“When are you going to stop bouncing your leg?” Zeno asked as he glanced at Jace. They were currently in a rented car with Moby, and they were about to arrive at their filming site for the next few months.
“I can’t help it,” Jace muttered. “I’m nervous. It’s my first time filming in an actual set and not just a green screen.”
Zeno raised one brow. He didn’t even want to ask him it.
“We’re here,” Moby said, appearing excited. With that, Jace and Zeno got out of the car and were greeted by a group of staff.
“Zeno!”
“It’s Zeno…”
“The fastest artist to get to the Rookie Class.”
“Oh wow. He’s much more handsome in real life.”
“Have this bottle of water.”
Zeno turned to Jace and gave him the bottle he received. Jace turned to him, surprised.
“Drink. You said you were nervous.”
Jace scratched the back of his neck and gave Zeno a peace sign.
“Thank you,” he smiled before they started walking deeper into the set.
Some of the extras turned toward their way, once again amazed by Zeno’s aura. Amidst the scenery, he truly stood out with his star vibe.
Meanwhile, Jace continued looking around, appearing like a fish out of water.
“Are those explosives?” he asked, turning to Zeno.
Zeno glanced at it once before shaking his head. “They’re fake. I doubt they would use real explosives on this show.”
Jace sighed in relief, but then turned to Zeno once more. “Wait, how do you know?”
Zeno didn’t answer this time. He had worked part-time in a nuclear power plant once, so he already knew the difference between a real and a fake one.
They continued walking until they arrived where most of the main cast were.
“Zeno!” Shin exclaimed. Zeno turned to him with a slight bow.
“You’re also here for the second season?”
“Yes,” Zeno answered.
Shin turned to Jace, who was shaking like a chihuahua. “And you?”
“We’re from the same company,” Zeno said.
“Nice to meet you. I am Jace. I am 27 years old. I am a really big fan of your work, sir. I admire that you debuted later than most actors but did not give up. You are a very admirable man,” he said in a robotic tone.
Shin laughed out loud, his hand over his stomach. “I see that you have a very funny friend. Welcome, the two of you. We’re still not complete, so come and hang out with the other cast members while we’re waiting.”
Jace nudged Zeno’s shoulder. “Is it really alright for me to come with you?” he whispered.
Zeno turned to him and raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“Well, you’re going with the rest of the main cast. I should be there,” Jace continued, pointing to the extras, who also had a group of their own.
The main characters only consisted of twelve percent of the entire cast. They were in one space, but the segregation was already apparent.
“Why does it matter?” Zeno asked once more, making Jace chuckle awkwardly.
“You go with them,” Jace said, gently pushing Zeno to the main cast. “We can talk later after the shoot is over,” he whispered before running toward the extras.
Zeno watched him with slightly furrowed brows, but he snapped out of his thoughts when Shin pulled him to where the main cast was.
“I almost didn’t believe you when you said you were friends,” Sora chimed after Shin introduced Zeno to the group.
“Eyy, I told you we were close during The Forsaken Prince. Right, Zeno?”
Zeno nodded wordlessly, causing Sora to chuckle.
“That doesn’t seem to be the case,” she smiled before turning to Zeno. “Nice to meet you. I think this is our first time officially acquainting. My name’s Sora.”
Zeno bowed in respect. Of course, he already knew her—the best actress from Celadon and the presenter from Triple A.
“Nice to meet you,” Zeno uttered.
He then looked at the roster of actors and noted that most were in the Triple A, too, with some older actors like Shin.
“Zeno,” he felt an arm wrap around his shoulder. He turned to the side and saw Billy with a wide smile.
“We meet again.”
Sora’s eyes brightened from recognition. “Oh, right. You guys were on Lucy’s Game together. That was such a good show.”
“Come to think about it, all of the shows I enjoyed this year were with Zeno,” Sora chuckled. “Is it fate that we met today?”
Shin clicked his tongue. “It looks like Risa got some competition,” he whispered to himself.
Sora nudged Shin’s shoulder. “I heard that,” she said, shaking her head. “I am too old for this young man. How old are you again?” she asked.
“25,” Zeno responded.
“See?” Sora exclaimed. “I am ten years older! Instead, we should be pairing him up with Misha. Where is she again?”
Zeno’s eyebrows slightly raised when they mentioned a familiar name. Shin and Sora looked around.
“She was here a moment ago,” Shin muttered. “Where did she go?”
Just then, Misha arrived with a wide smile, seemingly just having gone to the extras and given them some water.
However, her smile quickly fell when she saw Zeno. ‘So, it’s true that he’s here,’ she thought.
She kept a neutral face and bowed in his direction before walking away.
Shin and Sora were confused by her hostility. “Misha is quite shy around strangers, I think.”
“No, she’s not,” Billy chimed. “She spoke with the extras with so much warmth just now.”
The atmosphere turned awkward once more. Not for Zeno, though. Zeno could care less about what was happening.
Instead, he wandered his eyes around for a certain person.
Just then, footsteps grew near the entrance, and those surrounding it exclaimed loudly out of respect.
“Director, good day!”
“It’s the director.”
“Everyone, make sure everything is in order!”
Then, after a few seconds, he had finally arrived—the person Zeno was waiting to see.
“Sangwon Lee and Victor PD are here!”