“What kind of young man becomes a doctor at such a young age?” an attending asked the young man with a heavy dialect accent.
The young man lifted his head, instantly knowing who the attending doctor was talking about.
His classmates smirked, already used to such a reaction.
In a group of interns in their mid-20s, he stood fresh at 19 years old.
“For my family, sir,” the young man said, his dialect accent just as heavy.
The attending raised his eyebrows in surprise. “You grew up poor?”
“You could say that, sir, but it’s for my family. My son.”
Now, this was news to his classmates; they turned to him with wide eyes.
“Your son?” the attending exclaimed.
The young man couldn’t help but smirk in amusement. “Yes, sir,” he answered. “I’m doing this for him. To give him a chance to live.”
“Zeno,” someone said, shaking him awake.
Zeno snapped his eyes open and sat up, meeting at eye level with Jisoo, whose face had gone red from their proximity.
It was a dream.
She pursed her lips before speaking again. “We’re already getting our hair and makeup done. I knew you had a rough evening yesterday, but we’re going to start filming soon.”
Zeno nodded and got out of bed, surprising Jisoo with how fast he blinked the sleep away from his eyes. “I’ll be right there,” he said before going to the bathroom to freshen up.
As he felt the water cascade down his body, he thought about his dream again. It was that of his past life… well, past mission. He usually didn’t dream about the past. However, it seemed that being in the place where he became a doctor triggered it.
Jeju Island.
He shook his head in amusement.
“I was so enthusiastic, eh?” he muttered, remembering how that particular mission was special to him.
After that, he went out of the bathroom, got dressed, and joined the other actors in their new filming set.
As soon as he arrived, though, he instantly felt that something was wrong.
They were all looking at him weirdly. The people who never even spared him a glance yesterday were smiling at him with enthusiasm.
“Zeno, good morning!”
Risa, too, greeted him with a large smile. “Do you want to eat some breakfast?”
Ian even subtly skipped to where he was and wrapped one arm around his shoulder. “Did you get a good sleep?”
Zeno frowned and merely nodded, pushing Ian’s arm away.
After that, a plate of fruits was placed in his hands by none other than Selina. He stopped in his tracks, raising one eyebrow in inquiry. He was sure this woman hated him yesterday, too.
“I saw you eating those when we had a break,” she smiled. “I like them, too. Do you want a whole basket of them?”
Zeno pursed his lips. “If you like them, then have it,” he said before shoving the plate of fruits toward her again.
He walked away. Meanwhile, Selina looked at him with sparkling eyes.
“He likes me, right?” she said to the bodyguard. “What a gentleman, really. He even gave me these fruits.”
Her bodyguard pursed his lips and merely nodded, not wanting to ruin her happy mood.
As Zeno continued walking, he stepped on an empty can, causing him to trip a bit. However, he caught himself quickly and stood right away.
Chaewon PD saw the scene, her eyes widening in panic.
“Who placed this can right here?” she exclaimed, capturing everybody’s attention. “Do you know how dangerous this is? Zeno tripped on it!”
Zeno had to take a step back. “I’m fine,” he quickly said, knowing what the problem was now.
Chaewon PD remained concerned, even placing both hands on Zeno’s shoulders and giving it a gentle squeeze. “Just know, we will prioritize your safety. You are in good hands, Zeno. You don’t even have to do anything for this day except to look handsome in front of the camera.”
“That’s because I don’t have any more lines,” Zeno sighed.
There was a glint in Chaewon’s eyes that Zeno didn’t like. “Do you want me to add more lines for you?” she asked.
Zeno quickly shook his head. “That’s alright,” he said. “No need. I don’t want it. I don’t need it. Please, let’s go ahead with the filming so we can finish the filming on time.”
Chaewon chuckled in amusement, appearing jolly despite the increased budget for the movie due to yesterday’s accident.
“Alright, alright. Get some light makeup done, and we will start in a bit.”
Zeno stiffly nodded before going to the hair and makeup area, where the staff also looked at him as if he had saved the entire production.
The problem was everyone liked him.
He sighed as he sat on the makeup chair. “Am I that likeable?”
Meanwhile, three individuals weren’t too happy with the situation.
Hyunbin Lee, because he still believed Zeno was inflexible and had opportunities handed to him on a silver plate.
Jiho, because as Chaewon PD’s fondness of Zeno increased, her annoyance with him also increased. He sighed and shook his head as he grabbed the squashed can from the ground and tossed it into the trash.
And, of course, Minseok, who was being treated like shit by everybody else after pulling off that stunt. He didn’t understand! Everyone would do it if they were in his shoes. These people were just pretentious!
Along with that, the harem he imagined with Jisoo and Selina was thrown down the drain because it was Zeno they only looked at! His fists clenched in anger as he went up the mansion.
Selina was already there, and she glared at him when he arrived. “Oh, you’re here,” she said in a bitter tone.
“Don’t touch me too much, alright? Let’s get this scene over with. We might be dealing with fake fire, but who knows what you’ll do next?”
He pursed his lips before letting out a deep breath. She was acting like she was better than him when she was acting spoiled just yesterday.
With that, he became even more determined. Zeno had started later than him, but it felt like he was rising at an impeccable pace. At this point, he’ll surpass him soon.
That couldn’t happen.
He needed to find a way to make Zeno Han fall down from his glory.
“Enjoy it now,” he muttered, cracking his knuckles with a look of determination.
“It’ll be gone soon.”