Chapter 117: Natae's Rival
I welcomed Muhammad, who had come to our home—more precisely, to Shinsoo's Nest, also known as Deep Nest—at the zoo. It had been a while since we last met, and I was glad to see him again.
"Thanks to your request, the pet hotel has grown into something this large, so we've maintained a deep bond. Not that it has anything to do with him being a wealthy Middle Eastern tycoon."
"Sorry. If I'd told you I was moving sooner, Muhammad wouldn't have lost out."
"No problem. It wasn't a huge sum."
"True enough."
Because I had moved, the house price had dropped sharply, yet Muhammad showed no sign of concern. Someone who earned money down to the minute, like a normal office worker's lifetime salary, didn't bat an eye at Dr-se-gwon housing.
"Muhammad, did you come to see Bboni today?"
"Yes. There was other business, but I wanted to see my little Bboni. The video was nice, yet I wanted to see her in person."
Even though watching the video had been satisfying, the fact that he had come specifically to see her directly meant I called Bboni right away.
Since Bboni's main habitat was with So-eun, summoning her would solve everything quickly.
"Nata-ssi, hello!"
So-eun, who roamed freely through the vast zoo, answered the phone call from the provided device and returned home in no time. She dismounted from Bboni and greeted Muhammad with the polite phrase she had learned at kindergarten.
"Ooh! So-eun, hello! Here, a gift!"
Muhammad looked at So-eun, then offered a small box that he had clearly prepared in advance. It contained a fluffy rabbit-shaped hairpin, the eyes sparkling with an unusual brilliance that made it anything but cheap.
"Thank you!"
So-eun, delighted with the gift, ran straight to Noona clutching the hairpin. No matter how extraordinary So-eun was compared to her peers, she still refused to touch her own hair like other children.
Anyway, seeing So-eun hurry off, Muhammad immediately approached Bboni. He had missed his chance to follow because So-eun had gone so fast and stood there blankly.
"Bboni!"
Muhammad rushed over and pulled the horse into a tight hug. Then he began pouring out words that sounded like Arabic.
"I don't know what he's saying, but it's wonderful to see the owner after such a long time."
Bboni seemed to agree, nibbling at Muhammad's clothes with obvious affection. It was his way of expressing joy.
The racehorse-banned thoroughbred and the Middle Eastern oil tycoon had been entangled in affection for a while. Eventually, the two, satisfied to some extent, quietly parted.
"Muhammad. Didn't you mention other business earlier?"
"Yes! Muhammad, I have a friend who loves animals. I brought a request from that friend."
"A request? What is it?"
"That friend wants it too. To take care of the animal!"
"Eh…… You mean the pet hotel?"
"Exactly!"
Muhammad smiled and nodded.
I nodded along with him. The pet hotel was still fully operational, now even more affordable than before.
With zookeepers overflowing and the scale far larger than the cafe, we could easily accommodate hundreds of animals—let alone five. And since we now took in large predators as well, there was no issue.
"What kind of animal do you want to entrust?"
"A sloth!"
"Sloth……?"
At Muhammad's English name for the animal, I tilted my head. I didn't know every creature's name in English, so it took a moment.
But I quickly understood. His secretary, the uncle, had arrived carrying one animal.
"……Sloth?"
The creature was indeed a sloth. Only then did the memory click. The English word for sloth was "Natae."
The sloth brought in by the uncle stood before me, its entire body drooping.
"……………………………Oh."
"……"
It felt incredibly familiar.
'It's exactly like Natae.'
I recalled Natae, carried around without moving. More precisely, the guy's movements were overlaid with Natae's lazy demeanor.
"Your friend's sloth. Please take good care of it."
Muhammad added please take care and handed me a large check, then tossed the sloth—Natae, rather—my way.
After handing over the sloth, Muhammad left saying he had urgent business. I stood there blankly, still holding the guy. The creature stared into empty space as if nothing mattered.
Since it was already done, I had no choice but to take it outside.
Stepping out with the sloth, I immediately began searching for Natae. Putting similar creatures together would make things easier, I figured.
"Natae-ya!"
"Eh, boss? What's up…… Wait, what is that? We don't have sloths in our zoo."
"Today's new arrival. It's a pet hotel resident."
"Ah…… The place where you pay for labor?"
"Eh! Why use such a vulgar term when there's an official name—'pet hotel'—for it!"
My dramatic tone, as if reciting a historical drama, made one staff member smile faintly and look at me curiously.
"Do you know where the Natae handler is?"
"Natae handler? Eh…… Since the guy wanders around everywhere…… Just a sec."
The staff member checked the group chat and told me the location.
"Thanks. Good work."
I headed straight to the Natae handler.
The handler appeared to simply roam the zoo at first glance, but he actually performed important duties.
Following Natae, who was carried everywhere by visitors, and retrieving the creature at closing time was his main task.
It had started after a visitor forgot to return Natae to his spot, forcing the handler to search the entire zoo all night.
Anyway, I found the handler and placed the sloth in front of Natae.
"…………………What?"
"………………U?"
The two Nataes stared at each other without moving. Their chests rose and fell with each breath, yet they remained perfectly still.
But I could sense the competitive spirit flaring between them.
'These guys…… They're betting on who can be lazier……!'
Like true Natae, the creatures began their contest.
Unless one looked closely, it was easy to miss how much strength they were exerting from their entire bodies.
Natae let every ounce of power drain away, melting into the floor. The sloth loosened its muscles until the slightly puffed fur collapsed with a heavy thud.
"The battle of the ages. I heard there's a dozing-off competition in Seoul—participate and you'll win instantly."
I shook my head at the two boasting laziness while staring at each other and lightly tapped the handler's shoulder.
"Get one more support and please manage this guy too. You'll see."
"……No way, is that sloth the same type?"
"They're competing right now. In laziness."
"H……."
The handler sighed, looking at the two sprawled on the floor with an annoyed expression.
And when closing time came, the handler who had taken responsibility for the Nataes urgently called me.
"S, boss! The sloth's face is bright red!"
I looked at the sloth's face. It was indeed red, as the handler had said. Even though it was covered in fur, the redness showed clearly.
It was surprising enough for an animal I raised, but entrusted to others, I grew even more worried. However, I quickly understood the cause.
Sploosh—
"Kyaa!"
It was the stream of water flowing from the sloth's lower body.
"……Did this guy do his business today?"
"Eh…… Ah, I don't think so?"
"These guys are serious. They held back from doing business while competing in laziness……."
Only after seeing the red face return to normal with the stream did I understand the whole story.
The two had competed in laziness, declaring 'I'm this lazy!' and even held back from doing their business, only to end up like this.
"………………………Hic."
"……………………Tsk."
With the flowing water, the result of the bet finally appeared.
Natae smiled slightly, as if enjoying it, while the sloth looked strangely defeated. Anyone could tell who had won and who had lost.
Afterward, the two accepted the result cleanly and became a daily sight of lying together amicably.
Of course, when movement was required, the loser—the sloth—would step in. It was the loser's words.
And about a month later, another bet broke out. This time there were three creatures.
"The koala is lazy too……."
The collaboration of Natae (dog) sprawled on the floor like melted wax, Natae (sloth), and Natae (koala) left viewers feeling dejected. As expected, the winner of the bet was the Natae who had been with me for so long.