“Humans are stupid,” Zeno read normally.
“Cut!” Doha called out.
“What?” Zeno asked. He had acted perfectly! He was acting like he had just arrived on Earth. Based on the script, it was his first time there, and he had to gather data regarding their way of life and why they were considered the most successful planet in the entire universe.
“You need to sound more robotic,” Doha said. “You sound too much like a human!”
Zeno pursed his lips. If only Doha knew. Aliens were far more intelligent than humans! They spoke plenty of languages and had technologies that didn’t even exist on Earth.
Based on the human race’s past prediction, there should be flying cars on Earth by now. Avalis already had a teleportation system, and Earth is still stuck with having chat sex with AI!
The entire production already had way too many lapses, but Zeno didn’t even complain.
He sighed and shook his head. However, Zeno followed through in the end.
“Data… Number… One… Humans… are… stupid,” he started off.
Doha nodded in satisfaction, and the other gym guys also found it impressive.
“So, this is a real actor.”
They continued with their practice. However, as time passed by, it became increasingly clear that these guys were good at the gym for a reason. They didn’t have any talent in acting.
Jim had some potential, but Zeno could tell he was nervous. He played as his recruiter, teaching him about Earth while making him famous.
Zeno was going through the script without prior information. They merely handed him the script and asked him to practice. So, he would only know about the plot on the spot.
It was actually good practice. He had to act out what the script emanated and not through his interpretation. Since he didn’t know about the progression, he couldn’t assume the emotions because it could offset the next scenes.
And Zeno definitely made the right decision.
He could tell that Doha had written the script because it was so unexpected.
First, he needed to act as a hotshot alien. That part didn’t need much acting because Zeno was, in fact, a hotshot alien. He didn’t brag about it much, but he was truly good-looking and talented on his planet.
The gym bros would act as the aliens at first, giving him praise, and it sounded very comedic.
In the next part, he was on Earth, and the gym boys were now normal humans. Jim had the next most important role after him, with around half of his lines. In the next scene, he will be asked to act in Jim’s drama, which will catapult his fame.
Zeno gave Doha a look, raising one brow.
Did he take inspiration from what happened to him?
Doha pursed his lips to hide his sheepish smile, which led Zeno to conclude that he was, indeed, right. He shook his head in amusement.
He even had to act as a beggar, which Zeno nailed perfectly.
Some of the gym bros watching the scene wondered if this was the first time he had truly read the script.
One of them nudged Doha’s shoulder. “You gave him the script earlier, right?”
Doha shook his head, appearing excited. “Not at all. Isn’t he great?”
“Are you sure you’re friends?”
“Yes,” Doha answered without any hesitation. “Despite his busy schedule, he came here to help us. He’s the kindest.”
“I’ll take a photo with him later.”
“Good choice,” Doha said, giving them a thumbs up. “If my bro gets more famous, you probably won’t see him anymore.”
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, they finally arrived at the last scene. Zeno flipped through the last page and paused, his eyes scanning the page.
His face was unreadable as he silently read, and the others were confused by his sudden halting.
“What’s wrong?” Doha asked. “Is the last page printed weird? Our printer has a mind on its own. Sometimes, it prints random photos.”
“I can attest to that,” Jim muttered.
Zeno didn’t respond, making Doha even more confused.
“You… wrote the last scene?” Zeno asked, finally looking Doha in the eyes.
Doha still had a frown of confusion. “Yes,” he softly answered. “Is there something wrong with it?”
Zeno shook his head. “No,” he muttered. “It’s—It’s good.”
It was really good, actually. It seemed like a scene that was professionally written. The other scenes were borderline laughable, but this particular scene seemed quite personal.
He didn’t know his friend had that kind of emotional depth within him.
“Let’s wrap it up quickly,” Jim said. “I need to go to the hospital after this.”
Doha nodded in agreement. “Alright, let’s—”
However, before he could finish his statement, the doors burst open, and a bunch of unfamiliar, pretty good-looking men entered the gymnasium.
Doha’s eyes widened, and he quickly covered Zeno’s face with the first thing he grabbed—which was the towel that one of the gym bros used during their afternoon workout.
Zeno grimaced. It smelled like something from the end of the world, and he tried to remove it from his face. However, Doha said, “Don’t. You’re our secret weapon. These barber boys shouldn’t know that you’re our main character!”
Zeno pursed his lips. He didn’t care! This towel needed to be removed from his face before he passed out!
However, the next words of the cocky barber team made him stop.
“I see that you have a new victim,” one of them said.
Doha clicked his tongue. “What are you doing here, Kong? We are practicing for the play.”
“Is there a need for you to do that?” Kong asked. “I’m already going to play the main lead,” he boasted. “The ladies’ association loves us. They even come to our barber shop to get a haircut.”
“And they come out looking hideous,” Doha muttered, making Zeno stifle a chuckle.
“Anyway, we’re just here to tell everyone that you shouldn’t work so hard,” Kong continued. “It’s already obvious. The owner came by a while ago to give us a compliment, too.”
Jim clicked his tongue. “Can you go if you don’t have anything important to say?”
Zeno subtly nodded in agreement. Why did some humans have the need to share their unsolicited progress with others? Was it just to show they were doing much better?
“Aww,” Kong said, amusement heard in his voice. “You’re already back to the gym, Jim? I thought your child underwent heart surgery? Money is so tight that you can’t even afford to take the week off?”
Despite his vision being occluded, Zeno could sense the mood getting intense. He also couldn’t help but frown as the barber boys continued to provoke them. Including Jim’s child was definitely a low blow.
These types of guys didn’t deserve to win.
“That’s all,” Kong said, clapping. “Don’t take my words to heart. I’m just telling the truth.”
With that, they left the gym, the door slamming behind them. Zeno quickly removed the towel from his head, feeling frustrated.
“Your bodies are so big, but you couldn’t even retaliate,” he said.
The gym bros cast their heads to the ground. It seemed that despite their big bodies, they had soft hearts.
Then, he let out a deep breath.
“Let’s meet early tomorrow.”
They turned their attention toward Zeno, who appeared more determined than ever.
“You’re going to get that free rent.”