[Fame Meter: 65%]
The internet was in flames.
After last night’s brutal episode of Lucy’s Game, Zeno had officially entered the national consciousness.
– Great. My mom is in love with Zeno now.
– Are we living the same life? My mom came home a while ago with ‘merch’ of him. It’s a bunch of poorly-printed photo cards.
– I’m from Seoul University. Even I couldn’t fathom what was going on inside the Island of Orbits.
– I’m a scientist of more than eight years, and I couldn’t figure it out.
– The Blind Chess wasn’t a fluke! I think he really did remember the sequence.
– That’s why kids—you don’t always have to stay in school to be smart.
– That’s only applicable if you are naturally smart in the first place!
Aside from that, his past works also came to light, with more and more people watching them. Stars in My Ordinary Sky was trending once more on YouWatch, and his co-stars were enjoying the glory that Zeno’s popularity brought.
Of course, it didn’t end with that. The clip of him sitting upright, cool and composed as he uttered those five words—”Empty cans make the loudest noise”—was now pinned to the top of every popular platform.
“Empty Cans Make the Loudest Noise” trended at #1 on Sigmoid, quickly followed by #ZenoSupremacy, #ZenoOutsmartedThem, and #LucysGameEp4.
Students began using the phrase as a kind of flex, posting mock videos of themselves shutting down arguments in classrooms.
One popular TikTak trend now showed kids sitting down in school cafeterias and fake-pulling sunglasses over their eyes before coolly dropping, “Empty cans make the loudest noise.”
Teachers weren’t safe either. One high school math teacher even posted—
– Three of my students responded to me today with ’empty cans make the loudest noise’ after I reminded them they had homework. Help.
It was safe to say that Zeno had created a frenzy even when he was still inside Lucy’s Mansion. Bobby and Moby were having a hard time managing all of the offers that Zeno was receiving.
Eli, who was known to be a friend of Zeno’s in their college after they competed in the math contest together, also became a person of interest.
“Hey, do you have Zeno’s number?”
“We can sleep together in exchange for Zeno’s number.”
Of course, Eli declined each offer. He wasn’t that desperate! Most of all, he was afraid of the consequences if Zeno found out he was giving away his number!
They weren’t the only ones feeling Zeno’s popularity.
Inside a clean-lined, high-gloss practice building, the atmosphere seemed to be more alive than usual.
Stylists and interns were gathered around a phone, muffling their laughs as they rewatched the infamous clip.
In the hallway, a makeup artist squealed, “He’s so cool, I swear! I heard they suggested him coming to the company a few months ago, but our CEO declined.”
“Have you seen the clip where he showed Minjae that he knew all of the answers? That was the best. I keep replaying it. Half of the million views in the YouWatch video might be from me.”
“I know! He didn’t even raise his voice. That’s the type of man I would like to be with.”
They trailed into the studio, where Phoenix sat on a low couch with his phone and his favorite game on the screen—Gear of Guardians. His legs were up, a popsicle lazily resting between his lips.
Click. Swipe. Tap. Victory.
“Haha! Another win. Damn, I’m too good,” Phoenix muttered, not even looking up. “Who am I fighting, NPCs?”
The stylists suddenly fell silent.
Phoenix blinked, noticing the odd quiet, and pulled out the popsicle. “What’s the matter with all of you? You were giggling just now like uneducated middle schoolers. Now, you’re quiet.”
They remained silent, so Phoenix broke the ice. He smirked and placed his foot down for a moment. “Let me in. Will you? What’s the latest trend that you guys seem to be excited about?”
One stylist hesitated, then answered, “Ah… no, it’s just… have you seen Zeno on Lucy’s Game?”
Phoenix’s game paused.
He furrowed his brows. “Where did I hear that name again?” he muttered.
For some reason, even without knowing who he was, he felt a little bit annoyed. But then, after a few seconds, it began to make sense.
Zeno Han. That guy in the drama that rivaled his. He was also one of the reasons why it didn’t make as much noise as he and the company had expected.
“That guy again,” he whispered to himself.
However, Phoenix didn’t want it to seem that he was aware of him, so he smirked. “I’ve never heard of that guy. Is he known? I don’t really keep up with the industry because I’m so busy, you know?”
The stylist perked up. “Well, yeah, he was sort of unknown before, then he came out at the beginning of the year. He was already popular, but after last night’s episode, he’s now everywhere. It’s insane. My cousin even changed his phone wallpaper to a photo of Zeno,” she overshared.
Another makeup artist chimed in. “They’re calling him the dark horse. And it’s not even just fans. Critics are saying he might win major awards this year. Best New Actor, Best Reality Star, that kind of thing. I’m really looking forward to it.”
Now, that caught Phoenix’s full attention. He had won Best New Actor last year, and it felt bitter that Zeno was going to be his successor. At least, he wanted it to be someone from Daebak Entertainment.
The stylists and makeup artists continued gushing about Zeno, causing Phoenix to sigh in disappointment.
He squinted at her. Then, slowly, he stood.
He stepped closer, leaned forward—just enough to be way too close—and looked directly into the stylist’s eyes.
The room was silent once again.
“Only talk about me, hmm?”
She turned red immediately, waving her hand, flustered.
Phoenix stepped back, grinning.
“Relax, I’m joking. Kinda.” He winked, then twirled his phone between his fingers.
He was on the verge of finishing the game, and he did so—only with a single click.
Then, the victory animation showed on the screen, making his smile widen.
“I only pressed once, but I already won.”
“I’ve been unbeatable in this game since it came out.”
With that, he threw the popsicle stick into the bin, grabbed his iced coffee, and slung an arm around his stylist’s shoulder casually.
“Let’s go to the shoot, shall we? I’m getting bored hearing all of you talk about that guy.”