“What?” Doha blinked, shoulders stiffening. “A gym?”
“Yeah,” Zeno nodded. “A dance studio gym,” he clarified, giving a small tilt of his head. “You said it was your dream to have one.”
Doha looked around the wide, mirrored space, his gaze skating over the empty floor. His hands slowly curled into fists at his sides, knuckles trembling.
Zeno looked at him and shook his head. The moment he got the side quest to do something good for a friend, this immediately came to his mind.
Doha had been their constant in so many ways. He cooked breakfast and dinner the most. He took care of Maxie when he was out. He reminded everyone to eat, hydrate, and always have fun at work.
It had been normal to them now, but if he wasn’t there, Zeno guessed this life wouldn’t be as… fun.
Zeno glanced away, fingers tucking into his jacket pockets. “I had too much money anyway. I couldn’t spend it all even if I tried.”
That much was true. After living so many years as different individuals, he realized that he just needed the right amount of money.
Right now, he had way too much—especially considering he didn’t know for sure how long he would be around.
Doha blinked again and sniffed. “So this is where you’ve been sneaking off to?”
Zeno gave a half-smile. “Yeah.”
“Why?” Eli asked.
“I needed to practice.”
“Practice what?” Minji asked.
Zeno looked away. “Something,” he muttered, scratching the back of his neck.
He had been here all week with Fu K. Yu’s stripping book, trying to make something out of his D-class dancing skills.
This author had always been ridiculous, but as Zeno thought about it, he had never failed him.
He turned to his friends and cleared his throat. “It’s for my new drama,” he finally revealed.
“The Ninth Circle.”
Doha couldn’t be happier. “You actually went with it?”
Zeno nodded solemnly.
Doha nearly dropped to the floor. Minji and Eli were shocked to hear such a big-name drama.
“So, this gym is for Doha?” Eli started off.
“Then, does that mean… you’re not going to leave?” Minji asked with furrowed brows.
Zeno looked at the three of them with one eyebrow raised.
“Leave?”
“Leave where?”
“Leave the unit,” Minji muttered.
“Why would I do that?”
“Because you can.”
Zeno sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “Just because I can doesn’t mean I would.”
“You’re not uncomfortable?” Eli asked. “Like you said, you need more space for when you’re practicing for your projects, and the location isn’t exactly prime.”
“I know,” Zeno replied. “But it’s too troublesome to move when I’ve been living there for too long.”
“It’s a little far from the city center, but that also means it’s more quiet. The neighbors are strange, but they already know who I am.”
“The stairs aren’t a problem. It’s an extra workout. The units are small, so they’re easy to clean. Maxie is already comfortable there, too.”
“Besides,” Zeno paused with a sigh, “you guys are there. So, why would I leave?”
Zeno said it so nonchalantly, but his friends took it to heart. Eli, who was a self-proclaimed tough boy, began tearing up after Zeno said those words.
Doha was already in tears when Zeno revealed that the gym would be his. Minji, on the other hand, couldn’t hold it together in the middle of it all.
“Why are you crying? It’s not that serious,” Zeno muttered, turning to the side.
There was silence for a few seconds before Zeno felt the warmth of a hug. Then another, and another.
“What are you doing?”
Minji sighed against his chest. “It’s a hug, you idiot. We’re doing it because we’re touched.”
“There are times when I feel like you’re not you,” Eli added. “But at times like this, I am reminded that you are our friend. You still can’t process emotions well, can you?”
Zeno clicked his tongue and turned to the side, allowing them to hug him for a few seconds. He counted to ten in his mind before pushing them away.
That was enough.
“Do you still need anything here? I had them install the mirrors—”
“This is more than enough, Zeno,” Doha said with a wide, genuine smile. “I have some money saved up because you also helped us with the free rent.”
“This has been my dream for a while, and I have accepted I wouldn’t be able to achieve it within ten years’ time. I don’t know how I could thank you hard enough.”
Zeno scratched the back of his neck. He still wasn’t used to such blatant appreciation.
“Just… continue cooking for us and taking care of Maxie.”
Doha’s smile widened. “I’ll be the best chef and dog sitter in the entire world!”
The three turned to each other with knowing smiles. They had been worried for nothing for the past week.
They knew they would accept whichever decision Zeno would make, but they couldn’t hide their happiness that their lifelong friend was going to stay with them a little longer.
“So,” Eli muttered, changing the topic to prevent himself from crying any further, “what have you been practicing for you to need a studio as large as this?”
Zeno remained silent.
“Tell us,” Minji chimed excitedly. “Maybe we can help you with it, too.”
[Side Quest Complete: Good Friend]
[Please choose a skill to master]
It wasn’t Zeno’s original intention to improve this skill, but he felt he had no choice.
‘Dancing’
[Dancing skill mastered. Current Grade: A]
Zeno didn’t feel a change in his body right away, but for some reason, he felt more confident about revealing what he was going to do with his friends.
“I’m going to be stripper.”
His friends halted, and they turned to him slowly in disbelief.
“My character will be, at least. I need to master it by the end of the week.”
Just then, a thud echoed in the room, and they all turned toward Minji, who had collapsed to the floor.
Doha and Eli sighed while shaking their heads.
“Is she alright?” Zeno asked.
“Don’t worry. She is,” Doha muttered. “She just likes it way too much.”