Just as Zeno fell to the safety net, the wind howled in his ears like a monstrous animal, pulling him violently into a memory he didn’t remember making.
“What am I doing here?” he exclaimed. “Am I dead? Is this heaven?”
A voice spoke from above, not really answering his question. “As the mastermind of everything, you shall be the first Rennis.”
His legs buckled, and yet he didn’t fall. He couldn’t fall as his arms were strung above him, restrained, wrists bleeding from the struggle.
“I’m not—what does that even mean?” he gasped, twisting helplessly.
Mastermind?
What the hell was going on?
He looked down on his bare feet on the scorched floor. His knees trembled. The air tasted like ash.
Others? Were there others? He couldn’t tell.
He glanced to the side and saw a wall of steel polished too well, allowing him to see his reflection.
His eyes were wide and wild. There was blood on his face and soot on his skin. But more than that, it was the same reflection he saw during his past life awakening with Master As.
The same man.
The one he didn’t want to believe was him.
What the hell was this? Why was he having a memory with this man again?
His head pounded. His breaths came in harsh gasps. He was shaking from the pain of not knowing.
And just like that, the world changed. The floor opened beneath him like an abyss. The fiery halls, the chains, and the steel wall were engulfed by smoke.
And now, he was alone.
Floating.
In a vast, empty sky.
One he recognized as Avalis right away.
Was this how it all began? He had been cursed after witnessing a fire in the village? How the heck did that happen?
“Zeno?” a voice whispered, the soft noise pulling him back to reality.
He jolted, and he could feel the safety net again and hear the wind machines from a distance.
Devon rushed toward him. “Zeno, are you okay?”
“Why are you crying?”
The last statement made Zeno freeze.
Crying?
He blinked rapidly. His eyes stung. His cheeks were wet.
What?
He didn’t even feel it. The tears had fallen without his knowing. Without permission. His chest heaved. His lips trembled slightly, but he held them closed.
Shit.
He slowly sat up, disoriented, heart still thundering in his chest. The medic tried to reach him, but he gently pushed the hand away. “I’m… okay. Sorry.”
But the staff weren’t convinced.
Zeno was still blinking as he was pulled back to the set, his hot tears cooling down his cheeks, sticking like dried sweat.
He didn’t even realize he had been crying; however, it became increasingly obvious because everyone around him was crying, too.
He narrowed his eyes.
The first he noticed was Devon PD. He had tissue paper stuffed in both nostrils, tears running down his face as he tried to hold it together.
“Damn it, Zeno… why did you do it like that? That was amazing. You’re even crying because you’re touched.”
Zeno’s eye twitched. That wasn’t the reason! It was the wind machines!
Moby was the next to crack. “That was amazing. The performance of the century.”
He waddled forward and threw himself into Zeno’s arms. “You’re really the greatest. Why did you have to die?”
Zeno sighed and pushed him away. “It’s my character who died,” he said to pacify the older man; however, it was no use.
Behind them, the set had turned into a funeral.
Apple sobbed. “That was so good,” she muttered, appearing like she had just lost a child.
She dropped to her knees, mascara trailing down her cheeks like war paint. “No more eye candy on this godforsaken set,” she said mournfully. “What am I gonna look at now? Sangwon? He has no pores because of editing!”
Sora, too, sniffled, causing Zeno’s eyes to widen. Not her, too!
“Zeno… even if your character died, you’ll always be the main character in my heart.” She raised a hand to her chest and nodded at him.
Goodness. Sangwon wasn’t going to like that.
Even the boom mic operator was sobbing. “I’ve held this mic for five years and I’ve never cried on set,” he croaked.
Zeno stood awkwardly in the center of the chaos, his eyes darting from one blubbering staff to another. This wasn’t what he intended. All he did was act. Cry a little (not deliberately). He gave a little shake in his voice. He didn’t mean to spark a collective emotional collapse.
“I think I broke them,” he muttered under his breath.
“I hate to say this,” Moby said amidst his tears. “But Zeno has to go now. He still has more schedules after this.”
That triggered the set even more, and Zeno wanted to strangle Moby alive for saying that. They could have left quietly!
As nearly the entire set lined up behind Moby, one by one, they raised their hands to wave at Zeno.
“Thank you for everything, Zeno!”
“You did a great job portraying your character.”
“Thank you, too, for letting Devon have his story back.”
“Thank you for bringing the light to this set!”
“You made this production more enjoyable than ever!”
Zeno couldn’t help but chuckle under his breath.
He scratched at his cheek, only to feel it wet again. Why the heck have his tears still hadn’t dried?
At that moment, Zeno couldn’t deny that he felt a little bit perplexed—or maybe, even touched.
He wondered why they were reacting as such.
In just that short time, had he become someone who mattered to these people?
Before he knew it, he raised his hand slowly and waved back at them.
And just like that, everyone started wailing again. Louder, this time.
“HE WAVED! HE’S REALLY LEAVING!”
“Nooooo!”
“ZENOOOOOOOO!”
“Damn it! I forgot to record this for my TikTok!”
“Zeno, don’t leave, please!”
Zeno chuckled once more as he stepped back, looking at all of them with a fond look in his eyes.
Looking at them like this… humans were actually pretty cute.