“You gave 25 the risk directive?” one of the Ascendants asked during their massage time.
They all turned to Slash, who appeared unbothered, his eyes closed as the massage chair placed pressure on his back.
“Why? Is 25 rebelling?” another asked.
They began whispering among themselves.
“That can’t be. 25 is the best employee. He is the foundation of the Rennis.”
“He wouldn’t rebel. In this case, I think he will rebel even more with the risk directive.”
“Slash, you know what will happen if a Rennis prematurely dies, right?”
Slash finally opened his eyes, letting out a deep breath. He had been getting headaches these days, and they weren’t responsive to the elixir that worked for the longest time.
“Why do you even care?” Slash asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
That led the other Ascendants to become silent.
“You’re not 25. You’re not the one with a risk directive. So, stop complaining, will you?” he added.
“But the risk directive is only done for the Rennis who are truly rebellious, Slash. You know what happens when a Rennis dies in their human bodies. Failing a mission is one thing, but dying is another.”
“It’s a waste,” another added.
Slash sighed, closing his eyes once more, appearing unbothered. “25 is under my jurisdiction. If you have any complaints, then go straight to the Apex.”
The massage room was once again engulfed in tense silence. Another Ascendant was about to speak but was held back by a colleague.
“He won’t change his mind,” he whispered. “Let him be.”
The others clicked their tongues. “I pity 25.”
***
It was confirmed.
Zeno’s life was at stake for the next two weeks. Aside from nearly falling off of a tall building, he was almost hit by a car and bitten by a snake, which was somehow camouflaged amidst the city’s bushes.
Along with that, his head was still aching after being hit by his mother. Was that a murder attempt, too?
He wasn’t sure.
Fortunately, Zeno was equipped with skills even a competent human didn’t have, so he managed to dodge them all. As long as there wasn’t another attempt to throw him off a 14-story building, then he was going to be fine.
He had finally arrived at their staircase and began walking up. He found the annoying couple next door with knives in their hands but didn’t bother stopping. No knives for now, too.
With that, he entered Doha’s apartment and found him watching the TV.
“You’re back,” he said with a wide smile. “The food is in the fridge. Your parents ate with us. Do you want me to heat it up?”
Zeno shook his head. “Thanks. I’ll eat tomorrow. For now, I’m going to sleep.”
Doha opened his mouth to say something but closed it again, holding back. “Okay, sleep well. Take the bed. I’ll hit the couch.”
Zeno nodded and showered, not even minding that he had to wear one of Doha’s crazy graphic shirts. With his hair still damp, he laid on his bed. His phone was blowing up with messages, but his eyes were already closing. With that, the phone fell from his band, and Zeno received one of the best sleeps he had in his whole lifetime.
***
Zeno didn’t know how long he had been asleep. He had turned off all his alarms because he knew he didn’t have work for the remaining duration of his break. The universe knew he needed one.
However, something had willed him to get up—a crushing weight on his chest. He couldn’t breathe for a couple of seconds.
Did he surpass all those accidents just for him to die of a heart attack?
However, as he opened his eyes, he realized it wasn’t a myocardial infarction, but instead, his overweight old dog sleeping on top of his chest. He clicked his tongue and gently removed her from him, allowing him to finally breathe properly.
“Prince Charming is already awake,” came the voice of his mom. Zeno opened his eyes and saw that his friends and his parents were already seated at the table, with his mom wearing an apron and serving the food.
“Get up,” she said.
Zeno scratched the back of his neck before going to the restroom to splash water on his face and brush his teeth. Then, he joined them at the table, eating the spicy fish soup that his mom had cooked.
One sip of the soup, and he already felt like he was cured. It was practically medicine.
His father watched him fondly while his friends ate with gusto.
“We didn’t get the opportunity to speak yesterday,” Zeno’s stepdad started off. “How is everyone? Eli, are you continuing with your studies?”
Eli smiled. “Yes,” he answered. “I’m about to enter into my second year because Zeno helped pay for my tuition,” he shyly added.
His parents glanced at him, but Zeno was busy eating.
“How about you, Doha?” his mom asked this time. “Do you finally teach at your own gym?”
“Not yet, but it’s going great! We don’t have to pay rent for six months, so I’m able to save up. It’s still a long way to go, but it’s a start.”
“Oh, that’s nice!” his mom exclaimed. “Your landlord is very nice for not letting you pay for six months.”
“it’s because we won this contest,” Doha beamed. “And it’s all because of Zeno. Our landlord said he’s one of the best actors he had met in his entire life!”
Once again, his parents glanced at him, but Zeno was deboning the fish.
“And you, Minji? Are you doing alright?”
“Yes,” Minji muttered. “Happier than ever.”
“Is your mom still…”
“It’s bearable,” Minji responded before Zeno’s stepdad could finish the sentence.
Then, Zeno’s mom sighed. “I ought to have a good talk with your mother.”
Meanwhile, his stepdad smiled widely. “It seems that we didn’t have to worry after all, honey,” he said, leaning against his wife. “Zeno appears to be doing very well.”
She clicked her tongue. “Of course. I raised him well. We came here because he was getting unnecessary hate. He didn’t even do anything!”
Then, she finally gave her son a thumbs up. “So great job on defending yourself online. I didn’t raise you to become a quitter. Show them the spice of people from Busan!”
Zeno tilted his head, about to ask a question, when his phone rang. He frowned and grabbed it from the bed, his eyebrows raised slightly when he saw he had multiple missed calls from Moby and Bobby.
This time, Jace was calling him.
He answered the call and placed his phone against his ear. “Hello?”
“Zeno?”
It was Bobby’s voice that came through the other line.
Before Zeno could get another word out, Bobby spoke once more.
“You’re being murdered online!”