The Dream on Paper

While Lee Jun was quietly turning over in his mind what he could do, right now, to bring the Dream Animal Hospital into being, Choi Woo-jin had already begun laying out the concrete requirements for making that same dream real.

"Anyway, it's going to be tough for now, but let's write down what we can actually do. Lee Jun — paper."

Choi Woo-jin pulled out a ballpoint pen and held out his hand. Lee Jun opened the drawer beneath the exam table and took out a sheet of copy paper.

Kwak Suho scoffed at the sight.

"You're still writing things down on paper?"

"So?"

"What are you going to do with that after you leave it sitting around?"

Kwak Suho waved his phone.

"This is way more convenient. Anyway, the most important thing is securing a site, right?"

Choi Woo-jin wrote Dream Mongmong Animal Hospital across the top of the page, then underneath it: 1. Land.

"That's true, but isn't that going to be the hardest part?"

"That's true too. It costs a fortune. Do either of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you happen to have leftover land at home or something?"

"Land, sure. It's just out in the countryside."

"Oh, right. Suho, you're over by Gyeryongsan, aren't you? Didn't you say you had land somewhere around there?"

"Yeah. There's Grandfather's mountain near Donghaksa Temple."

"Ah, so it's a mountain?"

At the word mountain, Choi Woo-jin promptly lost interest. Kwak Suho went on anyway.

"Well, if we ever can't find a place for a sanctuary, we could just put the sanctuary there, couldn't we?"

"Oh! That's right. That's great. Is it huge?"

"Well, it's a mountain. Wouldn't it be?"

"Okay. That land is hereby entered."

"Entered, my ass! Why are you entering my grandfather's land?"

"Is that mountain being used right now? What I mean is, is there an orchard or a field or something on it? Chestnut trees, beekeeping, that kind of thing."

"There are some chestnut trees, yeah."

"Aha. Judging by that answer…"

Choi Woo-jin grinned at Kwak Suho.

"Couldn't we just tell your grandfather it's for a good cause? Your grandpa loves animals, doesn't he?"

That Kwak Suho's grandfather was fond of animals was a fact both Lee Jun and Choi Woo-jin already knew. Kwak Suho made a sour face.

"That's true, but…"

"So later we give Grandfather an honorary chairman's seat and take the mountain. He'd like that, wouldn't he?"

"Well…"

Kwak Suho had the uncomfortable feeling that his grandfather actually would like that, and he couldn't think of a decent rebuttal. Instead, he turned the question right back around.

"What about you, then?"

Choi Woo-jin didn't even need a second to think. He answered without a flicker of hesitation.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Nope. Nothing."

Then he immediately turned to Lee Jun.

"Lee Jun, what about the place where your grandfather used to run his animal hospital?"

"That spot's an All-Mart now."

Kwak Suho looked at Choi Woo-jin as if to say, why would you even ask that? It made sense that he would. The building that had housed Lee Seokwon Animal Hospital had vanished while they were still in university. It wasn't only that one building, either — several neighboring storefronts had been torn down with it, and a big-box supermarket had gone up in their place.

"No, not that one. The one before that."

"Ah, Gupabal?"

"Yeah. That one."

Kwak Suho, who had been listening with a blank look on his face, finally cut in.

"Your grandfather ran an animal hospital in Gupabal?"

"Yeah. He worked there until I was in first grade, I think? That's when he moved."

Kwak Suho nodded. He remembered a story Choi Woo-jin had told him once — that after Lee Jun's parents died in an accident, his grandfather had relocated the hospital closer to home so he could look after Jun. That must have been first grade of elementary school.

"I see. Gupabal… but why open a hospital there? Back then it must have been the middle of nowhere."

Kwak Suho muttered this half to himself, and Lee Jun picked it up.

"Grandfather always loved birds."

"Ah, so that's why so many birds came to his hospital. But loving birds and opening a hospital in Gupabal don't really seem connected."

"There's Bukhansan."

"Bukhansan?"

"Yeah. Grandfather used to work at a zoo."

"Seoul Grand Park?"

"Back then it was Changgyeongwon. It's Changgyeonggung Palace now. Anyway, Grandfather really loved going up to Bukhansan. Whenever he found sick birds there, he'd rescue them and treat them."

"So he opened the hospital near Bukhansan."

"Ah, I see. So that's why this guy has always been so dedicated to treating and rescuing animals. He grew up watching that from the time he was little."

And that, in turn, had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠left its mark on Kwak Suho and Choi Woo-jin as well. The reason these three loved animals — the reason none of them could ever walk past a sick one — was because they had grown up in that kind of world.

"Anyway, Lee Jun. You still own that building, right?"

"……Yeah."

Kwak Suho started to speak and then stopped.

"Ah, you sneaky—"

He'd been about to say you sneaky landlord, but he shut his mouth and thought better of it. Well. That's probably how this guy managed to survive on his own. How he got through school. Thinking that, he felt a quiet rush of gratitude toward Lee Jun's grandfather — for making sure this kid, all alone in the world, at least never had to worry about where his next meal was coming from.

While Kwak Suho was silently thanking Lee Jun's grandfather, Choi Woo-jin drew two thick lines through item number one on the paper, looking thoroughly relieved.

"Then the land problem is solved…"

Lee Jun shook his head.

"I don't think that location works, though."

"Why not?"

"The location aside, it's small."

"Is it?"

"Yeah. It's not even half the size of this building. Half? More like a third, maybe."

"Ah. It is small."

"Right. It'd need to be bigger than this."

"That's true. But isn't there a parking lot? What I mean is, even if the building is small, the land itself might be spacious."

"Well, even so, it's smaller than this building. And it's too out of the way."

"Okay. Anyway, so Lee Jun here is a landlord. We can think of it as seed money for now. Hey, Woo-jin — write 'capital' as number two and put Lee Jun's Gupabal building under it."

"Got it."

Choi Woo-jin wrote a fresh 1. Land beneath the crossed-out ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠first item, then kept going.

Watching Choi Woo-jin write it all down, Kwak Suho exploded.

"Hey! Numbers two and three are both my income! What am I supposed to live on? More importantly — you've got nothing listed for yourself?"

"Listen, you! I burned through everything for the Brave Ones. I'm flat broke!"

The moment Choi Woo-jin brought up the fact that he had covered the costs of setting up the Brave Ones' House, Kwak Suho snorted.

"You've got a salary. Why isn't that on there?"

"Wh-what am I supposed to live on?"

"Then what about me? You just wrote down my entire cash flow!"

"Who said you have to burn through all of it? Just contribute however much you want from that. What percentage are you putting in?"

"You should've said that from the start. Hmm… what's a good amount?"

Honestly. These two never could have a quiet conversation.

Watching them bicker, Lee Jun found himself thinking of Cha-cha and Geumdal-i. And of Kongdol-i, too. In the old days, those three faces would have been all that came to mind. But now other faces rose alongside them.

Those kids.

Lee Jun smiled as he looked at Kwak Suho's paintings. In the meantime, Kwak Suho had made up his mind.

"Fifty percent?"

"Huk—!"

Choi Woo-jin's shock was so genuine that Kwak Suho scowled at him.

"You— hey! I have to eat too, you know? This much is plenty. No more! I have to save up to go to Africa."

"N-no, that's not it — it's just too much."

"That's what it was? Then I can lower it a bit. Forty? No, thirty percent?"

"What are you talking about? Once a person says something, they have to keep their word. Fifty percent it is."

"Ah, no, that's a bit…"

"If you're short, work more."

Kwak Suho shot Choi Woo-jin a sideways glare.

"This guy is always dying to put me to work."

"We need a lot of money. So shut up and work. Work. Speaking of which, Lee Jun — is Mongmong hiring part-timers? I could come in on my days off and do surgeries…"

"Hahahaha. Woo-jin, what's with you?"

"I'm trying to make money."

Choi Woo-jin said this without a hint of shame, then turned back to Kwak Suho.

"Suho. You said you were saving up to go to Africa, right?"

"Yeah."

"Who have you got stashed away over there? Who are you hiding that you need to save money to go? Lee Jun, doesn't this guy seem suspicious?"

"Hmm. I thought it was a little suspicious when I heard that too. Can't you just go to Africa right now?"

Choi Woo-jin and Lee Jun looked at Kwak Suho with identical, deeply meaningful expressions. Kwak Suho exploded.

"You two! It's just—!"

"Then what is it? Why would a rich guy like you need to earn money to go to Africa?"

"I want to buy a water truck. A water truck."

"A water truck?"

"Yeah. To give the animals there water!"

"Ah, that thing Dr. Choi was talking about?"

The moment Lee Jun showed he understood, Choi Woo-jin slapped his knee.

"Ah. The water truck."

"Yeah. One truck costs over four hundred dollars!"

A brutal drought was sweeping across Africa, and animals were dying in droves.

"I heard a huge number died…"

"Yeah. The way Dr. Jin is supporting water at Tsavo National Park, I'm sponsoring Amboseli National Park — just a little, but honestly, there's no end in sight."

Kwak Suho's voice had gone thin and tired.

"You're doing a good thing, our Suho."

"Why are you suddenly like that? You're giving me the creeps."

Kwak Suho scratched his arms vigorously and stared at Choi Woo-jin.

"So keep painting. I'll do lots of surgeries. I really might have to pick up some side work."

"Don't. You'll end up like me."

Lee Jun waved both hands, then went on.

"Let's prepare within our means. What happens if we floor it like this and die before we even get the hospital built?"

"That's not a line you of all people should be saying. Anyway, like Jun said — building an animal hospital isn't the goal of our lives. The goal is to build a hospital like that so we can treat animals and watch them be happy."

"That's right."

"Yeah. So let's pull together all the money we can, and after that, each of us goes at our own pace. And we keep up the sponsorships we're already doing."

The two of them nodded at Lee Jun's words. Then Choi Woo-jin spoke up again.

"Yeah. Let's do that. Who knows? Maybe some enormous tycoon will make a huge donation to us, like at Daehan Animal Hospital."

"Wow. Just thinking about it feels good. How did Dr. Jin even meet a sponsor like that?"

"Apparently he met them when he went to England, but I don't know the details."

"Really? Anyway, that doctor's amazing."

"Well, our Lee Jun isn't far behind. He's a great surgeon, and he communicates with animals like nobody else. And that's not all — do you know how kind he is?"

Choi Woo-jin praised Lee Jun to the skies, then clasped both hands together, lifted his face toward the ceiling, and put on a look of earnest, shining prayer.

Lee Jun and Kwak Suho shook their heads in unison.

"Ugh. I'm embarrassed just watching you."

"Same here. Woo-jin, put your hands down and write."

"Write what?"

"The other things we need besides money."

"Ah, right. Got it."

Choi Woo-jin filled in the blank space beneath capital item three.

"You—! You think money is all it takes?"

"What else do we need?"

Lee Jun answered.

"The doctors we mentioned earlier. Staff. People."

"Ah, right. We need doctors."

"Exactly. I've been thinking — buying land and putting up a building isn't something we can do right away."

"A reality I don't want to admit, but yeah."

"But bringing in doctors isn't like that. Honestly, as you both know, our hospital is seriously understaffed."

"That's true. The doctors here lately are no joke. They all look like they're about to work themselves to death."

"I feel bad about that. So I've been thinking we should hire more staff first."

"Oh? You've been thinking about that?"

Choi Woo-jin said this and then stared hard at Lee Jun.

"Why are you looking at me like that all of a sudden?"

"Lee Jun."

Instead of answering, Choi Woo-jin just said his name.

"What?"

"Does your hospital even have the capacity to hire more doctors?"

"Hmm… it's possible. We've got a lot of patients, and a backlog of surgeries. Having more doctors would actually be better."

"Then recruiting doctors whose hearts and hands already fit with ours — in advance, for the sake of our dream — that sounds like a good idea, doesn't it?"

"It's a good thought. I was already planning to bring in more doctors anyway, so while we're on the subject, we can just hire a few extra."

"Great! But is there space? What if we bring in too many doctors and run out of exam rooms or operating rooms?"

"That's not a problem. Once we secure housing for the Brave Ones, we can use the basement. We can put the extra operating rooms and exam rooms down there."

"Oh, nice. It's as wide as the first floor, so that should work."

"Not all of it. We're going to keep rescuing Brave Ones, so I think we can set aside about half and use that."

"Even half is excellent. Then we'll need to expand the staff soon."

"Yeah. Director Yoo at Daehan said something similar to you, Woo-jin."

"Director Yoo Daehyun?"

"Yeah. He put it a little differently than you, but the conclusion was the same."

"That's true."

"Yeah. So while we're on the subject, I think we should start hiring right away. And look for a suitable site whenever we have time."

"Yeah. Somewhere with good access, without a large animal hospital already there."

"Right. And if possible, a place our current patients can get to easily would be even better."

"That would be great. Anything else we need?"

"Building, money, people. Isn't that enough? The other little things seem like problems for later."

Choi Woo-jin wrote the three words with his pen, circled each one, and sat back. Then, as if something had just occurred to him, he spoke again.

"Ah. I left out the most important thing."

"What?"

"Health. That's the most important. So Lee Jun — from now on, you absolutely have to take one day off a week. Got it?"

"Hey, Woo-jin. You just told me to work hard."

"Well, you take a day off too, then."

Choi Woo-jin answered as if it were nothing at all. Lee Jun looked at his two bickering friends and said, quietly,

"Thank you."

For still holding onto a childhood dream. And for working together, even now, to make it real. Lee Jun was truly grateful for these two — Kwak Suho and Choi Woo-jin. Glad, down to the bone, that they were his.

And he was grateful for Go Gi-jin, who was out there working hard seeing patients. Dr. Kim, Dr. Yeo, Dr. Yoo, Dr. Cha — they're all good people. I'm grateful. And Manager Jang, and Dr. Jeong, too…

Lee Jun pictured the faces of his people working outside, one by one, and a warm smile spread across his face. Some of them had fit in from the very beginning. Some had clashed. But now every one of them was cheering him on, giving him strength.

And the new people who would join the family going forward would be the same.

Thinking that, Lee Jun looked down at the line Choi Woo-jin had written on the page.