Chapter 99

EP.99 Actor, Stylist, and Saint

Due to such circumstances,

I had decided to appear in the opening title that is currently being produced.

I did feel that I might have been a bit hasty.

However, just as it is difficult to put spilled water back into the cup, it is also difficult to break a completed contract,

so I ended up accepting my judgment.

I'm such a fool.

Wasn't it me who didn't want to be exposed to many people just a short while ago?

Feeling rather disheartened, it seemed that my efforts to keep pondering over this had been meaningless.

But what can I do? I'm originally impulsive and whimsical like this.

The inevitable regret that will come from this decision will be borne by my future self.

Let's hope that when I see the wad of cash in my bank account, my future self will forgive my current self.

So, I ended up heading to a certain place with the narrator.

Are we going to work right after signing the contract?

It feels like we're eating beans cooked in a lightning flash.

"The background location for the video has been rented by the company. We're going there."

"Okay."

"Thank you once again. The video production team, as well as the management and everyone else, were really struggling because of that director... Thank you for agreeing so readily."

"You're welcome."

"However, one thing I'm worried about... is that the director is a very meticulous person. It's a bit concerning."

Is he just saying that to make me nervous?

He just bluntly says that the director is meticulous.

Thanks to that, I was suddenly scared.

How meticulous and sensitive must a director be for such an evaluation to come out naturally?

His gloomy expression,

disappeared like sugar dissolved in water the moment he saw my face again.

"Well, it'll be fine. The director wouldn't dare say he doesn't like it. Don't worry too much."

"Okay."

He left me in the waiting room as he said.

I was heading towards the sofa beyond the partition when I suddenly looked around.

On the entrance side, there were mirrors, makeup tables, and wigs lined up.

I wondered why a partition was needed in the waiting room, but it seemed to be a multi-purpose room.

I guessed that the entrance side was used as a makeup room and the space beyond the partition was used for resting, so I found a sofa at the back and sat down quietly.

How many minutes had passed,

when the creaking sound of the door opening was heard and the entrance side began to buzz with noise.

Judging from the two sets of footsteps, it seemed there were two people.

The conversation between a woman who was clearly angry and the other person trying to calm her reached me.

"Really, I can't take it anymore!"

"Calm down. Calm down."

"Do I look calm right now? We've been shooting the same scene over and over again."

"Isn't it just a day or two? That's what the director does."

"It's not just a day or two, which is why I'm even more frustrated!"

"That's true. Oh. Don't frown, your makeup will smudge. Ah, I need to fix it. Sit here."

"Ugh…."

It seemed two women had entered.

One was an actor, and the other might be a manager or a makeup artist. I'm not sure.

Since it didn't seem like a situation where I should get involved, I tried to ignore it.

However, my sensitive ears began to imprint their voices on me, whether I wanted to or not.

"That director is so frustrating. He keeps nitpicking, saying we can't do anything else."

"Just think that he didn't get the shot he wanted."

"Ever since he saw something strange, he's been shooting the same scene for a whole week!"

"Calm down, Hira. Calm down."

"Where is my mademoiselle when he cuts the scene? What, mademoiselle? Is he French?"

"Anyway, the deadline is approaching. He's probably trying to negotiate by saying he can't do it for this money, using the excuse that he can't find the person he wants, making it difficult to shoot the scenes he wants, and extending the production period."

"Is that it? It's not because he doesn't like me, right?"

"Of course not."

"Haha, hahaha. Hahahaha…."

The actor seemed to be laughing happily.

It seemed that the narrator's evaluation of the director as meticulous was not an exaggeration.

She must have had a tough time.

"Hira, you've been standing since morning. Aren't your legs sore?"

"If I can't even do that, how can I be an actor?"

"Your makeup is fixed, so take a little rest. There's a sofa over there."

"Okay. If the director finds out, he'll scold me again."

"He's not the type to scold you for resting. He'd rather have you rest a lot and give your all in one take."

"Why does he keep shooting the same scene over a hundred times then!"

"Calm down. Calm down."

"Anyway, I get it. I need to rest a bit…."

As they said this, the sound of their heels gradually grew closer.

"…."

Oh, this might be a bit awkward.

I didn't intend to eavesdrop, but from the context, I seemed to be the protagonist of the video they were talking about.

They even said it looked like a composite and lacked realism.

It would be strange to reveal myself, but hiding like this would make the situation even more awkward.

Scratching my cheek, I got up from my seat.

If they came over the partition, I planned to just say hello and leave.

As I was timing it by the approaching footsteps,

suddenly, the footsteps stopped.

Sure enough, it was followed by their conversation.

"By the way."

"What now?"

"That video. Is it really a composite?"

"What are you getting at?"

"I saw it too, and it doesn't really look like a composite."

"If such a person existed, they would have been famous long ago, right?"

"That's true, but…."

"I'll cut my hand if that person is real. Okay? Just rest for now."

"Okay."

The sound of heels echoed again.

They arrived beyond the partition in an instant.

And they discovered me standing there, blankly.

"…."

"…."

A familiar reaction.

People always react similarly when they see me.

Their pupils dilate, they blink a few times, and then they look at me in a daze.

These two were no different.

However, I had to stop my plan to leave hurriedly after a casual greeting,

because of the appearance of the other person.

As someone who is as weak for beauty as I am for desire, I couldn't just pass by the person standing in front of me now.

I thought, this is what an actor should look like.

Her striking red hair, which must have required countless hours of maintenance and effort, caught my eye.

It wasn't bright red but a dark, almost maroon color that suited her very well.

She was tall, perhaps due to her high heels, and I had to look up slightly to see her.

Her striking features, including her cat-like eyes that slanted upwards, made her stand out.

She's beautiful.

That doesn't mean I became interested,

but I felt like I was admiring a well-crafted piece of art.

I knew it was rude, but since she was also staring at me, it seemed fine between us.

The silence that had stretched on was broken not by me or her, but by the other person.

She suddenly turned around and tried to leave.

The actor called Hira, who had caught her trying to leave, asked in disbelief.

"Where are you going!"

"I'll cut my hand."

"Are you crazy?!"

Author's Note

It's a bit short.

The next episode will be up soon.

Please give me a little time to write the afterword.