Night-Owl Romance

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Chapter 18: Raven and Silver

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That cutesy punch right at the end was highly unexpected, Zen narrowly avoiding a heart attack as his phone slipped from his grasp, landing onto the ground with a loud clink. His pulse accelerated, waves of shock surging through his veins. The actor was completely dumbstruck because of what MC had so uncharacteristically done.

"J-JAGI!", Zen screamed, hurriedly picking up the fallen device with a relaxed sigh afterwards. He was glad it did not broke for it would have been a hassle to get it replaced considering his... lacking funds.

But,

His damn luck!

MC had already ended the call, allowing no chance for him to retaliate in outspoken words. The actor's feet wobbled, his back slamming against the wall as he brought a hand towards his face, tremblingly and sweaty. "AH! T-That troublesome g-girl!", Zen shrieked, head leaning against the cold surface as he stared at the sky, ruby gems sparkling underneath the moonlight.

He felt so strange...

Zen had many girls call him that in the past, sometimes during work hours by the younger female staff or the actresses his theatre company would collaborate with. Fans were doing it all the time, so you cannot say he was not used to it by now.

However,

Why did he like it so much when the word would roll out from MC's tongue- ACK!

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Zen was so shamelessly happy~!

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~oOo~

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"Jagi...

You're killing me here... I thought my heart was going to pump out of my body!

But.

I really hope your project goes well tomorrow.

Hwaiting~! I believe in you ^^!

Oh, and if you're still struggling with your project...

Here ~ *inserts selfie* ~ have another photo of my handsome visage. For your inspiration. *winks*

Jagi, let's meet in our dreams tonight, shall we~?!

Don't keep me waiting. *winks* "

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Mina wanted to drown into the couch's softness, head sunk deep into the fabric in order to muffle her screams. The girl's brain must have been seriously malfunctioning at the moment because there was nothing logical about why she had decided to call him 'oppa', merely a few seconds ago. The urge to poke fun at Zen in the same manner he would towards Mina, with that 'jagi' endearment he spew out so effortlessly, was simply too great, backfiring nonetheless. Also, even less logical was the moment she used it again when replying to the actor, ending the conversation with a good night and a secret promise.

"I'll do my best to meet you there, too~! ^^"

Zen could only muster a shocked emoji in return and hearts, finally putting an end to their lengthy conversation.

"Aigoo...", her throat hurt, the girl slipping down onto the floor and cupping her aching chest.

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*BadumpBadumpBadump*

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The rhythm was frighteningly fast, the coordinator feeling stuffy in this overly-furnished room. Mina scurried towards the window, opening it as wide as possible thus allowing the cold wind to graze her heated face with its icy touch. She welcomed the cold, feeling it invading deep inside her lungs as she tilted her head upwards. Honey brown orbs were tracing the darkness enveloping the town, Mina remarking how unusually pretty the sky was tonight, clear of any clouds.

"..."

Her thoughts inevitably wondered back to Zen, scrolling over his recent winking mug – flawless, like the rest of him was. The silver haired male sounded so cool tonight when he was retelling tales from his rookie days, choosing snippets with the hope that she might find them helpful for her situation. This touched Mina, not expecting the actor to put so much effort into answering such a vague question, smiling without realizing her action.

He managed to shed some light on many things to consider.

Mina would surely put some of his advice to good use!

"..."

Her finger traced the contour of his image, sighing deeply. She could tell that Zen really loved what he was doing, noticing how happy he seemed throughout the call and in this picture. No hint of sadness, pure unaltered joy.

Mina only hoped that she could one day rediscover similar feelings towards her art...

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She missed the passion.

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And experiencing such blissful happiness.

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"Ah well~!", Mina stretched her arms, looming her gaze over the clock. The girl scrunched her nose and pouted. It was a little over 4 a.m., giving her less than 8 hours to finish her artwork at this point. Well, she had been mentally prepared over the possibility of a white night, placing alarms to ring at every half an hour until the meeting at noon.

One could never be too careful considering her troublesome sleeping patterns~!

And the coffee table's spell...

Mina started feeling especially drowsy after 8 a.m. and particularly unwell with the approaching deadline, body trembling from exhaustion and rather sluggish in movement. She peeked over the last few drafts, feeling confident that she had done her best, listening to Zen's advice – Mina tried aiming for things she liked about the sketches, going from there to create the final piece; considering the lengthy break she took from art and her pulsating wrist, there could be no better quality than this.

Speaking of her wrist, the pain had numbed considerably, but Mina felt it wasn't a good sign. The girl carefully unwrapped the cast, instantly wincing at how inflated the area had become, still carrying a reddened hue and coloration from the bruising.

*deep inhale* 'Pull yourself together.'

She might need to visit a doctor which was not an ideal situation. The girl would only receive bad news regarding the condition of her wrist, thus she wanted to postpone a visit as much as she could. Reckless decision. However, judging by how it looked, Mina might have to seriously consider Jumin's offer and fast.

"Whatever..."

Examining the apartment, Mina decided to utilize the scanner and, with only the aid of the mouse, she did a couple of last minute photo manipulations on the sketch, cleaning some messy areas or adding some tasteful effects that she hoped would raise the poster's charm. Picking up some custom-made fonts, she added the title of the play a~~~nd –

"Finished~!"

She would applaud herself, but her arms were weak noodles that couldn't rise anymore.

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~oOo~

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Mina yawned like a lion as she stood by the building's entrance, uncaring if any pedestrians were around to see her rude actions. She felt her body's desire to shut down completely, constantly tapping a small twirling dance to resist this tempting urge. Her dream, currently, was to drop onto the floor and pass out without further disturbances for the next 12 hours – minimum.

"I don't even feel human anymore...(E)", she whispered to herself, brushing her coat against the dirty glass while she waited for reinforcements. Great mistake was spotting her tired reflection, adding more wrinkles to her discontent about her face.

"Zombie.", she scrunched her nose, picking up the phone from inside her pockets to pass the time.

Jaehee had rung Mina at roughly 9:43 a.m., announcing the girl that she'd managed to dispatch only one guard towards her location. The others were unable to be dismissed from their pre-existing schedules and considering the scandal surrounding their unit – she did not try to meddle in their activities for that day. Moreover, she had another piece of good news. Jaehee could offer the girl Driver Kim's contacts in order for them to use the company car, but Mina refused to be helped to such an extent!

"Today is a pleasant day for walking.", she lied.

Frankly, she honestly did not want to pass out in a moving vehicle, cars especially being very good at being snooze spots for the girl.

"Certainly, then I'll inform Driver Kim to stop preparing."

The follow-up was a surprise.

Among the text messages she'd received that morning, there were also a few from Yoosung. The blonde wanted to call but digressed in doing so for he was afraid the party planner would be upset at him.

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"MC, I wanted to apologize...

These days have been rough for me. TwT

And Zen was right. I shouldn't have taken my problems on you."

"I'm sorry, MC!"

"TwT – TwT - TwT!"

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Mina was thankful there was no lingering bad blood, putting the blonde's worries at ease. "I forgive you ^^. Stop crying~!" Still, she was surprised how intense his sadness was, mentally noting to chat with him properly later tonight.

And,

Speaking of Zen, the silver haired actor was curious whether she had managed to sleep well last night. He was saddened that he couldn't find her in his dream world but he wanted to cheer her up and give her courage ~!

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"No matter the outcome, be proud of your work ~!

Only this way, can you improve ^^"

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Mina appreciated his thoughts. A whole lot~! ^^ Though, she couldn't help teasing him in return – "How do you know I wasn't in them yet? Maybe you didn't know it was my face you were seeing? ;D"

"Jagi... I bet I would recognize you on the streets, unlike Yoosung!"

"I doubt it...", she softly smiled, staring back at the glass. Her dark circles were getting worse by the day, similar to her mood swings. If... if Zen saw her now, Mina was certain...

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He'd think Seven lied to them all.

Because she didn't feel pretty one bit.

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"Yo, Miss Choi~!", the girl heavily turned around, sighing internally at the sight in front of her. She would have preferred the calming silence of Jihae or even Jiwoo's arrogant attitude – but not him, she thought sourly, putting back her phone in her pocket before noticing the imposing and lean bodyguard standing at the edge of the pathway. Compared to yesterday, his entire outfit was of a different style, the male no longer wearing the company's uniform but sporting casual clothing – a precautionary measure, he admitted. Somehow, his casual appearance was more noticeable on the streets because he wore so much red in this sorrowful weather. Also, his sense of fashion seemed high end compared to her ordinary, cheap store clothing.

They both stood out together for different reasons.

Mina felt worse about her failing visuals... ()

"Man, you look terrible!", Jisoo remarked jokingly, disregarding the hurt and glare from the coordinator's eyes. She did not need to hear that! The guard moved in closer when suddenly he dashed towards her at high speed. The girl showed clear signs of tipping over from climbing down the stairs and caught her before an accident happened, like twisting her skinny noodle legs.

"Hey... you really do not look well.", he showed more concern this time, Mina pushing him away like he were fire to her bruised skin.

"I'm fine!", her voice was raspier and carried less vitality than yesterday. "I just want this day to be over with."

"Hn.", Jisoo presumed the close encounter with that lecher yesterday was to blame for her aggressiveness, clicking his tongue in irritation. His lack of judgment had nearly caused the mission to fail right at the end. The raven was thankful Miss Choi's necklace had fallen in the car, otherwise –

"Let's hurry up!", she commanded.

"..."

"As you wish.", it wasn't Jisoo's place to question such matters about the girl who flinched a bit at his rigid answer. 'He sounded just like Jaehee.' Jisoo kept his lightened mood though, standing by her side and vigilant of their surroundings. He made sure to match their steps, noting how she was definitely not hurrying it up regardless the urgency in her voice.

When it appeared like she was struggling too much, Jisoo mumbled without reservation – you can hold onto me. This destabilized her footing, the guard's arm flying around her waist supportively.

"...", Mina lowered her head, upset at her growing sickness and elevated heartbeat.

Eventually, she took in Jisoo's words when they've reached the subway. She was unable to descend these many steps without his aid as no functioning elevators were around. The coordinator ended up linking her healthy arm around his far stronger one, using the guard as a supporting pillar for the remaining trip. They remained close like that for the remainder of this journey, giving off the wrong impressions to bystanders.

Sometimes,

Mina would overhear unwanted comments from younger groups of people. Many women were fawning over Jisoo's impeccable visuals while debating on how much that pig had paid to keep such a hunk by her side. It was impossible for them to date without ulterior motives, ha ha~! She unconsciously gripped the guard's arm tighter, trying hard to shift her focus away from those stinging words.

Eyes were glistening and breathing intensified.

Unlike Mina, Jisoo was unfazed by any form of gossip, do liking the constant compliments. However, he was sympathetic to this uncalled harshness the girl was receiving and her depleting energy. To be fair, Miss Choi should have a higher consideration for her public appearance just like he had. Her face had the potential to become genuinely pretty if she looked more rested, for starters.

"So, what mobbing adventures do you have in store for today~?", he joked but earned a scornful snorting sound.

"Hopefully none.", Mina replied coldly, Jisoo bumping into her left side on purpose when she returned to silence. No reaction. His hand went to feel the cold skin of her neck – not even a yelp or any kicks in return. His cheerfulness faded, hearing her breathing sound much too forced like she was suppressing a lot of pain and not only tears.

But, that vocal group had already left the train.

A hand darted towards her forehead, this time her eyes popping towards his golden ones. Her attempt to glare did not hinder him for he clicked his tongue highly irritated. "As suspected...", he then looked over the upcoming station's name. Their destination was still far away.

"Next is our stop.", he announced, not long the doors opening. Mina tried to remain inside the carriage but the bodyguard was too powerful and dragged the girl outside with ease. "J-Jisoo!", she called out for him, wanting for them to return before the doors closed but it was the wrong call.

Her sickness was getting the best of her, Mina beginning to cough and slow down, legs nearly shutting down. The signs were dangerous and Jisoo knew them well enough, praying to reach that place faster.

They were very near when her legs had suddenly stopped and—

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"Feeling better, Miss Choi~?!", Jisoo sung the question whilst Mina was busy recovering from such a shameful moment she will never ever forget for as long as she lived. He had brought her back to the surface in order to breathe in fresh, icy air, while gulping down a delicious hot cup of tea as they were sitting on a bench together. The guard had her take a pill he had bought from the pharmacy, its effects helping her with the sickness – a lot. He would always use it when his sister had similar panic attacks, so he knew the medicine's worth.

Mina could answer 'yes', because she was indeed feeling relatively better, but... *looks at his discarded coat by her side* That sight was awful and gut wrenching.

"How are you so cheerful...?", she bit her lower lip, highly questioning the real intent behind such a stretched smile. Jisoo's job was to look after her sorry ass and, so far, she had given him nothing but grief.

'Does he require my permission to get angry?'

Because he was allowed to yell to his heart's content if so.

"I expected a bigger mess. At least the consistency was like water and it washed away rather quickly.", he grinned, giving her a thumbs up – Mina's head tilted down in pure shame, covering her face with both hands. "If... it makes you feel any better, that secretary of yours from the university did more damage back at my place than you did on a measly coat."

"Huh...", she blinked a few times, trying to find a correlation behind those words and her situation.

"What was her name... Eun-ha... Eun-so...?", he pondered confused, mirroring the girl's expression of confusion.

"The university's secretary...?"

"The one from SKY. She's a really poor drinker and cannot hold down her soju at all."

Mina's eyes narrowed down, momentarily unsure what he was referring to. Jisoo only cleared his throat, returning his gaze at the vegetation nearby while shaking his head and whistling nonchalantly.

Oh...?

Mina was puzzled how he knew about the woman's drinking habits when they had only just met yesterday, for a few minutes. "Twice~!", he beamed and it didn't take long for Jisoo's sentences to finally click inside Mina's brain, awful thoughts pooling inside. She had the urge to throw the remaining tea straight at his face in sheer anger and disbelief.

So that's why he kept that business card!

She ended up slapping her own face, moaning disgruntled by his inconsiderate arse.

"Hmmm...?", he did not understand her severe reaction. What if...?

"You fell for me too~?!", he cooed and narrowly avoided the half-filled cup from hitting his face. "Like I would fall for a shameless womanizer!", she blurted out, not understanding how he could be so upfront with this mess he had created!

"Hm. What mess? She looked really satisfied up to the end.", the accentuated word made Mina want to cover her face, shaking a lot because of the multiple delicate images threatening to snake their way through – unwillingly.

"There is nothing bad with a little consenting fun between adults~", he chuckled at her reddened expression, the coordinator grabbing his coat and furiously throwing it at him. That secretary had the final f**king sayin many things regarding the students at university. She could become their heaven or hell when mix-ups happened with grades or scholarships! Or...

"-When taking decisions about my re-enrolment!"

For Mina's sake, the guard had better not done something dumb to her! Or rude! She did not want to have the woman's anger reign over her, due to them being cousins.

"Like you'd blatantly lied about inside the office."

"You're overanalyzing things~!", he whined, flexing his legs left and right. "Coooousin."

"Ngh...", she did not have the patience, nor heart to linger on this issue further and Jisoo obliged, laughing heartily while gazing at those blushing cheeks. He was happier and felt more relaxed this way. The girl's squeamish reactions were what he wanted best to hear. The pill was working, Mina seeming to fair much better with her sickness.

Still,

Her wobbliness was present.

And when she realized what the time was on her cell phone that's when Jisoo feared that all his efforts were in vain, her complexion slowly returning to its ghostly hue.

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12:04

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She had missed the deadline.

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~oOo~

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"Aigoo, just my luck!", Zen growled, swiftly checking for any activity happening behind the opened door, before closing it shut the moment the coast was clear. He was thankful he found a moment to breathe, slipping into crouching position and taking the outfit's mask off. He felt drenched and hot... he had entertained the students quite well up until now but there were only so few questions he wanted to answer as his schedule seemed never ending at this point.

Rehearsals hadn't even started yet and he'd been tucked in the hot garments for over 2 hours, having early morning meetings with a hanbok organization, wanting to get Zen to model for their new clothing line. Or group. Or... something along the lines. Either way, he disapproved in doing such a thing and refused on the spot.

;====;

'Why won't people search to book me for my acting?!', Zen sourly thought, taking the pack of cigarettes he had smuggled out of the changing room. "Such a drag...", he exhaled, continuing to muse upset on the issue while restlessly swiping fingers onto his phone, with hopes to find some kind of relief.

Or hear news from MC...

"Has she reached her goal...?", he wondered out loud, 40 minutes past noon at this point and still nothing new in his inbox. The actor was curious and wanted to call so badly but he did not want to appear intrusive or interrupt her meeting.

"..."

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But he was so damn curious!

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"Zen!", a sharp voice rang from within the theatre room, bringing new highs to the actor's irritation who decided to take a walk down the alleyway and ignore the director's call. The silver haired male – now sporting a long, golden wig – wanted a few more minutes of relaxation, regardless of the consequences.

He felt like rebelling a bit.

The actor's schedule was apparently of less importance than that of a student, Mr. Lee having the audacity to moan to the director about it. "Would you find it problematic to possibly delay the play's beginning for some time?", the man went as far as to bow full 90-angle in front of the director who'd panicked and stopped him mid-way.

"No, no, no! There is no rush, ha ha ha!", the old male answered, earning sounds of disbelief from Zen. The others from the cast and staff weren't happy either but the students were a good distraction, many amazed by the artistic props the musical would have, being allowed to walk on stage and discuss the scenography in more dept.

While internally fuming, Zen, however, had overheard a few girls mutter to themselves. "Who is Assistant Lee waiting for? We have all gathered already from our class."

"Oh...?", the silver haired male was confused, his eyes automatically searching for the girl he'd seen alongside Mr. Lee's on the first day of their encounter. She hadn't arrived so it was logical to assume that she was the one missing and delaying things at the theatre.

He still recalled her name.

Mina Choi.

Still, why were people unaware of the girl's absence –

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*RING RING RING RING*

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Zen's walking faltered as he quickly picked up the phone but to his extreme disappointment it was only Seven. "What?", he grunted, not hiding his annoyance one bit. The hacker pretended to fake a heart attack because of the actor's harshness.

"Zen oppa~~~!"

"Quit talking in that disgusting manner! How many times do I need to remind you of this? ^^;;; People might overhear you!"

"Do you want me to tell you a secret, Zen oppa~?"

"Yo, are you pulling the same shit like a few days ago?", he narrowed his eyes, looking behind him in case anyone was following. None had imagined checking for the actor outside yet.

"Hmm... so you really ignored all I've said on the phone at the time?", Seven dropped the cutesy voice a notch, becoming hesitant whether to share the information he knew or not. He kept a watch over MC and was surprised when the GPS signals showed that she was taken out of the subway half way to the destination, going against the provided itinerary. MC appeared sickly, the hacker spending the noon ordering things online for her to send in a brand new package.

And now, she was in close proximity to Zen's location.

But, the real question was, did he deserve to know this detail?

"You're so snappy.", he muttered when the silver haired shrugged.

"It's not like you say anything of value to me-"

"You could have seen MC that day but you've missed her presence~~~!"

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"WHAT?!"

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"Oh, so now I've caught your interest?", the hacker's laughter was like a chain saw to the actor's ears.

"Why are you f**king telling me this right now?!", the boiling rage was indescribable, Zen really wanting to get the hacker in a strong choke hold and roughen him up to the point he would never dare hide such things from him ever again! But, as he moved out of the alleyway towards the theatre's main steps, the actor knew he had to calm down and control his voice, seeing he was in public.

'No, no, no, relax Zen, relax!', he used his self-imposed mantra, taking the deepest swift from his cigarette to calm down.

"Oh, don't act so angry or else I might hide it again from you, he he he~!"

His mantra was failing, ready to blast Seven's ears when he heard loud steps behind him. Zen instinctively stepped aside as he saw someone rush past him, followed by a large male who was yelling after the figure to slow down.

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~oOo~

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"Miss Choi, not so fast or you'll become sick again!", the raven growled but she had no intentions of stopping, running up the massive marble stairs up before slamming towards the door, trying in vain to open it. It didn't want to budge.

"Try that one, Jisoo!", she aimed for the other doors but the same fate happened for each they could see. "No way... it shouldn't be closed already!", she really felt like crying but the guard spotted the weirdly clothed individual they had just run passed by and connected him to this theatre building. Like, what were the odds he was an actual kook?

With a bit of luck, the guy might prove useful. "Excuse me!", Jisoo called for the actor, whose eyes bore directly towards the girl, recognizing her figure from the coat.

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Mina Choi.

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"Do you know where we can find another entrance opened for this place?", he jogged towards the wigged blonde and, it took Zen a bit of time to regain his composure from the momentary shock before he pointed at the alternative entrance, located on the theatre's left side. It was on the opposite, compared to the one designated for actors, which was on the right.

"Thanks.", the strange yet familiar man grinned, rushing back to that Mina girl, giving her the good news~! He was quick at grabbing her hand – without hesitation! – then guided her frail figure to where Zen had instructed them to, her head twisting backwards as they ran for the adjoined alley. She spotted the actor easily from that distance though not nearly good enough to distinguishing his features.

She had shown her shameful side once more in front of Jisoo, face flushed in the remnants of tears, a few glistening in her eyes even now. She did a quick, weird running bow, yelling a thank you as well to the nice person.

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'Hmm... so that must be the girl's boyfriend...?'

'But then, why did she allow Mr. Lee to have such intimate gestures with her?'

'And why would the boyfriend call her so formally...?'

'What a weird girl!'

'If I didn't know any better, I'd have thought it was MC...'

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Zen was busy clearing his train of thoughts, totally ignoring the hacker who was literally blurting his words by letter at this point. Furthermore – there was no reaction from the silver haired idiot!

"I can't with you Zen!"

"You deaf actor-oppa! Seven Zero Seven, going back to my space station!"

*ends call*

"W-Wait, Seven!", Zen yelled into the phone, eyes losing the newcomers' figures as they turned around the corner. He did not manage to hear what Seven had been mumbling about, distracted by the odd pair. The actor tried dialing back but no response came from the hacker who went as far as to write to him 'idiot oppa' for a few times in direct messages.

"Why am I the idiot now?!", he questioned Seven's childish sanity. However, he should end this prolonged break as the person he correctly assumed was missing had finally turned up.

She had been so, so late, Zen bitterly thinking this.

"Maybe I can actually start doing some work today."