Zeno ended the scene, breathing heavily after his continuous lines. He didn’t stutter at all, but there was a tremble in his voice from the anger he felt for the Ascendants.
He looked down at his hands and saw the slight tremors in them. He pursed his lips and held onto his wrist to stop them. However, he couldn’t.
With that, he settled on placing them inside his pockets. Zeno didn’t think he could immerse himself like that in a role—especially since he had never been a prince.
He was an eunuch during the Joseon era, and at that time, he only needed to protect the princess of their kingdom until she turned to be of age.
Daeshim, Chachi, and Annie, on the other hand, felt like a new world had been shown to them.
Daeshim’s pen was long forgotten. He hadn’t written a single comment for Zeno, unlike the other candidates.
And he knew it wasn’t because he was bad.
Along with that, he felt an impending doom. He was sure that Oska had done the best and that nobody would be able to outdo his acting.
He had talked to the the CEO of Daebak Entertainment, after all.
However, after this, he wasn’t so sure anymore.
Chachi felt her heart racing inside her chest. This type of acting was something that made her feel alive! What a sight to witness in person!
Annie, on the other hand, could burst into tears at any given second.
The character she loved the most—the one who allowed her to feel free when she was suffocated in her own body—was standing right in front of her.
The real life Hajin Yi.
“Is everything alright?” Zeno asked as the three of them had been silent after he finished his scene.
Daeshim snapped out of his thoughts and gazed at the young man in front of him.
“Ah, yes,” Daeshim muttered, suddenly feeling guilty.
“You may go.”
Zeno put his hood back on before leaving the room.
Annie watched with bitten lips as he left, somehow wanting to make him stay and reenact some other scenes. She had a feeling he would do even better in them.
However, he had already closed the door.
As soon as he was gone, Chachi began exclaiming his good points.
“What a good actor,” Chachi started off. “I’ve heard about him. In fact, I’ve been researching about him the moment his agency confirmed he was coming here today.”
“He only started acting this year. No prior education about it, too. However, he can act as good as this!” she ranted.
Annie listened intently, very curious about Zeno Han’s existence.
“He seems like a veteran actor, though,” Annie muttered, causing Chachi to pause.
“Right?” she exclaimed. “Do you have any comments for him?”
Annie pursed her lips, her cheeks reddening, before shaking her head. “No,” she muttered.
A small smile appeared on Chachi’s lips. She knew that it was because Annie thought it was perfect.
Daeshim pursed his lips, leaning his elbows against the table.
“What’s his agency again?” he asked, appearing deep in thought.
“Dreamy Entertainment,” Chachi answered.
Daeshim couldn’t help but scoff. “Those guys still exist?” he muttered.
“What’s wrong, Director?” Annie asked.
“Nothing,” Daeshim muttered.
“It’s just a shame.”
***
Zeno went out of the room. Nobody was in the hallways, but when he arrived in the lobby of the building, he saw the four big-shot actors once again.
“Ah, really. When is my manager coming?” Oska asked. “I told him to pick me up right away.”
“Same here,” Suho chuckled. “I thought they would give us comments. The audition was fast this time.”
Zeno walked past them. He could already see Moby’s truck through the transparent glass wall, and he hastened his steps. He felt quite hungry after everything that had happened.
However, just as he arrived at the revolving door, Oska turned to him with narrowed eyes.
Zeno clicked his tongue. This guy has been eyeing him since earlier. Did he have a problem with him?
“Hey, you,” Oska exclaimed, making him stop in his tracks. The other three actors also turned to him, still curious about his identity.
Zeno didn’t bother glancing at them. “Do you have anything to say?”
Oska pursed his lips. “I was just wondering,” he started off. “Did Daeshim PD give you any comments? I’m assuming you’re a new actor,” he continued.
“Are you aiming for the main role?”
“Oh, and what agency are you from?”
“That’s a lot of questions,” Zeno sighed.
Suho pursed his lips to hold in his smile, his gaze focused on the hooded man. He was a pretty interesting character.
Zeno shook his head. Despite living as a privileged young master, Oska Baek seemed to have a lot of insecurities.
Oska clicked his tongue. “Where are the manners of new actors these days?” he asked. “How long have you been in this industry? What’s your name?”
He felt his face heating up. He glanced at the other actors and found himself on the verge of shame. He couldn’t let this new guy stomp all over him!
Daniel, being the ass-kisser he was, backed Oska’s statement. “Answer the question, man,” he said. “We’re all civilized people here. We’re just curious about how your audition went. This is how actors are in the industry.”
Zeno sighed, massaging the bridge of his nose. He was still on edge due to his rebellion, so before he knew it, he had spoken.
“Respect begets respect,” Zeno started off.
“You are not asking me simply because you are curious. You just want to ask how it went so you could have something to compare with, and then you’ll feel better about yourselves if you hear what you want to hear—that it didn’t go well.”
“You’ll comfort me halfheartedly, but deep inside, you’ll be glad that you did better. And, in the turn of events that you don’t hear what you want, you’ll still congratulate me, but in the end, you’d find some way to make me feel like shit about it—just because it shouldn’t be.”
“Because you guys are already favored by the system.”
“So, you guys should naturally be on the top.”
Oska was left frozen in shock. The others, too, couldn’t believe their ears. Was he saying all of these to THE Oska Baek, named after the Oska award himself?
With that, Zeno went through the revolving door, leaving the four shocked actors rooted in their spots.
“Dang,” Suho muttered, the smile on his face widening. “He should become a writer.”
Oska, on the other hand, still couldn’t believe it. How could that man read him like an open book? Was he that predictable?
Meanwhile, Daniel muttered to himself.
“That voice.”