“That is not happening under my watch,” Bobby sternly said. “We may be a small company, but we can always fight for what is right.”
Zeno knew that was merely wishful thinking. On this planet, the more money you had, the more important you were. It didn’t have anything to do with how you acquired such money, nor the hard work you’ve put into it. It was the amount that mattered.
“Anyway,” Bobby said, clapping to break the tense atmosphere, “Zeno, please come to my office.”
Zeno gave him a serious look. “This is a one-room rental. Your office is literally right there,” he said, gesturing to the table just a meter away from the resting area.
Bobby smiled. “Well, come here.”
Zeno sighed and made his way to the ‘office.’ He sat on the chair in front of Bobby.
“Moby, the files,” he said, and with that, the shorter man began rummaging through a messy pile of papers on the shelf.
“Here, sir,” Moby said, handing the papers to Bobby. Then, his eyes widened when he saw a crumpled piece on the top. “Oh, sorry. Your daughter’s piano lesson fees got mixed up. You still haven’t paid for it, sir.”
Bobby pursed his lips. “Place it inside my bag. I’ll settle it later.”
With that, he turned back to Zeno, who was watching the exchange quietly.
Bobby then placed three sets of stapled papers in front of him. Zeno instantly knew what they were.
Scripts.
Before Zeno could even look through them, Jace had already joined their conversation. “He already has offers?” he exclaimed.
Sarang and Leni were also surprised.
“As expected. Zeno’s different,” Sarang whispered.
“I couldn’t believe it at first, too,” Bobby said. “However, when we released the statement yesterday that Zeno was going to join the company, these three individuals contacted us immediately.”
Jace clicked his tongue. “Must be nice,” he chuckled before going back to a serious expression.
Then, he pointed at Zeno.
“Don’t worry, Zeno Han. I will catch up to you in no time. I thought it wouldn’t come to this, but we have become rivals now.”
“For this day, I had been defeated. But rest assured, I won’t let you win so easily the next time,” he threatened.
Zeno’s eye twitched. What the heck was he talking about?
“Well, now, I shall bid farewell,” Jace continued in a formal tone this time.
“Where are you going?” Bobby asked.
“To another audition,” he said. “I will be seizing more opportunities!”
He sprinted through the office and made a cool pose by the door. Then, he slammed it shut. Not even a second later, they all went back to their respective conversations.
“Anyway,” Bobby said. “As I was saying, there are three available works for you at the moment. Since this is your debut work in the company, I want you to choose what you feel is best for you.”
Zeno picked up the first script and read the title.
“A Thing,” he muttered.
He read the first line and immediately knew what kind of vibe the director was going for. “A surreal and existential exploration of identity, perception, and the blurred lines between being a thing’ and ‘the thing.'”
“That script is really nice,” Moby said.
Bobby turned to him with one eyebrow raised. “Did you even understand it?”
Moby smiled before shaking his head. “That’s why I know it’s going to be a great indie film.”
Bobby shook his head in amusement.
Meanwhile, Zeno continued reading through the first page.
‘A Thing’ was an indie film produced by Evergreen Studios and their in-house directors.
It was about a man named Ting, who was lost in the monotony of life. He then embarks on a philosophical journey to prove he is not just another speck in the universe but something greater.
It was the type of movie that critics would rave about for being deep. In reality, it was going to be a silent film with gray color grading and an attempt to decipher what life truly was. Movies like these were usually three hours long and were left purposely raw for the ‘vibes.’
Zeno immediately placed it down after reading the first page.
Bobby’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “You don’t like it?” he asked. “This is Evergreen’s big movie that they had been teasing about. They want you to audition for the role of Dong, the main character’s best friend. He’s a funny lad who doesn’t think life is deep. I think you have a funny bone in you. This would be the highest paying one out of three, too.”
“Why don’t you read the next page?”
Zeno didn’t respond and picked up the next script. This time, it was a drama meant for the SK channel, the most popular channel in the entire country. Although it seemed like the time slot wasn’t favorable for the public, actors still wished to star in projects under it.
“This one is great too!” Bobby exclaimed.
“Crooked,” Zeno read.
“Yeah,” Bobby chuckled. “It’s an action film following a former thug who became a detective. Detective Gale knows the criminal world really well—because he used to be a part of it. With those skills, he becomes the greatest detective!”
“However,” Moby chimed. “They want you to audition for the role of Kade. You’re going to be the guard of the main antagonist. There aren’t many lines, but there’s a lot of action involved.”
“Oh, and it’s from one of Manshik PD’s apprentices—Myungdae PD. It’s his first mainstream work, but it’s already projected to become a great hit.”
“How many episodes is this?” he asked.
“16 episodes,” Moby responded.
Too long.
He already skimmed through the script and saw his name doing such ridiculous tasks—cleaning up cigarette butts, standing next to the main antagonist at all times, and swimming into the sea to get a piece of gold.
It was going to be a tiring role.
With that, he placed it down again and grabbed the next one.
“You don’t like this too?” Bobby exclaimed. “You don’t even have to read through this last one. We considered it because the writer liked you very much. He said he was a fan and wanted you to be a part of the project. However, I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
Zeno didn’t listen to Bobby and read the title.
“Stars in my Ordinary Sky.”