episode_0090

“Hey, Na-rin. Are you resting today?”

Narin usually leaves for work around 8:30. She has to be there by 9:00, so she leaves home around that time.

It probably took about twenty minutes on foot. I didn’t time it, but I think it took about that long because I walked and took the bus.

If it’s a ten-minute walk, I won’t take the bus, and if it’s more than thirty minutes, I’ll take the bus to work rather than walk.

… … Isn’t that right? I’ve never worked at a job before, so I’m just guessing.

Anyway, that’s roughly what I felt when I was commuting to and from work together. Anyway, it’ll be like that.

And yesterday wasn’t the weekend, but I had a vacation so I had the day off, so I have to go to work today.

I was worried inside and asked why Narin was so relaxed even after feeding us breakfast.

Are you just taking it easy because you thought yesterday was Saturday and not a holiday?

I just turned on my phone to film YouTube and was surprised to see that it was already past nine o’clock.

Narin answered me with an awkward smile.

“Yeah, I’m going to go to the hospital with you guys for a bit today.”

“Hospital? Oh my, is Na-rin-unnie sick? Is it because you didn’t sleep well? Ham-shik, did Na-rin-unnie wake up because you went to the bathroom and that’s why she’s sick?”

“Kieee… … .”

I was worried, so I tried to act a little nervous. I was afraid that if I acted too seriously, Narin, who was already sick, would worry about us and her condition would get worse.

So I was just joking with Hamshik. Hamshik must have been hurt because he fell to the floor with a deadpan voice.

“Hey, how loud must the sound of Hamshik going to the bathroom be for you to wake up? And don’t be sick, unnie. You’re going for a health checkup, not me.”

“Health checkup?”

A health checkup out of nowhere? I tilted my head at the mention of it.

“Yeah. I’m fine, Namin, but Hamsik needs to get a health checkup. I don’t even know if he got vaccinated or not.”

“Aha.”

Come to think of it, pets are important for things like flu shots and tetanus shots.

I don’t know what it is, but I’m okay because the pet shop I used to go to gave me a lot of injections for various things. I don’t know if Hamshik did that or not.

“So first, get a checkup, and if you got a shot, it’s okay, but if you didn’t, get a vaccination so you don’t get sick. And at the same time, check your health.”

“Oh, that’s right. I eat a lot of ham every day, so I definitely need to check if I’m obese or not.”

“Keeek!”

“Hey, this isn’t Hamshik teasing you. He needs to make sure you’re not sick.”

Hamshik got upset for a moment, but I calmed him down and petted him.

That’s true. Digesting food is all your body working hard.

Since your digestive system is strong, you can eat that much, but if your stomach is straining, you need to control the amount of ham you eat.

“Then is Jihyun and Saekmusae okay?”

“Yeah, I was in the hospital until recently… … . The color bird knows whether or not he got his vaccination.”

“That’s right! I got a huge shot! I got to eat some delicious sunflower seeds every time I got it.”

“Wow!”

I wish Hamshik could talk like that. Ah, that was obvious.

“Anyway, I took half a day off. I’m going to take you guys to the hospital and then go to work.”

Thanks to Narin’s explanation, Hamshik and I were able to convince ourselves to go for a health checkup.

Of course, Hamshik gave his silent consent. If he hadn’t consented, he would have screamed “Kkieeeek Kkieeeek” by now.

“Oh, then it’s okay if we just go to the hospital together and go home together. We can just ride the RC car.”

“Hmm, the hospital is close, is that okay?”

“Of course. Even if I don’t know the way, we have our navigator Jihyun. The navigation report will tell me the way.”

“Ahaha, so Namin is the captain?”

“Hehehe. It’s Naminiz Hamjeokdan. Oh, can I take a video of us going to the hospital?”

“Then, subscribers will also like it when I say that Na-min and Ham-sik are healthy.”

Since the hospital opens at 10, I played mobile games with Narin until then.

Instead of Narin, I also pulled out a new magical girl, and I also pulled out the magical girl that was currently being picked up through the 10-pull draw. While watching YouTube videos about the magical girl’s activities, the time to leave passed by quickly.

For the first time in a while, I went out without having to open the door for a sack or a hamster. Maybe it was because it was a slow time, but I didn’t meet anyone in the elevator.

Instead, the security guard was sitting in the management office on the first floor as usual. Judging from the sound, it seemed like he was writing something.

“Oh my. Are we all going out together today?”

“Ahaha, hello. I’m going to go get a health checkup.”

“That’s right. Small animals get sick quickly, so you should take them to the hospital often.”

“I will do that.”

Small animals get sick quickly. When I heard that, I glanced at Hamshik. If you think about it, small animals have short lives.

Hamshik was sitting between Jihyun and me, staring blankly ahead, seemingly not paying attention to what the security guard was saying.

Then, feeling my gaze, he pushed my cheek with his front paw and made me look straight ahead, like you would when you drive and tell me to look ahead.

Yeah, there’s no way a ham-eater who eats a lot every day would get sick. Just because they’re small doesn’t mean they won’t live long. Turtles live a long time, right?

So, you don’t have to worry. Hamshik said he wasn’t going to the hospital because he was sick, but rather for a health checkup.

Well, if you were to suggest that we go eat pork cutlet in a situation like this… … . That would be a bit scary, but Hamshik is a female, so she doesn’t even have peanuts to throw away.

… … Maybe he distracted Hamshik and then stole the Saekmu peanut? Come to think of it, I don’t know if Saekmu is a male or female. If it’s a male… … !

Sigh. Having been a man in my past life, I fully understand the sorrow that the Saekmoose would experience if it were a male.

There’s nothing I can do. If Narin has decided to do that, then it’s right to follow. I’m sorry, Saekmusae.

Fortunately, my apologies in my head were in vain. When we arrived at the animal hospital, Narin had indeed accepted Hamshik’s health checkup.

Although it was a neighborhood animal hospital, there were more people and pets than expected who visited.

There was a dog the size of a person sitting quietly on the floor, panting, and there was also an eight-tailed cat being held in an old man’s arms.

Also, you can see a single tentacle poking out from the sleeve of the woman’s clothes. Could it be the same species as the tentacles distributed at Narin’s workplace?

You may have come to the animal hospital because they wouldn’t accept you at a regular hospital.

Anyway, for me, who used to think of dogs, cats, or even something a little more unusual like squirrels or hedgehogs, these images really made me think that the world has changed a lot.

Well, I might be the weirdest one in their eyes. Or maybe they all think we’re all normal!

It seems like everyone only came for minor treatments, and there were several instances where they went into the examination room, came out shortly after, paid the hospital bill, and left.

Thanks to that, our turn came quickly.

“Please come in, Hamshik and Inarin’s guardians.”

“Namina, can you wait here with Jihyun and Saekmusae?”

“Yes, of course! Hamshik, you have to have a good time with Na-rin. Don’t bite the doctor’s hand.”

Hamshik is a quiet hamster, so there’s no need to worry. As usual, I saw Hamshik off in the RC car.

Oh right, I came all the way here without explaining anything. I was filming a YouTube video about going to the hospital.

Even though it’s not live, the viewers watching this will know what’s going on.

So I whispered into the cell phone on the hood.

“Okay, we’ve arrived at the animal hospital now. Oh, I didn’t come here because I’m sick. I came here for a health checkup to see if Hamshik is sick. Saekmu is healthy, so he’s fine.”

“Did you call me?”

I said it quietly because other animals might be noisy. If a crow sticks its head upside down through the windshield on the roof like that, would other animals hear it too?

They say that dogs and cats have much better hearing than humans. Hmm, I feel a little bad about that.

As I looked around with such worry, I saw a dog flying around with its tail spinning like a propeller, and a snail riding on a person’s shoulder, both of which were looking at us.

But I’m not worried because I can see that everyone is smiling because the corners of their mouths are up. But somehow, it seems like Hamshik’s treatment is taking longer than the other kids’, so I’m starting to get more and more worried.

I thought that maybe Hamshik had not been vaccinated because he was playing hide-and-seek.

Maybe he was hiding in the pet shop because he was afraid of the injections.

In return, I might be getting a flu shot or something here. I just want to hear about getting treatment.

I flicked the remote control. Then, the RC car started moving with a whoosh.

“Oh, Namin. Why all of a sudden… … ?”

“I wonder if Hamsik is receiving good treatment.”

“They’ll take care of it and come out, so don’t worry too much… … .”

“Hey, I’m a ham-sik, too. I need to hear if ham-sik is healthy or not!”

Although I wasn’t as good of an ear as other dogs, cats, snails, and slugs.

Still, I could hear voices beyond the closed door, thanks to the gap underneath the door.

Through the gap, a leisurely woman’s voice could be heard. A voice that gave off a sense of trust and warmth just by listening to it.

“… … So, in human years, it would be at least 70 years old, and at most, 90 or 100 years old. It seems to be healthy because you raised it so well, but has its activity level decreased or something?”

“Come to think of it, he’s usually a kid who crawls around all the time, but these past few days, he seems to be sitting still more often.”

“Hamsters tend to be active when they are not feeling threatened or sleeping. If not… … . You better prepare yourself mentally.”

At that moment, I remembered how Hamsik was quietly watching me make Min-i-cheo yesterday.

Come to think of it, Hamshik was always the one who went around doing his own thing. Whether it was running on a wheel or exploring the room.

I just thought he stared at me because that made him feel good. What if it was actually just because his activity level had decreased?

No, maybe he was trying to leave his image behind because he was starting to feel sick… …?

“Thank you, teacher.”

“No, what. Feed them lots of delicious food, that’s the most advice I can give them.”

“I will. … … Ah.”

When I was so shocked by the words that I couldn’t even press the remote control, the door suddenly opened and I saw Na-rin’s legs and the cow Su-in sitting far away.

No, it doesn’t matter at all that the doctor is a cowboy. I hoped that what I heard was different, and I stuck my head out the window, looked up at Nalin, and asked.

“Narin-ee, is that true? Hamshik-i… … ?”

“Did you hear that?”

It really is. Thanks to Narin, who seemed to be completely incapable of lying, I learned the truth and looked up at the hamburger that was being held so preciously in Narin’s hands.

I always said I was her older sister. Hamshik was her grandmother.