Not a Turtle
It looked like a slightly cowed expression, but I knew the truth behind it.
No hint of remorse whatsoever for sneaking into the police station.
Aigoo. So that's where you've been sneaking off to every day.
Truth be told, I'd half-expected something like this. I'd often wake up in the middle of the night to find Ssal-i missing from sight.
But even so, I never imagined he'd infiltrate a police station.
Still, it was a relief to see him unscathed, without a single injury.
"So. You went to the police station?"
—Hehe, I hid and listened in. Turns out No Yu-chan was dealing on the dark web? The cops said they couldn't track down the smuggler who sold animals to him right away either.
No, wait. What am I even thinking? He's my pet dog—of course I shouldn't let him wander outside recklessly... right?
At a glance, Ssal-i looked like a Jindo mix. But that was just appearances; Ssal-i wasn't an ordinary dog. He was a haetae.
It was natural to restrict outings without his owner, but was it right to do the same to a haetae who wasn't your average pooch?
As conflicting emotions flickered through my mind, Ssal-i kept talking.
—So here's my idea, Dad. How about we track down the smuggler?
"What?"
His utterly unexpected words snapped me back to reality.
—The cops said it! The most important thing is to cut off buyers like No Yu-chan, but nabbing even one seller could stop a bunch of potential buyers in one go!
"……."
The ideal scenario was a world with no buyers, killing the market entirely.
But reaching that point required shifting public perception, and that took time—inevitably more than a little.
So for now, they were talking about chopping off the suppliers first. But I wasn't a cop; I was just a veterinarian.
"...Ssal-i. I get what you're thinking, but there's no way, right? Of course I want to save the other animals too. But if the police can't pinpoint the seller, how could we?"
I was stating firmly that I had no further role in this case.
—Hehe, Dad. Info doesn't just come from the cops. We can hear it from the animals too.
But Ssal-i thought differently.
"What? You got something from the animals themselves?"
Seeing him grin around his shaggy muzzle filled me with an inexplicable unease.
—Yup! Semo and Eli are at the shelter, right? I snuck over and asked them again.
"What? Ssal-i, you—!"
The animals I'd been temporarily fostering had all been moved to the CITES facility along with the ones seized from No Yu-chan's house.
Apparently, our Ssal-i hadn't stopped at the police station—he'd hit the CITES facility too. This guy.
—Hehe, anyway, that's not the point right now, Dad. From what they said, they all came from the same smuggler!
Seeing Ssal-i's eyes gleam like a detective's...
Aigoo. Fine, let's hear it. What clues did they find?
Ssal-i snorted triumphantly, flicking his forelock back with a determined glint in his eyes.
—They were all exhausted when they heard it, so it might not be spot-on. But there are a few clues. First, it wasn't far from where they got off the plane. Second, they could taste salt in the wind!
"Salt in the wind... seaside?"
—That's what you think too, right Dad? We tasted salt near Saemangeum Safari last time!
"Yeah, but... anything else?"
—Hmm... doesn't seem like it...
A place near an airport with salty sea breezes? That didn't narrow it down to one spot.
Just as I was concluding there was nothing we could do...
—Ah! Wait!
Ssal-i, who'd been looking glum, suddenly perked up and barked blankly as if remembering something.
—Semo said! When they first came to Korea, it was from Terminal 2! So if we find airports with a Terminal 2... Hiiing, but there are still too many...
"No, Ssal-i. That's a great find."
—Woof?
I patted the puzzled, sniffling Ssal-i reassuringly.
"There's only one international airport in Korea with an operational Terminal 2."
The smuggler's location: Incheon.
Our Ssal-i had really pinpointed the smuggler.
The detective in charge hadn't pinpointed the smuggler in Incheon.
Probably because No Yu-chan had used the dark web.
This makes it tricky to tip them off about Ssal-i's intel...
Ssal-i took Cheese and Goet-eo—freshly transformed—and headed to Incheon to hunt for traces in earnest.
Combining what Semo and the CITES animals said:
A five-story building.
A noisy intersection teeming with crowds, ears ringing from the din.
And deals always happened late evening.
But that scant info was nowhere near enough to catch the perp.
Incheon was Korea's largest special metropolitan city, after all.
Even narrowed down, it wouldn't be quick.
So I left the search to Ssal-i and the cats—now sky sentinels—and returned to my routine.
"Whoa, can you believe July's almost here? Time is insane, right?"
"What's insane is your driving, kid. When the hell are you gonna get better? Huh?"
Maybe it was the nice weather?
On the way to the shoot, main PD Nam Gyu-won and the team rookie Sung Un-seon bantered nonstop.
"Haha! Lots of folks out for day trips with this weather—nice."
"This punk only talks when he wants. Why start if you're not gonna listen?"
"We're here, PD! Time to park like a pro."
"No. No pro needed—just go slow. Don't crash, got it?"
"Yes sir!"
Late June now, half the year gone in a flash.
Things had changed a lot, including the crew lineup.
"Too bad Reina couldn't come. Miss seeing her every week."
"Can't be helped. New album dropped—gotta hustle. Singing's her day job."
Reina was an idol singer first.
With her full album out, external shoots for Animal Kingdom were my solo show for a bit.
"Just saying it's a shame. She was our team's only flower."
"Kid."
"Yes, PD?"
"Why can't you park straight? Seven tries already... whatever. Someone park for the kid—"
"But Cheonggyecheon Stream's a great spot today, right? Sightsee while we're here, haha!"
"Agh. Talking to a wall."
"Ahaha! Here we are. Hop out!"
After the ordeal, we piled out of the van.
And headed deeper into Cheonggyecheon to our meetup spot.
"Oh! Hi, Dr. Baek. So nice to meet you—feels like seeing a celeb."
"Not at all."
There she was: our tipster, beaming under a pink sunhat.
"Heard there's a weird turtle haunting Cheonggyecheon?"
"Yes. I walk here morning and evening—see it every time. At least five years now? But this spring, after winter, its swimming looked off."
"How was the swimming weird?"
She tapped her chin thoughtfully before continuing.
"Turtles are slow on land but zip in water, right? But a few months back, it was sluggish... and—ah! There it is. I had video, but better live. Ho ho."
"Right. Let's take a look."
I followed her gaze to where the turtle appeared.
"Definitely... strange."
"See? Even you think so!"
As she said, it was clearly abnormal.
But first things first.
"That said, it's not a turtle."
"...Pardon? N-not a t-turtle?"
"From the shell and look, it's a softshell turtle."
People mix them up sometimes, but turtles and softshells differ in diet and appearance.
Still, both are faster in water than on land.
And they swim horizontally—not drunk-tilted like this.
"Very unusual... thanks for the explanation. We'll net it for a check. Net, please."
"Here."
I took the dip net from the rookie PD, scooped up the 45-degree-lolled softshell.
—Heyyy.
It thrust out its long neck like it wanted to bite.
—What's your problem? Already dizzy. Ugh, spinning.
Of course, thrashing in the net couldn't hurt me.
"Animal Kingdom shoot. I'm Baek Min-hyeok..."
—Huh? The vet who hears animals? Heard your furball saved some critters recently?
My furball...
"Ssal-i?"
—Dunno the name. That white mutt—word's spreading. Everyone around here was buzzing till recently.
Cheonggyecheon saw tons of foot traffic; rumors flew fast.
"Call him Ssal-i from now on. 'Mutt' stings a bit..."
—Fair. Names are best. I'm Donatello. So, what's up?
Once I identified myself, Donatello stopped struggling and peered out.
"Vet's job is treating sick animals. You were listing badly. Hurt anywhere? Tell me—I’ll help."
—Hm... not pain exactly. Body feels off.
"Off how? Be specific?"
—Full even without much food, but no energy. Can't balance—swim sucks. Belly kinda hurts?
First vet visit, so our chat was rocky.
"When did symptoms start?"
—Umm... woke from hibernation starving, gorged. Since then, no hunger, bad swims.
Softshell hibernation: November to March.
Late June now—three-plus months like this.
"Let's head to the car. Full exam at the clinic. X-ray first."
—X... what?
"Imaging gear to scan issues precisely. Clinic time. Treats too."
—Ooh, deal. Let's go.
We briefed the crew and headed to Hanmaum Animal Hospital.
Turtle-like reptiles need X-rays for accurate diagnosis.
"Shooting now. Like I said, top and side views alternating. Stay still even if uncomfortable—signal then snap."
But at the clinic's X-ray room...
—Hmph. Why am I sick anyway?
"Dunno yet. Need full exam. X-ray first—"
—Sheesh. Hyped for the famous vet.
Donatello sighed deeply in my arms, scratching an itch.
—Rumors ain't worth squat. Splinter would've known at a glance.
"……?"
"...Who's Splinter?"
—Cheonggyecheon's smartest softshell. Old, wise. Unlike some, spots problems instantly—our spiritual pillar and boss.
"……."
Looks like my rival wasn't human—a softshell turtle.