“The Forsaken Prince,” Sanjae muttered as he came across a novel on an online site.
The year was 2015, and he had just turned 15 years old. Fortunately, his disease wasn’t progressive. However, having lived this long made his joints more strained.
He stretched his body before reading through the synopsis. “This is pretty good,” he said with a small smile.
He was once again in a hospital after experiencing a seizure, so he had no other thing to do! The constant movement of the television triggered his episodes. However, reading seemed to be no problem.
With that, he decided to binge through the entire 200 available chapters of the ongoing online novel.
“Ah crap, this is good,” Sanjae chuckled as he finished the last chapter. “It’s poorly written, though, but the characters are really solid.”
With that, he went straight to the author’s profile, wondering if they had any other masterpieces.
However, there wasn’t any.
When he read the description of the author, though, it made sense.
It was written by someone named Annie, and she had her photo up on her profile.
On her ‘about’ section, it read, ‘Hey, everyone XD. It’s Annie! I am a 15-year-old author. I love writing and princes. Please support with comments.”
Sanjae scoffed. “No wonder it’s so poorly written. It’s by a 15-year-old,” he muttered, shaking his head.
However, from then on, he found himself tuning in for the daily updates. And although he didn’t comment on her novels, he also read through her announcements like they were part of the story itself.
What he didn’t know at that time was that he would be able to meet the author of one of his favorite books in person.
***
Zeno smirked, watching as the 25-year-old online novel author fiddled with her fingers as she glanced around the hallway. No one was paying to her except for Zeno, but even then, she didn’t notice his gaze.
“You haven’t changed much,” Zeno muttered.
Then, his mind went back to the time when Bobby showed him the script. When he first saw the title, he almost couldn’t believe it. However, as he read through the script, he realized it was the story he had loved back in his old body.
It was amusing, really. He started reading the book when it was still free for all. The site changed and became money-hungry, also requiring authors to improve the quality of their work.
Zeno had read through the entire book before that happened, though. He was sure a lot of details had changed since then, especially since he read the very first draft of the book.
That was also the reason why he was able to practice his lines with his friends without looking at the script. It was basically muscle memory at that point. He could still remember his favorite scenes.
“We shall be starting in five minutes,” the female producer, who had introduced herself as Chachi, said to the group of actors before entering the audition room.
It was then that the others began practicing their hearts out.
They repeated the words over and over again, trying their hardest, knowing that they were faced with some of the best in the industry.
The esteemed actors, though, despite wanting to practice, didn’t want to show their weakness to the other actors.
Oska couldn’t help but glance at the hooded man once again, frowning when he saw that he, too, wasn’t practicing.
“Who is he, really?” he muttered.
Meanwhile, Daeshim, Chachi, and Annie were settling inside the room.
Daeshim chuckled, patting the young woman’s shoulder. “Don’t be nervous, Annie.”
Annie chuckled nervously. “Sorry,” she muttered. “This is my first time attending something like this.”
“Why be nervous when your work is one of the greatest of the generation?” Daeshim asked. “It’s so successful, to the point that you have millions of fans despite your non-disclosure of identity.”
Annie rubbed the back of her neck. “They are only fans of my work, not me,” she said.
“Well, prepare yourself for stardom, too,” Chachi chimed. “You’re going to battle with Ari Bae!”
The two of them chuckled, with Annie shaking her head in embarrassment.
“We will do our best with this drama. That was why we insisted on working with you closely,” Chachi added.
Daeshim nodded in agreement. Despite being a big name in the industry, he still maintained a friendly personality. However, he was a monster on the set, with most actors fearing his strictness.
Still, outside of the set, he appeared as a father figure.
“Do not hesitate to make suggestions,” Daeshim said. “We will take your opinions into consideration.”
Annie nodded as response.
Then, Daeshim glanced at his watch. “Call the first one in,” he said to Chachi.
The latter nodded and went out of the room.
“I saw a lot of stars outside,” Daeshim said. “Casting them is also a good advantage. They have the potential to make the drama even bigger.”
Annie took note of his tips while nodding. She had never worked this closely with a team before—not even for the manhwa and anime adaptation of her novel.
Just then, Chachi entered with none other than Yuan, the idol-turned-actor. He smiled at the three of them, even bowing at 90 degrees.
“Thank you for having me,” he said before giving a brief introduction about himself, highlighting his best works and saying that he had recently joined the Rookie Class.
Daeshim merely smiled. “You may start,” he said.
Annie bit her lip. It was going to be this fast?
Being an author, she was an extreme introvert. And no, she wasn’t the type to prefer staying at home and playing games or writing.
She was the type who physically couldn’t speak to people because of her shyness. It had definitely become better, but she still had a hard time looking people straight in the eyes.
Still, she mustered up the courage to look at Yuan, observing his features and if they suited Hajin.
She pursed her lips before focusing her gaze back on the script.
He wasn’t ideal, but he was still pretty good-looking.
Then, Yuan began acting.
It was the scene that Annie had personally picked—when Hajin found out his mother was killed, contrary to a natural death.
“Ha,” Yuan started off as he seemingly stumbled into the main quarters, where a banquet was taking place. “HAH!”
“You know what’s funny?” he exclaimed in a loud voice, a sad look already seen in his eyes.
“You are not allowed to be here,” Chachi answered, reading the script. “Leave now before I let the guards chase you away.”
Then, Chachi spoke again, but this time, as the youngest son of the crown prince.
“What now, Hajin? Did you come to recite poetry again? The dogs didn’t howl enough last time?”
“No, no. I’ve retired from poetry,” he somberly said before smirking.
“Thought I’d try something new—crashing parties I’m not invited to.”
Annie placed her hand under her chin…
“Hmm,” she muttered. “There’s something there.”