“Finally,” Zeno muttered as he saw the main island not far away from their boat.
His particular boat was cramped with the most ‘important’ people of the shoot. They didn’t even ride here together, but they insisted on being with him on their way back.
From his view, he could already see different forms of fan support waiting for the other artists. A coffee truck. A food truck. An LED truck. Just plenty of trucks.
Zeno pursed his lips and placed a mask on as they neared the area.
Risa turned to him excitedly. “Do you have your car with you?”
“I don’t,” Zeno deadpanned.
Minseok scoffed. “Who doesn’t have a car at this time?” he muttered, earning a glare from Selina.
“Do you want to join me?” Selina asked. “I’m going back to Seoul right away after signing autographs for my fans.”
Zeno shook his head.
Ian excitedly asked him this time. “My manager is driving me back. Do you want to join? I have a celebrity van.”
“No, thank you,” Zeno said, holding out his hand. The last thing he wanted was to be involved with a famous person. His life was already too out of the ordinary. After this project, he was determined to reverse his meter and finally have a rest!
Yes, he was still determined.
Zeno wasn’t one to give up on his missions easily.
As they finally arrived, the fans waiting for them began screaming.
“Ian, please sign my septum piercing.”
“Selina, I’ve been a fan since you were a child.”
“Miss Risa. I would love it if you made a Sigmoid account and posted your photos there.”
“Where’s Zeno Han?”
“I came here because I wanted to see Zeno Han in real life!”
Zeno, being a spy in one of his past missions, managed to get out without causing any ruckus. He didn’t get noticed at all!
With that, he started his journey to a familiar place. As he boarded the bus, however, a notification from his system and his phone appeared.
[+1 Job and Income. Bonus acquired.]
[Notable Meter: 20%]
[Penalty Quest: Sign with an entertainment agency. +0.5% for every day the quest is not accomplished]
[Penalty Item: Sparkling Eyes]
Zeno nearly fell from his seat. He grabbed his phone from his pocket to check the new notification. It was from his bank, and it seemed Chaewon PD was true to her words.
She gave him a pretty hefty bonus.
“I told her I didn’t want it,” he grumbled under his breath. “And what the heck is with this penalty item?”
He enlarged the description and fell silent.
[Sparkling Eyes’ Effects:
Perpetual, dazzling eye sparkle
Enhanced expressiveness and allure
Unmatched ability to mesmerize]
The result was instantaneous. The effects were also quite exaggerated since the penalty item was new.
A few seats away, three women spoke as they looked at Zeno. They must have thought they were speaking in hushed tones, but they definitely weren’t.
“Oh my, look at that man. He’s wearing a mask, but his eyes sparkle so much.”
“He’s my ideal type of man!”
“Go and ask for his number.”
Fortunately, his bus stop arrived, so he quickly got out before anyone could ask for his number. He only sighed in relief when the bus drove away.
Then, he walked a few more meters before a large, familiar building came into view. It was a hospital made of a massive block of concrete with sharp angles. It was the kind of brutalist structure one would expect from a government building and not a hospital. The gray walls were still the same, but they had weathered over time.
“It’s been a while,” Zeno muttered as he stared at the structure. In his 23rd mission, he had worked here before—the place where he became a doctor.
And now, he was back. It wasn’t because he missed it, of course. He just wanted to visit someone to give them something back.
Zeno entered the hospital, greeted by its stark white walls and shining polished floors. At least, this has changed since the last time he was here. It was definitely brighter and cleaner.
Just then, a doctor passed by, followed by what seemed to be a group of new medical interns. He stopped in his tracks as he gazed at the old man with graying hair and wrinkles all over his face.
Zeno couldn’t help but chuckle. “He aged like milk,” he muttered as he watched him scold the interns who couldn’t answer his question.
They had entered medical school together, and it seemed he was still here. He fulfilled his promise to serve their city and not go to Seoul like the rest of their classmates wanted.
Somehow, it seemed like one of the interns heard Zeno’s comment, and she turned to him. However, her breath got caught in her throat when she saw his eyes.
“His eyes… they’re sparkling,” she muttered. She then turned to the senior doctor and excitedly raised her hand. “Doctor, is there a condition where you have sparkling eyes?”
The senior doctor paused for a while and frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“Well, is there?” she asked because she couldn’t get the image of the man’s sparkling eyes out of her mind.
The senior doctor sighed. “That’s called being handsome and charming.”
“Ah,” she said, taking note like it was something serious.
The senior doctor shook his head. “We are doomed with this generation’s doctors.” With that, he continued his lecture as they made their way through the hospital.
Meanwhile, Zeno stared at his watch, waiting for it to strike at 10 AM—the start of visiting hours. As soon as it arrived at that particular time, he went to the reception desk.
“Is there a patient named Kwong here?” he asked.
The nurse, who was feeling tired because she was asked to stay for a few more hours, looked up. When she saw the man with sparkling eyes, she instantly felt rejuvenated.
“Kwong,” she muttered and looked through their directory. “Yes, there is. In the pulmonary ward. Room 301.”
“Thanks,” he quietly said before heading to the elevator, causing the nurse to be disappointed that he went away so quickly.
The elevator doors opened, and Zeno didn’t waste any time and went straight to Room 301. He reached for his pocket and felt the thick paper inside of it. The only reason he came here was to bring this back to its rightful owner.
With that, he knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer.
As the door creaked open, a little girl was revealed, making Zeno frown.
“Is Kwong here?” he asked in a rough voice.
And just like that, the little girl began to cry.