CH6

Ian was reminded of the boy named Jack he had read about in the script.

A child who grew up being abused by his father, pushed to the brink of considering suicide.

Then, he meets the protagonist.

Ben said that Jack sees the protagonist as an ideal father, but it didn't make sense for someone suffering from PTSD and a former soldier to project the ideal father onto him.

'It's more about wishing he could be the ideal father. Because he wants to live.'

The protagonist, reeking of blood, was the one he hoped would pull him out of this swamp.

So, the hesitation Jack would show is not due to fear of adult men like his father.

It's the fear of realizing it's a vain hope.

"…Mister, would you like to have this?"

Ian, offering a candy he pulled out of his pocket, swallowed hard and looked down at Ben's feet.

The gesture of offering his most valuable possession felt like clinging to a thread that might break.

"Get that away. I hate candies."

The protagonist, who had directly experienced the American military's superstition that having candies brings bad luck, despised the candy and harshly refused it.

Ian stepped back.

At first glance, it seemed he was afraid of the protagonist who rejected him, but Ian's gaze was directed elsewhere.

At the rolling liquor bottles on the ground.

They symbolized his biological father and the fear of returning to his rightful place.

The candy, crumpled in the child's hand, fell pointlessly.

The rustling sound that reached the child's ears as he was about to turn away was disheartening.

"Huh… all this over a stupid candy? Here, I ate it. Happy now?"

The gruff response was met with a radiant smile that could warm anyone's heart.

Matching his pace and chattering away, Ian stopped speaking and shrugged his shoulders towards the staring eyes.

"Is this good enough?"

The staff, impressed by the unexpected performance, whistled and applauded.

-Whew! That was spot on! Roberts didn't see that coming.

-How about we replace Roberts with him as the lead?

"Who suggested changing the lead? Who do you think paid for the snack you just had!"

Ben's playful shout elicited laughter from all around.

Ian approached the child actor, who seemed enchanted by the performance.

"I said I'd only show it once. Was it helpful?"

"Yeah, thanks."

The child actor's shoulders, hesitating if he could really follow suit, were gently patted by Ian.

"Don't doubt whether you can do it. If you hesitate in your performance, the audience will pick up on it instantly. You want to do well, right?"

"Yes!"

"Think of it as giving a lesson to someone who's too full of themselves."

A large hand suddenly patted Ian's head.

"Was that comment meant for me?"

"If it sounded like that, then maybe it was."

"You're really cheeky, you know that?"

Ben grumbled, but Ian didn't care.

If it weren't for Chloe, he would have given the middle finger instead of candy.

'That's why he was rejected by the person he really liked for so long.'

Thinking about it, according to an interview he had seen before, he might have started liking her around this time.

'Well, things ended up well, so he'll manage somehow.'

As Ian and Ben were bickering, Oliver approached cautiously and asked, "Ian, about the scene just now."

"That's great. You can show it to him if needed."

Ian, gauging the child actor's reaction, sensed Oliver's greed in his face.

It was a look he had seen many times before: coveting his acting while finding something amiss.

The only difference now was that the hesitation was due to the cast child actor instead of his past scarred face.

Ian cheekily said, "You saw my acting, right? If you hear of anyone looking for a good child actor, please recommend me. Preferably a role in a rich family since I look quite refined, don't I?"

"Ha, haha, sure. If I come across anyone like that, I'll definitely let you know."

While Oliver responded cheerily, he rolled his eyes.

He seemed to understand why Ben was interested. Just by the way he gracefully declined, he didn't seem like a child of his age.

"Ian."

Chloe called Ian with a bitter feeling.

Though not related by blood, she thought she had raised him with love, but his recent confidence shook her.

She hadn't known he dreamed of becoming an actor or that he could act like this. She felt guilty for being too indifferent under the excuse of making a living.

Ian felt sweat trickle down his back upon seeing Chloe's expression.

He got too excited about the opportunity and acted without thinking about the consequences.

"I'm sorry for not knowing anything. I had no idea you were working so hard for your dream."

"It's okay. It's natural you didn't know. I just practiced by myself at home! Nobody knew!"

Those around, including Ben, doubted what they heard.

'Practiced alone?'

Acting isn't something you can do just by having a mouth; self-study isn't enough.

Unlike the shocked others, Chloe was caught on a different point.

"Alone? When do you even have time to be alone?"

"I woke up a bit early in the morning to practice."

"Early in the morning?"

A memory flashed through Chloe's mind, still clear as it was less than a week old.

"…Were you practicing that day too?"

Ian was startled.

He had accidentally revealed the circumstances of the abuse case the police were investigating.

"I love you, Mom."

So please save me.

***

Chloe sighed heavily towards Ian, who was sitting cautiously on the sofa.

"It seems you're usually well-behaved, but then you go and cause such big trouble."

"Pffft, it's funny. The police wouldn't have shown up if you hadn't acted so realistically."

Dylan laughed, cracking open a can of beer.

The anger from that moment turned into mere laughter once the reason was known.

"Ugh, explaining the situation to the neighbors was so embarrassing. Luckily, they were understanding about it."

"Let's prepare some food for them later. More importantly, did our son really do well in the acting at the set?"

"I don't know much about it, but from the fuss, it seems like he did."

Recalling the disbelief and admiration of those who doubted true self-study, Chloe felt proud.

There was no reason for her to be unhappy about her son being recognized.

"It's a pity. I should have seen it."

"The director said he'd send the footage later. You can watch it then. I couldn't see it well myself because of the people around."

"Is that so? I wish they would send it quickly. I'd like to watch it together during Mom's birthday celebration soon."

In the United States, orphans are generally sent to foster homes rather than orphanages. Chloe, who was an orphan, had been placed in Dylan's home as a foster child.

Therefore, Dylan's parents were also parents to Chloe, and it had become an annual tradition to close the store and visit them on their birthdays.

Listening to their conversation, Ian felt his hands sweat.

'It's already that day.'

The nightmares that tormented him every night came back to life.

The torn screams of parents intertwined with sudden tinnitus and a nonexistent heat crushed his face.

The rotten years were revived with tears of regret, despite knowing that an ordinary child could never change the conclusion.

"…Ian, Ian! Son! Snap out of it! What's happening all of a sudden!"

Ian came to his senses with the touch of his hands wiping away his cold sweat.

Worried faces appeared before him, faces he could see even in nightmares.

Ian's small palms touched both of their faces.

The warmth from his hands was undoubtedly real.

"Ah, it's nothing. I guess I'm just a bit tired."

Dylan sighed lightly and asked, "If you don't want to go to Grandma's house, do you want to stay home this year?"

For a moment, the thought of feigning illness to avoid going seemed like the best option.

Then, at least, he could save his parents…

Looking up at his parents' faces, Ian clenched his fists. It would only change who regretted it.

Ian smiled brightly after gathering his resolve.

"No, I'll definitely go with you."

"Are you sure?"

"It's a special day, isn't it? How could I miss out on such a day?"

Yes, he thought to himself, he would do anything to make it a good day.

Ian's dark eyes sparkled fiercely.

***

Profiles flapped as they were turned over.

The carefully taken photos and densely filled details exuded desperation, but the hands flipping them were indifferent.

A knock interrupted the woman harshly flipping through the profiles in her room.

"Don't come in."

As if a contrarian heard her, the door burst open.

"Eddie."

Adelina grimaced at her younger brother entering the room, calling him by his nickname. Despite being siblings, he was, in many ways, not to her liking.

Adelina sighed and turned around.

"Didn't I tell you not to come in when I'm working? And you. Are you doing your job properly?"

"Of course. I'm doing well what I've been asked to."

"If you mess up like before and get kicked out after Dad put in a good word for you, I'll throw you out the window."

The brother grimaced at the harsh words that didn't match her pretty appearance.

He wondered if he had made a mistake by entering but had brought something too important not to share, so he spoke up boldly.

"Ha, I've brought something that could help you, and you treat me like this?"

"As long as you're not a bother, that's enough for me. Huh, so what is it? Know that you'll be in trouble if it's worthless."

The brother placed his phone on her flicking hand and played a video he had barely managed to bring.

A shooting scene appeared on the small screen.

"See this kid here. This kid is…"

"Shh."

Adelina, covering her mouth, watched the video intently.

The clip was short, and she didn't know the context of the scene being acted out.

'The outfit is odd too.'

The clean attire that didn't match the surrounding atmosphere was a distraction. However, Adelina couldn't look away.

"It blends well with Ben Roberts? And that's a child actor."

Being a casting director, she knew too well how poorly Ben Roberts meshed with child actors.

It was because he treated child actors as equals, demanding a similar level of performance.

Finding a child actor who could match his peculiar temperament was rare, yet suddenly, a new figure had emerged.

"Who is this? Have they appeared in any works before?"

"Got interested, huh?"

Adelina resorted to traditional methods to open her smirking brother's mouth.

"Ouch!"

"Spill what you know when asked nicely."

"Asked nicely? Why are you hitting me then?!"

"I am speaking nicely."

Truly, a temperament even a devil would cry at.

Muttering internally, the man spat out what he knew.

"This kid isn't an actor. Just happened to have a connection with Mr. Roberts and came to watch the shooting."

"Just came to watch and can act like this?"

"Yeah, and he hasn't formally trained in acting either. Self-taught, they say."

"What are you talking about? That can't be just something someone does."

The performance wasn't something a child could just pick up; the notion of self-teaching was absurd.

The credibility of the self-taught claim was honestly irrelevant. Whether self-taught or trained by a prestigious teacher, only one thing mattered.

The fact that the performance was exceptional.

"What's his name?"

"What was it again…"

After a moment of thought, it came to him.

"Ian Price. That was the name."

This was the moment Ian Price stepped into Hollywood.