Loveless (Book 1) [Completed]

Chapter 31.

IRRATIONAL JEALOUSY.

Ren's eyebrows popped up in surprise after finding a voicemail from a certain someone, when he checked his phone during his break. He immediately played it without thinking.

"Hi, it's Kyoko. I'm sorry to bother you, I know you're up to your eyeballs on set. I'm calling because I have an emergency and I need some advice on how to fix it. Can you just call me back?"

Yashiro blinked. That's new. Ren's checking his voicemails now? But he always makes it a point of waiting until the end of the workday. Who on earth could have left a message that couldn't wait?

As soon as Ren was done listening to the message, he called Kyoko back. When she didn't answer, he called her again.

Yashiro was so flabbergasted by the unusual and unsettling sight that he almost choked on his coffee, his eyes widened to the size of saucers. Goodness! He even called back? And more than once! Who on earth is that? He wondered.

.

.

.

"So, since we're going in a new direction, everyone get ready to run another one with the new notes," Asami shouted orders at the crew and everyone scrammed off to their specified tasks after nodding in agreement.

"Kyoko, sorry about this but you will-" Asami turned to face her after dealing with the crew, but her sentence was cut off when she saw Kyoko's eyes flooding up with tears. She demanded, "Kyoko, what's wrong?"

"I- I'm really sorry," Kyoko answered through her tears as she plastered a convincing smile on her face and wiped the tears away from her eyes. "I know the scene is finished but I guess I still feel really emotional from it. I am sorry. I think I just need another minute to get it together."

"It's quite alright," Asami smiled. "It's actually impressive how much you got into character when you're so new."

"You see, it's because of a friend of mine, well actually, she is pretty much my best friend. And I couldn't help but imagine that she and I were the two angels as we were going into that last scene." New tears emerged into her eyes and her voice quivered as she continued, "but if I do what the scene says... she'll end up hating me and shutting me out," a small sob escaped her lips with a supply of fresh, new tears as soon as she dried the old ones through her handkerchief. "I just couldn't handle it!"

"Kyoko, calm down! Get a grip, it's just acting, remember?" Asami rocked her shoulders to console her.

After Kyoko was finally herself again, Asami told her that they were not going to reshoot the main seen again, except for the part where Sho had to close his eyes after he was dead.

"But why not?" Kyoko demanded. She was finally confident she could nail the role now and was so looking forward to it, but now this!

"There is no reason to," Asami explained. "We've decided to use the footage we shot during the rehearsals. I am not sure you can't replicate the timing of those performances anyway."

"But please, I promise you I'll do my best to nail it. I'll try to do it better than last time."

"Well dear, you cannot do it better because it was already perfect. The thing is, Sho was genuinely stunned to see you cry. If we shoot it again, he'll know already what to expect. I don't think his reaction would be this authentic. So please understand, it's not that I don't trust your artistic choices."

If I were as good as Ren Tsuruga, I wouldn't even have to think about it, Kyoko thought with a deep yearning and desire to get better burning inside of her. I could get any amateur actor to deliver just what I'm looking for.