AN1:

It is not my intention to ridicule anyone or attack anyone and therefore I am not calling out this individual by name but I received an interesting review on chapters that I wrote all the way back in 2018 and since they had an opinion, I feel like I get to state mine.

"writers survive by putting out quality work or work that an audience is intrigued about... not threatsbargaining."

And first of all, this was from a long time ago and I've kind of shaped my thinking from that but also, if you really don't like the way I write then I invite you to check out the work of the many other talented writers on this site.

As many writers know, it is unbelievably frustrating when you don't get reviews on your work but I've learned to move on and deal with it. (That's why I've been updating my fics based on the number of hits). It's also hard to juggle as many fics as I have published on this site and so I use an Excel document that I update every ten days to see where interest lies. But in short. I don't feel like I owe anyone anything. I also don't feel that anyone owes me anything. I realized when I was working last year on a fic I loved and want to go back to, "You'll Always Be My Prince" that what you love as a writer might not get that many reviews and you really have to treasure those that you do.

When I realized this, the updating speed of my fanfics stopped bothering me as much because as writers we really really don't owe anyone anything. We appreciate you liking and enjoying our stories but if I don't want to write something these days then I won't (The Lake in the Park). That being said. As readers, you don't owe me anything. I have a fanfic for another fandom with close to 200 hits on the latest chapter and zero reviews. It's when I stopped asking for reviews that I realized this freedom. Of course I appreciate the time it takes to leave a review and they and the consistent reviewers are really special to me but I don't owe you anything and you don't owe me anything.

What we are are fans who like the same fandom and I write something because I like it, you hopefully read things because you like them.

So yeah, if you don't like what I just said. I'm sorry. However, I don't owe this reviewer a single thing and if they don't want to read my work, great. I'm sure one of the hundreds of other Skip Beat writers would love their attention. Sorry for the length of this author note and have a good rest of your days.

END OF A RIDICULOUSLY LONG AUTHOR NOTE

BUT ONE I THOUGHT NEEDED TO BE VOICED

Act 102 – Remember to Breathe

Kyoko found herself deep in thought as she tried to get ready for the scene. The advice about acting was still making her head spin a little. She was supposed to be a character here and Mio Hongo seemed to be much more complex of a character than the angel she had portrayed for the Prisoner music video. She wanted to impress Kuon or at least not let him down. This was an important battle for him against his father. She needed to do her best and prove her worth to him. She should listen to his words about acting over Moko's because he had more experience, right?

As she sat there, trying to figure things out, she was more concerned about herself and how she was going to act than about how she was going to act as Mio. She heard her name being called and panicked looking like a small flustered animal than the dark and moody Mio.

"Xiaa!?" she asked which was a combination of the two words, ah and yes. She froze as she heard the stillness of all the people around her and then saw the shock and confusion on Ren's face. She had been wanting to not mess this up for him and the silence and the awkward expression on his face told her that she had done exactly that.

Soon the silence broke and everyone started laughing which left Kyoko feeling as if she were falling. She hadn't meant to do that. The next thing that happened was that cut was being called and the laughter was still echoing around the room. Kyoko bowed her head feeling a mixture of shame and guilt as they were told that the scene had to be reset. This was really a team effort and she had been the weak link in the chain and brought it down. She didn't want to inconvenience everyone so much.

As she prepared herself again, Kyoko heard someone yelling at her and realized that it was the actress who had played the previous version of the character. She flinched as she found the woman to be approaching her.

"You! Are you trying to be funny!?" she asked and Kyoko stood up nervously, feeling a lot of guilt. She knew that Ren and Director Ogata were standing there as well but all she could feel was Iizuka-san's scolding. "I told you clearly the first time we met! 'Mio' is a very important character to me, so you must play the part well."

Kyoko could hear Ren and Director Ogata making an attempt to keep the peace but she still had her head bowed. She could remember that this actress had told her something like that but she hadn't been acting selfishly or cruelly, this was just her first scene and she wasn't used to acting in the same way that Ren was. "I…I'm sorry," she said nervously.

"This was what I was most worried about," Ilzuka continued, "Young actors these days don't respect movies at all!" Kyoko took a deep breath in. It wasn't that she didn't respect movies but she hadn't realized that they had been filming and that did seem very unprofessional.

"Please," Director Ogata said in a calming voice as he leaned towards Ilzuka, "Please, calm down, Ilzuka-san. We need to work together in the future so let's please keep a good relationship."

Kyoko kept her head bowed. She had always been good and respectful at her jobs before and she should especially do so since this was her first real role. She had to admit that she was nervous because this was her first time being filmed for a drama serialization and that was the first take on the very first day. Kyoko kept these thoughts in mind but tried to not vocalize them. When Ilzuka-san suddenly turned her attention to Director Ogata, Kyoko felt her stomach sink again since she was responsible for the way Ilzuka was glaring at him.

"It's because you forgive so easily. That's why all the young actors aren't serious!" she said and this time only Ren was trying to calm her down whilst she threw her anger at the director. Kyoko took a quick breath knowing that she shouldn't be happy with this. It was all because of her that the scene had to be reshot. It was all because of her that the director was currently being yelled at.

Again Ilzuka-san turned her attention towards Kyoko who once again flinched. She could see the intensity in the actress's expression and feel the iciness of the words. "You," Ilzuka said, "Have you figured out 'Mio's' character?"

Kyoko felt her heart pounding inside her chest and she felt her anxieties nearly going into overdrive but instead of apologizing and falling down due to the pressure she was feeling she lifted her head and made direct eye contact before reply "Of…of course I have."

Kyoko saw Ren's expression get more shocked as he looked between both of them and even though Kyoko knew that that was the wrong answer and she was only just starting to figure out Mio's character, she had drawn her sword from her sheath and it was now impossible to back down. She knew that if she told the woman the truth then she would probably be even angrier than she as now. She could see the panic and concern but also interest in Ren's face.

"Is it true?" Ilzuka asked and Kyoko found her nerves building.

"Yes, It's true" she argued and heard Ilzuka-san laugh a little which made Kyoko feel that she had fallen through a trapdoor and was stuck in a spider's web.

"Really, that's good to hear. Then let me test you to see if you really understand Mio. If you can't answer any of the questions then you are not qualified to act as Mio."

Kyoko felt herself swallow any hope that she had. She had to rely on her knowledge and instincts. Maybe she would be able to pass this test that way and keep her role and she really wanted to act alongside Kuon.

"This –" Director Ogata said as he stepped forwards and Kyoko turned to watch the two of them. She was beyond nervous at this point. She had agreed to do something that she didn't think she was ready to do and she had agreed to it so proudly that to back away from it out of fear of not being able to do it was like sacrificing Mio Hongo with her own hands.

"Ilzuka-san, you can't decide these things like this," Ogata attempted to reason with her.

Ilzuka-san looked at him with another glare, "Director Hirotaka," she said in a very chilling way "never gave a second chance to his actors that hadn't figured out their characters on the first day of filming."

There was a strained silence around the set as Tsuki go Mori's directors names bounced from wall to wall. The name was a trigger, something that could be called upon to gain an upper hand over Director Ogata but they all needed for him to rally his courage and stand strong as both a director and an individual.

"If you want to compete with Director Hirotaka's Tsuki go Mori then you should learn more from his example. Isn't that right?"

Again there was a stunned silence and both Ren and Kyoko looked towards Director Ogata trying to wait for the moment when he didn't feel strong enough. Both of them wanted to support him but in this situation, Ilzuka-san had the upper hand.

Kyoko bowed her head as she tried to breathe and Ilzuka looked back at her, "Then you there," she said as she addressed Kyoko. "With your job on the line, let's begin the test."

"My first question is about Mio's personality," Ilzuka started and Kyoko looked to the side to see that Ren was there, trying to listen to both of them. She wanted to reach out to him for help but they had both said it would probably be best to keep their relationship secret so that people didn't see her as getting special privileges especially in terms of her acting.

"Please," Ren said as he turned to Kyoko wanting to help her. In his mind he couldn't really help her as a person or a friend but he could try to do so as a veteran actor looking out for someone brand new to the field.

There was a break and Kyoko took a slow breath in but realized that Director Ogata had fallen to the ground and was crouched down. Nervously she and Ren looked at him wanting to make sure that he wasn't going to faint or lose consciousness.

Ren managed to get himself positioned next to the director and watched him, seeing the same pain in him as he had compared to his own father. He could imagine his father there now with little interest in what was happening or belief that Kuon could ever achieve anything with his acting. Those thoughts made him wake up with sweat that didn't appear when acting in all black on a hot sunny day.

"Calm down, try to breathe," Ren tried to encourage him, "you're hyperventilating take deep breaths," he said and Kyoko noticed that everyone around them was trying to get a clearer look at what was playing out in front of them. She could hear the words which Ren was saying and knew that he was thinking of his father as well as how to help Director Ogata.

"Director, sit up," Ren directed in a calm but direct manner, "Lift your head up, take a deep breath," he encouraged wanting to offer his support. Would his dad do the same thing for him if he were here? Or would he just say that he was disappointed in his acting as much as he was disappointed in Kuon as an individual.

Finally Ren felt Ogata start to breathe normally and sat with him wanting to lend his strength to the other man. He leaned forwards and whispered to the man. In his mind, Ren was thinking of how often he had been compared to his own father. Kuon and Kuu. Both wanting to be actors. His father had even dyed his hair blond to 'fit in' with the family. Now he was someone Ren wasn't in connection to anymore and he didn't see any way of escaping that situation but Director Ogata wasn't him and he wasn't his father. Everyone had their own light to shine in this world.

"The director?" one of the staff asked, "Is he all right, should we call an ambulance?"

Ren took another look to the director and saw that he now had some hope in his eyes and he was able to breathe and act normally. Hopefully those had been the words Ogata had wanted to hear because those were words that Ren needed to hear all too often for himself.

"No," Ren said as he turned to the staff member. "It looks like he's back to normal now."

"R-really?" he asked, "What a relief."

Ren looked back at Ogata with a weak smile. He knew that Ogata most likely didn't suspect any similarities in their situations but if he was able to help him that's all that Ren was looking to do. Nobody should feel trapped by their past or the shadows of their father.

End of Act 102

Thank you for reading

Thank you to the reviewers of Act 101

C.018