KIBM Ch 12

As soon as Bosung entered, Nurse Na put down her dumbbells and approached him.

“You’re here.”

This was the first time Nurse Na had come all the way to the door to greet him.

A calculator was thrust in front of a bewildered Bosung. As if unsure what the displayed numbers meant, he read them aloud.

“Two hundred eighty-five, zero, zero, zero?”

“You’re such a smart person, yet you can’t even read numbers properly.”

Nurse Na read them clearly.

“Two hundred eighty-five thousand won. That’s how you read it.”

Nurse Na took back the calculator and held out her hand.

“You brought cash, right?”

“What?”

“I told you on the phone earlier. A 5,000 won fine for every minute you’re late. You’re exactly 57 minutes late. So, 57 multiplied by 5,000. A total of two hundred eighty-five thousand won. How about it? I can lend you the calculator if mental math is too hard.”

Dumbfounded, Bosung ran a hand through his hair.

He felt the rough texture of the hair wax on his palm.

“You really put in the effort this morning, huh?”

Nurse Na’s words made him recall his morning.

Right. He’d worn a scarf, put on hair wax, and felt the warmth of a freshly ironed white shirt against his skin.

What happened just two hours ago felt like a distant yesterday.

Bosung looked at himself.

His shirt was a mess, his scarf knotted, and there was even a small piece of straw stuck in his hair.

Furthermore,

“If you don’t have cash, should I give you the account number?”

Extorted by a nurse first thing in the morning.

His head throbbed.

Clearing his throat, Bosung addressed Nurse Na. This wasn’t about being stingy over less than three hundred thousand won, but about protesting the unfairness.

“I wasn’t informed about any fines.”

It didn’t make sense to demand something that hadn’t been explained in the first place.

“Don’t pretend you don’t know.”

“I’m saying I didn’t hear it because I didn’t hear it.”

“The director said he explained everything on the first day.”

He swore he hadn’t heard anything about fines.

“He really didn’t tell you?”

One of Nurse Na’s fingers pointed towards the wall.

Was…that always there?

Bosung searched his memory.

“You really didn’t hear him say to check the hospital rules?”

Bosung’s memory raced, returning to his first day at Cloud Animal Clinic.

Come to think of it, Director Heo Junhee had said….

‘The general hospital rules and guidelines are posted on the wall in the waiting room, so please check them.’

…He remembered it clearly.

Damn it.

“Do you remember now?”

Nurse Na, having seen right through him, asked again.

“Cash? Or bank transfer? Choose whichever is convenient.”

It was a ridiculous fine, but he didn’t want to argue over a mere two hundred eighty-five thousand won.

“I’ll give you the account information later.”

A thick hand grabbed Bosung’s shoulder as he was about to leave.

“I’ll tell you now. It’ll be troublesome if you forget.”

Nurse Na rattled off the account number.

“You have a banking app, right?”

Bosung took out his phone. Nurse Na leaned in close.

He subtly shielded his phone screen. It was a defensive move to protect his personal information.

“That seems like a steep fine.”

“Do you begrudge it?”

“It’s not that. I’m worried about the director.”

Bosung couldn’t count how many times he’d witnessed the director skipping work.

“If this is the amount for being 57 minutes late, the director would have to pour his entire salary into it.”

Nurse Na, who had been retorting sharply, uncharacteristically remained silent, only checking Bosung’s phone.

She looked as though she had something to say but wasn’t saying it.

“I’ve transferred it, so please check.”

As soon as the transfer notification popped up, Nurse Na finally spoke what she’d been holding back.

“Oh, and the director has never paid a fine.”

“What?”

Bosung’s eyebrows furrowed in a wave from left to right.

“There’s no fine if he doesn’t show up. It’s literally a ‘lateness’ fine. Skipping work doesn’t count.”

“What kind of ridiculous rule is that….”

Nurse Na pointed at the wall.

“When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Since you’re at Cloud Animal Clinic, we would appreciate it if you familiarized yourself with and followed the rules of Cloud Animal Clinic.”

Bosung’s jaw dropped. He checked the rules written on the wall.

The first rule was related to ‘tardiness.’

In case of tardiness, a fine of 5,000 won per minute.

However, skipping work is excluded, and all collected fines are used together for a specific purpose.

This was beyond ridiculous.

Nurse Na briskly left, humming a tune that grated on his nerves.

His fists clenched involuntarily.

Now he saw that the place where you could be easily swindled wasn’t Seoul, but the countryside.

Bosung, holding his phone, started typing a message.

The recipient was Director Kang Daeun of the plastic surgery clinic.

[What’s the atmosphere like? I want to get back as soon as possible.]

A reply arrived immediately.

[The media has quieted down, and public opinion is gradually subsiding. The one-person protest is the biggest problem, but I’ll have it taken care of soon, so just wait a little longer. I’ve even started remodeling your office so you can start fresh when you return, Dr. Cheon. Look forward to it.]

He didn’t care about remodeling; he just wanted to get out of this place as soon as possible.

He had never experienced such a variety of events day after day.

˚⊹🩺₊˚⊹♡

Songju took off her latex gloves. As if waiting, Sangchul entered.

“Are the stitches finished?”

“Yes. Fortunately, the wound wasn’t too deep.”

Sangchul checked the wound of the water deer, which hadn’t yet woken from anesthesia.

“Good job.”

Songju was skilled for her level of experience.

Unlike Sangchul, the head veterinarian who had worked there for almost ten years, the veterinarians who came under him couldn’t last a year.

“Has it been about a year since you came here, Dr. Yoon?”

“Exactly one year and two months.”

Songju was the first to last over a year.

Moreover, she was the first veterinarian who, like him, went out to look for escaped animals.

“But why did you follow me out earlier? I would have found it anyway.”

“You said it yourself. Once they come to the center, they’re our responsibility. So, we have to fulfill that responsibility until they’re released.”

“Others call that being nosy.”

“I am nosy. And how could I ignore a pregnant one?”

Sangchul looked at Songju.

“You seem like someone who grew up receiving a lot of love.”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

There was a difference between people who grew up receiving love and knew how to give it, and those who didn’t and were awkward at it.

Sangchul was the latter.

He didn’t know how to give because he’d never received.

Just staying by the animals’ side all night was the love and affection he could show.

Perhaps it was the difference between innate love and learned love.

Sangchul often reflected on himself through Songju.

Knock, knock.

Jiyu poked her head into the operating room.

“It’s…time to eat.”

Sangchul gestured with his hand.

“You guys go ahead.”

“Let’s eat together.”

“No.”

Without making eye contact, Sangchul moved the water deer to the treatment room and walked away.

Jiyu, approaching immediately, said worriedly,

“Do you think he’s mad at me?”

“He’s not the type to get angry.”

“Anyway, I can’t figure him out. It would be easier if he just yelled at me once.”

Sangchul glanced at Jiyu and Songju as they walked away.

˚⊹🩺₊˚⊹♡

Director Heo Junhee arrived at Cloud Animal Clinic right at closing time.

“You’re the only director in the world who comes to work at closing time half the week.”

“If they’re jealous, tell them to become a director or CEO themselves.”

Director Heo, brazen despite skipping work, held Lily’s carrier. As always, Lily was inside, craning its neck.

Nurse Na bent down and greeted Lily.

“Long time no see, Turtle Man.”

Lily, inside the transparent carrier, moved its face in acknowledgment.

“Our smart Lily is even greeting Nurse Na.”

“Don’t assign unnecessary meaning to it just moving its neck.”

Nurse Na straightened up and said triumphantly,

“Make sure to come in tomorrow.”

“I can’t come if I’m late. I’m too scared of the fine to even dare. Isn’t that right, Lily?”

“Since the fine came in today, you have to come tomorrow. We’re going to have boiled pork with kimchi.”

“Which crazy person paid the fine?”

Just then, Bosung came out of the examination room.

“Is it this guy?”

Nurse Na answered with a shout.

“We’re having a staff dinner tomorrow with the fine Dr. Cheon Bosung paid, so everyone please attend.”

Giwoo, who had just come out, heard her words.

“A staff dinner?”

“Yes. We only work in the morning tomorrow, so it’s a lunch staff dinner. What are we going to do, save the fine? We should use it as it comes. Don’t you agree, Dr. Cheon Bosung?”

Bosung kept his mouth shut, as if refusing to answer.

Regardless, Nurse Na left the clinic with light steps.

Bosung finally noticed Director Heo Junhee, who had just arrived for work.

“Can you run a business by skipping work like that?”

“Well, it works out somehow.”

The only patients were occasional locals, mostly people getting their blood pressure and diabetes medication, with a few occasional indigestion cases.

The fact that it was running meant he was content with small profits.

He’d never imagined he’d be wasting his time in a place like this.

Therefore, it was necessary to draw a clear line between himself and this place.

So that he wouldn’t be swayed by this place, by these people.

“I’m not getting a separate salary here, we agreed that I’d be paid for the work I do, right?”

“That’s right.”

Bosung pointed at the wall with his finger.

“But I still have to follow all the rules here?”

“That’s right.”

“What?”

“If you don’t want to, you can just pack your bags and go back to Seoul.”

He was taken aback by the director’s easygoing smile.

“You know I can’t leave right now.”

“Then just follow them. Am I asking you to break the law or steal something? I’m just asking you to follow a few rules. Is that so hard?”

“Forget it.”

“Anyway, there’s a chilly vibe here. Right, Lily?”

Bosung ignored him and left Cloud Animal Clinic.

The director’s voice followed him.

“There’s a portable carrier for Lily in the utility room. Please bring that with you when you come to work tomorrow.”

The director, looking out the window, shouted until the end.

“It’s a transparent rectangular carrier. You’ll know it when you see it. Got it!”

Bosung got into his car without replying and drove off.

The director muttered.

“He heard me, right?”

Giwoo, who had been watching, approached him.

“Probably.”

Giwoo looked down at the unusually dressed-up director and asked,

“By the way, Director.”

“Yes?”

“Why did you hire him?”

Director Heo met Giwoo’s gaze.

“Dr. Cheon Bosung. You don’t seem to get along very well.”

“The most persistent emotion is love-hate. Dr. Cheon and I are entangled in that.”

In fact, Bosung’s residency wasn’t the first time they’d met.

Their connection went back further, but they just weren’t acknowledging it.

Everyone has a memory they want to erase.

Bosung and Director Heo Junhee were both stuck in that memory. Very tightly.