Undeniable Attraction

Chapter 5: The Beginning

Sitting on his bed while flipping through social media at 2 in the afternoon that same day, Net, who was still thinking about ways to put an end to the rumor circulating online, couldn't help but scowl at the fabricated, inflated tales shared by users online. It's unsettling how a minor exchange between two artists can turn into a trending subject on the internet. Who would have thought that a story written by a recognition-hungry individual, whose primary objective was to get likes and shares at all costs, could create such a huge deal out of two people who hardly knew each other discussing their careers? However, this occurrence is not surprising at all; for as long as an article fits the popular narrative, even if it is unsupported by facts and hasn't been verified, it will gain significant attention and be taken as truth. Though it may sound ridiculously absurd, this is the reality that artists in the industry must deal with when they begin to gain recognition and popularity. And for the purpose of keeping their reputations intact, some artists might decide to concede defeat and adhere to these norms, but he isn't one of them; he won't allow anyone to associate his name with anything that he views as improper. He's not about to allow anyone to tell him what's legitimate or make him feel negative about his passion-acting and entertainment.

Having made up his mind, Net decided to go live on Instagram as a pretense to engage with his followers on the platform and subtly put an end to the rumor. A few minutes in, and over a thousand people are now watching and listening to every random thing he shares, despite the live being started in the early afternoon on a weekday. The topics range from his favorite movies, music, foods, and even his new-found interest in cats. The actor could see the comments of several people asking him about the recent rumor circulating online that involves him, but he chose to ignore most of them and just answer some questions about his well-being these days. One particular comment, however, piqued his interest, so he tapped on his screen, scrolling it down, to look for that particular comment that passed faster than a blink of an eye after receiving hundreds of comments in a few seconds.

"How was the experience at the DXY concert? Did you have fun?" Net reads the comment out loud.

"Oh yeah, I recently attended their concert because a co-artist of mine gave me a free ticket. Although I came late because of my schedule and had to leave early due to an emergency, yes, I did have a lot of fun. They were very talented, and their voice and dance choreography were also really good. It's a shame that I wasn't able to watch it until the very end, but maybe next time I will." Net answered the comment while occasionally alternating between touching his earlobe and the tip of his nose.

"Who is my favorite among the 4 of them? Hmmm, maybe the brown-haired one, James?" The actor reads the comments and answers, acting nonchalant about it, like just hearing himself utter the idol's name did not make his heart skip a beat.

The bronze-skinned man continues to interact with his fans by reading some of their questions out loud before giving his answer. After a quarter of an hour, Net subtly started initiating opening up about the rumor his name was currently involved in to find an opportunity to shut it down. He starts answering questions about his current project while implying how he gets along with everyone in the set, not just one person in particular, and how it's all about work and being professional.

"Is everyone in the set good to you? Of course, everyone is very nice to me; they never failed to help me out with every littlest of things and would give me helpful advice from acting to life lessons. All of us get along really well, which is very good because it makes it easier to work and act with them." The actor chose to answer this particular question in order to not appear as though he's planning to address the rumor, although it was his main goal all along.