“Zeno’s so impressive.”
“He’s a really good actor.”
“I can’t wait to finish filming so we can air this. The material we have is so good!”
Oska clicked his tongue as he heard some of the staff’s conversation. Zeno had changed their opinions of him in less than a week, and it has been a common thought that Zeno Han was a talented actor—humble, too.
“I saw him bathing outside this morning. I believe he didn’t even have any hot water! He had a white shrit on, and I could see his abs through his shirt.”
“Is this sexual harassment?”
“I’m just appreciating.”
“On the other hand, Oska has been showering in the female’s quarters all this time. What a stuck-up, honestly.”
Oska cleared his throat, and it was then that they noticed his presence. They quickly scrambled away, and Oska slumped onto the wall of a hut, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
He wasn’t acting as well as he would like. If he didn’t feel that this drama would gain a 20% viewership, then he would leave the production all behind! He was only two movies slash dramas away from being in the Imperial Class! So, he needed this project more than anything else.
“Pretentious,” he muttered, watching as Zeno finished his scene in one take once again. “He’s just showing off. He must like showering outside so he can show everyone his body.”
“Nice job, Zeno!” Daeshim exclaimed. “That’s it for today. You can get dressed now, and we’ll continue tomorrow.”
Zeno appeared hesitant, causing Daeshim to chuckle. “Why? Do you still want to act?”
Zeno quietly nodded. The director patted his head. “You have a good mindset, young man! Keep it up. This show will make you into a star.”
He sighed. That wasn’t what he wanted at the moment, though! He just needed to impress Ryeo Wang to surpass the Pain Trial! He was unsure what would happen if he failed to accomplish it.
How long would the trial be? Would it continue until he accomplished the mission? Zeno did not want to find out.
He only had until midnight to impress the old man, and with his scenes done for the day, he didn’t know how to do just that.
With that, he dejectedly walked away from the set. On his way to his hut, he bumped into none other than Mr. Wang himself. His eyes slightly widened, and he bowed at 90 degrees.
“Good evening, sir,” he greeted.
Ryeo turned to him. “Are your scenes done?” he asked.
Zeno slowly nodded.
Ryeo sighed and turned around, going back to his hut without saying a word. Zeno watched him with furrowed brows. What was up with him?
He shook his head and went inside his hut to get changed. When he was done, the skies were already dark. He was about to call Moby for dinner when everything suddenly turned pitch black.
Zeno stopped in his tracks.
Moby screamed a few feet away. “Zeno, I’ve gone blind!”
Zeno’s eyes narrowed, his ears focusing on the noise that increased around them.
“What is happening?”
“Why aren’t the lights working?”
“Hello, I can’t see anything!”
Zeno sighed and walked to where Moby was, causing the latter to scream.
“It’s just me,” Zeno said.
“Oh, thank goodness,” Moby sighed in relief. “I think I’ve gone blind, Zeno. This can’t be. My wife… and my kids.”
“You don’t have those.”
“Oh, right,” Moby chuckled. “But my vision! It’s one of the few things I have!”
“Stop being overdramatic,” Zeno said. “You’re not going blind. I think the power’s out.”
“Oh,” Moby muttered.
Zeno remembered having a flashlight on the shelf, so he quickly grabbed it and turned it on.
“Woah, how did you do that?” Moby asked.
“Do what?”
“See in the dark. It’s pitch black!”
Zeno shrugged. “I’m just talented like that.”
With that, the two of them went out, seeing the others in similar states, flashlights in their hands.
“Let’s gather in the open space!” Daeshim PD called out, and all of the actors and staff followed.
Zeno looked up at the sky and the vast expanse before them. They truly were in the middle of nowhere. Not a flicker of light could be seen, and the clouds had covered the moon.
“Is the food cooked already?” Daeshim asked.
“No, sir,” the staff said. “The induction broke before we could fully cook the chicken.”
Daeshim pursed his lips.
“Induction?” Ryeo Wang asked. “We don’t have any gas?”
The staff member sheepishly chuckled. “It’s a modern world, sir. They have electricity, so we wanted to make full use of that.”
Ryeo massaged the bridge of his nose. “Do you have a match then? So, we could start a fire?”
The staff turned to each other before answering. “We did pack some matches,” one of them said. “But we can’t find it because it’s dark.”
Daeshim sighed. “What do you mean?”
“It’s such a small item! We can’t find it,” she shyly added.
Just then, a strong gust of wind blew over them, and shivers ran through their spines.
Oska clicked his tongue. “So, what now? We’re not going to eat any food? All of the actors are hungry.”
Risa sighed, turning to him. “Everyone is tired. Nobody wanted this to happen.”
Shin raised his hand, sensing the tension. “Maybe we can ask for help from the locals? See if they can help us?”
“What can they do?” Risa joked, nudging his shoulder. “They can’t make electricity.”
Shin scratched the back of his neck. “They can help us start a fire or something.”
The others chimed in agreement.
“They better make it fast then,” Oska muttered, and Daniel nodded in agreement. Risa, on the other hand, turned to the two of them with a disgusted expression.
“No,” Ryeo suddenly said, making everyone silent. “It is too dangerous for them to travel 21 kilometers for us just to make some measly fire. Our electricity comes from them, so they must have a blackout, too. We will not be responsible for such tragedies.”
“Sleep it off,” he sternly said. “It’s only one night. We can opt not to eat.”
Quiet sighs of disappointment were heard across the clearing. However, amidst their sighs, the sound of two objects hitting and rubbing each other also sprung.
“What’s that noise?” Suho asked.
They turned to the side where Zeno and Moby were, and it was there that they saw Zeno with a stone and two pieces of wood.
“Is he… starting a fire without a flame?”