Hi guys,
I know it's been a while, and I'm sorry for keeping you waiting.
But I'm back now, and we're continuing with more ships.
We're starting with ZeeNunew.
Before we dive in, I want to explain a little something:
I'm a casual ZeeNunew shipper.
I've watched almost all their series together, but I wouldn't call myself a hardcore shipper.
I didn't know much about them outside their projects.
But for this novel, I went digging.
I researched, watched clips, read things, and gathered random details
And I found out a lot.
At first, I wanted to include everything I learned,
But I decided against it.
Because I don't want people to read this and think it's real.
It's not.
Maybe 0.00001% is based on true events
The rest is fiction born from my head.
I'm only borrowing tiny fragments and building a story around them.
i chose to start from the beginning of their story because it's cute.
The way they met feels like destiny.
I love that part the most.
Enough talking let's dive in ✨
💤💤💤💤💤💤💤💤💤💤💤💤💤💤💤💤
"Don't worry, Zee. Everything will be okay. We'll find you a suitable partner soon," Aof, the head manager and founder of the talent agency Zee was signed under, said as they tried to figure out how to move forward after his broken ship with Saint.
"Another partner, Phi?" Zee exhaled, voice tired and unsteady. "You know how hard it was for me to get my sanity back... to get my shit together after the last one. I don't think I can trust anyone right now. What if the past repeats itself?" His eyes were soft and sad, the kind of sadness that doesn't fade even after months.
The ship with Saint had ended months ago over a stupid misunderstanding that wasn't his fault, but people never cared about details just narratives. And even till now, he hasn't fully healed from all the drama surrounding the end of their partnership. He knew he wasn't ready. The idea of pairing up again made his pulse go cold.
Aof exhaled, eyes steady. "So what do you want to do then?"
"I can take straight dramas," Zee said quickly, almost pleading. "Roles without partners. Characters who stand alone. I can do that, Phi."
Aof sighed. "We can't push a straight lead role for you right away. But you can get minor roles, bromance roles like the one you did with Peak. And I know having a fixed partner isn't a guaranteed way to get you back on top, but it helps. At least it stops fans from adding 'homophobic' to the damn list of things they're already accusing you of."
Zee's jaw tightened. "No fixed partner. No BL for now Phi. Because if anything goes wrong between us, the fans will blame me. Again. It will look like I'm the fucking problem. And I'm..." his voice cracked for the first time, "-I'm really on the edge right now Phi."
"Okay, okay. I hear you," Aof said, though disappointment lingered in his voice. "It's just a shame. I had a BL project I thought would be perfect for you."
He reached for a stack of papers Cutie Pie written boldly at the front. "This script would be perfect for you. It's like... a rebranding of your image it's something new that you haven't done before. And I already have a partner in mind that would be a perfect match for you. "
Zee stared at the script like it was a reminder of a world he wasn't ready to touch again. "Phi... I'm really not ready for this."
"I just want you to read it," Aof said softly. "We're not rushing anything about this project and I'm not forcing a partner on you, we will take our time to find someone you would want to work with." Aof said "We already replaced the manager the fans hated, and by mid next year, things would have calmed down. Then we can talk about this again. Okay?" Aof said patting Zee's shoulder
"You're really not going to just make me pair up with just anyone, right?" Zee asked again needing more confirmation on this.
"I won't," Aof said, firmly. "And for now, I have a guest role and a support role you can feature in while you decide whether Cutie Pie is something you're willing to do."
He handed over two more scripts to Zee.
"Okay, Phi. Thank you," Zee said, gathering the scripts as he stood to leave.
"When you come in for the calendar shoot, we'll talk more about these. So at least skim through them before then," Aof added.
"I will," Zee said, before slipping out of the office.
When Zee got home, he tossed all three scripts onto his coffee table without care. He wasn't in the mood. And that wasn't like him.
Normally, getting scripts made his blood rush scripts meant opportunity, meant visibility, meant survival. In an industry as competitive as theirs, getting considered for a role was a blessing. Normally, he would tear into the script instantly, highlight lines, research the character, and plan how to win the audience's love with his acting. But tonight all that passion had been replaced with exhaustion
But after everything with his ex-manager and Saint... he was tired. Done with fighting. Done with defending himself.
Part of him wondered if retiring would be easier than constantly bleeding for this career. For the first retirement sounded like freedom.
He collapsed onto the couch and pulled out his phone. He opened Twitter bad idea but he did it anyway, and of course, they were still dragging him still tearing apart his ongoing project You Never Eat Alone. Still talking shit like it was a sport.
He read a few comments, his stomach tightening with each jab. They called him unprofessional. They called him fake. They said he was the reason Saint suffered.
Eventually, he shut the screen off and tossed the phone beside him, exhaling sharply.
"They don't even know the real story, and yet they drag me night and day," he muttered, bitterness coating the words.
His eyes drifted toward the table, to the pile of scripts just lying on the table.
He stared at them for a long moment before finally reaching out and grabbing two of them.
He skimmed the first script for the support role. It was a clean Straight series. The character he was playing wasn't a complicated one. No messy fan expectations. No shipping wars. It was very simple. The guest role was also straightforward and easy.
After finishing both, his gaze went back to the final script lying untouched.
Cutie Pie.
He stared at it, then decided against opening it. He didn't have the mental strength for that one not tonight. Maybe not for a long time.
Zee pushed himself off the couch and headed to the bathroom. The shower hissed to life, and for a second he just stood there, staring at the fogged-up mirror, wondering when he stopped recognizing the boy in front of it.
By the time he was done and crawled into bed, it was already late. He hadn't realized how much time had passed while reading the scripts.
But the Cutie Pie script still sat untouched on the table. Like a problem waiting.
Like a future he wasn't sure he wanted.
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
And that's it for this episode 🌙
See you tomorrow, same time, for episode two ✨