“Did Oska tell you that?” Zeno repeated, his cheeks stuffed with a fresh batch of sweet potatoes. In truth, Zeno might as well consult Bacon PD for his grievances. Perhaps then Oska wouldn’t cause more trouble down the line.
Zeno was not one to hold grudges for long. That’s a lie. He holds grudges pretty easily.
And Oska had already tried to sabotage him multiple times! Zeno remembered it all.
‘What a menace,’ he thought, his irritation bubbling beneath the surface. Still, deep down, he suspected there was more to it than cruelty. Loneliness—that was the real issue, wasn’t it? Not that Zeno was about to excuse the behavior.
“I’m finally going to put a leash on him,” he muttered under his breath.
“What?” Bacon PD asked, his ears perked up with curiosity.
Zeno simply stuffed another sweet potato into his mouth.
“Do you know the reason why I have this ridiculous name?” Bacon PD suddenly inquired.
“No,” Zeno replied bluntly. “It would be strange for me to even know that, wouldn’t it?”
Bacon PD pursed his lips. In the end, he chose to disregard Zeno’s offhand remark and continued speaking. Something about the young man compelled Oska Baek Senior to pour his heart out.
“It’s because of my father. I’m sure you’ve heard about him already.”
“I’ve heard,” Zeno muttered, chewing slowly.
“I am aware of the privilege my name afforded me,” Bacon PD continued. “And I didn’t want that to be the basis on which people validated or invalidated my work. In either case, it wasn’t really me they were seeing. It was my surname. So, I decided to toss it aside.”
“Bacon,” Zeno said with a smirk. “You thought that would be better?”
Bacon PD chuckled. “Exactly! That was the what the articles said back then too. They didn’t talk about my father; they focused on the absurdity of my name. That moment was the first time I felt acknowledged for something that wasn’t tied to my last name.”
“My father…” Bacon PD’ continued, staring at the distance. “He was strict and cold. But I understood. He prioritized his career over his family. That was simply who he was.”
“So, when my wife had Oska, I thought I was doing my son a favor. I wasn’t around much so I provided him with everything instead. Everything he ever asked for—lessons, tutors, platforms. I believed that love meant giving.”
“But now, I regret it,” Bacon PD whispered “Because he’s tied to me. My name, my reputation. I see how hard he’s worked… but it feels like he’s been swallowed whole by it. Why would he work hard when he never had to?”
Zeno finished his last bite, wiped his fingers clean, and leaned back in his seat.
“Your son,” Zeno said plainly, “is a piece of shit.”
Bacon PD’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.
“But,” Zeno continued calmly, “he’s still human.”
“Your son is your greatest weakness,” Zeno continued. “You’re trying hard to mend your relationship with your father by treating your son differently, hoping it would fix him. But humans… you can’t fix them. You can only help until the day they fix themselves.”
Bacon PD sat in silence, simply staring at Zeno.
Zeno shrugged, breaking the tension. “You should try to make him less of a piece of shit. I know the industry would appreciate it.”
A heavy silence hung in the air for a moment, then Bacon PD erupted into soft laughter.
“That’s the most I’ve seen you care about anything,” he said, nodding towards the now-empty plate nearby. “Except maybe those sweet potatoes.”
Zeno glanced down at the vacant tray. “They’re gone.”
“You’re really upset, aren’t you?” Bacon PD teased.
“I liked them,” Zeno admitted.
Bacon PD chuckled again, eyes twinkling with amusement. “You must really like them.”
Zeno’s gaze fell back to the spot where the food had once been, and he sighed deeply. “It’s one of Earth’s few merits.”
“I agree,” Bacon PD replied. “Earth doesn’t have many merits, to be honest.”
Zeno’s head snapped around, his expression suddenly intense as he remembered there was a Rennis in this house.
Actually, he wasn’t completely certain yet. It could just be his imagination, but even then, he felt compelled to inquire.
With that Zeno posed an unusual question. “Have you ever heard of Dennis?” he asked slowly.
Bacon PD blinked in surprise. “Dennis?”
The name was an inside joke among the Rennis back on Avalis—one that Zeno found unfunny and didn’t usually engage in. However, the moment felt right to drop the reference.
He watched Bacon PD intently, waiting for any sign of recognition. But the man’s expression remained unchanged.
“…No,” Bacon PD finally replied, slowly. “Who’s Dennis? Is he a new foreign actor?”
Zeno frowned, confused by the lack of response. Was he actually mistaken?
He let out a resigned sigh and leaned back in his seat, arms crossed. “Never mind.”
Bacon PD studied him, his brow still knitted in thought. Sensing a shift in the conversation, he jumped to another topic.
“You’ve told me your reason for being here,” Bacon PD started off. “Do you want to know mine?”
“It’s definitely not because you want to be here,” Zeno retorted.
Bacon PD smirked, amused. “You caught me again.”
Zeno raised an eyebrow.
“You’re right,” Bacon admitted. “I don’t want to be here.”
Zeno sighed in response. “Then leave.”
Bacon tilted his head. “Don’t you want to know why I came?”
“No,” Zeno replied without a moment’s hesitation. “I’m not curious.”
Bacon blinked, taken aback. “Really?”
“Yes.”
“But it’s a good reason,” Bacon insisted, leaning in slightly.
“I believe you,” Zeno replied nonchalantly.
“I’m telling you,” Bacon pressed further. “You would want to hear my reason. It’s actually very interesting.”
Zeno picked up a spoon, using it as a mirror to gaze at his reflection for a moment. “Still not interested.”
“Only a few people know about it,” Bacon tried again.
Zeno didn’t respond, maintaining his silence. Determined, Bacon PD decided to share anyway.
“I asked a favor from Gene PD,” Bacon explained. “He agreed to that favor, and the payment is for me to be here.”
“That’s good,” Zeno muttered, still uninterested. His eyes, however, darted toward the last piece of sweet potato in the cupboard. He wondered if eating it one more piece would be acceptable.
He didn’t want to ask Bacon PD to prepare him another, though.
“It’s got something to do with a new project,” Bacon added, trying to pique Zeno’s interest once again. “It’s a crossover between his variety show style and my upcoming movie.”
Ah, whatever. He just wanted to savor that sweet potato. With that, Zeno reached out to grab it and gazed at it as though it were the rarest diamond in the universe.
Bacon watched him intently. “You’re not even listening to me, are you?”
Zeno squinted at the potato. “No.”
The older man chuckled. “And to think I want you to be a part of it.”
Zeno wasn’t listening in the slightest. “Huh?”