No one wants to live anymore. 19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ixCIRTpEn
Only the client still thinks this can be finished. 19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWZLco0gvng
Casting hasn’t even started, and we’ve already sold our souls.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9lOAdEg03a
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡijwVX1105U
Dragging their heavy feet into the meeting room, 19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvT566Q8lap
no one said a word.
Not because they didn’t want to—— 19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwAmcZAdPTQ
but because they simply couldn’t.
Current time: 5:00 a.m. sharp.
With each person who entered, 19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbpEzNVwjH8
the room grew colder.
Not because the AC was too strong—— 19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4JpV5ncJKq
but because everyone was radiating cold from within, 19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIFr6s1Fmwo
thanks to the full-body trauma of:
writing 8,000 words in three hours, 19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtHLly7zVVz
dreaming only of wrap scenes and car crashes, 19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY2XgyyNeWs
and waking up just in time to prep for the next shoot.
The result? A literal physiological shadow.
The screenwriter came in first, 19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVnbdzSOARD
his face was grayer than drywall, and the circles under his eyes deep enough to drown in.
“I mean… just because I went to bed late doesn’t mean I’m immune to sleep.”
He slumped into the chair with a sound like a bellows giving up its last breath.
Next came the art lead, carrying an empty egg tart box of unknown origin.
“So… food really can taste like nothing…”
She stared blankly at the box.
“I did add Thai basil…”
No one asked why there was Thai basil in an egg tart.
When the director walked in, 19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9BYdkF7Tsi
this was the scene he saw:
The manager sitting upright, still looking somewhat operational.
But their tie was off by thirty degrees, one sleeve rolled up, 19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtUaEHsfN2x
and three cups of coffee sat by their side. 19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgZXYLQsupE
Their schedule had been scribbled into a summoning circle.
The director scanned the room, made sure everyone was still breathing, 19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdDeuZZch8U
then finally set down his laptop.
“We need to finalize the main character’s name this morning,” 19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKo6WGywika
“and finish casting by this afternoon.”
He tried to speak in a tone that said: 19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9JZkh2B03i
“I'm staying rational, but just barely holding on.”
“Heh.”19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdViNacy0dP
The screenwriter let out a cold laugh.
“So we’re wrapping up a nearly 80,000-word script on the last day? Seriously?”
“And me…”
“I still have to get a bar, a warehouse, props, costumes, blood packs, a flying lighter, and the key to a pair of handcuffs… all in 24 hours.”
The art lead chanted the list like a curse.
“At this point, I’m not even sure if that handcuff belongs to our prop box or the boss’s personal collection…”
The manager didn’t join in the sarcasm. 19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyYYJTgq6vt
Instead, he calmly opened his notebook.
“We need to cast two male actors this afternoon. The kind who are comfortable with explicit scenes.”
“Requirements: not shy, okay with blood, able to handle brutal filming hours, and with good chemistry…”
He glanced up mid-sentence.
“Because the director says there’s no time for rehearsal.”
The director looked up.
“I never said no rehearsals!”19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7HlnqyAhIO
“I said… maybe we’ll have to act with our eyes.”
The room went quiet for a beat.
Then, the art lead pulled out another egg tart, plucked the Thai basil out, and dropped it into her coffee cup.
“Mmmh…”
“This is straight-up impossible.”
“Everyone knows it—except our beloved client.”
“At this point, I kinda feel like we’re being hunted.”
“We basically exorcised our own damn spirits——only to find out the script is called _Guiltbound_?”
“The next one should be called Deliverance. So we can deliver ourselves.”
The director looked around the table. 19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLA3X8sLmwL
Everyone had dead eyes, cold coffee, and the collective thought of never wanting to wake up again.
“The name?” he asked.
“Main character’s name.”
This time, all three fell silent.
Three seconds later, the art lead bit into her tart and said:
“Just call him ‘Tragic.’ Then we’ll have a couple: Tragic × More Tragic.”
The manager flipped through the notes.
“Or maybe Shen… something Shen… you know, like ‘sink-to-the-bottom’ Shen.”
The director didn’t answer. 19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIUpP9rmp0O
He quietly wrote down a few names, thinking he’d fix them later.
He didn’t want to disturb the fragile balance in the room—— 19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsAo36Iegrk
because when everyone’s about to explode, 19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxhGgyim1yt
even one extra sentence could be the trigger.
The sky was starting to brighten. 19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7rNip3BN9l
Birds chirped faintly outside the meeting room.
The day had barely begun. 19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgqOy9V8hC5
But these people… 19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUzGnLE76hR
were already done with it.
