Welcome back to another chapter review of Down to Earth! Watching Kade and Zaida navigate their way around each other has been quite humorous, adorable and heartwarming. However, the mystery of their pasts still remains, keeping readers on edge. Previously we were left in a cliffhanger after the revelation of the polaroid. Without further ado, let’s find out what happens in Down to Earth Chapter 17-24.
Kade And Zaida’s Growing Closeness
Down to Earth Chapter 17: Guilt
Down to Earth Chapter 17 begins with Zaida gazing at the girl in the polaroid, pondering the nature of her relationship with Kade, who looks so happy in the picture. She imagines him being that close to her, which causes her to panic and shriek, accidentally waking him up. She quickly covers it up by pretending to see an insect, at which he tells her to go back to bed, which she obeys.
The next day, Kade teaches Zaida how to use paint and coloured pencils, but she can only think about the polaroid. While testing out the colours, she accidentally draws the girl from the polaroid, which she immediately rips apart upon realization. She wrestles with whether or not to confess to her crime and starts beating around the bush by asking him questions about their ‘friendship’ and if he has other friends. He gives a vague answer and avoids going too deep into it, but she realizes she will have to confess outright. Mustering the courage to do so, she owns up to her mistake ending Down to Earth Chapter 17.
Chapter 18: Confess
Down to Earth Chapter 18 begins with Zaida asking Kade to close his eyes, too scared to confess while facing him. She places the polaroid in his hands and apologizes for going through his stuff. He immediately recognizes the object and becomes very upset, avoiding eye contact and repeatedly calling her a “dumbass.” Desperate for forgiveness, Zaida pleads with him, but when he continues to yell, she snaps. She slams her hands down, yells, “Red Dwarf! Red Dwarf! Red Dwarf!” and slams the bedroom door behind her. Confused and surprised by her outburst, he looks up the meaning of “Red Dwarf”.
Later, Kade confronts Zaida and apologizes for letting his emotions get the better of him again. He explains that he’s trying to improve. He reveals that the girl in the polaroid was someone he wanted to be with, but it didn’t work out. She assumes this to be the same as her and Zodia not working out. Down to Earth Chapter 18 ends with Kade promising to do whatever he can to make Earth work for Zaida.
Down to Earth Chapter 19: Dancing
Down to Earth Chapter 19 begins with Zaida still wondering what she saw on the TVs at Mallmart. She describes it to Kade as people being “together” and “moving.” Driven by curiosity, she tries to demonstrate by placing his hand on her hip. Flustered, he thinks of stopping her but ends up playing along. Unaware of her effect on him, Zaida experiments by placing his hands in different positions on her. Awkward and blushing, he recognizes this and tells her this is “slow dancing” but claims to know nothing about it when Zaida asks him to teach her. However, he has no option but to give in when she unleashes her puppy eyes.
They go to the living room, and Kade plays soft music on the TV. As they slowly dance to the music, Zaida is mesmerized by things about him she hadn’t noticed before: his broad shoulders, large hands, and how he looks intimidating yet is so gentle. She’s pulled out of her thoughts when he suddenly stops and starts sniffing and tearing up. She immediately starts apologizing, as always, assuming it’s her fault, concluding Down to Earth Chapter 19.
Chapter 20: Open
Down to Earth Chapter 20 shows Zaida apologizing for forcing him to dance, and Kade confesses that the reason he’s emotional is because he misses his ex. He starts crying and hates himself for being so pathetic. He admits he’s reminded of her when Zaida’s too close to him and how she looks so much like her. While he explains all this, she goes off to get Cosmo and tries to cheer him up by promising they will always be there for him. She says she learnt that letting out emotions will make him feel better. Overcome with emotion, he pulls her to him and hugs her tight, crying his eyes out.
Later, Kade admits to feeling better and apologizes to Zaida for seeing that. On the other hand, she is glad he opened up to her and lets him know that she would always be there to help him, to which he says the same goes for her. Suddenly overwhelmed, she abruptly wishes him a ‘happy night’ and goes to bed. The next scene shows her workplace, where customers complain to Stace about his cashier being very moody and how he bummed them out with his negative attitude. Having had enough of it, Stace fires him ending Down to Earth Chapter 20.
Down to Earth Chapter 21: Insecure
Down to Earth Chapter 21 opens with a disheartened Kade returning home and telling Zaida that he got fired. She panics, taking the word at face value which he clarifies. He vents about how unfair his losing his job was, and she offers to help by finding a job herself, to which he asserts she’s not ready yet.
In the next scene, they are at a boba tea shop where Zaida enjoys the crepes. While Kade looks through job opportunities, she observes the girls around her and suddenly feels insecure about her elf-shaped ears. Noticing her discomfort, he shows her how some people get surgery to have ears like hers and reassures her that there’s nothing wrong with her ears. She feels much better till someone suddenly comes up behind them and asks if she is an alien. Down to Earth Chapter 21 ends in a cliffhanger and the readers are left pondering about the potential danger towards Zaida.
Chapter 22: Arcade
Down to Earth Chapter 22 shows Kade and Zaida frozen in their seats before she notices the person wearing alien-themed clothes. He tells the guy to bug off, but he persists, commenting on her ears and insisting she must be something unusual. This hurts Zaida, and she covers her ears, explaining she was born that way. Realizing his mistake is too late, the guy tries to brush it off, but he grabs him by the collar and demands an apology. Frightened, the guy quickly apologizes, explaining how he thought she was cosplaying and wanted to know more. Kade, realizing his own misunderstanding, lets him go.
The guy introduces himself as Ethan and apologizes again to Zaida. He then tries to make amends by taking them to an arcade with a recharged card. Kade regrets going along and ends up wondering how they wound up in this situation. Zaida, looking as unsettled in the crowd as Kade, borrows his coat and becomes noticeably quieter. Hee discovers that Ethan is studying at the same school he graduated from, and they chat about it while she feels out of place. He disappears after gaming for a while, leaving her feeling even worse. As they search for him, she is suddenly pulled back by an arm and dragged behind some curtains. Down to Earth Chapter 22 ends with Ethan realizing that he’s been ditched.
Down to Earth Chapter 23: Photobooth
In Down to Earth Chapter 23, Kade and Zaida hide in a photobooth to relax their uneasiness at being in a crowded place, and he tells how he noticed Zay was as awkward as him. He confides in her how he gets strange vibes from Ethan and how it seems he is hiding something. Zaida asks him what he meant when he said Cosplay earlier, and upon finding its meaning is dejected at being compared to a fictional character. Kade assures her that she is a far cry from a fictional character as she is a real person with goals and is like any other average person. Feeling encouraged, Zay is ready to go back out, and he suggests using up the remaining points on the card so they can go home sooner.
As they are about to take photos, Kade returns his jacket, and Zay is about to say how grateful she is for having him. Suddenly, the photobooth turns on, causing Zay to jump and scream. Hearing the scream from outside, Ethan storms into the photobooth to find Zay half on top of Kade, straddling him. This episode ends with Ethan, once again, realizing his mistake too late.
Chapter 24: Truth
Down to Earth Chapter 24 opens with Kade, Zaida, and Ethan having pizza. Ethan feels offended and impressed that they have ditched him for some alone time. He quickly changes the topic to Ethan’s obsession with aliens. And Ethan reveals that he and his brother are really into the idea of it. He talks about how even after his brother died in an accident, he still holds on to their thoughts and beliefs since it keeps him grounded. This causes a sudden shift in the mood, for which Ethan apologizes and suggests another round of gaming. Kade apologizes for using the remaining card points on the photobooth, which Ethan waves off.
The next scene shows them saying their goodbyes and parting ways. However, Ethan drops another bomb on them in the form of security footage from Mallmart. In the footage, she is floating, and Kade is about to catch hold of her. He gets protective and gets in front of Zaida, demanding what Ethan wants from them. Ethan insists he intends no harm and wants the truth, concluding Down to Earth Chapter 24.
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