The young man hasn’t slept all night. He worked late into the evening at the construction site then woke at dawn to study. A scholarship kept him afloat, but it wasn’t enough—not when he had to be a father, too.1
His son was only four, but he already started to notice things.
The young man couldn’t help it. He wanted to show a good example, but his eyes were often red in the morning from lack of sleep, his hands trembled when he tied his shoes from exhaustion, and he had become skinnier.
That day, they passed by a new restaurant in the neighborhood—a fried chicken place. The golden scent of crispy batter lingered in the air, wafting through their nostrils. The boy’s small legs slowed, just for a second, before he kept walking.
His father stopped.
“Do you want to eat there?” he asked.
The boy shook his head quickly.
But his father crouched in front of him, brushing a hand over his soft hair. He smiled, appearing tired but knowing.
“Let’s go,” he said. “You want to eat it.”
The small boy hesitated. His father didn’t even have to ask. He always knew.
They stepped inside, warm light welcoming them. His father ordered one plate. Just one as it was all he could afford.
And when it arrived golden and steaming, his father pushed the plate toward him. “Eat,” he said.
The boy picked up a piece, small fingers gripping the crispy skin. He glanced up—his father wasn’t eating. Instead, he was just watching him with a soft, weary smile.
“Are you ready?” Hyunwoo asked, making Zeno snap out of his daze.
He pursed his lips and nodded, focusing his gaze on the small screen.
What was it with this particular mission that made him remember the memories of his past? This very scenario was something he had already experienced and one he wouldn’t wish on the families living on Earth.
The first line appeared, and they waited for Zeno’s delivery.
“Eat up, sweetheart. Don’t worry about me,” he started off with a warm smile.
The camera zoomed in on him, and the studio became silent.
Minji was enamored right from the very start. In fact, even with the first line, it felt like the entire audience had been captured.
“I’m not hungry. I ate before I got home,” he continued, leaning back a bit to stimulate the chair of a restaurant.
He was all alone, with no props and no person to act with. However, at that moment, it felt like he had all of those accompanying him.
“I can see it,” Hyunwoo muttered to himself. He could see the faint outline of the restaurant and the little kid’s voice.
Zeno watched as his child took a bite, his smile never fading. But his fingers tapped quietly against the table. It was a small, almost unnoticeable movement.
“Slow down. No one’s gonna take it from you.”
He laughed shortly, followed by silence. His eyes went downward just for a second, and at that moment, his desire to eat showed. His Adam’s apple bobbed, and he quickly looked away.
It wasn’t noticed by the general audience, but for the actors in the panelists, it was an amazing detail. Ian felt himself admiring him even more.
“He could act such a way, too,” Ian muttered, leaning his elbows against his knees.
Zeno continued in a light tone. “You know, when I was your age, we didn’t always have this. Some nights, we just drank water and went to bed. But look at you now, eating so well. That makes me so happy, son.”
He reached out, pretending to brush a strand of hair back, his touch lingering just a little too long.
“That’s all that matters. As long as you’re full, I’m full too.”
He paused, blinking a few times, before his smile returned.
“Come on, finish it. You need to grow big and strong. I’ll be okay.”
His shoulders rose slightly—just enough to show he was taking a deep breath.
Then, after a long silence, he whispered, “I’ll always be okay as long as you are.”
As soon as it was over, Zeno snapped out of the character, but the audience was still immersed in his act.
Philip Hwang, who didn’t know a lot about acting, felt moved by Zeno’s performance.
Dahee, too, momentarily found herself breaking out of her job as a head producer to just enjoy his performance.
“I can’t believe we got to see that for free,” she muttered to herself.
Meanwhile, Minji was in awe of his performance. She had only ever watched him through the screen, but seeing it in real life was breathtaking. The girls next to her had slowly placed down their Rex banners, suddenly forgetting about him.
Zeno bowed and went back to his spot, causing Hyunwoo to snap out of his thoughts.
“Well, it seems that the last contestant is lying,” he started off.
Zeno’s eyebrows raised in surprise. Whenever he acted, he felt he was in another dimension. He didn’t think of it as acting but as a reenactment of something that had happened to him before.
“He’s not an ordinary guy at all,” Hyunwoo chuckled. “He should really stick to acting. He’s great at it!”
Even strangers who were unaware of his talent recognized it right away. Zeno felt a lightness in his heart that he hadn’t felt before.
Risa couldn’t help it this time. She squeaked like a mouse from the excitement of watching Zeno’s live acting. Ian glanced at her but didn’t question her action because, in reality, he felt quite the same.
He was currently on a rest from acting, but watching Zeno made him want to act as soon as possible.
“However, this is where the first argument comes in,” Hyunwoo continued, capturing everybody’s attention once more.
“In my years of being in the industry, it is truly hard to see someone who could be talented in so many aspects. Of course, it is not impossible; however, it is very rare.”
“Idols are good at dancing and singing because they train for it for years. Actors who are good singers are even rarer. We call them cheat characters, and they only appear probably once in ten years.”
“Contestant Number Six, I believe, is not a cheat character. At least, not yet. For this, I shall go for Speedo Sensei. His speaking voice is the most singer-like of them all.”
Risa clicked her tongue. She was in a crisis! She still wanted to see Zeno survive until the end of the show. She was about to interrupt once more, but Philip had already spoken.
“I have made my decision.”
flashback