The Road to Samburu
Vrooom~!
The van glided along, smooth as anything.
Go Gi-jin sat with his mouth hanging open, looking all around the interior before he finally spoke.
"Good heavens, our hyungnim really is something else, ain't he? Sending a car and everything. I figured we'd have to go all the way out to Hongdae and catch the airport railroad."
Having gotten that out, Go Gi-jin grinned all over again. He looked thoroughly pleased.
Kwak Suho smiled at the sight of him.
"Jun's amazing, that's for sure. But Gi-jin, this isn't a car they arranged for us over there."
"It ain't? Then did you hyungnims rent it? Eome, if you even called a driver, that must've cost a fortune. We could've just taken the subway."
Watching Go Gi-jin fret over the cost of the car, Kwak Suho laughed.
"Gi-jin's so pure when he gets like this."
"Right?"
"Well, it is, though. I don't know the exact figure, but this has gotta be way more than a week's snack money for our kids and the Brave Ones. It's a waste, ain't it?"
"I really do love how pure you are."
"Right? That's Gi-jin's charm."
Lee Jun chimed in with Kwak Suho, then turned to Go Gi-jin.
"Haha, Gi-jin, that's not it. It's an airline service."
Lee Jun's answer was simple. Go Gi-jin stared at him with a blank look, clearly not following.
"The airline we're flying is Emirates."
"I know that. You told me so, hyungnim."
"They provided it. If you fly business or first class, you can use a car service all the way to the airport."
"Whoa. For real?"
Go Gi-jin stared at Lee Jun, stunned. Then his mouth fell wide open and he burst into a grin.
"Eome, that's mighty fine, ain't it? I heard that airline's food is delicious, too."
"How'd you know that?"
Kwak Suho asked, looking genuinely surprised. Go Gi-jin looked back at him as if the answer were obvious.
"You told me, hyungnim. You said the Emirates plane food is tasty."
"It's Emirates, not Emirate — but yeah, that's true. We have to wait in Dubai, but that airport's clean and has places to sleep, so it's fine."
"Hehe, that so? Anyway, thanks to you, hyungnim, we're flying nice again. Appreciate you booking us the good seats. Last time we went to America we flew first class, too."
"What do you mean, thanks to me? That was thanks to our Hoesaegi and Gkamnyangi. That was my first time in first class, too."
"Same here. Anyway, you think they're doing okay? Won't they get tired spending the whole day at the animal hospital?"
"I am a little worried. We made them a rest space in the 2nd Floor Cat Playground, but it'll still be more tiring than being at home."
Lee Jun and Go Gi-jin were heading out on a business trip together. The three animals had announced they would stay at the animal hospital — and requested Sapsaree's cushion. The cushion in the living room at Golmokjib was a big one, so if they brought it over, they could all sleep on it together, apparently. They had even made the specific demand that it be placed in the 2nd Floor Cat Playground.
Lee Jun had brought the cushion to the playground, along with a large igloo-shaped house. Sleeping out in the open in a space as wide and exposed as a playground would definitely wear them out.
"Those rascals sure did love that igloo."
"That's a relief."
There had been one more thing Lee Jun asked of the three, who were so pleased with the igloo: to stay on the second floor, or down in the Brave Ones' House in the basement, whenever possible. The second floor and the basement were difficult for outsiders to access — staff accompaniment was required. He had also told them that the staff would take them down to the Brave Ones' House. It was one of the measures Lee Jun had put in place, having come to put safety first.
At Lee Jun's suggestion, the three had nodded their little heads vigorously and agreed. They took promises very seriously, so they would surely keep the one they had made with him.
"The staff all love them, don't they? They'll take good care of 'em. And we've got plenty of observation cameras up, so we can just check in whenever."
"That's true."
As the three of them chatted about this and that, the airport came into view. They arrived, and before long they were boarding the plane.
"Eome, this is mighty fine, ain't it?"
"The A380, as expected. Nice, nice."
"Kwak Suho, have you flown this before?"
"Yeah, but it was economy. The food was still good even then. Hehe, I wonder how much better it'll be today?"
Just as Kwak Suho had said, the in-flight meal was excellent. But Lee Jun had been so exhausted from seeing patients and reviewing elephant materials right up until they left that the moment he sat down — or rather, the moment he lay down — he fell straight to sleep. The flight had also departed at 11:55 at night.
And so Lee Jun slept soundly, without waking once, for over nine hours until they arrived in Dubai. To be honest, he had woken an hour before landing, but he had spent that time in a half-dreaming haze. The result: Lee Jun got off the plane without having eaten a single meal.
And so he found himself filling his stomach in the lounge at Dubai International Airport during their layover. Kwak Suho looked on with a pitying expression as Lee Jun shoveled food down.
"Tsk, my poor friend. How exhausted must you have been to sleep without even waking up?"
"It was pretty comfortable, actually."
"Well, it was comfortable for me too. But Gi-jin, how do you keep eating and eating on the plane like that?"
"Eotta, hyungnim, how can you even compare the two? There's so much delicious stuff. You should eat some too."
Go Gi-jin, who had piled a plate high with cake, smiled in satisfaction. A sweet-looking drink was a given.
The three of them waited at the airport for about six hours, but they didn't find it boring in the slightest. After finishing his meal, Lee Jun had started a conversation with Go Gi-jin about elephant diseases, while Kwak Suho filled them in on all things Africa from the side.
The layover flew by, and the three of them boarded a plane once more. And so they flew on, arriving at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, eighteen kilometers from Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.
After clearing immigration, Go Gi-jin drew a deep breath, then immediately started sniffing the air.
"Eome, the smell of Africa~!"
"You like it?"
"Can't quite tell yet."
"Well, at least you're honest. Let's go. Someone should be waiting for us."
Just as Kwak Suho had said, someone had come to meet their party. Kwak Suho spotted a man standing with a white piece of paper and waved.
"Hey, George! Long time no see."
"Suo, welcome. Jerome wanted to come, but he was too busy. He said to tell you he's sorry."
"I know, I know. Anyway, these are my friends. This is Lee Jun, and this is Go Gi-jin."
After introducing Lee Jun and Go Gi-jin to George, Kwak Suho introduced George to the two of them.
"This is George Taylor. He's a zoologist who studies elephants. Jerome was supposed to come — sorry about that."
"He must be swamped with patients. If he'd just given us the address, we could've found our way."
Lee Jun said this to Kwak Suho, then exchanged introductions with George.
"Vet Lee Jun."
"Vet Go Gi-jin."
Vet, as in veterinarian. Surprisingly, Go Gi-jin's English had much the same cadence as Lee Jun's and Kwak Suho's.
"Welcome, Dr. Lee, Dr. Go. Thank you so much for coming. I've seen you so often in the videos that it doesn't feel like we're meeting for the first time."
George's easy, affable warmth immediately softened the atmosphere among the four of them.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. Shall we get going?"
"Of course. I'll fill you in on the way."
The three followed George out of the airport.
"We're headed to a protected area inside Samburu National Reserve."
"It's about a six-hour drive."
Kwak Suho added, and George picked up from there.
"You've come a long way and must be tired. I'm sorry you have to travel again."
"Not at all. You prepared such good seats for us — we had a very comfortable trip. It's fine."
Then Go Gi-jin spoke up in Korean.
"But it ain't that hot, is it? Maybe 'cause we came from a winter country, but it's kinda cool. Don't you think?"
"That's because of the high elevation. You'll probably need long sleeves at night."
"That so? I figured Africa'd be blazing hot. You know how they call Daegu in the summer 'Dafrica'? I thought this place would be even hotter than that."
"Haha, it's not that bad here. Anyway, let's buy SIM cards first."
Lee Jun chimed in at Kwak Suho's words.
"Yeah, that's important."
SIM cards mattered — both for staying in touch with the staff, and for checking in on Hoesaegi, Gkamnyangi, and Sapsaree.
"Here in Kenya, that company over there is the best."
The three of them followed George into a shop labeled Safari House and bought SIM cards. As they came back out, Kwak Suho spoke.
"That company, by the way. Their chairman is one of Dr. Jin's patrons at Daehan Animal Hospital."
"Really?"
"Yeah, that's what I heard. Isn't that something? Having a global tycoon as a patron is impressive enough, but he's not even the only one."
"That's impressive. Then again, Dr. Jin is hard to even get a meeting with. Seems like he's in demand everywhere."
"Yeah, that's what they say."
Go Gi-jin smoothly cut in on Lee Jun and Kwak Suho's conversation.
"Eotta, you hyungnims! Getting envious over every little thing? How amazing are you two already? Over there they don't have our Hoesaegi, Gkamnyangi, and Sapsaree, do they?"
"Huh?"
Wait, Gi-jin. How did the conversation jump there all of a sudden?
Lee Jun looked at Go Gi-jin with puzzled eyes. Kwak Suho sent him the same look.
"Hehe, so what I'm saying is, our hyungnim is an incredibly amazing person too. I mean, Dr. Jin is incredibly amazing, sure, but still."
That was all Go Gi-jin had wanted to say. In the eyes of someone who had watched him up close all this time, Lee Jun was a great senior, a great veterinarian. And Kwak Suho, too, was an amazing hyungnim who did so much for animals.
"Haha, you really know how to pump a guy up. Jun, doesn't this kid make people feel incredible?"
"He really does. And the animals know this about him, too. They all strut around whenever they're next to him."
It was one of Go Gi-jin's gifts. He made anyone around him feel good and grow more confident. Looking at him, Lee Jun fell into thought.
Do that for the elephants too, okay?
Lee Jun hoped that Go Gi-jin's energy would reach even the elephant that was said to reject people.
The three of them set off in George's jeep.
"We've got a long way to go — shall we grab something to eat first?"
"If you're hungry, George, we can stop. We're fine."
"I'm all right too, so let's just grab some drinks. And if there's anything you need, it'd be best to buy it now. There aren't any shops out there."
"Let's do that."
"Yeah. Then I'd like a sweet coffee, at least. Once we get out there, we won't even be able to dream of that kind of thing."
And so the jeep sped into the city. Lee Jun, watching the scenery outside the window, spoke in a tone close to wonder.
"It's a lot more urban than I expected."
The tall buildings were a metropolis through and through.
"You're telling me. I thought we'd see grasslands the second we got to Africa."
"It's only like this here. Just a little farther and there's nothing but open plains."
And just as George had said, the moment they left the city, the landscape transformed completely. The buildings gave way to shabby apartment blocks, the broad roads to unpaved tracks. Shantytowns came into view as well.
A forest of buildings in the distance, and shantytowns right here.
A tightness filled his chest. But that feeling lasted only a moment — the two of them were soon groaning in earnest.
"Ugh!"
"Oof!"
"Ah, this is killing me."
"M-my backside! My backside feels like it's on fire!"
They had had an inkling when George had shown up in a jeep, but this was too much. Unpaved was one thing, but this? The road was in such terrible condition it was a wonder the vehicle was even moving.
"Is my rear even going to survive until we get there? But Kwak Suho, you're totally fine?"
"This is nothing. There are way worse stretches than this."
Kwak Suho, a veteran of African travel, was as unfazed as George. Lee Jun and Go Gi-jin spent a good while unable to collect themselves in the rattling vehicle. Kwak Suho spoke to the two of them.
"Look out the window. That'll help."
Kwak Suho, sitting in the passenger seat, had somehow already pulled out a sketchbook and was working his hands at speed. Whether it was a sketch or a quick study, forms were rapidly taking shape on the white paper. Seeing that, the two of them naturally turned their eyes to the window — and gasps of wonder burst out.
"Wow!"
"G-good heavens!"
Feather-white clouds drifted across a blue sky, and below them the plains stretched on without end. In the distance stood the long-necked star of the show — a giraffe, beside a tall tree.
"Look at that tree — the way it's shaking, I reckon the giraffe's stripping the leaves off it?"
It was a completely different presence from the giraffes they had seen in zoos.
"Yeah. It's really magnificent."
Gazing at the giraffe, Lee Jun forgot all about the carsickness he had been suffering and the backside that had felt like it was being pulverized.
"Eotta, what're those?"
Kwak Suho answered Go Gi-jin, who was pointing at a cluster of animals.
"Thomson's gazelles. Their eyes are really pretty, huh?"
"That so?"
As Lee Jun and Go Gi-jin kept gasping wow after wow, George spoke up.
"Suo, if you open that, there are binoculars. Give them to the two of them."
"Oh, right."
Kwak Suho immediately handed the binoculars over, and Lee Jun and Go Gi-jin's exclamations grew even louder.
"G-good heavens, ain't those lions?"
"They are. Gi-jin, see that tree? Look up in it — there's a leopard."
"For real?"
The two of them looked left and right in turn, crying out in wonder.
"But they're all so thin."
Lee Jun, who had only ever seen wild animals in zoos, looked at the gaunt creatures with pity. Kwak Suho spoke.
"There's been a severe drought."
"I see."
"Still, the Tsavo side is doing reasonably well — Dr. Jin sponsored water tanks there."
"Really? I heard he was doing good work. That's wonderful."
"It is."
Lee Jun, who only moments ago had been delighted by the vast plains, sank into thought.
There's so much that needs to be done. So much I want to do for them. To do that, I'll have to work hard, won't I?
Looking at the weak, hungry-looking animals, Lee Jun steeled himself.
I'll work hard, so I can be of help to them too.
Having gathered his resolve, Lee Jun thought of the first thing he needed to do.
Let's start by helping the elephants in Samburu National Reserve.
Once he had set his heart on it, his backside no longer hurt, and the carsickness was gone.
Time passed, and the jeep carrying the four of them arrived at Samburu National Reserve.