Zeno froze and prepared to bolt. However, it seemed that Seulgi had the instinct of a mother bear as she quickly arrived and placed Zeno in a headlock.
His eyes widened. How did such a small woman have this much strength in her body?
“What are you doing with my child, you pervert?” she exclaimed.
She then turned to Gaby. “What did I tell you, Gaby? Just wait for me inside the music school.”
Gaby sheepishly scratched the back of her neck. “Mommy, you know I don’t like being there.”
Seulgi’s grip loosened for a second, but it tightened even further right after, making Zeno choke on air.
“Mommy!” Gaby exclaimed. “He’s not a bad person. He’s Uncle Angel.”
“Uncle Angel?” Seulgi muttered.
Zeno took the chance to swiftly move away from her. His mask had fallen in the process, revealing himself to Seulgi.
Seulgi paused for a moment. “Zeno?” she asked.
Zeno massaged his nape before placing his mask and hood back on.
“What are you doing here?”
Zeno cleared his throat. He then pointed at the keyboard piano on the ground. “I came to deliver that,” he said.
“Deliver?” Seulgi asked. “From where?”
“From your husband,” Zeno answered.
Seulgi’s expression instantly softened. “What?” she muttered. “That can’t be.”
She looked at the old instrument before turning to Zeno. “Why would he have his biggest artist deliver it?”
Zeno straightened his back. “He’s in another gig with Moby. Jace is preparing for his auditions. I’m the only one free to do this.”
Seulgi narrowed her eyes. “You didn’t buy this for us, did you?”
“Do you think I would buy such an old piece of instrument?” he asked.
Seulgi pursed her lips. That didn’t sound plausible. Perhaps… did her husband really get this for them?
“I only helped in finding it,” Zeno said, snapping her back to reality. “It’s quite old, but it could still be used.”
Gaby was already sitting on the grass and pressing on the keys. “Do I get to keep this, Mommy?” she asked.
A smile finally appeared on Seulgi’s lips. Then, she nodded, leaning down to stroke her daughter’s hair.
“Hmm,” she hummed. “Your dad got it for you.”
Gaby’s eyes brightened even further, and she began pressing the keys more carefully as if they were worth more than a million dollars.
Zeno couldn’t help but smirk. Well, it seemed that his work here was done.
He was about to leave when Seulgi suddenly called for his attention.
“Where are you going?” she asked.
Zeno raised one eyebrow. “Home,” he answered.
She sighed. “Come with us. I’ve already prepared dinner.”
Zeno quickly shook his head. “It’s alright.”
“I insist,” Seulgi said. “It’s the least I could do for your hard work in delivering this big thing.”
Zeno was about to deny her request once again when she suddenly felt a hug by his side.
“Come with us,” Gaby said. “My mom makes really good Taro soup! Oh, and she also prepared some candied sweet potatoes.”
“Okay,” Zeno said in a single beat.
As soon as he heard those two root crops, he was sold.
Gaby cheered while Seulgi smiled. “Let’s go. I brought the car.”
Zeno carried the keyboard piano and placed it inside Bobby’s beat-up car. With that, they started their journey to their house.
The car ride was silent, except for the occasional grunts from the old car.
Finally, after a few minutes, they arrived at a narrow alleyway. It was similar to Zeni’s neighborhood. Although, this one was made up of small houses instead of units.
“It’s right here,” Seulgi said, leading Zeno deeper into the alleyway. She uneasily glanced at Zeno, seeing if he was uncomfortable. However, his facial expression was neutral.
After a while, they arrived in front of a small, one-storey house. It was around a hundred square meters wide, including the patio in the front. It was humble but homey.
“Sorry about this,” Seulgi muttered as she opened the door. “It’s quite small.”
“It’s bigger than my apartment,” Zeno said, setting the keyboard on the table in their living room.
Gaby wasted no time in plugging it in and trying it out, her smile widening with every key she pressed.
Meanwhile, Seulgi was still stuck on Zeno’s previous statement. “Your apartment is smaller than this?”
Zeno nodded. “It’s alright, though. It’s easier to clean. Rent these days is too high. How do they expect humans to live on their own with such prices?”
Seulgi couldn’t help but chuckle. Zeno seemed to be more economically aware than she had expected. She thought he was from a privileged background, considering all of the projects he has been in.
“You’re right about that,” she said. “The inflation, the tariffs, and just the world overall are too overwhelming. Money is too concentrated at the top of the pyramid. It’s a good thing we were able to secure this lot thirteen years ago when prices were still somewhat reasonable.”
Zeno merely nodded. Meanwhile, Seulgi took off her coat. “Well, wait here. I’ll just heat up the food and bring it here.”
With the mention of the food, Zeno’s ears perked up. “I’m looking forward to it,” he sincerely said.
It had been a while since he had eaten his beloved root crops.
With that, he settled on sitting next to Gaby, who was still fascinated with the keyboard piano.
“My dad really got it for me,” she said. “I told him I didn’t want to play anymore, but he knows I like playing very much. He paid for my tuition again.”
Zeno crossed his arms. “That place seems awful, though,” he said. “Is it worth it studying there?”
“Hmm,” Gaby hummed, placing her finger under her chin. “My dad says he wants the best for me, so he takes me to that place. But I don’t like it that much.”
“The other kids don’t like me, and they act like I’m going to steal their things. I won’t, though,” she muttered. “I just like looking at some of them because I haven’t seen them before.”
“But most of all, I don’t like how the adults treat my mom and dad. They don’t smile at them, and my parents bow at them too much.”
Zeno clicked his tongue.
“But I do love playing!” she exclaimed, appearing happier. Zeno could see that she genuinely liked what she was doing.
“I was nervous because the teacher said I’m still not ready. Elah also said that I’m not good enough,” she pouted. “But it’s only because I can’t practice at home. She has a piano teacher at home, so it’s unfair!”
“Everyone thinks I’m going to mess up.”
Zeno pursed his lips. For some reason, he had the urge to make this kid the best performer. Just then, he remembered Bobby’s words regarding his daughter’s talent.
“Gaby is really talented. I swear, she’s a genius! That’s why I keep paying for such expensive music school fees.”
“Show me what you’re going to play then,” Zeno said.
Gaby nodded and then started playing without any hesitation.
However, with the first few notes, it quickly became evident that Bobby had rose-tinted glasses when he complimented Gaby.
His daughter wasn’t talented at all.