Ttorang-i
Fortunately, Dojin was not too late.
It was all thanks to him rushing so fast that his breath caught in his throat.
Just as Han-gil had said, Ttorang-i was collapsed on the ground, but she was at least still breathing.
"Ttorang-i. Just wait a moment."
Hurrying out of the truck, Dojin grabbed the box and rushed toward Ttorang-i.
"Oh, no..."
Seeing Ttorang-i's state, Dojin gritted his teeth without realizing it.
Her condition was far more critical than he had anticipated.
Her once ivory-colored fur had long since stained a reddish-brown with blood, and one of her ears, which used to twitch cutely whenever she met people, was nowhere to be seen.
She was trembling all over and gasping for breath as if she might die at any moment, making it obvious to anyone that she was in the worst possible state.
"...Just hold on a little longer. I'll get you to the hospital."
Snapping out of his shock at the sight of the suffering dog, Dojin gently lifted Ttorang-i and placed her inside the box.
Since he was driving a truck, transporting her inside a box like this would minimize the shaking.
"You really are a Goldendoodle, aren't you? You fill up the whole box. I brought the biggest one, but if I'd brought anything else, I would've been in trouble."
Once he tucked her long tail inside, there was truly no space left.
It was almost as if the box had been custom-made for her.
"Whew, there we go. Hang in there just a bit longer, Ttorang-i."
Carefully moving her to the truck to avoid any sudden shocks, Dojin even buckled the seatbelt around the box before heading to the driver's seat.
"They're open today, right? They have to be."
Recalling the route he had taken a few times before, Dojin searched for the saved number and dialed.
Fortunately, before the phone could ring more than a few times, the other party answered.
"Yes, this is Good Doctor Animal Hospital."
"Hello, this is Baek Dojin. Samsaek-i's caretaker."
Dojin mentioned Samsaek-i's name just in case they didn't remember him.
But there was no need for that.
The person on the other end remembered Dojin perfectly.
"Ah, you're the caretaker who rescued Bo-ri's family. Hello, what's going on?"
"It's an emergency. There's a dog abandoned by its owner in our neighborhood, and she was just in a car accident."
"Oh dear! What is her condition? Where are you located? We'll head out to you right away."
"No, I'm already on my way with her. I should arrive in about ten minutes, but she's in bad shape. She seems to be bleeding continuously, and she's shivering as if she's cold. Her breathing is very heavy, too."
"Ten minutes... Yes, understood. We'll have to examine her first, but it sounds like she'll need emergency surgery. Please hurry as much as you safely can, Bo-ri's caretaker."
"Understood."
With that, the call ended.
But as the truck fell silent, whimpering sounds he hadn't heard before began to drift from the back.
Whimper... whimper... whimper...
Pant... pant... pant...
"Oh, Ttorang-i! Just hold on. You'll be okay soon. I'll get you to the hospital as fast as I can."
Whimper...
Pant...
Despite Dojin's desperate cries, the sounds gradually grew fainter.
Feeling her life slipping away in real-time, Dojin had no choice but to press down on the accelerator.
Although this road had little traffic, local residents often popped out unexpectedly, so Dojin usually made it a point to drive safely here.
But this was not a situation where he could afford to drive leisurely.
Honk! Honk! Honk!
Dojin repeatedly honked the horn to warn any residents who might step onto the road.
"Over here! Pull up right here!"
When he arrived at the animal hospital, the staff was already waiting for him, just like before.
Having anticipated this, Dojin steered the truck directly toward the hospital entrance.
Now was not the time to leisurely hand Ttorang-i over at the parking lot entrance.
As if reading his mind, the staff quickly gathered at the entrance, waiting for the vehicle to stop.
Clunk!
"Oh no, she's in shock! Get her to the operating room immediately. We'll run the detailed tests in the OR!"
"Yes, doctor!"
As soon as the truck stopped, the vet opened the back door and shouted, prompting the other staff members to spring into action.
Watching the staff move with practiced urgency, Dojin drove the truck toward the parking lot.
Since Ttorang-i had already vanished inside on a gurney, there was nothing more for him to do out here.
Once Dojin finished parking and walked into the hospital, a staff member called out to him.
"Bo-ri's caretaker, do you have a moment?"
"Yes. What is it? Did something happen to Ttorang-i?"
Because Ttorang-i's condition had been so critical when she entered the operating room, urgency crept into Dojin's voice.
"Ah, so the dog's name is Ttorang-i. No, there are no updates yet. I called you over because I need to inform the owner of their obligations."
"To me? But I'm not Ttorang-i's owner..."
A look of awkwardness crossed Dojin's face at the staff member's words.
They only recognized each other from passing by in the village.
In truth, he and Ttorang-i were complete strangers.
Dojin was a cat caretaker, and Ttorang-i's owner was a piece of trash who had abandoned her in the village and fled.
However, the staff member, who knew nothing of these circumstances, couldn't help but look surprised.
Since he had brought the dog in himself after the accident, she had naturally assumed Dojin was the owner.
"What? Oh... then, could you please contact Ttorang-i's owner? There are things we need to explain and consent forms we need signed before the surgery."
"I'm sorry, but I don't have the owner's contact information either. Even if you ask the villagers, no one will know."
"Pardon? Then, by any chance...?"
"Yes. Ttorang-i's owner abandoned her in the village and ran away."
"What a son of a—!"
The staff member, who was about to curse, caught Dojin's eye and desperately clamped her mouth shut.
Thanks to that, the sound was muffled enough that others didn't hear it, but unfortunately, Dojin, standing right in front of her, heard it loud and clear.
It was so clear it felt like it was drilled straight into his ears.
I felt this before, but she definitely has quite a personality.
Dojin had seen that look in the staff member's eyes once before.
When he had come for Bo-ri and the kittens' treatment, the look in her eyes as she explained the medical fees was exactly like this.
He later heard that she had misunderstood him reading the pamphlet, thinking he was going to abandon the treatment because it was too expensive.
At least that glare isn't directed at me this time.
Lost in thought for a moment, Dojin spoke to the staff member, who was still huffing with anger.
"You can explain it to me. I'm not the owner, but I'll be covering all of Ttorang-i's medical expenses anyway, so it should be fine."
"Ah, Bo-ri's caretaker? That's a relief then. First, here are the details of the surgery she needs immediately."
The moment Dojin spoke, the staff member began pouring out explanations.
For her, explaining things to Dojin was much better than wasting precious time trying to track down some missing scumbag.
Thus, Dojin had to listen to descriptions of various surgical methods and potential aftereffects that he barely understood.
"And with all that, the estimated cost is about... this much."
And the staff member's final words were, as expected, about the cost.
Perhaps because she was so severely injured,
or because she was large and had many areas that needed fixing, Ttorang-i's treatment cost was about half of what it had cost for all the kittens combined.
Considering that the kittens and Bo-ri totaled five cats, this was by no means a small amount for a single dog.
"Yes. Please treat her. Even if additional costs arise during the surgery, I will pay for everything, so don't worry."
To Dojin, this amount was no longer something to agonize over.
When he could buy air bouncers worth thousands of dollars without a second thought, this was a small price to pay to save a life.
The last trace of worry vanished from the staff member's face.
She had expected Dojin to say that, but given the sum, she couldn't help but worry.
I wish other pet owners were even half as responsible as Bo-ri's caretaker. People who only call them 'my baby' when they're young and healthy, only to discard them when they grow old and sick, shouldn't be allowed to raise pets.
This year alone, as many as 130,000 pets had been abandoned like that.
As someone who worked at an animal hospital out of a love for animals, it was something she found absolutely intolerable.
"You should definitely get pet insurance, caretaker. You already have five cats, and if you plan to raise Ttorang-i as well, you'll definitely need it."
"Ah... well. I haven't really thought about raising Ttorang-i myself."
Forget Ttorang-i; he wasn't even sure how long he would keep Bo-ri and the others.
Although they seemed settled at the Sekki House for now, if they ever wanted to return to being stray cats, he fully intended to let them go.
However, things did not go exactly as Dojin planned.
"Um, Bo-ri's caretaker. I think you'll need to visit the hospital once more today."
"Pardon? I don't mind, but... is something wrong?"
Dojin, who was in the middle of checking the final setup of the movie theater, was slightly taken aback by the call from the animal hospital.
Though he had been visiting this clinic for a while now, this was the first time they had asked him to come in like this.
But at the staff member's next words, Dojin silently grabbed his car keys.
"Ttorang-i's condition is worse than we thought. It's a compound fracture, and because too many bones were broken, we couldn't treat them all during the first surgery. We need additional surgery to treat the remaining fractures, but we must meet the guardian in person to explain the details."
Under recently strengthened laws, they were required to inform the guardian of the exact treatment details and costs in advance, so he had no choice but to go.
Leaving the final inspection of the theater to Dohee, Dojin arrived at the animal hospital and gasped in surprise.
"...Ttorang-i?"
Staring blankly into the recovery room, Dojin couldn't help but gaze at a Ttorang-i who looked completely different from his memory.
Shaved completely bare, Ttorang-i was strapped down in a pitiful state.
As Dojin stood there in shock, unable to take his eyes off Ttorang-i, the staff member approached him.
"You must be shocked. There were so many areas to operate on that we had no choice but to shave her completely. We had to restrain her because she shouldn't move until her body recovers."
"..."
Seeing Ttorang-i like this, Dojin couldn't bring himself to say a word.
While she looked pitiful lying there wrapped in bandages instead of fur, what truly struck him was the look in her eyes.
Her eyes... they're completely lifeless.
Even when he used to see her in the village, she had dull, listless eyes, but there had at least been a faint glimmer of will.
Now, even that was gone.
"Is she... really going to be okay?"
"Pardon? The medical treatment is going smoothly... Is there a problem?"
"No, it's not the treatment..."
Dojin started to explain but quickly closed his mouth.
How could he explain that the dog's eyes looked lifeless?
He didn't want to drain the energy of the veterinary staff who were already facing a difficult surgery.
After a moment of hesitation, Dojin asked the staff member.
"Excuse me. Could I hear the explanation a bit later? I'd like to spend a moment with her first."
"Ah, yes. I understand. I'll open the door for you."
At Dojin's request, the staff member opened the door to the recovery room.
Normally, this was a restricted area for staff only.
However, because Ttorang-i was in such critical condition and facing another major surgery, they made an exception.
Dojin bowed slightly.
Bowing to the staff member, Dojin slowly walked into the recovery room.
Even though she must have heard him approaching, Ttorang-i just stared blankly at the wall.
Standing beside Ttorang-i, Dojin spoke quietly.
"...So you were just fluffy, huh? Now that your fur is gone, you're not as big as I thought."
...
"Han-gil is really worried about you. He keeps asking when you'll recover and come back."
...
"Your ear... did you lose it in the accident? Or did it happen when you were with your old owner?"
*Flinch!*
The dog, who had remained as still as a corpse no matter what Dojin said, reacted for the first time.
Seeing this, Dojin gently pressed on.
"The wound looks like a clean cut. Did your old owner cut it off? Why? Did he abuse you?"
*Drip.*
Reacting to Dojin's words, tears finally began to spill from Ttorang-i's eyes.
Though he had occasionally seen videos of pets crying, seeing a dog weep so heavily right in front of him caught Dojin off guard.
"Are you... still missing your old owner? Even after he treated you like that?"
*Whimper... whimper...*
As if answering Dojin's question,
Ttorang-i whimpered sorrowfully.
Watching the two of them, the staff member gasped and covered her mouth in surprise.
"Oh my goodness... What is happening? Why is she reacting like this? She hasn't shown any response at all since the surgery..."
"..."
"Are you sure you're not her owner? Actually, I was going to tell you later, but Ttorang-i hasn't eaten a single thing. She doesn't react when we change her bandages, and she just lies there when we give her shots. We were so worried because she just stayed still like a corpse even though she must be in so much pain... But she's reacting to you after just a few words. How amazing..."
Despite the staff member's genuine amazement, Dojin kept his eyes fixed on Ttorang-i.
For some reason, he felt as though he could sense her pain, her loss, and her despair.
He had experienced this when he met Samsaek-i again and brought him to the hospital,
and when he brought the cats to the Sekki House.
The mysterious experience of feeling and understanding the hearts of animals.
As a result of that experience, the Sekki House had gained new family members.
A family of five cats, including Bo-ri.
And now, Dojin could feel that another family member was about to join them.
"Please register me as Ttorang-i's owner. I'll register her as my pet."
"Pardon? You're going to register as her owner?"
"Yes. It seems I'm the one who needs to take responsibility for this one."
As he spoke, Dojin reached out his hand toward the recovery kennel.
*Whimper...*
"Oh my!"
Ttorang-i, who had been staring blankly at the wall as if dead, turned her head and looked at Dojin.
On that day, Ttorang-i became the newest member of the Sekki House family.