Shuu slumped against the car window, flexing his wrist until the bones cracked loud enough to make the driver flinch.
'Darn Nee-san. How could she betray me like this? After everything we went through? After everything I did for her? How could she send me back to that hellhole-!'
Shuu was not being dramatic, he was just going through the biggest crisis of his life- being betrayed by his own elder sister.
Sure, he had the best face he had ever seen in the mafia…and also sure that he could not see anyone else playing the role of anything but a villain in D-ranked movies…but still.
'This is bad. I am beginning to think like Nee-san. Tsk, having a good-looking face is a curse for sure. It has raised my own standards for other people's faces…'
"Oi, kid. Just give up already. You can't run from Nee-san. Nobody can. Not in this world….also, stop cursing us in your mind. Not everyone can have a face like yours."
The driver in the front said, glancing at him through the rearview mirror.
"Yeah. Once she decides something, it's over. Be good and follow orders. Besides, we are not ugly. We are just…average looking."
The other driver chimed in.
Shuu glared at them.
"You two shut the hell up before I jump out of this stupid car. And for the record, you are ugly."
"Tsk kid, you are such a shit. Fine, go on. Try. We won't even swerve."
The driver snorted.
Shuu's eye twitched.
Fine.
If they wanted to see him try, he'd try. He pulled at the handle, ready to fling himself onto the moving road-only for the lock to hold firm.
He pulled again, harder. Nothing.
The door clicked, unmoving, like it was welded shut.
The driver laughed.
"Knew you'd be dumb enough to try it. Nee-san already predicted your little runaway stunt. She told us to lock the doors."
He tapped the panel smugly.
"This car won't open until we open it. You will have to be struck in this car with us 'ugly' prople for a bit longer."
Shuu leaned back slowly. Dead silence.
Then:
"…You're telling me that demon woman anticipated I'd try to bail?"
"Of course she did."
He clicked his tongue.
"Tch."
He should have known that his Nee-san would see past his tricks and prepare a way for him to get to his destination. She was always careful like this.
But he will still have more chances of being able to run away….
"We're here."
The driver announced cheerfully, ruining his fantasies.
The car rolled to a stop in front of a flashy building plastered with posters of smiling idols throwing peace signs at the world.
Shuu made a face like he'd been forced to look at trash-because he had. Behind all these smiling faces was a darkness that the world could not imagine.
One of the drivers unbuckled.
"Sit tight, kid. I'll go check the audition desk. Don't move."
The moment the door clicked shut behind him, Shuu turned to the remaining driver with a pleasant smile.
"Hey."
"Huh?"
Shuu punched him in the face so hard the man slumped over instantly.
"Idiot. You thought I'd sit tight? Hell no. I am out of here."
Shuu muttered, stepping over the body. He needed to get away before anyone noticed what was happening and called for security.
Finally free, he slipped around the building, sticking close to the walls. He just needed to find a corner, disappear, and vanish into the city before Nee-san's dogs caught on-
-and walked straight onto a set.
Bright lights. Boom mics. A cluster of staff. A camera pointed straight at him.
He froze.
They froze.
Someone dropped their clipboard.
A girl gasped dramatically.
"OH MY GOD-look at his face!"
Another person swore.
"He's perfect! Which agency is he from? How come we have never heard of him before?"
Then the host-some middle-aged man in a glittery suit that made Shuu want to vomit-whirled around, stared at him, and practically squealed before whispering rapidly to a producer.
Shuu took a step back.
The host took a step forward and Shuu recognized his intentions from his pose alone.
"No-!"
Shuu said immediately, taking a step back.
The host reached out.
"Young man-!"
"No."
"We just want-"
"No."
"It's just a quick-"
"Not happening. I am sorry but I am not interested."
The host's hand hovered mid-air before he finally sighed in defeat and turned to the producer, shaking his head.
Shuu exhaled. Good. Finally, someone who-
A hand gripped his shoulder.
Hard.
Shuu's spine stiffened.
"Oi, let go. Do you want to get your face bashed in?"
The grip tightened.
He tried to shake it off. The hand didn't budge.
"The hell-?!"
He whipped around.
A tall man, all muscle and clean-cut professionalism, stared down at him like Shuu was prey that tried to escape the cage. He recognized that face.
After all, it belonged to his once-rival turned stranger, Henry Bake.
Shuu had found himself in his current body almost 6 years ago, when he had been 12. He was already under Nee-san's protection by then and had decided to distance himself from his past life.
But it seemed like time had been more than kind to his once-rival.
"I'm sorry. The producer said to bring you. So I'm bringing you. But a word of advice, the director is a little strict and will likely make you keep trying to act until you satisfy him. Just play along for now."
The man said politely….too politely for Shuu's sake. He had never heard his rival be this civil to him before.
Shuu blinked, not liking where this was going. He looked at his rival, then at the director before looking back and scoffing.
"Are you deaf? I'm not participating in your stupid-"
He didn't get to finish.
In one smooth motion, the guy hauled him forward like he weighed nothing, dragging him toward the stage. Shuu dug his heels in, swore, punched the man's arm, tried to twist out of his grip-nothing worked.
"LET-GO-OF-ME!"
"No can do."
They reached the stairs. Shuu was practically thrown onto the stage, catching himself at the last second with a grunt.
The bright spotlight hit him in the face.
A sea of people stared.
Shuu stared back, expression dark enough to kill.
Someone whispered.
"He looks like he wants to murder us."
Another whispered back.
"That intensity… amazing! Perfect bad-boy aura!"
Shuu wanted to throw the nearest microphone stand at them. That made Shuu scoff and he let out a grunt.
His voice was rough enough to make people feel scared….or it should have been. But it had the opposite effect of what he wanted.
[-Bzzzz…system awakening. User has entered a stage. User has fulfilled the conditions. Charm Lv 1 will be activated now.]
From the crowd, the producer cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled.
"Kid! Congratulations! You're officially shortlisted!"
Shuu snapped.
"SHORTLIST THIS, YOU BASTARDS!"
He yelled, flipping them off.
A camera caught it.
Someone screamed happily.
"REBEL TYPE! WE FOUND A RARE
ONE!"
Shuu's eye twitched so hard he thought it might fall out.
'Tsk, what did I do to deserve this?'