Geon's eyes widened as he lay on the ground, staring out the window. Through the window, he could see the tiger's forehead. Having fallen to the ground, he could only see the tiger's forehead, not the face he had met earlier. There was a scratching sound as if the tiger were scratching the window with its front paw or scratching the wall with its claws. Geon, with a frightened expression, remained still, not wanting to provoke the tiger by moving.
"Sis! Fire! Do you keep jumping out of the car like that?"
Suddenly, a sharp female voice startled Geon, and when he looked to the right of the window, he saw a woman in a zookeeper's uniform running towards the tiger. Before she could scream a warning, the woman lifted the tiger on the ground into her arms. Geon froze as he saw the tiger being embraced by the woman, feeling embarrassed about his own fall.
The tiger looked young at first glance. Although not a cub anymore, having passed six months since birth, it appeared agile, easily weighing over 10 kilograms. Geon felt embarrassed about his own fall as he watched the tiger licking the woman's face with a gentle expression.
As the zookeeper struggled to hold the tiger in her arms, she looked at Geon with widened eyes. After a moment of silence between them, the female zookeeper screamed.
"Oh my! Kay? Kay, is that you? What are you doing here? Oh my goodness, oh my!"
"Really? Is this not a dream?"
As the zookeeper shouted, the startled Kay squirmed in her arms. The woman who had finally calmed Kay down shouted to Olivia, who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion.
"Olivia! Kay, Kay! Do you see this too? Is this real?"
Upon seeing that Geon was standing safely, Olivia put her hands on her hips and said."You too. How come you and Alisa have the same reaction, Taylor?"
Taylor widened her eyes and asked.
"Huh? You knew? What's going on? What's going on?"
"For the time being, you'll be staying here. We'll make sure you're comfortable."
Taylor asked in surprise.
"Really? Really?"
After waving her hands, Olivia said to Geon.
"The meal is ready. Come over, Kay."
Geon awkwardly smiled and said.
"Yes, thank you Olivia."
As Geon walked out of the house, he saw Taylor staring blankly at him, holding Kay. After greeting Taylor, Geon knelt down and made eye contact with Kay.
"Hello? I'm Kay."
Kay licked Geon's face and playfully hung onto his leg as he laughed. Watching Geon play with Kay for a moment, Taylor muttered.
"I-Is this really... Kay... Wow."
Later, a barbecue party was held in the courtyard in front of the three women's dormitory. Kay and Ricky were playing with a ball in the yard, but as soon as the meat was placed on the grill, Kay ran over and sat in front of the barbecue grill, focusing on the meat. Ricky, on the other hand, seemed uninterested in the meat and was playing with the ball.
As the three women brought food to the table in the bustling yard, they smiled every time they met Geon's eyes. Geon also smiled back at them, and the atmosphere soon became cheerful. After finishing the meal and cleaning up, while drinking coffee provided by Olivia and chatting, Taylor said.
"Um, Kay. It's such a pleasant evening. Could you sing us a song?"
Alisa agreed, seeming to think it was a good idea.
"Yes, yes! We're fans of Kay. Please sing us just one song, please? We really want to hear it."
Olivia, as if scolding them, said.
"Alisa, Taylor. That's impolite. Let our guest relax."
After looking at Olivia, Taylor urgently said to Geon.
"Just once today! I won't ask you again, okay?"
Geon chuckled as he alternated between Alisa and Taylor with his gaze.
"Just wait a moment, I'll go get my guitar from my room."
As Geon got up from his seat, he saw the eager eyes of the two women. Interestingly, even Olivia, who had scolded them, seemed to be filled with anticipation. A moment later, Geon returned with his J-200 guitar. As Kay and Ricky approached, seemingly seeing a guitar for the first time, they cautiously touched and plucked the strings. When sound came from the guitar strings, they were startled and backed away. Geon chuckled and petted Kay and Ricky's heads before speaking.
"Ahem, after accidentally discovering this place today and touring the zoo, I felt a bit sorry for myself, who has been living too busily. I didn't even realize there were such cute friends nearby, and such beautiful and bright people. After grilling the meat, the atmosphere in the yard became even more cheerful, and as we ate and cleaned up, Taylor said.
"Hey, Kay. It's such a nice evening, could you sing us a song?"
Alisa agreed, seeming to think it was a good idea.
"Yes, yes! We're fans of Kay. Please sing us just one song, please? We really want to hear it."
Olivia, as if scolding them, said.
"Alisa, Taylor. That's impolite. Let our guest relax."
After looking at Olivia, Taylor urgently said to Geon.
"Just once today! I won't ask you again, okay?"
Geon chuckled as he alternated between Alisa and Taylor with his gaze.
"Just wait a moment, I'll go get my guitar from my room."
As Geon got up from his seat, he saw the eager eyes of the two women. Interestingly, even Olivia, who had scolded them, seemed to be filled with anticipation. A moment later, Geon returned with his J-200 guitar. As Kay and Ricky approached, seemingly seeing a guitar for the first time, they cautiously touched and plucked the strings. When sound came from the guitar strings, they were startled and backed away. Geon chuckled and petted Kay and Ricky's heads before speaking.
"Ahem, after accidentally discovering this place today and touring the zoo, I felt a bit sorry for myself, who has been living too busily. I didn't even realize there were such cute friends nearby, and such beautiful and bright people. So, please think of this song as a message to myself."
Geon's Gibson guitar resonated softly. The guitar sound echoed like a duet between a cello and a violin, oscillating between low and high pitches. Geon's hand, holding the chords, moved briskly up and down the neck, not playing a slow or quiet melody. The guitar, with its jumbo body, emitted deep resonance and reverberation in the lower tones. Ricky and Pye seemed astonished by the beautiful music flowing from the guitar, as they sat in front of Geon, tilting their heads and perking up their ears.
With closed eyes, Geon whispered softly.
"If you're feeling low and lost today," Geon's voice, heard by the three caretakers, felt like someone whispering softly into their ears. The ASMR-like sensation caused the eyes of all three caretakers to involuntarily close. Pye squirmed slightly, and Ricky leaned against Geon's leg. Feeling Ricky's warmth against his leg, Geon smiled.
"Do you have a little time?" Geon's hand stroked the strings, and as the volume of the performance increased, the three caretakers, now wide-eyed, looked intently at Geon. Geon began to sing the chorus with his beautiful voice.
"Over here at the side of your life, I'd like to hold you still, remind you of all you've missed," he sang, as Pye stretched his neck and began to howl along with the song. Geon chuckled at Pye's attempt to sing along and opened his eyes. Even though the song had ended, Pye, with a sad but cute look in his eyes, continued to make sounds.
Upon hearing a thud, Olivia turned her head towards the dormitory area, where she saw birds gathering on the roof. More than thirty birds had gathered on the roof, all looking down as if listening to Geon's song. Alisa and Taylor also glanced around, noticing the giraffes in the distance, each lifting its head towards this direction. Strangely, all the giraffes were turning their heads in their direction.
Although the three women, who were chuckling, couldn't see the animals trapped in their respective enclosures, all the animals were perking up their ears, listening to Geon's song. The zebras flicked their ears, the polar bears blinked slowly, and the monkeys, usually swinging around, quietly listened to Geon's song.
As Geon finished playing, the three women looked around and saw Ricky sleeping, cradled in Geon's lap, while Pye quietly stared at Geon. Alisa, watching the beautiful man looking down at the baby tiger on the floor with a smile, with her mouth agape, whispered softly, "What... is he an angel?"
When Geon placed his guitar beside him and reached out to Pye, Pye jumped into his arms. Geon smiled as Pye licked his face, leaving drool. Turning his head away, Geon noticed that the birds perched on the roof had all flown away at once.
Looking up at the sky with a wide smile, Geon saw the bright moon illuminating his smiling face. This time, Taylor muttered, "Crazy... Why is the guy so beautiful?" as the three women stared blankly at Geon's face.
That night, The Bronx Zoo welcomed its first quiet night under new management. The many animals in the zoo fell into a deep sleep for the first time since being transferred, resting peacefully until the next day's sunrise. Until other caretakers arrived for duty and chuckled at the unusually quiet animals by the entrance.
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