As the two shared a touching moment (it wasn’t a touching moment for Zeno, though; he was just being completely honest), Mara began to sniff.
Zeno turned to the older woman with raised eyebrows.
Uh-oh. Another one of Zeno’s weaknesses.
Emotions. Especially the ones involving tears. He couldn’t even recall the last time he had shed tears.
“There’s nothing to cry about,” he said so he could stop her right away.
Fortunately, Mara chuckled and wiped away the tears from her eyes. “Ah, sorry. Why am I feeling this way?”
“It’s just so rare for us to find strangers who can communicate with Rin. They usually go straight to asking about her condition and acting as if she’s special. I mean, she is. But I don’t want her to grow up thinking she always has to adjust for others.”
Zeno pursed his lips and didn’t say anything. Well, it wasn’t like he knew what to say.
However, for Mara, that was the greatest response—silence.
“Anyway,” she continued, smiling once more. “Since Kwong can’t temporarily speak due to his tracheostomy, we’ve been signing all day, and it opened my eyes to a new perspective. If Rin doesn’t feel included by others, we’ll include her through and through.”
Zeno nodded. Then, he was about to reach into his pocket to give her the ultrasound photo, so he could go on his way. But then, a cough interrupted their conversation.
“Oh, my husband is awake,” Mara said with a smile. Zeno could tell she loved her husband very much with how bright her eyes lit up when she saw he was awake.
“Honey,” she signed, “Zeno came to visit.”
Kwong’s eyes widened, and he bowed his head multiple times as a way to say thank you.
“You don’t have to say thank you,” Zeno gestured. “It was what I had to do.”
Kwong’s eyes widened even more. Then, he turned to Mara.
“He can sign?”
“He can, dad!” Rin was the one who answered this time, a wide smile on her face.
With that, Kwong sat up with the help of his wife. His smile widened as he signed to Zeno.
“Thank you so much. I don’t know what would have happened if you didn’t save me that day. I heard the doctor say it was a close call. Really, thank you. I don’t know how I can repay you.”
Zeno held out his hand and shook his head.
He didn’t need any more extra payments!
“You don’t have to repay me. I only came here to give you this.”
With that, he brought out the ultrasound photo from his pocket and gave it to Kwong. His and Mara’s eyes widened as they gazed at the photo.
“You had this?”
Zeno nodded. “It was swept away by the wind, and I had to keep it safe. It must be important to you.”
Although, he didn’t understand why. When people say the fetus in ultrasound photos appeared beautiful, he begged to differ. It looked like a smoked bean.
With that, Zeno bowed. “I shall take my leave then. I still have my job tomorrow.”
“Wait!” Kwong gestured. “You have a new project?”
Zeno shook his head. “My farming job.”
Mara and Kwong turned to each other with confused expressions.
What was someone like him doing with a farming job? Did he sign wrong?
“Ah, before I go,” Zeno continued, grabbing his phone and going straight to his banking app. Might as well lose some percentage while he was here.
“What’s your banking details?” he asked.
Mara bit her lip, her brows furrowing. Still, she gave it to him. Maybe he wanted some compensation for what he had done to Kwong. But then, shouldn’t it be the opposite—with him giving away his banking details?
Zeno typed it speedily and sent them the bonus Chaewon PD had given him.
“Here,” he said, showing them the receipt of the transaction. “Use this for your recovery.”
Mara and Kwong were even more confused.
“Wait,” Mara said loudly. “Moonrise Media has shouldered all of the hospital expenses. I don’t think this is necessary. Really, this is too much. What are your banking details? We will send it back.”
Zeno glanced down at her stomach. “You’re expecting soon,” he said. “Use it for your baby. Don’t scrimp on it unless you want to have regrets. Besides, it would take a while before Kwong could go back to work. You can use this for your other expenses, too.”
“I really have to say goodbye now.”
Mara wanted to argue, but Zeno had already started making his way out of the room.
He heard them sniffing, and that was his cue to start walking faster. He couldn’t deal with any more emotions today!
Before he could open the door, however, Mara called out to him once more.
“Thank you, Zeno. We will never forget your kindness. We wish you all the success and fame in life.”
Zeno gritted his teeth. That wasn’t what he wanted right now!
“Please, just so this doesn’t feel like exploitation, take something from us,” she added.
Zeno had a hunch they weren’t going to stop pestering him unless he followed through with this request. So, he looked around the room and spotted a pink keychain. It appeared to be homemade, consisting of recycled materials. He grabbed it from the table.
“Is this alright?” he asked.
“No, please, take some more. That is something Rin makes for fun.”
Zeno shook his head. “This is all I want. Goodbye now. I hope you guys stay happy.”
With that, he finally opened the door. However, before he could step outside, he was interrupted again. He nearly cursed. What was it now?
He looked down and saw Rin holding onto the hem of his shirt. She was looking up at him with a small smile, appearing the opposite of how she was just a few moments ago.
“Do you need anything?” Zeno signed, wanting nothing more but to leave.
Rin didn’t answer for a moment. Then, she began to sign, confusing Zeno with her message.
“Don’t be lonely anymore, mister. I hope you become happy, too.”