Tremble, Tremble, Tremble!
Sapsaree's fur shook wildly as he lay plastered to the floor.
Lee Jun scooped him up in one motion — all twenty-six kilograms of him, body glued to the ground, front paws clamped over his eyes, trembling from nose to tail. The sudden weight made Lee Jun's balance waver.
He lurched!
"Whoa!"
Park I-chan, standing beside him, caught the stumbling Lee Jun, while Ji Hyun-woo braced Sapsaree's rear end in Lee Jun's arms.
"Give Sapsaree here."
"Please let me take him."
It was a bit much to just casually scoop him up the way Go Gi-jin might have, but it wasn't so heavy that Lee Jun couldn't manage it alone. This was the same Lee Jun who had once carried a collapsed Sapsaree all the way down to the parking lot at Bukhansan Ecological Park.
He'd gotten heavier since then, of course.
With nothing in his head but getting the terrified Sapsaree out of there as fast as humanly possible, Lee Jun moved quickly as he answered.
"It's fine. I'm okay."
That was how Lee Jun felt — and practically speaking, he couldn't have handed Sapsaree over anyway. The instant Lee Jun picked him up, Sapsaree locked both front paws around his back as if he'd found his savior. Even if they'd tried to pry him off, those paws weren't going anywhere.
So the two men had nothing to do but walk alongside, matching Lee Jun's pace, ready to catch him if he lost his balance.
Soon the three of them were outside.
Once they were out, Lee Jun spoke to Sapsaree.
"Sapsaree, we're outside. It's okay now."
But Sapsaree still wouldn't lift his head from Lee Jun's arms. His front paws remained locked around Lee Jun's back with every ounce of strength he had.
Lee Jun started to set him down, then sat on a nearby bench instead. Sapsaree ended up sitting in his lap. Now that he had a free hand, Lee Jun raised it and stroked Sapsaree's fur.
Even then, Sapsaree kept his front paws clenched tight, as if he had no intention of letting go. His eyes stayed squeezed shut.
"Sapsaree, it's okay now. Open your eyes."
But Sapsaree wouldn't open them. He didn't ease up on his paws, either.
The poor guy. He must've been terrified. Then again, I was pretty shocked myself when I saw Seorak up close yesterday.
Shocked didn't even cover it. If Lee Jun hadn't been determined to treat Seorak, he might have turned and run the moment the tiger bared his teeth and roared.
Just like Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi had.
Lee Jun stroked Sapsaree's still-stiff head and looked around.
Where did those two run off to, anyway?
He was craning his neck, searching for any sign of Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi, when a rustling sound came from a nearby tree. Lee Jun looked up. Among the swaying branches, something glittering caught his eye.
"You two were hiding up there?"
They were fast, all right.
Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi crouched on a tree branch. Meeting their eyes, Lee Jun called up to them.
"You guys were scared, huh? It's okay now, so come down. You're safe."
But Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi didn't budge.
The two cats frozen in the tree. Sapsaree clinging to Lee Jun's chest with no intention of getting down. Lee Jun glanced from one to the next, his expression growing helpless.
"I think they might be really shaken up."
When Keeper Ji Hyun-woo voiced his concern, Park I-chan added, looking up at the tree Lee Jun had been watching.
"They must've been terrified to run all the way up there. Aigoo, those little ones must've been so scared!"
"That's what I'm saying. I see him every day and he still scares me. Anyway, is Sapsaree all right?"
"He looks okay."
Lee Jun answered, still stroking Sapsaree. But unlike a moment ago, a hint of ease had returned to his face. The reason was Sapsaree's behavior.
He's relaxing now.
Barely a minute ago, those paws had been pressing into Lee Jun's thick padded jacket with claws fully extended. Now they were merely draped over his back. His eyes were still closed, but even those had lost their tension. He'd been squeezing his eyelids shut with all his might. Now he was simply keeping them closed.
Lee Jun called to him.
"Sapsaree. Are you okay now?"
A small nod.
Lee Jun patted Sapsaree's shoulder and offered a word of encouragement.
"Our Sapsaree was so brave. You saw a friend that huge and you didn't even faint."
Twitch!
Sapsaree's ears, which had been pinned flat against his head, pricked up halfway. Knowing this was the moment to give him a little more courage, Lee Jun raised his voice.
"You know, I think our Sapsaree was even braver than me."
Twitch-twitch.
Sapsaree's ears stood fully upright. Then he opened his eyes and met Lee Jun's gaze — a look that said, I was braver than Hyungnim?
"Yeah. Yesterday when I saw Seorak for the first time, I was really scared. I had no idea his face was that big or his teeth were that long. But seeing him a second time today, it was okay. That's why I even gave him meat just now."
Is that how it works?
Sapsaree tilted his head. The trembling from a moment ago was gone. Lee Jun drove the point home.
"You were just surprised because it was your first time seeing a friend that big. Right? If you see Seorak again, you'll be fine. Our Sapsaree is really brave, after all."
At Lee Jun's words, Sapsaree's ears stood at full attention. He hopped down from Lee Jun's lap and declared,
"Th-that's right-ayo! Sapsaree is brave-ayo!"
The way he woofed it so quietly, afraid Seorak might hear from inside the enclosure, was adorable.
Lee Jun was smiling at that when Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi's voices reached him.
"I-I wasn't scared-ong!"
"Th-that's right, I wasn't... that, that roar guy, not scary."
They'd come down from the tree at some point, and now they padded toward Lee Jun, their voices as tiny as mosquitoes buzzing on a midsummer night. Watching the two of them approach with their necks still hunched and their steps painfully cautious, Lee Jun played along, looking proud of them.
"Is that so? Our Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi are so brave."
"Th-that's right-ong. I-I'm brave-ong."
"R-right. We were brave."
"Of course you were. You saw a huge friend and you didn't even faint."
"Th-that's right-ong. I-I just suddenly needed to pee, so I left-ong."
"M-me too. I needed to pee."
"Did you now?"
When Lee Jun responded to the two of them, Sapsaree, sitting beside him, chimed in.
"As expected of the hyungnims-ayo. The hyungnims are way braver than Sapsaree-ayo."
Which was to say: Sapsaree himself was brave, and the cat hyungnims were brave too. The cats seemed to like what Sapsaree had said. The corners of their mouths lifted a little.
"That's right. All three of you were brave."
"They really were, actually. Braver than you'd think. Seeing a tiger for the first time and not even fainting."
"And they heard that roar, too. Truly courageous."
Park I-chan and Ji Hyun-woo backed Lee Jun up. They had their reasons.
He just keeps encouraging these animals until they relax. That's impressive.
Park I-chan thought it was remarkable how Lee Jun had patiently kept telling the three terrified animals they were brave, praising them until the tension finally left their bodies. That was why he'd joined in.
Just like the rumors said. He really knows how to soothe an animal's heart.
Ji Hyun-woo praised animals a lot himself. Especially during positive reinforcement training, he piled on the praise. The food reward was what made the training succeed, but the praise played its part too. The food had to follow, of course.
So Keeper Ji Hyun-woo praised the three of them as well.
Bathed in all that praise, the two cats gradually recovered their confidence and looked around. They stared at Lee Jun. They looked at the two men standing nearby. They looked at Sapsaree, sitting beside Lee Jun as if he'd never trembled at all.
Everyone's faces were at ease.
The two cats cocked their heads and thought.
Doesn't look dangerous-ong.
Guess that guy can't come this far?
Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi, who excelled at sensing danger, reached that conclusion. The terror in their eyes slowly receded, and before long they wore their usual expressions as they hopped up onto the bench where Lee Jun sat.
With their original haughty looks restored, Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi spoke.
"Hyungnim-ong! Let's go to Seorak-ong. The roar — no, I already peed, so it's fine now-ong."
"That's right. I-I don't need to pee anymore. Let's go to Seorak. I'll tell him it doesn't hurt if they just drip the water on him."
"You sure you'll be okay?"
"It's fine-ong. But let's not go to that roar guy-ong. Let's take a different path-ong."
"Y-yeah, Hyungnim. Don't go to that roar guy. Let's take another way."
Watching Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi insist they just didn't want to see the roar-making fellow, Lee Jun's expression shifted slightly.
Hmm. I think they might have the wrong idea.
Lee Jun hesitated for a moment.
I should tell them the truth, though, right?
Just as he opened his mouth to set the record straight, Sapsaree answered first.
"Hyungnims-ayo, Roary is Seorak-ayo!"
"Wh... what? I-is that true-ong?"
Hoesaegi's eyes went as wide as they could possibly go as he stared at Sapsaree.
"...?"
Gkamnyangi couldn't even speak. His mouth hung open as he stared at Sapsaree.
Sapsaree drove the nail in. He looked at Lee Jun for confirmation.
"Hyungnim-ayo. That's right-ayo? That's what you said-ayo?"
"Yeah."
Eek!
Gah!
The two cats let out piercing shrieks and leaped off the bench. Then they tore off somewhere at a frantic scramble.
"H-Hyungnim-ong, I-I need to poop-ong."
"Th-that's right. My stomach hurts..."
Lee Jun watched them flee in a panic and let out a sigh.
Aigoo, I'm sorry, you two.
And just like that, Lee Jun gave up on his hope of having the three of them talk with Seorak.
It wasn't a complete failure, though. He did react to the catnip, and he accepted the food I gave him.
Having fed Seorak with tongs, Lee Jun was certain of one thing. If Seorak had genuinely intended to attack him, he wouldn't have merely taken the food gently in his mouth. He would have seen the tongs as an opportunity to drag Lee Jun in. But Seorak hadn't bitten down on the tongs, and he hadn't tried to yank them away with any force. He'd simply accepted the food.
"Haa. There's got to be another way..."
Lee Jun kept turning the problem over in his mind even as they rode the cart back to the zoo's animal hospital.
When they arrived, Kwak Suho greeted him with a question.
"So? Did you get the medicine in?"
"No. I just gave him food."
"And these guys?"
Kwak Suho asked as he scooped up Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi. Lee Jun's expression turned bitter.
"They panicked at Seorak's roar and ran for it."
"Did they? Aww. Did our widdle cuties get a big fwight? Should this uncle go give that teacher a wittle smack?"
Kwak Suho cooed at the three of them in a baby voice, and Lee Jun made a face of pure disgust.
"Ugh. I should've looked the other way."
Lee Jun turned his head, only to find the zoo veterinarians crowding around the three animals with the exact same expression as Kwak Suho.
"Aigoo, our little cuties! You had such a hard time. Yes, yes. You all did so well."
"You worked hard. At least you came back without getting hurt, right?"
One veterinarian even said this while stroking them.
"Doesn't look like they even peed themselves? That's pretty amazing, isn't it?"
"Right. These kids don't have ordinary guts. Our little cuties."
"That's true. They're really brave kids."
Watching everyone swarm in to praise the three of them, Lee Jun shook his head.
Then Gkamnyangi caught his eye — grinning with the corners of his mouth lifted, clearly pleased by all the praise. The image of Gkamnyangi, who had once been at risk of never seeing again, smiling so brightly overlapped with the image of Seorak in pain.
Lee Jun let out a short sigh and muttered.
"If I come back for a few more days and keep feeding him, it might actually work..."
Park Hyun-joon, the medical and animal care team leader, walked over to him.
"Thank you."
"For what? I couldn't even get the eye drops in."
"Still. The fact that you'd even think of doing this — that's something to be grateful for. And last time, too, you came right away. I can't tell you how much that meant."
He was talking about the endoscopy.
"Come on, of course I'd come."
"That's why I'm thanking you. Anyway, we'll figure something out for Seorak, so..."
"No. Please just give me a few more days. If I keep visiting and we get closer, I think it'll be possible."
"We're fine with that, but does Director Lee even have the time?"
"I'll just come after clinic hours. Please, just hold off on the surgery for a few days."
"Well, as long as the painkillers are working, that much should be all right."
"He was eating the beef just fine a little while ago. I gave Keeper Ji the leftovers, so if you mix it in with that, it should work."
"Really? Sorry to ask, but..."
"Looking at the chart, other than his eyes, Seorak's in good shape, right?"
"That's true."
"Exactly. Seorak still has a lot of life ahead of him."
Park Hyun-joon understood at once what Lee Jun had left unsaid: that he wanted to preserve Seorak's vision.
"Yeah. That would be best."
"I'll come tomorrow."
Lee Jun promised to return the next day, and left the zoo with his companions.