Chapter 2

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I followed the guy in the pink shirt who was apparently a colleague. The interior decoration was modern with touches of red and white. Too busy examining the place, I didn't notice my colleague sneaking up on me.

"Hey! Colleague!''

He ignored me and accelerated his pace, then entered the closing elevator in time. I was lost in the middle of this agency and didn't know where to go. I followed my most logical idea and went to the reception, where a young girl with two pigtails was sitting.

"Hello..."

"Hi Talay!"

Unlike the others, she had a badge.

"Madee" I read. "Do you know where Puen is?"

"On the second floor. You have a livestream in an hour. I'll watch it on the sly," she added, lowering her voice.

She squinted and shook her head.

"Talay, you still don't know your star's schedule ?" she said reproachfully.

I let out a nervous laugh.

"Thanks for letting me know. And...what's the name of the guy who was dressed in pink?"

" What ?"

"The guy who looks grumpy..."

"Oh, Niran?"

"Niran, got it."

"But..."

She frowned and looked confused. She was probably wondering why I was asking her that question.

"Have a nice day, Madee."

I made my way to the elevator and up to the second floor. When I tried to get out, I almost hit someone walking by. I was about to ask him for directions, but I read the sign above the door at the end of the hallway : the streaming room. I walked in and saw several cameras facing a white background. People were checking the lights. The room was full of agitation.

"Talay?"

My heart missed a beat. I turned around slowly, mentally preparing myself.

Puen was reading a paper, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. He hadn't noticed my state of shock.

"You didn't tell me I had a live one today. Luckily Niran emailed me. You really suck at this job." He laughed.

I took my time to observe him since I finally had him in front of me. He had just done his makeup. I was struck by his beauty. I had missed his smile. That curve of his lips that made him look cunning and arrogant. I missed him.

When his bronze eyes finally met mine, my breath caught.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

A shiver went down my spine. For a moment I had this strange feeling that he could see my soul. That he could recognize me.

"No..." I whispered.

I coughed to cover my embarrassment.

"I mean yes... And you?"

"Yeah..."

He raised an eyebrow and his smile appeared.

"Didn't you get enough sleep before coming?"

"Why?"

" You look weird."

He turned around and walked away. Before I could think about my move, my hand grabbed the sleeve of his leather jacket. The fear I had felt in the other universe washed over me, along with the despair of enduring his absence for weeks that seemed like an eternity.

"Puen..."

He faced me.

"Hmm?"

"I have to tell you..."

A voice came out of nowhere and interrupted me :

"Puen ! "

It was the girl from earlier. She walked towards us, her eyes fixed on Puen.

"You are handsome as usual."

"You're only telling me so I can return the compliment. I know you, Julia."

She kissed him on the cheek.

" Ready to show off our legendary chemistry?"

He winked at her.

They walked away and sat on the couch. I grabbed my phone and did some research on them. I found more rumors about their relationship than information about their movie. Everybody was wondering if their on-screen love had come true.

I watched them laugh, Julia touching Puen's arm. I could already feel their connection as the cameras were turned off. I suddenly felt like leaving the place, but as a manager, that would be frowned upon. I already had a bad reputation. So I endured and watched them start the live show, playing silly games, reading comments. One fan, a certain Julen2000, asked if Puen could carry Julia and do squats at the same time. I thought it couldn't get any worse, until Julia read another request :

"Can you kiss each other?"

Puen raised his eyebrows, looking surprised.

"You'll have to wait until the movie comes out..."

Julia leaned in, framing his face with her hands and silencing him with a kiss. I clenched my fists and took a step in their direction, as if I could separate them.

They parted and Puen smiled.

"She's kidding. It was just a kiss on the cheek, that's all."

But from the angle I was standing, I had seen their lips touch.

Julia was about to say something but he didn't let her.

"Next question" He said.

His eyes went to me and lingered. I tried to keep a neutral expression until he turned his attention back to Julia. I couldn't take this crap anymore. I needed a break. I walked out of the room, trying to keep my heart in one piece.

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