Chapter 17: Shoot

It was grocery day.

Genevieve and I headed for the nearest wet market to restock our kitchen. However, we got delayed for a bit because I had to rewrite the list she created. There were just a lot of useless things that she included on the list.

During the first time that I cleaned her fridge, I had to throw away a lot of things because they had already expired or turned bad. Most of it was untouched and had mostly been sitting in her fridge for months.

As a member of the poor community, I couldn't bear to watch that amount of wasted food. That is why I made it my mission to stop Genevieve from overspending on food.

"The wet market looked extremely crowded today," I noticed.

I've come here with Genevieve twice before. Usually the flow of people is moderate, but today it's extremely packed. Normally, you could casually stroll the wide pebbled pathway in between stores, but now there is a traffic of people going to and fro.

Genevieve grabs the arm of one of the people about to leave. "Excuse me, why is the wet market full of people today?"

"Oh, that's because the crew of How to Make a Villain is shooting a scene here," the girl answered.

"You mean the series How to Make a Villain?"

"Uh-yes?"

Genevieve's eyes went wide.

"The series where Devon Clint plays the main role of a hero?!"

"I just told you, didn't I?" There is a look of impatience in the girl's face as she answers Genevieve, who is still holding onto her wrist.

I pulled Genevieve away from the girl before she got even more annoyed. I thanked her in Gene's place. Meanwhile, Genevieve was frozen like a statue.

Suddenly, I felt the hairs on my nape stand. But before I could even think of running away, Genevieve grabbed my hands tightly.

"Liz, Clint Devon is here," she said in a weird monotone voice. What was weirder was when she rotated her neck like those ghosts in horror films!

I swallowed, hard.

I tried to reason with her. I can't have her going crazy here! "Don't be too excited. You don't even know if the main characters are the ones doing a scene here."

"No, my senses are telling me that he's here!"

I was horrified when she suddenly pulled me through the mass of people. For a moment there, I thought I saw my life flash before me.

She pushed through the waves of people like a raging bull, and people began to unconsciously make way for her when they saw her coming from afar. Meanwhile, I made sure to keep my head down as she pulled me along.

I'd really give it to Genevieve. Despite not knowing the exact location of the shooting site, she was able to locate it with ease.

I was gasping for breath the moment we arrived. But Genevieve didn't even give me time to breathe and was once again pulling me through the crowd.

We stop at the very front, where a barricade has been placed. A lot of people were also there with us, chattering excitedly as they waited for the shoot to commence.

There was a sign that said, "SHOOT ON GOING!" that was plastered near us. Some crew members are also around to control the crowd in case anyone tries to barge in.

Surprisingly, the fans here were very respectful. They stayed on the lane the crew prepared for them; they didn't take any photos or videos of the set, and they only chatted in hushed tones among themselves.

I've seen a film shoot in the outside world before, and the fans there were very loud and disrespectful. The director ended up losing his temper and screaming at them, which finally made them shut their mouths.

Another thing I noticed was that the crew isn't using megaphones and is using in-ears to communicate. It made the set look less chaotic. Though it also made me wonder how they communicate with the actors when they couldn't wear any kind of earpiece. How will they hear the director's cue?

"See, I told you, he's here!" She excitedly whispered as an actor and actress emerged on the set.

The actress, whom I assumed was playing the actor's love interest, was extremely beautiful. She had this appealing and sweet feature that made her look like a helpless damsel—quite fitting for a hero's love interest.

Then, I turned my head towards the tall actor beside her and was momentarily stunned. "That guy, is Clint Devon?"

"Yes! He's handsome, isn't he?" Genevieve said it dreamily. "I can't believe I'd get the chance to watch Clint act this close once again! I'm glad we decided to go grocery shopping today! I'll make sure to mark this day on my calendar."

I was too shocked to respond to Genevieve. Remembering the words he said that day, it does make sense that this is his profession. It's just that I didn't know that the person Genevieve idolized so much was the same person I've been calling Mr. Handsome Guy all this time!

I'll never forget the time we exchanged numbers and I asked him his name.

"Your name?"

"Mr. Handsome Guy."

"..."

"And you're Little Miss Scientist," he said, showing me my name, which he put above my number. He even put a magnifying glass emoji beside my name. "It's a name only the two of us use to call each other. Isn't it cute?"

The shoot began.

Surprisingly, Clint and the actress were right on cue. The scene was about two lovers casually strolling through a wet market.

The hero is wearing corporate attire, while his lover wears casual clothes that people wear when going to the market. The shear contrast between the clothing of the main character, his lover, and the people around them, shows how out of place he is in such an environment.

It's like putting a diamond amid a pile of stones. Clint's brilliance was overshadowing everything around him. Even the beautiful actress beside him, who in normal circumstances would still have shone despite the ordinary and baggy clothes, blended in the background.

The director was obviously not happy about it. He said something into a small microphone by his face, and two people holding reflectors stealthily went forward. They professionally angled the reflectors towards the actress's face without disturbing the scene. With the reflectors around, the actress managed to blend out a little from the others but was still not on par with Clint, who dominated the set.

Mr. Handsome Guy is a really good actor. His subtle emotions really tell how a rich person would react when coming to such a place for the first time. The slight frown, the way his nose crinkled as they passed by a fish stall, as if it were an unintentional reaction. Yet, at the same time, his eyes show gentleness and love as he looks at the woman beside him.

It's like every time he looks at her, the world doesn't matter. That it makes no difference where they are as long as he is with her.

Genevieve sighed beside me. "I wish someone would look at me the way Clint looks at Fely," she daydreamed. "They look so good together. It would be even more perfect if they were together in real life. Their ship shall be called Feint."

I shook my head and went back to watching the shoot.

I found myself enjoying watching him act. During that moment, he wasn't Clint Devon; he had completely transformed into the character he was portraying.

"Good take! Good take! We'll take a five-minute break before starting the next scene!" I heard the director praise them in a loud voice. Two make-up artists approach the two artists to give them a retouch while the rest of the crew is preparing for the next scene.

Another person appeared and handed Clint his phone. I saw the director give Clint a sideways glance, but he didn't comment further. I could tell that he was being lenient with the former. Well, with the way he finished a scene with a single shot, it is no wonder.

Suddenly, my phone vibrated in my pocket. I fished it out and was taken aback when I saw who sent me a message.

From: Mr. Handsome Guy

[I see you there.]

I was a bit surprised. How did he know I was here? I didn't even notice him looking my way.

Another message appeared on my screen.

From: Mr. Handsome Guy

[How did I do?]

To: Mr. Handsome Guy

[Incredible! I'm starting to become a fan.]

From: Mr. Handsome Guy

[You can't be my fan.]

I frowned.

To: Mr. Handsome Guy

[Why not?]

From: Mr. Handsome Guy

[Because you're already my Little Miss Scientist]

My brow rose up.

I lifted my head. But when I went to look at him, I was taken aback when I saw him already looking at me. A smile bloomed from his sultry lips, and my breathing halted for a second.

There was screaming from the girls all around me, but all of it got drowned out by his gaze.

It was just a quick five-second interaction, yet it left my heart and mind in a tizzy.