Hello Vet! How are you?

A moment of silence enveloped the animal clinic.

The end of the snacks on the space wall amounted to more than fifty varieties.

And yet, asking for all of them was,

“… All of this?”

The first to speak up was Sora.

Her voice echoed with skepticism, wondering if she had heard correctly.

“Yes.”

“Then please wait a moment.”

Sora began to take out the snacks from the wall one by one and placed them into a bag.

Watching her, the man spoke again.

“Instead of one by one, could you give me everything hanging on the wall?”

“… Please wait a moment.”

As Sora went to get an empty box to pack the snacks, Lee Joon spoke.

“Excuse me, sir. How about buying them in installments rather than all at once?”

Lee Joon’s suggestion made the man’s eyes blink.

Then he nodded and replied.

“Oh, is there possibly no stock?”

“Stock?”

Lee Joon asked back.

“I was wondering if you might not have anything left to sell if I buy all of this.”

Hearing the man’s words, lee Jun let out a hearty laugh.

“That’s not it. If you buy this much, you’ll probably end up feeding it for too long. There are also storage issues.”

“It’s fine.”

“But I’m not fine with it.”

Even though the shelf life was long—one to two years—how could he possibly feed all of it?

It’s not like he owned dozens of dogs.

Nam Gung-hyun looked at Lee Jun, who was showing concern, with an intrigued expression.

‘Most would just be happy about increased sales.’

Nam Gung-hyun responded with a subtle smile.

“If I can feed everything, you’re saying I can take them, right?”

“That’s true, but…”

Then, Jamong approached Nam Gung-hyun and started sniffing around.

『Wow! There’s a lot of smells. There seem to be a lot of siblings.』

At that moment, Yoo Ji-yeon hurriedly grabbed Jamong in surprise.

“Jamong! You can’t do that. You might scare this person.”

But Nam Gung-hyun shook his head with a chuckle.

“It’s alright. I like Beagles.”

“Still, he’s really hyperactive.”

Understanding Jamong’s words, Lee Joon guessed Nam Gung-hyun’s situation.

‘He must have a lot of dogs at home. Well, there was a guardian with twelve dogs at the last animal clinic.’

Moreover, Nam Gung-hyun seemed very familiar with Jamong.

Which meant he most likely raised quite a large dog.

As Sora packed the snacks orderly into the box, Lee Joon advised.

“Please make sure to store them where they won’t get sunlight.”

“Yes, indeed.”

Nam Gung-hyun answered, while thinking to himself.

‘I won’t have time to store them.’

Meanwhile, Jamong, having been stopped by Yoo Ji-yeon, didn’t approach Nam Gung-hyun any further.

He just sniffed around from beside Yoo Ji-yeon.

Just behind Nam Gung-hyun, the snacks were hanging in a line.

To Yoo Ji-yeon, it seemed like Jamong was sniffing because he wanted the snacks.

‘Even though it’s wrapped in plastic, he can smell it? Dogs sure have a sharp nose.’

Yoo Ji-yeon smiled slightly at Jamong before speaking.

“Should we go buy the gum and biscuits that our Jamong likes?”

Yoo Ji-yeon had three kinds of snacks for Jamong;
Toothpaste gum, biscuits, and a soft stick made of tuna meat.

Having run out of the soft sticks and biscuits, she visited to inform the doctor of Jamong’s dramatic transformation.

However, since the soft sticks seemed to be already claimed, she planned to buy gum and biscuits.

Biscuits were on the food display rack.

As Yoo Ji-yeon moved over there, Jamong remained still.

He kept looking up at the space wall.

To anyone, it seemed like he was at the snacks on the space wall.

Nam Gung-hyun watched Jamong with a soft smile.

‘He’s quite assertive. Just like my Banji.’

He recalled his late dog, banji, who crossed the rainbow bridge last year.

Banji used to pick out his own treats.

When several snack containers were laid before him, he’d tap the one he wanted with his paw.

After the snack was given to him, he’d take it to his bed or climb onto the sofa.

Before eating the treat, banji would always look at him with a big, bright smile.

‘He did enjoy eating.’

Thinking of Banji, Nam Gung-hyun took a snack from the wall and spoke.

“Please charge for this too.”

He then asked Yoo Ji-yeon,

“Was his name Jamong? Can I give this to Jamong?”

“Oh… it’s alright.”

But Nam Gung-hyun, while speaking, had already torn the bag.

Jamong’s mouth was drooling.

Seeing this, Nam Gung-hyun smiled warmly.

Yoo Ji-yeon also smiled awkwardly, clearly feeling sheepish.

“It looks like one won’t be enough. I’ll just buy some.”

Worried Jamong might have a dietary restriction, Nam Gung-hyun was relieved it wasn’t the case.

His eyes lit up.

“No, it’s just that Jamong is so cute, I wanted to buy him one. This is me, buying it for Jamong.”

He said this and then called out to Jamong,

“Jamong, here.”

At parks, pet owners often exchange snacks like it’s part of their culture.

Recalling this, Yoo Ji-yeon thanked Nam Gung-hyun.

“Thank you.”

Oblivious to all this, Jamong simply drooled, waiting.

Seeing this, Lee Joon snickered and spoke.

“Jamong, nuna says you can eat.”

『Really?』

“Yes. Thank him and eat.”

With Lee Joon’s words, Jamong let out an excited bark and took the soft stick.

“Ha ha, he eats heartily.”

While watching Jamong eat contentedly, Nam Gung-hyun noticed Ddangkong looking at them.

It’s a known concept that there should be no bias in food.

“Hmm, can he eat this too?”

“Ho ho ho.”

As Ddangkong’s guardian merely laughed, Lee Joon answered instead.

“That’s a snack Ddangkong loves.”

“Ddangkong, I should have given you the snack first, but this uncle forgot.”

『No worries.』

Though he said that, he couldn’t have felt great being overlooked.

“Here, this is for Ddangkong.”

『I’ll enjoy it.』

Ddangkong coolly grasped the snack and walked over to his guardian.

“Ha ha, Jamong and Ddangkong… the dogs at this animal clinic are adorable and full of personality. I’ll certainly visit again.”

“Thank you.”

As Nam Gung-hyun left, Jamong and Ddangkong soon followed.

“Director, I’ve never seen a customer buy snacks like that before. How many dogs does he have to buy so much?”

“He must have quite a few, no?”

“He did buy a lot. I hope he doesn’t waste it and feeds them well…”

“Indeed.”

Both people knew too well how many animals longed for food they couldn’t have.

They hoped that these snacks would find good use and not end up in the trash.

***

A week later on Saturday, Nam Gung-hyun appeared at the Woof Woof Animal Clinic.

“From here to here, just like last week, please.”

“Oh my, again?”

Sora asked in surprise.

Though she knew she shouldn’t say this to a customer, the situation warranted it.

“Ha-ha, yes. Ah, and I need some supplements today as well.”

“Please wait. The director is currently in a consultation, so just a moment.”

Instead of handing out any supplement, she suggested him to wait for the director’s guidance.

‘Much like last week, I think this is really a great place.’

Thinking he made the right choice, Nam Gung-hyun replied.

“Sure, no problem.”

While waiting, Nam Gung-hyun surveyed the animal clinic.

A framed painting caught his eye.

‘Hm? There’s a painting here.’

Last time, his focus was on the beagle, Jamong, so he hadn’t noticed.

It was a painting of animals and people, all smiling brightly.

‘I don’t know who painted this, but it perfectly captures the atmosphere of this animal clinic.’

As Nam Gung-hyun admired the painting, Lee Joon and a guardian walked out from the consultation room, laughing, and locked eyes with him.

Lee Joon’s eyes widened slightly but quickly bowed in greeting.

‘He must have come to return something. But why is he standing here?’

Leaving the question for later, Lee Joon sent off the guardian he had just consulted with.

He then quietly asked Sora in a very small voice.

“You didn’t process a return?”

“What?”

“I mean that person over there.”

“Actually, he’s here to buy snacks again today.”

“What? Really?”

“And he mentioned he needs supplements too.”

What does he do for a living?

But it wasn’t a question he could ask a customer.

Lee Joon approached the guardian to clarify.

“You said you wanted to buy supplements?”

“Yes.”

“What type are you looking for? Or which pet do you intend to feed them to?”

“I’m feeding it to the ones lacking vitality or severely undernourished.”

“If it’s for weakened pets, this one is recommended… Are they ill?”

“There are some sick ones and healthy ones. Please select the supplements for both those that are ill and those that are healthy.”

“You must be very concerned.”

The sick ones would be troubling, and there’d be guilt about the healthy ones because they might not get enough attention due to focusing on the sick ones.

“Indeed. They all need good homes, but it’s not easy.”

“Excuse me?”

“Yes. Although I can’t keep them all myself…”

“Do you do foster care?”

Lee Joon asked Nam Gung-hyun if he volunteered to temporarily protect animals.

“No, I haven’t considered fostering yet.”

“Then you must be a donor. It’s a really good thing you’re doing.”

Lee Joon’s voice brightened noticeably.

Having his suspicions cleared and realizing the good deed, he couldn’t help but smile.

“I’m actually the recipient of support.”

“Sorry?”

“The truth is, our Banji passed away recently. Ah, banji was a beagle and looked like Jamong.”

“Ah, that’s why you were fond of Jamong.”

Nam Gung-hyun slowly nodded.

“It reminded me of Banji when he was young.”

Lee Joon found kinship with Nam Gung-hyun.

Lee Joon also found his eyes drawn to Schnauzers.

When a Schnauzer puppy bounced around, it made him reminisce about Kongdori’s puppy days.

Seeing a robust Schnauzer made him envious.

When an old Schnauzer passed by, he’d worry about the dog’s health while being unable to look away.

It must be the same feeling.

“I know someone who visits nearby shelters on their pet’s anniversaries.”

“Really?”

“They are usually too busy to go, but on that day, they would take a lot of food and feed the animals there. They suggested I try doing the same.”

Understanding the poignant feelings, Lee Joon guided Nam Gung-hyun to the consulting room.

“Honestly, I went with a light heart at first, thinking I’d just feed them on behalf of our Banji. But when I got home, the look in those animals’ eyes lingered with me. Now, one visit led to another, and here we are.”

“You’re doing something wonderful.”

“No, actually, they are helping me. Thanks to those animals, I don’t have the time to dwell on missing our Banji. I’m completely swamped! Ha ha ha.”

The following week, Nam Gung-hyun once again visited the Woof Woof Animal Clinic and bought a lot of snacks.

Despite Lee Joon gently suggesting he might be overdoing it, Nam Gung-hyun assured him not to worry.

***

That Sunday, Lee Joon, along with members from the volunteer group he had been active with since college, called ‘We Are Together’. headed to Namyangju.

Their destination was ‘Our Meadow Shelter’.

“Lee Joon, why did you bring so much?”

“It’s been two months since our last visit. The animals need a little boost with more to eat! The weather is pleasant, so their appetite must be too!”

“There’s plenty of food these days.”

The head of ‘We Are Together’, who was also Lee Joon’s senior, chimed in.

“Really? Has there been an increase in support?”

“Yes, there’s someone who provides regular donations. Apparently, they’re visiting almost every week, bringing a bunch of snacks along.”

“Bless that kind soul.”

As they conversed, they reached their destination.

As Lee Joon got off the bus, someone called out to him.

“Oh? Isn’t that the director from Woof Woof Animal Clinic?”

—