CH45

Ian diligently studied others to become a better actor, priding himself on his ability to quickly grasp people's tendencies and thoughts after years of effort. However, returning to the past, he realized his understanding was lacking in one area.

'Kids' thoughts are just beyond me.'

Having encountered a myriad of people while living as a homeless person, he had no connections with children. Lurking around kids with his dreadful past appearance would have landed him behind bars immediately. For Ian, now younger in body, children remained an uncharted territory, their thoughts often elusive.

Especially now.

"What did you say?"

"Pretty or not, aunts are off-limits. It's criminal. Don't tell me she was your first kiss?!"

Ian struggled to maintain his composure at her outrageous statement.

"You don't seriously think Lotti, I mean Charlotte, and I are…?"

"She called you 'honey.' There was even a 'Mwa' sound."

"A nickname like that can be used with kids. And the Mwa sound is just like a visual effect."

"No, I definitely sensed romantic feelings."

Ian sighed deeply at Dorothy's unwavering suspicion.

"Where's your mother?"

"Why my mom?"

"You've been seeing strange things lately, haven't you? Making such wild claims."

Dorothy blinked and shook her head vigorously.

"No, that's not it!"

Ian suggested they consult her mother, hinting that her recent drama and romance novel consumption might be influencing her bizarre statements. It was the age for such interests, after all.

Catching Ian's arm as he tried to lead her to a guardian, Dorothy pleaded.

"Sorry! I won't say weird stuff anymore. Promise!"

Perhaps influenced by her earnestness, the director approached with a smile.

"Already getting into character? I'm impressed by your dedication."

"Right?! We have to get this scene perfect."

"Why worry about NGs? We can always reshoot."

Dorothy blushed at the teasing remark, while the director chuckled affectionately.

"Anyway, we're starting soon. Come on."

Ian responded on her behalf, and Dorothy sighed in relief, realizing she was given a pass this time. As they walked to the set, she grumbled.

"Rai wouldn't have done this."

"He would have."

"No, he's so sweet. He would never make a woman feel uncomfortable."

Her certainty bordered on conviction, leaving Ian worried about how she'd handle the truth later.

Ian watched Dorothy, who was oblivious to his pitying gaze, as she stood before the camera, scanning the Beverly Hills house used for months as a set. The emptiness of the furniture-less house made the end of filming all the more real.

"It's a shame."

Realizing the house was emptied for moving made the end of shooting hit home. The sense of loss was more profound than with other projects, likely because the experience had been so enjoyable.

Despite the reprimands, the always-cheerful Larry, Daniel who was serious about acting despite his arrogance, and…

"Strange and wonderful Ian."

From the script reading, his acting, which seemed beyond his years, to being the center of various tumults.

Remembering a Harvard-Westlake School official rushing in after seeing Ian solve an SSAT test during a shoot, insisting he take the entrance exam.

The shoot had been turned upside down with his blunt refusal.

The thought of not seeing friends after filming ended brought sadness.

"…Will there ever be a day when we all shoot together again?"

"If we keep acting, it's possible, but it won't be easy."

Would it hurt to say that?

Faced with Dorothy's sulking, Ian spoke gently.

"You don't have to meet friends only on set, right? I can visit, or you can. Isn't that enough?"

"It's different from just hanging out, dummy."

Though she retorted sharply, Dorothy's sadness faded.

The mix of parting sorrow and the hope that it wasn't the end blended in her expression as filming began.

"Eugene, don't you have something to say to me?"

"Take care where you move."

"That's not it."

Esther stepped boldly toward Eugene, close enough to feel each other's breath. Unlike herself, who felt embarrassed, there was not even a slight tremor in Eugene.

He seemed to take it lightly, like a passing breeze, but she was not hurt. She knew what kind of person he was and still liked him.

"You have to say, let's meet again. We will definitely meet again."

"Yes, let's meet again."

"Great!"

Esther smiled brightly like a flower and took a step forward. Eugene's eyes widened slightly at the soft touch.

The girl smiled bashfully at his first display of emotional turmoil. The first kiss was not only special to her.

"I'll be waiting for sure!"

The girl ran out of the house as if fleeing, leaving Eugene alone, who briefly touched his lips that had shared warmth. Silence filled the space.

The door opened again, and the girl peeked her face out.

"Was it okay?"

"Of course! It turned out just as I wanted. Very fresh and nice."

The director praised Dorothy with a thumbs up, and the girl blushed. She hadn't realized how nervous she was until she had her first kiss in front of so many people.

Ian joked to the girl, who couldn't raise her head, "Was the next scene meeting at a funeral? I wonder if you can act dead well."

"Don't talk nonsense. Don't ruin my happy ending!"

The last scene is Esther transferring to Harvard-Westlake School in 9th grade and reuniting.

Not such a terrible tragedy.

"Anyway, it's good that we finished without any NGs. It would have been terrible to reshoot."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Ian pointed to the approaching camera, "We have to shoot the insert too."

This time it has to be done right in front of the camera. Dorothy's eyes shook violently at the cruel reality.

***

-Ahaha, did she misunderstand that we were in that kind of relationship?

"I'm not supposed to like it. I almost got caught."

-It's okay to look that young. Really cute kid.

Ian chose silence for Charlotte's cheerful laughter. She wouldn't laugh like that if she knew she was called an auntie.

-Maybe we should meet up sometime.

"Do that on your own. Thanks for recommending me as a model."

-It wasn't a recommendation. I just asked if it would be okay to use you as a model. It would be troublesome if a model causes trouble. That's why I said it's not someone who causes trouble like me.

"That's a bit of a strange comparison."

It seemed more worrisome.

Charlotte burst into laughter at Ian's joke. Even he thought it wasn't a great response.

-So, you're going to a meeting now?

"Yes, they contacted me sooner than I expected."

-They said they wanted to sign as soon as possible. So, that's why.

"Why?"

"You'll hear about it. It's not really about them, it's your issue."

Knowing Ian wouldn't be told anyway since it seemed like a light-hearted issue, he didn't press further. He'd find out the reason at the meeting.

Upon arriving at the meeting place, he saw WBE agency and luxury brand officials talking. As he entered, Austin nodded slightly, and today's meeting counterpart approached.

A woman, neatly dressed in the brand's signature check pattern, introduced herself. 

"I'm Lexi Norris, the head designer of Prosum Kids. Thank you for accommodating us on such short notice."

"I'm Ian Pryce. A pleasure to meet you."

Ian, having received her business card, asked what he was curious about, "May I know why the appointment was made so urgently?"

"Well, we've been paying attention to Mr. Pryce for a while now to target the Asian market. But recently, there's been an issue."

"An issue?"

Lexi sighed deeply. "It's great that the model we had in mind is becoming more famous, but something else has grown too."

"Recently, you've grown quite a bit, haven't you? Everyone was quite shocked. We can't use you as a child model anymore."

"Ah."

Helping Daniel had brought about changes in his body, causing him to grow significantly taller.

'Invisible Children staff was also hugely surprised by this issue. It turns out there was another victim.'

"We can't ask you to grow slowly, so there's nothing we can do but hurry," 

Lexi said after expressing her concerns. She scrutinized Ian, having come to see for herself the extent of his sudden growth. It seemed like a good decision too.

"You seem to have better proportions than when you first appeared on TV. Your legs have gotten significantly longer in proportion."

"Really?"

"With your growth, the hems of your pants must have gotten much shorter."

Ian had thought his clothes felt shorter because he had grown taller, but he hadn't considered that his proportions had improved. Lexi made a note of his approximate measurements and then glanced at Ian's hair.

"Considering your acting work, would it be okay to cut your hair?"

"When are you planning to shoot?"

"We're planning for May."

May would be a break period for him. The shooting for Beverly Hills Moms had finished, and there was about a month left until the shooting for Invisible Children Season 2.

"That should be fine then."

"That's a relief. Actually, that was also a condition in the contract."

After finishing her questions, Lexi stepped back. As a designer, she had checked everything she needed to. The actual contract negotiations were left to the professionals.

With the thick contract documents on the table, the representatives from WBE and Prosum engaged in a heated negotiation of terms.

'A model contract, how fascinating.'

Even though he had become a recognized actor, there was no one crazy enough to want to use his scarred face for modeling in the future. Everything from the exchanged conditions to explanations about the brand seemed novel and interesting to him.

Maybe that's why he realized it late. One person was missing.

"Let's leave it at this for today. We've confirmed the rough conditions with each other."

"That sounds good."

Prosum seemed eager to quickly secure him as a model, judging by the agreeable conditions they offered, as the people from WBE appeared pleased.

Ian was eager to learn about the conditions he had been offered, but his attention had already shifted elsewhere.

After sending off the other party, Ian immediately asked Austin, "Nick wasn't here today. Did he go to handle something else?"

"…Nick?"

Austin hesitated at the mention of Nick's name. The atmosphere suggested it wasn't just another assignment or a vacation.

Ian's expression hardened. A foreboding feeling pricked at his heart.

"Let me ask again. Why isn't Nick here?"

"Nick is no longer coming to the company."

"Why? It hasn't been long since you informed me he was hired as a full-time employee. Did he quit because he found the agent work too challenging?"

Austin sighed. It wasn't something that could be kept secret forever.

"Actually, Nick was fired."

"Fired?"

In a country where hiring and firing were common, Ian couldn't comprehend it.

'Even knowing how close we are, they fired him?'

It was one of two things. Either WBE didn't consider Ian very important, or…

"He was caught leaking internal information to the outside, damaging the company, so he was fired."

Or Nick had caused a significant problem. 

Ian couldn't believe Austin's answer.

"Really?"

"Yes, he even confessed to it. Although it didn't go as far as a lawsuit, it'll be difficult for him to work in this field again."

Who would hire an agent known for leaking internal information?

Austin's advice to move on only made it harder for Ian to understand.

'That can't be right.'

Nick Wilson, the quirky agent of Hollywood, was still active decades later.

Ian picked up his phone. He needed to find out the truth.