#120
Korea remained the same. Yeon Tae-soo decided to completely transfer Eden to Kim Ji-heon and began coming to work at Byeolbyeol Animal Hospital every day.
He was an extremely unfriendly and lazy assistant. He even yelled at pet owners. Of course, only in cases where they were rude to Yoo Seong-woo first.
“That ring alone would sell for at least a million won. You have money to put gold on your finger, but not for your dog’s surgery?”
His tone, asking while cracking his neck side to side, was so sweet that it felt even more incongruous.
“Mister, either leave the ring and go, or leave your finger with it and go. Oh, just in case you’re wondering, you can’t just take the dog with you. You can’t take it until it’s treated.”
“What, what, what, y-you’re not a robber…”
The owner who had brought a dog in serious condition said the surgery was too expensive and that he would just take the dog back. The dog, showing signs of abuse, began to tremble with its tail tucked when loud voices started.
Yoo Seong-woo sighed deeply and waved his hand dismissively, indicating they should go outside to argue. He knew there was no way to stop it anyway.
“Come on, mister, the doctor wants us to go outside.”
Yeon Tae-soo always followed Yoo Seong-woo’s words strictly. Though he looked quite disreputable, grabbing the owner by the collar.
As the two went outside, Popo, who had been hiding behind, jumped out as if it had been waiting and abruptly extended a robotic arm with a dog treat. When the startled dog patient tried to run away, Popo extended its robotic arm even longer to offer it.
Even though they had gone outside, the sound of arguing could still be heard.
“Don’t want to pay? Then do you want to leave just the dog?”
“What are you saying! It’s my dog!”
“No, it’s not. If I report you for abuse, you’ll lose it.”
The man ground his teeth but couldn’t counter. His gaze lingered on Yeon Tae-soo’s solid-looking prosthetic hand.
“Y-you people, I…”
“Hmm, go ahead, report yourself. Surrender as an animal abuser.”
The thought that he’d be caught as an abuser if he reported to the police kept him from reaching for his watch.
Of course, that wasn’t the only reason. The man’s movements as he tilted his head slowly and looked at him were calm, but the pressure emanating from his two differently colored eyes was unbearable. It made his body tremble involuntarily.
Had he ever trembled like this in front of a person before? The pet owner, or rather, the abuser, sweated profusely in his bewilderment. Instinctive fear surged. As he forcibly swallowed a dry gulp, the tall man standing before him had already wiped the smile from his face.
“Or say that Yeon Tae-soo threatened you.”
Yeon Tae-soo? That Yeon Tae-soo? The abuser finally realized that the tall man in front of him had the same face as ‘that’ Yeon Tae-soo who had caused a commotion throughout the country.
“Uh, uhh…”
“Ah, now you think you’ve done something wrong? Then get lost.”
His trembling body couldn’t even move properly. How could a person be so intimidating just by looking at another person?
“Not leaving?”
As soon as he made eye contact with those blue eyes again, his body trembled as if electrocuted. The abuser turned around and ran away. His ungainly scream of “Aaaahh!” filled the alley.
When they returned to Byeolbyeol Animal Hospital, the dog had apparently already become friends with Popo and was playing tag, running around the small building. After asking it to stay still several times without success, Yoo Seong-woo gave up and righted the overturned trash can.
“What should we do with this dog?”
“We should report it. The adoption center will find a new owner.”
The dog was a Jindo mix with yellowish-brown fur. One of its hind legs was a prosthetic, and it hadn’t been maintained for a long time, making squeaking sounds and showing red swelling at the joint. Yoo Seong-woo thought he should replace it first. Once this chaotic game of tag ended, that is.
Yeon Tae-soo took the cleaning tools from Yoo Seong-woo’s hands and began cleaning up the fallen trash. Then, as if something had suddenly occurred to him, he quietly observed the dog playing with Popo while touching his chin.
“…No.”
Yoo Seong-woo, watching his behavior, declared firmly.
“I didn’t say anything yet.”
“I know what you’re going to say.”
“Hmm…”
He awkwardly averted his gaze and moved the cleaning tools again. Meanwhile, Popo and the dog continued playing, entangled with each other.
“But Popo seems to like that friend so much?”
Understanding Yeon Tae-soo’s words, Popo raised its antenna sharply while half-buried under the dog’s belly.
– Popo likes friend! Popo likes tag!
In fact, Yoo Seong-woo was a bit surprised too. Occasionally, animal patients would initiate play with Popo, but he had never seen such a perfect match that turned the hospital into such a mess.
Actually, he thought Popo could take good care of the dog. With its companion dog AI installed, it would perfectly understand the dog’s behavior patterns and wouldn’t get tired of playing like a human would.
“After going to the adoption center, it might meet another weird person as an owner.”
That was also true. These days, adoption centers thoroughly investigate adopters and provide education, but there’s no guarantee that the dog wouldn’t go to a strange person.
If he thought of it as the dog’s fate, then that would be correct, and in the past, he would have naturally thought that way. But his current self no longer believed in things like fate.
“A dog raised by a veterinarian. Where could it find a safer owner?”
Yoo Seong-woo exhaled deeply and sank into a chair. He didn’t say anything, but Yeon Tae-soo knew it was a sign of agreement.
“I’ll take good care of it.”
It seems like Popo will mostly be the one taking care of it. He swallowed those words and just nodded. Yeon Tae-soo smiled brightly, evidently pleased.
In fact, Yoo Seong-woo could guess why he wanted to raise a dog.
Originally, Yoo Seong-woo had lived without anyone to rely on until he met Yeon Tae-soo. Even now, he had no one he was close to except Yeon Tae-soo. Of course, Old Man Chang or the big guys from Eden might feel disappointed, but at least Yoo Seong-woo didn’t consider them as close as Yeon Tae-soo.
Although Yoo Seong-woo didn’t particularly feel uncomfortable about not having family-like relationships, Yeon Tae-soo was probably concerned about it.
Of course, given Yeon Tae-soo’s personality, he wouldn’t look for someone to emotionally care for Yoo Seong-woo in his place.
‘Rather… he probably wants to create a friend for me.’
I’m not a child…
Nevertheless, Yoo Seong-woo actually liked the dog. He hadn’t expected to suddenly have a pet, but…
‘It’s not bad.’
The dog had already read the mood and was now sitting quietly, wagging its tail slowly while looking at him, which gave him a ticklish feeling.
Yoo Seong-woo crouched in front of the dog and made eye contact.
“…I’ll give you my first gift as your companion.”
Then he firmly grabbed its body.
“Popo, restraint please!”
– Restraint! Patient restraint!
As Popo’s robotic arm held the body, the dog seemed quite bewildered. And soon it looked up at Yoo Seong-woo with eyes full of betrayal. To reassure the new family member, Yoo Seong-woo smiled broadly, lifting the corners of his mouth. He already had a vaccination syringe in one hand.
“Don’t worry. I’ll make it quick and painless.”
With a pitiful yelp, Yoo Seong-woo raised the syringe. Watching the scene, Yeon Tae-soo somehow felt as if he was the one getting the injection and hunched his shoulders.
***
Although Yeon Tae-soo and Yoo Seong-woo had become world-famous, they were maintaining a life similar to before in their own way.
The difference was that Yeon Tae-soo no longer operated Eden, and Yoo Seong-woo no longer treated people who came from gambling dens with severed hands.
Instead, Yoo Seong-woo took care of human patients who had no money or couldn’t receive medical benefits. Unlike patients from gambling dens, they thanked him.
It was still illegal medical practice, but it was much safer. The fact that Yeon Tae-soo was always by his side also helped with safety.
Although he had handed over Eden to Kim Ji-heon and completely disengaged from management, they still used the room they had in Eden. Kim Ji-heon raised timid objections a few times but was always ignored. After all, that room was personally purchased by Yeon Tae-soo.
And today, the two were causing a minor disturbance in that room where they always stayed.
“No. Just because it’s a Jindo mix doesn’t mean you have to use ‘Jin.’ And ‘Jingyon’? That’s even hard to pronounce.”
“Then how about Meongdoli? Popo is round too…”
Yeon Tae-soo learned for the first time that Yoo Seong-woo’s naming sense was terribly bad. It made him wonder how he had named himself.
“What does being round have to do with ‘dol’ (stone)? Just call it Doli instead.”
“But just ‘Dol’ is an inanimate object. Somehow, I don’t want to give it a name of an inanimate object.”
He even had a strange philosophy. Technically, Yoo Seong-woo was also an inanimate object.
Yeon Tae-soo shook his head and gave up on everything. In the end, the dog’s name became ‘Meongdoli.’ Moreover, the dog seemed to like the name.
When he called, “Meongdol-ah,” the dog barked loudly. Popo also spun around in place as if celebrating.
– Meongdoli is Popo’s friend!
…Somehow, Yeon Tae-soo felt an unexpected sense of alienation, as if he was the only one dissatisfied with that name.
Only after Popo firmly connected Meongdoli’s air harness to its round body and took it out for a walk did the room become somewhat quieter. Yeon Tae-soo was not one to miss such an opportunity.
At the sound of the door locking, Yoo Seong-woo turned around. Suppressing the urge to lick those round eyes, Yeon Tae-soo approached him and wrapped his arms around his waist.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
