A Merry March

After dinner, Hyerin prepared a mattress for Averie so he could stay the night.

It must have been half an hour after the lights were turned off when Hyerin spoke up.

"Are you awake, Averie?"

"Yes," he whispered.

"Can't sleep?"

"I suppose."

The room fell silent.

Averie knew this silence very well. Ladies often approached a serious conversation this way. Cultures and eras may have changed, but this was one thing that hadn't.

"Are you going to be fine?" Hyerin asked.

Averie turned to her. He could not see her face as she was lying on her side with her back to him.

"It was difficult when you wouldn't speak with me for days, you know," she whispered.

Her voice sounded rough and restrained. It was as if the pain that had accumulated over the years was about to burst through her tear ducts.

"Work was hard too," she continued. "You know, I wondered what I would do if something were to happen to you. It scared me."

Averie heard whimpers. The girl was most definitely crying.

He cursed her moronic friend—the original Averie—for committing suicide, leaving him to deal with this situation.

It wasn't as if Gene Conti was any better at dealing with delicate situations. He had lived his whole life being a bold man. How was he supposed to deal with such sensitive issues?

"You don't know how happy it makes me to see the new you," she added after a moment of silence. "You behave differently than before, but that is fine as long as you are happy."

There was worry and hesitation in her voice as she asked, "So you will be fine, right?"

"Of course," Averie replied. "Those days will never return."

He would have preferred not to say anything. But then again, he liked this girl. She was childish at times. And at times, she was professional and mature. She was full of life, just like him when he went by the name of Gene Conti.

"And it wouldn't be possible without you," he lied.

But he thought his next words were genuine.

"Thank you, Rin."

Hyerin's wails became less restrained. She sounded like a moaning pup, and it made Averie uncomfortable beyond words. His new friend had managed what the Warden of Hell couldn't in five decades.

"I talked to the managers of the other actors on the set." She sniffled, her voice barely audible. "And most of them said that you should join a company."

Averie scoffed. "I don't want to."

"They handed me their cards. They said PR teams of large companies can really help in building a good image. If controversies ever rise, they will properly take care of it."

"Not interested."

"You have the talent to be one of the best actors in the country; you could use some help. They have acting coaches too—"

Averie burst into frenzied laughter, scaring Hyerin.

'Acting coach? Those morons have nothing to teach me—absolutely nothing!'

He kept laughing loudly like that for an entire minute, prompting Hyerin's neighbor to yell at the top of his lungs: "Keep it quiet, you psycho! some people need to sleep!"

"It's Friday night. Get a life, you loser," Averie replied.

Internet had taught him some truly fascinating insults.

It made Hyerin squirm nervously.

"I don't need a big company behind me, Rin," Averie continued, curbing his histrionic giggling. "Where's the fun in that, anyway? I like the two of us challenging the norm together."

"Is that so?" Hyerin asked, her voice overly elated.

To Averie's relief, she seemed to have shed her sorrow.

And for the next hour, he had to listen to her ideas about how they should hire some people once he was more successful. She kept going on and on about her plans, not noticing her friend had fallen asleep.

The following day, Hyerin took Averie to the mall.

She wanted to get him new clothes.

"A great actor requires a great wardrobe," she kept saying.

She insisted on buying something other than white shirts, saying "Who wears white every day?"

So he complied.

"You should enjoy it while you can," she said while buying ice cream for the both of them. "Once the drama airs, you won't have the freedom."

Indeed, it would be the last time Averie experienced such freedom.

***

The next few days were spent filming the scenes for the first two episodes.

It wasn't the norm to film scenes in chronological order, but episodes 1 and 2 had scenes that required all seven of the main actors together.

Such scenes required rehearsals. It helped actors and the crew understand the technical aspects of filming like camera angles, blocking, and lighting. Director Lee was not keen on skipping it like he did with Asmodeus's scene.

Unlike rehearsals on most sets, these ones were not one bit lighthearted. None of them so much as cracked a smile throughout the whole affair.

Despite minor hiccups, everything went well.

Ellie and Averie too worked together perfectly. Over the weeks, they had managed to grow much closer, even becoming friends.

Because of their entirely different personalities, they complimented each other well, resulting in perfect chemistry. This helped Ellie feel comfortable while shooting their scenes, which were often sensuous in nature.

"Will I be alright?" she asked one day.

In her hand was the script for the seventh episode, which was also the finale.

Averie chuckled. "Why, are you worried?"

"This is an important scene," she complained. "And I have to be convincing. Why did it have to fall to Sarah? Will the audience even accept this?"

Averie nodded, smiling mischievously. "In this situation, there is no better character to end the drama than Sarah. Believe me, the audience will love it."

And so, weeks passed.

***

It was 12th of March.

"You should come with me sometimes, Averie," Do-Yun Park said, chewing on a delicious cookie. "I know some really good French restaurants. You are half French, right?"

"Quarter."

He waved his hand in dismissal. "It's all the same."

But it wasn't all the same to Averie. He observed his fellow actor. Although it was clear he had gained weight, he did not look terribly out of shape.

"Should you be eating this much?" Averie asked.

Do-Yun looked a little exhausted.

"Well, overeating is making me use the toilet more frequently," he said, sighing dramatically. "I have to go at least once a day now."

"I'm sorry, what?" Averie asked, stunned.

'Isn't that the norm?' he thought.

Do-Yun continued, ignoring Averie's confusion. "So, you are leaving early today?"

"Yes."

"The trailer will drop today, I think. Why not watch it with us and then go?"

This wasn't the first time the public had caught a glimpse of the show. A week earlier, they had dropped the teaser. It was only 24 seconds long. But it had managed to capture the internet's interest.

Interestingly, it consisted entirely of wide angles, and the faces of the seven were entirely out of frame. It wasn't as if the information about the actors involved wasn't available online, but it did add a certain sense of mystery. This helped build considerable hype.

"Production hasn't even ended yet," Averie muttered, lost in thought.

"Only a week left. The window is tight. They are handling filming and post-production simultaneously. The crew has surpassed three hundred members. Director has it tough."

Promising to message them once the trailer was out, Averie took his leave. It was four in the afternoon. And he was planning to celebrate the rest of the day with Hyerin.

After all, it was her birthday.

"So, where to first?" Averie asked Hyerin, who had been replying to the congratulatory messages on her phone.

She smiled brightly and uttered, "Amusement park!"

'Are you serious?'

To Averie, four in the afternoon didn't seem like the most appropriate hour to visit an amusement park. But thankfully, there was one close by. It wasn't very large, but it was good enough.

Averie insisted on driving, saying he wanted her to relax. But this man hadn't driven in five decades, as Hell most certainly did not import cars.

He had never driven a car with the driver's seat on the right, and he didn't know any of the traffic rules.

Still, he had the audacity to think it would be fun.

That day, Hyerin understood how much of a freak her friend truly was. He drove like the speed limit was a suggestion and not one of the traffic rules.

Anyone insane enough to wonder what a Jaguar XJ6 would look like while drifting had their wish granted.

It was a terrifying experience, and Hyerin believed it was the day she would finally see the gates of Heaven.

Thankfully, she survived and spent the next few hours enjoying rides that felt a little less dangerous than her friend's driving.

The rollercoaster had her holding onto Averie's arm while he laughed maniacally in her ear. She had trouble grasping what was more dangerous—the ride plummeting towards Earth or her cuckoo friend.

The haunted house had her clinging to Averie's back while he went around screeching like a banshee, scaring the costumed staff.

Even the merry-go-round wasn't off-limits to Averie.

"Hey, you want to hear something fun?" he whispered to the child who was riding the colorful unicorn next to him.

"Mom says I am not allowed to talk to strangers—"

"Yeah, shut up and listen." Averie pointed to a lady who was watching them with furrowed brows. "That's your mother, isn't she?"

"How did you know?" the child asked, his eyes large like light bulbs.

"I am a lawyer, you see." He cleared his throat. "Your mom called me here because she needed help explaining something important to you. You ready?"

The child gulped, not knowing what to say or what to expect.

"Tough break, kid; you are adopted."

The child dropped his ice cream and began tearing up. His mother rushed to him as the ride came to a halt. Seizing the opportunity, Averie swiftly escaped.

Hyerin, dumbstruck and speechless, had watched everything from start to finish.

For better or worse, she didn't have it in her to ask Averie what that was about.