After the overview, the nominated actors’ most memorable scenes were shown one by one on the screen.
“Jihoon Kang, Stuck in the Attic of a Gangnam Apartment.”
Jihoon gasped, trembling as he pushed open another creaky door—only to find himself staring at the same dusty, low-ceilinged attic space. He sprinted forward, knocking over boxes and tearing down cobwebs.
But it was just another door. Another attic. And Another.
“No… No, this isn’t real!” he screamed, kicking the wooden floorboards. His breath came in sharp gasps as he gripped his hair. His phone had no signal. The hatch to the lower floor was gone.
He was drowning in an endless loop of confinement.
And then, his present self was shown on the screen, smiling shyly as he waved at the camera.
“Ian Seo, Between Worlds.”
A portal was shown, glowing silver against the night sky. Ian stood before it, his face wet with tears as he gazed at her—his human lover and the only entity tying him to this world.
“You were never supposed to exist in my story,” he whispered.
She stepped closer, her hands trembling as she placed them against Ian’s cheeks. “Then rewrite it.”
He smiled, but it was full of sorrow. “Some things aren’t ours to change.”
Ian, who was still on the stage, showed a thumbs up as the camera panned to him, earning claps from the actors and audience.
“Taewook Lee, Tablet Generation.”
The students sat around a fire, their faces no longer bathed in blue light but in the glow of real flames.
“I don’t even remember what my mom’s voice sounds like without the phone,” one student admitted.
Taewook watches them with quiet pride. They had fought him at first, desperate for Wi-Fi, social media, and distractions. But now, they listen—to each other, to the wind, to the world.
The real world.
Taewook, an actor in his mid-50s, stood and bowed as the camera focused on him. He had been nominated plenty of times before, but had never won. He was dying to win a Best Actor award.
“Haejin Kim, A Slow Death in D Minor.”
Haejin’s character, a failing musician, discovered a composition hidden inside an old piano. As he played, the melody seemed to summon something… or someone.
A slow, dragging sound echoed from the hallway.
He tried to stop playing, but his fingers wouldn’t obey.
Outside, the city streets were empty. The world was still. And yet, he felt a thousand eyes watching.
The song was unfinished.
And the dead were waiting.
Haejin, appearing cheerful and the complete opposite of his character in the horror movie, waved at the camera.
And last but not least, the reason why Zeno’s heart began to ache.
He turned to Minji, who was watching intently.
“Who is he again?” he asked.
“Phoenix Hyun,” she said. “He’s an actor who appeared only last year. This is his debut film. Honestly, I thought he was going to be nominated for ‘Best New Actor,’ but he’s in this category. Well, his performance was amazing.”
Zeno tilted his head to the side, wondering why he found him so familiar.
“You haven’t watched it?”
“No,” Zeno responded.
“Phoenix Hyun, Children of a Dead Star.”
The transmission crackled. His wife’s voice sounded desperate. “Come home.”
Phoenix gripped the broken radio. Outside the shattered base window, the planet’s sky glowed red. The ship’s engines were failing. This place—this planet—it does not let go.
A choice. Stay and die with his team, or leave alone and see his family again.
His trembling hand hovered over the launch button.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered as the engines ignited…
… and as the planet swallowed everything behind him.
Phoenix Hyun was shown on screen, and there it was again. Zeno couldn’t understand what he was feeling. Who even was this guy? He had never seen him before, not even in his past lives.
He shook his head and waited for the announcement of the Best Actor.
– Who do you think will win?
– It’s a close fight this time.
– Don’t you think Phoenix deserves it?
– This is Phoenix’s debut work. It would be insane. He’s going to break Daniel Byeon’s record.
– Even Daniel did not win ‘Best Actor’ for ‘Born to Conquer You.’
– Ian, please win! He deserves it so much.
“And the Best Actor is…” the presenter started off, creating suspense.
“Phoenix Hyun!”
The camera instantly went to Phoenix, who appeared surprised. His hand hovered over his mouth for a moment as he stood. The actors surrounding him gave him friendly hugs. Meanwhile, the other nominated actors clapped like great sports.
However, deep inside, they were ready to drown themselves in alcohol for the rest of the night… especially Taewook Lee.
Not Ian, though! Ian’s mind was filled with nothing but sunshine.
– Phoenix Hyun really did win.
– He’s an unstoppable force. He’s even signed with Daebak Entertainment.
– Yeah, it’s no joke getting into that company. I heard even Ian tried to audition but wasn’t accepted.
– It’s pretty weird, though. Phoenix’s performance wasn’t the best, in my opinion.
– Don’t you think he won just because he’s in Daebak? For the last ten years, the best actors for Celadon had only been from Daebak. Is it because they’re also the biggest shareholder in the SK channel?
– What are you talking about? Phoenix did a great job!
Phoenix went up the stage and began to speak. At that moment, he had established himself as an A-list actor, the fastest one to do so in such a short amount of time.
Along with that, Zeno stood, unable to decipher his aching heart.
“We still have the grand prize left,” Minji said, glancing up at him.
“I’m tired,” Zeno said. “It’s been a long day.”
Doha nodded. “Zeno had a long trip. Get lots of rest, our superstar.”
Zeno silently shook his head before heading to his unit. For some reason, the room felt awfully empty without the demon dog around.
“It’s peaceful,” he muttered, but it felt like he was convincing himself.
He then went to the shower, pursing his lips as he recalled the winner of the Best Actor.
“Phoenix,” he muttered with furrowed brows.
“Where have I seen you before?”