I'll post an extra chapter every 400 Power Stones. Good luck with that!
Goal for the next extra chapter: 211/400
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I looked at all those actors in disbelief. Besides Aya Fuji, there were many others I recognized. 'I knew this series had a very high budget since the director and the writer are both good, but isn't this a bit too much?'
There were eight people in the circle besides Aya Fuji.
The ones who stood out the most were Ren Kisaragi—a handsome actor who started his career a bit late. He's 30, but looks much younger. He has short black hair and a sharp gaze.
He's the one who will play Ryota Mizuno, my brother.
The other standout actress is a veteran with over 30 years of experience. She'll play my mother. Her name is Keiko Fujimura.
She has curly white hair, but even so, her appearance is striking and worthy of praise. She doesn't look older than 50.
'And that last actor…' He's the one who will play my father.
Hiroshi Takayama, also a veteran with more than 30 years in the industry. He's over 50 as well. He has white hair like Keiko, but his appearance isn't particularly impressive.
At best, he looks average. Even so, he has many fans. They say he has a special kind of "charm."
'I honestly can't see that charm.'
"You must be Kyo Evans. I've seen some pictures of you, but you're even more handsome in person," Keiko said with a warm smile. Her words were very kind.
"Thank you for the compliment. You're even more beautiful in person as well," I replied.
"Oh? You sure know how to talk, don't you?"
"Hahaha, Keiko, don't tease him," Hiroshi said in a firm tone. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Kyo. Let's get along well." He smiled kindly at me.
I greeted all the actors, and then Aya said,
"Come here, sit next to me." The other actors and actresses looked at her, but she didn't care.
"Ahem! Ahem!" Someone coughed—it was Ren Kisaragi. "Can we start now that everyone is here?"
"What exactly are we going to do? It's my first time participating in something like this," I asked honestly. I wanted to know if it was just like what I had read in all those Korean novels.
Ren was about to answer, but Aya cut him off and began speaking.
"We usually gather to read the script for the scenes we're going to film. Not all the actors here will be part of today's scenes, but we still bring everyone together in situations like this. Many people use it as a learning opportunity."
She explained it as if I were a child.
Well…
"I see. Are we only going to read the script today, or will we also film? My agency said shooting would start today."
"We'll read the script now; shooting will begin in the afternoon," Keiko said with a gentle smile. "You'll have more time to prepare after the reading. You must be nervous, right? But I'm surprised you're not. The last time a rookie actress met us, she almost fainted."
"I'm not nervous at all, actually. I was a bit surprised when I met Mrs.Fuji, but I calmed down quickly."
"What?" Aya Fuji was shocked.
"Hahaha! Did you hear that? He called Aya 'Mrs,'" Keiko burst into laughter.
Did I do something wrong?
"… I feel old."
So that's it…
After that slip-up, everyone laughed, and the atmosphere became more relaxed.
I chatted a bit more with them, talking about my experiences so far—even about my first audition as a child, when I was rejected. They were curious about it.
However, I didn't mention the illness I had or my speech difficulties.
There's no need to bring that up.
After talking a bit more about myself, I felt closer to them, and finally, the table read began.
The first scene was me arriving home, just as I had mentioned before.
Keiko, Ren, and Hiroshi suddenly became serious, and the atmosphere changed completely.
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POV: Third Person
When the table read began, the atmosphere shifted completely. Everyone became serious, including Kyo. He had already read the script in his dressing room and had the entire scene memorized, unlike the others.
They were reading from the script.
Everyone was still seated—except Kyo.
Suddenly, he transformed right in front of them.
He stood up, and his gaze changed. All the actors and actresses were surprised, including Aya, who was sitting beside him. She looked at him and thought, 'His aura has changed. He doesn't seem like a child anymore.'
Then the scene began.
"I'm home," Kyo delivered his line.
His tone was casual, and his voice was slightly hoarse. It made it clear he was tired and had drunk too much the night before. His words were slightly slurred, as there was still alcohol in his system.
Keiko, playing Aiko Mizuno—their mother—shouted from the dining room, "Sota, where have you been!?"
In the scene, she stood up and walked into the living room.
She looked at her son with disgust and said, "You've been drinking again? Who were you with this time?" Despite his childish behavior, Aiko Mizuno knew everything her son did.
He was a natural womanizer—a man who pretended to be someone he wasn't.
That was one of the film's plot twists.
Why would a womanizer be upset about his brother being cheated on? He himself had cheated before.
Sota let out a sigh and replied, "Just leave me alone. I want to go upstairs and get some sleep."
"Sota, is that any way to speak to your mother!?" Hiroshi, playing the father, Daichi Mizuno, shouted.
After that, an argument between Sota and his father began.
It was as if Kyo had truly become the character.
His sarcasm, his irritation at the way his parents spoke to him—something he tried to hide but couldn't.
His parents' anger at having a son like him.
Everyone there was mesmerized, especially by Kyo Evans' performance.
He was a rookie actor—so how could he perform like that so naturally, even in front of such big names in the industry?
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