Oh shit.
Zeno thought over and over in his head.
Did Annie have some extraterrestrial powers that allowed her to distinguish between a human and an alien?
How could she single him out like this?
However, when he saw how she went back to her usual shy self, he realized that she was merely stating her real intent and personal experience.
Zeno let out a small sigh of relief. She didn’t appear to be a Rennis.
Meanwhile, Oska held in the urge to yawn. All of that talk was starting to make him lose his patience. When are they going to start acting?
“Very well said,” Risa said with a small smile, touched by what Annie had said.
Annie smiled at her before focusing her gaze on the table once more.
“This is the scene of Hajin with the Crown Prince when he saves him from the fire that was caused by those who also want the throne for themselves,” Daeshim said. “Since Shin is already here, you will be acting with him.”
“There is no need to get up,” he continued. “You shall say your lines in your seats. I also understand that this is a last-minute callback, so you may read directly from it.”
The actors nodded at Daeshim PD’s instruction. “Now, who will go first?” he asked, looking at the four actors.
The tension in the room increased even more if that was even possible. They were gauging each other’s responses, with nobody wanting to go first.
Oska, as always, wanted to go last.
“Why don’t we start with the newest actor in the room?” he suggested with a hidden smirk.
They all turned to Zeno, who was sitting idly.
“It’s only fair, don’t you think?” Oska asked, turning to the other actors. “We have a hierarchy in the industry, after all.”
“Hmm,” Daniel hummed in response. “Zeno has only started acting this year with minor roles. Why don’t you show us the passion of a rookie?” he asked, nudging his shoulder.
Zeno shrugged. “Sure,” he said.
Then, he glanced at them. Daniel and Oska had satisfied looks on their faces. Suho appeared nervous, while Yuan appeared to be looking forward to his performance.
He let out a soft sigh, glancing at the script, before lifting his head.
Risa covered her mouth. “The look in his eyes had changed,” she whispered.
In life, there were usually two ranks which people tend to focus on—the first and the last. The same was true with performances. The last performer bore the statement ‘save the best for last,’ as it was usually reserved for the grand finale.
The first, on the other hand, set the tone for everybody else performing. If the first performance was good, then you would expect more from the next performance. If it was mediocre, then the stakes weren’t too high.
Zeno knew he could make the stakes higher.
In his 24 past lives, having a parent was a privilege. Sometimes, being loved by that parent was practically an impossible wish. So, he wasn’t a stranger to being the unloved one.
“You may begin,” Daeshim said.
The room turned quiet, with most of them anticipating how Zeno’s performance would be. A lot of them who were inside the room still didn’t know what his acting skills truly were and why he was even considered for such a huge role.
The actors, although not wanting to admit it out loud, were the most curious about him, too.
So, with that, he finally began.
The crackling of the dying flames echoed behind them, faint and brittle, like the memory of a nightmare that had not quite passed.
Smoke still hung thick in the air, trailing through the blackened pines like silent ghosts mourning what had been lost. Guards shouted in the distance, their silhouettes barely visible through the haze as they worked to quell the final embers consuming the royal retreat.
Crown Prince Wang Suk stood amidst the charred wreckage, his robes scorched and torn, ash smeared across his face like war paint. His breathing was heavy, the firelight reflecting in his eyes.
In an orchestrated fire led by his brothers, Crown Prince Wang Suk should have been dead. He had saved the people inside the palace—the ministers, the priests, and his sons. Now, he was left all alone.
He should have died, and the throne for the Crown Prince should have been emptied. However, the person he least expected to help him came out of the shadows.
His illegitimate son, Hajin Yi.
“Wait,” Shin read, already channeling the sternness of Crown Prince Wang Suk.
The room was bombarded with his loud voice, truly fit for an imposing figure.
Hajin was supposed to turn away from him, leaving without an explanation. However, Wang Suk initiated a conversation.
“Why?” Shin asked. “Why did you come back? You could have fled with the others.”
Daeshim’s gaze was focused on Zeno, and he noticed how micro-expressions passed through his face—like how his gaze darkened as he met his father’s.
“Is it not the principle,” Zeno slowly said, “to save as many lives as possible?”
Suho turned to him with raised eyebrows. His modulation and tone sounded like that of an ancient man. Did he study how those in the Joseon era spoke?
Shin frowned. “If you think this is your path to the throne, Hajin… it is not.”
A bitter smile tugged at the edge of Zeno’s lips. “I know.”
He leaned forward only a little, and it was then that Shin noticed that Zeno was staring at him.
The older actor was surprised for a moment.
His gaze was so intense that Shin couldn’t even sustain their eye contact.
“I know,” Zeno repeated. “I did not carry you from the fire because I sought your seat nor because I long for a father’s pride. If that were so, I would have left you.”
Shin gulped. The way Zeno said it… felt like he meant it.
Annie was covering her mouth to prevent herself from making any unnecessary noises. She was afraid she was going to ruin the moment.
Yuan, on the other hand, bit his lip. Maybe having him go first wasn’t a good idea after all.
“Then why?” Shin asked again, softer this time.
The illegitimate Hajin Yi looked past him toward the royal pavilions reduced to rubble and flame.
His voice, when it came, was low and slow, carved from years of silence.
“I have never known a father’s love,” he said. “Not once.”
Shin blinked.
“You did not raise me. You did not defend me. You did not even speak my name unless duty required it. You allowed the court to sneer at my blood, and you offered me neither shield nor shelter.”
Even though they were just acting, Shin felt ashamed. He wasn’t even Wang Suk, but he felt like a real asshole!
“You may think that I have always sought the throne,” Zeno continued, “but what I longed for was far simpler. To be looked at. To be seen—as your son.”
[Lament’s Embrace Activated]
[White Aura Consumed]