CHAPTER 398: CHAPTER 398 FAN

When Karl stepped into Miranda’s office, his eyes immediately landed on the tall, golden-haired ghost standing near the desk. His breath caught, and for a second, he forgot all about the reason he was there.

Wait... that face... that hair... that smug-but-perfect look...

It hit him. Kaelan Nightmare. The Kaelan Nightmare.

Karl’s eyes widened so much they almost popped out. He glanced around quickly — Miranda was busy flipping through some papers, the assistant was typing away, and no one else seemed to notice this historic moment of his life.

Without another thought, Karl made a beeline for Kaelan, moving like someone sneaking up on a celebrity in a grocery store.

Startled, Kaelan turned just as Karl stopped right in front of him, eyes shining.

"Oh. My. Goodness!" Karl grabbed his arm like they’d been friends forever. "I am your fan! Your biggest fan!"

Kaelan blinked, then chuckled at the sheer energy radiating from the blue-eyed ghost in front of him. "Really?"

"Of course!" Karl’s voice shot up in pitch. "I’ve watched all your shows! All of them! That one where you were a crown prince with a tragic backstory? Masterpiece! That one where you ran away from the palace to live like a commoner? Iconic! And the one where you—"

When everyone was busy, he, Milo, and Julian had watched Soulstream all day!!

Miranda’s voice cut in sharply from the desk. "Karl. Professional behavior."

Karl straightened immediately, though his smile didn’t fade. "Right. Professional. Sorry. But still..." He leaned in toward Kaelan again, whispering like it was a deep secret. "You’re even taller in person."

Kaelan smirked, clearly entertained. "And you’re... louder in person."

Karl grinned wider. "That’s a compliment, right?"

Miranda sighed, clearly regretting letting Karl and Kaelan be in the same room without supervision. "Sit down, Karl. We have a meeting to start."

Karl reluctantly backed away, but not before giving Kaelan a double thumbs-up, mouthing silently, I believe in you.

Kaelan shook his head, amused, watching Karl plop down in his chair with the same excitement of a kid on the first day of school. This is going to be interesting, he thought.

***

"How was your first day??" Julian asked the moment Karl came bouncing into the living room. Milo was sprawled on the couch with a blanket, Adrian was flipping through a book, and Ruby had just gone into the shower.

Karl’s grin could’ve lit up the entire house. "It’s fine!" he said, practically vibrating with excitement. "Though I only had one small scene today—" He stopped dramatically, looking at each of them as if about to reveal the greatest secret in history. "Do you know whom I met!!!"

Milo blinked. "Who?"

Karl threw his arms up. "KAELAN NIGHTMARE!"

Three blank stares met him. Adrian didn’t even look up from his book. Milo tilted his head like a confused puppy. Julian frowned slightly.

Karl stared back, horrified. "You people have no culture."

Milo shrugged. "Never heard of him."

Karl gasped so loudly it was almost theatrical. "He’s only the most handsome, most arrogant, most talented ghost in the entertainment industry! He’s practically a legend!"

Julian’s brow furrowed. "Still not ringing a bell."

Karl slapped his forehead. "Fine. Let me put it this way... it’s Jin. From Seven Deadly Sins of Human."

Milo’s eyes widened instantly. "Wait—seriously?!"

Adrian finally glanced up.

"Yes! Exactly!" Karl pointed at him like he’d just solved a murder case. "The smirk, the hair, the whole ’I’m better than you’ aura—he has it in real life too! I almost fainted."

Julian chuckled. "You didn’t faint."

Karl clutched his chest. "I almost did. Big difference."

Milo was leaning forward now. "So what happened? What did he say? Did he—"

"Alright, alright, let me tell you!" Karl sat down, leaning in like he was about to tell a campfire story. "I was in Miranda’s—my manager’s—office, minding my own business, when I saw him. And then—" Karl put a hand dramatically to his mouth. "—I told him I’m his fan."

Julian snorted quietly.

"And?" Milo pressed.

"And he chuckled," Karl said, looking pleased with himself. "I made Kaelan Nightmare chuckle! Then Miranda gave me the look, so I had to calm down. But after that, during my small scene, I swear he kept glancing at me. Probably thinking, ’Wow, that guy has potential.’"

Adrian smirked faintly. "Or he was wondering why you kept staring at him."

Karl waved that off. "Details. Anyway, the shoot was good. I only had to do two takes. The director said I was ’natural.’ I think that’s code for ’amazing.’"

Julian leaned back. "So, busy schedule from now on?"

Karl nodded eagerly. "Oh yeah. I’m booked almost every day this month. Early mornings, late nights, costumes, makeup—this is going to be the busiest I’ve ever been in my life! But you know what? I’m ready. I was born for this."

Milo grinned. "So basically... we won’t see you much."

Karl pointed at him. "You’ll miss me when I’m gone."

Adrian muttered under his breath, "Doubt it," earning a playful cushion throw from Karl.

"Brother Karl, but how do you shoot??" Milo asked. He had no idea how they did it.

"So first, they make you stand in this exact spot—like, they put tape on the floor, right? That’s your ’mark.’ If you move even a little, someone’s yelling, ’Back to your mark, please!’" Karl said, waving his hands for emphasis. "Then the lighting guy spends forever shining lights at your face. I swear, I could feel my eyebrows burning."

Adrian smirked. "That explains the smell."

Karl ignored him. "Then the camera comes in—this huge thing on wheels and they roll it past you while you pretend it’s not even there. The first time it passed me, I flinched, and the director goes, ’Cut!’ and everyone groaned." He clutched his chest like he’d been personally wounded.

Julian chuckled. "So you messed up?"

"I recovered!" Karl shot back. "They do it over and over from different angles—front, side, close-up. Sometimes they only film your hand opening a door, and you think, ’Why so much for a hand?!’ But apparently, that’s important. Oh, and they have this little clapper thing—when they snap it, that’s your cue. I nearly jumped the first time."

Milo’s eyes widened. "Sounds strict."

"It is!" Karl said, but his grin showed he’d enjoyed every second. "But once you get the rhythm, it’s fun. You say your line, hold the emotion until they say ’cut,’ and then try not to look at the camera like it’s a giant monster staring at you."

To be continued... 🪄