Night-Owl Romance

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Note: Happy birthday to our dearest actor, whoosh~!

Oh, man, I haven't updated this in a very long time but I have returned with a brand new update.

I hope wasn't too repetitive in content. To be honest, it's become a bit difficult to be creative in writing with so many distractions – games, shows, life, in general.

The Rika updates and V after ending – revived a lot of passion for me. Let alone these birthday chats with Zen, always fun getting tidbits of new info about him. I'm still unsure how to proceed with future chapters, hoping I can write the next parts much faster. It really depends of my mood and how i feel after finishing up a chapter. This one had first half changed in tune lots of times. Questioned many things but – in the end – this version is the one that was best out of them all.~!

Glad i could finish it for Zen's bday, giving the boy some good news at the end. X3

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Chapter 43: Insomniacs Seventh: Cat emoji and spam

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*TAP TAP TAP*

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The commotion of the day had quieted down a fair amount during the following hours, with a reduced online presence of the members up until later that evening. Rika's apartment had become eerily silent once more, minus the furious typing sounds coming from Mina's laptop upon which her attention had been fixated on. The dimming sunlight had created a perfect setting for the young one to resume her official R.F.A. activities in relative peace and seemingly undisturbed by external hindrances. However, the reality of the situation was that her progress had been greatly affected by these latest incidents despite her fingers sprinting vigorously across the keyboard. Mina's mind kept wavering as her focus became split between the never ending issues at hand.

Her writing had thus taken a heavy toll. "Doesn't sound right...", she frowned after having rephrased an e-mail several times only for it to continue being a mediocre piece of turd. Discouraged, she had unplugged the laptop and closed its lid shut, going on to then stretch her stiffened limbs and massage the back of her neck.

She sighed.

Previous mistakes on this party planning task had not gone completely over Mina's head without the girl having learnt at least one lesson. No matter how fast was the approaching deadline, Mina would prevent herself from forwarding any e-mails containing subpar replies because it would yield no positive results. She had no desire to see those awful red markers attached to the messages in her inbox, signaling her having chased away yet another potential guest instead of attracting them to the upcoming charity event.

Finding herself stuck in a writer's rut, a break rapidly ensued. 'What should I do...?'

Mina's heart felt quite heavy for not being able to make good use of this precious time she currently had at her disposal and be up to date with the guests' requests. She was upset for not being up to par with their peculiar standards required for a feedback, always having to research unique topics just to get a basic understanding of what was being asked of her. Sure, she had succeeded more than she'd failed at her task so far, receiving indirect praising through the R.F.A. members who were interacting with the guests in other private channels, and that should have made the coordinator feel a great deal of accomplishment and pride. But no matter how much good she was obviously doing, those invites slipping through her fingers by a thin margin were rather difficult to accept.

She wanted to see improvements and make as fewer mistakes as possible in anything she was responsible with. She really wanted everything done perfectly and to help the group organize an amazing party for the rebirth of the R.F.A's charity events.

Have Rika's memory shine bright and bring justice to her life's work.

But,

Mina was simply one human who was put in a challenging position that often seemed way out of her league. And her confidence wasn't that high to begin with, every failure chipping away at an already shaky inner foundation regardless said failures forming a huge minority compared to the overall achievements -

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! * ! CRACK !* !

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"AH!"

Her paranoia regarding intruders lurking outside the premises was also unyielding. Now that she didn't have those distracting e-mails occupying her desktop, and subsequently her mind, the silence became a more noticeable presence to which Mina continued to be weary of. These unknown threats hidden deep within the shadows were physically numbing her. Whenever she thought she could hear volatile knocks at the entrance door or the hallway floors nearby oddly cracking, the girl's palpitations would spike up to the point she thought her heart would actually exit the body.

And such uncomfortable sensations were giving her painful stomach cramps.

"Ah...ha...ah...ha...ah... haaaa..."

Moments like these were the ones during which Mina would feel the most fidgety, the girl carefully inspecting her surroundings as she feared each dubious shadow jumping in front of her view, the party planner reverting to the same reaction she used to have while living in her previous rundown building. The remnants of the past were distorting the happenings of the present and coating her eyes with a layer of unwarranted danger as nothing horrid did solidify into existence.

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Everything she 'saw' was inside her head,

the stress and her vivid imagination creating highly realistic illusions.

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Mina had to train her thoughts to persistently relay this exact information in order to escape those anxiety-inducing mental poisons. She had to trust that all the strange things she was experiencing remained as such – figments of her vivid imagination fueled by traumatizing episodes. Nothing more. Nothing less. It was not real. And it was not going to be real. Because, if anything were to truly endanger Mina at the moment, then she would have already been issued a warning and have bodyguards dispatched to her location.

The R.F.A. would have helped her in any way, shape or form.

They would have.

They would...

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Even if they would've been too late to save her.

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Also...

Speaking of the R.F.A. members, Mina had lost track of how often she had been logging into the messenger. The total count had to be about a couple of dozens by now. The coordinator was skimming through the chats in search of novelty conversations but she had found none of the members active – including Zen. Numerous hours had passed since his return home from the hospital but the actor had yet to make another appearance on the messenger after pouring his emotions online and the party planner had little hope she would see him before heading to sleep.

It was worrisome. "Oppa..."

Her mood soured.

After interacting with Yoosung and anxiously going through Seven's portion of the chat room before realizing it was the hacker's signature trolling which had her frightened for naught, there really wasn't much to do in the app. Lonely, this allowed her mind to remain troubled and continuously bombarded with restlessness.

And Mina needed an outlet for her bustling emotions.

"Alright – let's do it!"

Breathing in deeply, she decided that the best course of action to take would be calling Zen and informing the actor of her decision in meeting up with him within the wilderness of the outdoors! Considering her reply had already been buried underneath a ton of spam, she believed it would take a significant amount of scrolling up until Zen could personally read her answer.

That is, if he could reach that part while being subjected to Seven's teasing... -

Judging by the actor's previous reactions, he did not seem like the type who would take such jokes very lightly and would certainly get side tracked in his quest to obliterate the naughty hacker for messing with him. Moreover, calling Zen would definitely be health beneficial at the moment. His voice had a calming effect that could push through any veils of negativity nastily entangled around her body. Her stomach pains would surely lessen from his sweet balm. Similarly, she wished this effect could be shared by the troubled actor himself and see to it that his own problems were stepping down from the spotlight of the mind. The coordinator could already picture his expression lighting up tremendously at the realization that his jagiya had agreed to meeting up with him before the party.

Of her own accord!

A genuine grin would surely appear after hearing this, one that could set anyone's heart ablaze.

Her own included.

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*sigh*

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"What a silly girl you are, Mina.", she muttered scoldingly and rubbed her forehead as his ID popped onto her screen. *clears throat*Nervously holding her phone to the ear and rhythmically tapping her foot onto the floor, Mina pressed onto the dialing option and immediately heard a static click.

Her breathing hitched. "Opp-!"

Sadly, the call had instantly gone to voice mail and the jittery excitement she was exhuming died alongside its tune. "Oh...", she whispered, her smile having faltered. "It's ok~! I will try again!"

The second attempt, barely fifteen minutes later, carried the same outcome.

Third attempt thirty minutes afterwards – same thing.

Fourth attempt – nothing different.

Fifth.

Nothing.

Eventually, the party planner took the hint and put an end to her futile attempts in contacting the actor. She had to refrain from insistently bothering him because he was clearly not intending to be disturbed by others – or by Mina.It didn't bode well with her but she complied, thinking that he might have been resting in bed and focusing on his swift recovery, so he silenced the device. However, the uneasiness creeping inwards never swayed and her emotional outlet had to be directed elsewhere.

Alas... she couldn't stop worrying about him.

"I hope you're doing much better now, Zen. ^o^ And worry not, I'm sure there are plenty of opportunities left in your path for many years to come! I believe in your hard work~!", the girl prayed wholeheartedly and messaged him this short and sweet text.

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"I believe in you, oppa!"

"So please cheer up~!"

"And be happy~!" ^o^

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~oOo~

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Unfortunately, Zen wasn't faring too well.

He wasn't faring well at all.

He couldn't sleep.

He couldn't eat.

He couldn't drink.

He could barely zig-zag around the items littered across his floor without flinching every couple of minutes as everything was a constant reminder of his injury and the sheer idiocy behind it.

Heck, he could barely function properly and was struggling with completing the most basic of tasks such as taking a hot shower so he could get rid of the repugnant hospital stench churning at his insides. Zen could barely squeeze out an ounce of energy in order to get in and out of the shower basin itself, the silver haired male temporarily considering never leaving the shower as the blasting jet was seeping into his every pore and drowning him in a suffocating clutch. Eventually, his reddened skin had enough of this steaming-hot treatment and the immense stinging instantly woke him up. Zen then dragged himself outside and continued with his sluggish movement as he limped towards the bedroom where he'd heavily plopped on top of his unkept bed. The covers were soaking up the excess water dripping down his pale skin, staining it messily.

His energy source had been ultimately depleted.

And he remained lying atop his bed, immobilized, and with his bare skin exposed to the harshness of his environment and low indoor temperatures which dusted over his skin, turning it ice cold to the touch. Yet, the actor didn't feel the slightest discomfort – it was by far his least important discomfort.

Moreover, he didn't have the willpower to move an inch as he was completely trapped.

Trapped in this tiny basement apartment equipped with thick barred up windows like the ones you'd see in a prison holding while feeble street lights were penetrating the area and creating a shallow glow that was dancing along an invisible tune. He remained in isolation, stuck with his unforgiving thoughts which were spiraling around enough to give him a massive headache as his crimson eyes stayed completely wide opened and piercing the low white ceiling.

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Useless.

Worthless.

Talentless.

Punctured with weaknesses like some piece of Swiss cheese.

Just another handsome face wasting his life on an unattainable dream,

As countless young and impressionable little boys did before him.

And countless other will do after him.

A forgettable musical artist who had never played a noteworthy role,

And who had never gotten his breakthrough moment after what – seven.

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Eight years in this business?

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"F%$K!"

Surges of pain would often strike Zen's injured ankle, constant reminders of the glorious failure he had turned out to be. His breakthrough opportunity wasted away on reckless behavior. What a mockery of destiny., this dejected sentiment was echoing throughout his trembling joints, causing the actor's clenched up fists to sometimes violently punch those despicable words out of his head and forcefully replace them with happier memories.With happier images of the one person he knew that could touch his beating heart ever so gently and show him a kindness of the purest forms, stifling his pain by mentioning her name alone.

And, dear god, she could do it so effortlessly!

"Mina...", the name rolled out of his tongue like it was the most natural thing in the world. The more he spoke it, the more uplifting was his mood.

He wanted to see her...

He really, really, wanted to see her and selfishly be close to her as much as he could. But, at the sorry state he was in now, Zen knew he had no right to be around a person so wonderful because of his numerous shortcomings.

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And Mina deserved the best there was in this life~!

And not a failure...

Like him.

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"Ah..."

His ceiling was becoming glossier and increasingly distorted as if he were looking at it through a piece of glass.

Must be the exhaustion catching up to him.

Or the excess water from the shower that kept dripping down his face even hours later.

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~oOo~

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The first of the R.F.A. members to pop in that evening was Jaehee who was in the midst of diligently reading the past chat logs when she had been joined by her boss and the coordinator. He got tired of the abundant nonsense itching at his retina so he rapidly scanned through those logs, greeting the party planner who had completed their trio for tonight.

He'd noticed her unusual warmth in showcasing her exuberant excitement for both of their arrival. It had never happened since her inclusion in this organization so it was a bit of a surprise to him. A pleasant one! Nevertheless, he was more than willing to indulge in their newest member's small talk about various topics he saw fit, ranging from the top-quality wine he was tasting that had been concocted from the grapes located in his prized vineyard, to Elizabeth the Third's improving diet under his stricter management (a decision he was obliged to make due to his time abroad affecting her eating patterns), to his fresh business ideas revolving his beloved fur lady.

"Our Elizabeth the Third tea sets and feline cookies are in pre-production phase and the team is finishing up the final touches on these spectacular designs before proceeding onto the next stage – mass scale production and shipping the sets to our stores worldwide."

"Limited edition of course." *proud emoji*

"W-Wow! That's amazing, Jumin! Incredible! ^^;;;"

"I hope your own set will be to your liking." * (ミΦ ﻌ Φミ)ノ*

(º □ º l|l)/

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Mina started sweating profoundly.

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*thumbs up* "I'm certain it will~!"

Jumin was genuinely pleased by the girl's undeniable support and wished to repay her kindness. In fact, he didn't have the desire to hog every single topic within their conversation, shifting his focus towards Mina. He'd mentioned to the girl how he'd been inspecting the draft file of those party guests who had RSVP'd so far and his chest swelled with a nostalgic joy.

He was extremely impressed by MC's work ethics and results~! *(=^・ェ・^=))ノ彡 *

A pity how they weren't recruiting interns at the firm at the moment due to the upcoming winter festivities. Jumin was sensing a great deal of potential lying within the girl that would be tragic not to help nurture under his company's guidance.

"C&R could use a person like you."

Mina was damn right alarmed at this point, unwilling to become comrades in arms with Jaehee and share a common denominator in suffering at Mr. Han's company, so she had to wholesomely deny the raven's offer in the most polite manner she could muster. "Thank you! But, really, my passions aren't in the business sectors. ^^;;; Even if I may turn out to be a rather good fit and improve over the months, my heart wouldn't truly be in it and I'd be uncomfortable going on. I'd rather struggle down a path of my own choosing than head towards one that doesn't align with who I am."

"As you may, MC. But do know that my offers are not done lightly. I consider the best options for both parties and I do believe you are like a diamond in a rough – if polished, you can do wonders. And C&R could help you with your future career prospects so weigh in over it carefully, please."

"Maybe I will be different in the future, Jumin. But my current answer is clear as day."

*sad kitty emoji*

"^^;;;;;"

Meanwhile, Jaehee had remained quiet during their full exchange and only intervened when their discussions threatened to return to other cat ventures Jumin had in store for the following year. It would be too unbearable to handle for her mental state that was already in peril from what she had discovered. Furthermore, she needed to voice out her frustrations regarding MC and Zen's shifting relationship as her expression had been completely drained of color at the notion of them being in close proximity to each other. With the actor's foot wrapped in a cast, the only place they could comfortably hang out with would be at his home which she deemed as – "unacceptable behavior!"

The woman was in deep shock.

The party planner would honestly be willing to visit a young single man's apartment who was living alone in there, one she had never met before, on what seemed to be an emotional whim. It was an incredibly unwise move to make in any scenario, whether he were an acquaintance to her or someone more familiar. Both being members of the same organization did not erase the dangers it posed as Jaehee deemed their decision as very rash and quite inappropriate. This had the potential to lead them to a very awkward and scandalous path if rumors would reach reporters from those gossip media or his precious fan base.

Zen did not need his career dangling at the edge of a cliff because of the coordinator.

Not to mention the silver haired male was also in a vulnerable condition due to his injury and had been quite distraught over this predicament, so Mina should have been the level headed one here and do the mature thing by refusing the actor's plea until the party date had arrived. She should have pondered over this carefully and not allow her fleeting feelings get in the way of what was truly the right path to take.

"If Zen's is in dire need of someone helping him cope with his misfortunes, he can rely on us. Rely on the older members of the R.F.A. Plus, we can provide him with what he needs so he can focus on recovering his health, whether it would be food, medicine or entertainment options."

"I hope you understand, MC."

"I am trying to show you the best solution which could satisfy every requirement of his and simultaneously stop things from escalating towards scandalous territories."

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She didn't understand.

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But she also did.

Which made it that more painful to listen to Jaehee.

Mina was so incredibly hurt by how twisted her intentions could be misunderstood, it was borderline maddening. She was unable to type due to her trembling fingers messing up the letters in furious typos so she couldn't defend her choice which she still held onto tightly. Selfishly. She did not want to reconsider visiting Zen. She refused! She wasn't plotting anything inappropriate and was not going to allow anything of the sort.

What's more, she would be extra careful of people lurking outside his home and be vigilant of camera flashes on the streets.

Really...

Mina simply wanted to help a friend in need who'd personally wished for her to be next to him. Why would such an innocent request lead to dangerous outcomes? Zen was desperate for a comforting presence and he could only think of her, so she gladly accepted this task. Also, it just so happens that her needs were similar too, the girl pining for his comforting presence.

The situation could only be interpreted as a win-win case for both of them.

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Mina only sought her close friend's companionship.

Nothing inappropriate.

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But her defense lied on deaf ears.

Heh.

Whatever...

Talking to Jaehee regarding this subject would always prove to be a difficult matter. The woman could not stress how unreasonable Zen's request was and shake her head at the actor's bluntness. It was reckless to ask of this from Mina knowing the plights she would be facing.

"Don't forget the hacker's still at large."

"And that other individual is also missing out of police custody."

"I worry about your safety too, not only Zen's wellbeing..."

"Please see it from my perspective..."

If the actor required the group's aid, then Jaehee would gladly step up for this job and do whatever she could to improve his mood and odds of recovery. Moreover, if she wouldn't be enough for him, then the other R.F.A. members could also chime in and visit his apartment. Bring every necessity he lacked as to not put additional strain to his leg – "The Dandelion Squad can protect the girl, Assistant Kang."

Jaehee had been cut off abruptly by Jumin and she almost coughed up blood at the sight of another cat emoji sent by Mr. Han.

"Excuse me, sir?" *surprised emoji*

"Zen has a tremendous amount of flaws, but one trait he does possess is keeping good to his given word. He won't do anything upsetting to MC if we ask him to behave. Plus, I do not mind what the group members do in their private affairs if it's all in good faith."

"Mr. Han! I'm afraid this plan will not do! The Squad is still under heavy scrutiny from the university debacle so Chairman Han had forbidden the team's use in personal matters. The shareholders weren't keen on the company's human resources spent like this too. Also, they are on a security clearance envoy tomorrow at X industry in Busan. It's for Chairman Han's personal visit, none can refuse the mission."

"Then choose one of them to take on an emergency personal leave tomorrow. Have them in civilian attire and ask Driver Kim to join him. I will personally vouch for both of their absences if my father or any other at the firm has anything to complain about."

"Does this mean I may visit him?!", Mina's smile returned as Jaehee logged off the messenger.

"But, do not be at ease yet. Assistant Kang does have a point regarding your security. Until we know the culprits are safely apprehended to the police, then this visit cannot stretch out for too long."

"For how long can I stay out?", she suspected the reply wouldn't be to her liking.

"An hour at most."

"Oh...",and her suspicions proved correct.

"If you deem more is needed then it cannot come at a free cost, MC. So I would like a favor from you."

"Favor? What kind of favor?"

"If you do this one thing for me then I can try extending the time you two have to a couple of hours. However, my men will have orders for your immediate extraction afterwards.", Jumin added and went on explaining his problem – a missing model for his cat commercial, a spot which hadn't been filled in yet. The same commercial that Zen had already refused to work on, quite passionately raging how stupid the whole idea was.

Mina scrunched her nose, immediately realizing the man's intent.

If the girl managed to use her sole hour in convincing the actor to play in the cat commercial, then he would close the deal with the girl and give her the desired time extensions. "He's allergic. Even if it were for me, I don't believe he would forfeit his decision."

"Can't you, please, find other available commercials where he might be a better fit for their concept...?",she sighed in defeat and was beginning to imagine the few activities that could be summed up in an hour before receiving a hopeful reply.

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"The tea commercial – if no other method functions."

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~oOo~

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"ACHOO!"

His throat nearly shattered by the forceful pressure.

"Uuuuugh...", Zen moaned in a hoarse voice as he brushed over his heated forehead with icy fingers scratching the sweaty surface. The actor begrudgingly opened his eyes that felt irritatingly swollen and was instantly smacked in the front by a cold breeze creeping up on him.

Brrrrr!

Blinking, he could barely recognize the shapes of his furniture now that the bed room had been colored pitch black, a sign that he had finally succumbed to sleep and had woken up in the middle of the night. He started coughing and sensed his throat being in a pretty rough shape, his voice really sounding worse for wear. Drinking beer with the guys at pubs did not cause such vocal strains so this was pretty new to him.

Great...

That's what he was lacking in this shitty mess, a cold to complete the piece of resistance for his physical demise – even though the actor getting a cold was fictional at best. Even while growing up, if he ever did develop symptoms and required doctor visits, it was only during his infancy period. Illnesses basically stopped bothering him after surpassing kindergarten years. On a tangent here, but the actor did feel his longest healthy streak ever would come to a close thanks to his poor life choices as of recent.

"What time is it...", he wondered tiredly while grabbing a pair of clean sweat pants and a shirt from his closet, too lazy to scoop up any clean underwear. Fifteen minutes later, he was scooping down a Cass while unlocking his phone. His screen was immediately inundated with countless messages from various people he knew: theater group mates, past colleagues from his troubled youthful days and – "Mina...!", he exclaimed with a tired grin and scrolled through her texts.

"Oh?"

"..."

"Sorry..."

He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead onto the screen, inhaling air deeply while feeling his swollen orbs stinging once more. 'For real, this girl is killing me...', he thought in a pained manner.The hour was far too late to warrant an urgent call so he wrote a genuinely sweet text in return to Mina, thanking the party planner for her thoughtful words and apologizing for having her worry about him this much.

He was doing alright~!

As always, Zen was going to overcome this tiny slump of his and advance towards other opportunities and projects. For sure this wasn't the end! He would keep on chasing his set goals and improving his craft, step by step. He will join various auditions and, without hesitation, put his 110% into them all so he can reach his lifelong quest no matter what it took~!

He shouldn't stray from his dreams at every obstacle he'd face!

Otherwise, he wouldn't be worthy of his dream if he were an easy quitter or if he kept whining about the unfairness of the world. If the world wasn't ready for him yet, then Zen would work harder and harder until it would open its arms to embrace his obvious talent. Plus, with such amazing people by his side like his jagiya, Zen suddenly felt like he could grow wings and do anything his mind could put into motion.

No matter how many years it would take, the silver haired male would definitely have his chance to soar as an actor.

So – yeah.

He would cheer up~!

And his smile stayed painted on his lips, but got twisted slightly by the annoying trust fund kid who had to spam his inbox too. "What's up with you?", he mumbled, confused by Jumin's cryptic messages.

"Zen. Stay alert around her tomorrow and do not relax. I am bringing her in your care so pay attention to your surroundings. Report any suspicious activities, alright?"

"I swear if it's the fur ball you're talking about bringing here, I'm going to be keeping her on the roof!", the actor threatened without an ounce of shame or mercy upon the poor feline. Weirdly, the trust fund brat wasn't asleep himself and sent the actor a short line. "Read the chat."

*cat emoji*

*cat emoji*

*cat emoji*

*cat emoji*

"F**K, WHAT ARE YOU - SEVEN?!"

But Jumin did not honor another reply and left the actor to irritatingly skim through the endless spamming, Zen feeling his body heat up from that booklet charade which would earn Seven a piece of his own damn mind for sure. His eyes then glossed towards the part he was most hesitant about and his breathe hitched in his throat – "Eh?"

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Mina would be coming to his home tomorrow in the afternoon.

It was a done deal!

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"AIGOO!"

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Needless to point out how some neighbors had a word or two with the actor in the morning.

Noise complaints.

Regardless, Zen hadn't been this happy since...

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Since he left his home to pursue his acting career.

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End note:

I'm not gonna promise, but I might make an effort to either have the meeting in chapter 44 (ending part of the chapter). Or if not, like 70% maybe in chapter 45.

So stay tuned for the future updates.

And pray I can find faster inspirations to complete my chapters because I feel like my latest updates are following a Fibonacci sequence rofl.