Moby hummed to Sarang and Leni’s song as they drove back to the city.
They had left the set earlier than scheduled. After everything had gone down, Devon had no choice but to halt the production temporarily.
His promise of fixing everything was already going pretty well. Devon was quickly becoming the media’s new darling.
He was the center of interviews, headlines, and trending tags.
#JusticeForExtras, #DevonPF, and, of course, #ZenoforNinthCircle were the main topics for the day. People loved a phoenix story. They adored a comeback narrative.
Devon was now being painted as the wronged genius with a heart of gold.
Zeno scrolled through one of the online articles as the city lights glimmered past the car window.
Next to him, Jace was sound asleep, snoring lightly. His head had fallen against Zeno’s shoulder an hour ago, and despite Zeno’s persistent nudges, Jace kept slumping back to his shoulder like a deflated balloon.
Zeno clicked his tongue and once again tried to push him away. As expected, he bounced back to Zeno’s shoulder.
His eyes drifted to Jace’s face. He couldn’t help but smirk when he saw his eyelids—puffy and red like they’d been gnawed on by a swarm of cockroaches.
The kid had cried more than anyone back in the seat. Now, he was clinging to Zeno like a koala in his sleep.
Zeno rolled his eyes but didn’t move him again.
Instead, he went back to his phone and tapped on a secure folder Raya had sent him—the one containing the evidence against Victor.
Some of it he’d expected. However, one folder caught his attention.
Saliva – Incident Evidence
Most of the evidence was taken by Raya herself—videos of Victor verbally abusing her and some of Devon. However, this one appeared to be taken directly from Victor’s phone.
“Saliva,” he muttered under his breath, scanning through the files.
“Mmh…” came a sleepy voice beside him.
Zeno turned his head.
“That’s the bar I want to get into,” Jace mumbled, his words slurred. “Prestigious. Like really… really hard to get in…”
Then, he was out cold again.
Zeno frowned, thinking back.
This was the bar that Billy took them to after being signed with Daebak. He remembered how the scent of a Rennis lingered there, but up to this day, he had no clue as to who it could be.
Zeno pulled up his browser and typed in the name of the bar. At the top, there seemed to be a recent interview done by a tall man with disarming glasses.
He wore a sleek suit and appeared to be very proficient with his work.
Zeno didn’t recognize him at all.
“Saliva is a high-end bar and nothing more,” the man said smoothly. “We hold ourselves to the strictest standards of operation. Any rumors linking us to prostitution are not only false but will be pursued legally. We do not condone nor support such activity in any form.”
Zeno’s brow lifted as he scrolled down to the comments.
– Who is this man, and where can I apply to be his drink?
– He could ruin my life, and I’d thank him.
– Idk. I believe him.
– Victor is a piece of shit for stressing this fine man out.
– Does he own the bar? Why the heck is it so hard to get into?
– Fuck Victor!
– Put all the blame on that lunatic!
Zeno pursed his lips. As expected from humans. Most people would forgive a person just because they look pleasing to the eye.
After a while, the van finally pulled up outside Dreamy Entertainment. It was late—well past nine on a Friday night. However, the city was alive more than ever.
“We’ll stop here first,” Moby said. “I need to inform Bobby about everything.”
Jace finally woke up, although it appeared that his eyes were still shut because of how swollen they were.
As the group climbed out of the van, Zeno was the last to follow. His steps slowed as he spotted three figures standing at the edge of the Dreamy lobby’s glass doors.
Zeno paused, and his brows rose slightly.
“Zeno!” Minji waved, bouncing toward him. “You’re back!”
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
Eli pushed his glasses up his nose and offered a grin.
“Based on the online maps, Doha’s gym is pretty near this area. We were fixing some stuff for the opening. We thought we’d swing by and drop by!”
Doha smiled. “We also prepared some food at the gym because the opening will be by the next weekend.”
“The gym bros are there. Do you all want to go?”
Moby lit up. “Ooh, ooh! Should we all go? I mean, we haven’t eaten yet, right?”
There was something weirdly comforting about how casual they were being. Not a single word about the chaos that had exploded in the set was talked about.
Zeno exhaled quietly. “Sure,” he said. “Let’s go.”
With that, they piled back into Moby’s truck, now more crowded and significantly louder, with Minji talking over Jace’s half-asleep babbling and Moby already playing gym-themed music.
The ride wasn’t long—just five minutes down a side road and into an alley lit with neon strips.
“Here!” Doha exclaimed, and Moby stepped on the brakes, parking it right next to the pristine building.
They got out of the car, and Zeno quickly caught sight of the sign perched on top. He stopped in his tracks, and his eye twitched.
“What…,” he whispered.
Drawn in bright, exaggerated lines was a cartoon version of himself.
Next to it, in bold block letters, was the name of the gym.
“ZERO TO ZENO”
“What is this?” Zeno muttered, squinting up at the sign to see if he had made a mistake.
However, that couldn’t be the case. He rarely made mistakes!
Minji squealed. “Do you like it? Doha had the idea!”
Zeno pursed his lips and let out a deep breath.
Then, he turned to Doha. “How much is that sign?”
“Pretty expensive,” he answered. “It even lights up at night!”
“I’ll just pay for a new one,” Zeno quickly said and tried to move to the sign to remove it.
“No, Zeno, No Swiping!”