No one wants to live anymore. 25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlhSEoerL8N
Only the client still thinks this can be finished. 25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrf8IR7sHyW
Casting hasn’t even started, and we’ve already sold our souls.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrWkmtkahGB
25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Co4D5uKqP
Dragging their heavy feet into the meeting room, 25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDKIljMImL0
no one said a word.
Not because they didn’t want to—— 25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8fwyRO7l6F
but because they simply couldn’t.
Current time: 5:00 a.m. sharp.
With each person who entered, 25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbU948peNgE
the room grew colder.
Not because the AC was too strong—— 25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIhphC63emU
but because everyone was radiating cold from within, 25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzXMlRH6liO
thanks to the full-body trauma of:
writing 8,000 words in three hours, 25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvFHll5DIaC
dreaming only of wrap scenes and car crashes, 25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8G0tZHV31r
and waking up just in time to prep for the next shoot.
The result? A literal physiological shadow.
The screenwriter came in first, 25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM8ZTJmD4KR
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, 25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Hj8Uneahb
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, 25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3l5hKXZZEW
and three cups of coffee sat by their side. 25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyJq0LJhYVB
Their schedule had been scribbled into a summoning circle.
The director scanned the room, made sure everyone was still breathing, 25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuSDHUeZOwX
then finally set down his laptop.
“We need to finalize the main character’s name this morning,” 25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWAJkSSBQio
“and finish casting by this afternoon.”
He tried to speak in a tone that said: 25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7u5mst37FW
“I'm staying rational, but just barely holding on.”
“Heh.”25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ13ysSBdHrM
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. 25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOJpLD8cPYq
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!”25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbFxxHIOnuB
“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. 25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8RlNPT0MZz
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. 25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJsgfxQDhce
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—— 25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGufLS9XpUt
because when everyone’s about to explode, 25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhHR1baTteK
even one extra sentence could be the trigger.
The sky was starting to brighten. 25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt2v7gYtCew
Birds chirped faintly outside the meeting room.
The day had barely begun. 25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQyTRbZ7JxD
But these people… 25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡusLJRsXuva
were already done with it.
