….

  Zack had been caught off guard but couldn't deny the flicker of curiosity and maybe a little excitement.

  Now here Simon was, standing just inside his studio, still exuding that rger-than-life energy Zack remembered so well.

  However, he wasn't alone.

  Trailing behind him was a young man, maybe in his early twenties, dressed in a hoodie and sneakers. The younger guy's eyes darted around the studio, taking it all in like he wasn't quite sure what to make of the pce.

  Zack pushed back his chair and stepped out of his . "Simon."

  Simon turned, his grin spreading wide across his face. His massive frame seemed to fill the space, the overhead lights refleg off his -shaven head.

  "Zack!" Simon boomed, pulling him into a bear hug that made Zack feel like his ribs might crack.

  As he stepped back, Simon smirked. "Still hiding out in this little studio of yours, huh?"

  Zack shook off the hug, still feeling his muscle ache a little. "And you still look like you are auditioning to be the lead vilin in an a flick. Got another movie gig lined up?"

  Simon chuckled, his ugh deep and rich as it echoed through the room.

  "Something like that." He said, jerking his thumb over his shoulder. "Actually, I am here because of him."

  Zaoticed the younger man stepped forward, pulling his hands out of his hoodie pockets. He had sharp features and an air of fidence surrounding him despite being in a new location.

  But why is he wearing goggles indoors? Well, they do look cool. Zack was definitely weirded out.

  "Regal." He said, extending a hand.

  Zack hesitated for a moment before shaking it. "...Zack."

  The pause was brief but noticeable.

  There was a reason for it - Regal's stare.

  Despite wearing shades, his gaze was steady, focused, and far too intense, like he was studying Zack for something specific.

  It wasn't a casual observation. It was deliberate and scrutinizing.

  What Zack couldn't have known was that he was only half wrong.

  Regal was indeed evaluating, but not in a personal sense. His skills.

  In front al, a faint, semi-transparent blue s floated in the air. It was visible only to him.

  ===

  [Name:] Zack Barg

  [Traits:] Passionate, Responsible, Irascible

  [Editor:] A -

  [Unique Skill:] Insight

  ===

  Seeing the [Rank: A -] Regal's i grew immediately - that is definitely near [Expert] level for him.

  Anyway, Irascible, huh? I could use it to gain an advantage, Regal thought.

  He kept his expressioral, but his attention lingered on the s, his gaze seeming fixed on Zack from everyone else's perspective.

  Simon, standing nearby, picked up on the awkward tension and nudged Regal sharply with his elbow.

  Regal blinked, snapping out of his momentary trance. He quickly realized how obvious he had been.

  "Ah, sorry about that." He said, his tone brisk but genuinely apologetic.

  Simon chuckled, stepping in to smooth over the awkward moment. He cpped Regal on the bad gri Zack.

  "Don't let the quiet act fool you." Simon said with an easy ugh. "He is a director, but sometimes it's like his brain's got too many tabs open."

  Zack blinked lightly, his expression unreadable at first. A director? Not an aspiring one or a wannabe, but an actual director?

  "Yeah, I get it." Even though Zack's rea was subtle, Simon caught it right away. "But trust me, he has got the chops to back it up."

  Regal, unfazed, g Zad cut in. "Actually, don't mind him. Got some time?"

  Zack hesitated briefly befiving a slight nod. "Sure."

  ….

  The three of them moved to Zack's following his lead.

  Settling in for a more proper discussion.

  As the versation unfolded, Zack learnt that Simon had nded a role in a feature film. Indie, sure, but Simoement alpable.

  Even after all these years, Zack could see the same fire in him, the same passion for ag that he had from the start.

  What was really unbelievable, though, was Regal - the guy couldn't be older than his early twenties.

  He didn't just direct the film, but he was also the ematographer.

  Simon had gone on to expin how they had been hunting for aor for the projed during one of their discussions, he had apparently brought up his name.

  "…and that's why we are here." Simon said, ing it up with a satisfied grin.

  Zack leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk. A flicker of uainty crossed his face, veying this was not what he had been expeg, not even close.

  "So." Zack started, his gaze falling al across the table. "You wao be your editor."

  "If yood at it, then yes." Regal replied with a calm nod.

  Zack let out a deep sigh, shaking his head.

  "It's not that simple." He said, his toeady, the kind of patience you would expect from someone expining a plex process to a beginner. "Before you even think about the final cut, you need a lot in pce, like the score."

  Regal didn't blink.

  "I have got that covered." He said, reag into his bag. He pulled out a hard drive and pced it oable. "Here is the score."

  Zack raised an eyebrow, clearly not expeg that.

  Regal's voice remained calm, though there was a sharpo his words. "You hahe sound mixing, right? Or should I be finding someone else?"

  Simon chuckled loudly. "Told you, the kid is no joke."

  Zack didn't respht away. His focus was entirely al now.

  The air in the room had shifted.

  What had started as a casual meeting now carried an undercurrent of challenge.

  And for the first time in years, Zack felt a flicker of something he hadn't expected, excitement. Not just for the work itself, but for the challehat was ing his way in Regal's tone.

  He could se, and Regal wasly being subtle about it either.

  "Let's see what you have got." Zack finally said. He paused briefly before adding. "But before I even think about letting you into my editing room, I want the script."

  Regal didn't hesitate. "I don't mind."

  Simon briefed him about his w process, and apparently he was the type to only work if he liked the script first.

  Once again he reached down to the bag he had set by his chair, pulling out a ly buack of papers.

  Without a word, he slid it across the table to Zack.

  The quiet fiden the gesture wasn't lost on him.

  From the beginning, Regal's tone had been slightly rough, b on provocative.

  It wasn't an act.

  Simon had described Zack as a little short-tempered but rational, a man who valued substance over pleasantries.

  Regal had taken that into at, along with what his [Unique Skill - Insight] revealed. He uood that Zack wasn't the type to care for polite formalities or eborate introdus.

  Zack, oher hand, saw through Regal's approach immediately.

  And for once, he didn't mind being provoked.

  Still, Zack wasn't about to jump in blindly. He wao see the work first before enting on anything.

  Yet beh his guarded exterior, a familiar buzz stirred within him.

  Finally, a job, It had been too long since he'd worked on something substantial.

  In truth, Zack didn't care if Regal's film turned out to be a mess.

  Actually, a part of him almost hoped it would be.

  He had seen it all before: young, ambitious filmmakers brimming with grand ideas but clueless about execution.

  He would spend tless hours sifting through their disjointed footage, pieg together something coherent from the chaos.

  But Zack thrived on that.

  The raw material, the imperfes, was where Zack found his magic.

  The more unpolished, the better.

  He relished the challenge of shaping watchable stories from scraps, unc potential where others saw none.

  What Zack didn't realize, though, was just how much this particur project would ge him.

  Colborating with Regal on this film wouldn't just be another job. It would be a turning point, a memory etched into the rest of his life.

  Regal, the young, fident upstart, was about to flip Zack's mundane world of editing 'wedding shoots' into something far grander.

  In the years to e, Zack would find himself known as the sed director behind some of the biggest high-budget films in the industry.

  ….

  For noushed those thoughts aside and focused on the present.

  Without dey, he grabbed the script Regal had handed over and began to read.

  …..

  .

  [To be tinued…]

  ★─────??★??─────★

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