Zeno had accepted the truth a long time ago that he couldn’t dance.
Fortunately, he had never landed in a circumstance where he had to actually know how to dance. The most he needed the skill was during gym class for a requirement.
However, after more than 500 years, he finally faced such a situation. Not only that, but he stood in the center of the dance floor under the scrutinizing gaze of idols, actors, influencers, and actual dancers. They all watched him with anticipation.
At that moment, Zeno reminded himself of the best thing he could do.
Act.
If he couldn’t actually dance… he could act like he could.
Velvet’s opening beat kicked in again.
Zeno raised his chin and exhaled. He focused his gaze on the mirror behind all the other students and acted like it was a camera instead.
“Under velvet skies…”
He started moving. Or, well—twitching. His shoulders popped a little too late, and his attempt at a body wave looked more like he had a cramp in his back. He marked each move without giving his full power.
The mood inside the room instantly became weird. Billy even snorted while his group member stifled a laugh behind his back.
Yuan, who usually had something to say, was also rendered silent by Zeno’s dance skills—or at least, lack thereof.
“So, he isn’t perfect after all.”
“I’m glad I could be better at Zeno in something.”
“Shh. Stop it. Hold in your laughter.”
But Zeno didn’t stop despite all of these whispers. He was already in character.
He knew he couldn’t show off the dance with precise movements, so he decided to focus on his facial expressions and body language instead.
The whispers began toning down just as the beat of the first chorus dropped.
“Touch so slow, like we just met.”
Without a doubt, Zeno still couldn’t find the right rhythm. However, his face appeared to be embodying the meaning of the song.
His lips parted just slightly. His jaw clenched. He looked straight into the mirror with the intensity of a villain in a romance drama, and the laughter died.
The influencers tilted their heads. Selina’s smile froze.
“Hear me out,” she whispered to her guard.
The others watched, blinking in disbelief, as Zeno continued to dance to the song. He sold every move as if he had meant to do it that way.
“Why is he better than me?”
The unfamiliar woman at the front leaned forward with a neutral expression. However, she was watching—very unlike what she had done for the previous performances.
Yuan had gone from suppressing his laughter to stunned silence.
Zeno internally rejoiced when he only had the final move left to execute.
It was a kneel to the floor, followed by a slow, controlled body wave that traveled from the chest down. Doha had nailed it earlier. Billy had made it look easy.
Zeno, knowing he couldn’t do a body wave, just knelt.
However, at that moment, he broke his gaze away from the mirror and to those watching. His eyes, sparkling and appearing like they held a thousand emotions, made the already speechless spectators even more speechless.
Even as the song ended, he stayed for a moment, breathing lightly, lips parted, and looked around the room with a heated gaze—like the protagonist in the final scene of a music video just before the screen faded to black.
“WHAT THE HECK?” someone whispered loudly
Jeanette put a hand over her chest. “Mon Dieu1.”
A second later, Zeno finally stood, looking at the dumbfounded faces of the audience. Then, without any hesitation, he walked back to his spot next to Doha.
Still, their gazes followed after him as he sat. Somehow, he danced the worst out of everyone, but his performance was regarded as the best.
Jeanette felt like she was going to spontaneously combust as she gazed at Zeno. Aside from that, there was a fresh scent coming from him despite being drenched in sweat.
With that, she looked away and went back to professional mode. She feared she was going to do something unprofessional if she gazed at him longer.
Doha nudged Zeno’s shoulder. “Why is it that you’re good at this, too?”
Zeno clicked his tongue and didn’t answer. He wanted to go home.
Meanwhile, at that moment, two people were thinking of Zeno in particular.
“He’s perfect,” one muttered from the side, a cap covering his face.
“So fucking full of himself,” another whispered, shaking her head. She already knew what kind of person he was just by his performance and demeanor.
With that, the dance lesson continued. Fortunately, the next part was just a repetition of the first part they had learned, along with some small changes.
Zeno still marked the movements, just wanting to get this lesson over with. When the alarm rang half an hour later, he quickly grabbed his belongings.
“Wait, wait!” Doha exclaimed. “Can I just get an autograph from Misha?”
“Who is that?” Zeno asked, raising one brow.
Doha gasped so loud that the others turned to them. Zeno clicked his tongue and glared at him. Doha gave out a peace sign before whispering.
“She’s the Best New Actress in the Triple-A. Were you not paying attention?”
Zeno thought about it before shaking his head. He was too busy having an existential crisis to even notice the other artists receiving their awards.
“She’s from—”
“I don’t care,” Zeno sighed, running his fingers through his hair. “Let’s go home.”
“No, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!” Doha whisper-shouted. “Wait for me,” he insisted.
Before Doha could take another step forward, however, Billy’s group member, whom Zeno had learned was named Jiwoo, called for everyone’s attention.
“Can I have a little bit of your time?” he asked, and the others turned to him with curiosity.
“We are going to have a celebration for Billy’s new achievement after the success of Lucy’s Game,” he continued. “He will be treating all of us to lunch, and everyone in this room is invited. Perhaps, who wants to go with us?”
Murmurs of excitement went around the room; however, there was one particular voice that stood out among the rest.
“We’ll go!” Doha exclaimed, his eyes shining with excitement.
“Zeno and I will definitely go.”
My god