CH46

After more than ten rings, the call was disconnected, and a prompt for recording a mobile voicemail appeared.

Ian called again. This time, it was different.

After two or three rings, an automated message played.

"…Is this person ignoring my call?"

Either they had turned off their phone, or they had blocked me. It was one or the other.

Ian, who had vowed to force-feed five potato corndogs all at once if he ever met the person, sharply raised his head.

At his fierce gaze, Austin flinched.

"He is not answering?"

"Because he feels sorry, I guess."

"He shouldn't have done something to be sorry for in the first place. Anyway, please tell me what happened."

Austin hesitated slightly.

Even if it's about a company actor, it's internal company business. It's not something to blab about recklessly.

"No point in hiding it."

Just by looking at his stubbornly closed lips, one could see the determination to find out somehow.

Sighing at the realization that Nick causes problems even outside, he honestly said,

"This must absolutely not be discussed outside, okay?"

"Of course."

"A disaster movie called Broken Tower is going into production. Two actresses will be competing for the lead role."

It's normal for actors to compete for casting. It's just that the relationship between the two was not normal.

"The problem was that these two are famously not on good terms."

"So it turned into a fight over pride?"

"Exactly. It was fierce."

When actors with as much pride as their popularity meet on a narrow bridge, what follows is inevitable.

It's a war where even agents must give their all.

"Honestly, we were in a favorable position and were confident. But the contract went to the opponent in the end. We couldn't understand why until we found out that someone had leaked our contract details to the rival."

"…Was that Nick?"

"Yes. He confessed as well."

Now I understood why Nick was fired. Rather, more incomprehensible things arose.

"Why didn't you sue? For such a matter, suing would be the normal response."

Causing serious damage to the company and the actor. If they let this pass, it wouldn't be called the land of lawsuits in America.

Austin smiled bitterly.

"He said he did it because he needed the money for his grandfather's hospital bills, who raised him like a parent. The company also decided to let it go, and the affected actress forgave him."

"…Was there a sick family member?"

"Yes, a cancer patient. That's why he needed a lot of money."

In America, where 60% of bankruptcies are due to medical expenses, hospital bills are notoriously expensive.

Health insurance? Despite having insurance, countless people were going bankrupt because insurance companies found every possible way to evade responsibility.

'…If you need help, you could at least talk to me.'

Ian knew. No matter how famous one is, asking for help from a primary school student doesn't make sense.

Ian forcefully swallowed the bitter feeling.

"Thank you for being honest with me."

"I hope you're not too hurt by this. We didn't expect Nick to do something like that."

Ian quickly brainstormed.

The first thing to consider is whether the future has changed because of his return to the past.

'It's something done for a cancer patient. It would have happened even if I wasn't here.'

In a way, it's a relief. Being involved in such a major incident and still managing to work as an agent means there must be untold stories that haven't come to light yet.

Many speculations came to mind, but the specifics could be figured out.

"Then, could you tell me where Nick's house is or which hospital the patient is admitted to? As you see, he is not answering the phone."

"I'm sorry. It would be problematic to disclose personal information like that."

After a brief pause, Austin leaned in and whispered.

"Instead, I'll introduce you to a friend who's good at finding out such information. If you mention my name, the first time will be free."

Ian smiled at him, winking one eye.

The skill of passing on information while avoiding responsibility was quite something.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it. So, would you like to hear about Prosum's contract conditions? I have my job to do, after all."

"Of course."

As Ian listened to the contract conditions, he pondered how to deal with Nick.

For starters, it was time to fry some corndogs.

***

While Ian wanted to confront Nick immediately, he held back for the time being.

'Even if I go now, he won't spill the truth easily.'

If that were the case, he wouldn't have confessed to the company or ignored calls like he is now.

He needed time. Time to get used to taking care of the patient and to open up honestly.

The calendar had already flipped to May, and Ian's body shook violently.

"Ian! How have you been?!"

"What kind of shooting are you doing these days? I saw you as an extra the other day. Where will you appear next?!"

"…Someone might think we haven't met for half a year. It's only been 2 months, you know?"

It was a gathering for season 2 of Invisible Children.

It had only been 2 months since the filming of season 1 ended, but there was a reason they had gathered so quickly.

"Look at how the kids have grown. Shouldn't we change our title?"

"What can we do? We can't tell the kids not to grow."

The staff chuckled while checking the kids' heights.

A strange drama was being filmed where not much time had passed in the story, but the kids had noticeably grown.

The showrunner approached the staff.

"That's why we're starting to shoot so quickly, right?"

"That's true."

Caitlin looked at the children chatting around Ian.

The goal was to film Season 2 within the year. That way, the viewers would feel less disconnected.

"By Season 3, it'll be fine even if the kids have grown."

If they escape from Las Vegas in Season 2, they can start Season 3 with the setting that some time has passed.

In the end, they just needed to navigate this current crisis well.

Caitlin clapped her hands lightly to gather everyone's attention.

"Has everyone heard the situation? We're planning to start filming this season from June. We'll shoot as much as we can on set, but there will also be filming in Las Vegas."

"Las Vegas, huh? Have you ever been?"

"No, but isn't it a very glamorous city? I've seen it in videos."

The city of pleasure, Las Vegas.

Although it's a famous tourist destination, it's not exactly suitable for a trip with kids. Just walking down the street, you'll see scantily clad women everywhere.

Being a zombie series, of course, they weren't going there to shoot that kind of background.

"During the day, it won't have the atmosphere you're thinking of at all. And once you leave the central area, it's not much different from where you live."

Caitlin smiled slightly at the disappointed children and distributed the scripts to them.

Upon receiving the script for episode 3, Ian immediately flipped through it.

'As expected, he doesn't die.'

Noah, who was being chased by zombies in the subway, was rescued by a group of survivors centered around a doctor.

Their goal was to find out why children were not getting infected by the zombies and attracting less attention.

"It's like the typical mad scientist role often seen in zombie films."

A lot of children were needed for the experiment, and Noah was the bait. Bait is used to capture the main group.

Of course, Noah pretends to cooperate while sabotaging their plans.

"This will be fun."

"To bring out that fun, your role is crucial. You have to show a lot in the short time you're on screen."

The sense of crisis at the beginning and the catharsis obtained from overcoming it depended on Noah.

'I shouldn't worry unnecessarily.'

If they thought he couldn't handle it, they wouldn't have given him such an important role. Caitlin, hoping for a performance like last season, called Ian aside to ask about something that was on her mind.

"I heard about it. You're going into Director Davis's next film, right?"

"Yes, it looks like it'll start around October."

"…Hmm, the filming periods do overlap, then."

Hollywood movie filming schedules are shorter than one might think.

'Since every filming day is practically money, they aim to wrap up within a maximum of 3 months.

Ian recalled the filming schedule he had heard about.

"I think this movie will take about 2 months."

That's what Gavin, the director, had said. Caitlin would have heard about this too.

"Alright, I understand. We'll try to match the schedules as much as we can. But you'll have to bear with the hardship."

"Don't worry. Filming isn't hard for me at all."

Ever since he helped Daniel, his physical condition had improved, and his recovery was remarkably fast.

Caitlin patted Ian on the shoulder with confidence in his response and left him with a word of request.

When he returned to his original spot, the child actor playing Benjamin approached him.

"Ian, do you have other plans today? The kids were saying we should hang out."

Hanging out with the kids? He would have to create an appointment if he didn't have one, but luckily, he had a scheduled commitment.

"Sorry, I have something I need to do today."

"Something you need to do?"

"I have to catch a liar."

Initially, he had insisted he wasn't a liar, but let's see what excuse he would come up with this time.

***

The smell of frying patties mixed with the loud voices of people.

Nick, who was taking orders at the fast-food restaurant, checked the time. It was almost time to clock out.

As he waited for his shift to end, a boy with a cap pressed down on his head approached him.

"One corndog, please."

Nick sighed. Sometimes there were people like this, ordering items not on the menu.

"Sorry, but we don't have corndogs. Could you order something from the menu?"

"No corndogs? This place doesn't have the basics down, does it?"

The boy who complained lifted his cap, and Nick was startled by the face revealed.

It was a face he hadn't expected to see here.

"I, Ian?"

"Long time no see, Nick. It seems like my calls have been blocked, so I decided to come in person."

Seeing Ian's playful smile, Nick bowed his head deeply.

He didn't want to meet him. At least, he didn't want his last impression to be something shameful.

"…Why did you come? You know I'm not the good person you thought I was."

"I never said you were a good person from the start. I called you a liar. Given the strange confession you made, it seems I was right."

Hearing this response, Nick bit his lip.

He had confessed, yet Ian still believed in him. Nick felt a surge of happiness and guilt, trying to calm his emotions.

"Just a little longer. Can you wait a bit? It's almost over, then we can talk."

"I'll be out in no time. I already asked for it. The next worker happens to be a fan of mine."

Looking back, he saw the next worker, who was notoriously late, waving brightly.

Amused by the meticulous plan, Nick changed clothes after his shift and came out.

After briefly greeting Chloe, who had accompanied him as a guardian, Nick walked side by side with Ian.

"I heard about it. How's your grandfather doing? Not very well?"

"Yeah, we found out too late. He kept hiding his illness. All because of some hospital bills."

Nick smiled bitterly.

The thought of his grandfather enduring with just painkillers was heart-wrenching.

"Does he know you're working at the fast-food place now?"

"How could I tell him? He was so happy when I got a permanent job. He thinks I'm still working at WBE."

How could he tell him about being fired for leaking information, especially since it was for hospital bills?'

"Then, is it okay if I meet him? If you're going to lie, you might as well do it right."

"…Yeah, he'll be really happy to see you."

Nick remembered how he boasted to his grandfather about being friends with Ian, a TV star.

His conscience told him he should refuse, but imagining his happiness, he couldn't.

Standing in front of a rundown house, Nick turned to Ian.

"Why don't you ask about anything else? You must have questions."

"I'm waiting. I believe you'll tell me in your own time."

Touched by Ian's strong faith, Nick silently opened the door to the house.

The musty smell of sickness greeted them, and Nick opened the door to the only room.

"…Nick?"

"We have a guest. This is the actor I'm working with, Ian Pryce. You know him, right?"

"Of course. I'm so pleased to meet you."

The elderly man, sitting propped up in bed, smiled warmly and extended his hand, which Ian grasped.

Holding the wrinkled hand, Ian's eyes widened.

The black shadow engulfed the world.

Plunged into darkness, Ian gasped for air as he came back to his senses.

He had seen the future the old man would face and learned a new truth.

"…You know everything, don't you?"

About Nick being fired, and about his impending death.

A bitter smile crept across the old man's lips.