Lina stood under the blazing overhead lights of Studio B, heart thudding like it was trying to crack through her ribs.
This wasn't a concept shoot. This was acting.
Her first scene under the mentorship of Riel Tora, the same man known for breaking careers with a single unimpressed shrug.
There were no stylists fluffing her hair, no gentle background music. Just a camera. A line of tape. A role.
"You'll be playing a girl who's just been abandoned by her family," Riel said from behind the monitor. "There are no lines. Just react. You have one minute."
Lina swallowed. "When does it start?"
"It already did."
---
For the first ten seconds, she froze.
The studio was dead silent.
Her shoulders tensed—then dropped.
She closed her eyes.
She thought about the orphanage. About Nari, her childhood friend who'd left with promises and stolen everything.
She thought about birthdays alone.
And how quiet the world could be, even when it was screaming.
Tears slipped from her lashes—not forced. Not exaggerated.
Just there.
When the buzzer finally sounded, Riel leaned back in his chair. The silence stretched.
Then, finally, he muttered, "Damn."
---
Outside, she sat on the stairs leading to the fire exit, trying to steady her breath. That scene had scraped something raw inside her.
Footsteps approached.
Lina turned—expecting a crew member, maybe Riel.
Instead, it was him.
Kael Montrevé.
In broad daylight. In her studio.
And wearing an expression like he owned the air around him.
"You…" she blinked. "You're here."
He looked amused. "That's a dangerous line, Lina. Say it like that and people will think I'm your lover."
She flushed.
He came closer, stopping just at the edge of her space.
"I saw the raw footage," Kael said quietly. "You weren't acting."
She didn't answer.
Kael sat beside her without asking.
"You're either going to break," he murmured, "or become something terrifying."
She pulled her knees up. "I'm trying to choose the second option."
He smiled—rare and subtle.
"You'll need allies. I've already told Levan to clear the path."
Lina tilted her head. "Why are you helping me?"
Kael paused. Then said, with unflinching calm:
"Because I don't like seeing beautiful things rot in the dark."
---
[System Notification: Task Complete – First Acting Evaluation: Passed]
[Reward: +50K credits (cleansed), Skill Upgrade – Emotional Transference Lv. 2, Acting Aptitude +2]
[System Comment: You are beginning to transmute pain into power.]
[Confidence Level: 69% ↑]
[AI Companion: Warning – Subject shows signs of attraction to Montrevé, Kael. Advise emotional boundaries.]
Lina read the message with a crooked smile.
She whispered back, "Too late."
---
That night, Lina received her first real offer—an audition for a supporting role in a high-profile short film directed by a name she recognized from childhood television.
Riel's message:
> "Don't screw it up."
[System Task: Audition for "Evening Blossoms" – Role: Jiwoo, rebellious art student]
[Reward: First Acting Credit, +2 Fame, Network Expansion, Affection Increase – Kael (hidden)]
[Failure: Delay in acting career track. Potential public embarrassment.]
She clicked Accept.
---
At 1:03 AM, her phone buzzed with a new message.
> Kael:
If you get the part, I'll take you out to dinner.
Not as a patron. Not as a friend.
As a man.
> Lina:
And if I don't?
> Kael:
Then I'll wait.
---
System Log: Lina Vale
Skill: Emotional Transference Lv. 2
Acting Aptitude: +2
Kael Affection: 4.9 / 5 ↑
Public Interest: Climbing
Industry Opportunities: Open
Emotional Risk: Elevated
Task Success Rate: 93%
Potential Complication: Romance trajectory intersecting career goals
---
End of Chapter 18
---