Acting Opportunity

Liam's expression was that of disbelief as he read through the email.

Although he was half awake, groggy and upset earlier, it all vanished as he finished reading the email.

"Simon… you are the goat!" He said, "He just gave me a side character role in a small movie."

"Although he looks like a tough man, he is really kind at heart." He muttered, remembering their first interaction when he was late.

Simon seemed to have been notified that Liam was not going to be able to participate, so he decided to email Liam and tell him about a small role he could give him if he was interested.

Liam said…

"Hell yeah I'm interested, sign me the fuck up!" He shouted, as he quickly replied to the email.

After thanking Simon for the opportunity and accepting it, his tense body slowly relaxed as he slumped back onto the sofa while exhaling.

A few hours later…

Simon replied to his email, sending him the location and timing of the shoot.

"The shoot is tomorrow?" Liam muttered, reading the email with excitement.

"Okay, so I need to meet the director. His name is Charles, Simon had already notified him." He nodded after he had finished reading the email.

Looking at the time, he realised that he still had some time to jog.

"I'm such a loser, I can't believe I almost gave up on running just because of one failure."

"I need to be more consistent, I will be rewarded in the end." He muttered, heading to the bathroom.

Liam did his morning routine and ran outside his neighbourhood again.

This time he lasted eleven minutes, breaking his previous record of ten.

"An amazing start to the day, I get a role in a small shoot and I break my previous record." He panted, as he sat down on a bench nearby.

Opening the water bottle, he downed it in a few gulps before letting out a satisfied moan.

"that's the best drink on the planet, no competition. Without it, I wouldn't be able to survive."

A person walking by heard him mumbling and glanced at him with a slight frown.

'Is this guy an idiot? No one can survive without water, he isn't special… at least in that regard' The man thought, as he walked by.

Liam was completely oblivious to the man's thoughts. It's unknown what his reaction would've been had he known what the person was thinking.

Liam headed home after resting for a short while, he took a quick shower and decided to treat himself to something nice.

Grinning from ear to ear, he slowly muttered.

"I'm going to be rich soon anyway, hehe. I will finally be able to use my system starting from tomorrow, and gain skills."

He almost wet himself with saliva as the thought made him experience hypersalivation.

Leaving his house, he glanced at the time noting when his shift would be.

"I still have a few hours before I need to slave again, but that's fine. It will all end soon…"

He decided to head to a nearby ramen restaurant, which was an oriental Japanese restaurant.

He always walked by it as he went to work, but he always bit his tongue and stopped himself from entering. However, this time he was going to finally enter.

Entering the restaurant, he was greeted with the appetite-opening, mouthwatering aroma of freshly cooked noodles.

"Hello sir, how can I help you." An old Japanese man said, looking at him warmly.

"Hi sir, it's my first time here. I would like to check out the menu." Liam responded.

The old Japanese man nodded with a faint smile on his face.

"Of course sir, here you go." He said, handing him the menu.

"Thank you," Liam returned the smile.

After checking out the menu of various ramen's he decided to go for the hotselling one.

"I would like to order a bowl of ichiraku ramen, please." He said, placing the menu down.

The old man nodded.

"Good choice sir, do you have any allergies?" He asked.

"None," Liam responded, shaking his head.

"Alright, sir."

The old man headed inside and cooked with his daughter for Liam.

Glancing around, the design of the shop was very similar to a certain ramen shop he used to see as a child.

"This really brings back the memories," he muttered.

The place wasn't packed with people, but it wasn't deserted either.

It was almost perfect, it wasn't so busy that everything felt compacted nor was it deserted to the point where it felt like a restaurant in the middle of nowhere.

"I like the environment here," he said in a low tone, looking around.

"Thank you, sir." The old man said as he placed the ramen bowl in front of him.

"Enjoy your ramen sir." The old man smiled, leaving him to enjoy his food.

Startled by the sudden appearance of the old man, Liam smiled back slightly flustered.

"Thank you,"

…

After finishing his food, Liam paid for the ramen. It cost him around $15.

After leaving the shop, Liam opened his wallet and found some buttons and pennies.

"That ramen drained me," he muttered, closing his wallet again.

"It's good that I didn't enter before. Otherwise, with the taste of that ramen… I'm afraid I will go bankrupt due to addiction."

After eating he headed to his work shift.

…

The day went by in a blur, and night had arrived.

Yawning, Liam stretched.

"I can't wait for tomorrow, I wonder what the roll will be." He thought, as he put his head on the pillow and drifted to sleep.

The next day… 

Saturday.

Liam got up early as usual, brushed his teeth and did his morning run.

"There are still two hours left before the shoot," he muttered, under the showerhead.

After drying himself, he made a cheese sandwich.

Looking at it in his hands, he almost threw it out of the window.

He had been eating the same breakfast meal for the past year or so, and it got to the point where he didn't even want to see a cheese block.

"Only if I could go eat at that ramen restaurant," he said, as he finished the last bite and headed out to the shoot.

It took him thirty minutes to arrive there, once he arrived at the spot, he glanced around.

He was around an hour early to the shoot, but that was fine.

"Better be early than late."

He wasn't the only one on-site, he could see many cameramen and other workers setting up the area for the shooting.

"I can't believe I will actually do my first shooting ever…even if I am an extra" he muttered, as he watched them setting up the scene.

The set gradually buzzed with more activity as people began arriving at the shooting location.

Crew members lugged equipment back and forth, their chatter mixing with the sounds of tools clinking and cameras being adjusted. A few actors gathered in small groups, laughing or rehearsing their lines.

Liam remained on the sidelines, his presence went unnoticed.

'Well, it's not surprising. I'm an extra after all.'

Leaning against a low wall, Liam shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

He had been there for nearly an hour, feeling out of place amidst the organized chaos. Occasionally, he glanced toward the main entrance, hoping for some sign of the director, Charles.

His instructions from the email were vague, leaving him unsure of who to approach or what to expect.

The crowd grew larger as more people arrived, yet still... no one acknowledged his presence.

Liam still couldn't blame them.

He was new, and judging by how the cast interacted, the main roles had already been filled.

He was definitely just an extra—one of many faces meant to blend into the background.

As he scanned the scene for the nth time, a figure approached him from across the set.

The man was tall and sharply dressed, exuding an air of confidence. His smile was wide and warm, instantly disarming people's suspicions.

Liam straightened instinctively as the man stopped in front of him.

"Hello," the man said, his tone friendly. "I'm Damien. What's your name?"

For a moment, Liam blinked, caught off guard by the man's charisma.

Gathering himself quickly, he replied, "My name's Liam. It's a pleasure to meet you, Damien."

"The pleasure's mine," Damien said with a slight nod. Something was reassuring about his demeanour.

Damien's eyes narrowed slightly, though not unkindly, as he added, "I couldn't help but notice you've been looking around quite a bit. I also haven't seen you here before. You're new, right?"

Liam nodded, relaxing a little.

"Yes, I'm new," he admitted.

Damien returned the nod, his expression thoughtful. "Are you waiting for someone in particular? You keep glancing at the door," he said, tilting his head toward the entrance Liam had been eyeing.

Liam scratched the back of his head, a sheepish grin forming on his face.

"My bad," he said, exhaling lightly.

"I'm supposed to be looking out for Director Charles, but the problem is… I don't even know what he looks like."

Damien chuckled softly, his smile widening. "That explains it. No need to worry," he said reassuringly. "I know Charles well. When he arrives, I'll introduce you to him."

Relief washed over Liam, and he smiled back gratefully. "I'd be really grateful, thanks."

Damien waved a hand dismissively, his tone light. "It's no trouble. Everyone's been in your shoes at some point."

Liam nodded his head, as he cast a quick glance at the still-empty director's chair, he muttered to himself, "One day..."

As they stood there, waiting together, Damien began chatting about the project, effortlessly filling some gaps in conversation.

'This guy... is he the main character? Why does he have so much charisma.' Liam thought as he glanced at Damien smiling as he greeted the other actors.

'I wouldn't be surprised if I found out that the girls on the set all love this guy...'

Liam noticed Damien glancing toward a man walking confidently through the crew, his head held high, exuding authority.

Damien gave Liam a quick nod and gestured toward the man with a tilt of his head.

"That's Charles," Damien seemed to be saying.

Liam nodded in thanks, his heart pounding as he glanced at the director.

Charles was a tall man in his late forties, dressed in a fitted blazer over a casual button-down shirt.

His expression was sharp, his confidence evident as he moved calmly through the chaos of the set.

Liam's nerves kicked in.

He couldn't afford to miss this opportunity to introduce himself, but he also didn't want to be the guy who interrupted a busy director mid-stride.

The thought of standing awkwardly and being ignored made his stomach churn. Deciding it was now or never, he took a deep breath and stepped forward.

Liam approached the director, his steps cautious but smooth.

When he reached him, he cleared his throat softly to catch the man's attention.

Charles turned, his brows furrowed slightly, clearly in the middle of mentally organizing the day's work.

"Hello, Director Charles," Liam said, his voice steady despite the nerves tightening his chest. "I'm Liam West. Mr. Simon told me to speak with you when I arrived on set."

Charles's frown deepened momentarily as he processed the interruption. Liam's breath caught in his throat, panic bubbling up.

But recognition flickered in Charles's eyes as he remembered Simon's mention of a new extra joining the set.

The frown smoothed out, and Charles nodded curtly. "Ah, yes. Simon mentioned you." His tone was measured, though not exactly warm.

"Welcome, Liam. Nice to meet you."

Liam exhaled a bit of the tension gripping him by the throat.

"Thank you, sir. It's a pleasure to be here," he said quickly, aiming for a balance of professionalism and enthusiasm.

Charles gestured vaguely toward the bustling set behind him. "For now, feel free to walk around and observe. I'll let you know your role shortly."

"Thank you, Director," Liam replied, giving a respectful nod before retreating.

As Liam walked back toward the sidelines, he let out a quiet sigh of relief.

"Thank God I mentioned Simon in the same breath," he muttered to himself. "Otherwise, he probably would've shut me down on the spot."

He glanced back at Charles, who was now deep in conversation with a cluster of crew members.

The director's demeanour was serious, his gestures brisk as he pointed to various parts of the set. It was clear he had a full plate already.

"Seems like he was busy from the get-go," Liam thought, feeling a twinge of guilt for interrupting.

But he knew the introduction was necessary. After all, being an unknown face on set was far riskier than a brief, polite interruption.

Going back into his position, Liam folded his arms and watched the crew work. His heart was still racing, but at least now he had made contact.

"First hurdle cleared," he thought, as a small, satisfied smile formed. "Now I just need to wait for my instructions."

...

Around ten minutes later, the director gathered the crew.

"Everyone please come closer," He shouted, as he stood in the middle of the set with Damien and some other important-looking characters waiting with him.

"Today, we are going to film the next scene of our show."

"I will briefly explain the scene again as there are some newcomers on the set," He said, casting a quick glance at Liam and one other person in the crowd.

"The scene will be about our main character being chased by the police in a car..."

...

"Does everyone understand now?" He said, making sure that everyone was on the same page.

Everyone nodded including Liam.