The office was back to its usual state of chaotic peace.
Zeno sat at the far end of the lounge couch, scrolling idly through his phone while the sound of clicking keys and digital gunfire echoed across the room. Jace was stationed right in the middle, his eyes glued to the glowing screen of his laptop. His fingers tapped across the keyboard, his tongue poking out slightly.
“Dude,” Jace muttered without looking up, “you have to try this. Gear of Guardians.”
Zeno turned to him for a moment. “Isn’t that the mobile game you always play?”
“They just came out as a PC game, and it’s even better.”
“No thanks,” Zeno said and leaned against the couch. They were summoned here by Bobby, but the older man still hasn’t arrived.
“I’m telling you. GOG is the new LOL. There’s lore. There’s PvP. There’s even a campaign mode. It’s disgusting how good it is.”
Zeno didn’t respond anymore because he didn’t even know what Jace meant by those words. It felt like an alien language.
Zeno shook his head, vaguely amused, but the moment was cut short when his screen blinked, and a quiet chime came from his system.
[Side Quest Available: Good Friend]
[Do Something Nice for a Friend.
Reward: Specialize an existing skill.
Deadline: 5 days.]
His eyes narrowed slightly. “What the hell…”
He tapped the notification again to confirm, and sure enough, it was there. A full side quest. Not a mission. Not a threat warning. Not an upgrade notice.
A side quest.
He stared at it for a few more seconds.
“Something wrong?” Jace asked between rounds.
“Nothing,” Zeno muttered. Why the heck would he have a side quest now?
Before he could think too deeply about it, the door opened, and Moby walked in, holding two iced coffees in each hand.
“Morning,” Moby said, placing three drinks on the table and keeping one.
The side quest seemed a bit reasonable, though, so there was no harm in accomplishing it.
Zeno glanced up. “Hey. Do you know any space here in Gangnam?”
All heads in the room turned to him.
“Wait—are you finally moving?” Moby asked.
“Woah,” Jace echoed, pausing his game and spinning in his chair. “Are you serious?”
Zeno gave a noncommittal shrug.
“Well damn, okay,” Jace said, perking up. “Actually, yeah. There’s a spot near my place. It’s really close to some commercial buildings. It used to be a recording studio or something.”
“Is it big?” Zeno asked, straight to the point.
Jace narrowed his eyes. “Define big.'”
Zeno just raised a brow.
“Okay, okay,” Jace chuckled. “It’s got a main room and a few smaller ones that can be repurposed.”
Zeno leaned forward slightly. “Is it furnished?”
Jace made a face. “Nah. But from what I remember, the bones are good.”
Zeno nodded. “That’s fine.”
“Oh, so you like them bare, huh?” Jace teased, grinning.
Zeno ignored the bait. “Send me the address.”
“Already texted,” Jace replied, giving him a mock salute. “You’ll like it. It’s quiet. Near enough to everything but not too close to the noise. You could set up a base there.”
Zeno nodded and screenshotted his text before focusing on Bobby who had just strode in with way too much energy.
“Good news!” he announced.
Everyone turned toward him.
“The script has been forwarded!” he beamed. “We’re officially in the pre-read phase. Jace, Zeno—your character profiles are in.”
Jace’s eyes lit up as he spun around in his chair. “Let’s gooo!”
Zeno glanced at him, a small smile appearing on his lips. Well, it seemed he bounced back pretty fast from his slump yesterday.
Bobby’s grin didn’t fade as he crossed the room, pulling out a stack of printed documents from his bag. “Filming is confirmed to begin two weeks from now. Location’s set. We’re going to Seodongpo Island.”
Jace blinked. “Where?”
“It’s this small island off the coast near Mokpo,” Bobby said, flipping to the first page and handing it to Zeno. “They’ve been building a whole set from scratch there for months now. I heard they even imported stone from Jeju for the terrain.”
Jace leaned over Zeno’s shoulder to sneak a look. “Woah. I want to be there.”
“You will be,” Bobby said. “But don’t get your hopes up about exploring. It’s not open to the public. But there is a hotel nearby for the cast and crew, very near the business district—so it’s not going to be that kind of isolation horror shoot like Code Black had.”
“Oh, thank goodness,” Moby muttered.
Zeno flipped through the pages. It had rough location shots, a diagram of the set, and even some concept sketches.
“So,” Bobby continued, “Jace—you’re Desperate #69.”
Jace nodded eagerly, not thinking much of the number.
“As expected, your character’s a jittery office worker with mild paranoia and a little trauma from childhood. You’ve got a background in Taekwondo, but you haven’t practiced in years.”
Zeno looked up from the papers. “You have experience in Taekwondo?”
“No,” Jace answered far too innocently.
“But I can do it,” he added quickly, not a single thought behind his eyes.
“You even have a line!” Bobby smiled widely. “Isn’t that so exciting?”
Jace’s eyes brightened even more, and he began tapping his keys harder out of excitement.
Bobby flipped to another page and turned to Zeno. “You’re Desperate #25.”
Zeno gave a nod. “Okay.”
He was already well aware of it.
“You are college-age and kind of aimless. You work three day jobs to survive. A morning convenience store clerk, a midday construction worker, and a part-time errand boy for whoever pays best.”
Bobby flipped the page one more time. “And in the evening, you’re a male gigolo. Beneath the rough surface, you have a soft spot for your siblings. However, because of the harsh reality of life, you also have an unpleasant personality overall.”
Zeno narrowed his eyes. He couldn’t even focus on Bobby’s latter words.
“Wait,” he said, halting Bobby’s narrative. “What did you say just now?”
“You have an unpleasant personality?”
“No—the one before that.”
“That you have a soft spot for your siblings?” Bobby smiled.
“No!” Zeno exclaimed. “Even before it.”
“Oh, you’re a male gigolo.”
There was a full second of silence.
Zeno blinked. “What?”
Bobby looked up. “Andre is your codename in the evening shift.”
Zeno stared at him, then to Moby, then to Jace.
“And in the first episode,” Bobby added, flipping back to the schedule, “they’re showing how the Desperates get recruited into the game. Your scene opens with a dance sequence at a lounge club. You’ll be in character dancing before you get scouted by the masked figures.”
Jace looked up from his game with an innocent smile.
“So… Zeno’s a male stripper?”