"Good job a while back," Hana said, patting June's back as she sat next to him.
The first day of the filming was finally over, and the actors were resting for a moment. They were able to film a decent amount of scenes, and it seemed like Director Jam was in a good mood because of it.
June chuckled as he placed his water bottle on the table.
"I had like three lines just now," June said, wondering how he could have done such a great job in those three lines.
Hana chuckled. "Well, you nailed those three lines. It's like you've been a servant in your past life with how well you obeyed Yian during those scenes."
June shook his head in amusement.
Then, he heard another person agree to Hana's statement.
"She's right."
The two of them turned around, only to see Taehyun, one of the top actors of the generation, approaching them.
"You caught my attention even when you don't have many lines. It makes me more curious about your acting," he said.
"Well, you'll be able to watch about four more lines in the entire movie," June said, causing the two actors to chuckle.
"Things can change," Taehyun said. "The script isn't always final until the movie has premiered."
June raised his eyebrows in inquiry. "Really?"
"Yes," Hana responded. "It's happened plenty of times before. It's based on what the director feels and how other producers see your character, too. So, your character might be boosted to 'almost-main character' if you manage to keep doing well like this."
June shrugged. "I'm just going to do my best for what is given now."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})"That's the mindset," Taehyun said.
"Why don't you give me your number so I can contact you and give you some tips from time to time?" he asked, giving June his phone.
June looked at him with skepticism. "Why is a big shot like you asking for my number?"
Taehyung nodded in amusement. "For all I know, you're the big shot right here, Mr. Bilbong. I may have an ulterior motive of asking for your autograph for my little cousins and aunts."
Some actors nearby heard what Taehyun had said.
"Oh, me too! My wife's obsessed with June right now. She's even watching Rising Stars."
"Even my daughter is infatuated with him. Now, I can see why. You're quite the talented man, aren't you?"
"Give me your autograph for my members too!"
"Umm, can you also sign this one…for me?"
Meanwhile, a figure loomed over the shadows, his hair disheveled and his appearance envious.
"What's this?" he muttered, a manic yet soft chuckle escaping from his lips.
"I'm the main character," he continued ranting to himself.
"Why are they acting like that bastard is the big deal here?"
Lin Zhi's eyes were wide and devoid of any emotion. His pupils were constricted as if he were holding himself back from doing anything harmful.
For a moment, Ann glanced at him, but she quickly looked away when he saw his cold gaze.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})"Geez," she muttered, feeling goosebumps arise from her skin. "He's way into his character."
Lin Zhi couldn't accept the fact that June was getting all the praise when, in reality, he was also doing his best for the movie production! June only had to utter three lines within the entire day while he had a whole ass introduction scene! How could this be?
He shook his head and turned away from the scene before leaving the set with clenched fists. He didn't even bother bidding farewell to the directors or to anyone, for that matter.
He trudged to the exit and saw a familiar black car waiting for him.
Lin Zhi wasted no time in getting inside the car, slamming it shut as he settled in the front seat.
"This is expensive," Laohu said. "Don't go slamming my car door when you don't even have any money to pay for it."
That was Lin Zhi's tipping point.
He turned to Laohu with murderous eyes.
"I would have made a lot of money if it weren't for that bastard!" he exclaimed.
"I should have debuted in EVE! I should be the center of EVE! I should be swimming in money! I should be the sole focus of the Shadow clan, but here he is again—taking away every opportunity of mine to shine," he screamed while Laohu drove calmly.
Laohu didn't respond for a while as Lin Zhi caught his breath.
"Are you done?" Laohu asked.
Lin Zhi sighed and closed his eyes to calm himself down.
"I'm done," Lin Zhi said. "But I'm not done with that bastard. I need to do something so I can finally shine without him taking the spotlight."
"You should learn how to level yourself more, Lin Zhi," Laohu said in a cold tone.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})"Your temper will lead to your downfall one of these days. Real villains are calm—ones who are not shaken by little emotions such as envy. Instead, we use those emotions as our weapon when it comes to destroying our enemies."
Lin Zhi frowned in confusion. "Aren't you going to help me with this?"
"I am," Laohu said. "After all, June is the one who exposed you to be a fraud, which led to your downfall in the company. If it weren't for him, we might have gotten a hold of the information of who stole the briefcase and where it is."
Lin Zhi nodded in agreement. "So, what are we going to do?"
Laohu smirked as he leaned against the car seat, tapping his phone, which was inside his pocket.
"You know what's easier than ruining an idol's career?" he asked.
"Umm, breathing?" Lin Zhi asked.
"Nothing," Laohu said. "Nothing is easier."
"An idol could just be breathing, and people are already ruining their careers as we speak."
"Because they're placed on such a high pedestal, everything they do—even normal everyday things that most people do—
can become the cause of their downfall."
"Eating, gaining weight, losing weight, laughing, greeting, studying…dating," Laohu smirked.
"All of these are the things that an idol cannot do right…no matter how hard they try."
"They're perfect," he continued. "They should be perfect."
"It's the life that they chose."
"And what's better with June is that he's currently at the top," Laohu said, finally stopping the car as they arrived at their apartment complex.
"And once you've reached the top, you can only go to one place—rock bottom."
