It was already nine in the evening when Zeno arrived at his apartment.
He saw his friends lounging on the outdoor bed. Eli was reading a thick book with a small frown while Doha lifted water bottles as weights by his side. Minji was leaning against the bedpost while snacking on some fruits.
Zeno didn’t make any sound. However, he still captured his friends’ attention.
“Zeno’s back,” Minji brightly said, placing her phone inside her pocket and turning to him with an excited smile.
Zeno pursed his lips. “What are you guys still doing out here?”
“We’re waiting for you, of course,” Doha answered.
“So…,” Eli started off, clearing his throat. “… how did it go?”
Zeno pursed his lips and didn’t respond. Somehow, his friends understood what that meant.
Doha pranced to where he was and encased him in a hug. “Oh no! Did it go badly?”
“I wish,” Zeno sighed, closing his eyes. He wished it went terribly to the point that Chaewon PD would look at him with disgust. But alas, that did not happen.
“It must have been really bad,” Minji whispered to Eli, who nodded in agreement.
“It’s alright,” Eli said, trying to comfort his friend. “There would be more opportunities later on.”
“No,” Zeno quickly denied. There shouldn’t be any more opportunities!
“You shouldn’t give up,” Minji said, clenching her fists in front of her face with an encouraging expression.
Just then, Zeno felt a vibration from his pocket. He sighed and grabbed his phone, wondering who it could be.
‘Congratulations!’
As soon as he saw those words, the color in his face drained. He subtly shook his head. That can’t be. It must be a spam message.
As he clicked on the notification, he sighed in relief.
‘Congratulations! You’ve Been Selected for a FREE Laptop!’
‘Dear Customer,
You have been randomly selected as our lucky winner to receive a brand-new PacBook Pro – absolutely FREE! To claim your laptop, simply click the secure link below and fill out the short form. But hurry – this exclusive offer is only available for 24 hours!
Click here to claim your free laptop now!’
“Don’t click on it,” Doha quickly said, reading the message along with Zeno. “I lost all my money because of something like that.”
Zeno turned to him with raised eyebrows before shaking his head. How could he get fooled by this? Humans would not give such a thing for free!
Just then, he received a new message, and Doha quickly clicked on it. Then, he began reading it out loud.
“Dear Mr. Zeno Han,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been selected for the role of Dr. Song in our upcoming production. Congratulations! To proceed, please visit Moonrise Media’s Office 4B for the contract signing at the attached date and time. Kindly confirm your availability or let us know if you require any adjustments.
If you have any questions or need further details, feel free to reach out. We look forward to working with you!
Best regards,
Joohyuk Jang
Casting Director, Moonrise Media”
With every word Doha had spoken, Zeno felt like he was being strangled alive.
Minji and Eli turned to each other with wide eyes. Eli closed his book and smirked.
“Ah, you said you did bad, but you got such a good response in this short amount of time. Congrats, bro.”
“I knew you would be able to do it!” Minji exclaimed, clapping excitedly. She opened her arms for a hug but quickly retracted with warm cheeks.
“I believe this calls for another celebration!” Doha exclaimed.
Zeno, on the other hand, still couldn’t believe it.
[+1 Job and Income. New job offer.]
[Notable Meter: 14%]
He placed his hand over his heart and stared up at the sky, trying to control his thoughts because he didn’t want another penalty item. Still, he wanted the Ascendants to know that someone wasn’t fond of them.
As Doha continued planning his celebration, Zeno held out his hand.
“I’m not going to take it,” he said.
His friends turned to him with wide eyes.
“What? Why not?” Minji exclaimed. “This is such a big opportunity!”
Zeno closed his eyes. “There are plenty of actors out there who want this role more than me. I’m sure they deserve it more, too.”
Minji’s eyes sparkled. He was being humble again! Eli glanced at her but quickly looked away, shaking his head.
With that, Zeno turned around, even with Doha’s persistence. He started walking back to his unit, determined not to take the role. He just wouldn’t show up! He didn’t have a penalty quest to force him this time, too, so nothing could stop him.
He opened his door and was expecting to see Maxie on his bed again. However, much to his surprise, the evil dog was on the floor. She wasn’t even on her own bed. She was just lying down on the cold, bare floor.
“Hey, demon,” Zeno said, softly nudging her. “It’s time to sleep. I don’t want you to disturb me amidst my slumber, so go to the bed now.”
What answered him was a whimper instead of a growl, making him frown. He squatted and patted her after much hesitation.
“Demon?”
“Hey, demon. Stop being lazy,” he reprimanded. “If you want me to carry you, that’s not going to happen.”
Still, Maxie didn’t react. It was strange. She should have bitten Zeno with how much he was nudging her! Finally, he gently rolled her over. His eyes widened as soon as he saw her state.
“Maxie,” he finally muttered her name. “Hey, you alright?”
Again, the dog didn’t respond. Instead, she closed her eyes and started breathing heavily.
Something was definitely wrong.
With that, he picked Maxie up, her body limp against his body, and burst out of his door.
His friends were still having a conversation then.
“Convince him to take it!” Minji exclaimed.
“I’m trying to,” Doha sighed. “I don’t know why Zeno doesn’t want to take it.”
“Let him be,” Eli said, shaking his head. “He’s always been like that. He wants to be ordinary.”
“But he’s a good actor,” Minji muttered.
“Guys,” Zeno said, interrupting their conversation. They turned to Zeno with wide eyes. Then, they were even more shocked when they saw Maxie in his arms.
“I don’t think Maxie is doing well.”