The Greatest Showman #746 - 5 Mixed Flavors

The square was quiet, but not the kind of quiet that comes with the stillness of midnight. It wasn't empty, but rather filled with the weight of emotions settling down. Words seemed unnecessary now, as communication passed between them through nothing more than shared glances. Silence washed over the crowd, each thought moving slowly in this collective pause.

An hour had passed since the incident earlier, and the crew had sent the latest updates. All the injuries were minor. The only serious injury—a torn abdomen—had been confirmed not to be severe. This news eased the tension, lifting the heavy hearts of those involved. The panic had settled, but the lingering fear remained, especially for those who had been part of the chaotic moments. The aftertaste of the event wasn't something that would vanish quickly.

Hope noticed Tessa sitting beside her, nervously biting her nails, her face still etched with worry. She reached out and took Tessa's hand gently. "Tessa, are you okay? Are you sure you're alright?"

Tessa let out a sigh. "I'm fine. It's just… I didn't expect things to escalate like that. I'm worried about the young master. Look at him—he got up injured, and now he has to go back to the UK and continue filming. I'm not sure if it'll affect his work."

Hope sighed too, feeling a sense of helplessness. "I came here to support the young master, but everything turned into chaos. At least, things didn't get worse." She straightened her back, forcing herself to regain her composure. "We have to do something."

Tessa, William, and Graham all turned to look at Hope in confusion, unsure of what she meant.

Hope clenched her fist. "We need to cheer up. We need to be strong. We need organization, discipline, and unity." Her voice was unwavering, but her friends were still puzzled. Hope's eyes brightened. "Our Facebook group can't just be a hobby anymore. We need to truly become a strong support system for the young master!"

Hope's words began to take shape in her mind. "The number of people supporting him is growing, and it's only going to keep increasing. I look forward to it," she added, trying to lighten the mood. Everyone shared a look of reluctant amusement. "If we ever have another event like tonight's premiere, we need to organize, maintain order, and support the young master."

Hope's gaze swept over her friends one by one. "The most important thing is to make sure we are a strong foundation for him, not a hindrance."

Every artist has a following, but fans of singers are often the most dedicated and organized. Even actors, models, directors, and screenwriters have their own supporters—organized or not—whose words and actions represent a secondary image of the artist.

Think of Justin Bieber's fans, often embroiled in heated online battles, or Ryan Gosling's and Jennifer Lawrence's supporters, whose image remains positively aligned with their idols, for the benefit of both public and sponsors.

Since the "Pacific War," Renly's rise to fame had been meteoric, catching many off guard. In 2011, early in the year, people were still questioning, "Who is Renly?" and why couldn't they find his work? By the end of the year, with hits like Fast and Furious 5, Love Crazy, and Don Quixote, Renly had taken the entertainment world by storm, leading to tonight's premiere.

However, the absence of a true support structure had been a glaring issue. The incident tonight had been a close call—no serious injuries or irreparable damage—but it served as a wake-up call. Renly's path was only just beginning, with projects like Anti-Cancer Me, Transcendence, and the Grammys looming ahead. The ongoing filming of Edge of Tomorrow would only heighten the excitement.

Hope clenched her fist again, focusing on her friends and herself. "I talked to some of the fans earlier, and you wouldn't believe how many people support the young master now!" Her voice filled with pride. "I'm finally seeing results."

She raised her chin triumphantly. "On a small independent music forum, his fanbase has reached 30,000! And Don Quixote has over 70,000 album collections." Her announcement left everyone speechless, then laughing with disbelief. It was truly an astonishing figure for any new artist, especially one associated with an independent album like Don Quixote.

Hope continued, "They're calling Don Quixote the album of the decade. The momentum keeps growing. A lot of people went to see Love Crazy after hearing about the album." Her eyes sparkled as she relayed more, "They even organized a thousand people to come to the premiere tonight because…"

She paused, smiling at the surprise on her friends' faces. William finally stood up to clarify. "They came to protest." He sighed helplessly, "Because the young master never promoted the album, Don Quixote was left to feel like an abandoned project. He hasn't done any public appearances, and the only show he attended was the Pioneer Village Night. Fans were disappointed."

Hope added, "They've even launched a poll on Yahoo—over 50,000 people supported the idea of a concert. But still, no response from the young master." The fans were growing frustrated, and that's why they showed up today—to make their voices heard.

However, before they could discuss further, another accident occurred.

Hope and William fell silent for a moment, but Hope quickly regained her composure. "I think we should organize, using Facebook as our base. We can create some events, promote some activities, and provide a platform for the young master's supporters to communicate—whether they're movie lovers, music lovers, or something else. If necessary, we can even work with Roy."

"Roy? The young master's manager?" Graham asked in surprise.

Hope nodded, grinning as she took out her phone. "I just got Roy's number! We can communicate directly with him if anything happens in the future."

The group erupted into excitement. Roy Lockley? That meant they could potentially communicate directly with Renly himself!

Hope quickly called for order, shouting, "Hey! Remember the quality we agreed on! Please focus on quality!" Everyone paused, but before Hope could feel smug about her leadership, Tessa rushed over and hugged her tightly, wailing, "It's not fair! It's not fair! I want to appeal to the young master!"

Amid the commotion, Hope's phone ended up in Graham's hands. He spoke seriously, "Hope, I'm serious. We should visit the fans who got injured in the incident. As the young master said, this wasn't anyone's fault, but someone has to take responsibility."

His words struck a chord with everyone. Chanel added, "Didn't the young master protect a girl earlier? She had an abdominal injury."

Tessa, letting go of Hope, bit her lower lip. "The premiere will end soon. Afterward, we should go visit her. If she's resting, we'll just leave a message—no disturbance."

William immediately agreed. "What should we bring her?"

The discussion turned lively as they prepared for the next steps. Time seemed to move quickly, and before they knew it, the staff announced the start of the premiere. As everyone prepared to enter, they realized it was already nine o'clock.

The mood was still mixed. On one hand, the lingering fear from the earlier accident remained, especially knowing some people were still in the hospital. On the other hand, after such a tumultuous experience, the excitement for Anti-Cancer Me couldn't be denied. Their anticipation was rising.