Maeng-maeng-i Appears (1)
The evening sky was dyed red.
The veterinarian interviews that had started early in the morning finally wrapped up.
“Ughhh~ Today’s interviews were brutal. Right?”
As I stretched my back, arching it backward, Ssal-i came barreling into my arms with a thud.
—Yeah! But it was fun!
‘Urgh. He’s gotten so heavy.’
When I first met Ssal-i, he’d been the size of my palm, but now he hit me with the impact of a football player tackling me.
Still, watching him nestle into my arms and wag his tail like a propeller made me smile involuntarily. Big kings were the cutest, after all.
“What did you think, Ssal-i? Which veterinarian seemed the best?”
I scratched his fluffy, twitching head fur, and he tilted his head for a moment before perking his ears forward and back.
—Hmm. The last uncle! The bear-like super big one!
“Veterinarian Kang Ha-neul?”
—Yeah! Uncle Ha-neul was the kindest and best!
Animals and people had the same eye for talent, it seemed.
Even without Ssal-i’s intel(?), Kang Ha-neul’s character, personality, and philosophy toward animals had shone through naturally during the interviews.
Honestly, in terms of experience and skill alone, he was more than qualified to run his own animal clinic, not just be a pay doctor.
“Dad thinks Veterinarian Kang Ha-neul looked the best too. So, let’s make him the new veterinarian at Hanmaum Animal Hospital.”
—Yay! Awesome! When does he start? Tomorrow? The day after? I hope right away!
“We’ll have to talk to Mi-so about the start date. We haven’t even sent the acceptance notice yet.”
I patted Ssal-i’s excitedly panting head and stood up.
“Shall we go get dinner? You helped Dad a lot today, so let’s have that beef you love.”
—Beef! Beef is yummy!
“But you have to finish your veggies too. Got it?”
—Hmmm. I don’t like veggies….
His tail, which had been wagging furiously, lost momentum adorably, but picky eating wasn’t allowed. Balancing nutrients was crucial with a raw diet.
“No picky eating. Up you go. Let’s eat.”
—Huuung… Carrots taste bad….
I hauled Ssal-i up from where he’d flopped flat on the floor, looking up at me pitifully, and dragged him to the elevator. Just as I reached to press the button—
—Huh? What’s this?
Ssal-i’s ears twitched suddenly. He lifted his head high toward the stairs, sniffing intently.
—Whoa! Dad, I’ll go ahead!
“Huh?”
Before I could stop him, he bolted up the stairs with thumping paws.
“Hey! Running up stairs can hurt your patella… Sigh. He’s gotten so big. I need to swap that fence for a taller one.”
Hanmaum Animal Hospital and my home were in a building full of quirks. The structure itself was odd, and so was the landlord, I guess?
It was a clean new three-story building in Yeouido, but it had sat vacant until I opened the clinic this year—and at a suspiciously low rent compared to the area.
Rumor had it the landlord built it to gift to their kid, which explained why the elevator was inside the clinic, not outside.
I’d agonized over that before signing, but since they weren’t renting out the second floor, I took the first and third.
“Ssal-i! Ssal-i!”
Anyway, without the elevator, we used the stairs right next door, but now that Ssal-i had grown, he hopped the one-meter fence like nothing.
Resolving to remind him again before dinner, I hurried up to the third floor after him.
“Ssal-i~ Where are you? Ssal-i? …Where’d he go? He’s not one for pranks.”
I searched every corner of the house, but no sign or sound of him.
“Second floor’s sealed off, so not there… No way?”
The vacant second floor had an iron door at the entrance—no way in. A quick check: balcony door and windows all securely shut.
On a hunch, I dashed outside and up the stairs again. The rooftop door, which should’ve been closed, stood wide open.
‘No way… What dog opens doors?’
I knew Ssal-i’s hearing and smell were sharper than most dogs, but opening doors…?
‘My kid’s a genius!’
Was this the pride of having the best child?
I swelled with vicarious accomplishment.
‘But I still have to scold him.’
Wiping the grin from my face, I stepped onto the rooftop.
“Ssal! Where are you? It’s impressive you came up alone, but still…”
—Dad! I’m over here.
“Running off to the rooftop without a word! Do you know how worried I was?”
I regretted the stern tone after just one second.
‘Too harsh? He’s still a kid…’
But Ssal-i wasn’t even glancing my way, just staring blankly at the sunset sky. My worry was unfounded.
“Look at you, ignoring Dad and staring off where—?”
—Dad, look over there. I think that’s…
“Ssal-i, quit changing the subject…”
—Hyungnim!
“Wh-what!?”
Something lunged from the direction Ssal-i pawed at, smothering my vision in fluffy softness.
I yelped and peeled it off. In my hands was…
Brown-and-gray fur with five black stripes.
Bean-sized eyes sparkling with curiosity.
Small, round ears poking out.
It was none other than…
“Thunder? And Il-nam-i too? What are you guys doing here?”
Thunder landed, followed by Il-nam-i with elegant wingbeats. I gaped at the dreamlike scene.
—Ehehe, hyungnim~.
Before I could process, Thunder scampered up my leg and chattered from my shoulder.
—Didn’t ya see Il-nam-i danglin’ from my foot? Shoot, ma. I flew here like a sky squirrel, ya know.
—Wasn’t too hard to find, actually. Long time, Ssal-i. You’ve grown a ton.
—Guys! I knew I smelled ya!
—Ma! Greet hyungnim first… Hehe, that tickles, don’t lick my face! Back, yeah there. Ehehe.
Ssal-i joined the frenzy, tail whirring like a propeller. The rooftop turned chaotic. Time to sort this.
“Hold up. Nice to see you all, but stop. Thunder, Il-nam-i—how’d you get here? What’s up?”
—Kihihi. Tickles… Ahem. Ma! Thanks, Ssal-i. Tsk.
Thunder shoved away Ssal-i’s lolling tongue, wiped the grin off his face, and puffed out his tiny belly determinedly.
—Hyungnim. Got somethin’ urgent needin’ help, so we came. Lend a paw, yeah?
“What’s wrong? Something with Nureoguman?”
Of the Big Rock crew, only Nureoguman was missing. Was he back to his old improvement obsession? Il-nam-i shook his pointed beak.
—Nureoguman’s fine. It’s another guy. Looks like he needs help.
“Another guy? Who?”
No one else on the rooftop but Ssal-i, Thunder, and Il-nam-i. I scanned around—
—Come on out, kid. Say hi to the vet.
Il-nam-i flapped his wingtips.
—W-wait a s-sec.
“…?”
Chick-yellow beak and snowy white belly.
Soft gray wings like soft-serve, on a cotton-ball-sized fluffball that tumbled from behind Il-nam-i’s back.
Plop. Splat—
—Ow. Hurt.
The fluffball, who’d lost balance and fallen on his butt, was a baby great tit.
Il-nam-i sighed faintly as the chick wobbled, struggling to stand.
—Doc. This one needs help. Seems sick.
—H… hello. Maeng-maeng-i here.
“……”
I finished the thorough exam on baby great tit Maeng-maeng-i, whom Il-nam-i and Thunder had brought. As I stepped into the waiting room, their anxious faces greeted me.
“Exam’s done. While I talk to them, Ssal-i, watch Maeng-maeng-i, okay?”
—Got it!
Ssal-i wagged his tail and headed inside. Thunder pounced on me immediately.
—Hyungnim! Is the lil’ guy okay? Couldn’t fly straight, like a drunk. Somethin’ off, right?
—Idiot. Obviously hurt. A fledgling not flying? Doesn’t add up.
“Quiet, everyone. Exam’s over. He’s a bit underweight, but otherwise healthy. No injuries.”
—See? Told ya he’s a bit dim!
—Hmm. Name does sound a bit dopey…
Superstition kills, they say.
Before I finished, I snapped my fingers to grab their attention from their muttering.
“Not that. Il-nam-i just forgot. Birds aren’t born flying perfectly. So, did you guys maybe bring a fledgling?”
—Fledglin’? What’s that?
Fledging—the process of young birds leaving the nest.
Thunder, being a rodent, just tilted his head cluelessly.
—Yeah? First I’ve heard.
“Il-nam-i, you…”
I stopped short of asking why a fellow bird didn’t know.
‘…Makes sense. Upbringings differ.’
Il-nam-i was a little egret, the smallest kind. Unlike most flock-living egrets, he lived apart with Nureoguman and Thunder. He had his reasons.
“Fledging is when grown chicks leave the nest. For great tits like Maeng-maeng-i, it’s about 15-17 days post-hatch.”
—Ooh, that’s fledging?
Il-nam-i flapped his white wings, genuinely intrigued.
“People think they fly perfectly right away, but chicks are clumsy at first.”
—Hmm. I was good from the start. Not all, then.
“Anyway, fledglings often drop to the ground or low branches. So, did you bring a fledging?”
Small birds like great tits breed from March to August—spring through summer.
The issue? SNS floods with “found baby bird” posts then.
Folks think chicks fly out fully grown, but fledglings leave clumsy and early.
Well-meaning people scoop them up, feed them, or call 119, thinking they’re hurt.
Kind intent, sure.
But most are just clumsy, still parented nearby.
So, most “rescues” orphan them. I suspected that’s what happened.
—Hyungnim! Not us! What d’ya take us for? Ma, tell him.
—Ahem. Doc, let’s talk private.
Thunder hopped mad; Il-nam-i raised a wing cautiously, whispering beak-covered.
“What? Waiting room’s empty.”
—Hyungnim. Somewhere quieter, just us.
—Yeah. That human doc has confidentiality, right?
He did.
I was a vet, not MD, but close enough.
They eyed each other nervously—something delicate.
“Ssal-i, close the door?”
—Yessir!
My genius Ssal-i shut it with a bang. Pride swelled; dad grin bloomed—
Thunder leaped to my shoulder, whispering.
—Hyungnim. Maeng-maeng-i’s parents are gone. Orphan.
“Sure? No siblings around?”
—C’mon, hyungnim. We ain’t fools. Found him alone, floppin’ on the ground. Checked his nest—empty house.
“Empty? No one?”
—Yup. No food, just abandoned nest. Size fits. Parents ditched him.
Some birds selectively raise chicks. Maybe abandoned? Il-nam-i flapped impatiently.
—What’re you saying? Not abandoned—Nero ate ‘em.
“Nero? Who’s that?”
They shuddered like mentioning Voldemort.
Il-nam-i swallowed dryly.
—Total bastard. Black cat prowling Big Rock lately. Nero killed Maeng-maeng-i’s family, sure as hell.