Behind the Script

Chapter 33: Orm's Dinner Date

Orm was late for her dinner date—not the romantic kind of date, mind you. Let's set the record straight before anyone jumps to conclusions:

No, Orm wasn't meeting Popor to get over Ling Ling.
No, Orm and Popor were not secretly dating.
And no, Orm was definitely not two-timing Popor with her feelings for Ling Ling.

Because here's the thing: dating a BL or GL actor is practically a full-time exercise in emotional resilience. Can you imagine the horror of seeing your significant other "shipped" with someone else on a daily basis? Watching fan edits of your partner looking lovingly into another's eyes, complete with dramatic music or worse, sexy music? No, thank you.

Orm and the writer of this story have unanimously agreed: Popor will not be Orm's secret girlfriend. At least not in this story.

Why Popor, then? Why not someone else from her glittery list of friends?

Because, the writer of this story wanted to trigger some of the readers. Is it working? Who knows. Anyways back to the story.

Orm needed this dinner with Popor to clear her head. Actually, Orm just needed dinner with any of her friends. Since the last chapter ended with Orm making plans with Popor, this chapter will feature who else but Popor.

Orm acknowledged that Ling Ling had consumed too much of her time, her thoughts, and her heart. Distance was key.

Because as much as Orm cared for Ling Ling—and boy, did she care—this wasn't Ling Ling's fault. Ling Ling wasn't responsible for Orm catching feelings. It wasn't Ling Ling's fault that Orm sometimes wanted to scream into the void when her crush wasn't reciprocated.

It wasn't fair to Ling Ling, either.

Orm had already been through this once before, when she let her feelings get the better of her and nearly disrupted filming. She wasn't about to let it happen again. She needed to regain her focus, her professionalism, and most importantly, her sense of humor. Orm was supposed to be the funny one, not the brooding, jealous mess who scared even herself.

And so, Orm chose Popor over dinner with Ling Ling.

Did she feel like an idiot for rejecting dinner with one of the most beautiful woman on earth? Yes. But she convinced herself it was for the greater good.

---

Orm walked into the restaurant, casually dressed in a silk shirt and baggy pants. Popor was already waiting for her, sipping red wine.

"Sorry I'm late, P'Por!" Orm called out, sliding into her seat.

Popor smirked. "Late and underdressed for our imaginary date. You're lucky I didn't bring flowers."

Orm laughed nervously, pointing at the glass of white wine on the table. "You knew I'd need this. Thanks!"

They ordered dinner and spent the next hour catching up. Orm talked about filming, the chaos of promotions, and the endless stream of interviews. For a while, it felt like old times—no drama, no unrequited feelings looming over her like a storm cloud. Just friends.

Until Orm's phone lit up on the table.

Popor glanced at it—and froze. Her eyes widened as she stared at the wallpaper.

"Wait. Is that you and Ling Ling?"

Orm snatched her phone back, cheeks burning. "Don't look at that!"

Popor smirked. "Are you staying in character as Earn even off set? What's your is this, method acting?"

"It's for the fans," Orm mumbled, stuffing the phone into her bag.