'A heartfelt and nostalgic story about friendship, fleeting youth, and the bittersweet beauty of first love.'

At first, Zeno thought it was going to be a badly-written love story about high school students. Bobby did mention that this was from a rookie writer who just happened to be a fan of his. However, as he read through the dialogues, it didn't seem too bad.

It was about a tight-knit group of friends navigating the ups and downs of teenage life. At the center of it all was Sohee, a bright yet uncertain girl standing at the crossroads of her future.

It wasn't revolutionary, but it wasn't going to make you cringe out of cheesiness.

In short, it was ordinary.

His proposed role was Jimin—the silent, enigmatic childhood friend of Sohee. Due to his silent nature, it appeared he didn't have many lines.

That was already a merit for him.

"This isn't going to be aired on television," Bobby added. "It's only going to be uploaded in a relatively popular channel on YouWatch. Along with that, it's a ten-episode short series, with the episodes ranging from ten to twenty minutes."

"Have you seen those types of series?" he asked.

Zeno nodded. They were becoming more popular due to the short attention span of the younger generation. Moreover, they were a bit clickbaity and were known for their mediocre acting and storyline. Yet it still wasn't as famous as mainstream media.

"This is the only role where you don't have to audition anymore, but I still think you should try your luck on these two scripts," Bobby continued, gesturing to 'A Thing' and 'Crooked,' trying to convince him.

However, Zeno's mind was already set in stone.

"I want this one—Stars in My Ordinary Sky," he said.

Bobby and Moby turned to each other with wide eyes. Then, Bobby faced Zeno once again, chuckling nervously.

"Are you sure?" he asked. "This is like taking a step back from what you've accomplished. You've worked with Manshik PD and Chaewon PD before. Ari Bae even wrote your first work! This is… regression!" he exclaimed.

Zeno shrugged. Even better.

"It's fine with me. The script's the most decent."

Moby's eyes widened. "How could you say that? This is by a rookie writer!" he exclaimed, pertaining to 'Stars in My Ordinary Sky.'

Zeno crossed his arms in front of his chest. He stood by his word. 'A Thing' and 'Crooked' were written to appeal to the mass media, or at least to the niche group of people they were trying to cater to.

'Stars in My Ordinary Sky' felt like it was written out of enjoyment. In trendier terms, it was made for the arts and not for the charts. 1

Zeno wasn't going for the charts this time, so this was the perfect choice.

Moreover, it was the shortest among all the scripts and would most probably have the most nameless artists. This was right up his alley!

"But—" Bobby tried to argue; however, Zeno shook his head.

"Didn't you say you want me to have the freedom to choose my first work? What was your motto again—we place our artists…"

"...above everything else," Bobby grumbled.

Bobby and Moby stayed silent for a couple of seconds before the former finally nodded.

"Alright," he said. "If this is what you want, then I will support you. However, for the next project, promise me that you'll take my suggestion into consideration."

Zeno didn't have to think about it. There wouldn't be a next project. This would be the last one.

"Okay," Zeno said without any hesitation.

Bobby's smile returned. "We have a deal then. For now, Moby will inform the writer that you have chosen his project."

Zeno nodded and held the script once more. He believed this was finally his chance.

"My ticket back to Avalis," he muttered.

***

In a small apartment in Seoul, a young man, barely out of college, was engulfed by darkness. His only light source was from the screen of his old laptop, which made such suspicious sounds that he was afraid it was going to break down soon.

Aside from that, he had to place a mini fan beside it at all times and use an egg carton to keep it cool while he used it.

He was writing the last part of his script when he received a long-awaited email. He quickly clicked on the notification and read through its contents. His smile widened with every word he read. It seemed like the dark room was slowly being illuminated.

"Zeno… agreed," he muttered.

After seeing Zeno's performance in 'Broken Chains of Justice,' the young writer immediately admired him. His smile—it held the sorrow that had inspired him to create one of the characters in this very script.

He immediately typed a response and the details of the filming. This was his very first professional project, so he was still getting the hang of it.

After he responded to Dreamy's email, he received a call that nearly made him fall from his seat. He grabbed his phone and internally cursed when he saw the caller ID. It was Jean, the CEO of Story Lab, a popular channel on YouWatch specializing in short series.

"Young!" the old man exclaimed from the other line.

"Sir," Young said, already feeling nervous, "is there anything wrong?"

The old man chuckled. "Why?" he asked. "Are you nervous we're going to take your slot away?"

Young held his breath.

"Don't worry!" Jean exclaimed. "I already got that reserved for you. You will have the whole of next month to air that silly, little show of yours."

Young sighed in relief. He had worked hard to get this opportunity. He even kneeled before Jean and his subordinates. That was how desperate he was. He had poured his everything into the script, and he wanted to share it to the entire world.

"But, you already know what to do, right? The conditions I've placed need to be met."

Young pursed his lips before responding. "Yes, sir," he muttered.

"Let my niece become the main character," Jean said. "Otherwise, I'm scrapping this show of yours."

classic