Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Dubu's Nasal Foreign Body
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“It was about four months ago. Dubu started sneezing. I thought it was because he was cold, so I cranked up the heat right away. I think that’s when it all began.”
“Was the sneeze like the one just now? Or more like a hacking sound?”
“It was more like a ‘chick-chick’ sound, I think. Back then.”
Lee Jun nodded and jotted it down in the empty space on the questionnaire.
He could enter it directly into the chart, but that would pull his focus away from the owner.
That was why Lee Jun preferred handwriting during consultations with guardians.
Especially when reviewing a long history like this.
“Then one day, mucus started dripping from Dubu’s nose. At first it was clear, but it gradually turned into pus-like discharge. It got worse and worse until blood was coming out too.”
“That’s when you went to the animal hospital.”
“Yes, when the yellow mucus started, we went and gave him meds for about a week. But when the blood appeared, they said X-rays wouldn’t cut it and recommended a CT scan. I... well, I switched hospitals.”
“So you gave him another week of meds, then did the detailed exam.”
“Yeah, it just wasn’t getting better, so I had no choice. But the results only showed pus—nothing else.”
“Didn’t they say to treat the inflammation first and recheck?”
“That’s right. They said the inflammation might be masking the cause.”
“That makes sense. Did they mention anything about bone erosion?”
“Eek? Bone erosion?”
“Oh, if the inflammation is severe, it can eat away at nearby bones like the nasal turbinates. No mention of that means it’s probably fine.”
Lee Jun offered some reassuring words to the pale-faced Hong Ji-su, then pondered.
‘Hmm, what could be hidden under all that pus?’
What kind of cause would keep it going for four whole months?
Any typical bacterial infection would’ve cleared up with that much antibiotics.
A foreign body? Or maybe a tumor?
At a previous hospital, Lee Jun would’ve recommended a CT scan in this situation too.
But Meongmeong Animal Hospital only had X-ray, ultrasound, and endoscopy equipment.
Lee Jun laid it out for Hong Ji-su.
“Hmm, it looks like we need a detailed scan, but our hospital doesn’t have the facilities for that.”
“Please, just take a look at Dubu for us, Doctor.”
“The nasal cavity and upper areas are surrounded by the skull, so X-rays have a lot of limitations. If CT couldn’t find it...”
Lee Jun trailed off mid-sentence.
‘Figuring out the cause matters, but what’s most important is how Dubu’s hurting right now and easing that discomfort even a little. That’s my job.’
Improving quality of life—he knew better than anyone how crucial that was. He continued.
“As I mentioned, the exams we can do here are just X-ray and endoscopy. We might not find the cause. Is that okay with you?”
Hong Ji-su hesitated at Lee Jun’s words.
But from the entrance up to now, everything about him made her think she could trust him.
“I’d like the Director to examine him.”
“Alright then, shall we meet Dubu?”
“Yes. Come on out, Dubu. The Director wants to see you.”
Not ‘take him out,’ but ‘shall we meet.’
Such a simple phrase, but it warmed Hong Ji-su’s heart. She called to Dubu in the gentlest voice and opened the carrier.
[Director?]
A cat with a black back and white belly approached with a groggy mew.
‘I can talk to cats too!’
Lee Jun was thrilled to hear Dubu’s words, just as he’d hoped.
But the joy was short-lived.
Pity washed over him the moment he saw Dubu, overwhelming the happiness.
Dubu’s nose was crusted with yellow mucus, and his dull eyes stared lifelessly.
“Oh, Dubu, you poor thing. You’ve been through a lot.”
Dubu had never heard a vet say “you’ve been through a lot” before. His pumpkin-orange eyes widened.
Well, only halfway—they were too swollen to open fully.
Dubu scampered straight to Lee Jun.
Then he wrapped his front paws around Lee Jun’s arm.
[Hing. Director!]
Lee Jun was startled by Dubu’s sudden move.
But Hong Ji-su was even more shocked.
“Oh my!”
Stunned, she could only nod when Lee Jun said he’d examine him.
“Dubu’s not usually like that.”
Dubu had always hated coming to the vet. The recent string of exams made it worse.
And yet, here he was.
“Maybe...”
Hong Ji-su’s hopes grew even higher.
***
In the exam room, Lee Jun listened to Dubu’s story.
[So like, they kept hurting me so much. Chk... chkk. Like this. Oof, it hurt so bad. But they only did stuff like this.]
“And then what happened?”
[They grabbed me like this and spread me out like this.]
“Here?”
Lee Jun pointed to the X-ray machine.
[Yeah. Right away. The rest hurt even more, hing.]
Nonstop sneezes, mucus streaming, and lying belly-up for X-rays—must’ve been torture.
“You’ve been through hell.”
Lee Jun stroked Dubu’s head, and the relieved cat kept going.
[They poked me a ton with something sharp here. Krngh.]
Dubu sniffed and grimaced, tapping his right front paw with his left.
He meant the blood draws for tests.
“A lot of pokes?”
[Like this!]
Dubu held up both front paws.
“Ten times? No way!”
「Right away. I can handle five of those!」
Dubu lowered one paw.
Meaning he could tolerate five.
‘Doesn’t look like he could handle even that...’
But Lee Jun kept it to himself.
Instead, he petted the whining Dubu.
Dubu enjoyed it, then pawed at his own nose.
[Hing, Director. It hurts here.]
Watching Dubu smack his nose, Lee Jun asked what he’d been dying to know.
“How does it hurt? Oh, before that—has anything ever gotten stuck up your nose?”
[Yeah, there was. How’d you know?]
“It was a foreign body!”
Now that he knew the cause, all he had to do was remove it—no delays.
Endoscopy was a breeze for Lee Jun.
He told Hong Ji-su he’d do the procedure, and in a flash, out came the foreign body.
***
“You saw it on the screen.”
“...Yes.”
Hong Ji-su was dazed.
He’d said he found the cause, that he’d do a quick procedure, and it’d be short.
But this was too fast.
It was over in a blink.
And now Lee Jun was replaying the footage to explain.
“In Dubu’s right nasal cavity—deep in the nose—this foreign body was lodged.”
Lee Jun showed her what the endoscope had pulled out.
It was a full 2 cm long.
“What in the world is that?”
“Looks like grass.”
“No, impossible. Dubu never goes outside, Director.”
“Any houseplants? Or flowers in a vase?”
Having heard the story from Dubu, Lee Jun gave her a hint.
It clicked—Hong Ji-su’s eyes widened.
“Oh, I got a flower bouquet as a gift once. Come to think of it, that’s right around when Dubu started hurting.”
It had been a birthday present—huge and beautiful, so she’d kept it in her room for a while.
Hong Ji-su quickly pulled up photos on her phone.
“Oh my god, it was this. The bouquet had a bunch of grasses mixed in—one of them must’ve been it.”
She looked incredulous.
“I thought it was cute how Dubu sniffed the flowers. Never imagined this.”
“If he’d been in grass or bushes and sneezed after, you’d have noticed right away. You’d have rushed him to the vet and fixed it.”
“You think so?”
“Definitely. And something this old might not show up on scans. It wasn’t hard metal, and it was caked in inflammation.”
“...Thank you so much.”
“No need. Just doing my job.”
Hong Ji-su, cradling and petting Dubu, asked,
“Will Dubu be okay now?”
“He’ll need a bit more meds, but yes, he’ll recover.”
Answering her, Lee Jun looked at Dubu.
“Dubu, doesn’t hurt anymore, right?”
[Yeah! Director, you saved me—thank you!]
Dubu replied in a lively voice.
Nyaoow!
“Dubu says he’s not hurting anymore.”
Seeing Dubu’s bright expression and hearing his happy cry, Hong Ji-su finally teared up.
“Sob, Director, thank you. Truly, thank you.”
“You’ve both been through a lot.”
“Oh, no. It wasn’t me. Think of how much Dubu suffered with that sharp thing in his nose.”
Hong Ji-su thanked him over and over before leaving the hospital.
***
That night, a post went up on the “Cats Are Cute” cafe—shortened to Ggui Cafe.
[Ggui folks! Dubu’s back to normal!]
This is Dubu’s guardian.
I don’t even know how to express this feeling.
I came to share the good news with all you Ggui folks who commented and worried with me on my posts about Dubu.
Ggui folks! Dubu’s back to normal!
<Snip>
Everyone! I’ve never left an animal hospital feeling this relieved. No—grateful.
Do you know what that great Vet God said to Dubu? “Shall we meet Dubu now?”
Heavens, not “take him out,” but “shall we meet.”
A Vet God overflowing with sweetness!
And when he saw Dubu and said “you’ve been through a lot,” my heart dropped—tears too.
It felt like the Vet God knew exactly how much Dubu had suffered.
Dubu knew it too—burst out of the carrier and hugged the Vet God tight!
No, Dubu hugged his arm. Like “thanks for understanding,” right?
Then it was pure fantasy.
He went to the exam room without a peep—snuggled right in!
<Snip>
Dubu! Let’s live happily with sis forever and ever.
Summary
1. Dubu got sick in his nose cuz of his dumb sis.
2. But he met the great Vet God.
3. After meeting Vet God, Dubu’s back to normal.
4. Vet God even talks to Dubu.
5. Meongmeong Animal Hospital is the best!
End.
Hong Ji-su’s post racked up views right away.
Comments poured in: congrats, glad you found the cause, Dubu’s so Haenguni, wanna go there too—mostly cheers and support.
Some trolls: fake, block the promo, etc.
But everyone who saw it had one thing in common.
Meongmeong Animal Hospital was now stuck in their heads.
Views soared, making it a hot post, drawing even more eyes.
And among the readers were plenty of industry folks.
***
“Choi Doc, isn’t this Lee Jun’s hospital?”
“Huh?”
“Lee Jun’s new place is Meongmeong Animal Hospital, right?”
“Yeah?”
“In Eunpyeong-gu?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Check this out. Lee Jun’s blowing up!”
Choi Woo-jin took the phone from his staff and read.
“Meongmeong Animal Hospital? Lee Jun’s spot?”
Scrolling down, then back up for a full read, a smile spread across his face.
“Damn, he pulled this off?”
Choi Woo-jin knew Lee Jun was skilled, but starting from scratch and getting this far? No idea.
No matter how good, he’d always worked in structured systems.
Even top vets struggled with nights—fewer hands after hours.
“Talented guys thrive anywhere, huh.”
“What’re you looking at?”
A senior vet asked from nearby.
“Oh, Senior. Lee Jun’s hospital got a review online.”
“A review? They advertise?”
“Nah, not an ad. Would he? He’d buy gear first if he had the cash.”
“That’s why I’m saying—if it’s blowing up without promo, and he’s not that type. Hope no hate.”
He knew Lee Jun was kind and diligent, but still worried.
“Hate? Nah, says they met Lee Jun and found recovery.”
“Phew, good it’s not hate. What’d he even treat to ‘find recovery’?”
They read Hong Ji-su’s post together.
And they weren’t alone—Lee Jun’s name started buzzing among vets too.