Requested by HippityHoppityexe.
Written by MaTcHu0210.
~•~
"No."
"But Kalpas, it'll pay good money!"
"I said no."
Kalpas continues to walk away from you as you try to convince the man, even pouting to him as your tone was almost childlike.
You heard from other actresses that there was an audition for this 'tough' and 'cold' side character for the finale of a drama show. The script stated that this character was meant to be an antagonist who tries to expose the female lead's reputation to the rest of the cast.
Seeing as you were already playing the lead role in the show, you had the idea for a friend of yours to fill the role for your own entertainment.
Luckily for you—ever since you moved into the Golden Courtyard with your sister: Sakura—you knew someone who was perfect for the role.
That was...if he'd agree to it.
"C'mon, it's just one small scene. Plus that's assuming you even get the role after the audition!" You jokingly plead.
Kalpas grunts frustratingly. "How many times do I have to say no? What would you even gain from this?"
You pout. "Nothing really, other than entertainment~"
"Then NO." Kalpas affirms.
You begin to regret your previous comment.
You continue to convince him anyway. "B-But this could also really help you! I mean all you do is stay at the house all the time, you barely even go to your job. The small scene could make you quick and good money!"
"Why don't you ask Su or Kevin to do this..." Kalpas asks.
"W-Well Kevin said he'd be visiting Dr. MEI for the weekend and Su said he has an important meeting to attend at the hospital on the shooting day so he can't go. Besides..."
You smirk and lean towards the man. "They aren't as cool as you~" .
Kalpas looks away, his eyes averting from your smirking gaze and his ears turning slightly red.
Even though he was wearing his face mask, you could tell he was embarrassed just by his eyes.
His...beautiful...eyes...
You shake those thoughts away as you await his answer.
"So...will you do it for me~?" You ask, still smiling.
Kalpas sighs in defeat. "Fine..."
Your eyes begin to light up. "Yay!"
You jump up and down with excitement then proceed to hug him tightly.
Kalpas looks away, his face now slightly red.
~•~
Kalpas rigorously continues to cut onions while Sakura washes her hands beside him. The both of them were asked to prepare dinner for everyone since Aponia said she'll be late—something about issues with the Chapel.
Kalpas was caught muttering to himself and Sakura noticed. "Is something wrong Kalpas...?"
"No." Kalpas says bluntly.
Sakura didn't believe that for a second. "It's about (Y/N) isn't it?"
"...Yes." Kalpas admits.
Sakura smiles. "My sister often has her own way with you. Care to elaborate what happened?"
Kalpas continues cutting the onions as he speaks. "She convinced me to audition for a minor role."
Sakura's eyes slightly widened in surprise. "Interesting..."
"..." The sound of cutting continues as Sakura walks over to the other side of the kitchen to grab some more ingredients for the pasta. "So...did you accept her offer?"
Kalpas grunts. "How does that woman always get me to say yes? It's like she has me under her own spell. It's...annoying..."
Sakura smiles. "Perhaps you just want to make her happy."
"What makes you assume that...?" Kalpas asks, his tone still sharp.
"Just a...feeling." Sakura says as she starts cutting the picnic bacon.
The two continue to cook in silence, both thinking about how (Y/N) could have possibly convinced Kalpas of all people to do a photoshoot.
It was as if he was indeed under her spell.
Kalpas grunts once more, every cut he makes with the knife being more aggressive than the last. "How the hell do I make her stop–!"
Sakura puts a finger to her chin. "Perhaps giving her a taste of her own medicine would be effective?"
"The hell do you mean by that...?" Kalpas asks
"Follow her request. Do as she asks? You always just grunt." Sakura says.
Kalpas averts his eyes, still mad that you never take him seriously. But...the thought of you blushing because of him...
"Damn you (Y/N)..."
~•~
"I don't know what to do..." You say, your face down on your arms as you plead Eden for some advice.
Eden smiles. "You really have fallen for him haven't you~?"
The two of you were sitting inside a local coffee shop, exchanging stories and informing the other of some interesting gossip. But at the moment, you were telling her about the most recent developments with the "Hot Headed Bastard" as you would sometimes call Kalpas.
You and Eden had bonded over your similar work experiences. She was into the stage performance of music while you were an actress for films and a model for photo shoots. You would occasionally bump into her during special events where actors and actresses would meet so you would usually converse with her. Your friendship with Eden grew closer once you moved into the Golden Courtyard with your sister.
But most importantly, she's the person you trusted most with this...crush.
You continue your story to Eden. "I don't know what's wrong with me...sometimes I'd look into his eyes and my head would go places. Even when I'm acting, I'd think about him all the time!"
Eden takes a sip of her coffee. "Do you think he knows of your crush?"
You avert your eyes, sipping from your straw. "No, I don't think so. I mean, I flirt and tease him a lot but I don't think he's figured it out yet..."
"You've been crushing on him for quite some time now. Why don't you just tell him how you truly feel?"
"I can't!" You say.
"What do you mean?" Eden asks, raising a brow.
You sigh. "Because...I don't want things to change..."
You take a sip of your coffee then continue. "As an actress, I have to put up with lots of people I hate to be very core. Each day, I lie. I show everyone a girl who's always happy and cheerful because that's what they want to see. I say things like 'you did great!' or 'I love you' but I never really mean it...
"I'm a dirty liar..."
"But with Kalpas, I'm...different. I don't have to put up a face to lie because I can be who I really am. I can tease him, joke with him, and tell him everything and he'll just listen. He makes it look like he's brushing off what I say but I can tell he listens. The way his ears sometimes twitch when my voice goes softer so he'll hear me better. The way he moves slightly closer to me when I cry... "
Eden notices the growing smile on your face as you continue to describe Kalpas to her. She smiles at herself as she glances outside, the snow begins to fall.
"Do you want my opinion on the matter (Y/N)?"
You turn to the singer. "Of course."
Eden pays for the bill as she gives you her own thoughts.
"I think it's about time you go straight to the point. No more playing around, no more teasing, no more flirting. Tell him straight how you feel. Eventually, he'll think you will never take him seriously. So when you admit how you really feel, he might think it's a joke."
You stare into your cup of coffee and sip the last of it.
You hated to admit it, but Eden was right.
You stand up and grab your bag, finding the resolve and courage to finally admit to Kalpas how you feel.
Your face turns into a deep red just thinking about how Kalpas would react to you when that day comes. His image was forever ingrained into your mind.
"Damn you Kalpas..."
~•~
The day of the auditioning for the photoshoot arrived. You decided to take your car to pick up Kalpas from the Golden Courtyard since his motorcycle would probably mess up your hair.
You drive up to the front of the house and text Kalpas using your phone.
"Kalpas, time to go~" – (Y/N)
"ok." – Kalpas
As you wait outside for Kalpas, you look at yourself in the mirror. You had on some lipstick and had tied your hair into a small ponytail. You wore your black crop top, green jacket, slightly baggy pants, and a pair of flats.
You tried to make sure that you looked as presentable as possible for the photo shoot.
But also...because you wanted to look cute for Kalpas.
You shake those thoughts away again. "This isn't about love, you just want to support your friend." you said to yourself.
A knock on your car door startles you out of your thoughts. You see Kalpas, Eden and Sakura standing outside the car. He was wearing a white shirt, black leather jacket, jeans, and boots. He was also wearing a black and yellow surgical mask – like usual.
"Why does he look so hot in those clothes...?" You think to yourself, but quickly shake them away as you see a bit of irritation from him.
"Let me in." you could hear Kalpas saying from outside.
You unlock the doors, allowing Kalpas to sit in the front seat while Sakura and Eden sit in the back.
As Kalpas sits, you notice a certain scent in the air which starts to cover all over the front seats of the car. "Oh god, he even put perfume!"
There was no way Kalpas would have willingly put on perfume.
You look at your sister through the rear view mirror, your face showing a slight pout.
Eden giggles slightly at your expression while Sakura looks out the window to prevent herself from also laughing.
"Y-You two planned this didn't you–!" you thought to yourself.
"Are we going or not?" Kalpas asks as you are freezing up.
"Y-Yeah." You lock the doors of the car and begin driving off to where the auditioning will be held.
"This is gonna be a long ride..." You thought.
~•~
Arriving at the audition building was pretty easy, however the harder part would be performing in each audition. Since you were playing the lead role and had the most interaction with this new character, the director had requested that you act in every audition.
You were reluctant at first but decided it was best for the show to pick an actor who was easy to work with.
The show itself was not being well received anyway...
The show was meant to be an adaptation of a famous manga that centered around an office worker who used to be a delinquent girl. Now in her first job, she tries changing herself to be more kind since she regrets her past. But she meets her old classmates along the way and they react to how she changed since her school days. The girl would eventually realize that she doesn't have to change everything about herself and decides to start showing her true personality.
When it was announced, the show received a lot of support from its fans which allowed the show to gain quite the amount of money for production. But as the show progressed, it was clear that the quality of the acting and writing was lackluster.
This was because the director never really cared for a good adaptation, but rather used it as a way to promote new actors. He only hired you as the main lead so the show would be watchable enough for the fans.
You tried to make the show watchable but you couldn't act to your fullest extent, lest risk the spotlight being on you rather than your co-stars that the show's meant to promote.
Now that it was the final episode, you just wanted to have a laugh before it ended. Which was why you asked Kalpas to audition.
In the waiting room, Kalpas sat across Sakura and Eden—who wore a black surgical mask and sunglasses so no one would recognise her. You, on the other hand, were already in the audition room preparing your lines.
You were sitting beside the director and writer of the show. The writer was reading through the script like you were while the director was fiddling through his phone—pressumably talking with the other higher ups.
"Hey, senpai. How did the author like the show?" You ask the writer.
She sighs, dissapointment evident in her voice. "Well...the Mangaka isn't happy. She didn't say anything but it was obvious she didn't like it."
You avert your eyes. It was clear you and senpai could have done better for the adaptation but circumstance prevented you from doing so.
"Alright..." the director says, snapping you back to reality.
"Let's begin the audition..."
~•~
Eden had decided to go into the audition room to see you act while Sakura stayed beside Kalpas while waiting for his turn.
Each audition was the same as the last for you. They act out the prompt—which was 'expose a liar'—, you react to it, and they would in turn react to you.
It is a simple process that allows the director and the writer to see if the actor in question has what it takes to portray the role or not. Or is able to do the bare minimum at least.
But...something was pretty evident with each audition.
Each of the actors who auditioned were very...handsy with their performance.
They would move in too close to you, or move you against the wall. For the prompt, it was perfect. The character was supposed to be a looming threat to the heroine, stopping her from reaching her goal.
But then again...it was incredibly uncomfortable for you.
You tried to play it off with your acting, making them move aside or giving them a hint to back off. But young actors usually have the prideful attitude that they can do whatever they want, so you just worked with it despite how it made you feel.
But Eden noticed, and she didn't like it. One. Bit.
Eden brings out her phone and types in a text.
"Kalpas, you better win that role. Some of the actors here are being a little too comfortable with (Y/N)..." – Eden
As soon as Kalpas sees the text, he began squeezing his phone a little to the point where the screen cracks. Sakura could almost feel the temperature of the room getting a little hotter than normal.
~•~
"Okay, last one..." The director says.
Through the door comes Kalpas, his face now completely visible to everyone in the room—including you. You looked a his face, seeing his stern expression. It made you smile.
"Alright, could you act the prompt 'expose a liar'? The writer asks through speakers.
Kalpas grunts and looks to you.
He's never done any kind of acting in his entire life. He's only done a couple of photo shoots—thanks to your convincing—but never acting. A beat of sweat runs down his face as he thinks of a way to act such a ridiculous prompt.
You see this and decide to help him. "It's alright. Just...act from your heart." You say, holding his hand.
Kalpas sighs, and begins to act.
"You're a fucking liar." Kalpas says with venom in his voice.
Your eyes widen at the sudden change in mood, but you play along with it.
"I-I don't understand." You respond, your eyes widening and beginning to fill with tears.
Kalpas continues. "Oh come on, it's obvious! In front of your co-workers? Your friends? You always LIE!"
He walks forward, you take a few steps back. "You tell them you love them, you say that you were a nice girl. You tell them stories about being the popular cheerleader in highschool! When in reality, it's a load of bullshit. Do you wanna know why?!"
"It's because I know the REAL you. The you who's always angry, always frustrated. The little girl who can lie, cheat, and steal whenever she wishes. The girl who's willing to hurt others." You're backed up against the wall now, but Kalpas continues.
"But I also know that you're scared...You're scared of letting people in, of them seeing you for who you really are."
The director scratches his head. "That's not in the script—"
"SHH!" The writer says, intrigued by this new development.
Kalpas continues. "I know the you who cries on her bed, wishing that tomorrow will be less difficult. The you who enjoys coffee more than anything in the world. The you who...wants to know how to love."
You widen your eyes as Kalpas leans forward toward you. "So...why not show people who you are? Show them that you're a person worth...loving..."
"CUT!" The writer says.
Kalpas stands back up, backing away from you as you follow suit.
"That was good, thanks for coming!" The writer says, as she packs her papers into a bag.
You and Kalpas decide to walk out of the room and back with Sakura and Eden.
Sakura is the first to pipe in. "How was the audition?"
You sigh in relief. "I think Kalpas did good. In terms of acting, they're all in the same level. But I will admit, Kalpas is good with improvisation."
Eden smiles. "We can only hope for the best. Come, I'll treat you all to lunch. On me~"
Sakura nods and walks with Eden to the elevator. You follow them, but notice Kalpas lagging behind.
You go beside the man and nudge him on the shoulder. "I didn't know you could act~" you say.
Kalpas looks away. "I...didn't..."
"Hm...?" You hum, not quite hearing him.
Kalpas grunts. "I...didn't act some of it. I meant some of what I said."
You blush, thinking of all the words he said and trying to figure out which was acting and which was the truth.
He notices this and grunts again "Just don't think about it and let's go already!"
You sigh. "Sure thing~"
Maybe you can be more truthful to him someday. But for now, you're satisfied with how things are.