What Was Bound to Come
The moment Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi left, Jjaek and One-eye smacked their lips in perfect unison, as if neither wanted to be the first to speak.
They're nervous.
Lee Jun clicked his tongue inwardly as he watched the two of them working their mouths. Anyone watching would think I was about to scold them.
And just as he suspected, that was exactly what they were thinking.
Meongmeong Teacher is angry.
Meongmeong Teacher told us not to fight...
Lee Jun had always told the animals not to fight — to get along. It wasn't as if the two of them had only heard it once or twice. And yet here they were, looking like this.
They hung their heads low, tongues flicking nervously over their lips.
"Jjaek. One-eye."
When Lee Jun called their names in a gentle voice, the two cats, still hanging their heads, tilted them ever so slightly. It didn't sound like a scolding. That was why. It was strange.
"It hurts a lot, doesn't it?"
Their heads nodded of their own accord.
"Yeees."
"Yes, sir."
"I gave you a painless shot, so it'll ease up soon. But who did you fight with?"
So this was it. What they'd been dreading had finally arrived.
But lying — or even talking their way around it — simply wasn't in a cat's nature. They didn't even know how to lie in the first place.
"Weeell..."
Jjaek opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. It wasn't that he intended to lie or make excuses. He was simply struggling with how to lay out the whole situation.
The original plan had been simple. I was going to tell him that from today on, I'd live with my subordinates. But now One-eye wasn't supposed to move. So leave One-eye behind and go? That was out of the question.
There had been a time when he'd thought that — if One-eye liked it here, he'd leave him and go alone. But now his mind had changed. He ended up like that because of me.
He'd gotten hurt worse because he'd come running to save him. One-eye had saved him twice. When Jjaek's throat had hurt so badly he'd gone into hiding, One-eye had found him no matter what. He had gone to the terrifying Hoesaegi himself and asked for help finding him. And this time, too—
How could he leave a guy like that behind? Unless One-eye actually likes it here at Mongmong Animal Hospital, that is.
Just thinking, just worrying — that wasn't Jjaek's way. So he drew in a great big breath, then blew it out even bigger than he'd taken it in, blasting the tension right out of himself. Then he met the kind eyes of Lee Jun — Meongmeong Teacher — looking down at him with such warmth.
"M-Meongmeong Teacher, so, um, how it all happened is, you seeee~"
He spilled everything. The invaders who'd shown up at Song-i Park. How he'd gone to drive them off. How he'd been attacked and gone down, and how his allies had come to save him. He even told him about the discord between the Neulpureun Park cats and the Song-i Park cats. And last of all, Jjaek added this:
"B-but, um, I d-didn't unsheathe my claaaws~"
He was making a point of the fact that he'd kept the rule about not putting out his claws. At Jjaek's words, One-eye quickly stuck out a front paw — not a single claw in sight.
"Th-that's right, sir. The boss and I didn't unsheathe our claws. We fought just like this, we did."
A statement emphasizing that they hadn't broken every promise they'd made to Lee Jun. But they had been told not to fight, and that they hadn't kept. So now it was time to get scolded.
Jjaek drew in a deep breath, swallowed hard, and braced himself.
But then a soft touch settled onto the uninjured part of his forehead.
"I see. You did well."
Huh? He wasn't getting scolded?
Jjaek cautiously lifted his swollen eyes to look up at Lee Jun. Lee Jun was smiling down at him.
"You've had a hard time of it, Jjaek. You too, One-eye. So — do your subordinates want to go back to Song-i Park? Or would they rather keep living the way they are now?"
Uh, uh. So, um...
Jjaek, who hadn't actually heard his subordinates' thoughts on the matter yet, rolled his eyes around.
"I... don't really know?"
One-eye, listening beside him, just rolled his one good eye as well. They didn't want Song-i Park falling into someone else's paws. But Song-i Park was cold. And now that they'd learned what it was to live in warmth, wintering there would be far too harsh. Their subordinates would feel the same. So One-eye said nothing at all. This isn't something I can weigh in on anyway.
Lee Jun, too, found himself at a loss for words. For cats, defending their territory was a matter of the utmost importance. Knowing that, how could he simply tell them to live at Neulpureun Park because it was bigger? Jjaek is the leader. This is a decision the leader has to make. And the Song-i Park cats have to decide for themselves.
And besides. If it were up to me, I'd want to keep them all safe. But that's still a long way off.
The truth was, Lee Jun had been on edge ever since Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi's kidnapping. So when Jjaek and One-eye had shown up beaten to a pulp, his heart had nearly dropped out of his chest. What if some unsavory person had hurt them?
And then regret had come crashing over him like a tidal wave. Why had he just left them there? Shouldn't he have brought them with him? No — he should have stayed with them until the end. If he had, they never would have gotten hurt. That kind of regret. And Lee Jun knew this kind of regret would keep coming, again and again.
So then — could he take in all these cats himself? I don't have the capacity.
He hadn't even properly secured a place for the Brave Ones yet. Namgoong Hyun had called to say he'd likely find a good piece of land soon, but there was no telling exactly when. And he was going to take in all of these cats on top of that? Then what was this place — an animal hospital, or a shelter?
The truth was, Lee Jun felt sorry for his staff. Everyone here is exhausted because of things I started. How many animals were living at the Brave Ones' House? And they weren't ordinary animals, either. They were big, and every one of them was sick. They needed treatment. And the staff treated them all without a word of complaint, quietly and steadily. The veterinary technicians looked after them as attentively as if they were their own pets at home. They were all people he was grateful for — soaked in exhaustion, and still every one of them put on a bright face.
And in that situation, he was going to take in cats on top of everything else? That wouldn't be right. If I'm going to take them in, it should be when I'm ready. Then. Once a larger space opened up and they moved there, maybe. But the hospital and Golmokjib were far too small to house that many cats.
That said... he wants to be with his subordinates, doesn't he.
The way Jjaek was hem-hawing, glancing at One-eye — that thought was clearly sitting underneath it all.
Lee Jun lost in his own thoughts, Jjaek and One-eye lost in theirs — the room went quiet. Time passed in silence, and at last Jjaek spoke.
"I don't think we can go back to our territory right away. The subordinates really like the Hiding Cubbies, you see."
"Th-that's right. They say the blankets are so warm."
"S-so they haven't even been marking... I think it would be all right to stay with them for a while."
For the first time, he had pulled out into the open something he'd been thinking in the deepest part of his heart. Jjaek gathered his uninjured front paws and rubbed them together, panting softly.
"I see. I guess I'll have to find even warmer blankets, then. And..."
And...?
Jjaek looked up with his swollen eyes. Beside him, One-eye fixed Lee Jun with his one good eye as well.
"Jjaek, One-eye — you two do whatever you want. I'll always be here. If you want to sleep here, you can stay here. If you want to be with your subordinates, you can do that too."
"Uh, uh..."
"...?"
To the two bewildered cats, Lee Jun added:
For now, this was all Lee Jun could offer them. Just because living outside was dangerous didn't mean keeping them under his nose was the right answer either. They might find staying here comfortable and like it — or they might find it cramped and stifling and hate it. Either way, knowing they had a home they could come back to anytime would be a great comfort.
Lee Jun spoke from the heart. And his sincerity got through.
Jjaek and One-eye, now with a solid backing behind them, felt their eyes grow wet.
"Hngh!"
"Khh! T-Teacher!"
In the end, the two of them burst into tears, little hiccuping sobs. Because they loved Meongmeong Teacher so much. Because even hurting this badly, they could still hold onto the hope that it would stop hurting. And because having a home they could come to anytime made them so, so happy.
"There, there. Think about this a little more. One-eye, you can't move around for a while anyway."
Thud.
Ah. Right.
Reality hit, and their tears vanished on the spot. Lee Jun said to the two of them:
"I'll have the others come visit you. Talk it over with them then."
If they wanted to go to Song-i Park, he'd set up Hiding Cubbies there too. Who manages Song-i Park, anyway? As Lee Jun was thinking that, the two of them slowly nodded.
"Meongmeong Teacher, thank you."
"Yeees..."
That night, Jjaek and One-eye talked. Because Jjaek had already laid his heart bare to Lee Jun, the two of them could speak freely and without reservation.
"Boss, I'll follow whatever you decide."
"I'll do whatever you want, One-eye."
The conclusion: they'd each do what the other wanted.
"But listen, One-eye. I've been thinking. If we lose Song-i Park... would that really be all right?"
"That wouldn't do at all. That's our hometown, isn't it? After everything we've been through there?"
"I thought so."
"The subordinates will feel the same way."
"I thought so. But the way I am now... I'm starting to think holding that place might be too much."
This, too, was from the heart. Jjaek had wrung the courage out of himself to tell One-eye.
"..."
One-eye couldn't say a word. He wanted to spit out that that would never be the case — that his boss was strong enough. But why wouldn't the words come out? Not only would the words not come — his whole body began to tremble.
The reason was clear. I-I don't want to never see the boss again.
Song-i Park was dear to him. But the boss right in front of him — Boss Jjaek — was dearer. If all the subordinates held that place together, something like today wouldn't happen. But you never knew with cats. What if some strong one showed up? Then the boss in front of him would throw himself into the fire for his subordinates. That was why the words wouldn't come.
And so an awkward night passed, and a day went by. Even when the subordinates came to visit, they only exchanged the usual words, and two more days slipped by like that. And the next day, when the subordinates came to visit the sick, Jjaek steeled himself and opened his mouth.
"What if we went under the King Boss?"
Not under Norangi — under Hoesaegi. That, he thought, would at least let his subordinates save face.
"I-I think that would be all right."
"Well, those guys are pretty decent in their own way. They're kind, you know."
"Yeah, they say they're kind."
The subordinates, who had grown well-disposed toward the Neulpureun Park cats. Jjaek nodded and replied:
"Let's think it over, little by little."
A few more days passed. The subordinates came to visit together with Norangi. Hoesaegi came into the hospital room with them as well.
"Jjaek-ong, Norangi says he has something to tell you-ong."
His heart dropped. He has something to tell you-ong. Those words were probably going to become a trauma.
"Yeeek! W-what is it?"
His voice cracked — just like when his throat had hurt so terribly before. Not that anyone paid that any mind. Norangi opened his mouth.
"That time — the dark one came back."
Eek!
"That guy did whaaat?"
Had they invaded again? I was going to wait out the winter and then go back... As he was thinking that, this time Hoesaegi spoke.
"Jjaek-ong. That fellow surrendered-ong. And he said he wants to come under you-ong."
"So he asked me to put in a word."
Jjaek's and One-eye's eyes went wide. Their beaten, swollen eyes couldn't actually get any bigger, but still.
"He said he has nowhere else to go, so he'll just stay there and become your subordinate-ong."
"S-so that guy really wants to be my subordinate?"
"That's right-ong. He said he was blown away by your front-paw bind-ong."
"That's right. He said your front paws were more terrifying than a tangle of vines. So he wants to learn under someone as strong as you."
Huh? Just from that?
That's what Jjaek thought, but it wasn't "just" that at all. Bound up tight as if zip-tied with a cable tie, the dark cat had felt sheer, overwhelming terror. And on top of that, this was the formidable Jjaek who even had Hoesaegi coming as backup — even the Second-in-Command, Gkamnyangi. Anyway, for those reasons, the dark cat had raised the white flag.
"Here's what I think-ong. What if we used those fellows as sentries for Songi District-ong?"
"If our boss patrols now and then, that guy won't be able to so much as twitch."
When Norangi backed it up as well, Jjaek's heart stirred. And at the same time — these two, worrying this much about their hometown of Song-i Park...
"Uuum, King Boss... I have something to sayyy~!"
Jjaek said that, and then knelt before Hoesaegi. Hoesaegi startled.
"Jjaek-ong, that'll hurt-ong. Sit down-ong."
At being told that a cat who was injured and hospitalized shouldn't be kneeling, Jjaek was moved all the more. And so the words that had been circling in his mouth came out easily.
A curve formed at the corners of Jjaek's mouth as he petitioned to become a vassal of Neulpureun. It was a smile of sheer relief.
Meanwhile, ever since Jjaek and One-eye had arrived injured, Lee Jun's thoughts had been a tangle. He wanted to let them do as they wished — and at the same time, he couldn't stop thinking about what if something happened. And he was frustrated, too, with his own reality, which couldn't cleanly solve any of it.
Then one day, he happened to find the answer.
After finishing a surgery and coming down to the first floor, Lee Jun was met by Jang Sora.
"Director, you had a phone call."
"From where?"
"Um, they said it was Cheongju Zoo?"
"Cheongju Zoo?"
"Yes. They said you were in surgery, so they asked you to call back when you have a moment."
The phone number Jang Sora held out. Lee Jun dialed it right then and there.