CH67

It has been four years since he returned to the past. He might have lived as a normal convenience store kid if he hadn't changed so much. 

'Since all this became variables, I can't be certain about the future.' Thinking casually that a shooting will occur on April 7th isn't a reason to be immobile. 

Now, the future events are just reference points, so he had to think hard. 'To prevent the crime, I need to try to keep the criminal from harboring ill intentions and continuously monitor them.' These are tricky conditions to meet without others finding them strange. 

Among the challenging conditions, Charlotte was the choice Ian had made. "Honey! Do you seem taller than when I last saw you?" They were about the same height when Ian took off his shoes. 

With a bright smile as if amazed, she put her arm around his shoulder, and the scent of her perfume was intense. "Now, if we go out together, it could even lead to a scandal, don't you think?" She asked, her lips curling slightly, and Ian nodded. 

"A scandal? It would be one involving a minor." 

"You still talk slickly. When did you ever sweetly call me darling?" 

"That was merely lip service, darling." 

Far from sweet, Charlotte laughed heartily at his dry tone. 

"You're still shameless. Let's sit down." 

Once seated, Charlotte got straight to the point. 

"What kind of trouble is our troublemaker stirring up this time that you bring up such a terrible topic like business?" 

"Anyone listening might misunderstand. And we were good business partners, weren't we?" 

"Though I did all the hard work. So, what's the issue this time?" Charlotte crossed her arms and looked wary, to which Ian responded with a benign smile. 

"Don't worry. It's not a big deal this time. The #TellMe movement, it's been losing steam lately." 

"Naturally. Even a cause that starts with good intentions becomes tiring over time. Everyone who could step up has already done so." 

#TellMe was a movement that started to encourage people to speak up about sexual assault during Herman's exposure, calling for others to not turn away. It was a change that started earlier than in the original timeline. 

"Have you thought about reviving it by changing its meaning?" 

"Change its meaning?" 

Ian casually handed her a tacky flyer. 

"If you're lonely and need someone to talk to, please call me. Lonely John," it read, along with a phone number.

"What is this?"

"It's a flyer. I'm planning to put these up in various schools in New York."

Ian provided additional explanation for her, who wore a puzzled expression. 

"Every school has students who feel isolated. Those people don't have anyone to talk to when they're lonely, right?"

"…That's true."

Charlotte, who had struggled to adapt at a prestigious boarding school, recalled her own past experiences and frowned. 

"It's a kind of social experiment. We're testing to see if just having someone to talk to on the phone can change lives."

"There will probably be a lot of prank calls too."

"Sure, but there might also be people who call out of genuine need."

The project itself was just a pretext, and the real goal was Cooper. Through his classmate Nathan, it wasn't difficult to get him to call at least once.

'There are always signs before such incidents. If you maintain a relationship, you might notice them.'

It's common for perpetrators of mass shootings to hint at their plans on social media or repeatedly make dangerous comments to those around them. It would be easier for them to make such comments to an anonymous person.

Of course, Ian's plan wasn't so naïve as to rely entirely on this possibility. "We'll capture the entire process on camera. I also plan to discreetly contact the parents of the students who call and observe any changes."

If this worked, it would also mean the surveillance was successful. After hearing the rough explanation, Charlotte smiled lightly.

"This is quite modest for the kind of things you usually do. I was scared when you mentioned it was business."

"When have I ever taken on more than I could handle?"

"That's why it was even more annoying. If it was too much, you would have given up right away."

Charlotte tapped the table with her fingers, calculating the pros and cons. A secret friend over the phone turns out to be a famous star? That's an intriguing subject. 

If it went public, it would certainly attract a lot of attention. 'What if TellMe could expand into something else if this works? We could start similar campaigns in other schools. But what if it fails because there's no clear change?'

It could just be a nice memory for the students. Either way, as long as it helps their image, it's not harmful. With this conclusion, she asked,

"Are you going to release the footage on your YouTube? Do you have about a million subscribers now?"

"About that."

His subscriber count was high considering he was not a professional YouTuber and posted videos sporadically. Most of his subscribers were parents and young students. 

"Posting on my YouTube wouldn't be bad, but…"

It might be better to go big. To monitor Cooper effectively, hiring a large staff would be necessary, and it would be even better if he could secure some funding.

There's a good option available. "I'm actually thinking about NetPlus. They seem really interested in their own content these days."

"NetPlus?"

"Yes."

One must seize opportunities when working hard. Establishing a relationship with NetPlus now might help with casting opportunities later.

"Would be great if it works, but is it feasible?"

"Getting support might be tight on time. It's enticing for just the two of us, but it's not easy to make a decision. If it were just the two of us."

"Who else is involved?"

Ian took out his phone and made a call.

-Ian? What's the matter?

"Director Isaac!"

…Director Isaac?

Charlotte's eyes widened. Ian's suggestion clearly held the respect of someone significant. "If you have time, would you like to join us for a shoot?"

– What kind of shoot are you talking about?

"We're planning something special at Nathan's school. It could be a great memory for Nathan."

Not knowing who Nathan was, it seemed unlikely that Director Isaac would be swayed by such a statement…

– Sounds interesting. I'll participate.

"Thank you, Director! I'll discuss the details with you later."

Charlotte blinked in surprise. She wondered if this was the same Director Isaac she knew, but Ian just grinned. "Yes, it's the Director Isaac you're thinking of in New York."

"Really?!" She was astonished. She had expected his participation when she mentioned Nathan, knowing his fondness for his grandson and their established trust.

"Now that the director has joined, shall we try to reel in one last person?"

"Are you saying that's what you've been doing just now?"

"Ah, you must have heard wrong." Ian's cheeky response made Charlotte shake her head. If he weren't an actor, he would surely have been a con artist.

***

Ian Price, Charlotte Underhill, Isaac Greenberg. A proposal bearing these three names prompted an urgent meeting at NetPlus.

Susan, the head of content, asked in the meeting room, "What do you all think of this?"

"I'm not sure if it'll work, but the star power is no joke."

Ian and Charlotte had once turned Hollywood on its head, and the project name, TellMe, reminded everyone of that time. The inclusion of the legendary Director Isaac, who alone could make Hollywood drool, made it even more enticing.

"Look at the names listed below." Guest appearances were possible from Ben Roberts, Damian Mayer, and Director Davis, and some well-known child actors were listed as helpers.

The fact that everyone agreed to donate their fees was another plus. "The problem is that we don't have much time until the decision has to be made. It's almost February."

The time to assess the documentary's potential success was limited, let alone pulling together the budget. "We've only got about three months. We'll just have to cover labor costs in that time."

If it had been a costly drama or film, it would have been instantly rejected, but the financial burden was not overly significant, which prolonged the discussion. "If it turns out well, we're considering applying this project to multiple schools, forming something like a service club, and creating interactions with other schools. It could be the start of something big."

"But that's only if it goes well. What if the response is lukewarm?"

"Is there ever an investment made with certainty of success? Are you suggesting we give up?"

"Not at all, but let's ask for a bit more time."

Given the high profile of the participants, it was hard to outright refuse them. As Susan pondered, an idea struck her. "Who brought all these people together? It was Ian Price, right?"

"Yes."

With confirmation, Susan thought deeply. It was unlikely these celebrities would join merely out of friendship for a non-profitable venture. 'He's not some mystical fox spirit enchanting people.'

As she considered their motives, she realized something. "Everything Ian's involved in turns out successful. Not just dramas or movies, but even the exposure of Herman brought significant benefits to Charlotte."

"Come to think of it, that's true."

There was something special at play.

Long-time industry veteran Susan had that gut feeling. "Was it just luck? Or is there really something special about him?" The plan seemed too straightforward to just throw money at. If this project too succeeded, it would either be tremendous luck or some profound insight. Thinking of it as an opportunity to test this hypothesis, the cost of filming seemed justifiable enough to support it.

"Let's invest in it."

The discussion that followed Susan's decision as the head of content came to a halt. It was a testament to how much she had proven her worth over time, and it changed the direction of the meeting. They now consider how much budget to allocate and what to demand to ensure success. As the discussions moved quickly, one of the staff members brought up a recent initiative.

"Remember, we used big data for our self-produced drama series."

"Yes, that's right."

The first drama series to be released in February was chosen using big data, predicting a sure success with the selected director and lead.

"I heard from a friend managing the big data that there's something interesting about Ian."

"What is it?"

"They said if he appears in a nine-tailed fox costume, it'll definitely capture the female audience."

After a moment of thought, Susan nodded. "If the documentary doesn't seem promising, we might have to ask him to appear in costume."

Unbeknownst to Ian, his fate in a costume was being decided.

***

There's no such thing as a free lunch.

The contract signed with NetPlus made that clear. "Are you out of your mind?" If the project failed, Ian would have to reveal his identity in the last episode dressed as a nine-tailed fox. Fans of the Moonlight series would fervently hope for the project's failure.

'Not a chance.' Ian was determined to extract either genuine emotion or entertainment to nullify such a ridiculous clause.

He carefully hid the contract in his travel bag. It was a document that was better kept away from prying eyes.

As soon as the money came through, Isaac began actively gathering staff. New York, already a hub for documentary and arthouse film production, quickly saw progress in preparations with the maestro himself recruiting.

'He's always been interested in themes of loneliness and anxiety, so this topic must have appealed to him.' Thankfully, this meant there was less to worry about with the documentary's filming.

As time passed and February arrived, Ian moved to New York for the shoot, only to be reminded of an issue he had momentarily forgotten—the roommate situation.

"Are you not looking forward to living together for a while?"

"Ha, to think I have to live with Ben. That's really not great."

"I wasn't talking to you, peacock."

Even before moving into the apartment, the sight of Ben and Damian bickering gave Ian a headache.

He whispered to Gavin, "Did you really have to do this?"

"I'm too busy to look after you alone. Better to have more than one person."

…Those two as his guardians?

Filming hadn't even started, and Ian was already tired.

Dragging his weary body into a luxurious Manhattan apartment, Ian let out a short exclamation. "This is really nice?"

"We put some thought into it since we have to live together."

Considering the steep Manhattan housing prices, Ian wondered how much it had cost to rent a place with four large rooms. Unlike Ian, who was impressed, the others nonchalantly picked their rooms and dispersed.

Ian, after neatly unpacking his belongings, was curious about how the others had settled into their rooms. His first stop was Gavin's room.

"…What's all this?"

"You can see, can't you? This is a dream catcher, and these are crosses and Bibles."

'Well, I could see that, but I didn't expect even a priest to decorate his room like this.' Ian's gaze wandered and landed on a bottle of clear liquid hanging among the crosses.

"And this?"

"That's holy water. Got it from a well-known priest."

Planning an exorcism or something? With a slightly exasperated look, Ian turned and opened the door to Ben's room.

"Yikes! A stalker?"

"Ah! A family man should have this much love."

Photos, more photos. Pictures of Ayla, Rachel, and Evan were everywhere. Gavin, who came to check out the commotion, clicked his tongue.

"My leading actor can't possibly be this unhinged."

"It's better than committing infidelity, isn't it?"

"Suppose so."

And they just agree and move on? Ian nudged Gavin.

"This is definitely not normal. Imagine lying in bed and feeling like those eyes in the photos are watching you…"

"Stop! Please, just stop! I'm never entering this room."

"Man, you're turning someone's family into ghosts! This guy!" Gavin left in disgust, and an irritated Ben playfully retaliated.

Damian, drawn by the noise, chuckled. "Why did everyone decorate their rooms like this?"

"Ha, let's see how well you decorated yours. Show us."

"By all means."

The trio entered the room Damian had proudly opened, and they stopped short. A line of peacock plush toys adorned the bed, and photos of Damian with a peacock decorated the walls.

"These days, I'm raising a peacock at home, named Ani."

"…Isn't that name a bit odd?"

"Don't feel too bad, baby peacock. When it has chicks, I'll make sure to give you one."

'…No thanks, really.' Ian rolled his eyes as Ben placed a hand on his head.

"Ian, let's see your room. You started this commotion; you must be confident."

"My room is just ordinary."

Nothing to hide there. Ian confidently opened his door.

Unlike the others, there were no quirky items, but his desk was piled high with stacks of scripts.

"What's all this?"

"These are scripts. Here are some from recent movies, oh, and these are from Japan and Korea. Found a lot of interesting stuff. There are some from Latin American dramas too."

Ben, looking at the scripts Ian was proudly showing off, suddenly became curious.

Actors loving scripts is one thing, but where did all these come from? Glancing at the travel bag, Ben asked half-jokingly.

"Hey, how many clothes did you bring?"

Ian answered nonchalantly as if the question was trivial.

"Just three sets. That's enough, right?"

Three outfits for three months? Did he remove all other clothes to make space for the scripts?

Watching Ian's nonchalant demeanor, the trio sighed deeply. Truly, there was no normal one among them.