"But… Who is this second male lead? I don't remember hearing this name before… Silas? Silas what?" Hiro mumbled, scanning the script in his hands, tilting his head to the side.
"What are you wasting your time on, now?" Felix grabbed the script from Hiro's grip, a clear frown on his face.
"Don't frown. You will get wrinkles. But what's wrong? Did someone upset you?"
"You haven't even looked at me ever since we came here."
"I am working."
"But…"
"Did you greet the director?"
"No…"
Hiro rolled his eyes to the side, unable to understand how this man even managed to make so many movies without him by his side.
Grabbing Felix's hand, he led the tall man towards the director.
"There you are, Mr. Auclair!"
"It is nice to see you, Director Park," Felix bowed respectfully.
"No need for such formalities," the director laughed. "Have you met this fine young man yet?"
The round, middle-aged man stepped aside, revealing a taller young man.
His skin was unusually pale for a man, and his almond-shaped honey-coloured sharp eyes shifted their way. Curly auburn hair carefully slicked at the back of his head, and his black t-shirt clung to his body as if it were a second skin. A turtleneck nestled beneath his jawline, complementing his short yet sharp nose and coral-coloured lips, which curled into a tender smile.
"Hello, I am Silas Laflamme. Nice to meet you," the man's voice was deep and sharp, unlike his soft appearance.
"Hi," both of the young men greeted in return.
"He will be the second lead, Gi-Jah."
"I haven't seen him at the first meeting," Felix raised an eyebrow, studying the man from head to toe.
Silas smiled softly, bowing slightly.
"Indeed. It was a last-minute change. I hope we get—"
"Let's go," Felix interrupted the young man and grabbed Hiro's wrist tightly, dragging him away from there as if they were about to be chased by a savage animal otherwise.
Once they entered the makeup room, Hiro swatted his hand away from the firm grip, glaring at the man in front of him.
"That's so rude! What is wrong with you?!" His voice was low, barely above a whisper although frustration laced in his tone.
"Why were you staring at him like that?"
Hiro narrowed his eyes in confusion.
"Like what? I wasn't staring. It's basic manners to look at someone when you greet them."
Felix didn't answer and sat in his chair.
"Start the makeup," he ordered his makeup artists.
Unable to speak in front of the members, Hiro stepped out, shutting the door behind him.
What the hell's wrong with him?!
Just then, his phone rang. He pulled out the phone from his pocket and all his anger vanished into thin air upon seeing the name of the caller ID.
He coughed, clearing his throat before answering.
"Hi."
[Granny said you not coming this weekend?] A child asked on the other side of the line.
"I'm sorry. I promise to visit next weekend."
[But… I miss you…]
"I miss you too," Hiro couldn't help but smile faintly, forgetting that he stood at his workplace.
Which parent wouldn't smile when their son tells them they miss them? In the silent hell he has been living in, Jin was his ray of joy.
"Who's making you smile like that?" A female staff member chuckled.
"Ah… It's my mom," he instantly lied.
It was a habit. He couldn't let anyone know of Jin's existence.
Why?
He couldn't let his son experience the pain of being questioned—exposed to the cruel world at a young age.
I need to keep him safe until I can…
He told himself.
The lady raised her eyebrows, clearly doubting him. But she simply smiled and walked away.
Hiro let out a sigh of relief.
[Daddy?]
"I'll call you… tonight."
[You said that the night before tonight.]
"It's 'yesterday'."
[Yes, yes. That.]
Usually, he would chuckle at his son's silly mistakes after correcting him. And when the boy would puff his cheeks, Hiro would coax him, making him understand that it was normal not to be able to say every word perfectly because he was still just a child.
But this time he couldn't laugh. Once again, he couldn't keep his word to the child because of Felix.
"I need to get back to work. I'm sorry for yesterday and I will surely call you tonight. Okay?"
[Okay…]
After hanging up the call, Hiro turned off his phone. He couldn't take more distractions than he already had so far.
First, Felix's sole presence was enough to put him in a strange mood. Now, even Jin was upset with him because he broke his promise.
Damn it. How do I keep messing up everything?
Hiro slipped his phone back into his pocket and turned around—only to bump into someone.
"I'm sorry—" he quickly began before looking at the person. If he bumped into a famous actor or actress, they would surely give him a handful of scolding although he wasn't the only one at fault.
The person should have been the one to pay attention to the person standing in front of them, right?
"It's alright," claimed a calm, deep voice. It was Silas.
The young man stood there with a faint smile, holding a cup of coffee in each hand. He wasn't wearing makeup yet, but somehow, he looked even more handsome under the hallway's dull lighting.
Perhaps it was because Hiro was a photographer, but if he were to take a picture of this man, he could make millions for sure from that face.
Silas's honey-coloured eyes lingered on Hiro's face for too long before he parted his lips.
"This is for you," Silas said, handing him one of the cups.
"What?"
"A lady said it was yours. You left it at the table during the meeting."
"…Thanks?" Hiro took it awkwardly, trying to recall if he had even attended any meeting since he arrived at the set. Their fingers brushed for the briefest moment, and Hiro quickly pulled away.
Silas nodded curtly and walked away without another word.
Hiro watched his back disappear around the corner, heart unsettled—not because of the coffee, but because for a moment, he felt truly seen.
No one truly notices a cameraman on a film set—they do, but only during the shooting.
He shook the thought away and rushed back to Felix's side. He pushed open the door to the makeup room again.
The dark-haired man was still sitting, his makeup freshly done. Now, he was laughing softly, head tilted, while a young female staff member adjusted the collar of his costume.
"You always know how to make a guy look good," Felix said, his voice light and teasing.
"Oh, stop," the young woman giggled, blushing. "I barely did anything. You're the handsome one."
"Pretty people always say that," Felix said with a wink.
Hiro froze.
He shouldn't care.
He shouldn't.
Yet his chest ached.