Although he had slowed down his pace, the road home wasn't far—just about ten minutes altogether. Hugo walked up to the second floor and, seeing Ernst's pace behind him, couldn't help but sigh: this really was one stubborn old man.
They'd already been walking for a while. Although Hugo had slowed his pace, Ernst refused to admit defeat. He maintained a steady speed all along. Now climbing stairs, he was certainly out of breath, but Ernst simply refused to acknowledge it and forced himself to keep going. At this moment, Hugo could clearly see the sweat reappearing on Ernst's forehead.
But Hugo didn't say anything special, because he knew Ernst's personality he didn't like others provoking him. If Hugo showed concern, Ernst would instead get angry, thinking Hugo looked down on him. Besides, Hugo and Ernst weren't close. Too much concern would only make Ernst push him away.
After climbing to the second floor, Ernst leaned slightly against the stair railing, panting, but outwardly showed no sign of fatigue. "Here." Ernst handed the potatoes to Hugo, his arms stretched out completely straight, and you could even see his trembling limbs.
Hugo quickly took the paper bag and added, "Thanks."
Ernst didn't look at Hugo. He pulled out his key from his pants pocket and snapped, "Move." That's when Hugo realized he was standing at the doorway, so he quickly stepped aside, pressing himself against the wall.
After unlocking and opening his door, Ernst stepped inside without a backward glance, showing no intention of stopping. As Ernst was about to close the door, Hugo suddenly realized Ernst hadn't planned to take the potatoes at all. Was this old man throwing a tantrum?
Hugo didn't have time to think more. He quickly stepped forward and used his right foot to block the door. "Hey, Ernst, your potatoes." As he spoke, he extended the paper bag toward him.
"They're not mine," Ernst grumbled, trying to shut the door. But he was no match for the younger Hugo in strength. He glared up at Hugo and then raised his foot to kick Hugo's calf. "What do you think you're doing! Don't step into my home! Who said you could step inside my space!"
Only then did Hugo realize his foot had indeed stepped about half a step into Ernst's apartment. But he still couldn't withdraw it. "But your potatoes. Ernst, I just lent a hand earlier, nothing more don't take it so seriously."
Through the small gap at the door, Hugo couldn't see much inside. All he could make out was a worn-out mustard-colored couch that looked like it had decades of history. Around it were thick piles of paper documents and books stacked high, almost blocking a third of the window's light, making the room seem dim. The air carried a dry, bookworm-like scent, with no signs of anyone else. One look and it was obvious this was the home of a bachelor, and an elderly one at that.
But Ernst quickly interrupted Hugo's peeking. "I don't need them!" He kicked Hugo again, this time with full force, landing squarely on Hugo's calf. Hugo winced in pain and withdrew his foot. Without hesitation, Ernst slammed the door shut.
"Bang!" The door crashed shut with a cloud of dust, making Hugo blink several times. You could imagine that if Hugo hadn't pulled back in time, his foot might have ended up bruised. In that instant, Hugo truly felt the youthful, unyielding spirit inside Ernst along with his bad temper, stubbornness, and foul attitude.
After a moment's thought, Hugo placed the paper bag of potatoes at the door. Then he took the potatoes from his own bag, trying to fit them all into one bag. But that clearly wasn't going to work. Helplessly, Hugo placed the extra potatoes around the bag, then picked up his own and walked upstairs to the third floor.
Back on the third floor, Hugo reached into his pocket for the key only to realize he still had three potatoes left. He quickly put down his bag and turned to head downstairs. But halfway there, he heard a door open and instinctively paused. He looked down through the stair gaps.
He saw Ernst staring at the potatoes on the ground, then glancing around suspiciously. Fearing he'd be seen, Hugo quickly pulled his head back. Next, he heard Ernst muttering complaints though it was unclear what exactly was said, the fragmented curses were audible. Clearly, Ernst still had plenty of dissatisfaction and didn't appreciate Hugo's meddling.
Even so, when Hugo peeked again, he saw Ernst picking up the potatoes one by one and cradling them into his arms as he walked back into his apartment. This time, though, he closed the door more gently, though it still had that brisk, no-nonsense feel.
Looking at the now-empty doorstep, Hugo smiled, returned to the third floor, took the last few potatoes from his pocket, and placed them back into his bag. Then he pulled out his key and unlocked the door.
Once inside, Hugo first dropped the key into a brown glass bowl by the entrance, then walked straight into the kitchen and set the bag on the dining table before pouring himself a glass of water. Just then, Charlize walked out of her room, took one glance at the kitchen to confirm it was Hugo, and asked, "How did the show recording go today?"
Ever since signing with Kal, Charlize had been attending acting classes. For her, this was a brand-new challenge.
Modeling, although it required training in posture, photography, runway walking, and more, was essentially a profession that relied on natural looks. There was certainly technical skill involved, but not that much. With her ballet background, Charlize had picked it up easily.
But acting was different. It too relied on talent, and anyone could "act" in front of a camera. But not everyone could act well some people froze the moment they faced a camera. And even the basic acting course covered a wide range of topics: developing focus, imagination, emotional memory, body language, character interpretation, script analysis, camera awareness, working with partners, blocking, and positioning not to mention basic pronunciation, facial control, emotional expression, and more.
Charlize's past few months had been busier and more fulfilling than Hugo's relaxed post-filming downtime.
Charlize and Hugo got along very well these days. Though they hadn't progressed into anything romantic, they were comfortable as friends and roommates, spending pleasant and relaxed days together. Add in the clownish Alex, and the third floor was always lively. Even Joseph and Kal upstairs on the fourth floor spent most of their time hanging out on the third.
Recently, after Charlize came home from her classes, she would often rehearse with Hugo or Alex. That was the upside of actors rooming together discussing acting and practicing scenes together made life more enjoyable. Of course, the three of them were often so loud that Ernst downstairs had lost his temper a few times.
"Great, everything went well. I even… signed autographs for fans." Hugo was going to say "for the first time," but realized that didn't make sense, so he stopped mid-sentence. "And there was a crowd of fans waiting for me outside the station," Hugo added cheerfully, showing off to Charlize.
Charlize responded, "Really? How many?" and completely stumped Hugo. "...Around thirty," he finally said. Charlize rolled her eyes. "From your tone, I thought it was three thousand." Hugo could only chuckle sheepishly.
"What's this?" Charlize took out the potatoes, looking puzzled. "You bought exactly three potatoes. Are you planning to eat them raw, one by one, like lemons?"
Hugo walked over to the dining table and sat on a high stool. "No, they're a gift. A gift from Ernst."
"What? Did I hear that right?" Alex's voice came from the door as he walked in holding a set of red costumes, full of excitement, heading straight to the kitchen. "You said it was a gift from Ernst?"
Hugo raised his eyebrows. "Yes, that's right!" Then Hugo briefly explained what had just happened. "I'm treating these three potatoes as his gift to me."
But Alex just scoffed, "Who knows, maybe he'll come upstairs asking for them back." Having lived here a bit longer, Alex naturally knew Ernst a little better.
Hugo asked curiously, "Does Ernst really live alone?" The U.S. is a country that places a strong emphasis on family. Though children become independent once they're adults, the concept of family remains a core part of American consciousness. Many welfare policies are built around family too. So someone Ernst's age living alone, with no children around and not in a retirement home, was rather unusual.
"Yes." Alex nodded without hesitation. "To be exact, I haven't seen anyone visit him since the day I arrived here. Not even family, let alone friends."
"How do you know that? It's not like you sit at his doorstep every day," Charlize, although not fond of the grumpy old man, still felt the need to speak up in fairness.
Alex scratched his head with a sheepish grin. "Let's just say, from what I've seen. He's like Quasimodo strange and reclusive, always blowing up over nothing."
"Are you sure you've actually read The Hunchback of Notre-Dame?" Hugo said with a laugh. Quasimodo is the bell ringer from The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. Though hideous in appearance, Quasimodo was kind-hearted and timid, never harming others intentionally. It was only because of his looks that he was rejected. So Alex's description wasn't exactly accurate.
Alex scratched his head again, a bit embarrassed. "You know what I mean." He was really just saying Ernst was the kind of person that screamed "keep out."
"Then you should've compared him to Joseph from Wuthering Heights," Hugo chuckled.
"Someone call me?" came Joseph's voice from the door. The three people in the dining room looked at each other in surprise, and then Hugo hesitated for a moment, looked at the approaching Joseph, and said, "Emily Brontë?"
....
Hi For access to additional chapters of
Director in Hollywood (40 chpaters)
Made In Hollywood (60 Chapters)
Pokemon:Bounty Hunter(30 Chapters)
Douluo Dalu: Reincarnated as Yan(40 Chapters)
Hollywood:From Razzie to Legend(40 Chapters)
The Great Ruler (30 Chapters)
Join pateron.com/Translaterappu