The Greatest Showman #720 – Self-inflicted Chaos

Jennifer stood frozen, her eyes wide in disbelief as she stared at Renly. For a long moment, she couldn't find the words to respond, becoming nothing more than a wooden statue.

The thing about pranks is that they're fun because of the process and the aftermath. The thrill comes from watching the person being pranked squirm—ideally screaming and jumping around. The greatest satisfaction lies in the reaction. Simply put, it's all about the interaction, that's the real fun.

But Renly? He stood there so calm and composed that it completely took everyone by surprise. Not just Jennifer, but even Donald and Alexander, who had been hiding and watching the show, were dumbfounded. They exchanged glances, their eyes wide in a silent question: Is Renly crazy?

Renly remained unfazed, pointing to where the makeup artists were working. "I'm going to head over to the props group and say hello to the actors I'll be working with today. Want to join me?"

What? Was that it? Was he just going to casually walk around with that face?

The image of Renly strolling around—still dressed as a beggar, waving to staff and extras, all while everyone else was in a panic—was almost too much to process. The director, producer, and others were all getting involved. Even the passersby would stop and stare.

It was too absurd to imagine.

For a brief moment, no one knew how to react. But then, Renly took a step forward. Just when everyone thought he was just messing with them and about to blow things up, he actually walked toward the makeup artists. Kaya's face went pale. She blinked rapidly, unsure how to handle the situation. She had thought the makeup area was the safest place, but now it had turned into a war zone.

Kaya turned to Jennifer, Paul, and the others, her big, teary eyes pleading for help.

"Hey, good morning," Renly said brightly to the makeup artists, his tone and smile unchanged, but his face… well, that was another story.

The makeup artists froze. Their eyes widened, and they gaped in complete shock. The whole scene was so surreal they could only nod awkwardly in response.

Even the extras seemed rattled. Some realized it was a prank and nearly laughed—but Renly's expression was so serious and unbothered that it didn't feel like a joke at all. In fact, it was starting to make them feel uneasy.

"Renly!" Paul couldn't hold it in any longer and rushed over. "Renly, come back! Come back!" First, Paul grabbed Renly, and then Rami joined in, pulling him back. "You guys keep doing your thing," Paul said to the makeup artists and extras, his voice cracking with panic.

"What's going on?" Renly asked, his voice still calm.

Paul blinked, looking around in distress. "Jennifer, help! Which bottle is the makeup remover? I don't recognize any of these!"

Jennifer, Kaya, Alexander, Donald—all of them rushed over, but it wasn't to help Renly. It was to fix the mess they'd created. They had intended to prank Renly, but now they found themselves in the hot seat. The confusion was palpable, and all of them scrambled, trying to figure out how to undo the situation.

Lamy, in a complete fluster, pressed Renly back into his seat. "It's okay, it's okay," he muttered, unsure of what he was even saying.

Meanwhile, Renly took in the chaos with amusement, his eyes scanning the group of frantic helpers. Only Jennifer was actually looking for the makeup remover—everyone else was just running around in circles, like chickens with their heads cut off.

"I found it, I found it!" Jennifer cheered, already drenched in sweat. She handed out cotton pads to everyone, though she wasn't entirely sure why. Renly's face was so small, and they didn't need this many people to clean him up, but she distributed the supplies anyway.

As everyone got ready to wipe away the makeup, Donald caught Renly's eye and stiffened. Jennifer, Rami, and even Kaya and Alexander followed suit. Paul, the last to notice, asked, "What's going on? Why is everyone frozen?"

They were all staring at Renly's makeup, half wiped away, revealing the absurdity of his face. With one side still covered in thick layers of paint, Renly's gaze flickered slightly. His expression was unsettling, like a zombie from a horror movie.

Suddenly, Renly made a grotesque face, bared his teeth, and lunged forward like a wild animal. Everyone scattered in terror.

After the panic subsided, with hearts still racing, it hit them all at once: they'd pranked him, but now he'd pranked them right back. It was a moment they could barely process.

Renly calmly returned to his seat, his chin gently lowered as he surveyed the group. "So, I suppose it's you guys... Six? Everyone had a hand in this?" He scanned their faces one by one, and it felt like the chill of a ghost story creeping up their spines. "If I'm not mistaken, the mastermind is…" He let his gaze land on each person, then turned to Donald. "Donald?"

Without missing a beat, Donald blurted out, "Jennifer! It was Jennifer!" He immediately sold out his friend, throwing her under the bus.

Jennifer's eyes widened. "Wait a minute! It was your idea! I only just arrived, and you pulled me into this mess!" She protested, only to be met with Donald's retaliatory accusations that she was involved, along with Alexander, Kaya, Paul, and Rami. The blame game began in earnest, and soon they were all confessing details about who contributed to which part of the prank.

After the bickering died down, Jennifer turned her attention to Renly, who hadn't spoken a word during the argument. She looked over and saw Renly, cotton pad in hand, gently wiping the makeup off his face. He started with the eye makeup, and as the thick black ink disappeared, his features slowly came into view.

The simplicity of the action struck Jennifer. For actors, removing makeup was a daily routine, yet watching Renly do it in front of them now felt unsettling. Jennifer couldn't help but think of the Joker from The Dark Knight. "Renly Hall, you're going to give the kids nightmares with that face!" she yelled.

At her outburst, everyone froze, and the room went quiet.

Renly paused, still wiping his face, and glanced up. "Is there a minor here?" he asked casually, his expression still eerily calm. His words sent a chill through Donald, who began rubbing his arms, suddenly feeling the weight of the atmosphere.

Renly shrugged, a playful smile creeping onto his face. "You guys are hard to please. You don't like it when I walk around with this makeup on; you don't like it when I take it off. So, what do you want from me?" He turned abruptly, staring them down with a dark intensity. "Or were you waiting for this?"

By now, Renly had removed half of his makeup, the left side still pristine, while the right side was a chaotic, horrifying mess. The contrast made it look even more grotesque, and his eyes—cold and unblinking—made the entire scene feel like something straight out of a psychological thriller.

Rami was the first to scream and run away. The others followed suit, scattering in panic. Paul, still frozen, looked around, only to realize he was alone with Renly.

Renly chuckled at Paul's bewilderment. "You said you wanted to try it out, didn't you? Hurry up. Don't fall behind schedule."

Paul nodded frantically and hastily made his way to the locker room.

In a matter of moments, the area around the dressing table became eerily quiet, as though it were a restricted zone. Everyone else had cleared out, leaving Renly in his own little world.

With a final glance around, Renly turned and continued wiping the makeup off the remaining half of his face. If Matthew, Arthur, or Edith had been there, they would have loved to watch this unfold.

When it comes to pranks, Renly was a master. Even the playboys at the Bullington Club had bowed down to his sense of mischief. Today's little makeup trick was just a warm-up. The prank was just getting started.

For Renly, it was all about the fun of the game. If you were in it, you were going to get caught in the chaos. Watching from the outside, though? That was where the real entertainment began.