The crew was surprised by the tone of Zeno’s voice. He usually talked without much emotion, but right now, he sounded quite angry.
Jordie felt a shiver run down his spine, and he felt like he had to follow his instructions. However, he didn’t want to hurt his pride, so he stuck his chin up high.
“Why should I?” he asked. “The table was in the way.”
Zeno still looked into his eyes with an unwavering gaze. Jordie wondered how he could make such sparkling eyes appear scary.
“Pick. It. Up.,” he repeated in a calmer voice this time. Somehow, that was even more chilling than the first time.
Jordie felt like Zeno had looked down on him way too many times. With that, he decided to get on his nerves even more. Why would a notepad that didn’t even belong to him make him so angry in the first place?
Jordie looked down at the notepad before stomping on the blank page. Zeno’s expression didn’t change. Meanwhile, the others merely watched the scene, not knowing what to make of it.
“That’s enough,” Shelly muttered, hoping to ease the tension.
However, Zeno and Jordie were stuck in a psychological battle. Jordie was convinced he had won, but Zeno didn’t give anything away with his expression.
Zeno stepped closer, and at that moment, it felt like he was going to punch Jordie. A small smirk appeared on Jordie’s face. They were in a public place, and if he created a commotion by punching Jordie, then Zeno would take the blame.
Jordie closed his eyes, preparing for the impact. However, even after a few seconds, he didn’t feel anything. He opened his eyes once more and saw that Zeno wasn’t in front of him anymore.
Instead, he was right below him, holding onto Jordie’s foot and lifting it with one hand. He did it so effortlessly that Jordie began to wonder if his time in the gym had been useless.
Why the heck was he so strong?
The others silently watched as Zeno picked up the dirty notepad from the wet floor and began wiping it with his bare hands. Most of them looked at him with disgust, while the others were confused.
Just then, the old woman who lent them their stall arrived, a small frown gracing her face.
Young cleared his throat and greeted her with a smile, attempting to dissolve the tense atmosphere. He grabbed her hands and shook them warmly.
“Thank you so much for lending us your stall today, ma’am. It really means a lot,” he quickly said.
He was expecting the old woman to smile. However, she appeared confused. She waved her hand up and down in a slow manner. Then, she pointed at her ears before shaking her head.
Jordie clicked his tongue. “Our director is thanking you, old woman. The best you can do is acknowledge it,” he said.
The old woman still appeared confused.
“It’s alright…,” Young muttered.
Zeno then walked to the old woman and softly patted her shoulder. He began to sign, and at that moment, everything made sense. There was an audible gasp that rippled through the crew.
The cast members, too, became speechless.
“They wanted to thank you,” Zeno signed. “You were our lifesaver for today.”
She smiled warmly. “Oh, I should be the one thanking you. My son usually does this by himself because of my disability, but I didn’t want him to lose a day of salary when I was just stuck in our home.”
With that, she bowed at the crew with a wide smile.
Zeno turned to face them. “She wanted to thank us for helping her,” he said flatly, sending guilt down the hearts of those who had mistaken her.
Then, Zeno pulled her slightly away before giving her the notepad. It was then that the contents were revealed.
In messy writing, prompts such as—’Do you want to buy some fish today?’
‘My son caught it fresh this morning. Pick the one you like.’
‘We have mackerel, sardines, and hairtail for today.’
It was filled with statements that made it easier for her to sell the fish her son had caught. It was the evidence of her effort in trying to communicate with her customers.
However, it had been tainted by the dirty floor and Jordie’s footprint.
Jordie felt like he was punched in the gut. He could feel the stares of the crew on him, so he gazed down at the ground and began walking away.
“I didn’t do it on purpose,” he muttered. “That’s right. I’m not a bad person.”
Zeno saw him through his peripheral vision. He didn’t say anything hurtful to Jordie because Zeno knew—humans were hurt more when they saw the consequences of their actions rather than getting reprimanded.
“I’m sorry. It got dirty,” Zeno signed to her.
She shook her head. “It’s okay. The customers couldn’t understand it anyway. You don’t have to feel bad about it.”
Zeno sighed. If there was one weakness he could explicitly state, it was the likes of her.
Old people.
Maybe it was because he never experienced being old… or the fact they looked like grumpy raisins.
He had a soft spot for them—for being in this world for such a long time.
The old woman tapped Zeno’s shoulder, making him snap out of his thoughts.
“You sold out the fish,” she gestured, the smile on her face lighting up the atmosphere. “You are such a good and handsome man. You were raised well.”
A small smile appeared on Zeno’s lips.
Oh, the irony of it all.
He wasn’t even raised in this life.
“It’s you I should thank… for giving me this opportunity. You should rest. The people around you wouldn’t mind providing for you.”
The crew watched Zeno, feeling a newfound admiration sprout from their hearts. Who knew sign language was this attractive? More so, he was signing so delicately to the old lady that it made the scene appear even warmer.
It felt like a real-life portrayal of Jimin with his mute grandma, and somehow, that made it more touching.
It was a scene worthy to be shown on the screen.
So, without a second thought, Yujin turned on one of the cameras and began filming.