Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat. This amazing anime was created by Yoshiki Nakamura. I am only borrowing the awesome characters for now. However, some of the side characters in this chapter were created by me.

Editor / Beta Reader: Waffle (Thank you)

Rated Teen for mild violence, coarse language and / or sexually suggestive scenes.

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Catch Me If You Can

By: Swanna

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Chapter 3: Secret Affair

It was early before noon when Ren and Yukihito arrived at LME Company after his one hour interview with a journalist from Chic Times; a famous magazine that only covered fashion and entertainment from music artists and actors. Ren was a frequent subject in this monthly publication. In this upcoming issue, he was being interviewed about his guest appearance in an action crime movie where he played an assassin.

While acting in films could be more challenging since it was much more nuanced and fast paced than dramas, Ren still preferred roles in television. For one, there was always an overabundance of exciting and diverse roles for him to choose from. Secondly television characters tended to be more memorable since audiences would invest more of their time in a twenty episodes series in comparison to a two or three hour movie. Perhaps in the future he would become more interested in switching from TV to film, but for now he was quite content with his current choice as an actor in a drama series.

Presently Ren was on his way to meet up with the director, Takeshi Naito, to discuss the details of his upcoming role as the lead in a new series. Although it would be the first time Ren collaborated with this director, he'd heard many praises of him. Takeshi was rather well known for paying precise attention to detail and valuing the contribution of crew members. Ren respected individuals whose work was honest; individuals who were diligent and took their careers seriously. He was already looking forward to working with the man.

"This meeting shouldn't last more than an hour," Yukihito began, looking at his agenda book in hand while strolling next to Ren. "That should give us roughly forty five minutes to grab a quick lunch before we head to our next destination for the talk show interview."

"It would be fine even if the meeting extends longer than an hour, I am still full from this morning's breakfast," Ren tried his luck on him.

It wasn't his intention to skip meals so he could maintain his athletic physique. But with his compact daily schedule, it could be conveniently easy for him to skip a meal or put off eating. At times Yukihito would make sure to supply Ren with those healthy grab-and-go foods, so he would still eat healthily and regularly in those swamped moments.

"You are not talking your way out of eating, Ren. You will be eating lunch even if you're not hungry."

As expected from his sterling manager. Ren turned and smiled when he said, "Of course. Not when I have someone as responsible as yourself to look after my well-being, Yashiro-san."

Instead of feeling flattered, Yukihito narrowed his eyes slightly. "I don't know why but sometimes I feel it should be a crime for you to say such sweet words with that handsome face of yours."

Their brief conversation was cut short when they came to the door of the conference room and Ren knocked on it. A man in his early to mid-thirties with dark, curly hair greeted them at the door.

"Ren! I'm so happy to see you. Please come in," Takeshi stated excitedly and opened the door wider for them to enter. "How was your job in Miami last week?"

"It was great, we finished all the filming on schedule."

As they entered the room, he saw a relatively young girl around his own age sitting at the long, sierra cherry wooden conference table. She stood up immediately at the sight of him and bowed in respect.

Ren returned the polite gesture and bowed back before turning his attention to the director. "Did we arrive too early? I apologize if we are interrupting your meeting."

"Oh, please don't worry about it," Takeshi waved his hand in the air dismissively. "Come this way, let me introduce you. This is Shizuko Ibuka and she will be taking the leading female role in Love of Fortune."

"Greetings, Tsuruga-san," she said with a faint, shy smile. "It's a great honor to be given the opportunity to work with you."

"The pleasure is all mine," an upward curve touched Ren's lips.

It seemed to have an adverse effect on her when a subtle pink tinge rushed to her cheeks as she dipped her head to lower her gaze. Her honey-colored hair fell forward. The behavior was quite innocent.

"Come and take a seat first," Takeshi motioned them towards the table as he walked towards the coffee station. "Shizuko was also out of town last week and she's missed the group meeting with the cast members. So I've asked her to join us for today's discussion as well. I hope you don't mind, Ren."

"Not at all. I apologize for keeping you from your busy schedule just to fill me in on the details that you've already gone through with everyone last week," Ren gave his sincere apology as he settled down across from Shizuko while Yukihito sat next to him.

"Don't mention it. You have no idea how elated I was when I was told that you accepted the role. Coffee?" Takeshi offered, holding up the coffee pot.

"Yes, please."

"Would you like a cup too, Yashiro-san?"

"Ah, no thank you. I have my bottle of water. And Naito-san, please just call me Yukihito," he stated while readjusting the glasses on the bridge of his nose.

Takeshi nodded and returned to the table with two cups of coffee, taking a seat next to Shizuko. Ren took his and sipped the hot liquid. He had to immediately force the contents down his stomach and try his hardest to suppress a grimace from showing. The burnt taste was quite foul. Yukihito probably took notice when he passed him the bottled water with discretion, understanding that he was trying to prevent from making a scene of it. Ren took a big gulp from the plastic bottle in an attempt wash down the bad aftertaste left in his mouth.

"This isn't very good, huh? I really make the worst coffee," Takeshi's face was distorted after he took a sip from his cup, laughing. "My assistant is away on maternity leave so I have to make my own coffee now."

"It wasn't so bad," Ren lied through his teeth, not wanting to hurt the man's feelings.

"I think I should just stop trying and buy from the vending machine instead," he said with a meek grin. "Anyway, I know you both have your next jobs to go to so why don't we get started now?"

Takeshi handed out the stapled booklets to them and began explaining, "Once again, our drama series will be called Love of Fortune, which will be set in modern times. The synopsis of the story is generally about this wealthy, upper-class family with one of the top real-estate companies in Asia. The lives of the Akiyama family are steady and somewhat harmonious, with occasional bickering between the three younger siblings. Conflicts start arising when the head of the family reunites with his illegitimate son and also marries a young dancer who is thirty years younger than himself."

Both Ren and Shizuko occasionally nodded to show that they were listening attentively as the director continued, "The illegitimate son was set on gaining his father's trust so he could carry out his vengeance for his mother's suicidal death. His plan was to tear the family apart and take away everything that belonged to the Akiyama."

Takeshi looked up at Ren as he spoke. "Ren, your role will be the eldest son of this family. Despite your upscale upbringing, your character is sincere, reputable and unspoiled at first. After your family falls apart and the death of your father, your character gradually changes. You will become more manipulative and cruel as you take revenge on your half-brother and try to take back all of the Akiyama family's assets and properties."

The son of a rich man with an untainted character who eventually becomes corrupted with hatred and anger after the family's downfall. The emotional world of his character as the story developed sounded appealing. It would be quite demanding for him to show such an adverse transition through his acting. Ren found himself rather thrilled with the challenge presented through his new role.

"As for you, Shizuko," he turned his concentration to the young actress beside him. "You will be playing the role of the young dancer. She is a beautiful, scheming gold digger and will stop at nothing to seduce and marry her way into a wealthy family. It will be quite a challenging role to capture correctly since she needs to be seductive and cunning, think you're up for it?"

She nodded eagerly and answered, "Yes! I will absolutely do my best! I promise that I won't disappoint you and Tsuruga-san."

Her genuine sincerity brought a smile to Ren's face. It was always rewarding to work hard with a group of people towards a shared goal. It boosted everyone's strengths and brought out the best in each artist; the overall production always exceeded preliminary expectations.

Takeshi patted her back in an approving manner. "That is exactly what I wanted to hear from you."

For the next little while, they continued to discuss the plot and how Takeshi expected them to portray their characters. He had also provided them with the upcoming schedule, including all promotional events and filming timelines. Ren was fully aware that his agenda for the next few months would be very compressed with almost no personal time to himself. But he was zealous of this new job and could hardly wait to start his performance on this complex role.

X X X

"I am so excited about this role," Shizuko commented with delight as the three of them stepped out of the elevator and heading towards the main lobby. "I wish we could start filming already instead of waiting for another week."

"I have to agree that this drama series was very well written with many potential characters," Ren pointed out.

"But Ibuka-san is such a friendly person, I can't wait to see you act as a crafty seductress," Yukihito added with genuineness.

Suddenly her face fell as she thought about his words and Ren caught her disappointed look. "What is the matter, Ibuka-san?"

There was a brief pause before she confessed with reluctance. "Earlier when I told Naito-san that I will not disappoint him, I was only putting up a front. I actually don't have any confidence in myself to execute the role to Naito-san's standards."

Something in her voice set off the protective instinct of him as a mentor. Ren understood her feelings very well since he'd once been in her position. He'd also been unsure of himself when he'd undergone the grinding progression of making his debut in the entertainment world several years ago. The thoughts of him not being good enough to succeed had resided despite how much others had tried to persuade him otherwise with reassurance. He was all too familiar with this overwhelming sense of insecurity even before he had become Ren Tsuruga. It had been during the time when he'd had a different identity in his other life; which he was not ready to return to anytime soon with all his heavy baggage.

"No actor or actress in the entertainment industry knows everything. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. Don't weigh your security with what you know or can do; weigh it with your willingness and ability to learn," Ren reassured her as much as he could with a warm attitude.

Emotion seemed to have choked her for a moment but she remained quiet when Ren continued, "You may have hid your true feelings in front of Naito-san earlier but I believe you truly meant your words when you said you would try your best. Or am I wrong?"

She quickly shook her head with evident eagerness. "No, I really meant it when I said that!"

Ren's lips curved at her answer. "Then that's all it should matter. I know you will pull off an outstanding performance with your acting and I am looking forward working with you as my co-star, Ibuka-san."

The young actress flushed and looked down at her feet, averting her gaze from him. "Tsuruga-san…thank you for your motivation. You are so kind…"

"Shizuko," a woman standing by the entrance called out as soon as she saw them approaching, and lifted her arm in the air. "The car is ready."

"That's my manager," she spoke softly with coyness. "I have to go now…Thank you for everything once again. I will see you next week, Tsuruga-san."

With one last fleeting glance his way, she bowed at both of them and quickly turned to leave.

"Looks like another leading female co-star has fallen victim to your charms," said Yukihito while they watched her retreating back. "You should be locked up for the crime that you're committing."

Ren threw his manager a puzzled look, confused. "I meant every word that I said."

"It was not so much your words as it was the way you said it; soft and sweet, with a feeling of warmth and mystery. Even men would have fallen for you."

"Are you dropping hints to me, Yashiro-san?" came Ren's witty comeback as he smirked.

Yukihito became bright-eyed. "Are you saying you would consider it?"

Ren's smirk disappeared in a flash. "Now you're just making me uncomfortable with this conversation."

"Hey, watch where you're going!" A male voice shouted angrily followed by the sounds of clattering, causing them to turn their attention to the source of commotion up ahead.

A man was seen striding towards the exit, leaving a girl kneeling down to pick up her belongings that had fallen out of her bag from the impact. Ren quickly walked up to assist her. Unaware of his presence since she had her back facing him, he could hear her incoherent mumbles – something about her luck. He was about to offer help when a glimmer of gold by his feet caught his eye. He would recognize the card anywhere. It was custom made for VIPs only, and visitors could see the President, Lory Takarada anytime they wanted as long as they presented the card to the front desk receptionist.

Curious, he crouched low to pick up the card and the girl suddenly turned around to gather her items at the same time. Ren's eyes widened in surprise the instant he saw her. The time he'd met her two months ago in Guam had been brief, but he remembered her face well. A flashing image of her emerging from the surf, droplets of water beading her breathtaking body passed through his mind. At first, he'd really thought his brain had been playing tricks on him since she'd disappeared before his eyes that night.

But now she was right in front of him, within arm's reach. Even more beautiful than he remembered. She had cut her hair short and changed the color to shade of chestnut. Now that he thought about it, Ren had always preferred women with long hair, but her new haircut set off the high cheekbones on her face and highlighted her large eyes. She abruptly looked up, and her amber eyes were so strikingly vibrant that his breath caught.

"That's mine, thanks," she declared without another glance and snatched the card from his hand, already back on her feet as she stormed towards the receptionist.

The unexpected, violent slam of her palm on the desk almost caused Ren to jump out of his skin. "Tell this Lory Takarada guy to come out and see me immediately!"

The receptionist was far from impressed by her insolent attitude and glared. "Your name?"

"Kyoko."

The woman made an irritated sound. "Your full name."

There was a moment of hesitation. Then she said, "Kyoko…Kyoko Mogami. Just tell him to come out right now! He stole something very valuable and irreplaceable from me! So you go and tell him that he better not try to avoid me because I will go to the police and report him if I must!"

Why would a young girl like her have a VIP card from Lory? Ren pondered to himself with a frown as he stood and watched. His curiosity got the better of him.

"What could Lory have possibly stolen that can be so valuable and irreplaceable to a young girl?" Yukihito's sudden appearance behind Ren made him jump this time. "Hmm, how scandalous."

Ren couldn't believe his own ears when his manager made such an indecent comment. "I hope you're not suggesting what I think you are suggesting, Yashiro-san."

Yukihito crossed one arm while the other hand was used to rub the bottom of his chin, attempting to analyze the situation. "Think about it, how often have you seen a special guest with the gold card turning out to be a young girl her age? It's even rarer for a young girl to demand for Lory's presence with such impatience and anger, claiming he stole something from her that is irreplaceable. There aren't that many explanations which would fit this scenario."

Ren's frown grew and he wanted to kick himself for agreeing with his manager. Indeed there weren't that many explanations befitting her erratic behavior. Besides, it wasn't uncommon for younger girls to be in a relationship with older men; Ren knew some actresses who had done it for money and fame. But judging from her ordinary clothing and tote bag, she wasn't the type of girl who was heavily influenced by brand names and expensive apparel. So money couldn't be what she was after if they were really having an affair…

Ren gave himself a quick, mental shake to clear his head and shoved away the dwelling negative thoughts. Just when he told himself to quit jumping to conclusions without evidence, Lory made his appearance in the lobby in his theatrical costume.

"Kyoko! I've been waiting for you the entire morning," he said with a huge grin plastered on his face, opening his arms for a hug.

"YOU!" The girl rushed up to him in a haste. Since they were further away, their interactions became inaudible for Ren, but he still tried to make out what they were saying from their body language and facial expressions.

"How could you take advantage of me without taking responsibility for what you've done?" A high-pitched, male voice spoke from behind Ren.

He witnessed the girl pointing her forefinger at Lory and she appeared to be having a heated argument with him until he pulled out something from the inside of his jacket's pocket.

"I'm sorry, I know I was wrong, I will make it up to you. I've got a surprise for you." This time the voice was the deeper tone of a man.

Even from the distance, Ren could tell the accessory was a pocket watch. The girl's annoyed look softened notably as she reached for it.

"It's beautiful, is it really for me?" Again with the fake female voice.

Right then, Lory took out another matching pocket watch, and that was when she lifted her head at him.

"Look, I even got myself a matching watch. It shows our deep connection with each other."

Her expression slowly transitioned from pure shock to a wide grin before she broke down into tears, and then they hugged. The unanticipated turn of events made Ren's limbs weak, especially the way she was looking into Lory's eyes right now. Her gaze was full of love and tenderness, and Lory's reflected the same for her.

"Oh Lory, I'm so happy that I can't help but to cry tears of joy right now. Thank you."

Ren had had enough of this when he snapped, "Can you please just stop your running commentary on the event right behind me, Yashiro-san."

"Since we can't hear them from here, I have to read their lips."

Ren narrowed his eyes while he kept his fixed stare on his employer. "Since when did you learn to read lips?"

He saw Lory lift his hands to wipe away her tears before cupping her cheeks in an intimate manner. The man said something to her and she nodded before they both headed to the elevator.

"It's a skill that I've always had," his manager sounded prideful. "Just like your photographic memory."

"Really?" All of a sudden, Ren found that his mood was plummeting at an alarming speed. He was in no mood for jokes anymore. "Try to read this then."

He mouthed a string of colorful curse words before turning on his heels to walk away, leaving his very startled manager behind.

X X X

AUTHOR NOTE:

Yashiro is honestly one of my favorite characters in Skip Beat. Without him, the manga wouldn't have been half as funny. Finally Ren and Kyoko meet again, but I doubt it was everything that you all have been expecting (lol).

For everyone who has reviewed / favorited / followed the story so far – thank you! It was always so motivating to know there are so many readers who like my story. I want to also thank those who has given this fic a chance and read it too.

Special thanks to allsecretsaresweet, crazykitkatty1, soph, PunK-ChIc, pancakeareabsolutelydelicious, Karrat, puffinzero, Waltzing Muse, Tabbykatroses, KayGe08 and Guests (my sincere apology to those who I may have missed) for taking your time to leave me such supportive reviews!

Hope everyone will enjoy the rest of your weekend! I will see you again soon.