If You've Drawn the Sword, Slice the Radish

After leaving the hangover-soup restaurant, Lee Seongwoo searched for Mongmong Animal Hospital on his phone. The listing appeared a moment later, and he tapped the little phone icon on the screen.

Listening to the ringtone, he thought, The world's gotten so convenient. You don't even need to memorize a number anymore — the call just connects. He was just reflecting on how livable modern life had become, when a few flicks of a finger could tell you anything you wanted to know, when a voice came through the speaker.

Lee Seongwoo asked for Lee Jun.

"Director Lee? He's with a patient right now. May I ask what this is regarding?"

Jang Sora's kind voice traveled down the line, and a moment later a voice spilled from the receiver.

The word veterinarian brought Lee Jun's instructions straight to Jang Sora's mind. The director said that if a doctor from another hospital calls, I should take down their contact information. He had added that it might well be a consult.

"Dr. Lee, if you leave me a number, I'll pass it along to the director. Is there a time when you might be hard to reach?"

Even the other party's working hours had been taken into consideration.

"Of course. I'll let the director know."

About an hour later, Lee Jun came down to the first floor. He looked tired, but a smile sat on his face.

The surgery must have gone well. Holding that thought, Jang Sora spoke up.

"Director, you worked so hard. You need to eat, don't you?"

It was nearly three o'clock. Hungry didn't begin to cover it.

"I should. After I see the guardian, though. She must be worried sick."

As if she had already caught the sound of his voice, the guardian who had been pacing the lobby came straight toward him.

"Doctor, our Ari…"

"You must have been so worried. Ari's surgery went well. Dr. Yoo is watching her come out of anesthesia, and her vitals have been stable so far. Would you like to go ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠see her?"

"Would that be all right?"

"Of course. Ari will still be groggy — the anesthesia hasn't fully worn off. But if you're there beside her, she'll feel safe."

Lee Jun said it remembering something Beongae the leopard had told him. Beongae had said he was glad Lee Jun was there, and had smiled with the corners of his mouth trembling, the anesthesia still loosening its grip. Ari would be the same.

"I— I suppose she would."

"She would. Come on, then."

Jang Sora watched Lee Jun and the guardian climb the stairs, worry written across her face.

"Aigoo. We need to bring in more doctors soon. Then our director might actually get some rest."

The basement remodeling would start at the beginning of next month, so it was about time they started hiring.

She was turning that over when Jung Seung-jin came up and asked,

"Manager, when are we hiring tech staff?"

"I'm planning to put up the posting next week."

"Wow! Finally! Manager, can I tell my friends?"

"Your friends?"

"Yes. I've got quite a few who've been dying to come work at our hospital."

"Do you? If there's anyone good, go ahead and recommend them."

"There are a few. But the way I see someone and the way you see them might be different, you know. Same with the director."

What you saw in a friend and what you saw in a coworker were not always the same thing.

"That's a fair point. Still, I imagine we've all got pretty similar taste in people. If you look at a resume and think we should filter someone out, just tell me that much."

"Yes, ma'am."

As he answered, Jung Seung-jin glanced toward the window — at Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi perched on the cat tower, and at Sapsaree sitting on the floor, staring out at the street. He tossed the next remark off as if it were nothing.

"Honestly, those three would probably screen people better than I would."

Jang Sora followed his gaze and picked up the thread.

"That's true. They really do read people well. That aside — haven't they been skipping their naps lately?"

"Huh. Now that you mention it, every time I look they're sitting just like that."

"Hmm."

Jang Sora kept her eyes on the three of them, sinking into thought. It's been like this ever since that incident, hasn't it? Of course they were shaken. Have people become frightening to them? They could be. They absolutely could. If those three had been human, they might well be in therapy right now.

"Manager, don't they look like they're standing sentry?"

Just then Hoesaegi turned his head, and a sharp light flashed in his eyes.

"They do, a little. They ought to get some sleep, though."

"I know."

The two of them were still worrying over the three animals when Lee Jun came back down the stairs.

"Ari's guardian is in the recovery room with Dr. Yoo. I'll be on the third floor eating, so call me if anything urgent comes up."

"Yes… Ah, Director, you had a call."

"A call?"

"Yes. Dr. Lee Seongwoo from Top Animal Hospital in Incheon. He asked if you'd text him when you have a moment. He said he'll check the message and call you right back."

Lee Jun took the memo slip from Jang Sora's hand.

"Got it."

Up on the third floor, Ju Mi-seon greeted him with open delight.

"Director, you must be starving. I'll have it out right away."

"I'm sorry to trouble you every time. I wish I could just eat everything in one sitting."

"Oh, nonsense. You and the doctors work so hard taking care of the children. Being able to give people like you a hot meal — even just this much — makes me so happy."

"That's right, Director. Watching you all eat well is what makes the work worth it."

Ju Mi-seon and the cafeteria staff member beside her both turned warm smiles on him. Smiles that came from the heart. The atmosphere was so kind that Lee Jun felt a quiet swell of satisfaction. This cafeteria. I really did well, making this.

It wasn't only that the hospital family could sit down to a hot meal whenever they needed one. There were always snacks on hand for anyone who got peckish — enough, even, to feed the colleagues and seniors and juniors who dropped by late at night.

Lee Jun took a slow turn around the room. Ten seats. Maybe two more if they dragged in extra chairs. If we hire more staff, we'll have to expand the cafeteria, won't we? And bring in more aunties, too.

He sorted the near-future tasks in his head and sent a text to the number he had just been given.

The call came in less than a minute.

"Hello, Dr. Lee. This is Lee Jun."

The same introduction Jang Sora had already passed along came spilling through the phone.

"Yes, our manager told me. You were looking for me… is this about a case?"

Meaning: had he called over a patient?

Lee Jun's thought was a quiet Ah. So that's it.He must have heard it from Eom Jin-han. Not long ago, when Eom Jin-han had visited Mongmong Animal Hospital, Lee Jun had mentioned that he would be hiring veterinarians soon.

Or — Was it Woojin, that guy? That was possible too. They had planned the hospital's expansion together. The thought made him huff a small laugh. Well. I was going to hire anyway.

He didn't hesitate.

"I haven't put up a posting yet, but yes — I do have plans to hire."

"It is. Are you applying?"

"Well then, would you send me a resume?"

He'd already made up his mind, apparently — he even had a resume ready. He seemed like someone who came prepared, and Lee Jun answered with a smile.

"Just snap a photo and send that for now. Keep it simple — school, year of graduation, the kind of practice you've been doing, that sort of thing."

"All right. I'll look over the application and get back to you. I should be able to call within the hour."

Lee Jun awarded the prospective applicant a few bonus points for the eagerness and ended the call.

A moment later — bzzzzt — his phone hummed with a text. Drive on the call, and a prepared attitude to match. Do I give him even more bonus points for this? Or is he just the impatient type? They hadn't exchanged more than a handful of words, but he already had the sense that this was a pretty decent person.

That was when Ju Mi-seon brought out a pot.

"Director, today's sea bream and scallop sotbap. Gently flake the bream and mix it into the rice, then scoop it into this bowl. Leave water in the pot and drink it as sungnyung — toasted-rice tea — once you're done."

Ah. It wasn't an earthenware stew bowl at all — it was an iron pot. Lee Jun looked down into it. The sea bream and scallops looked to have been seared once before going in, and flaked bream had been sprinkled generously over the top, along with finely chopped scallions ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and sesame seeds.

He stared into the pot with his mouth slightly open, then lifted his head to look at Ju Mi-seon.

"Chef Joo, isn't this an enormous amount of work? You'd have to make a fresh one every time someone comes up, wouldn't you?"

"It's not that much work. And it's a cold winter — you need something piping hot. Take your time."

"Aigoo. Between you and Auntie Kim, my mouth is living in absolute luxury. Thank you. I'll enjoy it."

"Hoho. Director, really. Hearing you say that only makes me happier. Doesn't it, unni?"

"It does. Our director would get the royal treatment at any restaurant he walked into."

"Is that so?"

The three of them broke into easy, good-natured laughter.

Then Lee Jun began to eat, skimming the resume the man had sent.

Hmm. Myeongseong University. Master's in surgery, doctoral coursework completed. Wait — oncology clinic? The line that said he currently held the title of head of the oncology clinic at his hospital made Lee Jun's eyes widen.

As companion animals lived longer, tumor cases were steadily on the rise. And unlike in the past, both veterinarians and guardians had grown far ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠more aggressive about treating cancer. I'd been wanting someone who specialized in oncology anyway. So this doctor does the surgeries and the ongoing care.

Which meant the hospital he was at now had to be a fairly large one. The compensation would be decent. And he wanted to leave?

Lee Jun thought it over for a moment, then shook his head. Well. Han Na-hyeok was always walking out of hospitals too. Wanting a change of jobs didn't mean someone was difficult. Though Han Na-hyeok is a bit of a handful, I'll give him that. But he was a good person. He cared about animals a great deal — which was exactly why he had fought, every time, with whichever director or investor was running the hospital. Perhaps this veterinarian named Lee Seongwoo was the same type.

Still, you never knew. Even a stone bridge should be tapped before you crossed it.

Lee Jun thought a moment longer, then sent a text to Director Yoo Daehyun of Daehan Animal Medical Center. A text asking if he could call.

The phone rang almost at once.

The same gentle tone as always.

"I've been well. And you, sir?"

"Chaos is a good thing, isn't it? Especially in a winter this cold."

"Exactly. Winter's always the lean season, after all."

The remark — with its implication that hospital revenue always dipped in the cold months — drew a laugh from the other end of the line.

"Hahaha. No matter how busy I am, I could never compare to you."

He had barely finished the sentence before laughter spilled through the phone.

There was real warmth in Yoo Daehyun's easy voice. Lee Jun found himself smiling.

"Aigoo. Getting a compliment from you feels pretty great, you know."

Hahaha. The two of them laughed, easy and unrestrained.

"That aside, sir — I called because I wanted to ask you something."

"Well…"

Lee Jun told him about Lee Seongwoo.

"You know him?"

For Yoo Daehyun to put it that way meant the man had skill. And his character? Lee Jun wouldn't even have to ask. Yoo Daehyun would tell him. And sure enough —

"Is that so?"

"It is."

Lee Jun agreed completely. Cutting open an animal with no hope of recovery was not, in his view, the right thing to do. He had no wish to pile more pain onto kids who were already hurting.

That settled it. What more was there to say?

"Thank you, sir."

"I did. I'm eating right now, actually."

"Well, you know how it is. At least Chef Joo always has a hot meal waiting."

"Pot rice. Sea bream and scallop sotbap."

He was so loud that the words reached Ju Mi-seon's ears, and she called out,

"Come over. If you come, I'll make it delicious for you."

To Ju Mi-seon, a veterinarian who healed animals was someone she wanted to treat as the very best of guests, and the invitation had tumbled out of her on its own.

How he had even caught a remark tossed off in passing, Lee Jun had no idea — but Yoo Daehyun answered at full volume, and another voice piled on top of his. There was no mistaking it. That was Cha Wuk.

"Please do come. I'll call you both again, then."

Lee Jun hung up and went back to his meal. Then he went back to the remaining appointments, and the remaining surgeries.

That evening, with clinic hours over, Lee Jun sat down in the director's office. It was time to go through the charts.

That was when the three of them came padding in, one after another. They looked exhausted.

"If you were sleepy, you should've slept. You didn't sleep?"

"We didn't sleep-ong. We have to see who comes to our hospital-ong."

"That's right. We have to watch out for new smells."

"That's right-dayo. We have to watch everyone who comes in-dayo."

Aigoo, his poor head.

These kids had been badly shaken that day. A bitter taste spread through Lee Jun's mouth. If they had been human, he would have at least gotten them into counseling for PTSD.

The truth was, the best treatment for these three would be to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠catch the man who had kidnapped Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi and make him pay — and to make sure the three of them knew it. That would be the best way, but realistically it isn't that easy…

As the law currently stood in this country, taking someone else's companion animal was not kidnapping. If the victim were a person, a kidnapping charge would apply. For a companion animal, it was charged as theft. Animals were still classified as personal property — as objects. For the same reason, injuring a companion animal was charged as property damage. Taking in a lost companion animal was charged as misappropriation of lost property.

He could, in theory, sue the man who had taken Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi under those statutes. We have evidence he kidnapped our kids. They had the scene on the dashcam and on the CCTV in front of the house. But Attorney Jang said it wouldn't qualify for criminal punishment. Because the kids came home. In the eyes of the law, the "property" had been returned.

So Lee Jun had asked: wasn't there footage of the man forcing them into a car? And even that, he was told, would not bring any real penalty. If the man claimed he had grabbed a cat wandering the street because it looked sick and he wanted to get it treated, punishment would be difficult to secure.

The conclusion, in the present circumstances, was that suing the kidnapper would not land any meaningful blow. Recalling the consultation with the lawyer, Lee Jun ground his teeth. I am not giving a man like that a slap on the wrist. If we're unlucky, he walks away with no charges at all. He could not let that happen. A man like that doesn't do it once and stop.

Lee Jun made up his mind. However long it took, he would see that man properly punished. And the Animal Praise team had already thrown their weight behind that resolve. They said they were keeping tabs on him. According to the Animal Praise team, companion-animal theft cases had recently become a hot topic — which was why they were tracking the story.

But looking at these three standing watch in every direction all day long… when Gijin said he was going to go beat that guy to a pulp, I should have gone with him instead of talking him out of it. If they had, the man might never have gotten back on his feet. They might have been charged with assault — but at least it would have felt satisfying.

Watching the three of them with worry, Lee Jun suddenly understood. Ah. So that's why they haven't been sleeping at the hospital. Why they've been standing sentry. Because they were afraid someone would be taken — themselves, or their friends, or anyone at all. So they wound themselves tight as wire at the hospital, and then went home and slept like the dead.

What do I do? They were about to bring in new family. What if the three of them stressed themselves sick every time a stranger walked in? He couldn't leave them at home, either. Ever since that day, they had insisted on coming with him.

Lee Jun thought back to the last time they had hired. These kids were incredible then. Everyone the three of them had approved of had turned out to be a good person. Holding that thought, he opened his mouth.

"Kids. I'm thinking of bringing in some new family for our hospital."

"What's new family-ong?"

At Hoesaegi's question, Gkamnyangi let out a long sigh.

"Hey, Hoesaegi. New family means family we don't know."

"I-is that so-ong? Family we don't know-ong?"

"Unknown family is scary-dayo. Big trouble-dayo."

With Sapsaree piling on, Lee Jun swallowed a groan and tried again.

"They're not all bad people. You like kind teachers, right? You like a strong Hyungnim too, right?"

Nod, nod. All three heads bobbed, and Lee Jun went on.

"There are lots of good teachers too. You know how many sick friends come to our hospital, right?"

"That's right-ong."

The sick friends must have risen in their minds, because all three mouths poked out in a little pout.

"And those friends have to wait over there until they get their shot-beans, don't they?"

"They wait a whole lot-ong."

"They wait forever."

"They whimper that they hurt-dayo."

"It'd be better if your friends didn't have to wait so long. If they could get treated faster, right?"

Nod, nod. Three heads bobbed again.

"If there are more teachers, they won't have to wait. Teachers who'll put the beans in for your friends. And I'll have more time to rest, too. I mean — more time to sleep."

At that, the three of them curled the corners of their mouths up as if the pouts had never existed.

"Is that true-ong?"

"Hyungnim's going to sleep?"

"Hyungnim's going to sleep-dayo. He won't hurt-dayo!"

"That's right. So will you be my interviewers, so we can pick good teachers? I need you to find me the good ones."

Interviewers who picked good teachers. The enormously difficult word felt magnificent.

"Yes, I will-ong. I'll be an interviewer-ong."

"Me too! I'm going to be an interviewer."

"Me too-dayo! I'm an interviewer-dayo!"

The three of them wore resolute faces. They were already interviewers.