KIBM Ch 3

Songju, having taken a bite of her apple, hurried to get ready for work. She munched on the apple while simultaneously tying her hair up. Next, she sat on the sofa to put on her socks, all the while glancing out the window.

“He should be coming out about now.”

The man next door.

Cheon Bosung, that is.

Songju’s gaze shifted to the shopping bag on the table.

“I need to give this to him.”

It was a favor Dr. Heo Junhee of Cloud Clinic had asked of her.

[There’s a new doctor at our clinic named Cheon Bosung. He’ll be staying next door to you for a while. He doesn’t have any towels or drinking water, so could you do me a favor?]

Unlike the city, convenience stores weren’t on every corner. To buy necessities, you had to drive a long way.

But the man, Cheon Bosung, wouldn’t be able to go anywhere. Songju had already seen that his car had broken down.

The shopping bag, undelivered the previous day, remained like unfinished homework.

She had rung the doorbell, but there was no response; the lights had even gone off.

Even though someone was clearly there, it was quiet as a mouse.

So she waited. For Cheon Bosung to come out.

It was the same tactic Songju usually employed when rescuing animals: stake out the entrance, wait, and then snatch the creature when it poked its head out.

A highly successful method.

And right on cue…

“Oh?”

Finally, the creature—no, Cheon Bosung—came out.

Songju jumped up from the sofa, shoved her phone into her back pocket, and slung her backpack over one shoulder almost simultaneously. She grabbed the shopping bag she hadn’t been able to deliver the day before and hurriedly put on her sneakers.

With towels and bottled water, the bag was quite heavy.

She flung open the front door.

Even though she’d sprung out like a jack-in-the-box the moment she saw him emerge, Bosung was already far away.

“Excuse me!”

Songju ran quickly. Running, a childhood hobby, had now become her specialty. So catching up to Bosung was a piece of cake.

“…Excuse me!”

Even though she was getting closer, Bosung didn’t turn around.

Songju took her last stride as if preparing for a long jump. And then,

“Excuse me, Mr. Cheon Bosung!”

She finally caught him. Only after grabbing his shoulder did Songju’s sprint come to an end.

“Huff… huff…”

She was more out of breath than usual from the sudden run.

The already heavy shopping bag now felt like a waterlogged lump of cotton.

Turning around, Bosung looked at Songju catching her breath. The first thing he did wasn’t to greet her or express surprise.

“Let go.”

He abruptly brushed Songju’s hand off his shoulder.

“Oh, I’m so sorry.”

Songju rubbed her hand on her pants.

“I called out to you, but I guess you didn’t hear me.”

He hadn’t not heard her. He’d heard her and pretended not to.

He didn’t want to get involved.

In fact, Bosung had had a restless night. Dozens of owls had haunted his dreams, swarming toward him, each one with wide eyes and talons extended.

To Bosung, Songju was no different from the cause of his unsettling dreams. So he naturally wanted to avoid her.

“Take a few steps back.”

The woman was holding something suspicious in her arms again. Bosung’s wariness kicked in.

He couldn’t tell what was inside this time.

“Oh, this?”

The perceptive Songju opened the shopping bag wide, showing Bosung its contents one by one.

“It’s nothing. Towels and bottled water. Dr. Heo asked me to give these to you yesterday.”

“Dr. Heo from Cloud Clinic?”

“Yes.”

Songju straightened her posture.

“You’re Dr. Cheon Bosung, the new doctor at Cloud Clinic, right? I’m Yoon Songju, your next-door neighbor.”

Next-door neighbor?

“Let’s get along while you’re here.”

Would they really have any reason to get along?

He wasn’t planning on staying long anyway.

“I’ll be here for a few months at most. So…”

“Yes, if there’s anything you need, we can…”

“No.”

Bosung cut her off.

“Let’s avoid each other as much as possible.”

“Excuse me?”

“Seeing you gives me bad dreams.”

Bosung turned his back and quickened his pace.

Songju quickly caught up.

“You’re still spooked by the owl from last night, aren’t you?”

That darn owl.

It wasn’t a welcome topic for Bosung, who loathed birds.

Somehow, she’d managed to catch up to his brisk pace. Songju blocked his path.

Bosung, forced to stop, ground his heel into the earth.

“What is it now?”

It had only been a few seconds since he’d told her to avoid him.

From yesterday to today… Yoon Songju, constantly clinging to him, was irritating him.

“You should take this.”

“I don’t need it.”

“It’s towels and water. Dr. Heo said you’d need them right away…”

Bosung held up his hand, firmly telling her not to come any closer.

“No, thank you.”

“Don’t be stubborn.”

Songju looped the shopping bag handles over his outstretched wrist.

Bosung reacted immediately.

“Hey.”

“You’ll catch a cold in this weather if you don’t dry off after washing up.”

What is with this woman?

“Anyway, it’s better than fanning yourself with your hands.”

A shiver suddenly ran down Bosung’s spine.

This crazy…

“…You saw?”

“Excuse me?”

“What did you see? You…”

Songju tilted her head innocently and smiled brightly.

“If you need anything while you’re here, just let me know.”

Songju’s smile didn’t feel entirely innocent.

It was as if she were implying, “I know you were fanning yourself naked last night.”

Of course, it could just be a guilty conscience, but it didn’t feel pleasant.

His dry underarms suddenly felt damp.

“I won’t need anything, and we won’t be seeing each other again.”

“We will.”

“We won’t.”

“Are you so sure about that?”

Bosung turned around irritably. He didn’t want to deal with her any longer.

Watching Bosung walk away, Songju muttered to herself,

“He’s got quite the prickly personality.”

She had simply intended to deliver the shopping bag. Even though she hadn’t received so much as a thank you after delivering the necessities, she didn’t mind.

Songju adjusted her backpack and started walking. Then, she suddenly remembered the shadow she’d glimpsed through Bosung’s window last night.

She had suspected, and seeing Bosung’s flustered reaction confirmed it, he really had been fanning himself naked.

Imagining the scene made her chuckle.

˚⊹🩺₊˚⊹♡

“You’re here?”

Jiyu greeted her and naturally approached.

“Miss Punctual. Five minutes late? What’s the occasion?”

“Is that so?”

They exchanged their usual morning greetings, comfortably mixing formal and informal speech. Songju was a veterinarian, and Jiyu was a wildlife rehabilitator.

Songju put down her backpack and put on her lab coat. Jiyu stuck close.

“Did something happen on your way here?”

“Nothing much.”

Songju, who had seemed about to say something, suddenly clammed up.

Jiyu wasn’t one to let things slide.

“Why did you stop mid-sentence?”

“Nothing happened.”

She thought it best not to mention the incident with Bosung.

She couldn’t predict how Jiyu, with her inquisitive nature and vivid imagination, would interpret it.

Songju, holding back her words, opened her work log. It provided an overview of the rescued wildlife from the previous day, the condition of the animals currently undergoing treatment, and those scheduled for release.

Jiyu put her hands in her lab coat pockets and studied Songju carefully.

“Definitely something happened.”

“You seem to have a lot of free time.”

“Yeah, I’m super free. So…”

Just then, Sangchul, the head veterinarian, walked in. Perfect timing for Songju. So she greeted him more enthusiastically than usual.

“Hello.”

Sangchul, who looked like he had just washed his face, responded with business instead of a greeting.

“About the owl you brought in yesterday, Dr. Yoon…”

“Yes?”

“It’s not eating.”

“I’ll take a look.”

Sangchul, who practically lived at the center, ran his fingers through his damp hair in front of the mirror.

“Check on the magpie too. Dr. Kwak Giwoo from Cloud Clinic brought it in this morning. Looks like a collision or a fall.”

“I’ll check on them both.”

Songju gave Jiyu a knowing look and walked away.

It was a quieter morning than usual.

But there was no telling when a storm might hit. In other words, it was impossible to predict a day’s schedule at the wildlife rescue center. That was because you never knew when danger might strike animals surviving in the wild.

Entering the ward, Songju put on latex gloves.

First, the owl.

With an unspoken air of “You brought me here again?” it stood with its back turned. Even from the back, its sulking was evident. Not eating was a form of protest.

“Let’s see.”

Songju extended her index finger and gently tapped the back of the owl’s head.

It still wouldn’t turn around.

“Still not used to being caught after all this time?”

What the owl needed wasn’t a wildlife center but adaptation in nature.

Yet, reports kept coming in about this owl unable to fly.

“Why are you walking around on the road? You should be flying.”

The owl, which had first arrived at the center with a broken wingtip, had been rescued twice more since then.

The reason was its inability to fly properly despite completing rehabilitation. Medically, there was no problem.

Yet, it walked on dangerous roads. With perfectly good wings.

Songju took out a special treat.

“I’ll examine you slowly, so eat first. Okay?”

It was a wary and shy creature.

She drew the blackout curtains for the nocturnal bird. Patience was key.

Next, the magpie.

“A new arrival?”

Unlike the owl, the magpie hopped over to Songju cutely. Its food bowl was empty, suggesting it had enjoyed its meal.

“Let’s have a look.”

Songju gently scooped up the magpie and spread its wings to check for fractures.

“Fortunately, nothing’s broken.”

Its legs, its head…

There were no visible external injuries.

Plus, it was eating well.

“Be a good patient and eat well until tomorrow, and I’ll let you go.”

The magpie chirped happily, as if understanding.

Unlike the wary owl, it was a friendly creature.

Still, observation was necessary. Wild animals were good at hiding their weaknesses.

From the owl to the magpie…

After examining them, Songju took some cat food and left the center.

A cat lay basking in the spring sunshine by the entrance. Dr. Sangchul had fed it a few times, and now it would show up every so often as if demanding food. As a result, it was familiar with Songju as well. Today, Songju took care of its meal.

After filling the food and water bowls, Songju stepped outside the center.

She looked up and clasped her hands behind her back. Fluffy white clouds drifted across the blue sky.

It was a particularly beautiful day with sunshine and a gentle breeze.

A perfect spring day.

Taking a deep breath of fresh air, Songju lowered her gaze.

Bosung, wearing a shirt as blue as the sky, was just leaving Cloud Clinic.

His fair skin, unusual for a man, shimmered in the sunlight.

Without thinking, she called out,

“Where are you going?”

Bosung, who had been looking at his phone, stopped short.

He looked up and stared at Songju. His straight eyebrows rose slightly.

“Why are you here?”

Bosung asked suspiciously, and Songju replied brightly,

“I work here.”

She pointed to the name tag on her lab coat.

Wildlife Rescue Center Veterinarian, Yoon Songju.

Bosung’s eyes widened in surprise.

Meeting his gaze, Songju said,

“See? I told you we’d see each other again.”

Startled, Bosung took a step back. He quickly walked away as if he had seen something he shouldn’t have.

Songju watched him as he walked away, his back to her.

“He’s got long legs.”

She wondered where he was going in such a hurry.

It was fascinating how quickly he’d disappeared.

His retreating figure, clad in a blue shirt, looked quite picturesque against the backdrop of the long, stretched-out clouds. It was like a painting.