Showbiz 1-Tragedy

A young man's body trembled violently, no longer able to mask the immense disappointment in his heart. In front of him, there were four handsome men staring at him cynically and haughtily. Showing intimidation that they were better than he. His face was contorted with a downcast look. Trying to hide the anger that radiated on his face as it turned red. His hands were clenched into fists, trying hard to stay strong even though his legs felt boneless after hearing the vile confession that he had never expected.

"You are so talented, Gian. You can sing, dance and act. Just look at yourself. I mean... look in the mirror. Are you physically better than them? Even grannies can see what angels look like," said a fat man shorter than him, sandwiching a cigar between his middle and index fingers. He was Joseph, the director.

"Hahahaha!" laughed four handsome young men standing to the left and right of the fat man.

The poor 20-year-old Gian was breathing hard. Insults were hurled back at him after he tried to maintain his dignity.

"You're a fraud, Mr. Joseph. You took advantage of my abilities! They must have paid you to get rid of me, right?" Gian finally shouted after he could no longer contain the anger that was inflamed in his heart.

"Oh, look at those amazing acting skills. I have goose bumps," said a young dark-haired man called Leon as he rubbed his arm.

"Shut up, Leon!" shouted Gian, pointing.

"You shut up!" exclaimed Joseph in a fit of rage.

Gian's eyes were wide open. He stared at the director who had promised him so much to get him into one of the most prestigious production houses in the country. The four young men laughed in satisfaction that they no longer had to act.

"I'm giving you one last chance, Gian. Go," Joseph said with a lopsided smile.

"Aarghhh!"

The people were shocked. Gian suddenly shouted which made the living room feel tense instantly. Gian pointed his index finger with a sharp, hateful look in his eyes. The long, sideways bangs that he usually tucked into his left ear now partially covered his pimply face.

"You guys... are unforgivable!" he shouted angrily. Quickly, Gian strode towards the people who had hurt him with bated breath.

"Shameless!" shouted Joseph who quickly delivered a strong slap to the gaunt face.

Gian staggered back because he did not expect to be treated so harshly. Joseph, who was fed up with Gian's stubbornness and unyielding nature, pulled his hand. The fat man forced him to leave the room. However, Gian persisted. He had sacrificed too much for that man.

Today should have been the moment he had been waiting for. He was supposed to give his mother and his twin brother and sister the good news that he had made it as an actor in his dreams.

Gian was forced to use his part-time job savings to travel to Los Angeles, California from Missouri. His mother and two younger siblings believed that Gian was very talented. The young man just needed financial support to realize his dream. Gian left his family to pursue his dreams. He had high hopes in a successful film company that produced world-class artists and actors.

However, his one-year sacrifice was not rewarded. Gian is not willing to be expelled without getting any results that make him closer to his dream of becoming a famous actor.

"Ugh!" whimpered Joseph as Gian suddenly bit his ear, breaking the grip.

"Give me back my mum's money!" he shouted angrily as he ran towards the table. A briefcase containing Joseph's money became Gian's target for revenge.

"Stop him!" the man with the shoulder-length blond hair shouted.

Gian's body was grabbed and forcibly pulled away from the bag. Four young men, promised to be actors by Joseph, lost their minds. They beat and kicked Gian until the poor man cowered on the floor.

"You think we want to be friends with you, ha! We're just taking advantage of your acting skills!" exclaimed the man with curly brown hair as he kicked Gian's back hatefully.

Gian could only lament his sad fate. Joseph immediately went to the young men, not expecting them to be so rude. He pulled their bodies and asked them to stay away from Gian. Joseph loved money and fame because his movies always won awards. His conscience rose to see Gian battered and bleeding as he tried to get up, even though his body was shaking.

"Go away, Gian. This city is too hard for you," Joseph said as he threw a stack of rubber-banded money onto the floor. Gian glanced at the money, but was reluctant to reach for it. "That's the rest of your mother's money. I set it aside as your wages while working with me. Just so you know, I never submitted your resume to the company. Let alone think of making you an actor. You can be in that office because of my compassion."

Gian cursed himself for being so stupid for being tricked. No wonder he was accepted so easily. At first, he thought that the entertainment company liked him. Joseph made him his personal assistant. Giving him a room in an apartment that looked more like a warehouse to Gian, eating at the company cafeteria, and being his driver. He was not paid while working for Joseph with the excuse that his salary was used to facilitate him while at the company and the cost of training to become an actor. As it turned out, all this time, Joseph was using his mother's money.

When he first arrived and met Joseph, the director called Camela, Gian's mother. He asked her to pay the registration fee and training fee so that Gian could become one of the actors in the company. At first, Gian didn't know because the call was made when he was asked to take a tour of the facilities on the floor.

Until Joseph's rottenness was revealed when the fat man told him ten minutes ago without any guilt for blackmailing Camela. The wooden house in the middle of the forest is a witness to Joseph's greed that Gian never knew. Now, the family's only source of income, the mother's cake shop, has been sold to cover Gian's acting school fees, where the mother's sacrifice has come to naught.

"Go home and bury your dreams as an actor. You're so talented, I'll even admit that you're very good. I've never seen a man as talented as you. It's just that I can't perform you. Your physique doesn't sell. It would take a lot of money to improve your appearance, and I am not a generous person who is willing to spend money to capitalize on you," said Joseph who then asked his students to leave Gian.

"If you already knew I couldn't be an actor, why did you accept? I would have been more gracious if you had rejected me at the audition!" shouted Gian who had enough of Joseph's deceit.

"Still don't realize, stupid guy? That's because, just so you know, how cruel the entertainment world is for people who only have talent, but don't have strong relationships and a lot of money. You've chosen the wrong dream," quips Jonas, one of the aspiring actors of the automotive conglomerate couple.

Gian sat on the floor smiling bitterly. At least, out of all the lies told by Joseph, there was one true thing about him. Yes, he was not handsome. His hair is dull, his skin is dry, his face has acne and his body is thin due to lack of nutrition. The family economy has made Gian work hard to help his mother since his father passed away.

Gian is the first child of the Everest family. His father was an adventurer and his mother a baker. However, since his father died while exploring Antarctica with his team, the family's financial condition has been shaken. Apparently, Marcos Everest left behind a lot of debt that made his wife, Camela Everest, have to bear the burden. All the assets they owned had to be sold to pay off the debt.

During this time, Marcos financed the exploration expedition. Marcos lied to his family by saying that his adventures were privately financed. Unfortunately, the family fell apart when they no longer had any material possessions. Camela was so shaken that she almost committed suicide. However, Gian managed to convince his mother that they were able to continue living without their father.

Gian was forced to work part-time after school, helping his mother make ends meet. He dropped out of college to finance his journey to fulfill his dreams. Gian hopes that after becoming a successful actor, he will be able to support his family, including his 10-year-old twin brother and sister, Justin and Rin.

"Argh! This is all your fault! You made us suffer like this! I hate you, Marcos! I hate you!" Gian shouted as he beat the wooden floor where he was now left alone, in a wooden house in the middle of the forest in the darkness of the night.

Joseph lied to Gian by inviting him to come there with four of his aspiring actors. Gian was so happy when Joseph said that he was throwing a party to thank him for helping to educate the aspiring actors so that they would watch good on television. Gian chuckled, laughing at the innocence of being duped so easily. He staggered to his feet, wiping the blood that continued to drip from his nostrils.

As he opened the door of the wooden house, his steps stopped. Fear instantly spread throughout his body. He wanted to run or call for help. However, he knew he was alone in that place and no one would come to help.

"You must want me," he said sarcastically, then laughed softly with his head bowed. "I don't want to die like this! I'm tired of living in agony!" he shouted, refusing to give up.

Sure enough, "ROARRR!"

"Shit!" Gian screamed, knowing his life was at stake.

Instantly, he seemed to have the strength to get up. Gian went into the house and held the door to lock it. However, the coyotes were able to break it down. Gian fell down and crawled on all fours, trying to stand up by holding on to a wooden table. The animals were hungry and became more aggressive when they realized their enemy was helpless.

"Argh!" Gian whimpered as the coyote's sharp claws managed to hit his bony leg, drawing fresh blood.

Gian threw every object he could get his hands on. Who would have thought that his efforts would keep the coyotes away. Gian immediately got up and ran out of the house through the back door into the woods. He was desperately trying to save himself from being attacked by the wolf-like wild dogs.

However, the forest road was covered in dry leaves and tree branches, making it difficult for him to walk. Gian's breath caught when he saw the coyotes chasing him ferociously. The moonlight was obscured by the shade of the trees, making the area pitch black.

Sure enough, when Gian couldn't see what was in front of him, his foot tripped over a tree trunk. Gian fell rolling and rolling hard because of the downhill road. When one of the coyotes managed to catch Gian's body and tear his clothes, suddenly ....

"Argh!"

SPLASH!

Gian fell off the cliff and made it into the sea. The poor guy swallowed a lot of water. He could feel his chest so sore and painful. His face was contorted, unable to mask the panic. The more he moved, the faster he sank. Gian, who couldn't swim, watched as the sea engulfed him and dragged him deeper and deeper, away from the surface.

'I'm not willing to end up like this.'

DING!

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