Misha had been living with this guilt for the past few weeks. After coming to terms with the fact that Zeno wasn’t a bad person who got his position in the industry merely because of luck or connections, Misha’s view of him changed.
She had tried detoxing herself of anything related to Zeno during their small break in filming. However, that was literally impossible!
It seemed like everywhere she went—both in the real world and on the internet—she could see Zeno.
Well, it didn’t help that the dog food brand her dog eats is from the one he advertises.
Whatever this feeling was, all she knew now was that it had burrowed somewhere deep inside her, and she couldn’t get rid of it.
She had wanted to talk to him. He wasn’t manipulative like she once assumed. And the way he handled everything on the set, she couldn’t deny that it was impressive.
So, she tried talking to him. She opened her messaging app, only to realize she didn’t even have his number.
Eventually, she asked Devon PD, in the most casual way possible, if he had it. She got the number—but even then, she couldn’t bring herself to send anything.
So when the finals of Gear of Guardians: Star Collission came around, she bundled herself up in a hoodie and cap, tucked her hair in, and joined the crowd. She wasn’t even a gamer, but for some reason, her heart raced every time his name echoed through the announcer’s mic.
’He’s a hot gamer,’ she had thought, arms crossed over her chest.
And now… here they were.
Scene 72.
She and Zeno would be kissing, and she still didn’t know how to feel about it!
Misha stared at him across the set, lips pressed into a line. Her palms were cold, but her face was hot.
“Let’s just get this over with,” she told herself. “Then I’ll apologize properly.”
“It seems I’m not the only one enthusiastic to return to filming,” Devon said just as the slate clicked. “Nearly everyone is here to watch the first scene of the day.”
Apple silently responded. “Oh, trust me,” she said. “We’re excited, but we’re not here for that. We just want to watch how Zeno kisses.”
And with that, the scene finally started.
Twenty-four hours. That’s what the system had given them. Twenty-four hours inside this cold, quiet room.
There were no doors or a way of escaping. There was only one rule.
Only one walks out.
Desperate #25 paced the farthest wall, his slippers, already worn after going through the other challenges, echoing off the tiles. A single hanging bulb flickered above, casting harsh shadows across their faces. Desperate #1 sat against the opposite corner, her hands limply resting on her lap, her face blank.
The system was begging for blood. They were given 24 hours to come to a decision, and only when someone dies can they go out.
If not, the two of them can die.
And now, here they were, hour nineteen.
Desperate #25’s jaw clenched.
#1 glanced at him and scoffed. “Seriously,” she muttered. “If you were really ruthless, this would have ended hours ago.”
#25 played with the knife in his hands. “What about you? You don’t want to kill me, princess?”
#1 scoffed and shook her head. “It’s not like I can even if I try. You wouldn’t let me.”
They’d fought the hours before, of course—verbally, strategically, physically. However, they couldn’t find it within themselves to end the others’ lives.
“You should sleep,” he said after a long pause, trying to break the tension between them. “There’s still six hours left.”
She laughed, humorless. “So you can kill me in my sleep?”
“Wouldn’t that be easier?”
“Then do it.”
His gaze went toward her.
#1 stood slowly. Her limbs ached. Her stomach was hollow, and her throat was dry. However, her eyes still had the same fire in them despite their situation.
“Just kill me,” she whispered. “Come on. You’ve done worse.”
He stared at her. “Don’t talk like you know me.”
“I don’t,” she admitted. “But I’ve seen enough.”
They had both seen the worst of each other in this game.
However, what made it difficult is they might have also seen each other’s best. In the last few weeks of missions, alliances, and betrayals, they had covered for each other during ambushes. They never acknowledged the silent helping; however, it appeared they both remembered it.
“You have a family,” she muttered. “I don’t.”
Devon gasped and nodded to himself. Goodness, their chemistry was really off the charts! He couldn’t even bring himself to cut the scene short and film in multiple takes because it was too good!
A silence stretched between them.
Desperate #25 took a step forward.
Then another.
And another.
Her breath caught. Her hands balled into fists. He was close now, too close. She tilted her head up, meeting him halfway with eyes, both defiant and broken.
“Say something,” she said. “You’re looking at me like—”
And then he kissed her.
It was rough. Fierce. The kind of kiss you give at the edge of the world, when everything is ending and there’s nothing left to do but feel something, anything, one last time.
She didn’t pull away.
He tasted her tears and didn’t know if they were hers or his.
Her hands found his collar. His hands trembled at her waist. Their breaths mingled like the life they’d never get to live together. He kissed her like he’d been starved of affection for lifetimes—because he had been.
Misha, honestly, was shocked by how fast everything was going.
She needed to finish her statement.
You’re looking at me like you like me—she needed to say that before they kissed.
So why? Why was Zeno kissing her so fervently at this moment? And why the heck did it feel so natural and good?
She had been kissed multiple times before in dramas. However, they were the kind that received hate because they appeared robotic. Yes, it was just a brief pressing of the lips. However, emotion was the most important part of those scenes! For most of Misha’s dramas, they had to make it PG-13!
This felt like an adult movie! Alright, maybe not—but Misha felt very flushed.
Apple and Sora held each other’s hands as they watched the scene unfold, mouths unconsciously opening with every movement.
“Dang, he can kiss,” Sora muttered.
“Yeah, he can,” another voice chimed.
She turned to the source of the voice. Okay, why did Billy just say that?
