CH40

There might be debates about whether lying is inherently bad or if it's sometimes necessary. 

But one thing was clear. 

'If you're going to do it, you better do it right.' 

In a way that minimizes the harm to others as much as possible. 

When Ian called Gavin a bad person, Landon blinked in surprise. 

The responses from others when speaking such truths were similar. 

-Hey, everyone makes mistakes when they're busy. What's the big deal?

-I asked you recently, and you said he was a good director. Wouldn't it be better not to badmouth him? 

-You seem very sensitive these days. Want me to introduce you to a good psychologist? 

The only feedback he received was either concern for his image or pity for falling into jealousy. 

Only sycophants who wanted to appear in a good light agreed with him, but Ian's sincerity was palpable. 

"Do you believe what I'm saying?" 

"Why would you lie to me? Right?" 

"Exactly! I have no reason to lie, unlike him!" 

"Then he is a bad person." 

A straightforward acknowledgment without any embellishment. 

Landon realized how much he had wanted to hear that sentence, thanks to his racing heart. 

"So, you think I shouldn't meet with Director Gavin?" 

Landon wanted to honestly say yes to Ian's question, but. 

'It shouldn't be like that. What a great opportunity it would be.' 

As much as he disliked admitting it, Gavin might not be a good person but was indeed a good director. 

Building a relationship with him was valuable, so he couldn't let his desires take precedence. 

Landon shook his head. 

"No, rather become very close to him. It will surely be beneficial for you. Just don't trust him too much. You would be the one to get hurt in the end." 

"Is that so? Thank you for the advice." 

Ian smiled broadly. 

Even a short conversation was enough to get a read on someone. 

'He has a lot of pride in his work and a bit of a stubborn personality.' 

Ordinary people wouldn't badmouth someone to a child actor they just met. 

Given he didn't listen to what must have been warnings from others shows his stubborn nature. 

'But he's not a bad person.' 

He gave genuine advice, hoping to be helpful, rather than imposing his views. 

It was a strange, yet fascinating character trait. 

Caitlin, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, checked on the anxious assistant director before speaking up. 

"Sorry, but it's time to start makeup. How about you continue your conversation later?" 

"No need to apologize. Shooting comes first. Do well." 

"Thank you! It was an interesting conversation." 

After Ian left for makeup, Caitlin asked Landon. 

"How was it?" 

"He's the most popular on set, right? It shows. He's a good kid." 

Caitlin was pleased to hear that the child actor was well-liked, but it was too early to be satisfied just by his character. 

"You'll like watching him act even more." 

"Really? I'm looking forward to it." 

Shortly after, Ian returned from makeup and transformed into Noah. 

***

In the underground tunnel, thick blood mixed with the water, and the barricade against the zombies shook with impact. 

"Please, hurry up and climb." 

The children, holding torches, urged the adults to climb to the surface. The adults were as slow as maggots, not knowing when the barricade would give way. 

"If we go up, we'll die. We'll die." 

"Do you think you'll live if we stay here? Shut up and climb. Stop talking nonsense." 

Benjamin scolded the trembling adult and looked up at the manhole, which was blocked. 

A pregnant woman with a swollen belly was struggling to climb up. 

"Can't you get through?!" 

"Just a bit more! I think I can make it. Don't push too hard! It could go wrong." 

"Fuck, is the baby inside you important now? We're all going to die at this rate." 

The pregnant woman tried to suppress her groans of pain under the rough hands pushing her up, knowing that screaming would attract the zombies above. 

Benjamin bit his lip, observing the situation. 

The zombies threatening to break through the barricade and the desperate adults looked the same to him. 

Selfish and unhelpful. 

As the boy tried to calm his anxious heart, another child ran up from the barricade with bad news. 

"Leader, we can't hold out much longer. It's going to break through soon. Is this barricade still holding?!" 

"…Even if we make it, it'll be weaker than that place. It won't last long." 

They were trying hard to build a second line of defense with the remaining materials, but it was fragile. Not enough to buy time for everyone to escape. 

Benjamin felt overwhelmed by the decision he had to make and the weight of being a leader. 

Then someone approached him. 

"If we can lure some of the zombies away, do you think we can hold out? If it seems possible, I'll do it." 

"Noah!" 

Benjamin was surprised by Noah's reckless plan to use a fork in the path to distract the zombies. 

"No one's faster than me." 

"But you'll die, you know that!"

"Quiet. I'm not used to echoes in underground spaces like these. Gives me a headache."

Noah, voicing his complaints, pointed to his arm.

Blood dripped from a wound hastily wrapped in dirty cloth.

"You know, with a wound like this, I'm likely to die from infection anyway."

"We just need to find medicine. Even antibiotics would do."

"Have you forgotten our time scouring the city together? Places with any medicine were picked clean long ago. How do you propose we find any?"

Benjamin bit down hard. He knew. But he couldn't bring himself to ask Noah to die in his stead.

Noah handed Benjamin the stick he always carried.

"It's a gift."

"Noah."

"And remember what I say."

Noah, filled with disdain and disgust, looked up at the adults struggling to climb up.

"It's always children like us who are sacrificed because of adults' mistakes. It was the same even when the world was normal. So, don't trust adults too much, okay?"

"…Okay."

"Alright, I'm off."

Noah, with a torch in his unoccupied hand, walked toward the barricade.

As the barricade seemed about to be breached at any moment by zombies, Noah told the children guarding it with their bodies.

"Hey, the leader says to come back now."

"Really?! Got it!"

The faces of the children holding up the shaky barricade brightened. They could escape the fear of zombies pouring out at any moment.

The children hurried back, turning to see Noah not moving.

"Noah! Why are you still there?!"

"This is part of the plan. The rest of you, hurry back. What are you waiting for? Run!"

-Kyaaak!

As if responding to Noah's shout, zombies let out fierce cries, and the children ran off in a hurry.

Left alone, Noah sighed as he physically held back the barricade.

"I must be crazy. Why am I doing this instead of just surviving on my own?"

Despite his voiced regrets, his face was filled with determination.

Thud! 

The piled-up barricade materials collapsed, and a zombie poked its head through the gap.

-Kyaaak!

"Kyaaak!"

-Kyak?

"What, you bastard!"

After punching a zombie in the forehead, Noah charged forward. The sound of the barricade collapsing and zombies pouring out followed him.

"This way, you balding bastards!"

-Kyak?! Kyaaak!

His voice echoed through the underground, gradually fading away.

Listening to the increasingly distant sounds, Benjamin harshly wiped away his tears.

"…Let's survive. We must survive, okay?"

To ensure his friend's sacrifice was not in vain.

Silence followed Benjamin's final monologue, soon broken by applause and whistles.

"Ian! You've worked hard!"

"The time spent filming with you will be unforgettable! It was so much fun!"

Hearing the staff's voices, Ian looked baffled.

"What's with this mood? Am I dying now? I've even signed for the next season!"

"Hey, Ian! You hit me on the head on purpose earlier, right? That wasn't in the script."

"Miles, move. Whether I hit a zombie on the head isn't important right now. I'm serious."

"I'm serious too, you jerk!"

The zombie, Miles, who had been hit in the forehead, spun Ian around in a playful revenge.

Laughter erupted, calling him the usual "Rolling Boy," and someone caught Ian as he stumbled, dizzy from the spinning.

"Uh, Director Landon?"

"You did a great job acting. It was impressive."

Even from this shooting alone, it was clear why the showrunner was confident.

His emotional expression was excellent, but more importantly, his presence was commanding. Even the veteran Landon had never seen a child actor become the pivot of a film set.

"Really?"

"It's a pity I don't have a project ready for you."

"It's a pity for me too, not being able to work with Director Landon."

Truly a shame. Having played many zombie roles before the regression, Ian had been very interested in Landon's work.

Swallowing his disappointment, Ian broached a subject.

"Did you know Director Davis's upcoming film is a creature feature? Not quite up to your standard, Director Landon."

"That man is making a creature feature? After all the disrespect he's shown me?"

Landon laughed incredulously, then smiled as if pleased.

"Good. Let him try. I'll be sure to give a proper critique."

'Oh no, this is bad.'

Ian had only asked out of curiosity, but the outcome was as expected.

'If Landon critiques it, it's going to be trouble.'

No film is perfect. If someone sets their mind to it, they can find fault anywhere.

If the critic is a renowned figure in creature features, it could sway public opinion negatively.

"Thanks for the good news. I'll look forward to that day with great anticipation!"

Patting Ian on the shoulder, Landon left, and the child actors Ian had filmed with crowded around him.

"Ian, you won't be coming to the set anymore? Does that mean we won't see each other for a while?"

"I'll come visit on the last day of shooting. We might see each other for ADR recording too."

"Really? Promise!"

While chatting with the kids buzzing around, one of them cautiously asked Ian a question.

"What were you talking about with that grandpa just now? He left laughing scared. He looked like a character from a movie."

"Right. He had a face that would fit right into a mafia movie!"

"Well, his face did seem somewhat like that."

The look of someone plotting to get rid of a person.

Ian pulled out his phone and sent a text.

-Let's meet.

Right now.

***

"You met with Middleton, that guy?"

Gavin frowned as he heard the unpleasant news, wondering why the sudden call to meet.

"From what I heard, you were the one at fault, Director. Why pretend to have seen it when you hadn't? You could have just been honest."

"I admit I was wrong there, but did you think I was pretending for no reason?"

Landon A. Middleton. Just hearing that name made Gavin's blood boil.

Gavin sighed deeply.

"That guy kept sending invitations to screenings, endlessly. After being declined a few times, anyone would stop, but he seemed clueless and kept sending them."

"Did he send that many?"

"Yeah! I even mentioned to my agency that I might need to go just to stop the invites."

It felt like an endless battle between the unstoppable force and the immovable object.

The thought of Gavin, who dies if he crosses, fighting against Landon, who shoots over a hundred times, made Ian burst into laughter.

The horror movie invitations that kept coming despite rejections were a horror story in themselves.

"Anyway, he kept sending invites and asking if I'd seen the movie. What was I supposed to do? I said I had seen it."

"So that's what happened."

Hearing both sides of the story, Ian could understand where each was coming from.

"When I mentioned your upcoming project, he said he'd give a proper critique."

"Ha, let him critique or criticize whatever he wants. Do you think I'm scared of that?"

Ian pondered for a moment. If things continued this way, it would undoubtedly end in disaster.

Both sides would end up hurt and spend their lives holding grudges.

'I don't like that.'

Ian, who wanted to be on good terms with both directors, didn't want to pick sides. He was also concerned about the success of Gavin's film, which he was involved in.

"It's all just a misunderstanding. Why not reconcile?"

"Reconcile? How? By confessing I was too scared to watch?"

"Do you need to go that far? Just watch Middleton's films with me and say you enjoyed them. It's what you usually do, right?"

After a moment of silence, Gavin sighed deeply.

"Fine, let's do that. Happy now?"

"Yes! Great! So, what should we start with? Zombie movies, right?"

"…Let's start with the milder ones. The milder ones, okay?"

Milder ones?

There's no such thing as a 'mild' film in Landon's repertoire.

***

"Oh! I never thought you'd enjoy my movies that much. Thanks. It seems I was mistaken about you."

"Cough, well, I was sorry about that time too."

The meeting between the two directors, hard-earned.

Up to this point, it seemed everything would smoothly come to an end.

"By the way, I heard you're making a creature feature. Good timing. In the spirit of reconciliation, let me help you! It'll be a great help."

That was until Landon said this.

Gavin's mouth dropped open, and Ian covered his face with his hands.

'This isn't what I wanted.'

Indeed, life was never easy.

TL/n - 

Guys can you leave some reviews for the novel as so many people are reading it but there are hardly any reviews.