Chapter 217: The bet is settled.

The day she saw his acting, Phoebe converted.

She became a follower of Yu Myeong.

What... What the hell... was that °• N ?? v ?? l i g h t •° supposed to be...?

Everything she thought she knew about acting had been overturned. It was such insane acting that even while watching it with her own eyes, she could scarcely believe what she was seeing.

It was not an explosion of violent emotion. There was no shouting or rage, no clutching at his chest as he wailed in anguish.

Just a single tear.

And yet that tear had been the first step of a man whose entire world had been turned upside down.

Acting that could make everyone understand something like that...?

Suddenly, everything she had been doing felt pointless.

What was she supposed to accomplish by digging up gossip about an actor like him? No matter how much gossip and how many rumors people smeared over him, would it change the value of that performance? Did any of them even understand that actor, that extraordinary performance, before trying to drag it through the mud?

Shouldn't everyone who had been fortunate enough to be born in the same era and witness such acting step forward to protect him?

The conclusion Phoebe reached that day was nearly indistinguishable from pure fan devotion, though she herself remained entirely unaware of it.

From that day onward, Phoebe went on the warpath.

While continuing her investigative reporting, she began taking aim at the outlets that had published rumors about Yu Myeong, as well as the colleagues who had supplied them with their sources.

<Hollywood Week's Political Connections: From Producing Garbage to Burying It>

There was nothing more frightening than an insider who had turned against the industry.

Phoebe used both direct attacks, dismantling the articles that had targeted Yu Myeong, and less orthodox methods, exposing unrelated scandals involving the reporters and media companies responsible. As a famous paparazzo who had once made her living in that world, she had an inexhaustible supply of material.

Pit bull terrier.

When people heard the name, they thought only of an aggressive dog that never released its bite. In truth, however, the breed was deeply affectionate toward its family, fiercely protective, and loyal.

Now that Phoebe had chosen the person who deserved her loyalty, she did not hesitate for an instant to tear apart anyone who attacked him.

"Hey, have you lost your mind?"

"Are you planning to get blacklisted and starve? If you keep savaging people like this, are you trying to take the whole industry down with you?"

Phoebe did not budge even when people she had once known contacted her.

Her social media account was thriving, and her followers increased by the day. President Moon had also given Phoebe, now firmly on Yu Myeong's side, an enticing piece of advice.

"Miss Taylor, the world is going to change. An era is coming when an individual's social media account can function as its own media outlet. You won't need to belong to an established newspaper or magazine to be a journalist, and you'll be able to make more than enough money that way. Provided that 'Phoebe Taylor' becomes a brand in the public mind, known for her sharp tongue and uncompromising honesty."

Had Yu Myeong heard him, he would have been startled by the foresight his partner possessed.

Phoebe did not place complete faith in Yu Seok's prediction, of course, but she held the shrewd president's judgment and vision in very high regard.

Even without that possible escape route, however, she would not have stopped biting.

Tap, tap.

www.namedgod.com

Because she had now become a believer in God Named.

?Yu Seok met Lund Ballonto through an introduction from Nicholas.

The large man with the powerful jaw gave Yu Seok a warm, pleasant smile.

True to the rumors that he took immense pride in his Spanish heritage, he greeted Yu Seok in Spanish.

"Hola, amigo!"

"How do you do, Mr. Ballonto? I'm Moon Yu Seok, president of Agency W."

"Please, call me Lund. Ha ha. I've heard all about the reputation President Moon has been building in Hollywood lately."

His eyes sparkled with an innocence that seemed strangely at odds with his size.

The look reminded Yu Seok of the former agency president of Cha Harin, whom he had brought over to Good Enter. The man had not been particularly capable, but he had been kindhearted.

"You must be going through a difficult time. Yu Myeong seems like an excellent actor to me, but public opinion has turned terribly hostile toward him."

There it was. He was just as tactless, too.

"It's fine. The rumors will die on their own as soon as the film is released. More importantly, have you considered my proposal?"

Yu Seok had already let it be known that he wished to acquire Ballonto.

With the company facing inevitable bankruptcy if left alone, an acquisition offer could only be welcome. What troubled Lund was probably not the money so much as the various responsibilities weighing on him.

"The thought of handing over the business my predecessors built with their own hands simply doesn't sit well with me... Ha ha."

Yu Seok nearly pointed out that if he did nothing, someone else would eventually hand it over for him anyway, but he swallowed the remark and chose a more tempting approach.

"Wouldn't you like to see Ballonto restored to its former glory?"

"...!"

"I give you my word. If I acquire the company, the Ballonto name will never change. It will remain Ballonto forever. If you wish, I will even have that condition written into the contract. You would no longer be able to participate in management, but I could offer you a position as an outside director. More importantly, I will make the glory of Ballonto resound throughout Hollywood once again."

Lund swallowed as he studied the blunt, straightforward man before him.

The blood of southern Spanish sailors ran through his veins, and he preferred bold men to slippery cowards who danced around every point. He could not deny that the phrase "the glory of Ballonto" made his chest tighten.

But Yu Seok had yet to prove his ability.

Lund acknowledged that he lacked talent for business. Even so, he had carried responsibility for this company and led it for more than ten years. He was no green boy who could be hooked by a few impressive words.

"I can't simply take your word for it and believe everything will happen exactly as you say. Agency W has yet to produce any notable results, and even its leading actor is embroiled in one controversy after another..."

Yu Seok smiled inwardly.

He took the bait.

The primary reason Yu Seok had leaped into the frenzy surrounding Yu Myeong's gossip and fanned the flames was to enlarge the spectacle and draw more attention to the film.

But this had also been part of his calculations.

Lund Ballonto was a man obsessed with wagers.

And for a wager to work, the outcome had to appear precarious.

"Isn't the ability to distinguish profit from loss and see into the future what we call discernment? I happen to be rather confident in mine."

"Then you believe the film will overcome these rumors and succeed?"

"Ha ha... Overcome them?"

Yu Seok smiled dangerously.

"The rumors won't be an obstacle. They'll become fuel for its success. Care to make a wager?"

"...A wager? What would we bet?"

"If I win, you sell Ballonto to me at a fair price. Once my judgment has been proven, that will mean Ballonto's future is brighter in my hands. From your perspective, wouldn't that be the better outcome?"

"That may be true, but everyone's definition of success is different..."

Though Lund visibly reacted to the word wager, he continued to hesitate. Yu Seok calmly drew a fountain pen from his pocket and wrote down a number.

"Don't tell me this is..."

"Box office revenue. Let's agree that surpassing this figure counts as success."

"At this level, it wouldn't merely be a success. It would be a massive hit..."

"You were the one who said everyone's definition of success was different."

Lund carefully folded the ambitious man's "standard" and tucked it away before asking,

"And what happens if you lose, President Moon?"

"I'll hand over the system I possess to Ballonto free of charge. Ballonto's fundamental problem is its lack of a proper system, isn't it? Korean agencies have developed highly sophisticated methods for cultivating stars."

Lund thought of Yu Myeong, Do Hyojun, and Kai Nounen, then swallowed.

He, too, was an avid viewer of Casting Boat.

"Very well."

"Then we have a wager."

The two men shook hands.

?#Scene 76.

When they returned the abducted people to their homes from the spacecraft, they exposed them to a pure white beam.

A ray that erased memories.

But the beam had the opposite effect on As. Little by little, memories of Avikan and of his former self began to return.

It can't end like this.

As remembered the "purpose" for which they had dispatched him here.

And then As began to act.

?September had already arrived.

Three months had passed since filming began, and production was advancing at an encouraging pace.

Although it was a science fiction film, aside from a handful of explosions, it contained no crowd scenes or battles. Its narrative focused entirely on psychological portrayal.

One might assume that the absence of elaborate scenes naturally shortened production time, but a script demanding acting of this caliber could easily take even longer to film.

And yet...

Has there ever been a set with so few ruined takes?

The lead actor became As the instant the camera began rolling, as naturally as though his entire personality had changed.

His atmosphere infected not only the actors within the frame, but the crew beyond it as well.

Even when the cameras were off, the set was never particularly noisy. To preserve the actors' immersion, the crew kept their mouths shut and moved about in silence.

Thanks to that, production was progressing at record speed.

The quieter it is inside, the louder it gets outside.

The gossip world had split into two camps and was tearing itself apart, and major media outlets were beginning to take an interest. The internet was already in chaos with competing theories about the rumors, while Fable kept trying to manufacture rivalries along the lines of "George versus Kyler" and "Derek versus Owen."

Why were they pairing Derek with Owen rather than the actual lead, Yu Myeong?

It's their way of saying Yu Myeong isn't even worth considering.

Kyler had always lived with little interest in worldly affairs, focusing only on his work.

But watching his muse be belittled infuriated him.

At times like this... the only answer was to make the best film possible.

He would turn that magnificent performance into an even more magnificent image and force those loose tongues into silence.

Today marked the beginning of filming for the final act.

"Filming begins!"

Today's scene was the most suspenseful sequence in the film.

Terka and As would finally confront one another.

Derek and Yu Myeong had arrived on set before dawn. Even when they saw each other, they exchanged only brief nods and did not speak.

They were likely trying to raise the tension of the scenes they would film today to its absolute peak.

Terka entered the frame first.

Then As stepped in.

"I look forward to working with you."

"As do I."

They exchanged unusually formal greetings before turning toward the director at the same time.

Kyler felt his heart swell.

What kind of scene would these two create today?

"The camera will follow you somehow, so act as naturally as you please."

It was a far more difficult instruction than prescribing their movements and explaining their emotions.

"I believe the two of you understand these roles better than I do, even though I wrote the screenplay. So simply act as As and Terka would."

"Understood."

"All right."

"We'll begin with Scene 77."

Scene 77.

As expected, Terka had not given up.

While carrying out further acts of terrorism, he had continued monitoring the "candidates" they had sent back. Of them all, he suspected As the most, and so he abducted him a second time.

This time, he took Hetty as well.

"Hmm... You still seem the most likely."

A tremendous force surged toward him.

Rather than meeting it head-on, As let the energy flow past him, all while continuing to imitate a trembling human.

"It's natural, certainly, but imitation is practically second nature to an Avikan. Of course it looks natural. Whether you're genuine or not... we'll find out once I get rid of 'this.'"

By "this," he meant Hetty Ram.

For the first time, As's eyes genuinely wavered.

"This is the human who spends the most time with you. If your emotional reaction to its death isn't natural, that will prove you belong to our species. Avikans feel no compassion for lower life forms."

"...!"

"Don't think you can fool me with a hasty imitation. Imitation requires a model, doesn't it? No matter how many behavioral patterns you've stored during all those years on Earth, there's no possibility that you possess data on 'how a human reacts when the person closest to them dies because of them.'"

He was right.

No, even before that, Hetty would die regardless of the result.

No...

What could he do to keep Terka from killing her?

As desperately searched for an answer.

In front of him, Terka produced an object resembling a gun and aimed it at Hetty without expression.

Hetty appeared to have truly accepted her death. She quietly closed her eyes without so much as a scream.

As watched her.

Just before Terka pulled the trigger, he spoke.

Urgently?

No.

Quietly.

"So you finally figured it out, Terka."

This time, he began a desperate imitation of an Avikan.