[+1 Public Perception. +10,000 followers]
[Notable Meter: 31.5%]
Zeno wasn’t even surprised anymore. He even posted something on his account, but his fans didn’t listen.
‘Don’t follow me.’
‘Please.’
– Aww, Zeno is so cute!
– Because of this, let’s give him more followers.
– I agree. Let’s get him to 30,000 by tomorrow!
They kept their promise.
Now, Zeno was on his way to the filming set of ‘Stars in My Ordinary Sky.’ He thought he would meet his co-stars prior to filming. However, it seemed Story Lab had a different approach. They focused on quantity over quality, so they seemed to avoid any ‘unnecessary’ meetings.
Zeno didn’t hate it.
It actually worked in his favor.
“We’re here,” Moby said, pulling up to the site—which was a school filming set. Surrounding it were smaller houses that gave off the vibe of being in the province.
“This is where you’ll be filming for three weeks,” Bobby said. “Call us if you need any help.”
Zeno shook his head and grabbed his duffel bag, placing it on his shoulders. “I’ll see you soon.”
“We can’t accompany you throughout the shoot because Sarang and Leni have a singing gig in Busan. We’ll drive them there.”
“They sing?” Zeno asked.
“Not really,” Bobby shrugged. “But they already paid us, so we’re going.”
“Anyway,” he continued. “Good luck! Let’s hope this is your big break.”
“I hope not,” Zeno muttered, opening the door and getting out of the car. With that, he started walking toward the group of people who were already setting up the equipment.
“Did he just say he hoped this wouldn’t be his big break?” Bobby asked.
Moby chuckled and nudged his boss’ shoulders.
“Of course not, sir. Why would he say that?”
***
The filming set was already a mess early in the morning. They were set to shoot three episode per week, but there was already a problem. Aside from the lack of manpower, it was obvious Story Lab scrimped on the equipment.
However, the main dilemma Young was facing was with the cast.
“Sir Jean,” he exclaimed, surprised to see the CEO of Story Lab at their filming site. The esteemed man was wearing a full suit paired with sunglasses.
“Young,” he chuckled, placing his sunglasses on top of his half-graying hair. “There you are. I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”
“But I’ve only been here,” he muttered. Then, he cleared his throat. “Actually, sir, this is actually good timing. I want to talk to you about something.”
“Me too,” Jean said. “But you can go first.”
Young pursed his lips, mustering up the courage to speak. “Sir, I appreciate you giving me this opportunity even though I’m only interning in Story Lab. However, the amount of people working with me isn’t ideal.”
“I’m the writer, but I’m also acting as the producer and director.”
Jean held in a chuckle. “Ah, youngsters these days do not want to struggle anymore. Everything is given to you on a silver spoon!”
At that moment, Zeno arrived, and he watched the scene before him silently. None of them seemed to notice his presence. For being such a handsome man, he had the presence of that one blue-haired kid in that one anime.
Zeno couldn’t help but smirk as he heard the suited man’s statement. This guy spoke just like Hyunbin Lee, if not worse. Hyunbin Lee truly struggled to get to where he was. This Jean guy had the company built for him by his business-inclined parents.
He shouldn’t be talking about silver spoons when he, himself, was born with one.
What a nasty being.
“Anyway,” Jean continued. “I came to tell you that my niece is dropping out of the drama.”
He might not be too bad, actually.
Zeno perked up after he said those words. Will the circumstances work in his favor right at the very beginning?
“What?” Young exclaimed, appearing shocked out of his mind.
Zeno turned to the younger man, whom he assumed to be the writer of the show and his so-called fan.
“We’re releasing two series for the month of March, and Kim likes the script of the other series better. That’s what I was planning on telling you yesterday, but I had my golf buddies call me.”
The young writer seemed to want to cry. Zeno almost felt bad. Almost.
“Anyway, that series revolves around influencers in high school and how they juggle fame and romance,” Jean continued. “I believe it’s fitting for my niece, so I supported her decision.”
“B—but,” Young stammered. What he thought was an opportunity to ask for better treatment turned out for the worse.
“We have hired another actress to replace her. She will be coming here along with the other stars.”
“Anyway, I only came here to relay that news to you. Now, I’m going to visit the other site. They’re just a few blocks away, so that’s convenient.”
Zeno turned his head to the side and saw a bigger school set not far away from where they were.
Young’s heart felt like it dropped to the pit of his stomach. Jean patted Young’s shoulder and was about to go on his way.
However, as he walked, he bumped into someone hard. Jean frowned and looked up. He was met by a handsome man wearing a straw hat.
“You’re… Zeno Han,” Jean said, narrowing his eyes at the younger man.
Zeno looked down at him with sharp eyes, causing a shiver to run down Jean’s spine. He had never met Zeno before but had heard of him. He was rising to popularity among a small fraction of drama enthusiasts.
He was also much more handsome in real life… with sparkling eyes.
Jean shook his head. It didn’t matter. In this series, he was their only saving grace. But even then, Jean was sure he wouldn’t be able to save the production.
“Zeno Han,” Jean greeted. “Nice to finally meet you.”
Zeno merely bowed, not bothering to give him a response. A small smirk appeared on Jean’s lips. It seemed he was more difficult than he had anticipated.
But then, he shrugged.
“Oh well,” he muttered.
“It’s time to see how my little Kim Kim is doing!”