“What’s going to happen to Zeno?”
“Is he really going to leave?”
“But he’s doing so well! It will be a waste to reshoot everything again!”
“Shouldn’t Victor PD be the one to leave?”
“Eyy, he’s the director—how can he leave?”
The production team was on edge. Everyone seemed to be walking on eggshells. The tension from yesterday’s confrontation still lingered, and they hadn’t gone back to filming just yet because Victor PD hadn’t given them the signal.
Zeno sat alone in the set of ruins, playing with the scattered pine needles, when suddenly, someone interrupted his alone time.
“Here.”
He looked up as a bottle was held out toward him.
Misha was standing next to him, holding out a tall bottle of pale brownish-green liquid.
“Is it poisoned?”
Misha’s brows furrowed. “No, you idiot,” she muttered, pushing the bottle closer. “It’s sealed.”
Zeno hesitated for a second longer before taking it. He didn’t drink straight away, but what Misha said next completely changed his mind.
“It’s root veggie juice,” Misha muttered. “It’s what I drink for my health. My manager recommended it to me.”
His eyes lit up like she had just handed him a treasure chest full of gold coins. He quickly twisted the cap open and drank the juice.
“It’s good,” he muttered.
Something fluttered in Misha’s chest.
A series of words went through her mind, making her feel like she had gone insane.
What the heck. Was he this cute? Why is my heart racing? It’s just juice. It’s not like I made it myself. Okay, but maybe I kinda wanted him to like it. Because I bought it. Is this what maternal pride feels like? Do I want to take him home now?
“It’s worth getting poisoned for,” Zeno added with a faint smirk.
“What do you mean?” she asked, snapping out of her inner spiral.
“Well,” he shrugged, “this tastes good. But you kind of hate me, so the possibility of being poisoned isn’t slim.”
“I don’t hate you,” Misha said too quickly.
Zeno raised one brow at her.
“Alright… maybe a little bit,” she confessed, avoiding his eyes.
He raised the other brow.
“Fine!” she huffed. “I had my prejudices, okay? You always seemed so… above everyone else. You felt untouchable.”
“You gave me juice, though.”
Misha sighed and let her pride down. “I just think it was cool how you stood up for Jace,” she muttered, “and for everyone else, too. It took a lot of guts.”
Misha turned to Zeno, but it appeared like he didn’t give a flying fuck. Was she talking to a wall or something?
“You’re not actually leaving, right?” she added, a little quieter this time.
He turned his gaze toward her now.
“Are you worried?”
“No,” Misha said, crossing her arms. “I just don’t want to reshoot everything. That would be annoying for all of us, especially the extras.”
As they talked, the more he felt close to her. The reason became apparent at that moment.
She was like Maxie!
With that, he raised his hand and patted her gently on the head.
It was such an un-Zeno thing to do that she froze in shock.
“There, there,” he said.
She smacked his arm lightly, heat rising to her cheeks.
“Don’t pat me like I’m a dog.”
He shrugged and leaned against his palms, the soil digging into his skin just a bit.
Then, he gazed up at the sky and murmured, “Like I said, if someone’s going to fall on this set, it’s Victor.”
Misha’s gaze lingered on him, taking in the calmness in his eyes.
“Well, it seems we’re not going to film soon,” he said, standing from the ground. “I’m going to sleep then.”
With that, he walked away, leaving Misha wondering why he was so at ease when his career was in jeopardy.
***
The first scream echoed in the first-floor hallway, followed by frantic knocks that dominated the entire hotel.
“Is this real?”
“Oh my god.”
“Someone posted it online.”
“No way. This can’t be true, can it?”
Devon was speechless as he stared at his phone. Victor PD’s wrongdoings had been exposed to the general public, and he was being feasted upon in online forums.
– What the fuck? So, was the script for The Ninth Circle written by his assistant instead?
– Justice for everyone on that set!
– He struggled for a good portion of his life. He should have struggled for more.
– Yeah, sometimes people are irrelevant because they deserve it.
– Damn right!
– Who leaked it first, though?
– I believe it was Zeno Han’s fanbase?
– Goodness, that’s scary. Those fangirls will do anything for their idol.
– Mess with everyone else except for angry fangirls. They can literally make you lose your job and make you regret ever living!
Despite the chaos outside his hotel room, Zeno gazed out to the forest, sipping on some hot chocolate.
Just then, his phone buzzed. He brought it out of his pocket and saw that Raya had sent him a photo of her and Hyunwoo. Behind them was the view of the sea, and despite staying there for only a few days, she already appeared better.
He didn’t think she would send the evidence so easily, but after a day of their talk, she did.
With that, Zeno sent her and Hyunwoo to Jeju island, specifically giving the name of a friend when he was a doctor in his past life. Zeno knew that his past friend would take care of Hyunwoo well.
The rest had been simple. He just made a dummy account and went undercover on his fanbase group chat before sending the evidence to those rabid and truth-hungry ones.
They did the rest.
Jace entered his room, his eyes wide.
“H-How did this happen? What’s going to happen to the production?”
Before Zeno could respond, he saw Devon emerge from behind him. Devon walked to where Zeno was and tugged him out of his room and into a costume trailer.
“You… did this, right?” he asked warily, playing with his fingers.
“No. Victor’s just getting what he deserves.”
“But this—” Devon’s eyes were frantic. ” There’s so much evidence. And you’re the only stranger who knows about it.”
“I can’t gather all that,” Zeno said simply. “You must have really good luck because it worked in your favor.”
“Good luck?” he muttered, leaning against the wall and swallowing hard. “Is it really good luck?”
“What’s going to happen now?” he asked, worried.
“Well,” Zeno said, brushing his sleeve. “He’ll probably get arrested. Or, at the very least, be investigated. However, most of all, he’s done for. He can’t bounce back from this.”
Devon’s breath caught. “But what about this project? How are we going to continue—”
“You’re going to continue it,” Zeno deadpanned.
“The investors might panic, but they won’t back out, not if you prove you own the story. The buzz is already helping the show, and there’s no way they won’t pass up on the chance.”
Devon shook his head. “What if I fail?”
“Well, you do seem like a failure,” Zeno muttered, causing Devon’s eyes to widen.
“But I stand by my word when I say this production won’t.”
“Y-you’re so confident.”
“I don’t understand it,” Devon added.
Zeno clicked his tongue and placed a hand on Devon’s shoulder.
“It’s not going to fail…”
“… because I’m in it.”
Devon looked at him with a stunned expression.
“So, just continue what you’re doing,” Zeno sighed. “You have a good cast behind you anyway.”