Caèl
A sharp pain pierces my chest. I glimpse two eyes... then darkness.
I breathe heavily. I'm restless, but I don't know why. I turn toward the faint light filtering through the window and, in the dimness, I meet Phan's face.
"Caèl, how do you feel?"
Dazed, I try to get up from the bed, but my head spins. I give up and collapse back onto the mattress.
Phan approaches, worried. I stare at him, then look around: it's a hospital room.
"How did I end up here?"
The last thing I remember… that group of guys, that girl… and then nothing. I shake my head. Finally, I decide to speak.
"Fine."
Phan looks at me confused.
"Huh?"
"You asked me how I feel, and I answered."
"Oh yes... Caèl, you gave me a scare! What were you thinking? Crossing the street like that… Who were you chasing?"
I try to piece it together: those guys, the girl… then a car… and that figure. Yes, there was a boy.
I look at Phan.
"I was… chasing. I saw a boy and…"
A whistle rings in my ears. I feel a burning in the back of my neck. I put my hand behind my head, touching lightly. I want to keep talking, but I can't. So I just whisper:
"I'm sorry."
Phan doesn't answer. He touches my neck, maybe checking if I have a fever.
"I'm the one who should be sorry, Caèl. It's my fault. You weren't ready to go back to work."
I smile weakly.
"Phì, what does that have to do with anything? I was ready, I still am."
I try to sit up but fall back down. He supports me.
"Ready my foot! Rest. Tomorrow I'll take you home, and I'll make sure you stay there at least a week."
I look at him incredulously.
"What am I, a prisoner? Why don't you just put a GPS ankle bracelet on me? If I leave the house I get an electric shock, huh!"
"I could do that. You've acted crazy more than once."
I widen my eyes.
"What do you mean? I just followed someone!"
"Caèl, there was no one. Except me and a few fans."
"There was! I saw him!"
I'm getting irritated. I look at him and shake my head. I see in his eyes he doesn't believe me. So I give up and turn to the other side.
I hear his footsteps approaching. In an instant, he's a few centimeters from my face.
He smiles with that "I'm right, period" smirk that drives me crazy.
"You're too close, Phì-An," I snap.
"I'm moving away immediately. I wouldn't want this handsome omega face of mine to drive you crazy."
"Cut it out. You know you have no effect on me."
"You're a strange alpha, you know that?"
I smile.
"If you weren't strange, you wouldn't be my best friend, Phì-An. Right?"
"You're way too confident!"
I shrug.
"No, I don't think so."
"Oh, now you're modest too!"
I laugh. He laughs back. Then he looks at his phone, then at me.
"Come on, Niran, behave and try to get some rest. It's late."
I'm about to answer, but we hear a knock on the door. Phan's voice rises.
"Who is it?"
On the other side, a warm male voice replies:
"It's me, Win."
Ah, there he is. Thanawin Thitiful. Win, the lead actor and my partner in the new series we're supposed to start filming in three days.
I sigh. Win enters with a bouquet of flowers and a box — probably cookies or something sweet, since I have a big sweet tooth.
Thanawin "Win" Thitiful, twenty-two years old, tall, dark and intense eyes, good-looking, hair neat but always messy on his forehead. An established idol/actor, adored by fans for his kind and humble manners.
I smile at him. He smiles back, coming closer.
"Hey, Nong Caèl, what are you up to?"
"Please don't start preaching to me too. Phan already did."
He raises his hands.
"That's not my intention. I got enough lectures as a kid."
I nod. I look at the flowers and the box he places next to the bed.
"Thanks."
"No problem. How do you feel?"
"Fine... I guess."
"You guess?"
"Well, I'm lying on a hospital bed talking to you. So, I'd say I'm not too bad, right?"
He nods.
"What did the doctors say?"
"According to Phan, I should be under house arrest for a week. No GPS ankle bracelet, but with two mastiffs guarding me, just in case I try to escape!"
I'm sarcastic. And I haven't stopped giving him dirty looks.
Phan pretends to look away. But I know exactly what he's thinking. He's an open book to me. Everything shows on his face, even if he tries to hide it. And he didn't like my sarcasm. Serves him right.
I smile. He smiles back.
Win speaks up.
"It'll be hard for a free spirit like you. Poor thing, all chained up!"
He jokes. I look at him. But I feel my forehead burning again. I bring my hand to my face.
"I think it's better to stop here. I'm starting to get sleepy."
Win strokes my hair.
"Okay, I'll leave you alone. Good night."
My head spins. My neck burns. I feel a dull pain. Phan approaches.
"Caèl, hey… how do you feel?"
I gesture with my hand for him to relax. My eyelids grow heavy. I swallow, hold back a groan and, as naturally as possible, say:
"Everything's fine, Phì. Please, go home. I need to rest."
"Okay, Caèl. Are you sure?"
"Yes. Go. Good night"
hear the door close. Then… a sharp ringing in my ears. And in my head, a distant and unsettling voice whispers:
"Don't think I don't know that he managed to return hours ago. Because I was the one who dragged him here."
The pain disappears suddenly, as does everything else. Slowly, my eyes close. I fight to keep them open. I want to know. I want to understand who spoke. And why to me.
Inside me. But I'm too tired. Fighting is useless.
"Who are you? Why can't I…"
I feel a light, distant caress.
I smile. And finally, I fall asleep.
The next morning, as expected, Phan comes to get me.
I hear his hurried but uncertain steps approaching the door. I sigh.
What will have happened this time?
I pack my things into my backpack, sling it over my shoulder, and approach the huge hospital window. Outside, strangely, it's a beautiful sunny day, which isn't bad at all, considering it almost always rains here.
I scratch my head, touch my itchy neck, and look beyond that clear sky. In the distance, I see the park I love… too bad I have to rush to the studios to start filming the pilot. I huff.
I wish I could live somewhere else. Here everything's too chaotic, hectic, and… too social.
Speaking of social media, let's see what they say on TikTok.
I take a sip of my beloved mint milk — thanks, Phì Phan, for bringing it to me.
Hmm, maybe I should get sick more often to be pampered like this.
I chuckle to myself, take my smartphone, and open the app. A video immediately appears: a guy is screaming from the roof of a shopping mall.
A strange feeling crosses me: unease. I feel a cold shiver run down my body. The man suddenly stops screaming, thrashes around… then, without any warning, jumps into the void.
I quickly look away, drop the phone to the floor. It slides toward the door just as it opens.
Phan enters. My smartphone reaches his feet. He follows it with his gaze, then looks up at me. I stare at him but immediately look away. My body trembles.
I look outside, fix my gaze on the fountain beneath the window, trying to pretend nothing's wrong, but inside I feel really strange. I try to control myself, about to greet him, but he beats me to it.
"Oh, hi Niran. Did you see anything unusual on your TikTok feed?"
I shake my head, still shaken by that video.
"No, I was about to, but…"
I feel uneasy.
What's happening to me, damn it?!
Phan picks up the phone and hands it to me, then looks at me questioningly.
"But…?"
"Nothing… The discharge papers are in the backpack. We can go."
Phan scans me head to toe.
"Are you sure you're okay?"
I nod. "Never been better. We have to hurry, I don't want to be late."
He wants to insist, but I silence him with a firm look.
"Okay, let's go."
We get into the car and head to the studios. The traffic is hellish. I see an ambulance speeding by with its sirens blaring. I sigh and look outside.
Amid the crowd… I catch a glimpse of him again, the figure of the boy from the other time. I startle. I'm about to tell Phan to stop, but he suddenly turns sharply to the right and I almost slip sideways.
"Phì, are you crazy?!"
"Sorry, Caèl, I took a shortcut!"
"Shortcut my ass!"
After a few minutes of driving too fast for my liking, the car stops in front of Hajiman Studios.
I get out and take a better look. The building is huge, with large shimmering blue windows. At the top right, I spot a swimming pool. I smile.
"Oh, they treat themselves well here… even a pool?"
Phan joins me.
"Wait until you see the rest: they also have a state-of-the-art café, massage chairs, and… even a well-stocked canteen with top-quality dishes."
I look at him and burst out laughing.
"Are you sure this is a studio and not a spa?"
Behind us, Win's voice reaches us.
"Hajiman Studios are like that: they're also an agency, mine to be precise!"
I turn, surprised.
"Wow, Phì, I didn't know you also had an agency."
He laughs and approaches, greeting me with a wai.
"Actually, it's my sister's, not exactly mine."
I return the greeting.
He smiles and gestures for us to follow him.
The sliding door opens and we enter a huge room with marble floors. Behind a large dark counter are three girls. I catch their eyes and greet them. They respond enthusiastically; one even quietly screams with excitement.
The youngest immediately picks up the phone and starts typing something.
I smile, say goodbye to them, and continue following Win and Phan.
We take a huge elevator and go up to the tenth floor.
We enter another room, smaller, with light-colored armchairs. There's hardly anyone, just a guy holding a bunch of papers. He approaches, meets my gaze, and greets me with a wai. Then he heads left, toward a smooth blue staircase.
I find him a bit odd. Win notices.
"He's the screenwriter of In'Finiti."
In'Finiti… the novel I read online years ago and that immediately struck me. I never imagined that, two years later, they'd make it into a series.
And I… I would be the protagonist along with Win.
I sigh. We stop in front of a light-colored door.
"We're here."
Phan knocks. A female voice answers: "Come in!"
We enter and greet.
The room is bright, with a large window on one side and dark curtains. In the center is a shiny black table surrounded by white faux leather chairs.
Around the table are four people.
To my right is the screenwriter: straight, short, dark hair.
Next to him is a girl, about twenty-six, long wavy light brown hair, big eyes, fair skin, rosy cheeks and lips. She doesn't seem from here. Maybe she's the novel's author.
She greets me with a shy and slightly awkward wai. I smile back.
In the center of the table is another woman who looks a lot like Win. Tall, slender, dressed carefully: she's his sister.
I greet her. She returns it.
Finally, a tall, strong man with straight hair, glasses, and a slight beard.
I recognize him immediately: he's the director, Mr. Suong Chen Tharawit.
They invite us to sit.
The director scrutinizes us carefully, then speaks calmly but firmly.
"Alright guys, today we start the table read of the pilot. I want you to get into character right away. This series has a deep heart, and I want it to be felt from the first lines."
I nod as I sit next to Win. Phan takes a seat further back, near the wall. The script is passed to me: it's heavy, thick, with a hardcover bearing the shiny logo of the In'Finiti series.
I stare at it. The title seems to sparkle for a moment.
I squint. Must have been the light.
"Caèl… or rather, Niran."
I turn to the director, who watches me with an unreadable look.
"Your role is complex. You need to work a lot on vulnerability, but also on ambiguity. Your character operates on multiple levels, not only narrative but emotional. You've read the novel, right?"
I nod.
"Yes, although some time ago. I was very struck by the relationship between Noah and Rían. It was… almost timeless."
The author, who I deduce is the girl with the uncertain wai, smiles shyly.
"When I wrote In'Finiti, I thought about how love can transcend dimensions and time… and even the limits of memory."
Win turns to her.
"Is that why they both forget each other?"
She nods.
"Yes. But not completely. Something always remains, like a mark. An echo."
I'm about to say something when I suddenly hear a buzzing in my ears. Everyone else seems to keep talking normally, but for me, it's like time has slowed down.
I look out the window: the sky is still clear, but for a moment I see a figure reflected in the glass, something — or someone — behind me. I turn sharply. Nothing.
"Caèl? Everything okay?"
Win brings me back to reality.
"Yeah… yeah sorry. It just seemed like…"
The director raises an eyebrow.
"Focus. This project will be different from all the ones you've done. We'll need your best, from both of you."
Win and I nod in unison.
The tension eases slightly as we start the reading.
Page after page, we get into the characters. I am Noah, Win is Rían.
The lines alternate, the room fills with emotion.
At one point, I get to a scene where Noah silently cries, watching Rían sleep.
I read. My voice breaks.
Silence.
Everyone looks at me. The director seems almost moved.
"Perfect," he murmurs.
"This is the Noah I want."
I feel a strange warmth in my chest.
But then, again, that sharp pain… like a pressure in the center of my forehead. And an image, very fast: red eyes. A scream. A flash.
I open my eyes wide.
What was that?
Who — or what — is trying to break into my memories?
The author clears her throat, lowers her gaze for a moment, then raises it confidently.
"When I wrote In'Finiti, I wanted to tell something beyond the usual story. Noah and Rìan… they're not just two protagonists. They are two souls chasing each other through time, across different eras and worlds. Each time, they forget about each other. And each time, something brings them back together. As if they could never truly be broken apart."
Win looks at her with interest, leaning an elbow on the table.
"So forgetting is part of their fate?"
She nods.
"Yes. But it's also their greatest pain. Yet, despite everything, something keeps them united. A force that goes beyond. Love, perhaps. Or something more."
Phan turns to me, then back to her.
"In'Finiti is by Stefy Reiji, right? I've heard about it everywhere."
She smiles shyly.
"Yes. It's my pen name. It's been with me forever. It protects what I write. Stefy Reiji is the part of me that still believes in impossible bonds, in intertwined destinies."
I watch them silently, then decide to speak without thinking too much.
"I don't know why… but this story gives me chills. It's like I've lived it. Noah, Rìan… I can't explain it. They feel familiar to me."
Win flashes me a theatrical little smile and winks.
"Maybe that's why you're perfect to play Noah."
I stay silent for a moment, staring at the shiny table. Then I nod.
"Maybe. Or maybe it's just fate."
The author looks at me, surprised. Then she smiles.
"Well then… welcome, Noah."
Win hands me the script.
"Scene twenty-four, episode finale. You in?"
I nod. I don't know why, but my heart is pounding.
Everyone is watching us: Phan, standing by the wall with crossed arms; the author sitting, clutching the script to her chest; the director studying us as if trying to see beyond.
I breathe in.
Win begins.
WIN (Rìan):
"Take me away… forever."
CAÉL (Noah):
"No… I'm not taking you anywhere. I want to keep you with me."
Our eyes meet.
The script slips from my hands, but it doesn't matter.
What I'm saying… I'm not acting it. I'm living it.
We move closer.
Breaths brush.
Fingers touch.
Then… his lips almost on mine.
A barely-there kiss.
That's enough. To break everything.
Silence.
Everyone still.
I step back.
I feel my hands trembling. My chest burning.
Win looks at me with watery eyes, as stunned as I am.
The director suddenly stands up.
"Cut. Stop. You're perfect."
He steps forward, turns to the stage manager.
"Set up a set. Now. Bed, lights, projectors. We're shooting this now."
He looks at the author.
"This scene will go straight into the teaser and promo photos."
I startle.
"Now?"
"Now, Caél. We can't let this chemistry cool down."
I run a hand through my hair.
Win smiles faintly but says nothing.
Phan looks trance-like.
The author's eyes are glistening. Maybe she's crying. Or maybe not.
---
Interior – Makeshift set (side studio)
The lights are already set. A light bed. Blue curtains.
Dreamlike atmosphere. Projections of wings.
The director watches us from behind the monitor.
"Ready? First scene: bedroom."
---
SCENE I – THE BEDROOM (filming)
(Dim lights. I'm in bed. The room is silent. I hear my heartbeat like a drum.)
VOICE OVER (Noah):
That night I woke up with a start. My heart was burning in my chest.
My head… pounding. My breath… broken.
(I get up, look at the clock. Silence. Then: a noise.)
CAÉL (Noah):
"Three o'clock… What was that noise?"
(I look at the door. I freeze. Rìan appears. His eyes in mine. Breath.)
CAÉL (Noah, whispering):
"Those eyes… Rìan…"
(Win approaches. Time breaks. I tremble.)
---
SCENE II – THE ABANDONMENT
(pinkish lights, slow motion)
(I feel his fingers on my skin. His breath on my neck. The bed appears. We lie down in a slow dance. The lights grow warm.)
VOICE OVER (Noah):
His breath on my neck… His fingers, his mouth…
They burned like a sacred fire.
(I hug him, trembling.)
CAÉL (Noah):
"I'm not taking you anywhere, Rìan... I want you with me."
WIN (Rìan):
(whispering)
"Then keep me… with you."
(The lights rise. We stand, arms open. Projection: silver wings. Wingbeat.)
---
SCENE III – THE FALL
(The sky darkens. Cold lights. Storm sounds. We separate. He vanishes.)
CAÉL (Noah):
"Rìan! Wait! Don't leave me!"
(He reappears, distant.)
WIN (Rìan):
(broken voice)
"There can be nothing between us… Sorry."
(I approach. Grab him. Hold him back.)
CAÉL (Noah):
"I won't let you go! Not again!"
WIN (Rìan):
"What do you want from me, Noah?! What do you see in me?!"
CAÉL (Noah):
(crying)
"I see you. Only you. Always you."
(Another kiss. Strong. Real. We hold tight.
Silence.
Lights go out. Projection: sky, hands intertwined.
Fade out.)
---
STOP.
Silence.
Then an explosion of emotions.
The director covers his face with his hands.
The author bursts into tears.
Phan says nothing.
Win… Win looks at me like he no longer knows who I am.
I… have my heart pounding wildly.
I step away. Slowly.
I feel something inside breaking. Or maybe coming back together.