Chapter 52 - Dressing Room - Entertainment Prodigy

I'll post an extra chapter every 400 Power Stones. Good luck with that!

Goal for the next extra chapter: 136/400

####

As soon as I entered the studio, I was surprised by the number of people there. No one was paying attention to me—everyone was busy. I glanced at my mother, and she was looking around, taking everything in.

It was a large place. We walked down a long corridor lined with many doors—dressing rooms, makeup rooms, and more. As we walked, a staff member appeared to guide us.

"You're Mr. Kyo Evans, right? And this must be your mother. Please follow me."

"Of course," my mother replied with a smile to the young woman. She was wearing an earpiece in her right ear. Is she talking to someone?

"Alright, I'll head off now. I won't be going with you to your dressing room—I need to go somewhere else."

"I thought you were coming with me."

"Your mother is with you, so it's fine."

"Alright."

Rina walked away, and my mother and I were guided to a room. There was a door with a sign bearing my name.

Seeing my name there, I murmured, "Wow…"

I really didn't expect that.

Well… maybe I've been underestimating myself.

The role I got isn't huge, but it's not small either.

We entered the room. It wasn't very big, but it had everything we needed—a large mirror, chairs, a space to change clothes, and even some snacks. There was even a coffee machine!

"You can wait here for now. The makeup artist will be here shortly. Feel free to eat whatever you like," the woman said with a smile before leaving.

My mother threw herself onto the black sofa and said, "This feels like another world. I never imagined I'd experience something like this."

"Didn't you have a dressing room when you were a model?"

"Not like this, of course. I was never treated this well. I think my son is even more impressive than I imagined."

"I'm sure popular actors have even bigger dressing rooms and are treated even better." I gave a wry smile and looked at myself in the mirror.

After letting out a long sigh, I asked, "You have my MacBook, right?"

"Yes, it's in my bag. Do you want it?"

"I think this is going to take a while, so I'll write a bit to pass the time."

"I thought you weren't nervous."

"I wasn't before I got here, but now…"

I grabbed some snacks, sat beside my mother on the sofa, and started writing while we waited. She watched me for a moment and then asked, "What story are you writing now?"

"It's about a man who gets stabbed and is reborn as a slime in a fantasy world."

"A slime? Like goo or something? That's… strange."

"It's fun. You should read it when it's published."

After typing for about half an hour, the door finally opened.

The woman who walked in had short hair with red highlights and piercings on her lips. Quite a striking appearance.

She looked at us for a few seconds, then smiled.

"My name is Mika Kisaragi. You must be Kyo Evans. Wow, you're just as handsome as they told me. It'll be an honor to do makeup on a face like yours," she said. Her voice was slightly deep and pleasant to hear.

"Nice to meet you." I smiled at her and handed my MacBook to my mother.

I sat in front of the mirror, and Mika started asking me various questions while doing my makeup. It turned into a nice conversation.

####

In addition to doing my makeup, she also styled my hair. Instead of my usual hairstyle, she left my hair loose, reaching my shoulders.

The makeup was also similar to what I had before during that photoshoot—light and natural.

She placed her hands on my shoulders and asked, "What do you think?"

I smiled. "I think it looks great."

"Hahaha. What I'm about to tell you is a secret," she whispered. "You'll definitely stand out more than the main actor." After saying that, she left.

I turned to my mother and asked, "Did you hear what she said?"

"Hm? What?"

"It's nothing, forget it."

After a while, another staff member came in and helped with my outfit. I thought I'd be wearing something flashy, but it turned out to be typical clothes for a 17-year-old.

A simple shirt, simple pants, and sneakers.

They also handed me the script for the scene we'd be filming today.

But now that I think about it… shouldn't there be a script reading session for practice? In many works I've read, there's something like that. But instead, they just gave me the script to read.

The scene I'll be filming today is the opening scene, where my parents and my brother are having dinner at home, and I arrive after spending the night out.

Even though my brother, Ryota Mizuno, is 24, he still lives with us because he hasn't found a stable job after graduating from college.

The scene is simple: I come home after staying at a friend's place and attending a party the night before, and my parents get angry. A confrontation starts.

It's basically meant to introduce the dynamic of our family.

'In this series, my parents are pretty strict…'

While I was reading the script, someone knocked on the door.

"Excuse me."

The person who entered was someone I didn't expect to see.

Aya Fuji—a veteran actress who started acting as a child. The lead actress of this series.

I had been looking forward to meeting her, but I didn't expect her to show up here so suddenly.

"We're waiting for you for the script reading," she said with a gentle smile. I froze for a moment.

"Ah, right. I'm coming. Mom, I'm heading out."

"Good luck," my mother said with a smile as I left the room with Aya Fuji.

Even though I'm walking alongside one of my favorite actresses in this world, I'm surprisingly calm.

It's better to act mature in a situation like this, right?

'But I didn't know Aya would be filming scenes today as well.'

After walking for a while, we arrived at a large room where many actors and actresses were gathered.

Everyone looked at me with curiosity—and I froze for a moment.

####

Chapter 52 - Chapter 52 - Dressing Room