It had been a few weeks since the "incident" with Mikayo. As was the usual, the house had gone completely quiet again—too quiet, if you asked Mercury. He sat cross-legged in front of the TV, eyes wide and sparkling with a childish anticipation that didn't quite match the age of his soul.
Just behind him, Lina and Celine lay on the couch. The two girls were laughing with one another as they often did, enjoying the warm atmosphere that often dwells when the two were close.
"Are you excited to see mommy on television, Celine?" Lina asked, brushing her daughter's hair aside.
"Yes! Yes!" Celine's face was once again beaming, her tiny legs bouncing against the cushions. "Mommy on the television! This is the first time I get to see you act!"
Mercury's lips twitched as he listened to their conversation. The girl was right... Despite how many times Lina had been placed into smalltime movies and shows, neither of the children had been given the opportunity to actually see her aired on the screen.
For the first time, Lina had been cast into a bit bigger film as one of the main cast members. Low budgets, forgotten projects, local reruns... her work had often been scattered to the wind, invisible to the world that demanded perfection. Despite all her talents, Lina had never been placed into the roles of a true "star" of the entertainment world.
But tonight... tonight was different.
"We actually get to see her... in person." Mercury observed.
For a moment, the grey haired boy's usual cynicism melted. Acting wasn't really his thing, but the idea of watching someone you love shine... that was different. He was starting to find the idea of this world much more enjoyable than he ever could have imaged.
"Oh! It's starting!" Lina exclaimed, drawing him back to his television show.
The opening played and colors shifted before the family. Into view came that of a classroom, laughter echoing from unseen mouths. Mercury's eyes widened as the camera panned, then stopped when she came into view.
Lina.
Her character sat casually on a desk, eyes bright, voice airy, and every gesture as effortless as the time that passed by. The screen couldn't contain her, Mercury watching the beauty that lay before him. For just that instant, it was as if she existed in a different dimension entirely—radiant and unreachable.
"Wow..." Mercury murmured. "Her acting... it's really is something else."
That aura she gave off was something of only his wildest dreams. In his past life the male had seen countless actors, but this... was somehow so different.
It wasn't skill. It was... something else.
A kind of "gravity" that seemed to pull him closer and closer.
But then, just as things were starting to pull Mercury in, the screen suddenly cut away from Lina. New actors filled the scene and Lina was far gone, her part done almost as quickly as it had come.
Behind Mercury, Lina's soft smile started to fade. She looked at the show, sighing as she watched panels play in front of her. "Guess that's all they gave me, huh. My acting... wasn't good enough this time either." She looked down at Celine.
"Why isn't Mommy on screen anymore?!" Celine yelled, fists clenched tight. "Bring Mommy back!"
Mercury frowned and turned toward who was standing behind the couch. "Does this... happen often?" He looked at the woman, waiting for an answer.
"Unfortunately," she breathed, signing the same way Lina had. "Your mom... She's had her share of work, but most of it's small-time. She isn't exactly famous."
"But I've seen her on the news before," he insisted. "She has to be better than that!" Mercury had thought that this was supposed to be one of her better roles! "Don't tell me that she did something wrong..."
"The news unfortunately doesn't make you a star," Mikayo said. "Sometimes it just makes you visible. There's a difference."
As much as Mercury hated to admit it, he could understand what she was telling him. Lina had been able to make some different appearances here and there, but that didn't necessarily mean any of those were on a "big stage." To make someone famous, it would take more important roles than what she had done.
But if that was the case, then how hadn't someone found her talents worthwhile? Mercury was sure that Lina had talent—otherwise he wouldn't have been so attracted to her acting.
Lina laughed again, her voice bright but trembling at the edges. "Sorry, Daichi. Guess I didn't make it again." She looked at the man.
Her agent smiled kindly, patting the young woman's shoulders. "Don't be sorry, Lina. You just haven't found your spark yet. It'll come."
"Seven years and counting," Mikayo muttered. "We can't live on scraps forever."
The room fell silent, the kind of silence that swallows dreams whole. Mercury watched the adults—their tired smiles, their quiet desperation. For all the glitz and promise, the entertainment world looked less like a dream and more like a battlefield.
"Guess I shouldn't judge a book by its cover..." he thought. "...especially when it's still being written."
Three weeks later, boredom crept back into Mercury's bones. He lay on his side, staring blankly at the wall. It seemed that, despite how chaotic his mom's life had become, his was still filled with the same never ending emptiness.
"I should've asked Daichi for more books..."
Celine was napping and Lina was away again, chasing another role that would probably vanish in post-production. Mikayo was glued to her computer, typing away, working herself into exhaustion.
Mercury couldn't figure out what these adults were so desperately chasing. What was the point of going after dreams if they didn't want you in the end? It seemed fruitless to strive for something that was simply just out of reach.
And yet, they kept slaving away. Day after day he watched them keep at the dreams that a past Mercury could have never hoped to keep aiming for.
As the boy laid down and thought, an idea popped into his head.
"Hey, Mikayo," he said, sitting up. "Can we go see mom work?"
She blinked. "What?"
Mercury turned his head and looked out the window. "I mean, if I have to rot in this house any longer... I might as well do something interesting." He then looked back at the woman. "You can talk to Daichi, right? Get us permission?"
Mikayo sighed, closing her laptop. "You really are not a normal kid, Mercury. You don't just go to a film set. There's protocol. Security. Chaos."
"But I've been stuck in this cycle for four years!" he complained, voice trembling with a quiet desperation he didn't want to admit. "Just once... I want to see it for myself."
He really couldn't take lying around any longer. Mercury needed something that might make his dreary existence a little brighter. It seemed like a plausible idea that he might be able to observe what was happening with Lina's acting firsthand.
"Fine. I'll see what I can do." Miyako assured, giving into the boy's request.
Mercury grinned. "Thank you! Thank you so much!" He ran up and hugged Mikayo's leg, making the woman blush in embarrassment.
"H-Hey! Don't get clingy!"
"We're going to see Mommy act! We're going to see Mommy act!"
Only hours later, Mikayo and the two children were off to the set where Lina was acting. Somehow, Daichi had been able to get permission for the family to come and observe the filming... something that had irked Miyako.
Behind the woman, Celine's voice filled the car with energy that couldn't be contained. Mercury sat beside her, trying to act calm, though a flicker of excitement betrayed him.
"Remember," Mikayo said from the driver's seat, "you're my kids today. No calling Lina 'mommy.' Got it?"
"Yes, ma'am!" Celine chirped—then immediately bounced again. "But I am Mommy's daughter, so it's fine in spirit!"
Mercury sighed. "Air-headed as always..."
They pulled up to the studio—a modest building, but humming with life. Assistants rushed between trailers while actors rehearsed lines. The smell of makeup and sweat and ambition hung heavy in the air.
Stepping out of the car, Mercury took in all of the sights and smells. The place was sure different than he would have been able to picture before—much more professional and heavy than that of a daydream.
Celine caught her breath as she looked on with her brother. "Wow... it's beautiful..."
"Of course," Mikayo said, smirking. "It's the world your mother chose."
"I can see why!"
The three of them headed towards the main set as they looked around at what was happening. Miyako had said they needed to speak with the director before they could go and find Daichi, so that was what was taking first priority.
Mercury looked at all of the people around him—unison of their lives coming together. He could never imagine himself being in their shoes in this regard. There was a reason he didn't understand the lives of actors after all.
Eventually, the three of them did find the man who held the title of "director." The male looked to be in his mid-thirties and also showed an expression as if sleep had forgotten his address. He watched the filming as Miyako and the twins came closer. Hearing their footsteps, he turned and watched them come closer.
"Ah... and you must be the manager's contact?" he asked flatly. His gaze fell to Celine and Mercury. "And... these are?"
"My kids." Mikayo said quickly.
At those words, the director's gaze changed. He looked at the three of them, somehow feeling much more scary than he had when they first arrived.
"Kids, huh? You would bring kids here?!" he questioned, sounding much harsher.
Mercury's blood seemed to freeze as it often did when he felt scared. He looked deep into the man's eyes. Was that supposed to be something that shouldn't happen? Was there actually some rule about bringing kids being forbidden.
He stood still, waiting for an answer. Just what would this man do to them if that was the case?! Would Lina be fired for having her agency break protocol?! That would NOT be good!
"This is so bad! Bad! Bad! BAD!"
However, only a second or two later, the man's expression relaxed. He pointed at the twins and frowned, looking a bit confused. "Is this like one of those new company reform things?!"
"E-Excuse me?!" Mikayo breathed.
The man scratched the back of his head and yawned, turning back to the film. "Well, I don't really care much. Some people even bring their dogs these days." He waved his hand. "We have a viewing area over that way if you want to watch. Just don't cause me any problems, m'kay?"
Mikayo bowed. "Thank you, Director Ado."
"Yeah, yeah," he mumbled, already not really listening.
And so, the three of them started to walk away in the director that they had been sent. Celine looked back at the man as they left, seeming to be a bit perplexed at the interaction they had just been put through.
"He's the first real person I've met in showbiz... and he's that grumpy?"
Mercury chuckled. "Welcome to reality."
Then, as they stepped into the viewing area, the lights dimmed, and cameras rolled.
For the first time, Mercury and Celine watched their mother act—not through a screen, but in real time.
And in that instant, the dream didn't feel so far away.