“What was that?” he muttered to himself. That man was so persistent when he said he already had something to do.
Just then, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, so he stopped right outside Moonrise Media’s entrance. He sighed and pulled it out before looking at the caller ID and seeing Doha.
Oh goodness. Did Maxie die already?
He pressed the answer button and was greeted by Doha’s enthusiastic tone.
“Our handsome Zeno, good morning!”
Guess not.
“What?” Zeno asked and went to the side to take the call.
“Is your contract signing finished? Did you get the money?”
“Hmm,” Zeno hummed. “It’s already in my bank account. I’ll head to the vet right away.”
“I actually have some good news,” Doha excitedly exclaimed. “The vet has started treating Maxie.”
“What?” Zeno asked out of confusion. “That vet said they had a payment-first policy.”
“Oh, that still stands,” Doha chuckled. “However, the vet’s daughter saw your name on the consent form and said to treat Maxie right away. We still have to pay, though.”
Zeno clicked his tongue. “Maybe we should have gotten into debt instead,” he muttered.
“What was that?” Doha asked.
Zeno sighed. “Nothing. I’m heading there now.”
“Alright, See you, Zeno!”
Zeno ended the call before looking up at the sky. “Ah, debt. Must be nice.”
With that, he went to the bus stop to go to the vet where Maxie was.
Meanwhile, on one of the bushes was none other than Minseok. Before he knew it, he had hidden himself there when he saw Zeno speaking with someone on the phone. He had a hunch there was something more than what meets the eye.
And he was right.
“Debt, huh?” Minseok muttered.
“So, this is why you wanted the money right away.”
***
“O-ho, you really are that man in the drama,” the vet, named Dr. Do-gi, said just as Zeno arrived.
“My daughter wasn’t lying. I watched the scene yesterday and thought you were great. However, you look more handsome in real life. Did you have any cosmetic surgeries?”
Zeno pursed his lips, not answering his question.. “Is the demon—I mean, is Maxie doing alright?”
“She’s doing much better after we gave her the medication,” Dr. Do-gi said. “We should have given it to her sooner,” he even chuckled.
Zeno sighed. “Well, I will wire the payment.”
“There’s no need for that,” he quickly said. “My daughter told me to just get your number instead.”
Zeno held out a hand and brought out his card. “It’s alright,” he said. “I will pay like a rightful citizen.”
Dr. Do-gi looked at him with narrowed eyes. “It’s not because you don’t want to give your number to my daughter, right?”
“That’s part of the reason,” Zeno said, causing the vet’s eyes to widen in surprise. What a blunt man!
“However, I do not want to be indebted to you,” he said, “Nor do I want any special treatment because of my previous work. I would pay like a normal customer, and you should treat Maxie like a normal vet. That would be for the best.”
Dr. Do-gi thought he would get offended. However, the young man’s honesty was pretty refreshing.
With that, he smiled. “Alright then. That’s fine by me. I see that you’re a man with good principles. Perfect for my daughter.”
“May I please see Maxie?” Zeno asked, diverting the topic.
Dr. Do-gi laughed out loud when Zeno deflected the question again.
“Alright, alright,” he said. “I’ll take you to see her.”
The two walked through the vet before they entered the room that contained various animals.
Monkeys, snakes, possums, and even some praying mantis.
As soon as Zeno went inside, they all went crazy. Some howled, some growled, and most looked at him with disdain.
“Oh, what’s happening?” Dr. Do-gi muttered. “They’re usually well-behaved. I don’t have a bad patient this week.”
Zeno clicked his tongue as he looked around. These animals were all demonic. However, they were still much better than humans.
“This is really surprising,” he said. “That cat was dying yesterday. It’s so full of life now. See, he has even bared his teeth.”
Zeno glanced at the cat and saw he was in attack mode. He shook his head. Good thing he was inside a cage.
“Ah, here we are,” Dr. Do-gi said after a while. “There’s Maxie.”
Maxie was inside a large cage, still sick but appearing much better. Much to Zeno’s surprise, she didn’t growl at him this time. She still side-eyed him, but it wasn’t her usual response.
Dr. Do-gi opened the cage and carried her in his arms.
“Here, take her,” he said.
“It’s fine,” Zeno denied.
However, Dr. Do-gi had already placed Maxie in Zeno’s arms. The latter stood stiffly, feeling like his life was in danger. Maxie glared at him but, fortunately, didn’t do any damage.
It was at that moment that Zeno was grateful she still hadn’t fully recovered.
“Aww, what a cute pair,” Dr. Do-gi said. Before Zeno could react, his phone camera flashed. “Maxie is truly in great hands.”
Zeno sighed and shook his head before focusing his gaze on Maxie. He couldn’t help the warmth that spread through his chest as the demon dog looked at him with wide eyes.
“You’re actually cute like this,” he muttered. Then, his eyebrows raised when he realized what he had said.
“What am I saying?” he whispered to himself.
Then, much to his surprise, Maxie leaned closer to him, her head rubbing against his chest. He froze for a second because Maxie had never acted this way with him. Then, he shook his head and ruffled the hair on her head.
“You’re sucking up to me because I paid for your medicine, huh?” Zeno muttered.
Maxe continued rubbing her head against him.
“Alright, alright,” Zeno sighed. “That’s enough. I get it. You don’t have to thank me.”
Then, Maxie lifted her head, stars almost seen in her eyes.
“Don’t get sick again, will you?” he scolded, gently pinching her ear.
“You’ve caused me a lot of trouble.”