What The Heart Desires | LingOrm

Chapter 1: First Encounters

Lingling Kwong sat comfortably with her legs crossed and her hands in her lap as the acting coach started counting all the new attendees, crossing them off from the list one by one. This wasn't the first time she had attended one of these classes, so it no longer felt as daunting as the initial few times.

The other boys and girls sitting nearby were all so fresh-faced and young. Ling was probably one of the older members of this class, but despite that fact, in the looks department, you wouldn't even know she was a few years older than the rest.

So far, she'd had a pleasant experience working with the various coaches and classmates, so she was happy she was settling in well. Everyone was especially kind when she asked to clarify bits and pieces. Thai was not her first language and while she was able to communicate well, she was well aware that her pronunciation still needed a bit more tweaking.

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a door bursting open, followed by hurried footsteps shuffling in.

"Sorry, I'm late! I'm Orm Kornnaphat ka!" the young girl chimed, her face flustered and seemingly out of breath. She must have run here with those long legs of hers, and goodness, did she look so young and pure.

Ling watched silently as the bubbly young girl happily introduced herself to the rest of the group.

"I'm Orm ka. I just signed up with the channel recently. It's nice to meet everyone and I hope we can all get along!" she chirped.

Ling smiled as the girl's gaze fell on her. Such beautiful brown eyes...her eyes seemed to reflect lighter shades of brown as she bounced around. In the few years that Ling lived in Thailand, she noticed that the average Thai person often had dark brown or sometimes almost obsidian-coloured eyes. Never had she encountered someone here with such sparkly brown eyes as this new girl. There was indeed something special about her.

"Y-you're Lingling, right?" Orm said as she crouched beside the older woman.

Ling, only just realising that she had probably been staring this entire time, nodded.

"Do you mind if I sit next to you?" Orm smiled.

Ling shook her head and gestured for the young girl to join her, "Please, feel free."

The way that Orm grinned had her heart fluttering for a moment.

What a charming smile this girl has...

It was from there that Ling became more hyper-aware of Orm's presence. Being the ultra-shy type, Ling never really had the opportunity to chat up Orm more than what was required. Everyone in the channel was friendly with one another, sure, but as each person had their own schedule, it was always difficult to freely meet with everyone outside of acting classes and workshops.

As the years passed, Ling would see Orm around the building from time to time. They no longer needed to attend group acting classes as often, so Ling busied herself with her Thai studies and her various small roles in TV series. Orm seemed to be doing the same, and while it disappointed her that she never mustered up the courage to get to know Orm a little better, she was content that she got to see her during the various annual events Channel 3 organised.

Fast forward to late 2023, Ling recalled her excitement when an announcement came through that Channel 3 would finally be jumping on the Sapphic Series bandwagon. There was so much buzz within the building that the entire week, most of the young actresses expressed interest in giving the casting a shot. While initially hesitant, upon reading the novel, Ling realized that she would have a good shot at this. The gratifying pull she felt towards the character within the novel gave her the confidence she needed to pursue the casting.