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Shion would start every morning with a cup of coffee, but today is different for him. The TV is about to show the rankings for the local actors, singers, and others from the entertainment production and their iconic works weekly. This week’s popular genres happen to revolve around drama - a sense of suspense, a moment of grief, and a touch of love is the perfect formula according to the scattering memories, Safu’s voice rings more often than it should. Even no longer involved with the industry, Shion still finds the ranking amusing since he can get a taste of the entertainment industry’s growth and shifts without being involved – it’s almost refreshing to see a fresh cast with different ambitions and projects emerging within the TV screen
Well, almost.
“And in our third place trending is – to everyone’s surprise, he’s only been acting for a few months now! We welcome Nezumi, who’s currently the top actor and co-director of the will-be show ‘In Bloom, It Is Still Me’, in the West Production Studio. Nezumi, please, what are your feelings after being granted this recognition?”
“Oh it is a pleasure, I am thankful for my fans to witness the teasers for this amazing original production of ours,”
Shion swears he is about to spit out his coffee.
Before his mundane morning just this year, Shion would have been in the hallways of the white building like he did some years ago. The brown-haired performer would’ve been doing more work such as script-writing, choreographing with his co-dancer Safu, and compromising some paperwork with Yoming and others. Though, there was more to that, and not in a good way. As a performer, there are high expectations, observation, the mass media rumor spreading, and more things that are thrown in Shion and Safu’s way in their career. Had Shion been more content as a freeing dancer than when he worked under the heavy surveillance of the studio? It’s a question that pondered Shion more than he would like. Then, fast forward some months later, and multiple heart-breaking confessions with Safu and his mother, and some hair-dying sessions, Shion quietly left the studio with almost no trace of himself.
Of course, the news caught on – saying ‘Ex-performer left the scene, unnoticed, what has transpired?!’ – and this topic became trending on social media for a while. Luckily, he told Safu how to combat the ruckus, along with other trusted staff members. A staged death, his mom jokingly recalled. As of now, Shion become a clinic worker under the disguise of a white-haired person who just got out of Med School and listens to music on the weekends.
Although the studio has a borderline extremely controlling environment, Shion was able to compose some of his original projects. One of them was ‘In Bloom, It Is Still Me,’ – an original dance by Shion and Safu performed with a combination of complex techniques and calculated steps; the message of the performance was to be grateful to the mentors who taught those two how to dance. Unfortunately, this piece will and always be hidden from everyone else, excluding some trusted employees, his mom, and Safu, after Shion fled. So then it would be an understatement to describe Shion’s aghast face when a tall man with short, dark hair and silver eyes came up to the screen – attached himself with the name ‘In Bloom, It Is Still Me,’ under the same studio Shion left before. Since cutting contact with that place, the guy hasn’t heard any updates other than from Safu, who’s still working there but in a different department, so a newbie with a similarly named project isn’t heard off. Shion could only hope that it was a coincidence.
So Shion wasted no second and immediately grab his phone, and Safu also immediately picks up the number.
“Good morning, Safu,”
“Shion! It’s been a while,” Safu’s voice is as energetic as always, “Have you seen the news? The new player got his hands on the–”
“Abandoned project, at least the same name. I’m more confused than frustrated as of now, to be honest,” Shion rubs his nose as he sighs, “I haven’t heard of this person before, and he’s been in the studio for months long already?”
“I have no idea what this entails; however, the guy is rather…exceptional,” On the other line, Safu scrambles her paper to find any files saying Nezumi. Swiftly, she pulls one down her eye level: a portfolio of a man with a stage name: Nezumi – his age, height, and performance history written: some high school plays, but nothing too extraordinary. “His portfolio doesn’t say anything too extraordinary, but our higher-ups liked his face and he’s here now,” Safu reported.
“Though, everyone’s been showering comments on him. I don’t know if that is his theatrical skills that put him into this, but his performances are amazing. Almost ‘freeing’ in a way; out of the box, natural, and the like. He’s dubbed ‘the genius’, according to our staff members,”
“Well, he does seem to be extremely genius-like…” Shion glances at the TV again, he – Nezumi – is still being interviewed. Shion just noticed that Nezumi didn’t smile too often, only a couple of stifles and that’s about it, for all Shion knew - this Nezumi person might have been too busy to bother coming into this interview, but the way he dressed made Shion second-guessed that Nezumi would’ve put importance in his reputation. They are still talking about Nezumi’s work life, and Safu’s words pull Shion back to reality.
“Anyways, I don’t think we should be worried too much, y’know? I was shocked too, but maybe it is just a coincidence. We can at least put the past behind us. You don’t dance anymore, and I now work somewhere else. I don’t think it is that big of a deal, it’s an unpublished work in the end,” Safu suggests.
“An unpublished work…” Shion murmurs. It is unpublished, though the events lined up too good to be a coincidence. Shion never wanted to go back to the old life, it’s unadjustable now, but this guy had to give him a call back to the studio to investigate. It’s not that Shion is potentially accusing Nezumi of potential plagiarism, he hasn’t seen this new project yet. Still, for Shion, it wouldn’t hurt to find out. Then, Shion continued, “I understand that, though I’ll want to talk to him just to make sure. This project isn’t completely hidden from the staff, couple of our trusted managers and producers had some knowledge. I’ll go in the studio, but only discreetly, can you do that for me, Safu?”
“I– sure, if you’re willing to step back in,”
“Thank you so much Safu, I owe you some snacks in the bakery. Love you,” Shion put down his phone before leaving the room to get change.
“Then, Nezumi, about your project ‘In Bloom, It Is Still Me,’ what is the behind the work, you tell us a few statements about it?”
“Of course. I wouldn’t wish to spoil it, but the inspiration for this work…happens to be slightly involved with the huge rumor in my industry. One of a fleeing talent somewhere outside of here,”
Towards the next day, it is perfectly chilly for Shion to have an excuse to cover himself up. A large jacket with the hood on, sunglasses, and face mask are just enough – he’s lucky he doesn’t have too many outstanding features other than his bleach hair and dark purple eyes that got a couple of comments. Stepping closer to the studio, chills run down Shion’s spine more than the chilly weather. The building itself already looked intimidating with its sleek white color and no friendly decoration, everything in there is sprinkled with professionalism. It’s not something that Shion could stomach, not to mention the controlling environment of the studio made it more torturous.
Without further time, Shion quickly scuttles towards the back doors, one of the hidden gates to the studio without too much attention, and makes use of his spare key to the door. Awaiting inside, Safu in her dark pink suit and sunglasses grinned at Shion’s appearance.
“Too much?” Shion asked.
“Nah, it’s fine. You look well,” Safu waves, “Anyways, I had set an appointment between him and you. He’s a bit stubborn about who he wants to meet, and then he buys it when I say an ‘important figure’ is coming. Of course, it wasn’t easy - I had to give him a convincing description for him to agree,”
“And then?”
“Well, you just need to quickly go in,” Safu gestures to the empty hallway as she begins leading Shion in. As the two noted, it isn’t particularly busy today – thank heavens for that. Though they had to deal with a few groups scattering and a couple of surveillance cameras that only rotated in certain directions, it wasn’t hard of a job. For Safu, the patterns were already ingrained in her head as she was the main choreographer and current manager who needed sharp memories for contracts and the like. But for Shion, it’s the unforgettable grueling environment of the entertainment industry that sunk deep in his heart that he couldn’t truly escape after months. Even the hallways inside were white, almost like his clinic, which makes it more eerie - not to mention the constant knocking on the floor from their footsteps that can cause someone’s attention.
Moments later, Shion and Safu stop in front of a door. It’s white, almost camouflaging with the walls if it weren’t for the notable, wooden borders around the door - and the large red star decorated on the door’s higher end, with golden lettering writes: Nezumi .
“Haven’t noticed how fancy it got since I left, so nothing changed here then,” Shion nonchalantly notes while he observes the surroundings.
“It’s only been a few months. Some studios operate for years until they need to update something. Then again, the technology here is good, so I doubt this studio would need any upgrade…” Safu then knocks for a few before turning to Shion, eye signaling ‘Get ready, snowman.’
The door opens, and there he is. Shion thinks Nezumi looks better in person, especially up close and personal. Tall, dark, appealing, strong, and those silver eyes strike more prominently than on TV. This kind of figure, Shion blinks, is expected to become world famous purely from vibes, but Nezumi is also supposedly a genius too, so Shion thought he was perfect in both looks and talent. Back then, Shion wasn’t notable in looks, but he excels in his multitasking and quick memorization - Nezumi’s appearance alone screamed something different than the idols and actors in here worked, something less ‘organized’, but is appreciated by many - that kind of energy.
All that analysis from a guy in a black shirt and black pants? That’s crazy.
“Good morning, Nezumi. Apologise for the notice, but your appointment is here,” Safu introduces Shion, “he’s here - the all-famous YouTuber who specializes in studio management and performing content, a very trustworthy person, the resume he has is quite astounding,”
“Why’s he covered like that?”
“It’s cold, you should know that,”
“How should I know that? I’ve been in the studio since yesterday,”
“Since– never mind. Like you said, you only have a few minutes - I’ll leave you guys to it then!” With that, Safu rotates backward and exits the room, leaving a fully covered Shion and the casual Nezumi in the same room. Even with the face mask and the jacket in the room, Shion doesn’t blame the uncomfortable air on those, but on the immediate silence the two men put themselves into. In his career life, Shion was and still isn’t much of a talker. He can do business chats, quick handshake events, and cast commentaries professionally, but he isn’t a people person - as in, cannot conjure up ice-breakers or anything like that. He’s sweating in that outfit , and Shion would not say that it’s the jacket’s fault.
Unfortunately for him, Nezumi speaks first: “Hey, you’re shaking right there. Aren’t you the one that wanted to talk to me? Why the hell aren’t you saying anything,” it wasn’t a question, it was a statement.
“Oh, uh, apologize,” Shion clears his throat, “I’m here to, well, praise you for your accomplishments in such a short time. Specifically, I want to refer to your ‘In Bloom, It Is Still Me,’ project that you and the studio will publish soon. I’ve heard that it’ll be a film, which is incredible. I just want to hear about when and where did you get the idea for this whole project, haha,”
“And why is that? I think the interview I gave was pretty solid a description,” Oh he’s good.
“Well, you no doubt brought something” Shion coughs, “but I heard from a neighboring studio that there will be something of that similar name - also an unfinished project of theirs with the same name. They contacted me to investigate if there’s any plagiarism in the West Production from you.” it was a lie.
“Then why don’t they directly contact my manager, or me - when they have a problem with me?” Nezumi’s eyebrows furrow, his patience is running out, at least that’s how Shion sensed.
“Hmm, you’re still young in the studio, so you should be aware of the hundreds of workloads studios put on their employees. It’s quite tortuous: with the amount of contracts, payments, routines, schedules, interviews, and so much more. Think about it, even a rising genius like you, no, especially for a genius like you is swamped with work all day every day, so there is no time for studios to directly contact the staff. Mostly, they’ll hire trustworthy third parties to communicate,” technically Shion knew he didn’t lie, but this makes it too easy to make holes in an argument. The ex-performer only anticipates the worst, maybe Nezumi could have known this was bullshit and kicked Shion out of the studio, although this wouldn’t bring too much harm to Shion - assuming that Nezumi didn’t know anything more.
“...Ahem, so you’re,” Nezumi gestures, “a YouTuber who is hired from the neighboring studio to check on plagiarism in our newest project, yeah?”
“Yeah, that’s right,” Shion only responds that way. Then, Nezumi only burst out laughter to Shion’s hidden confused jolt; for some reason, it wasn’t a laugh out of judgment or disgust, but more imperfectly cheerful like something heard in a comedy show. This continues for a minute before Nezumi catches his breath and coughs for a moment, Shion is blinking in his sunglasses.
“What’s so funny?” Shion asks.
“Nothing, just,” Nezumi chuckles, “Okay, okay officer, I’ll come clean. No, I did not plagiarize anything in the neighboring studio, I don’t even know that we have a neighboring studio. What I do know, however, was the similar naming between my project and something of the past,” he continues, “You see, and you must have seen, in my interview - I was inspired by an unfolded event in this West studio, where two genius had built their fame in this studio a while ago. Then, for some reason, one of them left - the other one stayed, but you could say she called quits too. That tale had pulled me in, and now here I’m standing,”
Before continuing, Nezumi walks toward his drawer and pulls out a thin stack of paper that is stapled, he turns the blank back page towards Shion and resumes speaking, “I was looking to do something since many of this place’s work bored me. Then, out of nowhere, I stumbled upon this paper,”
The actor turned the paper towards Shion, and the white-haired man felt chills
In Bloom, It Is Still Me - A Project
“I don’t know how this project came to be, a lot of things are deleted or struck, but many details caught my eye. Even though the base project was still the same dull formula that this studio prides itself on, I can sense the human passion that drives this project. The choreography, the plot, the music choice…I can use this. And so, In Bloom, It Is Still Me was born,”
“A strike like this…doesn’t it signify that it’s an abandoned project” Shion gulps.
“I knew that it could be some sort of abandoned material, the place I found it wasn’t fancy. Though, if it’s abandoned, then I don’t think the owner wanted it, so it’s up for grabs. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, yeah?”
“That’s impossible,”
“It’s impossible, to you,” Nezumi spats, “Listen, this paper had been the only thing that is interesting in this goddamn studio now that the two genius left. It has the potential to resurrect, I will resurrect it, I will bring it back to life - I will my mark in this studio, I will follow their path,” with each word, Nezumi steps closer to Shion, who is already backed against the front door. With nowhere to move forward, Shion only darted his eyes elsewhere other than Nezumi, who stops now as he examines this ‘Youtuber’s’ expressions.
“You know,” Shion manages to let out, “That’s very admirable of you - but that project is abandoned now. You don’t even have a direction to follow that piece. I acknowledge that you are very, very talented, but the way you think you’ll thrive in this place isn’t the same as you think. I know that. I research that. The entertainment industry isn’t entertainment at all. What happens, then, if you are crushed? Will you follow their footsteps in that way?”
“Then you’ll help me fulfill my goals, since you have step-foot here, since you know so much about this that not even ‘research’ can back you,” all the sudden, Shion’s cool becomes too literal for his own body, for since he doesn’t realize Nezumi’s long arms extends towards Shion’s sunglasses, fingertips touching the hinges, pulling out…
Gray eyes meeting dark purple ones.
“Your speaking voice is still the same in months now, Shion, it is still you, and you’re going to help me,”
Shion felt as if he had stopped breathing.