In Dreamy Entertainment, the atmosphere was more peaceful than usual. They had been having their heyday ever since they moved to this place.
However, Jace’s voice broke through the peace.
“ZENO IS TRENDING AGAIN!” Jace announced from his beanbag, feet kicked up.
Across the room, Moby and Bobby turned in sync, their gazes reflecting alertness. “For what?” they exclaimed at the same time.
Jace spun his phone lazily. “I don’t know. I just saw it on top of the trends.
“This can’t be,” Bobby muttered.
“This really can’t be,” Moby echoed.
They both knew what that meant. Zeno trending could only go in one of two directions—the good or the bad. He didn’t have any work right now, so the latter was very possible.
“He was robbed,” Jace declared, blinking down at his screen.
“What?!” Bobby and Moby yelled in unison again. Bobby clutched his chest. “Zeno? Robbed?”
Jace tilted his head. “Wait, sorry. I misread that. He robbed a robber.”
“What?!” they exclaimed again, louder this time.
“Yeah, it says here that he bit a robber in the ass to stop them,” he muttered, sounding a bit unsure.
Moby and Bobby were stressed now. They couldn’t even believe that Zeno would do something like that.
Jace clicked his tongue and scratched the back of his neck. “Ah, I don’t know, actually. Just check the news,” Jace said, tossing the remote to Moby.
Moby fumbled it, then scrambled toward the smart TV.
Bobby, on the other hand, already had his phone ready, fingers flying, mumbling under his breath, “Please, don’t let Zeno have a scandal.”
“No,” Moby said, scrolling through the top trends of Sigmoid. “No way. Look!”
It was true. #ZenoHan was trending in the top 1 in the entire country. However, there was every variation under the sun. Clown Kicker. Zeno the Hero. Maxie. Ass-biter.
“Why is Maxie trending too?” Moby muttered.
With that, he clicked on the article that was the most viewed.
Zeno appeared like he just stepped out of an action film, hair slightly disheveled, with Maxie in one of his arms. He was surrounded by people—reporters, police, a grandma trying to give him cash, all swarming him like he was royalty.
The screen cut to the viral moment of Zeno flipping the clown-masked burglar onto his back, grabbing the stolen bag mid-air. Maxie bit the guy’s butt right after.
Bobby gasped. “He looks so good on TV.”
“I know,” Moby said, wide-eyed. “I see him every day, but I’m still surprised.”
“My bad. He wasn’t the one who bit the robber’s ass,” Jace added.
And then, the next scene rolled. Zeno, calm and breathless at once, stood in front of the reporter.
“I think the city should start investigating this whole clown mask
situation,” he said seriously. “It’s getting out of hand.”
“Very responsible,” Bobby whispered. “So composed.”
“Oh my gosh, look—he’s leaving,” Moby said.
Sure enough, the screen showed Zeno bolting out of the frame again, while the reporters screamed questions and fans from across the street cheered. The camera followed for only a moment, showing his back disappearing between the crowd.
“That’s gotta be the end of it,” Moby muttered.
But before they could even properly recover, the automatic doors of Dreamy Entertainment slid open behind them.
Zeno arrived, hair wind-swept, shirt still a little crumpled. Maxie was beside him, panting with her tongue out.
So, the feed wasn’t live, huh?
“What happened? How did you escape?” Jace asked, turning to face Zeno, appearing excited about the situation.
“I just ran,” Zeno replied, summing it all up. They waited for a more in-depth explanation, but knowing Zeno, he wasn’t going to give them one.
“It’s actually really good that you’re here,” Bobby said, setting down his iced Americano. He and Moby exchanged knowing glances.
Jace narrowed his eyes at the two of them. “What do you two have up your sleeve?”
“It’s nothing,” Moby chimed. “It’s just that—Zeno, you’re invited to another show. We just got the call right before you came in.”
Zeno didn’t move at first. He just stared up at the ceiling. He wanted to choose his next project, but he was still willing to hear them out.
Jace, on the other hand, perked up. “A show?”
“Yeah!” Moby excitedly exclaimed. “And get this. It’s with Gene PD and Bacon PD!”
Jace choked on thin air as he sat up straight. “Wait. Wait, wait, wait. Those two are teaming up? That’s like Spielberg and Tarantino in one room. What kind of project is this?”
“Nobody told us yet,” Bobby said, tossing his hands up. “It’s top secret. But only a few are being called in. Zeno, you’re one of them.”
“I don’t even know if I should feel honored or terrified,” Zeno muttered from the floor, one hand scratching Maxie’s belly absentmindedly.
“You should feel lucky,” Jace said, transferring to the spinning chair. “This is a big deal. They never collaborate. One directs masterpiece movies while the other does variety shows that always hit it big in the mainland. It would be ridiculous to pass up on the chance!”
Well, Jace had a point.
“What’s my role?” Zeno asked, finally lifting his head.
Bobby grinned. “That’s the best part.”
“There are no parts yet!” Moby chimed in, bouncing on the balls of his feet.
“What?” Zeno asked, confused. How could he be invited to a show if there was no script? He narrowed his eyes in suspicion. He had a hunch that this show wasn’t an ordinary one.
“I know, right?” Bobby said. “That was my reaction at first, too. However, the moment they mentioned Bacon PD and Gene PD, I felt it made sense to tell you the offer. Jace is right when he says this happens only once in a lifetime. I bet the entire country would be watching, too.”
Moby, Bobby, and Jace turned to him with wide, pleading eyes. Maxie, much to his surprise, turned to him too and gave a small bark.
Zeno didn’t like doing uncertain things, but for some reason, he felt he was going to learn something in this project—whatever it was.
After a while, he finally sighed.
“Alright,” he muttered. “I’m in.”