[1.3] First F-Grade World: Difference

"ARE you sure, you're fine, brother Hayden?" the worried personal make-up, Jane asked. "I have been watching you in a daze for a while now. Although you are done with the costume, we can still ask the director to stop your shooting for today."

Artemis was forced to cut off his conversation with the system to give a reassuring smile to the worried person.

"I'm really fine now, Jane. I'm sorry for making you worried again. But really, this brother sure is fine."

Jane released a sigh of relief, and she continued redoing Artemis' eyebrow. "Remember, brother, if you really feel unwell, feel free to speak to us and we'll inform the director about it. You only took one day rest from the incident the other day, and now you are even forcing yourself to start your filming. The director already gave you three days to rest, but as hardheaded as you are, you wanted to finish all your scenes," she berates while shaking her head in veto.

"Come on now, Jane. Don't scold me anymore. I was already scolded by sister Nathalie. My ear will turn deaf if you keep scolding me," Artemis jokingly said, making Jane laugh at his funny remarks. "Anyway, I wasn't really feeling unwell. I was in a daze because I am still familiarizing myself with my first scene in this movie."

Jane plastered a gossipy look on her small face as she looked at Artemis through their replica in the mirror as she used a hair blower on his hair.

"Well, it's good that brother Hayden is in good health, as it won't be good if you act with Mr. Anders in a not so good condition. It might affect Mr. Anders' acting, which wouldn't be a good thing," Jane said in an insufferable way.

It took a few seconds before Artemis nodded his head. "Of course..."

Although that was what he said, Artemis was actually talking to his system and was freaking out. The moment he woke up this morning and received the new script, he had been asking the system what happened and why everything suddenly went in a different direction than it was supposed to be.

If not because of his professional kind of acting skills, he would already be busted. Artemis was really in panic.

"By the way, brother Hayden, just a random and curious question. Since I know that this will be your first bed scene, what are your thoughts about it? Especially after knowing that it was a scene with a man, huh?" Jane's probing question dragged him back from his reveries.

Honestly speaking, as the "Film Empress" in his last life, Artemis had been co starring with many artists of different genders and different roles. He even has taken on some roles that have explicit scenes with the same gender, so acting bed scenes with another male actor is almost normal to him. Although this will be his first time acting on top.

So hearing that his supposed-to-be bed scene with the world's protagonist changed into an unknown male character was not a problem at all.

What made it problematic to the point of making him flustered and in panic was the fact that the unknown character who appeared out of nowhere was the person he's going to act it out with.

First of all, as he had stated above, it was his first time acting as the "top" in the bed scene. From all of his acting experiences as the film empress on his former world, he has never been the top, even with his homosexual projects, he was always the one in the bottom.

The only time he has grasped the feeling of being on top was when he was reading his favorite collections of BL novels and that's it. As for personal or practical experience, let's not talk about it.

Then the "second and last of all", is about his co-star in the scene. Without any proper experience of acting as the top, Artemis couldn't really stop himself from being flustered about his co-star.

In this world, he now has the identity of the film emperor and if he failed in taking the scene completely, he really embarrassed himself.

Don't forget that this so-called co-star was actually another actor who would get the title of film emperor if not for himself.

Remembering that on the original plot synthesized by the main system, not only did there was no data created like that person, but the first scene he had to take with was supposed to be the female lead and not this unknown person.

Don't forget that he has no scenes at all with this person as there was no character like that in the first place!

According to the given plot, Hayden Collins is the second male lead of the story. He is the film emperor and in this movie in which they are currently filming, he will meet for the first time, the female lead—Vanessa Montes, who was also the rookie actress that Director Arantax has taken fancy as the only person who can act as the female lead.

In the original plot, Vanessa has the role because of her perfect resemblance to the second male lead in the movie, which was actually the movie's female lead's twin brother. Vanessa was actually in the park at that time, drawing the park's scenery. And Director Arantax who was walking in the park coincidentally saw that scene as he found the way she drew in that bench was similar to the movie's female lead's twin brother.

Vanessa is an orphan who wanted to become an actress but because she had no budget for that, she could only study architecture, which was also in line with her hobby of drawing.

So when she was scouted by the director for the movie, she gladly accepted and did a fabulous audition for the characters of both the female lead and the twin brother.

But looking at the current scene, it looks like the female lead still got the movie's female lead role but not the female lead's twin brother which was now taken by the said unknown character.

As for the question how did she able to earn the director's attention to give her the movie's female lead role, Artemis could no longer give attention to it as there were more important things that he has to process at the moment.

Just what the hell and how the hell did these changes occur? And what is the identity of the perpetrator of all these changes?

"System, can you really not check about this character's identity? I think there is a seventy percent chance that this Mr. Anders is an outsider like me!" Artemis once again asked the system about this matter.

"The host did not need to worry because I already sent a request to the main system. Since it will probably take time for the request to be approved or may not be approved at all, the host can only observe the unknown character for the time being," the system answered calmly.

When Artemis heard the calm system, he became more frustrated; he just wanted to grab his hair in surrender.

So many things turned out different from what he was informed of and it certainly didn't sound good for the beginner Artemis. And the system which was supposed to help him was not helping at all.

Did the other forgot about the warnings the system had given him? How dangerous it was now for Artemis? Yet the system was still calm!

"Then try to probe about his background. Don't tell me, you are a useless system that you can't even do a simple surveillance for your own host," Artemis probed at the system in thought of tricking it from spilling information that he needed.

System Lulu loudly snorted. "Do not blame the uselessness to this system, host, as it was the host who was currently useless. With your current level, this system could not upgrade to a higher UI version. And since this system only has the initial version's functions, this system has no means of using the spy function that can only be available after the initial upgrade. This system can only upgrade once the host has increased his rank," the system rudely answered.

And how hard it became for Artemis to not smack the life out of the system after hearing his rude remarks. He just clenched his itchy hand and had a small twitch in his mouth to prevent it from raining curses.

Realizing the change in the host's atmosphere, System Lulu acted like it noticed nothing and continued speaking in a nonchalant manner.

"If the host really wants to learn more about the unknown character, the host can buy an item in the system store. There is this spy cam item, which is a synthesized version of the system's spy eye function. But it can only spy on one person at a time. Would the host like to buy this item for only five-hundred mp?"

Artemis quickly used his wide palm to cover his face to prevent his expression from being shown, as he could not help but grit his teeth.

Artemis was really proud before of how good he is at acting but at this moment, facing his own system tests his own endurance and skill.

"Only my ass, you scam of a system!"

In the end, despite his unreconciled will, Artemis can only let the system buy the item for him.

Just looking at his points—which he was proud of because he's a rookie yet he has points more than the average—turned zero, and Artemis wanted to cry without tears.

On the other hand, it was now the time for Artemis to focus on his mission tasks which also changed because of the unknown factor.

According to the system, for his first star mission, he has to complete at least one major mission task and two minor tasks, which are the barter wishes of the original, before the system lets him take over the body.

Until now, Artemis was still surprised by the original's wishes. He couldn't tell if the guy was just that kind or if the original was a real fool. With how he was treated like a fool by the protagonist and the male lead and how the protagonist disregarded his feelings, he was still thinking of the protagonist until he wasted his seventy years of life alone!

If not for the system reminding him how this star—including the second male lead's wishes—were only a synthesized version, Artemis would never dare think of achieving the host's stupid wishes.

Just look at the original's synthesized major wish. It stated that he wanted to help the female protagonist achieve her dream of becoming the new film empress of the entertainment industry.

Like, what the hell, bro'? You're like the male version of Mary Sue!

Not only that! Even one of the minor tasks, to Artemis' dismay, is also related to the female protagonist! It was to help the female protagonist have the happiness that she deserves.

What a lovestruck fool! Can he request to meet the person who created this stupid character to give it a one-eighty-degree kowtow?

Really! He was fortunate and thankful enough that the world is only a product created by the main system, or Artemis might really just disintegrate for failing to complete the mission.

Not because he finds it hard to complete them, but because it was really hard to act like an idiot for love.

Just acting like he's in love is really hard enough; what about acting like an idiot, which is really not his style? If the system could just hear the host now, it would have scoffed and opposed the host's conceit with all its systematic might.

Luckily, the last minor wish was no longer a self-sacrificing wish. More like a selfish wish to experience real love for himself. Not a one-sided love but to have someone fall in love with him and him fall for that person as well.

And Artemis is really happy to do it for the original! He was eager to change the lovestruck fool for the female protagonist title of the second male lead into a normal male lead for a deserving person.

Yes. Artemis thinks that the female protagonist doesn't deserve this second male lead, although he is not against her. He just wants both the male and female leads to end up together quickly and stop implicating other characters.

"But really, honestly speaking, don't you think that Mr. Anders is really beautiful? Even if he's a man and most of his works are in line with man-to-man pairing, I can't find it intriguing. I was even excited, especially when I heard about your future work with him. Maybe it's because he's too beautiful for a man? Although I know he's a man, liking him for me feels like I am being bent!"

Jane continued her blabbering about how she is a fan of another actor in front of the actor for whom she was working and getting her pay.

On the other hand, Artemis, who will now be called Hayden Collins, acted like he was listening to his make-up artist when, in all honesty, he was trying to have a proper conversation with his system.

"But seriously, system Lulu, do you think there is a high possibility that the unknown character called Sinclair Anders is an outsider like me. And since he came in first, it already created a big butterfly effect in the world, causing a big change in the world plot?" Hayden tried to question the system.

"Maybe? Probably? As of now, host, only you can clarify the fact. So do your best in clearing your mission. Just remind the host to be more careful now and act as much as the original character so that if the said unknown character is really an outsider, which can be higher than the host's rank, you can prevent being targeted." System Lulu dismissively answered that it even gave a little reminder for the host.

"Thank you?" Artemis quickly said in a sarcastic manner.

"You're welcome, host."

Artemis did a mental eye roll towards the thick-skinned system. He was obviously trying to be sarcastic but the little system acted like he wasn't.

In the end, Artemis ignored the system and tried to make plans in his head on how to prevent being suspected as a rookie outsider and be busted by the suspected outsider.

(06/18/24) Edited. Please read again before proceeding to the next chapter/s to avoid confusion.

(06/19/24) Edited. Wah! I'm really sorry guys! While I am finishing the next chapters, I realized how I had been using the word "film" when it was a movie! So this chap is once again edited. As for some parts that weren't properly edited, please ignore them. As I said, it was a MOVIE and NOT A FILM. Yes, capslock to give more emphasis hehe.