Night-Owl Romance
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Note: I might make Day 5 shorter in terms of how many chapters it contains – I used this 'hacking' issue to achieve this, 'cause – I really want Zen's leg to break already. LUL. Anyway, enjoy ~!
If you guys have any more questions or thoughts or parts where things seem too confusing for you, don't be afraid to comment so I can clarify things. ^o^
PS Rant: Getting kinda hard not to repeat phrases and finding new words, and not repeating one 42532 times over the entire fic - ugh. Rip slim vocabulary. Moving on~!
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Chapter 33: Frozen Hearts
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Zen plastered a cheerful facade after stepping into the theatre's halls, attempting to hide the misery eating its way through his numbed core. For the likes of him, the actor could not understand this shift in attitude from Mina's end and his head was hurting plenty than trying to find a reasonable explanation for her newfound harshness.
There was none fitting in a logical setting.
He was learning how easily swayed she could be in mood swings: one moment the party planner would appear fine and everything would be wonderful, the next – chaos. Out of the blue. The more he picked at the issue, alternating the explanations from Jaehee's meddling to his own personal texts, the easier Zen's mask of joy would crumble. His frustrations would leak out in countless distorted smiles as eerie clouds hung above. The actor had never ever meant to burden the girl, Mina probably having had enough of his presence and deciding it was too much effort to continue whatever this friendship was.
Too much of a hassle...
Well, she wouldn't be the first girl who'd have enough of the actor – funnily enough, this handsome chiseled face was cursed to live a lonesome existence. ^^ Zen might have to come to terms with it sooner than later, reminded of the failed-relationship trends which marred his teenage years.
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'Ashi... The things I keep sacrificing in this life.'
'If only to blame again were my incredible visuals.'
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'Maybe they are...'
'Who knows?'
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Sigh...
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Glimpses of melancholy were mirroring across his tired expression however the others were fairly busy to notice anything wrong happening with Zen. Initially, that is. Many souls had gathered at work today because of new rehearsals batches being hastily scheduled last night.
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The actor's departure from the musical had become official.
And the dynamics of the musical would suffer changes in accordance.
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Furthermore, the news of Zen's interactions with Echo Girl taking place in the nearest future had earned lots of gasps and envious banter within their small community. Fans of the idol were also between his closer acting mates who were head over heels whenever the topic came up. Apart from few looks of sheer jealousy, the silver haired male did appreciate his colleagues' earnest blessings and support. He took in their taunts with a grain of salt, quite a number complaining how they wished such an opportunity would befall in front of their own feet.
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"Zen, you lucky bastard!"
"Cherish her presence and thank the gods for this chance!"
"I wish I were you now... LUCKY!"
"Maybe they'll fall in love with each other!"
"Would be so scandalous!"
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"Scandalous indeed!", a female roared behind Zen. Pure, unadulterated anger was flaring up into his former co-lead's eyes.
He was too slow in evading her clutch.
The actress was especially temperamental since the news of his promotion because Zen's double might not be up to par with her genius performance. His inexperienced shine was like a flicker compared to her blazing sun, the contrast perhaps too strong for the audience's comfort.
She audibly groaned, wrapping an arm around Zen's as she engaged with him in a powerful side hug. "Honestly, why won't you participate in both productions? I am certain you could pull off both marvelously with your talent, hm?", the woman cried out dramatically for his help, but his hands were tied.
Literally.
Zen could not move an inch of his captured limb for her strength was... otherworldly. Nonetheless, she had been met with a strained smile as the actor was semi-apologetic for her plight. A bit. But, his colleague was too close for comfort, Zen's hands inadvertently going towards hers, to ease the woman's grip. He stopped midway as laughter broke the serenity of the pair.
"Well, not everyone wishes to become glowing Diva-sticks in the dark, thank you very much."
"Being human is utmost enjoyable. Well – not like you would know how it is to be one, old witch.", the intruding male snickered, arms crossed over his chest as he was leaning against the door frame. "Preying on the young and successful again, are we dearest? You should know by now Zen's not into cougars."
"Tch. Of course, you would ever so rudely interrupt a private discussion, Donguk. Worse than a mutt begging for attention.", the sweetness in her tone dissipated as poison laced words darted back at the chuckling individual who was already dressed in the forest green robes Zen used to sport for his former musical.
"Ghastly!", she shook her head, clearly disappointed by the view.
The outfit was completely ruined on such a mediocre figure but he ignored the attacks skillfully and returned them back tenfold. The man then turned his attention back to Zen who had since used the distraction to skillfully slip away from the actress' grasp and disappear before they could both mutter another word to stop him.
"Hm..."
The silver haired male was unusually passive within the argument compared to how he'd been in previous days, Donguk curious whether something was going on with him. This whole week, he seemed to be carrying a different kind of aura than normal – he couldn't put his exact finger on what it was that brought such changes. Not to mention, the old Zen would have been far more assertive with the Diva and not run from a fun bantering session this quickly!
Is he worried about the new part he got?
Sure, the scale of Zen's new production with Echo Girl was significantly higher but the type of work was similar in approach to what he had been doing for years. He definitely had the necessary experience to handle such a role.
Seriously, shouldn't the actor be majorly psyched about his miracle opportunity?!
The Zen he knew would have been annoying the hell out of the entire crew the minute he had set foot inside the theatre.
People were even betting on the moment he would become Diva 2.0 and (i)radiate them stronger than uranium – just like when he got his first major leading role in a musical years ago. Donguk never got the end of hearing how surprised Zen was, and thankful, and happy, and ecstatic, and blessed, and did he mention being thankful, and –
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"Hey, are you listening to me?!"
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The enraged woman was piercing Donguk's chest with her nails. "Oh, sorry."
"I did not realize you were still here, Diva. Must be a fault in your blazing sun – it's not visible enough for us true rising suns in the east.", he smirked, the actress's eyes slimming while revealing her polished white fangs.
"Why you..."
Their quarrel did not last long, Director Kwon's scolding putting a stop to their play.
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~oOo~
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The actor did not feel as if he were part of reality, neither trembling limbs nor full body belonging to him.
It was a strange sensation penetrating him. Ethereal. Surely it did not help having this awful weather, Zen wishing he could sleep during this snowy ordeal. The storm was raging and had covered up the neighborhood in a white blanket only mere minutes within. It had brought forth an indescribable frost, one worse than what had wrapped around him in the morning.
It's almost poetic how the natural scene was accurately reflecting the state of his heart.
He was pensively smoking outside the building, wearing only his thin sports attire – a dangerous and reckless habit Zen was building as of lately and maintaining. Ignoring the sharp bites in the revealing parts of his reddening skin, the actor was kneeling nearby the secondary staff entrance and was not hurrying up with his break whatsoever. He was going through his Black Angel pack quite extensively, at one point unsure himself whether smoke was coming out of his mouth or just the exhaled air.
"..."
Calming down was not possible.
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Zen's behavior was getting strange.
And noticeably so.
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The actor's breaks took longer than normal as well as the increase in their frequency which wasn't like him at all. His work ethics were pretty strict for he never messed around when it came to work.
Never.
Even when allowed to rest, Zen would rather train or repeat his lines – and co-workers' ones – while constantly trying to better his latter performances. However, especially with the upcoming responsibilities, watching the boy treat his new role so casually was beyond baffling. His depleted mood was showing through the cracks of his mask which remained unsealed due to the on-growing weakness caused by the party planner's dismissal.
It was getting increasingly harder to pretend he was fine, considering it was now a norm for him not reaching the girl due to 'dialing errors'.
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To imagine Mina doing this on purpose was... cruel.
Rejection of this level was ruthless.
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The worst part was Zen knowing how inexplicable and sudden it had been, the actor at a loss at what he could have done better to prevent this outcome. He had slowly fallen into a crouching position while supporting his pained, heavy head, losing himself within the scenery with his light-colored clothing and hair.
'Maybe there was nothing I could have...'
Anyway, people rightfully assumed the pressure from his new production was to blame for freezing the actor in this rigid slump. That must be what's getting to him! As such, some were stepping in to offer the youth precious advice and help him gain a positive outlook. ^^
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"It will all work well for you!"
"Trust in yourself!"
"You've been training all your life for this!"
– was the overall consensus.
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Zen was grateful for their concern and encouragements given, despite it not being the issue at hand. What the actor needed most was space and quiet in order to ponder over his following moves. Thankfully, the bad weather was keeping most people at bay, although his shivering body was not pleased with this temporary solution.
"..."
He had been trapped in the haze of his thoughts, not hearing another join the troubled youth shortly. Donguk was looking at the actor's crouched figure for some very long seconds, examining the stillness in Zen's blank stare towards his phone.
There was no mistaken it.
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"If I didn't know you any better, I'd say you were lovesick."
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"AH!"
Zen's heart instantly leaped towards his throat, his red eyes widening at the man towering in front. His emerald outfit was already put back into the dressing room for he was done with the costume fitting that afternoon, taking some time off before forcefully made to interact with the Diva and reenact one of their sappy love scenes at the demand of Director Kwon.
Make it believable, too. *yawn*
His head was filled to the brim by her criticism, Donguk desiring some fun and time away from the witch. This insanely wintery fridge was the perfect location for his plans.
Stalking Zen was a bonus~!
However, the silver haired male was silent, glancing away with a dark scowl and not interested in offering a semblance of a reply. In addition to being a grouch, he appeared pissed off more than anything by the remark he had made. Which meant...
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"..."
"..."
"No way...", Donguk mumbled, not knowing what reaction he was expecting when poking fun at Zen's serious face. He was joking, yet that muffled silence was closer to a confirmation than ever, the man's features twisted by an intense shock at the realization.
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Oh man!
Was he this close to the real truth?!
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"NO WAY!", he blurted out with sparkling stars hovering above him as he was carrying the widest grin ever. Zen had never dated anyone since joining their theatre company – at least, not once had Donguk seen the guy in close proximity to females unless it was work related or interacting with his fans. In both instance, he would try to maintain a respectable distance.
The man tried hooking the youth up plenty but getting Zen out of the house for a drink was a tedious task, often with a poor aftermath. And, now, he was apparently in a relationship with someone and... it might not be working out. Still, the fact that someone succeeded in snatching the boy from single-status was an achievement in its own, hence Donguk's curiosity rose.
"Now your weirdness today makes total sense! Is she working at the theatre? Does anybody here know her? DO I KNOW HER?!"
"What?", he was confused by the array of questions, Zen blinking rapidly in confusion.
"Your new girlfriend~!"
"HUH?!"
"Wait, is it Diva? I mean, you two were...", he winked. "Chummy."
Speechless.
"Wow... Don't tell me it really is that witch!", Donguk mimicked gagging noises but Zen wanted to hear none of this. What a pain... The guy was getting it all wrong on freaking purpose and pressing the wrong buttons. He did not want to discuss any of his ridiculous fantasies.
"Cut it out, will you?", the actor suppressed an eye-roll, getting up on his feet as to retreat back to the practice room, using the new production as an excuse to disappear.
"Oh no. Oh no you don't, sir!", Donguk walked in front of his path and put a hand up, stopping Zen in place. He was not leaving before spilling out the beans. The guy might seem pushy and too curious for his own good but whoever made the silver haired actor look like an abandoned puppy lying in a snow storm was – "There is nothing to discuss."
"Ah... Is it an unrequited affection?", Donguk inquired, the door nearly slamming into his face. Zen was not shy in emitting a warning for the guy – he was not to follow him unless he lacked having a nasty bruise before opening night, one that couldn't be hidden by any form of make-up found on the market.
Donguk's cheerfulness was tilting.
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'Whoa... she means that much to him?'
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'So curious!'
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~oOo~
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Hardships were not solely known to Zen that day, Mina experiencing quite a fair share too.
A train wreck was a fitting description for the girl's state after choosing to remain alert all throughout the night until emotions were failing to latch onto her expression. Her trembling limbs were a result of yet another white night endured as the cold was seeping inside the apartment – or maybe the accumulating exhaustion was shutting down her internal heating, no amount of clothing or blankets good enough to bring forth warmth.
Again.
It was extraordinarily loathsome...
The scare brought to her by the loss of her phone's functionality, plus the inexplicable crushing noises heard next door, had kept Mina's senses sharp. She had been stacking up the boxes blocking the entrance's doorway whilst sitting at the end of the hallway, legs brought together to her chest.
Waiting.
Praying for these interferences to end and her safety prevailing.
Mina had zero ways to contact people as not a single electronic device was working in this household as it should, laptop meeting the same dysfunctional faith shortly afterwards her phone cracked. It would randomly convulse whenever the silence was most tempting – her eye lids closed entirely after the sandman made his abrupt visit. Needless to say those instances were enough to jump scare the coordinator back into sobriety at the threat of an 'Unknown' attack in real life.
And this awful pattern went deep into midday, the girl staying a frozen presence in the corner.
*growl*
Her stomach was suffering and energy levels couldn't cope well with her body's neglect, the forced insomnia losing its grounds in favor of a most demanded sleep.
*buzz*
However, as Mina's phone was 'glued' onto her wounded hand, sometimes it would have episodes where it would want to reset and return to normal. Her contacts would be popping up on the screen – like a taunt. So whenever she sprinted towards Zen's name with the intent to write him a message or jump directly towards tech savvy Seven and seeking the hacker's help, the screen would befall into darkness.
Countless more hours passed until the fix finally came.
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The red headed hacker's doing for sure.
Her screensaver changed to the numbers '707' and a smug emoji.
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Mina blurted out in a laughing fit, quickly hiding her face into her palms while covering her angry, moist eyes. The party planner hated being played with in such a brutal manner by someone she did not know, did not hurt or had never taken for granted.
And yet she was treated like a broken toy, stuck in a haunted doll house for this hacker individual to endlessly torment – trapped in a terrible game sans an escape button. Mina could feel it in her bones that if she were to ever leave this apartment, leave this city, leave towards her actual home in Daegu – she would still have no chance of escaping 'Unknown'.
On the contrary, the likelihood of being caught and kidnapped was probably ridiculous.
And then Mina would disappear...
Without a trace.
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It was horrifying.
What prolonged Mina's sanity during these difficulties were thoughts of the actor, the party planner busying herself with remembering their conversations from previous days. It was the only thing calming her nerves down and was offering unbelievable strength as she was imagining the encouraging words Zen would give her had he known of her terrors. Additionally, she would be mentally replaying their telephone calls which were flooding her mind with a whole lotta sweetness.
His kind and gentle voice... was incredibly soothing.
Mina's heart was beating almost recklessly fast, motives behind the palpitations switching from dreadful to nearly happier tones. After all these hours going through five days' worth of memories, clashing and twisting them together to form a merry portrait, a decision was soon made regarding Zen.
Selfishly or not,
Mina wanted to remain safe and sound mostly for one single reason to happen in the near future.
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She was going to endure these terrifying days, living inside a dead woman's apartment,
Just so she could properly meet with him one day.
Mina would do so, no questions asked anymore.
No hesitation.
No excuses.
She wanted them to meet.
And would probably be too shy to admit it to his face, but...
She wanted him to stay in her life.
For as long as he could.
In any form he could.
Without him knowing, Zen had become a pillar too important for her to ever be demolished.
He was turning into a sturdy support she had sought after for years but had yet found,
Until becoming a part of the R.F.A.
Honestly...
Mina would be way frightened and broken at the moment,
Without him.
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~oOo~
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Seven's hair was in shambles from the pulling, the hacker's irritation at an all-time high because of this other hacker meddling with his precious software and codes! He truly did not know the magic behind these aggressive attacks or how he had been so successful in countering Seven at every step – the tools of trade must have been comparable to his monster computers. The intruder was bypassing through so many security areas and clearances that the red head was literally running a full-speed marathon just to make sure the final protocol of the apartment's security wasn't activated by either intent or accident.
Not while Mina was trapped in there.
The battle was tough and was reaching 12 straight hours of strategy play.
In the end, however, Seven managed to outsmart his opponent thus winning against the jerkface and reigning supreme leader and commander of his fort! Phew! He could finally drop down from his chair and spread across the floor like butter on bread, panting and sweating excessively due to the immense effort it took to gain back control.
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*SNORE*
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He was thankful of Vanderwood's cleanliness obsession with the state of his pigsty apartment. How else would the fuzzy agent have lowered down his guard enough so Seven could plant drugs into his meal course. The strongest sleeping pills he had in the house were used, making sure the effects were long lasting and his work uninterrupted for he could not afford any hindrances.
Seven wouldn't be able to live with himself had Mina been mortally injured.
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*BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ*
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Speaking of the coordinator, it was the girl on the other line.
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Seven was regretful, her warm and numerous 'thank you's being like darts thrown into his own heart. Because of his lacking skills to solve the problem faster, Mina had been suffering throughout the night. At least he had successfully managed to put her worries to rest before she left the call for a chat room opening.
"After all, I'll always be looking after you..."
"It's my duty...", he whispered to nobody in particular, closing his stinging golden eyes briefly, before getting up.
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He needed to add those extra layers of security, on the double!
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End note: I was searching through korean names and found the meaning behind Dong-uk on a website. It may not be a good attempt, but I tried doing a 'pun' on his name with the rising sun in the east.
From Sino-Korean 棟"the main beams supporting a house" or 東"east, eastern" (dong), and 旭"rising sun; brilliance; radiant" (uk).
The actresses nickname is 'Diva', her name is currently 'Unknown' –lol, pun – but she did make an appearance in chapter 19, if anyone remembers the one complaining to a sobbing assistant about the students and Mina, yada, yada. That's her. Whether she's an actual cougar or a young lady, Donguk likes messing around with – is left in mystery.
