Hyungjin wiped the sweat off his forehead and took a deep breath. He stood at the foot of the narrow staircase leading to the rooftop of the building where the doctor lived. The climb was steep, but he needed to get there. Today, they were going to plan his next step to win Felix's attention.
Hyungjin carefully climbed the steps, one by one, until he reached the rooftop door. He knocked lightly.
"Come in!" the doctor called.
The doctor was standing by a large whiteboard covered in pictures, notes, and diagrams of snakes. Some pictures showed snakes mating, others showed baby snakes, and some showed the kinds of food snakes ate.
"Look here," the doctor said, pointing to a picture of a large python curled around her babies. "These are ball pythons. They are gentle but need warm, quiet places to breed."
Hyungjin leaned forward, studying the board. "It looks complicated. How can I learn all this?"
"You can," the doctor said firmly. "If you want Felix to notice you, you need to enter his world. Felix loves snakes. You have to learn about them, how they live, how they breed, and how to care for them."
Hyungjin felt nervous. "I'm scared of those creatures, mentor. What If I fail?" His pupils widened.
"Then you try again," the doctor said, smiling kindly. "First step: You will visit a real snake breeding house. You will learn from the experts. Cool?" The Doctor asked with his hand raised in a cool sign.
"Cool." Hyungjin replied with a smirk and a cool sign gestured.
The next day, Hyungjin woke early and took the bus to a small town outside the city. He found the snake breeding house hidden behind tall trees. The owner was a middle-aged man with rough hands and kind eyes.
"Welcome," the man said. "If you want to learn about snakes, you're in the right place."
Hyungjin followed him inside a big building filled with rows of glass tanks. Each tank held one or more snakes. Some snakes were large and thick, others were thin and colorful.
The first thing Hyungjin noticed was the smell of a mix of earth, wet stones, and something strange he couldn't name. His head spun a little, and he felt dizzy.
"Feeling dizzy?" the man asked with a laugh.
"Yes," Hyungjin admitted.
"That's normal," the man said. "Some people get it at first. Especially when they see snakes that are old, sick, or have problems shedding their skin."
Hyungjin looked closely at one tank. Inside, a snake was stuck in its old skin, moving slowly and weakly.
"It's hard," Hyungjin said softly.
"It is," the man said. "But you must learn to care for them, feed them, clean their tanks, and watch their health."
He was given a friend to assist him gently. One time he was about to go unconscious from the smell and his friend caught him and tapped him back to consciousness.
For the next two weeks, Hyungjin returned every day to the breeding house. He learned to handle frozen mice, the usual food for snakes, and how to thaw them safely.
His first feeding was nerve-wracking. When he reached inside the tank with the food, the snake hissed and struck quickly. Hyungjin jumped back and almost dropped the frozen mouse.
"I'm scared," he told the friend given.
"You have to be calm," the man said. "Snakes feel your fear. If you panic, they will become stressed and stop eating."
Hyungjin practiced slowly. He learned how to clean the tanks carefully, removing old water, wiping glass, and making sure the temperature was right. He learned how some snakes liked to hide under leaves or rocks.
Some days, Hyungjin was so tired and slept in that he almost forgot to come. When he did come late, he would hurry to feed the snakes and then leave quickly.
One afternoon, he fainted. The dizziness from being around the snakes mixed with the stress from his schedule.
The man found him lying on a bench. "You need rest," he said. "This is not easy."
Hyungjin nodded weakly but did not give up.
Slowly, day by day, he grew stronger and more confident. He began to recognize different snake behaviors when a snake was ready to shed its skin, when it was about to mate, and when it was hungry.
After two weeks, the owner smiled at him.
"You have learned fast," he said. "I'm proud of you"
Hyungjin felt so excited. He felt like a baby that just took his first walk.
That evening, after basketball practice, Hyungjin walked to Felix's car and showed him a paper with a mouse in it.
Felix opened the door and looked at Hyungjin with a raised eyebrow.
"What's that?" Felix asked.
Hyungjin smiled nervously. "A little surprise for your baby."
Felix laughed loudly. "Lili only eats food from Mitch. You know that."
Hyungjin shrugged. "Maybe she'll like me better now."
Felix opened Lili's terrarium and Hyungjin carefully placed the mouse inside. Lili flicked her tongue, then quickly wrapped around the mouse and swallowed it whole.
Felix stared in shock. "Damn! this little motherfucker betrayed me!" he said within.
Hyungjin gave a smirk of achievement.
Felix shook his head. "You little creature... I didn't think you had it in you."
They sat on the floor and talked about nothing and everything. The awkwardness between them was gone.
Hyungjin asked, trying to sound confident, "Hey, how much is your car worth?"
Felix smirked. "About fifty thousand dollars."
Hyungjin grinned. "I want to buy it from you."
Felix laughed. "Better be ready."
Later that night, Hyungjin climbed the stairs to the rooftop again.
The doctor looked at him, eyes bright.
"So? How did it go?"
"Good," Hyungjin said. "Lili ate my mouse. Lili's is favorite snake's name"
The doctor nodded. "Now we test if he cares."
"How?"
"Call him. Tell him you don't feel well. Ask for money. Or say anything tell him you want to start breeding your own snakes. "
Hyungjin hesitated but agreed.
Before the call, he said quietly, "Doctor, I need money. To start my snake pet business."
"How much?"
"One thousand dollars."
The doctor smiled. "Good. Now tell Felix."
Hyungjin dialed Felix's number.
"Hyunjin? What do you want at this time?"
"I'm not feeling well," Hyungjin said softly. "I need some help."
"How much do you need?"
"One thousand dollars. I want to start my own snake business."
Felix was silent for a moment.
"That's all?"
"Yes."
"Okay. Send me your account."
Minutes later, Felix messaged, "Sent."
Hyungjin smiled and looked at the doctor.
The doctor said
quietly, "See? He's starting to care."
Hyungjin felt hope grow in his chest. Maybe this was the start of his revenge being accomplished.