to Go Gi-jin, so she would surely keep the cautions he had given her.

He walked toward the writers with an easy heart. Already, the sound of dogs eating treats was rising from floating cages all around.

Smack-smack-smack-smack.

Munch-munch-munch-munch.

Gulp-gulp-gulp.

The sounds of treats being eaten with relish — those sounds lit up Lee Jun's face, and Go Gi-jin's too.

As he walked, the writers' conversation reached his ears.

"That's such ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a good sound."

"Yeah, really. Dogs eating treats always sounds nice, but I never thought it could sound this wonderful."

Perhaps the dogs' expressions were coloring the sound, making it even sweeter. Looking at the dogs eating their treats with bright faces, Lee Jun agreed with the writers. To his ears, too, it was an utterly pleasant sound.

But he could not savor it with his whole heart. Because around those bright faces, his eyes kept going to the wretchedness of the place itself.

Heaps of filth piled high. And something wriggling among it.

There are so many maggots.

His face tightened of its own accord.

Then Ggungggung-i came into his field of view. The dog who had trotted after them was holding a treat the writers had given him in his mouth, looking utterly bewildered, his eyes huge.

"Ggungggung-i, that's for eating. Just eat it like your friends over there."

"That's right. Go on and eat, Ggungggung-i."

Ggungggung-i trotted over and plopped down right beside Go Gi-jin. Then, with the expression of a dog who owned the whole world, he started eating his treat.

Looking at him, Lee Jun schooled his face again. Ggungggung-i, and the dogs in the floating cages, had lived in this environment until now. He had no right to scowl just because he had been standing here for a little while.

These guys have a sense of smell developed beyond anything I can imagine, and they're enduring it. I shouldn't be like this. But that — I cannot stand that.

Among the filth, pale shapes showed here and there. Those were clearly bones. Remains.

Lee Jun's teeth clenched of their own accord. At the same time, Article 1 of Chapter 1 of the Animal Protection Act rose in his mind.

But here, not a single clause of that law was being kept.

Go Gi-jin, apparently thinking the same thing, opened his mouth in a voice thick with rage.

"Aigoo, what in the world is that? Hyung-nim, that — you see that?"

"Yeah."

"Ain't that just too much? Where in any of this were they 'protectin' these ones' lives, guaranteein' their safety, and promotin' their welfare'? Why hasn't anyone hauled 'em in till now?"

Lee Jun lifted his phone and photographed the remains visible among the filth as he answered.

"Well, they got hauled in now, at least..."

"How much must that poor thing have suffered..."

Go Gi-jin's face was twisted as he looked toward the remains.

"Can't they just take a report and go arrest 'em right then, like in Germany or America?"

"We'll get there, bit by bit. The law they just changed is something to be really glad about, isn't it?"

"...That's true."

"Someday we'll have animal rights guaranteed in the Constitution, too."

"You're right. What's the use of arrestin' 'em? Without somethin' like that, they just raise animals all over again."

"That's what we have to work toward. We have to make it so people like this can never keep animals again."

In Germany, where animal rights are written into the Constitution, there is a dedicated Animal Protection Office. It handles a wide range of animal-related administration and policy, and works with the Veterinary Office — a local agency — to process animal-related complaints. If a report of suspected abuse comes in by phone, they dispatch immediately. Prior notice? Unnecessary. If the site refuses to cooperate, they obtain a warrant and go in with the police. Better still: once abuse is confirmed, the person is banned from adopting animals. That was what Lee Jun had meant.

"How good would that be, then? People like this'd never be able to keep animals again..."

At some point, the munching and smacking had stopped. The dogs had finished their treats. In its place, a chorus of ggung-ggung-ggung settled over the cages. The dogs inside the floating cages looked at Lee Jun's group and made those soft sounds, and their tails waved with them, back and forth.

"Well, look at that! Hyung-nim, look at 'em. These ones are waggin' their tails."

"Oh my, they really are."

"It must have been so good."

These were dogs who had kept their tails glued to their rumps, or hanging limp. And now, after a single treat, they were this happy. The puppies were wagging all the way back to their hindquarters. They would have wanted to run, but with a floor like that, they couldn't.

"You guys..."

Lee Jun looked at them with aching eyes. Go Gi-jin's gaze was just as pained.

"If this were dirt, they'd be hoppin' around all over."

He let out a sigh, then spoke to the dogs in the floating cages.

"Was it tasty, huh?"

Woof-woof.

Bow-wow.

The dogs who had finished eating answered him, waving their tails harder than before. And just like that, as if he had never scowled at all, Go Gi-jin broke into a wide grin.

"Want some more, do ya? Hold on just a second."

He took a handful of treats from the box and reached through the bars of a floating cage.

Dogs shoving their friends aside to get there first? Nothing of the kind happened. They ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠simply looked at Go Gi-jin's hand, licking their chops. Some of them even turned their heads to look behind them. Even the puppies were quiet.

These were dogs who had been starving until now. Dogs like that, with food in front of them, ought to have been in a frenzy, fighting to eat. Even if it didn't come to a fight, they should have been whining to go first, sticking their paws through the gaps in the bars, poking their heads out — and yet...

When the dogs in the floating cages only gazed quietly at the treats, Go Gi-jin panicked.

"Hey, what's with 'em? Did they get sick eatin' somethin' they ain't used to?"

"From just one treat? I don't think so."

Lee Jun answered, then spoke to the dogs.

"There's enough for all of you, so you don't have to worry. Your friends in the back will all get some too."

That was it. They had been worried the friends farther back hadn't gotten any — even though they were hungry, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠even though the delicious smell was tormenting their noses.

Lee Jun, Go Gi-jin, and the writers put a treat into each waiting mouth, and the dogs began to make those cheerful sounds all over again.

Smack-smack-smack.

Munch-munch-munch.

Their faces were brighter, and their tails waved with even more delight than before.

The group went from floating cage to floating cage, feeding them as they walked. Writer Yeom spoke as she held out a treat.

"Director, it doesn't seem like any of them are sick. They're all eating so well."

What she meant was that none of them were showing serious symptoms, even if they were unwell.

"They probably disposed of those first. To those people, these dogs are money."

"Ah...!"

"Those awful people!"

One of the writers spat the words out.

"Which is why we have to rescue them."

"That's right."

The air caught fire all at once, full of fight.

One of the writers said it as if making a vow. Writer Yeom took it up.

"You're going to keep reporting them?"

"I have social media. And I'm in a lot of online communities, too. I'm going to post one photo from today, every single day."

"To make an appeal?"

"Yes. It'll go out on the broadcast too, but that can get buried fast... so I'll just keep putting it in front of people."

"You'll get in real trouble doing that."

"Even if I do, could it be a bigger deal than what happened to them? More dangerous? And I'm already prepared for that much."

"Hearing you say that, Writer Song, gives me strength."

"No. Compared to what Director Lee is doing, it's nothing."

"Then I'll join in too."

"You too, Writer Yeom?"

"Yes. If even she is prepared to go that far, I can't just sit still as team leader. Places like this really have to disappear."

"Hnngh... Writers, I'm real grateful to y'all."

Go Gi-jin said it with a face so moved that the writers didn't know where to look. A man that size getting teary-eyed would fluster anyone. Writer Yeom turned her head a little and picked up the thread.

"We can't treat them the way you can, so we'll fight with what we can — with our writing. Right, everyone?"

"Yes!"

"You're already helping them plenty. They're grateful to you, you know?"

Lee Jun relayed what Ggungggung-i and the dogs were saying — that they were thanking them.

"Oh, you babies..."

In a dog farm that had been nothing but hell, a warm, homey atmosphere bloomed. Dogs who until now had not known what a smile was lifted the corners of their mouths, awkward and unused to it, and laughed in a chorus of woofs. And the people who had been wearing angry faces, or sad ones, lifted the corners of their mouths too.

In the middle of that, Lee Jun's phone rang.

"Yes, Park PD."

The moment he spoke, everyone there looked at him with faces split between worry and hope.

One short sentence from the phone. At those words, everyone burst out in a shout.

"Yes!"

"I-is that for real? Those folks are givin' 'em up? A-hahahaha!"

"W-we made it. This is amazing!"

People jumping up and down with joy. People thanking someone they couldn't even name.

"Thank you. Thank you so much."

Among them, Lee Jun let out a long breath of relief.

"That's really a relief."

"But how did they give up so easily?"

"So in that situation, hearing we'd keep reporting... they couldn't see a way forward."

"You've worked hard."

A relief. A real relief. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠That they had come before summer. That because of that, they would be able to rescue every one of these dogs.

And if that was the case—

It'll be the same at the other places.

Then they could rescue a great many more before summer arrived — summer, which for people like this was the peak of the season.

Lee Jun's fist tightened around the phone he was still holding. It was a fist clenched with hope.

He took in the dog farm, the floating cages lined up in a long row, and spoke.

"Now all that's left is to take these guys with us, is it?"

"It'll be hard, though, won't it?"

Writer Yeom had appeared beside him at some point, picking up his words with a note of worry.

"For them, going outside meant their lives were over, right then."

"It would have."

"I went out on a shoot once when they were rescuing big ones like these. It was no joke."

"That must have been rough."

"It'll be better than that time, but still."

She looked at Lee Jun and went on.

"I'm sure you'll talk them around the way you did with the Hopes back then, Director. But I can't help worrying. These aren't small dogs."

Lee Jun listened, and thought,

If this were before, I would have been worrying about the exact same thing Writer Yeom is.

But he had no such worry now. The only thing that troubled him was where to send the dogs in front of him.