Hello Vet! How are you?

The kennel beside the building had dogs sticking their faces against the bars, wagging their tails vigorously.

Dogs that couldn’t get a spot in the front extended their heads from behind or bounced up and down in place excitedly.

The joyfully expressive dogs seemed to be smiling brightly.

“Why are you all so happy?”

Go Gijin beamed as he lifted and shook the snack box he held.

“Is it because of this?”

『Dr., welcome!』
『We’ve been waiting!』
『Hehe, hug us today too!』

As the dogs greeted Lee Joon with bright smiles, Go Gijin laughed heartily and spoke to Lee Joon, who was following behind him.

“Hyung, these guys really want to eat this, so let’s give them some.”

“Alright, let’s do that.”

Lee Joon responded to Go Gijin and received the dogs’ greetings.

“How have you all been?”

『Good! Hehe, we missed you, dr..』
『I missed you too.』
『Me too!』

The dogs, ecstatic that Lee Joon acknowledged their greetings, bounced excitedly in the kennel.

While doing so, they bumped into each other, and there were some whose paws were stepped on.

『Oh, don’t push.』
『It hurts! Go run over there!』

Watching the bustling kennel, Lee Joon’s eyes deepened.

‘The kennel is getting crowded since the adorable ones aren’t getting adopted.’

This thought became evident to Lee Joon as he went into the kennel to distribute the treats to the dogs.

As soon as the two entered the kennel, the dogs swarmed around them.

“Form a line.”

Snap,

Snap,

Shuffle.

In an instant, the dogs sat down quietly in two lines.

“You’re impressive, hyung, getting them quiet like this all at once. Hehe.”

Go Gijin gave Lee Joon a thumbs-up.

“Okay, let’s give out snacks now. But what do you guys like?”

Go Gijin said as he pulled out treats from the box, almost muttering to himself.

『I, I want that one.』
『I want a chew.』
『I, I want something soft.』

Each dog expressed what they wanted to eat.

Although their barks were soft, Lee Joon didn’t miss them.

“Open the bags and pour the content separately into boxes. They’ll pick what they want by themselves.”

“What if the stronger ones take everything?”

“These guys are too kind to do such things.”

Lee Joon replied to Go Gijin and immediately addressed the dogs.

“Pick what you want to eat. If you’re greedy, the others won’t get any, okay?”

『Okay!』

The dogs barked excitedly just once.

“Alright then, let’s open the box.”

Lee Joon opened the boxes he brought.

Soft sticks, toothpaste chews, dried chicken breast, chicken breast wrapped sweet potatoes, large biscuit-like chews.

Go Gijin emptied the contents of each snack into boxes following Lee Joon’s instruction and sighed lightly.

“How can they pick just one out of these? They all look delicious!”

“It’s okay.”

Lee Joon spoke calmly, while Go Gijin added a stern warning to the dogs.

“Don’t fight over them, alright?”

Contrary to Go Gijin’s worries, the dogs picked just one treat each and stepped back.

As each dog took only one treat continuously, Go Gijin’s eyes widened.

“Why are you guys so well-behaved?”

While Go Gijin praised the dogs with his mouth curved upwards, Lee Joon held a sigh inside.

The dogs, thrilled with treats in their mouths, wiggled their bodies as if doing place jumps.

Though they wanted to jump out joyously, with their friends nearby eating treats lying down, they carefully jumped in place.

‘Good boys.’

Lee Joon made up his mind to create a play area for the well-behaved pups.

In the past, it would have merely remained a thought, but now, he didn’t have to stop there.

‘If I sell the pearl, I might be able to buy a corner of the nearby hills.’

Though Nam Gung-hyun had provided a play area, Lee Joon considered it just a resting space.

‘I’ll buy a piece of the hillside with the money from the pearl sale to make a playground for them, and we can use the space provided by CEO Nam Gung-hyun as a resting area for the smaller guys.’

Feeling hopeful, Lee Joon looked fondly at the image of the dogs bustling inside the kennel.

It was a stark contrast to when he viewed cats running freely and felt bitter about the Our Meadow Shelter.

Lee Joon beamed as he watched the dogs enjoying their treats.

Thereafter, Lee Joon and Go Gijin walked around the shelter, distributing snacks to the animals and checking their health.

Time flew by, and soon, the “We Are Together” team arrived.

“You have come?”

Asked Lee Joon.

“We came together, didn’t we? Aren’t you tired from arriving early?”

Someone from the team replied.

“I’m okay. I’ve marked which ones need to be examined today on the chart!”

Lee Joon responded.

Initially, everyone was surprised by Lee Joon’s preliminary medical chart.

But now, they could only admire it.

“No matter how much I look at it, it’s amazing. How can he pinpoint the affected area with just inspection and palpation?”

Initially, when given the chart by Lee Joon, members didn’t think much of it.

However, after repeatedly experiencing that Lee Joon’s identified areas were indeed the affected ones, they came to trust his notes.

Now, they practically revered Lee Joon’s charts.

“Tell us your secret. How do you find this out?”

A peer inquired, looking at Lee Joon’s chart.

“Just accept it. Only Lee Joon can do this.”

Peplied a senior with 25 years of clinical experience, shaking his head.

“Indeed, following Lee Joon is tough.”

Another senior nodded in agreement.

“Anyway, thanks to Lee Joon, things have really improved, right? We can now examine far more animals swiftly.`”

Someone else added.

“That’s true. I used to feel guilty about the ones I couldn’t examine before leaving.”

“So did I.”

“Lee Joon has done it all, hasn’t he? Even the establishment of the animal clinic is thanks to Lee Joon, isn’t it?”

“Indeed. Lee Joon, you’re truly a blessing. A blessing indeed.”

Everyone, seniors and juniors, praised Lee Joon.

“Then let’s start the examinations based on this.”

This week, since there were no spaying surgeries, they began the examinations right away.

Lee Joon took a spot and started examining when he heard a familiar voice.

“Director Lee, you are here.”

Turning towards the voice, Lee Joon found Nam Gung-hyun holding Lucky with a smile.

“Oh, you’re here as well.”

Acknowledged Lee Joon.

Nam Gung-hyun admired the carefree running of cats in Gangneung and regretted not bringing Lucky along.

Knowing this, Lee Joon welcomed Lucky warmly.

“Hello, lucky!”

『Hello, dr.,』

Lucky greeted back, happy to see Lee Joon, from Nam Gung-hyun’s arms.

“But, Director Lee, are you busy now?”

“Is something the matter?”

“Not really, but there’s something I’d like to show you.”

“Hyung, you can go!”

Go Gijin, who was examining nearby, urged.

“Go on.”

Another senior nodded to Lee Joon.

“Then I’ll step out for a moment.”

Nam Gung-hyun took Lee Joon to the construction site next door.

The animal clinic was already under construction, so there wasn’t much to see.

The situation was that they had already seen the perspectives and plans.

Lee Joon was merely joyful that Our Meadow Shelter’s dedicated animal clinic was finally under construction.

“Then let’s go to the place Director Lee longs for.”

“What do you mean by the place I long for?”

“You’ll know once you see it.”

With a confident expression, Nam Gung-hyun led the way.

After about a three-minute walk, they came across an area surrounded by wooden fence.

The grand wooden fence looked like something that would be in an amusement park.

“This is it. Please come in.”

The roof prominently featured the Our Meadow logo, with a large wooden gate beneath it.

Opening the door and stepping inside, Lee Joon’s eyes widened in astonishment.

“Wow!”

The first thing to catch his eye was the green lawn.

The lawn was spread wide, and structures resembling pavilions were seen scattered around.

Also, there were areas with awnings to provide shade, with low platforms underneath.

“Isn’t it nice?”

“Well, I’m speechless.”

For a long time, Lee Joon gazed at the beautiful retreat.

‘I thought it would be great to have a space where the dogs could run around anywhere…….’

Lee Joon’s gaze shifted to Nam Gung-hyun.

“Thank you, CEO.”

“Haha. I did it because I enjoyed it, so what need is there for your thanks?”

“No, when the pearl gets sold, I’d like to repay you.”

“Haha, I’ll only receive your gratitude.”

Wanting to do so much for the sake of the animals, Nam Gung-hyun found Lee Joon increasingly favorable.

Lee Joon also shared the same sentiment towards Nam Gung-hyun.

‘He truly cares for animals, just like with the park and even at the villa in Gangneung.’

A strong sense of trust was evident in the eyes of the two as they looked at each other.

***

The dogs, upon arriving at the rest area, were open-mouthed in awe.

『Wow!』
『It’s vast!』
『Hehehe, what is this?』
『Can I really run around here?』
『I want to run!』

The dogs, standing before the wide lawn, were so eager to run that their feet were restless.

『This smells wonderful!』
『It’s a familiar scent.』

Simultaneously, the dogs with their keen sense of smell were sniffing the refreshing scent of the grass in the retreat, delighted by it.

They wanted to sprint and engage in nose walking, but they held back their desires and waited for a command.

Lee Joon, whom they trusted and followed, left them waiting for his order.

“Feel free to run wild.”

With the order finally given, the dogs swarmed onto the lawn.

『Wowwwww!』

Tap, tap, tap.

The dogs, always eager to run, bolted off with full force.

『Sniff sniff, the scent is amazing!』
『Such a lovely scent~.』

The more leisurely dogs strolled leisurely, while enjoying the scents of grass, trees, and dirt.

『Wowow! This is fun.』
『Run as much as you can!』
『I can run faster than you!』
『What? I want to do it!』

The dogs boasted about their running speed to each other.

And it wasn’t just words; they raced off energetically.

Indeed, they were racing.

They had been holding back their desire to run until now, releasing it all at once.

Ta tap tap tap.

Dogs with long legs dashed like the wind,

Hop hop hop.

While shorter-legged dogs like Kkakong, hopped along joyously.

『Wow, I don’t bump into friends even when I run…….』
『Yeah, the walls don’t show up even when I run.』

Having woken up their racing instincts, the dogs ran for a long while.

Then they found a place.

Crumble thump.

『I, I find this, this so comfy. I’ll sleep here today.』

Impatient ones swiftly occupied the platforms,

『I’m the highest!』
『I’m even higher!』

And others climbed the pavilions to view the surroundings.

Thus, the dogs roamed freely, delighting in the earthy, floral, and woody scents of the retreat.

However, not all the dogs were running around the rest area.

Ears that were large and pointy like a fox quivered.

Short chubby legs flailed about as if to grasp the air.

Well-known for a bright smile and bread-shaped backside, the Welsh Corgi named Sundae was rolling over the lawn, enjoying it as if wrapping himself like sushi.

『Hehe, so soft.』

Seeing this, a pug approached Sundae.

The pug had been playing until it was tired and needed a rest.

『Hey, what are you doing?』
『Me? It’s soft. Hehehe.』

Even while being questioned, Sundae didn’t stop rolling as it replied.

『Is it fun?』

The pug tilted its head in curiosity but decided in its heart.

There must be a reason for why Hyung was having so much fun with it.

The pug lay down beside Hyung Sundae.

Then it also began rolling.

『Oh?』

It turned out to be more fun than expected.

The softness of the earth with the spiky stuff jabbing its back.

『Hihi, it tickles my back so much I almost went to doggy heaven.』

The pug was thrilled as it rubbed its back on the ground.

『Wow~ it sure feels good.』

Rubbing its back on the ground felt similar to the teacher rubbing its back, which made the pug joyous.

In the meantime, a Retriever puppy duo spotted them as they ran nearby.

Being naturally drawn to fun things, the Retriever brothers’ eyes sparkled with interest.

『I want to try it too.』
『Me too!』

Retriever puppies Injeolmi and Chaltteok ran over to the dog duo, lying on their sides.

Then swiftly imitated them.

Rub rub rub.

As they rolled from side to side, the softness of the earth and the slightly prickly yet soft sensation of the grass could be felt.

『Wow, this is really fun.』
『Hehe, it feels good. It’s like the teacher is touching my back…….』

As Injeolmi and Chaltteok spoke happily, Sundae glanced at them from the side with a happy smile.

『Right? It feels really good!』
『Yeah yeah, it’s really fun following Hyung.』

Chaltteok replied with a giggle to Sundae.

A pink tongue peeking out while laughing shimmered under the sunlight.

『Hyung! If there’s anything else fun, teach us.』
『Teach us.』
『Hehe, got it, little brothers.』
『Hehe, hyung! But!』

While lying down gazing at the sky, Injeolmi whipped its body around, then stood up suddenly.

Sniff sniff!

Turning towards the entrance, Injeolmi sniffed excitedly before dashing for the entrance.

『Lucky Hyung!』
『Hyung!』

Meanwhile, lucky, who was watching the familiar dogs play joyously from the entrance, was startled.

『Oh, oh…….』

He was excited that there was a dog who welcomed him.

Indeed, seeing two big dogs running with their flapping bodies was a bit intimidating.

But the happiness came first.

『Injeolmi, Chaltteok!』

Lucky ran over, bouncing up and down, towards the Retriever brothers.

—