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Ever since baby Cheonhee had been enamored by a snake, there was no turning back — Cheonhee wanted a pet.
In Jaegal’s eyes, it had become little Cheonhee’s sole purpose of life: he woke up with a sheepish grin, waving at Jaegal and saying, “pet!”, he ate breakfast and blinked at Jaegal, saying, “pet!”, he accompanied Jaegal throughout the day and pointed at any animal he saw in the vicinity, even the bugs and the mosquitos, and called out mournfully, “Hee, want, pet!”
Jaegal was crushed. His baby was grown up now. His baby wasn’t satisfied with just having a Master, his baby wanted more.
The worst part of this was that Jaegal hated saying no to his baby. Especially when baby Cheonhee used those doe-eyes on him. It was heart-wrenching to turn down his baby’s every request and stay strong, but Jaegal was firm in not getting a pet for baby Cheonhee.
One day, though, as Jaegal was working on some documents in his study, Yooho tentatively spoke up.
“…Perhaps we should actually consider getting a pet for the Young Master,” Yooho said.
Jaegal Lin’s eyes snapped at his direction warningly before Jaegal Lin glanced at baby Cheonhee, who was taking a nap in his own cot. (Yes, Jaegal had made sure almost every room in the clinic had a separate cot for baby Cheonhee in case he needed a nap right then and there).
Good, baby Cheonhee was still asleep.
“Why would you say that?” Jaegal hissed. If Cheonhee heard that dratted word, he would pout and beg Jaegal for a pet again!!!
“…It doesn’t have to be a snake, Master,” Yooho said. “After all, in the clinic there are adults everywhere. The Young Master may get bored from time to time, and a pet would be a good distraction.”
“He wasn’t bored before!” Jaegal Lin snapped, “Are you saying he’s grown tired of me?” Jaegal scoffed.
“…That’s not what I meant, Master. I just think it may be good for the Young Master’s development to have an animal companion,” Yooho replied.
“You should listen to yourself,” Jaegal Lin growled.
“I just think it’s better if he gets a pet that you approve of, one that you have personally chosen, rather than prohibit him from getting a pet and end up watching him befriend another snake,” Yooho explained.
“Hmmm,” Jaegal Lin looked at his sleeping baby thoughtfully.
To a certain extent, what Yooho said made sense….
“Well, what animal did you have in mind?” Jaegal asked, turning to Yooho.
“What do you think of a dog, Master? It would be loyal and strong,” Yooho suggested.
“…No, it could bite Cheonhee. Its teeth could be dangerous. Besides, what if it gets rabies?”
“Then what about a cat, Master? Cats are both cute and flexible.”
“A cat? That’s even worse, cats are temperamental,” Jaegal frowned, “How can we guarantee it won’t suddenly leave Cheonhee? Besides, its claws are too much of a hazard.”
“Well,” Yooho pursed his lips, “What about a bunny? It would look adorable next to the Young Master, and it’s easy to raise, and it’s a herbivore.”
“Bunnies are gentle, but they can still kick and scratch humans,” Jaegal Lin shook his head. “I can’t risk that happening to Cheonhee.”
Yooho was silent for a few seconds before his eyes lit up.
“Hamsters could be great pets, Master. They’re small, and they don’t have claws. They’re also very pleasant to look at…”
“…No, those kinds of animals are rodents, they could carry diseases, and babies like Cheonhee would be especially vulnerable. I can’t allow that.”
“…Then what about a fish?” Yooho asked. “A small one, perhaps we could raise a few colorful ones that the Young Master would like.”
Jaegal paused for a few seconds and then shook his head quickly.
“Small fishes are not okay, they die too quickly. What if Cheonhee starts crying because they die?” Jaegal Lin shuddered at the thought. He hated seeing his baby cry.
“In that case we could order a bigger fish, like a koi,” Yooho proposed. “I could have a fish pond ready in two days, and the fishes would not only be pretty but also auspicious, perfect for the Young Master.”
“…Still too dangerous,” Jaegal Lin shook his head. “If Cheonhee loves the fishes too much, he could end up falling inside the pond because he’s trying to reach for them. No matter how shallow the water is, babies of his age could drown. I disagree.”
It was unlikely that Cheonhee would fall into the pond let alone drown, considering Jaegal Lin’s constant surveillance and protection for his baby, but Yooho wisely decided not bring that up.
“Maybe… birds could be a great idea,” Yooho tried again, but Jaegal Lin shot down that idea quickly.
“They could try to peck out Cheonhee’s eyes—”
“We would be raising a parakeet, Master, not a crow,” Yooho interjected.
“They still have beaks! It’s too risky, I can’t allow that.”
Yooho sighed and was silent for a while, racking his brains.
“Ah, perhaps a snail would be great,” Yooho wondered.
Jaegal was incredulous. “A snail? For my baby?! It’s neither cute nor appealing! Also, isn’t it extremely slimy and slow? What if it decides to crawl all over my baby??”
“…Sir, with all due respect,” Yooho groaned, “any live creature will move and walk, and there’s no way it won’t have the potential to harm the Young Master…. The key here is to pick one that is both appealing and relatively safe….”
“No no,” Jaegal cut him off. “You just said something that gave me an idea.”
“Why does it have to be a live animal?” Jaegal asked, looking at Yooho carefully.
“Huh?”
“Like you said, live animals are dangerous. It’s not suitable for my precious Cheonhee at all! Instead of a live animal, why don’t we pick a non-living creature?”
“…As a pet, Master?” Yooho doubted his own hearing.
“Yes,” Jaegal was getting more excited, his voice getting louder. “It could be a simple one, like a rock! That’s it! A rock would be perfect!”
“…A rock, Sir?”
“Yes!” Jaegal grinned, clearly pleased with the idea. “Cheonhee could give it a name, he could go to bed with it, he could bring it around in his pocket… It’s the perfect pet for him!”
Yooho decided to nod along and not question his Master’s sanity ideas.
“Oh wait,” Jaegal Lin wilted.
“It’s dangerous,” Jaegal’s tone was almost close to whining. “What if Cheonhee drops the rock on his own foot? Or it crushes his tiny hands?! Or it falls down and lands on his head, making him cry??”
Yooho took a deep breath as calmly as he could while Jaegal shook his head in disappointment.
“No, that won’t do…”
Jaegal Lin sighed.
“You know what? This just proves I was right. Cheonhee can’t have pets,” Jaegal Lin concluded.
“Hee, can’t, have, pets?” A small voice was heard in the room, making Jaegal Lin and Yooho turn to face a teary-eyed baby Cheonhee.
It was unknown when little Cheonhee had woken up.
Jaegal Lin’s face quickly morphed with guilt and shock.
“Baby…”
“Hic, hic—” Cheonhee had pursed his lips together, but his shoulders were moving as he tried to suppress his sobs.
“No no, Cheonhee,” Jaegal Lin groaned, stepping away from his table, picking up Cheonhee from the cot and hugging him in his arms. Baby Cheonhee automatically wrapped his arms around Jaegal's neck.
“Baby, don’t cry, okay? It’s just that, why would you want a pet anyway?” Jaegal’s words came tumbling out, rushed and panicked as he attempted to comfort his baby. “Pets are dirty and ugly and take up so much space, and uhh, shh, shh, don’t cry. Uhh, they could hurt you, Hee!”
“Pets, could, hurt, Mash-ter?” Cheonhee asked, hiccuping and looking at Jaegal worriedly.
“Uhh, yeah, baby,” Jaegal nodded, wondering why his baby’s attitude shifted so suddenly. Besides, he said the pets could hurt Cheonhee, not him….
Jaegal was about to correct his mistake when Cheonhee pouted, using the back of his hand to wipe the tear tracks on his face.
“Then! Then!! Hee not want pets!” Cheonhee said loudly.
Jaegal’s eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly spoke.
“Are you sure, Hee? You can’t change your mind later, okay?”
“Okey! Hee not want pets! Pets! Bad! Can, hurt, Mashter…” Cheonhee’s voice grew softer and softer at the end.
“…Cheonhee,” Jaegal said gently, “You don’t ever have to worry about me. I can protect myself.”
“Hee can pro-tack Mas,ter!” Cheonhee said, beaming sweetly.
God, Jaegal Lin smiled back at his baby.
He loved his baby so, so much.
He would gladly burn the world down for Cheonhee.