Hi everyone… I'm back. I'm sorry for the long wait, the last three years were very difficult for me, I lost my dad to cancer, so as you can understand I was not in the mood to write… However, I'm back and more determined than ever to finish this story, especially as it is already done in my mind. I would like to thank the following for their reviews: JeremyVD, I hope this chapter is satisfying to you; Shiranai Atsune, wait and see, I hope you enjoy what happens; Cakedecorator, you asked and I delivered, sorry for the long wait; and finally, Lennie, don't worry, Sho's torture is far from being over.
Warnings: the usual, if you are on this chapter, then you know what to expect.
Normal POV
As the sun rose and signified the start of a new day, Kyoko was feeling very frustrated. She had already realized that her Mio needed to be darker, needed to show her scar and flaunt her family's mistakes in their faces, but she still was not satisfied with what she had. She needed more, she needed something more than just her character's scar to show her contempt, her despair, and her hate…
That was when it hit her; Mio didn't only feel the above, she also felt betrayed by her own family, who was so embarrassed of her that they wanted her to keep hiding her face. That was what was missing from her character, the hurt she felt.
Kyoko smiled as her confidence returned… she could do this. It was easy for her to portray hurt, after all, this has been what she has been feeling for years, but how did she show it in her portrayal? Maybe with a tattoo? No, that would be too obvious.
As Kyoko stood there and pondered on her choices, the solution appeared to her as she was getting ready to meet the rest of the cast. In the scene where her mother confronts her and Mio attacks her with her words, Mio could shed some tears at the end as her mother turned her back on her hurting daughter and left.
Happy with her solution, Kyoko finished getting ready and opened the door to leave when she was stopped by the sight in front of her.
"I'm sorry." She heard her brother say as he offered her a huge bouquet of lilies, her favorite flower, and a box of the finest chocolates. Kyoko let out a giggle as she accepted them. Quickly placing the flowers into a vase and the chocolates in her bag, she hugged her brother to show him that she forgave him.
"It's ok, but next time please don't act like that." Ren smirked and Kyoko felt apprehensive at what he had planned. "Don't worry, I have something else planned for when it happens again." Kyoko tried to get her brother to tell her what he had planned but he refused. Her brother was really devious, and she didn't think she could manage to get anything out of him, so she gave up. Instead, she led him to their car, where Kanae was waiting, once again as her acting manager, and then the three were driven by Ren's manager to the shooting location.
Kyoko took a deep breath as she stepped out of the car, knowing that she had to prove to everyone that her version of Mio was better, that it was more complete than the previous Mio. And her biggest worry was the actress playing the mother, and the actress who used to play Mio, Hiroko Iizuka; from what she had heard, she was a tough cookie to crack, and she was worried that she would be so against her Mio that she would not even try to accept this version.
The start of the meeting went great, and the director accepted to test Kyoko's Mio, on the condition that if he didn't approve, Kyoko would act like the original. Happily, Kyoko agreed and got ready for one of the biggest performances of her life.
As Hiroko and Kyoko acted out the confrontation scene, Kyoko could see that up until now, her fellow cast members were impressed with her Mio, and then came the moment that worried her the most. As Hiroko turned her back to signify her character leaving, Kyoko murmured "Yes, that's right mother, leave just like you always do when you're not comfortable with the way things are going," lines that were not in the original script, and Hiroko turned to look at her only to be shocked at the tears shining in Mio's eyes, unshed but oh, so visible.
As the director called for the actors to stop their performances, the cast burst out in applause at Kyoko's portrayal of Mio, impressed beyond words on how the young woman was able to add not one, but two new dimensions to her character.
"I have to say, Kyoko, that at the start the strong personality you showed scared me," Hiroaki Ogata admitted, "but the tears you added at the end just gave me goosebumps. I never looked at Mio's character as something other than evil, but this, this is what I was looking for, what will clearly set this drama apart from the original." The rest of the cast nodded their agreement, and Kyoko beamed at them, happy that they accepted her Mio so easily.
"I have to say," Hiroko started, "that your Mio is already better than my Mio. I'll be proud to act as this character's mother, and I can't wait to see how you will unveil her character."
At the actress' words, Kyoko burst into tears, shocking the others, who panicked and didn't know what to do. All except two people that is. Ren approached Kyoko and hugged her, letting her cry into his arms as he patted her head and whispered in her ears things that the others could not hear, and Kanae snapped a picture to post onto the budding actress' Instagram, knowing that it would make a certain someone very jealous.
The cast got even more stunned at Ren's actions, as the actor was known for his cold nature, yet, here he was confronting a fellow cast member… most of the people watching this display of affection, confused his brotherly feelings as feelings of romance, and their actions later that day would fuel Sho's jealousy and would be responsible for the singer's next actions.
As the cast left for the day, Kanae showed Kyoko the picture she took and with her permission, posted it on Kyoko's Instagram:
{Picture} Ren Tsuruga comforting Kyoko Mogami after the later was overwhelmed by her fellow cast members' words of admiration.
{Comments}
Tsurugafan: Oh my God, are they dating? They would be so cute together!
Itsumi Momose: I have to say, Tsuruga Ren has never acted like this with anyone else, so even if they're not dating at the moment, they will certainly be dating in the future!
Airi Oohara: Oh, I do hope they're dating! It was so cute, the way he comforted her!
Satoshi Takagi: I can confirm they are not dating yet, I asked Tsuruga-san. However, Tsuruga-san did imply that he is interested in her, so maybe they will become a couple soon!
Kanae smirked as she read the comments; Kyoko's fellow cast members unknowingly helped her in tormenting Fuwa Sho. Oh, what she wouldn't give to be a fly in the wall…
Meanwhile, Sho stared at his screen in shock. Tsuruga and Kyoko… no, he would not allow it! If they got together there was no way Kyoko would return to him, he would lose her faster than he could blink! No, he had to act now, remind Kyoko that she loved him and show her that he loved her and would do anything to earn her forgiveness!
Omake
Lory Takarada laughed as he read the comments on Kyoko and Ren's picture, enjoying despite himself the chaos the two were creating. Really, he knew Kyoko planned to use Ren to make Sho jealous, but he didn't expect her to act so quickly.
Lory smirked as he thought of what the future would hold. He could not wait to see young Fuwa's next actions.