“Wait, Jimin,” Sohee said, holding onto his shoulder. She couldn’t stomach looking at him biking through in the rain.
Just then, as if to mock him, a black brand-new pulled up right behind them. Jake got out of the car with a large umbrella—one that could cover the two of them.
Sohee turned around to look at him and bit her lip before focusing her attention back on Jimin. “What if you come with us? We’ll take you home.”
Jimin lifted his head, and the camera caught his expression.
[+5 Public Perception. 100,000 followers achieved.]
[Notable Meter: 44.5%]
[Penalty Quest: Attend a variety show within the month.]
[+10% if unaccomplished.]
[Penalty Item: Lament’s Embrace, Passive Booster]
[A heavy aura of melancholy will draw sympathy and unease from those nearby. Automatically activates during moments of anguish, sorrow, or fleeting hope, amplifying the user’s pitiful presence.]
It was at that very moment that Zeno had these upgrades, so when he was shown on screen, the pitiful aura went through the roof.
His eyes showed the hopelessness of someone whose first love got taken away right in front of his eyes.
Yujin gasped and covered her mouth in shock. His expression elicited something within her—the urge to give him a hug.
Zeno’s eyes were red because he kept them open despite the aggressive drops of rain.
However, that gave the illusion that he was crying but was using the rain to his advantage.
Young sniffed, feeling emotional that the scene he had written meticulously was coming to life. This was exactly what he wanted from Zeno!
Even the crew, who were used to working with below-average actors (if you could even call them that), felt like this was the type of people they should be filming—and not those with mere connections or influence.
It was incredible, and Jordie, who didn’t even want to acknowledge Zeno’s talent for the longest time, felt it.
Most of all, though, Shelly felt it.
Because of that, her expression was also very satisfactory.
Jake went closer to the two of them and covered Sohee with the umbrella.
“Are you coming?” he asked.
Jimin pursed his lips and placed his feet on the pedal.
Because Zeno felt like he had lost all strength, he fumbled with the pedals, adding to the small details of Jimin’s heartbreak.
When he finally managed to steady himself, Jimin looked at the two for the last time—still with the same hopeless expression.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he merely said before biking away, leaving the two of them under the shade of Jake’s umbrella while he got pelted by the rain.
The cameras continued filming the scene, with the focus on Zeno’s back. Even though his expression couldn’t be seen, his posture still emanated the sadness of someone who had just been rejected…
… or someone who had received way too many upgrades and penalties.
“Cut!” Young exclaimed through his emotional state.
The production crew was still in awe. Zeno didn’t stop biking, and they wondered where he was going. However, they let him do whatever he wanted.
They still couldn’t believe they had witnessed something so heartbreaking in real-time!
“What was that?” Sammy muttered from behind Jordie.
Jordie snapped out of his daze and turned to Zeno, who was biking in the distance. For the first time, he felt admiration bloom in his heart.
For the longest time, he didn’t know what he wanted to be. That was why he dropped out of high school in the first place and became an influencer.
He had the looks and body for it, so he became famous right away. And as much as it was enjoyable, he felt that this was something he actually wanted to do.
Act.
But not just that.
He wanted to act like Zeno.
“Are you alright?” Sammy asked after a while, making him snap out of his thoughts.
Then, his eyes widened when he realized what he just thought of. “I’m alright!” he exclaimed, louder than he had expected.
Sammy was startled. “I was just wondering,” she muttered. “No need to get startled like that.”
Jordie cleared his throat and stood straight. “I’m not startled,” he said, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
With that, Sammy smiled. “Don’t you think this scene is going to become legendary?” she asked.
“Zeno’s actually pretty good… and handsome, too.”
Jordie clicked his tongue. “It’s going to be legendary because of the storyline. You can’t give him all the credit.”
Sammy shrugged. “Whatever,” she muttered. “I’m going to try and get his number.”
Jaehyun and Shelly were also surprised.
Contrary to what Shelly initially thought, the scene had turned out differently. She thought she would struggle because of her giddiness with Jaehyun finally choosing her character.
However, at that moment, she couldn’t help but only think of Zeno—no, Jimin.
Yes, his character.
She couldn’t help but think that going with him wasn’t too bad of an idea.
Zeno, on the other hand, had reached the end of the set. He was stopped by a wall, his clothes still clinging to his skin. The skies were already dark, and his only source of light was the dim streetlight from the other set.
This set didn’t even have one!
He felt it all again—the hopelessness of his mission.
Zeno looked up at the heavens and was about to scream, not minding if the Ascendants were going to punish him even more. What he wanted was to get his message across.
However, before he could start screaming, he heard voices from the other side of the wall—the set where ‘Stars Among Us’ was located.
It seemed they were also filming late at night. Zeno’s brows furrowed when he recognized the other voice to be Minseok, while the other was someone he had never heard before.
“Are you sure your company has something on Zeno Han?” the unfamiliar voice asked.
“Yes, sir,” Minseok said, the cunningness in his voice heard even with the wall divider.
Zeno’s eyes slightly widened, and he paused.
Maybe hope wasn’t lost.