Devon choked on thin air, so Zeno went behind him and aggressively patted his back.
He appeared shocked after Zeno dropped a truth bomb on him.
“W-what are you talking about?” he stammered while looking at the younger man.
Zeno observed his features as memories flooded back into his mind. He didn’t recognize him at first, so he didn’t react. However, this was Devon. Victor’s student when he decided to teach at a university.
It was when Sanjae’s mom became tight with the budget due to his hospitalization, prompting Victor to work so he could buy his own alcohol and cigarettes. It didn’t last very long because Victor wanted to continue making films.
However, Zeno still remembered Devon as someone who went to their house from time to time. Devon had an injury at that time, but he still appeared lively as ever. The Devon now appeared older than his age, making it hard for Zeno to recognize him at first.
Zeno shrugged. “I mean, if I was the one who wrote such a masterpiece, I would be cockier. You already wrote the first season. Why go out of your way to write this one too?”
Devon was truly at a loss. He didn’t even know what to say.
Nobody knew of this information except for him and Victor, and in the years they had worked on The Ninth Circle, no one had ever noticed. So, why was Zeno talking about it so casually?
Zeno observed Devon’s expression. He wanted him to be angry—that was the expected reaction.
However, when he saw nothing but a solemn look, Zeno quietly sighed in disappointment.
In order to get closure, Zeno knew Victor had to pay for everything he had done. The key to that was getting Devon to retaliate.
“Don’t speak about this ever again, Zeno,” Devon muttered.
Zeno didn’t react because he had already expected it. Still, he felt he needed to convince Devon to fight for what was right.
“Don’t you want your work to be recognized as yours?”
Devon chuckled and turned to the side. “What kind of question is that? Of course, I want my work to get recognized as mine.”
“Then, why are you acting complacent?”
“Because it’s not that simple,” he muttered.
“I have made it this far because of Victor PD. He was the one who pushed for this concept even though I didn’t believe in it.”
Zeno sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. He understood what Devon was feeling. No, he definitely didn’t. It could be much simpler than what Devon makes it out to be.
However, Zeno understood that all humans were different. Still, that didn’t mean he felt it wasn’t wrong.
“He treats you like shit,” Zeno bluntly said. “Along with those who were in the same situation as him before. Now that he has some influence, he feels it is okay to trample over others.”
He then placed his hand over Devon’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “This must mean a lot after you lost dancing,” Zeno started off. “You found something you can do again despite your lack of courage.”
“But don’t only think about yourself.”
“Think about how many more like you will suffer if he continues to have his reign.”
With that, he walked away, leaving Devon to ponder on his own thoughts.
Zeno then sighed and decided and to go to the buffet area to eat. On his way there, he saw Jace and grabbed his shoulder.
“Wait, where are we going?” Jace asked.
“To eat,” Zeno muttered and pushed him into the buffet area.
Jace’s eyes widened. “I’m not allowed here!”
Zeno narrowed his eyes and looked around. “Is there a sign here that says so?”
“No, but Victor made it clear that only the main cast can be served the buffet. The food truck is outside for the rest of us.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Zeno muttered. He could smell the scent of mashed potatoes, and he wasn’t in the mood to talk with the other stars. Jace would be there to talk on behalf of him.
“Come with me,” he said, making Jace cave in.
“Alright, but when I get in trouble, I’m blaming you.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Zeno said, brushing him off.
Unbeknownst to them, someone was watching their exchange from afar, cigarette smoke trailing behind him. Then, a smirk arose from his lips as he shook his head.
“So, you’re close with that extra, huh?” he muttered, his smirk widening with every second.
Well, he couldn’t get rid of Zeno. He was too valuable.
However, he can get rid of that noisy extra instead.
***
“Well, that didn’t work,” Zeno muttered and turned toward the window, watching the scenery pass by.
Their first leg of filming had just finished, so they were on their way back to the city. It had been quite eventful, and Zeno was thinking about another way to seek closure without Devon’s help.
“What’s not working?” Jace asked as he munched on some lettuce in a bag, snapping Zeno out of his thoughts.
Zeno crossed his arms and turned to him. “You seem happy,” he said, changing the subject.
Jace scratched the back of his neck.
“Did you get Apple’s number already?”
“No,” Jace quickly responded. “Can’t I be happy after the first week of filming? Aside from Victor PD revealing his true nature, it was quite fun.”
Moby nodded in agreement. “I didn’t expect that. I mean, he says it’s his directing style, but it’s too much.”
“You don’t know the half of it,” Zeno whispered to himself.
“Anyway, I have one more line next week!” Jace excitedly chimed. “I just hope Devon would be the one directing me instead of Victor PD.”
“He said I did a good job playing a nervous man. To be fair, I’m not even acting in some scenes. I just genuinely feel like that.”
“I got a compliment, so they won’t replace me anymore, would they?”
Then, he smiled, looking down at his lap. “I was worried for nothing. Somehow, the filming went well.”
Zeno pursed his lips and turned to the side once more. There was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind that relented.
As their journey continued, he began to wonder what kind of punishment he would meet if he didn’t complete this particular mission. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.
Just then, a notification popped up that answered his question.
[Punishment: Sudden Death]