Love Action!

4: Impressions

"No matter the reason, I don't think anyone who loses consciousness in the battlefield has any right to survive!"

Kyoko Mogami, Skip Beat

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"AND CUT!"

Ren immediately went to the director to watch the scene they just took. But a sudden scream stopped him on track. That must be from where Kyoko was! He saw crews running towards there, and he followed them at once.

"Kyoko passed out! Medic!"

Once he heard this, he panicked! As soon as he got there, he cleared the crowd and checked what had happened to Kyoko. She's still breathing but didn't respond.

He knew it that there's something wrong earlier. Though she accurately portrayed the scenes, she sustained a blank face for the entire shoot. No emotions at all. He tried to wake her up, but there's no response coming from her. He didn't wait for the medic to come, he immediately carried her back to the tent.

"What happened?!" The director asked him on his way.

"She fainted!"

The director waved for Evelyn. "Medic!"

When the medic was alarmed, Evelyn ran after them inside the tent.

Nearly an hour had passed when the commotion was totally subdued. Luckily, that was the last scene they had to shoot today and the director commanded the crews to clean up. Actors and staff were now being brought into the hotel.

He and Evelyn waited for Kyoko to recover since the nurse advised them to let Kyoko rest for a while. They found out that the extreme pain from her sprained ankle was the reason why she passed out. It would only take her a few minutes to recover. But as for the ankle, it was quite serious and needed a few days or probably a week to recover. Kyoko just did beyond what her ankle could manage.

Ren asked Will to go first to the hotel and manage everything for Kyoko. He quite not understood it but he somewhat had guilt feeling towards the girl. His words might have pushed her to do the extremes.

While watching in her sleep, Ren couldn't help but picture out the scenes they took earlier. He was deeply impressed with Kyoko. If he hadn't known her as a stalker, he might think that she was indeed a professional actress. Her responses in the scenes could match his adlibs. Her work ethics was unbelievable, and what happened earlier could prove that. He smiled as he remembered what she said to Nova.

To make it as a goal, huh? He would like to see how far this girl could go with that goal. That could be entertaining to witness.

He reminisced the time he was just starting to act. When was the last time he gave his all in acting? When was the last time he enjoyed portraying the characters? When was the last time he acted to reach his goals?

It didn't take long for Kyoko to gain consciousness. Slowly, she opened her eyes and asked for water. He immediately helped her sit down and waved for Evelyn to get a bottle.

As soon as he reached the bottle of water, he opened it and assisted her to drink. He didn't know what went through her head when she suddenly choked right after their eyes met.

"Are you okay!?"

Kyoko grabbed the blanket as if he was going to harm her. He must have really traumatized her.

"Kyoko?" Evelyn intervened. "What are you feeling?"

He was shocked when Kyoko burst out crying like a little girl and hugged Evelyn. The assistant director signaled him to wait outside instead while tapping on her back. He couldn't do anything but left the tent.

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Once Kyoko saw Ren out of the tent, she stopped pretending. "What is he doing here? What happened?"

Evelyn whispered, "You fainted right after the shoot. Ren was the one who took you here."

"WHAT?!" She silently gasped. "As in, he carried me?!"

Evelyn grinned in agreement. "Girl! You're so lucky!"

She rolled her eyes. "I was cursed!"

"Do you know how many female crews were jealous of you? ---Wait!" Her friend couldn't help but give her a light knuckle blow in her head. "Why did you force yourself? It's dangerous!"

"Well, that was a job! And besides, I would like to make a point!" She examined her ankle, it was totally bandaged. She must have passed out because of the extreme pain.

"Why?" Evelyn looked at her in confusion.

"You know that witch Nova?! She bullied me earlier!" When Evelyn gasped, she started to tell her the juiciest tea about what she heard in the tent earlier and how Nova accused her of stealing the spotlight. She highlighted the slap, of course!

"She must be insane! Wait 'till the director hears this!" Then the gossip continued. "Do you know what? It was Nova's agency who forcefully cast that girl for this film after they learned that Ren will play the male lead. To be accurate, it was Nova who requested this!"

"WHAT?!?!" This entertainment world was so much fun!

"I will make sure that the director will hear this as soon as I get to the hotel!"

"Right!" Go, girl! She felt victorious the moment she heard that. Poor Nova!

"Are you ready to go?"

"Sure! I can't wait!" They smiled evilly to each other. Evelyn assisted her as she tried to get up and walked. They were both surprised when they saw Ren standing in front of the tent. Does he really wait for them?

She nudged Evelyn to walk past him instead. Though limping, she tried to walk fast. Her back felt like burning as his presence followed them until they reached the road. Can't you give me a break?

Right after they reached the road, a black van stopped in front of them.

"Use my car instead." It was Ren. He opened the door for them, and they saw that Will was the one driving--- smiling at them.

Astounded, she and Evelyn were both ushered inside his car.

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When the information Kyoko gave to Evelyn reached to the director, he immediately decided to terminate Nova and demanded them to pay for the whole cost that they spent today. But her team immediately pleaded for another chance and promised to make up for what happened. Even the CEO of their agency intervened and begged on her behalf. Nova's agency already had PR for this film and might lose face if she was suddenly replaced during the shoot.

The director agreed but still in disgust with the actress.

Unfortunately for Kyoko, Evelyn told her that she would be sent back tomorrow because the nurse advised her to rest for a week. Moreover, she informed her that they would get a replacement PA during her absence, and Nova's double would come in three days. That means she had no job to return to after she recovered. She just lost her job. She felt like crying.

Evelyn just consoled her by telling that the director was very amused by her, and it was a pity that they needed to let her go. They would definitely casted her in one of their films in the future as she showed great potential in acting.

She still felt like crying but...okay. Why didn't things just go the way she wanted? First, her plan in James' agency, and now that she found pleasure in acting, things fell apart, and she lost her job.

She didn't want to admit, but Kyoko was greatly affected by Ren's seriousness and versatility in acting. He made her react to the flow of the sequence even though she forgot the parts. She would give him the credit for why they successfully took all the scenes in one take. She finally understood why he was the top actor for consecutive years 10 years ago.

With these new experiences, she grew fond of acting. It was just a regret that it was cut short.