Within the spaces

Episode 0

This was already the fifth person she had seen today, each one trying to act cute a. They were all good, but Faye couldn't figure out what exactly P'Wan was looking for. To her, they all seemed the same.

"One more left," Wan announced, sounding frustrated. "I don't know what it is, but something just doesn't click. What do you think?" She turned to Faye, who stood in the corner, still trying to process everything happening around her. Faye had been asked to be present at these auditions for her insights, but now she was just confused. This was for the young lead—a role that would be her on-screen romantic partner. The thought of playing a romantic lead opposite one of these young women made her uneasy. She was even starting to question her decision to join this project in the first place. Acting had never been something she took seriously.

Until now, it was just something she did because she was popular—Miss Grand Thailand, after all. Acting had never been her main career; she was known more for modeling and hairstyling. She always thought she was too expressive to act convincingly. So far, she had only played the love interest of wealthy men or the villain's best friend. There was nothing genuine about those roles, but they were fun enough for her to keep saying yes to them.

But this time was different. This was P'Wan's project, a GL series set in the same universe as "Gap the Series." Initially, she assumed P'Wan wanted her to play a side character. She was shocked when P'Wan asked her to play the lead role. "You're the only one I want, Faye. No one else will do," P'Wan had insisted. Faye hadn't been told much about the character, only that she was a 36-year-old woman who falls in love with someone much younger—an age-gap romance. Faye thought she could handle that. She'd been looking for a challenge, and maybe this was it.

She had been handed a novel titled Fill in the Blank with the Word Love.

"Read this before you say yes," Wan had said, looking her straight in the eye. Faye was puzzled. Why convince her and then ask her to reconsider? But she understood once she started reading. Her character, Neung, was supposed to fall in love with a 19-year-old girl. Faye had a lot of questions but decided to save them until she finished the book. Yet, by the time she got to the part where Neung visits Aneung's school, she felt a twinge of discomfort. The novel was filled with steamy scenes, but Faye couldn't see herself in those situations.

She sighed. "Another cliché: love making people blind to social conflicts and burdens." The novel stirred a whirlwind of emotions in her. Even now, she wasn't sure if she could see herself in this story.

"What are you thinking? Should we schedule another audition for another day? Faye?!" P'Wan's voice broke through her thoughts.

"Yeah, I guess that's what we should do. Can I talk to you in private after this last audition?" P'Wan gave her a knowing nod.

She was about to respond when someone peeked through the open door.

"Hi... Is this room 7? Is this where the audition is happening?" a young woman asked nervously.

"Yes, are you here for Aneung's role?" P'Wan looked through the stack of papers on her table. "What's your name?" She gestured for the girl to stand in the middle of the room. "Introduce yourself, please."

"My name is Yoko Apasra. I am here for Aneung's role," she replied, her voice steady but with a slight edge of nervousness.

"Take this sheet. It has your lines." P'Wan handed her the papers.

Yoko walked to the desk, collecting them. She delivered her lines. Yoko had been acting for a while now; she had taken acting lessons and had a degree in communication arts. She could tell the director was pleased. There was a satisfied smile on her face. Even the woman sitting next to her looked impressed.

Yoko took a deep breath and quickly scanned the room. There were seven people in total. Most of them seemed friendly and encouraging, except for the woman standing in the corner, whose intense gaze made Yoko's stomach flip. "Why are all the staff members so pretty?" she thought, feeling the weight of Faye's eyes on her. It rattled her nerves.

Wan's voice cut through her distraction. "Can you sing a song?"

Yoko blinked, trying to refocus. "Can I sing in English?" she asked, her eyes flicking nervously toward Faye again. The woman hadn't moved, her gaze fixed on Yoko, making her feel like she was under a microscope.

Wan raised an eyebrow, waiting.

"'Just the Way You Are' by Bruno Mars?" Yoko added timidly. This was going to be the end of the audition; they were definitely going to throw her out for disrespecting Bruno Mars like that, she thought to herself.

She still sang. As she did, she couldn't help but glance over at Faye. When she did, she caught something unexpected—a small, genuine smile forming on the woman's face. Oh, so she can smile. When Faye smiled, her whole demeanor softened. She was stunning, her features sharply defined yet warm. Her eyes were so expressive, drawing Yoko in. She found herself stealing glances repeatedly. She had never seen someone quite like her.

In the corner, Faye felt the young woman's gaze on her. It was curious, with a strange warmth that made her feel something stir within her.