Zeno cursed inside his mind.
He was trying to act less, but even in a singing competition, he was compelled to do so.
It seemed that acting had already embedded its part in his Life.
“Philip, what is your strategy in choosing the winner for this round?” Hyunwoo asked.
“Hmm,” Philip hummed, glancing at the three contestants. His confidence plummeted greatly after the second round, and there was a high possibility that he wouldn’t pick a talented singer to perform with.
Of course, it would make for a hilarious show. But at the same time, Sing or Sync meant a lot to him as an artist. It was the very reason why he became the artist he was now. Most of all, this was the first episode! He wanted to set a great start for the show.
“Since this is a new segment,” he started off, “I would follow the criteria of the game exactly—to choose the person who can convey the emotions of the dialogues, similar to what they can do for a song.”
The audience murmured, thinking about Zeno’s advantage for the challenge.
“But don’t you think it’s unfair?” one of the panelists asked. “Zeno has a clear advantage for this round. Aside from that, emotions do not equate with good singing skills.”
Philip hummed, trying to see the other side of the picture.
Meanwhile, Zeno internally cursed the panelist who said such words. He was getting so close to the prize money!
“But there’s still a clear relationship between the two of them,” Risa chimed in. Zeno snapped his gaze toward her. All throughout the competition, she had been his saving grace. It seemed she was a pretty good person.
“Although acting and singing are different, showing emotions is one part that sets apart a good singer from another,” she continued. “You might think that Zeno has an advantage to this, but as far as I know, Zeno is not experienced with impromptu acting.”
A bell rang in Zeno’s mind.
Now, that was true. Aside from the cold reading he had for ‘Code Black,’ he had no experience with impromptu acting. And even back then, he was adamant about not using any emotions at all.
“Yes,” Ian exclaimed, joining Risa. “Zeno has only been acting for a little over a month, and that’s basically a beginner.”
“Hmm,” Hyunwoo hummed, glancing at Zeno. He had heard of his name before but had never looked him up. Being so busy with music, he also doesn’t have enough time to watch series and movies.
So, he had no clue what kind of skills Zeno had. However, if Ian and Risa vouched for him, then he must be good.
The other audience members, who also weren’t updated with the entertainment industry, were the same.
“Is he really good?”
“How good could he be?”
“So, he’s only been acting for more than a month, huh?”
“Well, it seems there are varying opinions going around,” Hyunwoo chuckled, finding the situation amusing. “I’m excited to see the contestants act then. This seems to be a very fun challenge.”
Dahee smiled proudly at Hyunwoo’s comment. However, at the same time, she couldn’t help but feel anxious about the results of the last round.
“Maybe I should have added one more talented singer into the mix,” she muttered to herself.
The other staff members also glanced at her, wondering what they should do.
“Let’s start with Double Life!” Hyunwoo exclaimed.
Double Life stepped forward.
Hyunwoo glanced at his cue card before looking up at the contestant. “In your scene, you are a wealthy woman who is offering your son’s girlfriend two million dollars to leave him.”
The audience chuckled at the unreal scenario. However, it was one they wanted to experience once in their lifetime.
Double Life nodded once.
“Begin!”
Zeno watched her intently. There was a part of him that was curious how a normal human would pull it off.
She straightened her posture and lifted her chin slightly. She stepped forward and read the dialogue on the small screen.
“Two million dollars,” she said in a shrill voice, causing those near her to cover their ears.
Philip, too, frowned. Her voice was already unpleasant when speaking, so he could guess that she wasn’t going to be good at singing
“That’s more than enough for someone like you. I assume you know what to do with it,” she continued, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
Zeno found that her attitude was right, but her delivery was lacking.
“My son is young. He confuses love with permanence. But we both know that love fades. Security, on the other hand, lasts.”
“This isn’t personal. I’m actually being quite generous. Many in your position wouldn’t hesitate to take this deal. So, be smart. Take it, and walk away.”
“End scene,” Hyunwoo concluded.
As soon as she was done, Risa and Ian began discussing the flaws of her performance.
“The depth of her emotion wasn’t controlled,” Ian said. “It was in the same high tone all throughout.”
Philip couldn’t help but chuckle. “This feels like an acting audition all of a sudden. I’ll take your comments into mind when making my decision.”
“Let’s head to the next person—Speedo Sensei,” Hyunwoo continued.
Aside from dancing and cooking, he truly didn’t have any talents! However, he was a happy person, so the fact he got this far was still something to be thankful for.
“Alright, you and your friend are both flat-out broke, but your friend still has the audacity to ask you for money. You want to help, but you have nothing to give.”
Zeno couldn’t help but smirk. The coincidence was jarring. It was exactly the situation they were in now.
Doha nodded and began with his monologue.
“You… want money? From me?” his voice raised too high in the end that it made the audience chuckle.
He clutched his chest dramatically, staggering backward.
“Brother, I don’t even have money for myself!” he wailed. “I just checked my bank account—there are more commas than numbers!”
He yanked out his imaginary wallet, flipped it open, then tilted it upside down. He even blew into it like dust might fall out.
“You see this? This is air. I am running on nothing but will and wishes.”
The audience burst into laughter as he frantically searched his pockets again.
“We are in the SAME boat, and that boat is sinking! You ask me for money, but I should be asking you!”
“End scene!” Hyunwoo exclaimed amidst his chuckles.
Risa wiped the tears from her eyes. “Surprisingly, it wasn’t great acting, but I found it fun to watch. I couldn’t look away.”
“Me too,” Philip muttered. “I quite like this guy.”
Doha smiled and bowed at the audience. Zeno knew that Doha was going to be his greatest rival. His friend had the talent to entertain.
However, even then, he didn’t want to lose to his friend. In the end, Zeno was the only one who knew about Eli’s financial problem.
“It’s finally his turn,” the audience began to murmur.
Minji straightened her back, feeling excited. Even the girls next to her focused their attention on the front as Zeno stepped forward.
As he walked closer, his features became more evident.
Risa bit her lip to prevent her lips from spreading too wide.
“For the last contestant, Just An Ordinary Guy, this is your scenario.”
“You’re a father who doesn’t have enough money to feed both himself and his child, so you tell them you’re not hungry. Try to show a father’s unconditional love.”