PLAYING A VILLAIN.
It had been a few weeks since the first few episodes of Dark Moon had aired. After the shoot was done for the day, Ogata switched on his iPad and checked the ratings for the hundredth time. Just as he expected, a bunch of new positive reviews had piled in. He couldn't help but smile proudly at his accomplishments because it had only been a few weeks and Dark Moon was already a huge success. The ratings were skyrocketing.
As he sat there on the empty set feeling quite content with himself, he heard a voice from the doorway.
"You're checking the ratings again? Can I see?" It was Kyoko.
"Of course," Ogata passed his iPad to her, and a toothy grin broke out on her face when she glanced at its screen.
"Yes!" Kyoko punched the air victoriously. "The day we beat the record of Tsukigomori isn't too far."
"I hope so," the Director agreed. As Kyoko handed him back his iPad, he wondered aloud, "why are you still here? I thought you had to attend a meeting with the crew of that new drama you're starring in?"
"Oh yeah," Kyoko glanced at her wrist watch and got up hastily. "I should get going."
When she turned to leave, Ogata called after her one last time. "Kyoko!"
"Yeah?" She looked back.
"I didn't get a chance to congratulate you before, you know, for booking that role in that new drama. Do your best out there!" He raised his thumb up.
Kyoko smiled. "Thanks, I will!" She swore as she strode off to her dressing room. There, she changed out of her Mio costume, leaving only the make-up on, as she wiped off the fake scar on the side of her face. Then, she ripped off the wig of short, dark hair from her skull to reveal a fresh pixie-cut of ginger hair which she had dyed back last night. "Okay, back to normal!" Running a brush through her smooth hair, she flashed a smile to her reflection. "I'm ready!"
Dragging in a deep swig from the cigarette clasped between the corner of his lips, Ren picked up the gun from the table, skillfully loaded the bullets into the cylinder, pulled the barrel and pointed the muzzle at the cowering man in front of him flinching in fear.
Ren's face was a mask of anger. The temperature in the room dropped drastically as his frosty eyes glared at that man, who was tightly hugging his knees, trying to shrink back into nothing as he curled into the foetal position. Beads of sweat dripped down from his forehead.
Ren, having wrapped his fingers around the cool metal of the gun, tightened his hand on the grip and squeeze the trigger without hesitation.
The fake round plopped off from the forehead of the other man, who heaved a sigh of relief as it was finally over before he raised himself up again.
Both of them were awarded by a loud applaud from the other two men who were hunched back on the sofa, watching the whole thing. Those two happened to be the Director and the Casting Director of the upcoming movie Tragic Marker.
Ritsu Konoe, the Director, a hefty man in his late thirtes, wearing round glasses and a worksuit, gave a standing ovation to Ren's performance. "Perfect!" He said while clapping. "Tsuruga, you're just what I needed for the role of BJ."
"Truly magnificent!" The Casting Director agreed as he nodded in approval, clapping as well.
"When I saw that glimpse of hidden darkness in Katsuki from Dark Moon, I knew you'd be perfect for this job." Konoe remarked.
"Indeed," his assistant, who had been on the other side of the weapon, supplied. "I knew it was only a fake gun but you looked so terrifying when you pointed it at me that I almost peed myself."
"It was the perfect look for a cold-blooded killer. You nailed the part!" The Director exclaimed exasperatedly.
After carefully removing the cigarette which was still pressed between his lips, Ren put it in the glass ashtray on the table and smiled politely. "Thank you."
Konoe motioned him to take a seat. "Tsuruga, we want this movie to shake the whole japan."
Ren seated himself opposite the Director on the other side of the table, besides his manager Yashiro, who had been oddly silent during this whole audition.
"In order to stir up some interest and excitement, we had a particular idea. In addition to the role of BJ, there is one more role you'd have to play. And this one will have to be more convincing than the first one. But I'm sure you can pull it off. After that performance, I know you can pull off anything!" The Director exclaimed, his tone thrilled.
"That sounds interesting," Ren replied. "I would love to assist."
Yashiro cocked his head at his client, a frown appearing on his forehead.
"Even though your name won't be appearing in the credits?" Konoe warned, sounding somewhat hopeful.
Yashiro discreetly bumped his knee to Ren's before giving him a silent shake of his head to make his disagreement clear.
Ren ignored his manager's attempts to stall him, and instead turned back to the Director, "it sounds like a challenge. I'm gonna make sure to be so much into the character that no one will even suspect it's me."
"Brilliant!" The Director rubbed his beefy palms together. "The plan is to start filming at the end of this year or at the beginning of the next one." He offered up his hand.
Ren shook it. "I'll be looking forward to working with you."
After the deal had been signed, Ren sat back into his car followed by a rather sulky Yashiro, before he started driving to his next location.
"Come on Yashiro," Ren passed him a sideway smile. "How long are you gonna stay mad?"
"I specifically told you not to sign it!" Yashiro grumbled. "I get that you want to widen your horizons. Infact, I think it's a good thing for you to try something new and play a villain, but this..."
"It seemed like fun," Ren offered though a grin.
"Fun? After Dark Moon, I thought you will only accept even greater roles, not this kind of... pitfalls!"
"Yashiro," Ren tried to reason with him. "This project will be widely discussed before and after the release. Depending on my acting skills, it will become even more popular."
"That's true, but... your name will not be mentioned in the credits!"
"Yes, but it's not like they'll never find out it's me. The Director himself said that he would make an official announcement about my identity a few months after the release."
"Yeah, but..." Yashiro's tone softened a bit as he struggled to find another excuse.
"Besides, this way would be easier for me," said Ren.
"Easier how?"
"Katsuki let out his darkside only on a few occasions, but I was still having a hard time getting into his character," Ren explained, "compared to that, BJ is a full-time villain who is constantly wrapped around his darkness. If there would be a big commotion beforehand, the pressure just might be too much to handle, even for me."
"Well," the manager sighed in defeat. "If you've thought this through, then I guess I shouldn't complain. Anyway, there is one more thing I had been itching to ask you." A grin broke out on Yashiro's face as he asked, "you used to smoke, right?"
It took every ounce of Ren's willpower to keep his face poker as the shameful memories from his past attacked his mind and ruined his good mood. After a long moment of silence, he answered carefully "I don't smoke."
"Sure you don't now. But you used to, at some point before, right? "The manager wiggled his eyebrows, his wicked smile glinted evilly almost as if it was dead-set on exposing his secrets. "The first time anyone smokes, they end up in a fit of coughing, but you did it so casually. That's why I know. I'm right, ain't I?"
"I'll leave it to your imagination," Ren dodged the question.
"Come to think of it, it didn't seem like your first time handling a gun either?" Yashiro's smile disappeared and his brows creased into a serious frown, as he threw a questioning look to his client.
Ren cleared his throat to stall for time, and used the first excuse that popped into his mind. "That's right. Actually, my father used to love hunting and he took me with him on more than a few occasions. That's why," he lied smoothly.
On her way back from her meeting, Kyoko felt so terrible that she was on the verge of crying. Despite the director and the rest of the crew being really nice and also quite persuasive, she was still not sure whether she should accept the role of Natsu Kitazawa in the upcoming drama Box R. It was because of one tiny detail and that was, Natsu was a villain. And not just any villain, but the main antagonist of the show.
Kyoko tried not to let this bother her too much because she did not have the luxury to refuse roles, but she still asked them for some more time to think it over before she accepted the job.
As she sauntered across the road with a sullen look on her face, a loud beep from her cellphone interrupted her thoughts.
Fishing it out of her handbag, she answer the call "Hello?"
"Ms Mogami!" The excited voice on the other end was unmistakably Swara's. "I've got some really great news for you," he chirped.
"What?" Kyoko didn't make any effort to hide her dejected tone.
"You sound rather... unhappy. Did something happen?" Swara inquired. "I can call back later if you want."
"No," she replied instantly. If there was a time she desperately needed to hear some good news, it was now. Trying to sound as cheerful as she could manage, she asked him again, "what is it?"
"A bunch more offers came in for you," Swara almost squealed with excitement. "And almost three of them are for dramas."
"You're kidding!" The news made Kyoko's worries disappear in an instant. She almost danced with happiness. The fact that directors from all over Tokyo were personally requesting her to star in their projects just because they liked her Mio, it puffed out her chest with pride and filled her heart with joy.
"Not at all," Swara's lips tugged up into a satisfied smile after he heard her response, "just drop by the office tomorrow morning, I'll hand you the files."
When Kyoko hung up, her mood had taken a hundred and eighty degree turn. She was absolutely thrilled to see the new job offers, wondering what sort of characters she would get to play.
I wish I could play a kind hearted fairy in one of those roles! She blushed at her own imagination. I would have golden hair and green eyes and sparkling wings just like Corn...
The thought of Corn faltered her smile and that sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach rose up again. Paranoia crept up inside her. She still had no way of finding out if Corn was okay or not.
Corn is just fine. He has grown up to become a proper adult. His wings have grown and he can fly properly now.
Ren's soothing words rang into her mind and a wave of odd calm washed over her. Even though he had no way of knowing the truth, just hearing him say those words out loud almost made them believable.
Kyoko relived the memory of the time in Karuizawa, with he had hugged her and her face turned into the brightest shade of crimson. There was something about Ren, something in hisaura and his presence, it was so comforting that she almost believed his words to be true and her heart was flooded with relief. She didn't know what it was about him that made her so reassured, maybe it was because of his fragrance...
The thought of Ren's fragrance reminded her of that nice musky aroma that emanated from him when he had held her close to his chest. When that pleasant perfume entered her nose she felt so warm and safe that all she wanted to do was hug him back, and so she did. She actually wrapped her arms around his body and hugged him back, breathing in the addictive scent of him as she burried her face into his chest and inhaled. Its memory alone made her head go dizzy, making her secretly crave for more, to hold him like that one more time, and...
Kyoko screeched her unholy thoughts to a halt when she finally realized what the hell she was thinking.
It meant nothing, it's just your hormones acting up again! It's nothing stupid like love or anything. She had to remind herself that again and again to not let her mind wander back to those impure thoughts. If any girl would be suddenly hugged by the Ren Tsuruga, she would also feel the same way. It was totally normal for her to be acting up a bit.
Besides, there was no point in thinking about it, because it was just a harmless hug. Nothing more. Ren was only trying to comfort her since she lost herself in front of him like that. It meant nothing. Nothing at all.
But still, she told herself to be more careful from now on and not let anything like that happen again. Because her fragile heart was still healing and it was in no condition to mess with anything as dangerous as love.
The next morning in the cafeteria of LME, Kyoko put back the files on the table with an irritated look on her face.
"Well?" Swara, who was sitting opposite her asked with a wide smile. Either he didn't see her annoyed expression or he chose not to notice it.
"They are all," Kyoko's head drooped low as she spoke, "mean roles."
"Yeah! And they all personally requested you to play the part. What they're basically looking for is-"
"Mio. I know!" She snapped.
"Isn't it great?" Swara flashed a smile again. "This is proof of how much people value your work in Dark Moon. For a newbie to get this many job offers, its amazing!" When Kyoko didn't share his enthusiasm, Swara said, "once again, you react in the exact opposite of how you're supposed to."
"It's not like I am ungrateful or anything. I truly am! It's just..." her voice trailed off.
"Then why the long face?" Glancing at his watch, Swara patted her shoulder as he got up to leave. "You should be enjoying your success. You can keep those files. Examine each of them carefully to decide which role is best suited to you."
"Thanks," Kyoko got up as well. With a sigh, she scooped up the small bundle of files in her arms as she turned to leave. On her way out, only one thought reverberated in her mind. To do a role that was not like Mio, was a too much to ask?
"I'll be there to receive him... Yeah... Of course, no problem... In fact, it's a pleasure... Sure." Takarada put down the receiver and the call disconnected with a click.
The President sighed as he slumped back into his chair. Not that he wasn't happy about his old friend coming back after such a long time, but leaving the comfort of his luxurious office just to get things prepared in order to receive him seemed like too much work.
He sighed again. If only he had a choice in the matter... Wait, he did have a choice. He was the freaking president of this agency, he could always find someone else to dump his work on.
With a satisfied smirk, Takarada picked up the phone again and called Swara.
By the time Kyoko reached the Love Me room, she was in an awful dilemma. The more she thought about it, the harder it became to decide.
She did not learn acting to be only the bad guy. She wanted to expand her horizons, to play out different diverse characters so she could learn more. But on the other hand if she did refuse her current offers, there was no guarantee she would ever receive opportunities like that again.
The gloomy aura radiating off her increased as she slumped down on a stool and hung her head low. After thinking it over for so many times, she was still at a loss as to what she was supposed to.
Suddenly a small hand clapped her on the back. When Kyoko cocked her head to frown at this person for interrupting her thoughts, a big smile cracked her lips.
"Moko!" The next morning, Kyoko was crushing her best friend in a bear hug. "Its been so long! I'm so happy to see you!"
After they settled down, the two friends chatted about their recent lives and work for a long time. That was how Kyoko ended up sharing her dilemma with her.
"So you can't decide if you should accept the roles or not?" Moko summed up the gist of Kyoko's ranting, after she was done listening in.
"That's right!" Kyoko groaned. "What do I do?"
"Let's see," Moko stroked her chin thoughtfully as she pondered. "If I were in your position, I'd refused them."
"You would?"
"Yeah. From what you said, they are all exactly like Mio. So what's the point if you don't learn anything?"
"I know! That's exactly my point!"
"What I mean is, the decision is yours." Moko went on. "You shouldn't listen to what I or anyone else says. If you think that accepting those roles will hurt your image then you shouldn't force yourself with them."
Kyoko's eyes almost flooded with tears before she pounced on her best friend to reward her another bone-crushing hug. "Thank you so much Moko! I'm so glad I have you"
Moko patted her back sympathetically. "You just starred in Dark Moon, a drama which is at the top of the ratings chart. I'm sure you'll soon get the role you're looking for. Besides, I don't think you can afford to take roles that get you nowhere, especially now considering how you're losing to him."
"Losing?" Kyoko leaned back and blinked cluelessly. " What?"
"Um..." Moko hesitated, her eyes darted around the room nervously as she bit back her tongue. She had assumed that Kyoko must have heard about him, but it seemed like she didn't know yet. So Moko did her best to change the subject and not spoil her best friend's mood by bringing him up. "I said ice cream."
"What?" Kyoko blinked again.
"You wanna get some ice cream?"
"But it's winter," Kyoko pointed out. She frowned at Moko's unusual behaviour, before sighing in defeat, "I guess we could get some."
As the two girls made their way down the corridor, they were interrupted by someone calling out to them, his tone was exasperated.
"There you are! The members of my favourite division. The Love Me girls!"
As much as being referred to as the Love Me girl again stung Kyoko, she still plastered on a polite smile before turning to face the owner of that voice, President Lori Takarada.
But the moment she laid eyes on him, her smile faltered, her eyes bulged out from her sockets in shock and her lips parted in awe. She glanced at Moko and found her mirroring her reaction.
Takarada never failed to surprise anyone. This time, the President was wearing a red doublet with matching leather breeches, a black tricorn hat and a black eyepatch with a little white skull on it. The pirate look suited him just as ridiculously as any of his other outfits.
"I'm so glad that I bumped into you here," the President grinned. "I've got a job request for one of you."
