….

  Sere out a warm ugh, shaking off the tension. "That's just a nice way of saying he is a pain, isn't it?

  "...." Grace didn't respond, but her silence spoke volumes - because Seren wasn't wrong.

  "Don't worry too." Seren added with a wink. "You will get used to him. If I survive being his sister, you will be fine."

  Grace stared at Seren in silence for a moment, her expression unreadable, before turning her gaze back toward the set.

  Seren didn't let the quiet deter her. She had a knack for breaking through walls, no matter how stoic or reserved the person.

  It was just a matter of time.

  "But what is there in him for you to even feel jealous about? He is just a simple tin." Seren quipped, looking at Keanu this time.

  "*chuckle…" For the first time a light smile escaped from Grace's mouth, which she soon covered up with her hand.

  If Regal had seen it, he would have likely burst iween, acg Seren of somehow influeng his actress.

  But before Seren could push the versation any further, a loud shout echoed across the set, cutting through the ambient noise.

  "Alright." Regal's voice cut sharply through the air, his eyes locked onto the camera lens as he adjusted the shot.

  "Owo, and A!"

  Seren gnced over at Grace, who, too, had fallen into quiet observation mode.

  The camera rolled, focused oors, Keanu as Cobb, Andrew as Bill.

  Meanwhile, Darren, having pleted his report oras and firmed the music track, took his pce.

  With no role in this particur shoot, he carried al's instrus, pying the tra loop at low volume as the se began.

  ….

  The se began with a wide shot of Cobb, pyed by Keanu, walking unassumingly and weaving through the thinning crowd.

  He wore a striking bck suit, drawing occasional passersby's attention, and simirly, Bill, pyed by Andrew, couldn't take his eyes off him.

  Magism. It was the only word Bill could use to describe it.

  The camera stayed tight on Bill's shoulder, capturing his subtle unease as he followed Cobb, silent but fasated

  As Cobb turned into a narrow street, the crowd faded away. The camera tio track Bill, maintaining a close perspective as he pursued Cobb.

  And then, as though proving Bill's paranoia, Cobb va the alley's rounded er, disappearing behind a brick wall.

  Bill, his pace quiing, ran after him, the camera mirr his urgency.

  But wheurhe er, he froze.

  ??The alley was empty.

  The camera moved to a dutgle on Bill as he sed his surroundings, his breath quiing, the silence amplifying his rising tension.

  ?!Behind him.

  Then, a faint shuffle behind him made Bill turn.

  Just as Bill was about to react, a hand shot out, grabbing his arm and twisting it with brutalness.

  THUD!

  The camera moved to a close-up, zeroing in on Bill, his panic, fusion, and pain captured in vivid detail.

  His face inned against the brick wall, the force of the impact pushed the air from his lungs.

  The camera stayed over Cobb's shoulder(OST shot), capturing his silening in the fround, while fog on Bill, the face of desperation and raw vulnerability.

  Oher hand, Cobb didn't speak.

  He didn't o.

  His presenihe frame, his grip on Bill's nerelenting.

  He leaned in close, his grip on the back of Bill's nerelenting, keeping him pio the wall.

  The silence hung heavy between them, broken only by the frantic pace of Bill's shallow breaths.

  "M-misuanding." Aammered, as he tried to expin. "It's a misuanding, I swear!"

  Keanu as Cobb didn't flinch, didn't blink.

  He studied Bill like he was disseg him, his cold gaze b into him.

  ?!Andrew, caught iensity of the se, felt his pulse qui, not just as Bill, but as himself.

  He had seen Keanu's focus during the read-through, but being on the end of fully receiving it, with the camera rolling, it felt like a pletely different experience.

  The ess in which Keanu inhabited Cobb was something Andrew hadn't fully anticipated.

  He had uimated it.

  After all, Andreent two years training at a professional ag school, not the top-tier, but it was structured and formal.

  He had the teical knowledge, the craft and the theory.

  Meanwhile, Keanu?

  A few theater gigs here and there, a bit of experience, but no formal film school background.

  Andrew had always thought that made the difference. He justified it, told himself that he was the one who had put in the work, the hours.

  But now, standing here, fag Keanu, erformer who seemed to trahe craft.

  All those thoughts seemed hollow.

  This wasn't just ag.

  Keanu wasn't pretending to be Cobb. He was Cobb - for this sed, for this moment.

  For a brief, terrifying moment, the grip around Andrew's ightened, making it difficult to breathe.

  Then, as if Cobb had decided to grant him a sliver of mercy, the hold loosened just enough to let him gasp for air but not enough to break free.

  Bill's heart hammered in his chest, and for a fleeting moment, he thought there might still be hope.

  A passerby's figure appeared at the far end of the alley.

  Bill's mind leaped at the possibility, his voice crag as he called out, strained with fear.

  "Help... help!"

  The stranger slowed, their eyes flickeriween the se and Bill's pleading gaze.

  But there was ation in their as, only a momentary fusion followed by a dismissive shake of the head.

  They turned and walked away, leaving Bill to face his fate alone.

  His shoulders sagged, the realizatioling in like cold stone, no one was ing. No one was going to save him.

  Bill's breath hitched, the desperation ing through. "I-I was just ! For research!"

  It was a st-ditch attempt to expin himself, but the fear in his voice, the raw vulnerability, betrayed him.

  Suddenly, Cobb's hand tightened for a fra of a sed, just enough to make Bill's breath catch, before releasing pletely.

  Bill staggered but didn't move.

  And then, Cobb ughed. It wasn't loud, nor cruel.

  "Haaa... haaa…"

  It was soft, almost tender, but it carried a weight that made Bill's knees feel weak, eg in the alley - a sound that chilled more than it forted.

  Andrew fought to recim the se, his instincts pushing him forward. He turned, his eyes wide with a mix of fear and resolve, meeting Cobb's gaze head-on.

  Keanu didn't relent.

  His expression shifted ever so slightly, an almost imperceptible smirk, a flicker of amusement that sent a shiver down Andrew's spine.

  This was no longer just a se.

  It was a battle.

  Andrew gritted his teeth and leaned into the moment, pushing the desperation in his voice to the edge. "You don't uand. I wasn't following you-!"

  Step, Cobb interrupted with a siep closer, closing the space between them.

  The dominance alpable, suffog. But Andrew wasn't going to let himself be overshadowed.

  Cobb tilted his head, his voice dropping dangerously low. "Do you know what happens to people who get too curious?"

  Andrew didn't hesitate. His breath quied, the fear mixing with defiance as he stared straight into Cobb's eyes.

  With a shaky breath, he whispered. "I found out."

  The tension in the air snapped, sharp and undeniable.

  Behind the camera, Regal's hands tighteheir hold, his heart fully excited from the performances.

  Just as the se reached its breaking point, the camera cut.

  "Cut." Regal breathed, almost as though he hadn't realized he had been holding his breath.

  Andrew exhaled sharply, his chest rising and falling as the tension of the se slowly began to ease. His body was still taut with the raw energy of the moment.

  Keanu stood motionless for a beat, his expression unreadable. After a moment, he gave a small nod, aowledging the end of the take.

  Seren, standing off to the side, couldn't tear her gaze away. She also remained quiet, her thoughts swirling as she processed what she had just witnessed.

  Frace, however, even with her usual stoic demeanor, a glint of smug satisfa crept into her eyes.

  She g Seren, her voice barely a whisper. "...You got the answer right?"

  And Seren, finally breaking her silence, could only nod in agreement. "...I did."

  Meanwhile, Regal jogged over to his actors, a satisfied grin tugging at the ers of his mouth. Without hesitation, he leapt toward them, his hands nding on their necks with hearty sps.

  "That was fantastic, guys. Seriously, !" He said, his voice eg with approval as he gave each of them a firm pat.

  Click-!

  From the sidelines, Seren instinctively snapped a photo of the moment with the camera in her hand. She wasn't sure why, it was just one of those did ses that felt worth capturing.

  "Think we need aake?" Keanu asked, smirking as he tilted his head, partly to adjust under Regal's lingering grip.

  "...Yeah, Director, what's the verdict?" Andrew added, his tone pyful but ready to go again if needed.

  Regal released a deep breath, stepping back to review the pyba the monitor. His eyes flicked between the s and the actors before he finally spoke.

  "Hmm… nope. We are good."

  Keanu and Andrew exged grins, visibly rexing as they rolled their shoulders, the adrenaline of the se beginning to fade.

  Regal cpped his hands together, his voice cutting through the fading energy of the set. "Alright, that's a for today, boys! Go get some rest, you have ear!"

  The actors nodded, fist bumps before heading off, leaving Regal standing there with a satisfied grin and a goward Seren, who was still holding the camera.

  "You took a picture?" He asked, arg a brow.

  Seren shrugged, l the camera. "You looked less annoying than usual. Figured it was worth immortalizing."

  Regal chuckled, shaking his head as he turned back toward the set.

  .

  ….

  [To be tinued…]

  ★─────??★??─────★

  Author Note:

  Visit Patreon to instantly access +5 chapter for free, avaible to Free Members as well.

  For additional tent, please do support me and gain access to +10 more chapters.–> [email protected]/oWriters