Still Kinda Cute
The camera, floating mid-air, traced a parabolic arc as it plummeted toward Shushu.
"Block it!"
"No!"
"Shu, Shu-shu-ya!"
Min-hyeok, Eun-seo Choi, and the zookeeper.
The three of them, eyes bulging wide, shouted in unison and sprinted forward with all their might.
In that bone-chilling instant, the same thought flashed through all their minds.
No matter how fast they ran, they couldn't reach the camera before it smashed into Shushu.
Wh-what is...?
Shushu's body froze solid in the face of the crisis.
Shoebills in the wild could stand motionless for 3-4 hours, leisurely hunting prey, because their habitats generally lacked natural predators.
In other words, situations like this were ones they never had to face.
No... No way... D-dodge, dodge, dodge!
Seeing the hefty camera barreling down, Shuga tried to yell for her to get out of the way, but his foolish beak was frozen stiff, words failing to come out properly.
No, not good. Shushu...
Yet deep in Shuga's belly, an indescribable heat writhed.
Shu, Shushu...
......?
Even if she couldn't put it into words.
Even if it wasn't a calculated action.
It was pure instinct.
I'll... I'll protect you! I'll protect you!!
You idiot...?!
Tudatudatudatak!
With a majestic machine-gun clatter of beak snaps, Shuga shot sideways like a jet fighter taking off.
Tong-
It's, it's good!
Shuga had batted Shushu's body away with his massive beak—tong—and now stared at the camera about to slam into him, his life flashing before his eyes.
The first successful hunt.
Being transferred to Saemangeum Safari.
And falling head over heels for Shushu at first sight.
Recalling those moments, Shuga murmured softly.
Shushu...
With those as his final words, Shuga squeezed his eyes shut.
The moment his body should have shattered arrived, but strangely, he felt no major pain—just a bit of neck stiffness.
Instead, what he felt was a floating sensation, as if suspended in mid-air.
Shuga sensed it instinctively. This was his final moment.
So he added one last phrase, the words he'd kept buried inside, never letting them escape his beak.
I like you... I like you, Shushu...
Whew. Damn heavy. Hey. Gonna fly or what?
Uh?
A sudden voice cut in—cool but alluring. Shuga craned his head up slightly.
...Huh?
There, struggling with heavy flaps, was a mesmerizing, enormous yellow beak.
Shu... Shushu?
Damn it. Dropping you now.
In the split second Shuga's body was kicked away, Shushu had latched onto his neck with her beak and beat her wings skyward.
Huh? Huuuh... Wh-whaaa!
But she couldn't fly long with the heavier Shuga in tow, so her flight didn't last.
Thudding to the ground, beak bumping everywhere, Shuga shook off the daze and tried to rise—just as a long, alluring gray leg appeared before his eyes.
Shu... Shushu?
Shuga jolted up in shock.
Shushu dusted off her dirt-caked wings and gazed at him rising, speaking softly.
Say it again. What you just said to me.
Th-that...
To be sure, Shuga had never faced Shushu this closely before.
A distance where their beaks might accidentally touch if he slipped.
Close enough to clearly see her damp wings swaying in the breeze.
Shushu...
Say it.
......
Under Shushu's repeated urging, Shuga shut his eyes tight, then opened them, letting out a shallow breath as he shook his head side to side.
Then, like his pounding heart, he carefully lowered and raised his trembling head, clacking his beak fiercely.
I like you... Shushu... I like you.
A chance that might be his first and last.
Shuga poured his heart into the beak-clacks, and Shushu just watched impassively.
No wild flavor... but still kinda cute?
Tudatudatatak! Tudatudatadatak!
Tudatudatatak!
......?
Do well from now on...
And Shushu responded in kind, clacking her beak against his and shaking her head.
"Whoa.... What just... happened...."
Eun-seo Choi, who had been charging toward Shushu and Shuga moments ago, couldn't close her mouth.
The zookeepers standing beside her like statues were the same.
"Courtship.... Definitely a courtship display, right? But how on earth?"
"Director Baek. How did you do it?"
"Well...."
I don't know either.
The zookeepers, Eun-seo, the whole Animal Kingdom team—everyone gaped at me.
The problem was, I had no clue what had just gone down.
As the shoebills' courtship dragged on, I pondered what to say—
Ttak- thump!
The horonam hopped back onto my shoulder.
Bro. Teacher Chun-sam says it's time to keep your promise.
"......"
Right. In a way, this could be the suspension bridge effect. Not that I planned it.
"Orangutan...."
"Orangutan? What're you talking about, sunbae?"
"Toss in some durian, nice and generous."
Time flew by, New Year's dawned, and winter's breath blanketed the streets in white snow.
In a study of a standalone house in the affluent Pyeongchang-dong neighborhood, walled by high stone fences, three people—a man and two women—stared silently at the TV on the wall.
Tik-
The man with graying hair at the head of the table jabbed the remote irritably.
As the TV screen went dark, the study filled with heavy silence.
"Ha.... Chairman Jeong Yong-gun. Unbelievable. When Taesan Animal Hospital offered direct help, they flat-out refused. But they begged Baek Min-hyeok...."
"......"
At Veterinary Association President Oh Tae-san's words from the head seat, Oh Hyeok-su trembled faintly beside him.
The word was out in the vet world that Saemangeum Safari was seeking experts on shoebills.
And as Oh Tae-san said, the one Taesan Animal Hospital had tried to send was his own son, Oh Hyeok-su.
"...I'm sorry, Father."
Staying silent felt like thorns in his mouth.
So Oh Hyeok-su repeated the words he'd said several times already today.
"Tsk."
Messing with the wrong employee and tanking Taesan Animal Hospital's image—that was the root of all this mess.
They'd rehashed it hundreds of times over the past year, so Oh Tae-san just glared and clicked his tongue at his son.
But they couldn't just let Baek Min-hyeok be.
He wasn't just filling the spot Oh Hyeok-su got booted from—he'd treated abused cats and even caught the real culprit.
Not heavily covered in the news, but word had spread like wildfire in the industry that he'd solved the shoebill issue.
"We left that corner-store hack alone, but we should've uprooted him ages ago. They begged us to trust them, and now look at this mess—how's he gonna fix it?!"
"...I'm sorry, Father."
"Even two of our Taesan Animal Hospital VVIPs want to switch to Baek Min-hyeok this month. VVIPs, of all people!"
Oh Hyeok-su bowed his head again at the slammed chair arm.
"He's keep hiring more staff. Huh? Meanwhile, who do we have to thank for our staff dwindling? That one useless punk!"
"Then you should've handed it to me instead of Oppa ages ago."
"...Oh Ha-yoon. Father's talking—be quiet."
Oh Hyeok-su gritted his teeth, but the youngest of the Oh family, Oh Ha-yoon, didn't blink.
"Why? Did I get conned by some gold-digging snake and lose money? Or tank the group stock because of it? Or... was she actually a gold-digger like Oppa said? Maybe people are right—maybe Oppa did commit a crime."
"Oh Ha-yoon!"
"Shut up! Who's yelling?!"
Oh Ha-yoon smirked mockingly at her trembling-jawed brother.
Her sharp gaze shifted straight to Oh Tae-san.
"Father. I won't make mistakes like Oppa's. So let me handle it my way."
"Aigoo. Our Toto's not one to skip meals, but suddenly she's not eating. And her face looks a bit swollen too."
"Hmm. The lower jaw's a little puffed up. Need to check more, but it's likely dental inflammation. Submandibular abscess is common in rabbits, so no need to worry too much."
"Wh-what do we do! Is our Toto okay? Dogs get extractions for tooth issues. Don't tell me Toto too...?"
Euuugh! No extwaction!
I gently soothed the flailing Toto and continued.
"It's early stage, so cleaning, disinfecting, and antibiotics should fix it right up. But for an accurate diagnosis, let's do an X-ray first. Could the owner wait in the lounge?"
"Please take good care of her, Director. We drove two hours just to see you."
"Don't worry—just a moment."
Winter's the off-season for animal hospitals.
July through October sees overwhelming cases; November to March is pretty slow.
Yet here in January, appointments were backed up nonstop. Come spring, no way me and Ha-neul could handle it alone.
"Seon-gyu, prep X-ray for the patient."
"Yes, Director."
"On the way, tell Ga-young to set it up."
"Got it!"
At least hiring two vet nurses and one experienced dog groomer last month helped a bit.
Still hitting limits, so we kept recruiting vets.
Daddy, Daddy! The last interviewee faked experience!
Daddyyy! This one's planning to bail after a year for something bigger! They all lie about staying long!
Daddy-daddy! This one's...
Even plausible resumes couldn't pass Ssal-i's interviews.
Hmm... Tough. Hope this one's good.
Flipping open today's candidate's resume, Ha-neul, prepping to leave, sidled over.
"The interviewee's resume? Already the 13th?"
"17th. One every other day, but no luck."
"Haha. Resumes look great, but your interviews are tough. Gotta thank you for hiring me on the spot."
"Well, Dr. Kang had no flaws...."
"Huh? Today's candidate... her?"
Whoa.
Why the grimace?
"Yeah. Know her?"
"Oh Ha-yoon.... Director. You really don't know?"
"Ah. Same school, but I was a total hermit back then, so...."
"No... Oh Ha-yoon—daughter of Association President Oh Tae-san?"
"The Veterinary Association president?"
"Yeah. Taesan Animal Hospital's youngest. Her applying here doesn't make sense.... We should still withdraw—"
Knock knock knock-
The knock came before Ha-neul finished.