Chapter 75
Chapter 75
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: Where Am I?
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‘Where is this?’
The first sensation Mongsil felt upon waking from anesthesia was.
‘It hurts… Whine.’
But this level of pain was bearable.
If this had been his first time feeling such pain, he would have been screaming his head off by now, crying that he was going to die from it.
‘A little while ago, it really hurt so much.’
Mongsil shuddered as he recalled the pain that had consumed his body just before.
‘But where is this?’
Only then did he realize that the place where he lay wasn’t home. Mongsil lifted his head and looked around.
An unfamiliar, cramped space.
Yet the smell was familiar.
That’s when he spotted his favorite toy.
[Cow Uncle.]
A toy his dad had given him when he was very young.
Mongsil was delighted to see the small, worn-out toy that looked like two of his front paws put together.
And then he saw the blanket.
The blanket usually laid on his bed cushion was spread out on the floor.
Having confirmed that both the toy and the blanket had been brought along, Mongsil felt a little more at ease.
Just like he always did at home, he wanted to grab Cow Uncle. Mongsil puckered his lips to pick up the toy.
Clack.
But something blocked him from reaching the toy.
A thick collar was fastened around his neck.
He tried a few more times, but failed each one. Mongsil stood up. He figured he’d get it once he was on his feet.
Or at least, he tried to.
His front legs moved fine, but his hind legs wouldn’t budge an inch.
Fear crept onto Mongsil’s face as he failed to stand.
‘Ah, they won’t move.’
Sudden terror gripped Mongsil.
Why wouldn’t his body obey him?
Mongsil twisted his neck to look at his hind legs. Something was wrapped tightly around them.
Feeling upset, Mongsil turned his head toward his hind legs to chew it off.
But his body wouldn’t twist backward.
Nothing worked. The only parts that moved as he wished were his two front legs.
Mongsil wanted to cry.
‘Why, why is this happening!’
Woof… Arf.
He tried to bark as loudly as he could, but even that wouldn’t come out.
Putting strength into his belly to bark hurt too much.
It hurt, and his body wouldn’t move right.
Trapped in this unfamiliar, cramped space, Mongsil grew despondent.
[Whine!]
He missed his dad. Dad had been holding his hurting body, so where was he?
Woof!
Mongsil barked very softly so his dad could find him.
‘Ah, it hurts.’
His belly hurt. Still, Mongsil kept barking to call his dad.
Woof!
Woof!
That’s when it happened. With the creak of a door opening, voices came through.
[You’re awake, meow!]
[Wh-who are you?]
[I’m Gray, meow!]
Gray declared his name proudly.
[I’m Shadow.]
Shadow, who had come along, stated his name too.
Then the two slowly walked over and stood in front of the kennel Mongsil occupied.
Was there a dog in the neighborhood who hadn’t heard of Evergreen Park?
Mongsil immediately recognized who Gray was.
The cat standing tall and proud before him was the leader of Evergreen Park’s cats.
In this unfamiliar place, with his body unable to move.
Normally, he’d be scared and run away or avert his eyes, but right now, he only felt glad.
[Uh, hello.]
Mongsil was happy to see Gray but also a bit scared, so his greeting came out shaky.
[You okay, meow?]
But the voice that replied was incredibly kind. It was full of worry, too.
That simple, sincere question from Gray—what power it held.
Not only did any fear of Gray vanish, but Mongsil even felt a sense of closeness.
[…I’m okay. It hurts, but less now. It hurt a lot before, but now that I’m awake, it hurts less. But…]
Mongsil shared things with Gray that he couldn’t have said before.
[I can’t move.]
His voice was tiny as he confessed his weakness.
It was so small and feeble, but there was no way the cats hadn’t heard it.
The cats recalled Mongsil from a few hours ago, bleeding profusely and gasping for breath.
Then they looked at him now, breathing comfortably, and let out sighs of relief before responding.
Shadow spoke first.
[The Benevolent Brother fixed you up. If it weren’t for him, you’d be off to the Dog Star.]
Gray followed Shadow’s blunt assessment.
[That’s right, meow. You almost had a close call, meow.]
The pain Mongsil had felt then wasn’t something words could describe, so he’d thought, ‘I’m going to the Dog Star.’
Hearing the cats now, Mongsil nodded as if he understood.
Clack clack.
Each nod made the hard plastic cone around his neck bump against the door, making noise.
[You’re Haenguni to be alive, meow.]
[Haenguni.]
Mongsil responded to the cats’ sincerity with his own.
[Thank you.]
[Hang in there. Eat well, and the pain will go away.]
[Shadow’s right, meow. Even if it hurts, eat well and tough it out, meow. You’ll get better bit by bit, meow.]
Gray encouraged him, drawing from his own experience.
[I will.]
Mongsil’s response was still tiny and weak. The cats jumped at that.
[Why so listless, meow! You gotta buck up, meow!]
[Yeah, no matter how tasty the food, you have to put in the effort.]
Gray and Shadow had seen plenty of comrades head to the Cat Star.
Those who gave up on life went much faster than those who held on till the end.
[Don’t give up already, meow. We’ll stick around with you, meow.]
[I’ll tell the Benevolent Brother to give you lots of treats. Eat up and stay strong.]
As he listened to Gray and Shadow’s encouragement, Mongsil looked at his precious toy, Cow Uncle.
And the blanket on the floor.
‘Dad must’ve abandoned me knowing I can’t move. Back then, I went with Cow Uncle and this, too.’
When he was little, he’d once gone somewhere far away with the cow doll and blanket, staying there a long time.
He’d waited at the door every day for Dad, but he never came.
Dad did eventually come to pick him up much later, but the wait had felt eternal.
Ever since, Mongsil had been anxious that Dad might abandon him again.
So seeing the doll and blanket made him happy, but also worried.
Worried he’d be separated from Dad again, just like then.
And now, the situation was even worse than before.
[I can’t even move my body…]
He had no appetite or will to eat and get strong.
He didn’t say it outright, but the cats understood immediately.
[I thought the same when my legs wouldn’t move, just like yours, meow.]
[I felt that way when I couldn’t see.]
[What do you mean?]
[The Benevolent Brother will fix you, meow. My legs didn’t move either, just like yours, meow.]
[I couldn’t see ahead.]
The cats took turns sharing their own struggles.
Mongsil’s eyes grew wider and wider.
Lost in their hopeful stories, he forgot all about the pain.
Once they finished, Mongsil asked cautiously.
[So… will I be able to walk again?]
“Of course.”
It wasn’t the cats’ voices but a different one that answered. The cats’ expressions lit up instantly.
[It’s Brother, meow!]
[Brother’s here!]
From how the cats perked up and welcomed him, Mongsil knew right away this was the Benevolent Brother they’d been praising.
Brother met Mongsil’s eyes and asked.
“Does it hurt a lot?”
[…I’m okay.]
Truthfully, he wasn’t. His belly hurt, and his legs did too.
But somehow, it felt like he had to say that.
“It must hurt, but you’ve got real patience, Mongsil.”
As Benevolent Brother said this, he opened the door on the front of the kennel and stroked Mongsil’s head.
The touch was so gentle.
[No, meow, it hurts, meow.]
[Yeah. Benevolent Brother, Mongsil’s in pain.]
When the cats told Benevolent Brother he was hurting, Mongsil’s face fell.
[N-no, I’m not hurting…]
Benevolent Brother stroked him again, even more tenderly this time, and said.
“Mongsil, if it hurts, say it hurts. If you hold it in, your dad will be sad.”
At the word “dad,” Mongsil’s small, pointed ears perked up.
‘Dad…’
Dad was the best thing in the world to Mongsil.
Even now, he missed him terribly.
His body barely moved, and though he knew Gray Brother was here, it was still an unfamiliar place.
How great would it be if Dad appeared right now and took him home?
But he couldn’t bring himself to ask where Dad was.
He was afraid of hearing that Dad had left him far behind.
“Mongsil, Dad will be here soon.”
[Really?]
“Yeah.”
Mongsil already knew from Gray and Shadow that Benevolent Brother could talk to them.
Even so, it was surprising, but the promise of Dad coming made everything else irrelevant.
Mongsil’s eyes went wide as he asked again.
[You didn’t leave me behind and go far away?]
“Would he go anywhere after you had such major surgery?”
At those words—‘Would he go anywhere’—the corners of Mongsil’s mouth curled up.
His naturally smiley face lit up even brighter at the news of Dad.
“You happy about that, pup?”
Lee Jun chuckled as he petted Mongsil. Then he gave some instructions.
“No getting excited, got it? No moving either. We’ve just pinned the bone like this for now—if you mess up, it’ll break again.”
[Big trouble, meow. You’ll go to the Dog Star, meow.]
[One of my subordinates hurt his leg and went to the Cat Star.]
[Eek! Really?]
[Yeah, meow. I endured it, meow. No scratching even if it itches, meow.]
Lee Jun smirked watching Mongsil perk up his ears at the cats’ vivid battle stories.
‘I’ve got nothing to add.’
When the owner arrived later, Lee Jun emphasized no excitement and stepped out.
Up until moments ago, Mongsil had been half-listening no matter what the cats said.
But at the news of Dad’s visit, model patient Mongsil hung on every word from Gray and Shadow.
***
A short while later, Mongsil’s owner arrived at the animal hospital.
The moment the owner entered, Mongsil’s whiskers twitched up and down.
His ears perked up too.
A familiar scent, familiar footsteps.
Dad’s scent and Dad’s footsteps.
“M-Mongsil!”
Woof!
It was barely a whisper of a bark, but it sent shivers through the owner’s whole body.
‘He’s alive, he made it!’
After surgery, Lee Jun had brought the owner to the recovery room.
With his belly and both legs wrapped in bandages, Mongsil had looked so precarious.
Like he might stop breathing any second.
But now, hearing that bark and making eye contact made it real—he’d survived.
The owner blinked through reddened eyes and stroked Mongsil’s head.
He wanted to scoop him up in a hug, but instead poured all that love into petting his head as gently as possible.
“Mongsil, my Mongsil!”
Feeling Mongsil’s warmth against his rough palm made the owner’s already red eyes well up more.
Drip.
A single tear fell onto Mongsil’s head.
***
Word that Mongsil was hospitalized spread quickly.
Ttangkongi, who happened to visit the hospital, came to see him.
[Little brother Mongsil. Heard you got hurt bad. You alright?]
[Yeah. The brothers are taking good care of me.]
Somehow, Mongsil had grown close to the cats and now called Gray and Shadow “brother,” sticking to them sweetly.
Gray and Shadow pretended otherwise, but they clearly loved being called brother.
[Gray and Shadow are doing a good deed.]
[You gotta be good to little brothers, meow.]
[When a brother’s hurting, you look after him.]
Mongsil’s face broke into a smile watching the cats say it like it was the most natural thing.
[Thanks, brothers.]
The cats’ mouths curved up at that.
[And you’re not moving around—impressive.]
[The brothers explained why I can’t move. I might never walk again, or limp forever. Or if I mess up, I might not see Dad and go to the Dog Star.]
Mongsil recited every warning from Gray and Shadow perfectly, without missing a beat.
The key to Mongsil’s recovery was no movement.
The right hind thigh, fixed with a plate, needed careful management to avoid infection.
Equally crucial was keeping still the left shinbone and right metatarsal, wrapped only in bandages.
It seemed simple but was incredibly tough.
With the cats’ detailed explanations, Mongsil endured without complaint.
[Gray, Shadow—you did a real good thing.]
[Heehee, I love the brothers. And they said this too.]
[What’d they say?]
[That Dad would struggle if I went home. So I decided to stay with the brothers until I’m all better.]
[Smart thinking. Best to be cared for by the vet. Consider it an honor.]
[Heehee, yeah. I love Teacher so much.]
Not only was the pain fading, but Teacher had cleared up a misunderstanding too.
‘He said Dad didn’t abandon me.’
Dad had only left him temporarily at another house while working far away—not abandoned.
Knowing that put Mongsil so at ease.
[I love the brothers and Teacher too.]
With his mind at peace, Mongsil recovered remarkably fast.
Two weeks later, he began rehab.
[Ugh, this feels weird. It’s all warm and buzzing.]
Mongsil lay under the laser therapy device, scrunching his face.
[It’s good, meow. Makes your legs stop hurting, meow.]
[Yeah, it’ll feel cool.]
[N-no way. It’s warm—how’s that cool?]
Shadow looked at Mongsil pitifully as he grumbled from his spot.
[It just is.]
That wasn’t all.
[It’s for balance, meow. Just stand and enjoy, meow.]
[Like this.]
When Gray and Shadow demonstrated on the balance ball, Mongsil tried to follow from the side, letting out a shrill yelp.
[It’s, it’s too wobbly!]
Lee Jun watched Mongsil tremble but hold steady on the balance ball.
“Looks like we can start hydrotherapy now.”
Mongsil yelped in shock.
[Y-you mean dunk me in water?]