“Those materials could be learned within a month, at least,” Bea muttered as soon as she clocked out of her shift.
Her interaction with Zeno still lingered, and it would be a lie if she said it wasn’t the only thing she thought about for the rest of the day. Maybe she might have even switched some customers’ books, but she didn’t mind at all. A little surprise wouldn’t hurt, right?
Meanwhile, Zeno had been in his room for the whole afternoon, not even going out to eat lunch.
The pile of books was on his bed, and he tossed the last one.
“Finally,” he muttered, stretching his knuckles.
He had read all eight books that Bea had recommended. Some might say it wasn’t humanly possible, but Zeno found a way to read efficiently—especially textbooks.
After reading some of it, he managed to draw the conclusions for each chapter.
And now, his theoretical knowledge of acting has increased drastically.
[Acting + 1. Techniques of Acting Memorized]
[Acting: A+]
[Fame Meter: 8%]
He sighed and leaned against the chair, massaging his eyes. He had a supernatural mind, but his physical body was still human, so reading that fast took a toll on him.
Just then, he felt a light weight on his lap. He glanced down and saw Maxie chilling without a care in the world.
Zeno scoffed. “Are you warming up to me now?”
Maxie huffed, making Zeno chuckle.
“So, do you want me to leave then?”
Maxie turned to glare at Zeno, causing him to laugh even harder.
“Do you actually understand me?” he muttered.
Maxie went back to her relaxed position, even snuggling to Zeno’s knee.
He shook his head. “I guess you’re not as dumb as I expected. You’re even smarter than Jace.”
It seemed that she enjoyed his compliment as she gave Zeno a small lick.
Just then, the door opened. Zeno thought it was going to be Doha, but it was Eli instead.
He had a sheepish look on his face as he opened the door wider.
Then, he cleared his throat. “It’s time to eat,” he muttered. It seemed he wanted to say something but held himself back.
Zeno smirked in amusement.
“Maxie, come on,” Eli said in a softer tone, and the mutt didn’t hesitate to jump out of Zeno’s lap and into Eli’s arms.
The three of them went toward Doha’s unit, where he had prepared yet another scrumptious dish.
Minji and Doha exchanged a look as they watched Zeno and Eli.
As Doha placed the food on the table, he smirked. “So, you guys are alright now, huh?”
Eli cleared his throat. “What do you mean? We’ve always been alright.”
Minji and Doha smiled again. “Sure, sure,” Minji said in a teasing tone.
“Anyway,” she continued. “I’m happy that you two seem to be on better terms. I couldn’t eat properly for the past few days because of your fight.”
“Liar,” Eli muttered. “You ate well.”
Minji smiled. “You’re right.”
With that, the four of them began eating. The conversation was light, and although they weren’t family by blood, Zeno could feel they were close enough for that kind of relationship.
He realized that Zeno Han was truly lucky to have his set of friends.
“So,” Eli started off. “I decided to continue with my studies.”
Minji dropped her utensils, and she turned to Eli with wide eyes. “Really?”
“This week just keeps getting better and better,” Doha exclaimed. “What happened? Did your dad send you money now?”
Eli shook his head. “No, Zeno paid for it,” he bluntly said.
Zeno, who was already busy eating, felt his friends’ gazes on him. He was still trying to memorize all the techniques of acting he had read about a while ago.
Then, he lifted his head. “What?” he asked.
“You paid for his tuition fee?” Minji asked.
Zeno nodded. “Yeah,” he muttered. “I had some extra money after winning ‘Sing or Sync,’ so I decided to help him.”
Doha smiled widely. “So, that was why you joined the competition, huh?”
Zeno pursed his lips. “Of course not,” he denied.
However, it seemed that the three of them weren’t convinced.
“Thanks… again,” Eli muttered through full cheeks.
After that, the table became even happier. They didn’t speak much, but it felt like the sun was shining down on them despite it being night time.
“So, do you have another project lined up now?” Minji asked.
They were all curious about Zeno’s answer.
“Yes,” Zeno answered, surprising them. “I have an audition next week.”
“Is it a drama? A movie? A short series?” Minji excitedly asked.
Eli clicked his tongue. “Give him some time to answer.”
“It’s a drama,” Zeno answered. “It’s for the SK channel.”
Their eyes collectively widened.
“SK channel?” they exclaimed at the same time.
Zeno paused and raised his eyebrows. “Yeah,” he muttered. “What’s so surprising?”
“It’s the TV channel with the highest viewership in the entire country!”
“It’s not a prime time slot,” Zeno answered, remembering the details that Bobby had told him. .
“Still, it’s the SK channel!” Eli exclaimed.
“What role are you aiming for this time?” Eli asked.
“The lead role,” Zeno nonchalantly said, surprising them once more.
Eli raised one eyebrow. “The lead role? In an SK channel drama?”
Zeno nodded.
“That’s… don’t you think it’s too early?” Doha asked. Landing a lead role in that channel was reserved for those in the actors in the royal classes. Even those in the rookie class had a hard time landing such roles!
Zeno shrugged. He specifically needed a lead role to finish one of his ongoing missions.
“It is,” Zeno said without any hesitation.
He had to be realistic.
Being a decent actor wasn’t enough to land a lead role in such a big production. It seemed that Bobby merely wanted him to try and get a feel for it, but Zeno could also tell that he wasn’t expecting much.
At the end of the day, his status in the acting industry was still that of a tadpole. He was in the small pond, while the other actors were already in the ocean.
However, Zeno also didn’t want to settle for anything less than that.
How was he going to become the best actor and spite the heavens if he settled for less?
“I’m going for the lead role,” Zeno said with resolution.
“It’s that or nothing.”