CH71

The misunderstanding between the two was quickly resolved.

"Was it such a difficult question to answer?"

Is it hard to mention a friend's name?

Cooper, who had been applying an ice pack to a bump on his head, responded gruffly.

"It's easy for you…"

"You could've just said my name."

Cooper flinched at the words spat out with a smirk.

Even without friends, he has ears. He wondered why the schoolgirls had been talking so much about Ian lately.

'That explains it.'

Wouldn't a woman have felt a flutter in that moment? Seeing how he acts around men, it seemed he was hardly aware of it.

It's not like he's Italian.

"I thought we were friends, but I guess it was just me who thought that way?"

"…Friends? You didn't even tell me your real name."

"Sorry, it was because of the filming; I couldn't help it."

"Filming?!"

Startled, Cooper looked around.

He hadn't noticed in his nervousness, but there were cameras set up around the cafe.

"Being a comfortable conversation partner for the student who called…"

He couldn't fully grasp the explanation of the filming.

Wrapped in anxiety and unease, Cooper felt his heart drop as the conversation continued.

"I went to your house to cooperate with the filming. After seeing what I saw there, I decided I had to meet you in person."

"…You saw? Who are you to see that!"

Cooper's face contorted with anger.

Ian, stopping Marcus who was rushing over, spoke in the calmest voice possible.

"Calm down. Thanks to that, I understood how hard it has been for you."

"You know how hard it's been for me?! How would you know! Do you even understand the pain of being ignored and bullied?!"

A successful celebrity from a young age couldn't possibly empathize.

Convinced, Cooper yelled and then, seeing Ian's face, closed his mouth.

"…You think I wouldn't know?"

With hollow, dull eyes and a dry voice.

Overwhelmed momentarily, Cooper collapsed into his seat. Empathy? It didn't matter anymore. What was important was that he had been exposed.

"…Ha, now should I just go to the police station for questioning? Should I just go to jail?"

"If an investigation is needed, then it must be done. But I don't think you're that bad of a person."

Having met in person, it was clear.

He wasn't irredeemably twisted, and it wasn't too late.

"I promise, as a friend, I'll help you as much as I can. Will you trust me just this once?"

Cooper stared at the extended hand.

He wondered if grabbing it would change anything, but then again, when had someone who called themselves a friend reached out like this?

After hesitating for a long while, the boy reached out his hand with difficulty.

Their hands clasped firmly.

Ian smiled broadly.

***

The camera was rolling.

On the desolate streets of New York, puddles of viscous blood were congealed.

Aliens dragged here by a malfunctioning warp had instantly turned into chunks of meat.

Fizz-crack-

The overloaded warp began to crack ominously with a sinister tearing sound.

"Stop it! We're really going to die!"

"It doesn't matter."

"It matters to me! Argh, when is Kayden, that damned guy, coming!"

"Kayden? He's not coming. I already killed him."

"No way! That idiot, as dumb as he is durable, couldn't be dead!"

The banter between the nonchalant Alpha and the chattering Beta swiftly exchanged through a single breath.

Like a face-changing artist, their tones and atmospheres switched instantly, without any confusion.

"That's crazy."

Even Gavin, who had provided the script, hadn't expected them to nail it in one go without needing several cuts.

Regardless of the spectators' reactions, the filming continued.

"Alpha!"

At the resounding shout, Alpha turned with a scowl.

"Still alive, huh? Was I too shallow?"

It was Kayden, whom they thought was dead.

Following him, a line of hunters arrived, drawing their weapons.

"Ha, you think you can stop me?"

It was laughable. With a sneer, Alpha reached out his hand, then hesitated.

The guns aimed by the hunters were not pointed at him, but at the monsters continuing to pour out.

As if they had never been divided into two factions, the hunters united and swung their weapons.

Wrapped in a bandaged top, Kayden flashed a cool smile.

"Why so surprised? Taking care of a troublemaker's mess is also an adult's job."

"Am I the troublemaker?"

"Are you not? Just stay put there. I'll give you an earful once this is all over."

"Kayden, come here now!"

At Alex's call, Kayden quickly joined the battle.

A confused look crossed the boy's face, filled with complex emotions. Suddenly, he staggered greatly.

"Damned kid. Running off like that? If I had confronted you directly, I would have spanked you until your butt turned red… Ah, sorry, sorry! It hurts!"

Beta, holding his throbbing head, groaned and reached towards the unstable warp.

The dimming warp gate slowly faded from view in New York.

"Cut!"

As the call signaling the end of the shooting echoed, Ian looked around.

The filming in New York was nearing its end. Once some additional shots were completed, they would return to LA for the set shooting.

Ben roughly ruffled Ian's hair.

"Why do you look so regretful?"

"Ah, it's always a bit sad when shooting ends. Feels like I could have done better."

"Ease up a bit. You seem to have been pushing yourself even harder lately. Is something bothering you?"

Ian was already known to be obsessed with acting, but his recent level of immersion was concerning.

Ben looked worried, but Ian just smiled faintly.

"Just remembered how much I want to act sometimes."

Cooper's situation reminded him of his own past, enduring discrimination and bullying.

He realized anew that acting had helped him endure those tough times without becoming twisted.

As Ian and Ben chatted, footsteps approached.

A slender finger covered Ian's eyes along with the scent of strong perfume.

"Honey, who is it?"

"Planning to fool me?"

The only person in the world who called him "honey" was Charlotte Underhill.

"Oh, you're supposed to pretend you don't recognize me at times like this, right? Isn't that so, Ben?"

"I've discarded all my past memories and become a new person, so I wouldn't know about that."

"Shall I make you remember? Considering all your ex-girlfriends I know…"

Charlotte's fingers snapped quickly, and Ben grimaced as he ran away.

Charlotte's laughter rang out, making it clear why Ben, once a Casanova, had no luck with her.

"Is the shooting definitely over?"

"Yes, it's finished."

"Then let's go on a date."

A date? More like a business meeting.

Normally, he would have corrected that immediately, but he owed her an apology this time, so he extended his hand obediently.

"Let's go. Come on, darling."

"We might end up causing a scandal."

"Well, who knows."

Maybe they would seem more like an aunt and nephew than lovers?

Ian had a thought that might earn him a slap from Charlotte.

***

The date was just a nice meal, really.

Charlotte looked content with a full stomach, and Ian took the opportunity to apologize first.

"Have you heard about it?"

"The kid named Cooper? I did hear that his story won't be broadcast."

"That's what happened. I'm really sorry."

Cooper had been receiving psychological counseling and was improving.

His mental health treatment involved medication, which was considered significant enough to warrant caution.

'Thinking of profits, airing it would be definitely beneficial, but it wouldn't be good for Cooper.'

Even if they hadn't proceeded, just the fact that such plans were made was not something that would benefit Cooper if people knew.

Of course, it would have been better for the broadcast to be public, so Ian apologized, and Charlotte frowned.

"Honestly, I'm upset. Look at me, straight."

Charlotte, locking eyes with Ian, spoke seriously.

"I'm Charlotte Underhill. I really don't need to sell a child's story to make ends meet. Right now, your apology feels like you're disregarding me."

"I'm sorry."

"No, not that."

She playfully pinched his cheek.

"Just say thank you. Thank you, darling. Now, say it with all your heart."

It wasn't a difficult request.

Ian took Charlotte's hand and said,

"Thank you, darling."

"..."

After a moment of silence, Charlotte took out her phone.

"Can you say that one more time? I want to brag to my friends."

"Are you crazy? It's over, over!"

"Why? Weren't you flirting with me? Again, I was the only one who was serious."

"If you were serious, you'd drop that smirk first. Can't help but tease, can you?"

Charlotte burst out laughing as Ian grumbled.

After bickering for a while, she stared at Ian intensely.

"Why?"

"Now that I think about it, I feel like I've been fooled again. Didn't you say it was going to be a simple project?"

"It was simple."

"Not when something like this happens."

It felt like expecting a kitten and having a puma jump out of the box.

"You knew something about this, didn't you?"

Was this a woman's intuition?

Without any evidence, Ian quickly feigned ignorance.

"Hey, how could I have possibly known such a thing would happen? It was just a coincidence."

"Suspicious."

"I do have a good intuition. And you won't help me if something happens later?"

At Ian's shameless question, Charlotte sighed.

"Ah, how did I ever become friends with you. Bad boys weren't my type."

"Tastes change as you age."

"Should that be coming from this mouth?"

Charlotte pinched her lips slightly and then stood up.

"If you need help, don't escalate things unnecessarily; just call me. As long as it's not something bad, I'll help."

"Do I look like someone who would do bad things?"

Charlotte patted Ian's head firmly.

"No, that's why I'm helping you."

They both laughed lightly.

***

The rustling sound of turning pages was pleasantly heard. It was the script from Grand Line that he had received after signing the casting contract.

"Typical of Director Go Jun-hyuk."

He's already a famous director, but he's destined to become one of the renowned directors in the world.

Ian had been surprised when the casting request first came through.

He definitely remembered this work.

'But did it get submitted to Cannes?'

It seemed like it hadn't.

That wasn't very important. They might have missed the deadline during post-production.

More important than anything else was the script.

"Sure, it's interesting, but the character Eugene…"

Ian tapped the name Eugene in the script with his fingers.

This character wasn't in the movie he had seen.

It either disappeared or was created because of him; one of the two.

The answer wasn't important.

What mattered was that he had already signed the contract and that he would be acting as this character.

Grand Line depicted a scenario where, amid construction, an ice age arrives, trapping workers from various countries who couldn't return to their homelands.

Eugene was a character who had lived among these people from a young age, serving as an interpreter.

"And also as a guide who knows the lower layers inside out."

A significant supporting role had been added, so there were quite a few changes from what he knew.

While he was engrossed in comparing these differences with the script, his phone rang.

It was Cooper.

"Cooper!"

-Uh, John.

"Call me Ian."

-…Okay, Ian.

Cooper sounded hesitant to use the name Ian.

"What's up at this hour?"

It was quite late at night.

A time he had never called before.

-Did I disturb you?

"No, just curious what's up."

-I wanted to say something.

Ian wondered what it might be, but the following words were unexpected.

-I just talked with the director and my parents. I asked them to air my story.

"Why?! There's nothing good in it for you!"

-I know. But I want to properly apologize for what I was planning to do.

"You won't regret this?"

-I might. But I think I'll regret not doing it less.

Ian could sense a strong resolve in his words and gave up on persuading him.

It might be the first time Cooper had shown such great courage. He couldn't bring himself to discourage that.

"Director Isaac agreed to this?"

-Yeah, he said he'd respect my wishes.

If the director has given his approval, that's at least some good news. It means he's confident they can sway public opinion with the editing.

'Better this way. Those who tormented Cooper should experience some hardship too.'

Pushing someone to the brink means you should be prepared to fall yourself.

"Don't worry. I'm on your side."

-I know. And Nathan said he'd help too.

"Nathan?"

If classmate Nathan is helping, there shouldn't be much to worry about.

"Is there anything else I can help with?"

-Help? Well… I mustered a lot of courage. I wish you'd muster some too.

"Courage? Me?"

As if he had ever acted cowardly.

That was a strange thing to say.

– The courage to endure embarrassment. It'd be great if we could leave some good memories at our school.

"Just a moment."

This didn't feel right.

There was a strong sense that he shouldn't hear any more, but Cooper continued before he could intervene.

-There's talk of a kitsune costume in the contract. How about trying it out?

"…Hey, who's with you right now?"

Cooper speaking this fluently? That was suspicious to begin with.

After a brief silence, a cheerful voice chimed in.

-Honey, I'm looking forward to it!

"Hey! Lotti!"

Click!

The call ended, and no matter how many times he tried, the phone wasn't picked up again.

While he was futilely trying to call back, someone knocked on his door.

-Ian, it's me.

"Come in."

Ben entered, placing a suspicious box on the floor.

"NetPlus sent this over for you."

…Really?

Broadcast folks are all in it together.

From inside the box, nine tails fluttered.