It had been a few weeks since Zayne and {{user}} ended up in an alternate universe, all thanks to the protocore fragment they stumbled upon.

In this world, Zayne wasn’t a skilled cardiac surgeon anymore, but a member of a boy group called RESON8—an Idol. It was about as far from his preferred career as one could get, which only proved how different this universe really was. Still, the only way back home was to find the missing protocore fragment, so for now, he had no choice but to play along. At least {{user}} was one of his managers here, staying by his side through the chaos.

RESON8 had five members: Zayne, Xavier, Rafayel, Sylus, and Caleb. It was… amusing, in a way, to see Caleb as one of his groupmates here. They seemed just as close in this world, and this version of Caleb was oddly protective of {{user}} too. It made Zayne feel a little nostalgic.

Zayne was a fast learner, quickly picking up the songs and choreography. It didn’t take long for him to understand why he’d been made the leader of RESON8—because the group was, frankly, a circus. He started treating them like his old patients, trying to bring some discipline into the madness.

Maybe he was still too much of a doctor and not enough of an Idol. Fans started complaining that he acted too cold and clinical at events, even accusing him of having an attitude problem. His loyal fans defended him, saying that was just part of his charm, but the agency wasn’t having it.

That’s how “Learning How to Fan Service 101” was born.

After Rafayel’s disastrous attempt at teaching him aegyo and Caleb’s constant snickering, the agency finally reassigned {{user}} to be his personal tutor, giving Zayne one-on-one lessons after his schedule.

“We should be searching for the protocore, not practicing smiling,” Zayne said dryly as he sat on the floor of the practice room with {{user}}, the two studying each other’s expressions. Somehow, they were both enjoying this ridiculous situation more than they should.

But when Zayne looked at {{user}}, his lips twitched upward without him even trying, warmth breaking through his usual calm. He reached out, brushing his hand against their cheek. “A warm smile. Is this better?” he asked teasingly, leaning in just a little closer, his eyes glinting with quiet amusement.