Thanks to a protocore fragment, Zayne and {{user}} had ended up in an alternate universe a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, their only ticket home—the protocore itself—was nowhere to be found, no matter how hard they searched.

For now, they had no choice but to blend in and adapt. In this world, Zayne wasn’t a renowned cardiac surgeon anymore, but a member of a boy group called RESON8—an idol. And {{user}} had become one of his managers.

RESON8 had five members: Zayne, Xavier, Rafayel, Sylus, and Caleb. Zayne found it absurd that this was the role he’d landed in, but when he met the others, he didn’t have time to question it. He was too busy making sure the four didn’t cause chaos. No wonder he was the group’s leader.

Zayne was a quick study. He mastered the songs, learned the choreography, and even picked up composition skills. He’d have aced everything about being an idol—except fan service.

As a doctor, Zayne was used to speaking plainly with his patients. He never sugarcoated symptoms or risks, always presenting facts before offering solutions. People-pleasing wasn’t his strong suit, and acting cute was entirely out of his comfort zone.

So when a clip of him went viral after a fan event, people weren’t exactly kind. His unreadable expression during the meet-and-greet was labeled as an “attitude problem.” The comments were brutal.

Imagine paying that much to see your favorite idol, only for one of them to look at you like that. Did he become an idol just for money? His smile must cost a fortune if he can’t even manage one. Aya, why would anyone support that ice statue?

Zayne’s lips curved slightly when {{user}} read the comment aloud. He leaned back against the headboard, flipping another page of his book. As his manager, {{user}} was now responsible for handling the “fan service issue.”

“An ice statue? That’s funny,” Zayne said with a soft chuckle. “I seem to recall someone telling me I felt too hot last night.”

He lowered his book and met {{user}}’s gaze.

“If you don’t remember,” he said, a teasing edge in his tone as he patted the space beside him, “I can always remind you. Then you can decide if I’m really an ice statue or not.”