[+1 Public Perception. Gained in-real-life fans from the neighborhood.]
The barber boys watched quietly and bitterly as Zeno was surrounded by the crowd. They were shirtless, yet no one even spared them a glance!
“Zeno, sign here, please.”
“It’s been a while since I saw you! You walk around often with your friends when you freshly moved to those units. But then, it seemed you had disappeared.”
“I went to the military,” Zeno answered. “Now, I’m pretty busy.”
“I can only imagine!”
“I can’t believe Zeno Han really lives in our neighborhood.”
“Young man, take a photo with me. My daughter is a big fan, and she doesn’t believe that you are our neighbor.”
Zeno nodded and looked straight into the camera. The old woman captured it and smiled.
“Please don’t tell anyone where I live, though,” Zeno said, looking at the crowd.
“Of course!” they exclaimed in unison. “You are our neighborhood’s most prized possession. We will protect you until the end!”
A small smile appeared on Zeno’s lips while the rest of the gym bros watched with amusement from the side. Just then, someone caught Zeno’s eye.
“Umm, can you point me to the restroom?” Zeno asked after a while. They enthusiastically pointed where it was.
After a while, he came back to the auditorium and found Mr. Goldie standing on the stage and the crowd waiting in anticipation.
“Zeno, over here,” Doha exclaimed, patting the seat next to him. Zeno watched as Mr. Goldie went through the scores of the contestants. They didn’t reveal the score for their team, so nobody knew who had truly won.
Jim smiled to himself. He truly wanted to win for his group; however, even if they didn’t win, he would be leaving with a smile on his face.
Through this, he felt like he could finally say goodbye to acting. He wanted to leave with a good memory.
Mr. Goldie adjusted his gold eyeglasses before speaking into the microphone. “Well, you already know the prize,” he said. “For the winner of today, you’d be getting one month of free rent in my building.”
“I make a lot of money anyway, so it’s not that big of a deal for me,” he continued. “So, with this in mind, I decided to make it into six months.”
Gasps were heard across the auditorium. For a second, Mr. Goldie lifted his head and met gazes with Zeno, who already had a smirk playing on his lips.
The contestants felt even more competitive, wanting to win despite the odds not being in their favor. Six months of free rent was something they couldn’t give up on!
The gym bros turned to each other with wide eyes. “Six months?” Jim asked. “Did he just say six months?”
Doha began computing. “That’s 4.6 Million KRW,” he said.
“3.6 Million,” Zeno quickly corrected.
They once again gasped in shock, like they couldn’t compute it inside their minds and had only heard of the answer now.
“Why is he doing all of this?” Jim muttered.
Doha quickly covered Jim’s mouth. “Thou shalt not question the rich. Like he said, he has a lot of money. With his old age, he wouldn’t be able to take it with him to the afterlife.”
“Don’t kill him just yet,” Jim said.
Doha sheepishly smiled. “Anyway, let’s see. This will be a great help for all of us if we win.”
“The winner is…,” Mr. Goldie started off, rendering the auditorium silent.
He paused, increasing the tension in the room before he finally announced the winner.
“Xeno A.I. by the brainless gym dudes at the top floor,” he said, a hint of a smile heard in his voice.
With his announcement, Doha was the first to scream, hoisting everyone up for a group hug.
“We did it!” he exclaimed. Tears formed in their eyes, and Zeno quietly left the circle, not wanting to be drenched from their sweat and tears… literally.
Despite their big bodies, they cried like little kids.
They were greeted with congratulations, with most of the people happy for their win… well, except for the barber boys, who dejectedly left the room still in their shirtless glory.
Zeno watched from the side when he heard someone clearing his throat from behind him. He turned around and found Mr. Goldie with a knowing look in his eyes.
The old man smirked as Zeno faced him. Then, he held out his hand. Zeno took it and gave it a gentle squeeze.
“Congratulations,” Mr. Goldie said.
“Thank you,” Zeno merely said, causing the old man’s smirk to widen. As he looked at Zeno, he couldn’t help but feel amused.
“You need to break out of it,” he added, confusing Zeno.
“Hmm?” Zeno asked.
“You’re a good actor,” Mr. Goldie continued. “However, there’s a wall in front of you. Deep inside, you know you are not connected with your emotions. There is something repressing you from showing your full potential.”
Zeno’s eyebrows slightly raised. Did this man see through his soul or something?
“This role is perfect for you because you’re playing someone with those repressed feelings; however, when the day comes that you need to play someone who is in touch with his emotions, I’m afraid you’re going to struggle—no matter how good you’ve gotten.”
“Break through that wall,” he continued, “and only then will you be the best actor.”
Zeno was silent, or rather, silenced. This man seemed to be more of an expert than he thought.
“Still, congratulations,” Mr. Goldie smirked. “Don’t forget about your small favor.”
“I wouldn’t,” Zeno said, watching as the old man went to the other gym bros. Then, he remembered their conversation a few moments ago.
While Zeno was being asked for photos and autographs after their play, he saw Mr. Goldie move out of the room, so he quickly excused himself to go to the restroom.
He waited for Mr. Goldie to finish.
The old man stopped in his tracks when he saw Zeno leaning against the wall. Zeno straightened his back and bowed at him.
“What are you doing here?” Mr. Goldie asked.
“Sir, I need a small favor.”
Mr. Goldie raised one eyebrow. “You’re not going to bribe me into making your group win out of your own pride, are you?”
Zeno calmly shook his head. “Not at all,” he muttered. “It’s just—if our group does win, can you change the prize into six months’ worth of free rent instead?”
Mr. Goldie couldn’t help but chuckle. “Despite my love of plays, I am a businessman, lad. I cannot give away six months’ worth of free rent.”
“I know,” Zeno said with a shrug. “I’m going to pay for the other five months.”
Mr. Goldie’s brows furrowed.
“Only if our group wins,” Zeno reinforced.
“Someone’s child just underwent surgery, and they’re probably short on money.”
“Why don’t you just pay the rent on their behalf?” Mr. Goldie asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
Zeno smirked. “Then, they wouldn’t allow me to.”