When Your Pain Becomes Mine

These two people who misunderstood each other smiled.

"So what's this puppy's name?"

"... I'm not sure yet."

"Sorry?"

"I'm not the owner of this puppy… I think somebody has thrown him away."

She whispered in his ear that it was abandoned.

The dog didn't understand, but she thought it was the right thing to do.

"Oh… I get it."

A little surprised, Eun-woo looked at Son and took a look at the dog.

"Oh, I think he has been bitten by another dog. The swelling has increased and he is still actively bleeding."

Eun-woo, who returned with a serious look, hurried to diagnose the dog's condition.

"Is he going to be ok? Can he get better?"

"I'm glad there's no problem with his bones. I think I should treat him right away because there could be a secondary infection."

Eun-woo carefully picked up the puppy and tried to move it to the operating room.

Son was watching them, and felt sorry for him, unwittingly reached out and grabbed his clothes. A little surprised, Eun-woo turned his head and looked at her.

"... By all means, please save him."

Desperately, her hands were filled with power as she grabbed his clothes.

Eun-woo was still watching her and nodded slowly.

"Sure, I'll do my best."

Eun-woo smiled at Son, carefully moved the puppy to the operating room.

"oong, oong."

The dog cried, terrified and stared at Son.

The puppy might know that she was the only one that can be relied on? The dog didn't take his eyes off on Son until he entered the operating room.

"huagh"

Son looked sad and watched the back of the puppy.

13. New Owner

A hospital room with devices, air conditioning fans, and oxygen input devices.

The dog now was less anxious that it fell into a deep sleep inside the hospital room to recover.

Son reached out, but she couldn't stroke him.

"Would you like to see this?"

At that time, Eun-woo showed her an X-ray picture of the puppy and said,

"Fortunately, there are no problems with the joints, bones or the soles of the feet. I've looked at blood levels and I don't think there's any infection."

"... Can he walk again?"

"If he gets the treatment consistently."

Son had met Eun-woo for a short time, but she could see that his words were sincere.

"Dogs never bite me, just humans."

He said this in English with proficient pronunciation. She was a little surprised by the sudden English.

"Dogs never bite me, people bite. That's what Marilyn Monroe said."

"Oh..."

"People hurt dogs, but the ones who get abandoned are these dogs. It's ironic."

Son slowly nodded to his bitter tone. She carefully asked again, as if something had come to her mind.

"Now, what happens next to this puppy?"

"First, he will be sent to a dog shelter and in there to wait for a new owner."

"Do all the dogs find owners?"

"No, actually only twenty to thirty percent of the dogs meet their new owners."

"... What if this puppy doesn't meet his new owner?"

"If he doesn't meet anyone within ten days..."

Eun-woo seemed sad, and couldn't' speak.

Even without speaking, Son knew what it meant.

"Is he going to die? He did nothing wrong. He's just been abandoned."

The more she poured out her words, the more her emotions grew. Eun-woo looked at her silently.

"... I'm sorry."

It wasn't something to say to Eun-woo. Son pulled herself together, and said,

"It's okay. I'm so grateful to see such affection in a world where everything is so easily dismissed nowadays."

He nodded his head looking down at the dog.

The dog had just woken up from anesthesia, blinked his eyes and looked up at Son.

Son squatted and glanced at the dog.

Still terrified with darkened eyes, he seemed like he was having a hard time to breathe in fear. It was like seeing herself in front of him.

"Hueww"

Son exhaled a long sigh.

Looking at the dog, her heart started pounding, and her body began to ache.

She couldn't send him away.

Son opened her mouth slowly, and decided.

"... I'll take him."

"Sorry?"

A little surprised, Eun-woo asked again,

"You don't have to do that. I'll see if I can find out..."

"No, you don't need to."

Son looked up at Eun-woo and said,

"I'll take him with me. I want to do that."

Her eyes were filled with affectionate determination.

Eun-woo, staring at her still, slowly bent his knees and made eye contact with the dog.

"Congratulations. You have a new owner."

Eun-woo gently stroked the puppy and said,

"Wait, I have to give him a name. Do you have any idea?"

Eun-woo asked.

"Hm, the name..."

She was embarrassed because she had never raised an animal before.

"Well, what about Labong?"

Eun-woo, who had been struggling for a while, said,

"Yes?"

"Look at this."

Eun-woo smiled and pointed to the hallabong fruit box.

"Oh... Hallabong."

"You don't like it?"

Eun-woo scratched his head awkwardly.

"I like it, Labong."

Son fixed her gaze at Labong, and said with a light smile.

"Really?"

"Hey, Labong. Now your name is Labong."

Son carefully called the name for the first time.

Labong had just woken up from anesthesia, looked up at her, but his name still sounded unfamiliar.

"I'm at your service, Labong."

Son gently stroked the weary Labong.

And Eun-woo smiled and was looking at her with his eyes silently.

***

Sitting on his desk in his room, Gyeonhui looked down at his c.h.e.s.t with his arms crossed. The intense pain that plagued his c.h.e.s.t until a while ago was now a little subdued.

"It's definitely not me..."

He knew that his health was fine because he had of a lot of physical tests.

"Well, there's only then Cheonson… does she have any heart problems?"

A little while ago, the intensity of the pain seemed impossible without any abnormalities in the heart.

"Why? Is there a problem with her heart?"

Sitting at a side table, Ojae asked as he was cleaning up the paperwork.

"You're supposed to find it out for me."

"Right, I'm sorry."

With his cold voice, Ojae quickly avoided his gaze.

"Let's go, if she has a heart problem, it means I'm sick too. This is crazy."

He didn't even want to imagine that he could feel the heartache he felt a little while ago. The menstrual pain was already overwhelming him.

"Find her house and work."

"Now? Didn't you ask me not to look for her last time?"

"Find her. Do I have to say it twice to make you understand?"

"Oh, no. I'm leaving now."

Ojae hurried out of the room.

"If there's any problems in her heart. Huha."

It was terrible to think about.

"I have to do something. Something's got to give."

He frowned and bit his lower lip.

***

As she towel-dried her hair, Son looked at the bag on the floor of the living room.

'I'll give you the supplies you need.'

Eun-woo, the director of the animal hospital, packed most of the items for her. A cage, food, and a bowl. Son tried to pay for them, but he refused.

'Please take care of him well instead. He's a puppy with a lot of wounds.'

The doctor only charged payment for the treatment.

Son read the business card that she received from the doctor.

"He was a very kind person that's rare."

Son suddenly thought about him. He was a gentle and charming man with a warm smile when he smiled.

'I think I've seen him from somewhere...'

She felt like she had seen him somewhere, but she couldn't remember.

"Now is not the best time to think about him."

Son moved her gaze and looked at Labong curled up in the cage.

It's been a while since he's been home with her, but Labong hasn't stepped out of the cage.

Son placed his favorite snacks in a bowl, but he didn't even touch it with his mouth.

"Labong. Let's eat, just a bite, please?"

He didn't know that Labong was his name yet. Labong leaned down and didn't play with the ball.

"... It's all good to eat. Will you?"

Son scooped the food on the spoon and gave it to him, but Labong refused to eat it.

"Ughhh."

As she breathed a heavy sigh, she heard rumbling from her stomach.

It was the sound of her stomach when she was giving a good talking to Labong.

She had eaten a few chocolates during the day.

"… I should heed my own words."

Son smiled and sighed, seemingly exhausted.

Just as Labong had to heal the wounds, she had a wound that she had to overcome.

"... Ok. I should eat well to heal."

Determined, Son stood up and headed to the kitchen.

She had no d.e.s.i.r.e to eat, but she had to eat to survive and get over it.

She took out the porridge she had put in the refrigerator and tried a spoonful. It was porridge. It was not much in it to chew. But oddly, it was not easy to pass down her throat.

But she had to eat. So she could endure and overcome all her difficulties.

Her throat was dry but Son put it in her mouth.

Her eyes were tearing up. She lifted her head and pressed down her tears.

She didn't want to cry anymore, but unlike her heart, tears flowed down on her cheeks.

"Oh my. Why am I doing this? Wha."

Son wiped away her tears roughly.

"... One day, it's going to end. Ha."

With a long sigh, she lifted the spoon again.

***

The next morning.

As Gyeonhui stepped into the living room, preparing to go to work, he lost his balance and stumbled.

It was hot as a fireball when he put his hand on his own forehead.

"What's happening?"

He was so healthy that he lived without even knowing the cold, so it was hard to keep his mind off of it.

'Bang!'

At that time, he could hear the door closing and the sound of shoes being taken off in a hurry.

"Gyeonhui, Gyeonhui!"

It was Ojae jumped in, calling his name.

"Is this your house?"

"No, I'm sorry"

"Shoes!"

At his words, Ojae quickly arranged his shoes.

While Ojae checked on his shoes several times, Gyoenhui walked out the front door.

"Hey, what's wrong with your face?"

Asked Ojae, seeing his face with red spots all over it.

"It might be a cold."

"Cold?"

"Aw. Get out of the way."

Gyeonhui seemed annoyed, as he walked past Ojae and headed outside.

"If you're not in good shape, why don't you take a day off?"

"Don't you know there's a shareholders' meeting tomorrow? Are you not going to prepare for it?"

"Oh, right. I was worried because I didn't know that you had a cold."

With Ojae's words, Gyeonhui remembered her.

'... No way. Is this from her?'

His suspicions grew increasingly true.

He closed his eyes and exhaled.

"Where is she now?"

"Her? I came here to talk about her."

"Did you find her?"

"Of course. Tada."

Ojae smiled as he pulled out a note with an address.

"I can find anything as long as it's in Korea..."

Even before Ojae finished, Gyeonhui took the note from him. After confirming the address, Gyeonhui stepped outside without hesitation.

"Hey, Gyeonhui! Take me with you!"

Ojae's voice was heard from behind, but he didn't stop.

'Brrrr'

After getting into the car, Gyeonhui immediately started on his way.

"... She's so annoying, it never lets up."

The fever made his face red, so he pushed on the gas pedal.

With the sound of a roaring engine, his car began to race down the road.

14. You Shouldn't Get Sick

As Son prepared to go to work, she pulled out a thick sketch notebook from her dusty backpack.

The sketch notebook was filled with thoughts and landscape sketches that had been organized as she walked through Santiago.

Just as she had not lost her way because of the trail markers of the pilgrims who walked before her, she began drawing the sketches to be an arrow pointing at someone.

And there was one more thing. She searched the other pockets and pulled out a small stone.

'Go. You can'.

It was a precious memory that made her walk again.

She told Eun-young that she was creating a new brand that means a new start. Maybe these two little memories might help. She took the notes and rock and rose from her seat.

"Well, but why is it so cold?"

As she was preparing to go to work, she donned her coat on her trembling body.

"Is it because it's raining?"

She felt like she was getting a cold because of the rain from the night before.

'If it gets serious, I'll just go and see a doctor, and get a flu shot.'

She always got colds so she didn't care much about it.

As she was ready to go to work, she approached the cage.

"... Labong. Did you sleep well?"

She carefully greeted him in the morning, but Labong still didn't come out from the corner of the cage.

"We have to come out now, because we have to disinfect your wounds.

Son said in a soothing voice to keep him calm as much as possible. But Labong still looked at her with anxious eyes and was unable to let his guard down.

"... You're deeply wounded."

Sadly, Son carefully reached out to Labong.

"Grrr, Grrr"

Labong w.h.i.n.ed lowly, frightened.

"I know it's scary, but you have to be treated."

Son spoke in a calm tone, as if he were a child.

Did he hear her talking to him? As he became calm, Son picked him up from the cage.