Zeno pursed his lips. Children. Another one of his weaknesses.
These creatures seemed to have greater intuition than adults because, somehow, they could subtly detect that Zeno wasn’t originally from Earth.
Zeno has experienced taking care of children. Well, some of them were even his own. However, he couldn’t say he was an expert because he wasn’t around their lives long enough.
“Quiet now,” he said to the little girl with pigtails, but she only cried louder.
“I do not have anything to give to you. I’m just here to see if your father is well.”
“Oh, do we have a visitor?” a soft, gentle voice suddenly asked, opening the door wider to reveal a handsome man with sparkling eyes.
The woman, with short brown hair and weary yet kind eyes, gasped as soon as she saw him. Of course, she knew who he was! Her husband’s savior!
She tried to calm the little girl down by patting her shoulder and smiling. However, the little girl still sniffed and hid behind her mother’s thigh.
Meanwhile, Zeno observed the woman and noted the bump on her stomach. He then bowed. She must be Kwong’s wife.
“Oh, you should have told my husband you were coming. I would have prepared something,” she shyly said.
Zeno shook his head. “There is no need for that. I didn’t come here as a guest. I came to bring him back something.”
“May I enter?”
The woman smiled. He was different from what she had expected. Since her husband has been a sound guy for so long, she has met a bunch of celebrities. Most of them weren’t humane. It must come from being under the spotlight often because they believed they were more important than the regular person.
However, Zeno Han wasn’t like this. She was even prepared to give him special treatment because he saved her husband’s life. However, he seemed to be a humble young man
“Ma’am?” Zeno repeated since she had stood there for a while.
“Oh, sorry,” she said with red cheeks. “Come on in.”
Zeno entered the room and nodded in approval. Chaewon PD had gotten him a decent-sized one. Then, his gaze strayed to the bed where Kwong was. He appeared to be restless, but he wasn’t hooked to any machines now, just a tracheostomy from the cricothyroidotomy Zeno had created.
“He was only able to sleep this morning,” she explained. Zeno turned to her. “So, I’m sorry if he can’t greet you properly. I really want him to sleep.”
“It’s alright.”
“Oh, where are my manners? I’m Mara, by the way—Kwong’s wife,” she introduced herself.
“Nice to meet you. My name is Zeno,” he said, bowing his head once more as a sign of respect. She seemed to be a very patient wife. She didn’t misunderstand Zeno’s actions, either. Some might think he caused more harm than good to Kwong.
Zeno then turned his gaze to the little girl, who had tear-streaked cheeks and was looking at him with wide eyes.
“Oh, and this is Rin, our daughter,” she introduced.
Zeno bowed once more, causing the younger one’s eyes to water. He silently clicked his tongue. He hasn’t even done anything!
With that, he decided to change the topic. “How is he?”
Mara’s eyes brightened. “He’s great. The doctor said whoever did the first aid must be a professional. Do you have any experience with it?”
“You could say that.”
“Well, thank you very much,” Mara said with a sincere smile. Zeno felt that warm feeling again but pushed it down the deepest crevices of his soul.
“You really saved my husband’s life. I don’t know what I would do if we lost him,” she said, looking down at her stomach and giving it a gentle caress. “He’s our sole breadwinner because this pregnancy was more complicated than I had anticipated.”
Zeno observed her stomach. “How far are you?”
“Six months,” she said with a small smile. “It’s a boy.”
“Well, I hope he grows up happy,” Zeno said, causing Mara’s smile to widen.
However, she doubled over in pain, causing Zeno to support her back.
“Is something wrong?” he asked.
Mara pursed her lips and shook her head. “Nothing,” she squeezed out. “He just kicked really hard. He rarely kicks these days, which I’m worried about. It seems he’s still active.”
At that moment, Rin began to cry, too, while pointing at Zeno.
Mara chuckled. “Sorry,” she said. “Rin is pretty aloof with strangers. Let me talk to her for a moment.”
Just then, Mara knelt down in front of Rin and began signing to the little girl. Zeno’s eyebrows slightly raised in surprise. Mara signed with a small smile, assuring the little girl that they were with a good person.
With that, Rin calmed down but continued sniffing.
“Again, sorry about that,” she chuckled. “She just went to school and is having a harder time than usual. You know, it’s not easy to meet someone who knows sign language just like that. So, I think she can’t adjust well.”
Zeno nodded before kneeling down. Rin stepped back a bit, but as Zeno began moving his hands, she froze.
“Do you think I’m scary?”1 Zeno signed, surprising both Mara and Rin.
“You know how to sign?” Mara asked.
Zeno shrugged. “It’s just something I’ve picked up along the way.”
Rin, who wasn’t used to speaking with people she just met due to the language barrier, shyly signed her response.
“Yes, I do.”
Zeno smirked. Still, there was an innocence in children that he couldn’t hate. Their emotions got the best of them, but they showed it clearer than adults do. They were more honest, too.
“Why is that?”
Rin thought for a while. “I don’t know. I just feel like you’re not from this place.”
“Rin,” her mother said, nudging her shoulder. Then, she signed. “Don’t say that about him.”
Zeno shook his head. “I don’t mind.”
He then turned to Rin once more. “You’re very smart, aren’t you?”
Rin pursed her lips, her cheeks reddening from the sudden compliment.
“You’re right. I’m from a far-away land where I can sit on clouds and eat cotton candy all day.”
With his response, Mara and Rin both chuckled. Mara found it endearing how Zeno didn’t take it seriously.
Zeno was being a hundred percent serious, though. He did live in such a place.
“Do you want to go there?” Zeno signed.
Rin appeared more comfortable now, a small smile playing on her lips. “Yes, please.”
Zeno smirked before shaking his head. “Your mommy and daddy won’t be there.”
Rin’s smile slightly dropped.
“Don’t go there, alright? It’s a lonely place.”
Zeno paused for a while before he continued signing.
“Stay here with your mommy, daddy, and little brother. The world is not going to change, but you’ll meet new friends who will make it easier for you. Don’t give up when it becomes too hard. You can do it.”
Zeno said this because Rin appeared to be the kind of person who would ask for help from Avalis in the future. Again, he didn’t want that. So, he wanted to give her some advice.
For the first time since Zeno entered the room, Rin let out a wide smile, causing a small smile to appear on Zeno’s lips, too.
Then, she enthusiastically signed. “You’re not so scary, mister.”
italicized=sign language