No one wants to live anymore. 20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNpP7JAjfJs
Only the client still thinks this can be finished. 20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyrbFOKYwHC
Casting hasn’t even started, and we’ve already sold our souls.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwXecyWXkm4
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2gDIsi6jzI
Dragging their heavy feet into the meeting room, 20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡThS8XlpjS6
no one said a word.
Not because they didn’t want to—— 20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlSAjOOI9Kd
but because they simply couldn’t.
Current time: 5:00 a.m. sharp.
With each person who entered, 20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3xWDlDWvCh
the room grew colder.
Not because the AC was too strong—— 20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6dqA7BVYeh
but because everyone was radiating cold from within, 20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQrNraWlisu
thanks to the full-body trauma of:
writing 8,000 words in three hours, 20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu7JwcgICfh
dreaming only of wrap scenes and car crashes, 20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡygmIjcsFQy
and waking up just in time to prep for the next shoot.
The result? A literal physiological shadow.
The screenwriter came in first, 20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrXGjngHx5V
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, 20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfBJ9ywG96c
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, 20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJTOcYFZhx7
and three cups of coffee sat by their side. 20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiUaN4Z7mu6
Their schedule had been scribbled into a summoning circle.
The director scanned the room, made sure everyone was still breathing, 20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw0K4GAkI4Z
then finally set down his laptop.
“We need to finalize the main character’s name this morning,” 20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi8uIYaEmAk
“and finish casting by this afternoon.”
He tried to speak in a tone that said: 20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsibubGzx7B
“I'm staying rational, but just barely holding on.”
“Heh.”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqPlBTA799Y
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. 20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe3cdFpq7GJ
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!”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu4xDjTyVUZ
“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. 20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYXnHTH41Cs
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. 20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3kWJl1ocMD
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—— 20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi70WfblozP
because when everyone’s about to explode, 20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpSe3yCJzFS
even one extra sentence could be the trigger.
The sky was starting to brighten. 20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoKP4mer0KR
Birds chirped faintly outside the meeting room.
The day had barely begun. 20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT1hnrIAacT
But these people… 20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAU0TMQZoJj
were already done with it.
