CHAPTER 180: UNDER THE LIGHTS

It was four in the morning on an ordinary Thursday in France.

It was the 9th of March, a busy day for the members of AQuinn.

— Is this right? Am I dreaming?

— Did the gods answer my prayers?

— This is happening! It’s not a drill! This is happening!

— Leave your work! Flip off your teacher! Get on the streets and rejoice!

— After the end of Long Live the Quinn, I thought another drought was coming.

— We are so back!

— Hello? I would like to report a crime. The Quinn has killed us with his generosity!

— Such a glorious day! The population will shoot up in nine months!

— Someone, help! I got pregnant just reading this!

— Literally in tears. The coworker next to me can’t believe I am crying while peeing while typing this comment.

— Lost my virginity reading this.

— There’s still hope.

— Today must be my lucky day. Not even my wife can stop me from putting all our savings on horse races.

The reason for such a frantic response was the announcement of a certain film’s production.

’[Globe’s Films] Avant-garde director Jean-Louis Groux’s latest Arthouse film, Lady Ethereal, announced.’

It wasn’t some grand display; there weren’t thousands expecting or waiting for it. However, that single line had triggered a chain reaction of article releases, resulting in an online buzz.

’[Film&TV] Starring alongside Margaux Delcour, Benoit Durand, and Josephine Petite, controversial actor Averie Quinn Auclair makes his debut in the film industry on the international stage through Lady Ethereal.’

’[Actor’s Journal] Actor Averie Quinn Auclair named as the male lead in Director Jean-Louis Groux’s Lady Ethereal.’

’[DentActor] BSPH’s Averie Quinn Auclair filming in Paris for Lady Ethereal.’

But not everyone was happy and hopeful because of the news.

There were many who dismissed the actor.

- The film industry is completely different from drama.

- It’s a different beast. He won’t make it.

- There’s a difference between a film star and a drama queen.

- Just give up, f*ckface. What a waste of oxygen.

The negativity was not all malicious. Those who had only seen him on Long Live the Quinn were concerned.

- I watched Long Live the Quinn and liked it, but can he act?

- Just stick to comedy. Why are you doing films?

- This is career suicide.

Ari, who had been scouring the internet, looked up.

The sky was dark, but her surroundings were anything but.

’It must be past noon back home, right?’

She sneezed, for the ninth time since she stepped out of Charles de Gaulle Airport.

Parisian air did not suit her.

’How long is it going to be?’

It had only been five minutes since she stepped out, but it felt like she had been waiting for well over half an hour.

Just as she was starting to wonder if she should wait inside, a cab pulled up in front of her.

The door opened, and a familiar woman stepped out from the back seat.

"Oh, goodness! Look how you’ve grown. It is good to see you again!"

It was Hyerin Lim, her cousin’s best friend since childhood.

She came in for a hug, and Ari reluctantly accepted it.

’Was she always like this?’

No, she wasn’t. She was just glad to meet a normal person after spending so much time with Averie.

After the driver loaded Ari’s luggage in the back, she got in and they departed.

Hyerin turned to her. "How was the weather?"

"It was fine. The flight was nice, but an old man was sitting next to me. He kept snoring."

She made it sound as if she was upset, but in reality, it was an exciting day for Ari.

She had travelled all the way from Seoul to Paris on her own. She wasn’t an adult yet, but she felt like one.

It was a good day, and it was going to be an even better one.

Her attention turned to the scenery fast passing by her.

The streets of Paris, lighted in streetlamps, had a rustic feel to them. Much of the city’s past was etched on those poles, that was Ari’s feeling.

She wondered what it would feel like to visit this city on snowy nights. She had always wondered about the old European castles on hills and the quiet spring in the woodlands.

She hadn’t seen either yet, but there was something equally exciting waiting for her where Hyerin was taking her.

"It’s surprising," the young girl muttered. "I never thought he would invite me."

Hyerin smiled to herself. "He has been acting a bit peculiar."

Ari’s head turned towards her sharply. "Mood swings?"

"Yes, but not like back then."

She recalled a depressed, hunched figure.

"It’s not like back then."

Telling a teenager about such things didn’t feel like a wise choice, but back then, she had let it slip in her worry for her friend.

"That’s behind us now. It’s different."

An hour later, they arrived at their destination.

While Hyerin paid the driver, Ari wowed at the cluster of warehouses in front of her.

It was a large film studio located on a massive lot.

Hyerin put a hand on her shoulder. "Let’s go."

She took her to the entrance of a particularly bustling warehouse and, after speaking with a man in a vest, handed her a Visitor ID.

"Always wear it."

Dragging her suitcase behind and feeling the weight of her backpack on her shoulders, like a child on a field trip, Ari entered the building behind Hyerin.

The sight of hundreds of people moving around chaotically greeted the girl.

Someone was shouting in a corner.

Someone was fixing the wires.

Someone was sticking red tape on the floor.

"The crew is made up of about three hundred people," said Hyerin, gesturing for Ari to stick close.

"Some of them have been here for two hours now."

"It has started filming already?"

Hyerin shook her head. "It takes time to set everything up."

"How long will you film?"

"The whole day. It will be a long day. Are you prepared? Won’t you get bored?"

"I’ll be fine." She looked around a bit nervously. "But what should I tell them if someone asks me who I am?"

Hyerin giggled. "No one will bother you if you have the ID on. And if someone does ask, tell them the truth. You are the lead actor’s family."

Those words bore weight that Ari didn’t fully understand, but she thought Hyerin looked proud.

"The director wanted to keep the information about the project an absolute secret. So, there was no Table-read."

Hyerin gave her a brief lesson about the project and its many contributors.

"The film’s name is Lady Ethereal. And De Salon is the production company. The director is..."

A squeak attracted Ari’s gaze.

A thick man on a ladder was adjusting the overhead lights.

He gave a thumbs up to his associate, who turned on a flip switch.

The light burned to life, illuminating a man standing some distance away.

He was surrounded by racks of costumes, and the light falling on him looked like a blessing from the heavens.

"Averie has two roles."

Hyerin’s voice became distant as Ari’s pupils dilated.

The man’s face was covered in the golden glow, and his eyes were half-closed. But she could still make out the amber glow of his gaze. It could not be overpowered.

The image awed her. It was as if he was bathing in the glory of the stage, soaking in the light that he could scatter in front of the cameras.

’Hello, cousin.’

Wonderment shone in the eyes of Ari.

’An actor.’

Her cousin was an actor, and it truly dawned on her because no one but he attracted the collective gaze of three hundred people by simply being there.

***

’What am I proud of?’

Averie breathed out a breath of warm air.

’What have I achieved in this world?’

Underneath his closed eyelids, his pupils moved serenely.

’I may have been someone big in my world, but is that so in here?’

It was never something he had to think about. The answer was rather obvious.

’In a world that has surpassed the limitations of filmmaking of my world, what have I yet proven?’

It wasn’t admonishment. It was a tranquil thought.

’Be arrogant of your skills and talents, but revel only on the stage. Were those not the words I lived by?’

He questioned his choices, his behaviour, and his general attitude until now.

’Violence is the strongest tool, indeed. Using it once was fine, but why have I allowed myself to be lost in it? Why have I allowed myself to be so undisciplined? Have I earned that freedom already?’

He wondered if the people who hated him weren’t at least slightly justified.

’Shouldn’t I have eyes only for acting? Shouldn’t I be focused? There will be enough time to have fun at the expense of others once I am bored with it all.’

His eyes opened, scattering a gentle amber glow.

’But now, I must forget all else and act.’