Chapter 59
Chapter 59
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: Pearls of Gratitude
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As the silvery white pearl glistened iridescently on the plate, Kim Eun-ji and Jang So-ra cried out in unison.
“G-Genuine pearl!”
“Oh my god…….”
At their exclamations, everyone’s eyes locked onto Lee Jun’s plate.
Namgung Hyun was no exception.
“Pearls, huh.”
“I thought it was just some news story I’d only read about…… To think something like this actually happens.”
Lee Jun looked puzzled as he spoke, when the secretary approached Namgung Hyun.
“CEO, take a look at this.”
“What is it?”
On the plate the secretary held out were five round pearls.
They came in various colors.
Not only was there another of the silvery white pearl that had just stunned them, but there were also pearls with a pink tint, pure white ones, and ones with a yellowish hue.
“Pearls.”
“They came from the oysters just now.”
“Oysters?”
“Yes. The caretaker grandpa found them while mincing the oyster meat on Director Lee’s instructions.”
“This many?”
“And that’s not all. They keep coming. According to the grandpa, nearly one in every three oysters has one.”
“Really?”
Kim Eun-ji placed an oyster on her plate and dug through it.
“Oh! There’s one!”
“There’s one here too.”
Jang So-ra as well.
After that, everyone started sifting through the oysters and shellfish in search of pearls.
“It’s like mining pearls from a pearl field.”
“Yeah, tell me about it.”
In the end, they collected about fifty pearls of various sizes.
“This is too much…….”
Lee Jun made a troubled face as he addressed the animals.
“Guys, aren’t you paying way too much for treatment fees?”
[Hehe, you like it? I’ll bring more tomorrow.]
[Compared to you saving our lives, this is nothing.]
He spoke warmly to the delighted animals who were thrilled by his smile.
“You guys will be sticking around for a bit, so bring any sick friends you have.”
[For real?]
“Yeah. Bring as many as you can while I’m here.”
That was the only thing Lee Jun could offer.
“By the way, natural pearls like these must be worth a fortune, right?”
Kim Eun-ji, who had covered plenty of celebrity stories, gazed at the bowl of pearls and said.
“Probably.”
“Oh man, my friend, you’ve always done good deeds, and now fortune rains down on you. Well done.”
At Namgung Hyun’s words, Kwak Su-ho patted Lee Jun’s shoulder.
“What do you mean mine? These are theirs. Anyway, go ahead and pick a few you like.”
“Eh? These are yours, hyungnim. Why should we take them?”
“Yeah, the animals gave them to you, Director.”
“We saved them together. Pick some.”
Lee Jun passed around the bowl of pearls as he spoke.
“Since they paid so generously for treatment, I guess I’ll have to work extra hard starting tomorrow.”
“You betcha. But will as many sick ones come tomorrow as today?”
“They’ll bring them.”
“Then that’s great. It’d be awesome if all the sick ones came while we’re here.”
“That’d be the best.”
“By the way, Director Lee, what are you going to do with these?”
Namgung Hyun picked up the pearl bowl and asked Lee Jun.
“Hmm. Maybe sell them to a pearl wholesaler or something?”
“You might get scammed.”
Kim Eun-ji chimed in.
“Yeah, probably. CEO, do you know anyone who deals in this stuff?”
Lee Jun asked Namgung Hyun, the richest person he knew, to handle disposing of the pearls.
“I do. I’ll make sure you get a good price.”
With Namgung Hyun’s straightforward reply, the pearl incident wrapped up, and it was already very late.
The cats, who had been waiting without food, were thoroughly annoyed.
[Food! Give us food meow!]
[I’m starving to death!]
[Starving meow.]
Meow meow meow.
The cats, who had been quiet until now, began meowing in unison.
“Ah. Sorry, sorry. What do you want to eat?”
[Whisker meat. Shrimp meow!]
[I want savory chewy meat.]
“Shrimp and Hanwoo beef. Got it. Wait just a sec, okay?”
Go Gi-jin immediately understood the cats’ words and quickly placed meat on the grill.
While the meat cooked, the cats chatted with the turtles and seals to pass the time.
[Meeting our Big Brother is the best luck meow. My leg was broken, but Big Brother fixed it meow.]
[That’s right. Our Big Brother is amazing. Thanks to him, I can see again.]
[What? You can see?]
[Really? How?]
[Well, it went like this…….]
The cats shared stories of their treatments from Lee Jun, and the sea animals listened intently.
Kwak Su-ho, who was filming the scene, let out a hollow laugh.
“Cats playing with turtles and seals. Even while filming, I can’t tell if this is real life.”
“I agree. Honestly, I came just to cheer you on and planned to head back right away, but I’m glad I stayed.”
“Me too. And look at the cats—they really seem to love it here. They looked comfy in the park, but they seem even more relaxed now.”
As Kim Eun-ji said, the cats truly loved being by the seaside.
Whenever they got the chance, they thanked Lee Jun for bringing them to the beach.
Lee Jun, who understood their feelings better than anyone, felt great watching the cats.
And he was grateful to Namgung Hyun for making this gathering possible.
“Guys, say thank you to CEO Namgung who invited you all to this beach.”
No sooner had Lee Jun spoken than the cats approached Namgung Hyun and meowed softly.
Meooow!
Meow meow.
Nyaow!
Some cats bowed their heads in greeting, others rubbed against Namgung Hyun’s legs. Some hugged his legs tightly.
Their expressions varied, but the gratitude was clear.
“Haha, these guys…….”
Namgung Hyun was startled by the cats’ surprise attack but soon broke into a wide grin.
‘They really had a good time.’
Watching the cats greet Namgung Hyun so affectionately, Lee Jun thought he’d done well bringing them.
On the other hand, he thought of the animals at Our Yard Shelter.
“Seeing them so happy makes me think of the kids at Our Yard.”
“Our Yard…….”
Namgung Hyun could guess what Lee Jun was thinking and smiled.
“Ah, Director, when you have time, let’s go to Our Yard together.”
“For volunteering? I was planning to go next Sunday. Want to come then?”
“That can wait. This time, I want to show you the site for the Our Yard Animal Hospital.”
“Huh, you’re already starting construction?”
“It’s already underway.”
“Then we have to go. Oh, by the way, CEO, how much is land around Our Yard?”
“Planning to build a house there?”
“No, not that. I was thinking of making a playground for the animals.”
“By selling these?”
“Well…… The ones who can’t get adopted have to live there forever, so if possible, a space to run around would be nice. Just checking the prices.”
“Don’t worry. We’ve already secured a site for the playground.”
“Really?”
Lee Jun, who rarely showed surprise, was genuinely shocked this time.
“Haha, Director Lee, you look flustered.”
Namgung Hyun laughed heartily.
“Man, finally, two of hyungnim’s wishes are coming true at once.”
“Director Lee’s wishes?”
Kim Eun-ji, who had been listening, asked.
“Yeah. Hyungnim has a few wishes, and one is building a dedicated animal hospital for Our Yard Shelter.”
“For Our Yard Shelter?”
“Yeah, it’s a place he’s been volunteering at for a long time, and CEO Namgung is building the hospital.”
Lee Jun boasted about Namgung Hyun.
“Impressive. So the second wish is the playground for the shelter animals?”
“Yes. And CEO Namgung’s taking care of that too.”
Lee Jun answered Kim Eun-ji and then turned to Namgung Hyun.
“CEO, I don’t know how much these will fetch, but I’ll chip in too.”
He pointed to the pearl bowl.
“No need. Let our company handle it.”
“Isn’t that pushing it? You’re already building the animal medical center.”
“Not at all. Compared to how much our company image has improved thanks to you, Director, it’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
Namgung Hyun got agreement from Lee Jun’s group before he could insist on contributing.
“Compared to what Director Lee’s done, a playground at Our Yard is nothing. Right?”
“You’re both amazing, but Director Lee is on another level beyond imagination. Without him, how could we have experiences like this?”
Kim Eun-ji pointed to the cats and sea animals huddled together.
“I admit it. He’s my friend, but he’s a real monster.”
Kwak Su-ho proudly patted Lee Jun’s shoulder.
“Honestly, our hyungnim is amazing. Hahaha.”
“He is.”
[That’s right meow! Our vet Big Brother is the best meow!]
As Gray raised his voice in praise of Lee Jun from the sandy beach, the 80-year-old elder turtle stretched his neck and nodded.
[Heh heh. Seems so. In all my years, I’ve never met anyone as great as that doctor.]
[M-Me too. Kids, look at me. My neck turns.]
The turtle who’d had a ring around his neck cried out joyfully.
[Me too. This doesn’t hurt anymore.]
Now it was the sea lion with the long sharp wire embedded in his head.
[I can breathe through my nose now.]
The seal with a straw in his nostril beamed.
[Thank you!]
[Thank you.]
[Thanks, young one.]
Go Gi-jin, hearing the animals’ cries, smiled warmly at Lee Jun.
“Hyungnim, they’re saying thanks too.”
“You understood them? How do you get it so well?”
Lee Jun chuckled and asked back.
“You can tell just by their faces. Look how happy they are? That seal’s eyes are like crescent moons.”
Go Gi-jin spoke to Lee Jun, then shouted to the sea animals.
“Yeah. You all are so Haenguni. Meeting someone like our hyungnim.”
“I agree.”
“Me too. Meeting Director Lee is a huge stroke of luck.”
The praise parade for Lee Jun continued the next day with people from the marine animal rescue and treatment center.
Their reactions were no different.
First shock, then admiration and awe.
“It looks like we have nothing to do. No, we should be learning from you, Doctor.”
“Doctor, may we record your treatments? We’d like to review them and learn your methods.”
“If we have tough cases, can we consult you?”
“Anytime.”
“Thank you.”
Go Gi-jin smirked at the marine center staff’s reactions.
“Heh heh heh, hyungnim, you’ll be famous as a marine animal vet specialist soon. If they call from this country and that, it’ll be epic.”
“Cut the nonsense and get this guy on the exam table.”
Lee Jun pointed to the large turtle waiting for treatment.
“Got it. But it really feels like it’ll happen.”
***
Having filled a full week in Gangneung, Lee Jun’s group did final checkups on the sea animals, showing their reluctance to leave.
“Leaving already? It’s a shame.”
“Yeah. There’s gotta be more sick ones, and it sucks not helping them.”
The sentimental Go Gi-jin pouted and suddenly hugged the seal in front of him tightly.
It was a grip that would have made a dog or cat yelp for mercy, but the seal just giggled hing hing.
“Hey, Gi-jin, just stay here. They like you.”
“I wanna. Why are there so many I wanna fix!”
Go Gi-jin sighed deeply, still hugging the seal.
Lee Jun felt the same.
He wanted to care for them every day, but reality wouldn’t allow it.
“I’d love to come once a month, but that’s tough. Let’s aim for once a quarter.”
“Yeah, hyungnim. Come for sure.”
Lee Jun shared his resolution with the animals.
“I’ll be back soon, so see you then.”
[Understood.]
[Thank you.]
[Take care meow! See you meow!]
[That was fun. Let’s play again.]
The cats hugged the sea animals tightly as they said goodbye.
“My lips are curling up just watching.”
“Same here. It’s healing just to see.”
Kim Eun-ji and Jang So-ra clasped their hands, watching the animals’ farewells.
Lee Jun smiled contentedly watching them too.
‘Really glad we came.’
***
Two days later, Sunday morning at 7:30.
Lee Jun and Go Gi-jin arrived at the Namyangju Our Yard Shelter.
The volunteer vehicles were due around 9, but Lee Jun came early to chat with the animals.
Go Gi-jin, living with him, tagged along early too.
Standing at the Our Yard entrance, Go Gi-jin tilted his head.
“Something’s off.”
“What?”
“Hyungnim, did all the animals here get adopted? Why’s it so quiet? Barely any barking.”
The Our Yard animals were keeping their promise to Lee Jun.
The newcomers were getting scolded by the others for barking.
But to Go Gi-jin, unaware, it was bizarre.
“What if they’re all sick as a group?”
Worried, Go Gi-jin entered the shelter with snack boxes and froze.
“W-What’s this?”
His voice betrayed panic, but his mouth grinned from ear to ear.