Eugene instinctively pressed himself to the wall beside the door.
And felt embarrassed afterward.
Ugh--what was he doing? He felt like someone running away from their ex. But, well...he did try to avoid running into the alpha after all.
The problem was...
He couldn't go to the adjacent building without going through that bridge. Well, he could if he went through the building's front door, but that meant going past the actors waiting for their auditions. Nuh-uh.
Sighing, Eugene leaned his head back and once again decided to just wait until Arthur went inside.
"Mr. Crowley!"
"...What is it?"
And once again, he had to wait while listening to others' conversations.
Wouldn't people think he was an eavesdropper or something?
But this time, Eugene actually couldn't hear what was being said, perhaps because the wind didn't blow his way. If that were the case, he wouldn't be able to know when exactly Arthur left the bridge, right? That would mean he should take a look, right?
It wasn't because he got curious about how Arthur looked when the alpha talked to other people. Really.
It was because the alpha sounded as enthusiastic as a passerby getting called by a cult follower. Eugene wondered who the person was, and it turned out to be a group of two people. One of them was holding a document, and both of them were fidgety. Eugene couldn't see their face, but from Arthur's deeply furrowed brows, it didn't seem like the conversation was going well.
Ah, he really looked the same as the alpha Eugene observed at that bar six years ago. Still looking constipated while talking to the two employees--a beta and an omega. Did he only make that kind of face to omegas? How curious.
Unlike that date night, however, Arthur was talking a lot more--rather, he was arguing fiercely with the employees, who ended up walking away in a hurry as if getting chased by a rabid dog. Eugene had to press himself against the wall again, because the employees came in his direction.
Soon, they walked briskly through the door, in such a hurry that they didn't realize someone was standing nearby. Eugene, on the other hand, saw them clearly.
Were they...crying?
At least, one of them seemed to have reddened eyes, and another hand was frowning angrily, clutching the document to their chest. As they were dashing past him, Eugene could smell something; not exactly sharp, but cloying. Perfume?
Must have been it, since Eugene wouldn't be able to smell it if it was pheromone.
Hmm...
This seemed to be pointing to something--Eugene thought while walking through the door. Perhaps...there was indeed a reason for Arthur's constant frown and constipated expression.
Not that Eugene wanted to know, but--
His steps halted, realizing the grave mistake he had just made. Did he make sure Arthur was gone before he stepped out?
No. No, he didn't.
Eugene felt his heartbeat slow down as he raised his eyes, and caught a pair of deep brown eyes, piercing him like two dirt spikes.
Shit.
And then the alpha started to walk. In Eugene's direction.
Huh? Wai--huh? Did he really come over? Fuck--fuck! If Eugene left right now, it would only look like he was running away, right? He did want to avoid this alpha, but he also didn't want to look like he was scared of the man or something.
He still had his pride, damn it!
Damn it! Damn it--
"You're...Eugene Kim, right?" Arthur stopped a few paces in front of him, eyes narrowed and piercing, as if making sure.
Damn...was he that forgettable? Eugene could chalk up the six years to memory, but it had only been a week since they met last. For someone who kept staring daggers at him, the man sure acted like a goldfish.
The panic suddenly turned into irritation--which was weird. Wasn't he trying to make sure Arthur didn't remember him anyway? What is this contradictory annoyance?
The lack of an answer from Eugene brought the alpha's eyes to the card hanging around his neck. "So you are," Arthur made a clicking noise with his tongue, clearly dissatisfied at Eugene's tardiness.
Look at this guy? Maybe those employees weren't gossiping without any smoke. "What do you want?" Eugene replied sharply.
The alpha arched his brow, as if questioning Eugene's tone. "There's no need to be so spiky?" Arthur said disapprovingly. "I just want to talk to you. I need to know the direction you want to take in this movie--the vibe you're pursuing."
Oh, it was about work? Eugene tilted his head.
"Ashley...the producer wanted to use something different to visualize the pheromones instead of color, so..."
Arthur kept talking, fast, as if he didn't want someone to interrupt him. Eugene, who was supposed to be listening, suddenly filled with dread.
Wait--he wants to talk work with me? Eugene was running around in his mind, inwardly tweaking again. Talking about work meant sitting down for an extended time in close proximity, which was against everything Eugene had been trying to do: staying within a hundred meters distance, preferably with several walls in between.
And so, before any idea of sitting down in a meeting room somewhere came up, Arthur cut the possibility off completely.
"Shouldn't I be discussing that with the director?" Eugene pulled up everything he learned from his theater friend and put on an indifferent, almost exasperated mask, as if spending a few minutes talking to the alpha was already a waste of time.
Yep. A perfect alpha-hater--Eugene proudly thought.
Arthur pursed his lips. Surprisingly, he didn't look that offended. Perhaps because Eugene actually made a fair point. "Well, that's true, but--"
"Or if I have to, I should be talking to the sound director, not you," Eugene added with a shrug, trying to be as annoying as he could.
And it seemed like his effort finally paid off.
"...what?" Arthur's voice turned cold. His brows pulled taut in the middle, in a different way than the scrunched-up face he made to the previous two employees. The dark brown eyes, which usually looked warm and softened his impression, turned rigid, like cracked hardened mud.
Huh? What is this reaction?
Belatedly, Eugene remembered the conversation he heard near the vending machine. The animosity between Arthur and the sound director. Might it be that it wasn't mere office gossip? Oh. Oh, damn it. He did want the alpha to stay away from him, but--
Wait. Wasn't this good? Wasn't this better? Wasn't this why Eugene went into that alpha-hater act? To make Arthur despise him so much that he wouldn't stand the thought of being in the same room with Eugene?
Yes! Yes, this is good.
"What? I'm not wrong, am I?" Eugene tilted his head, arms crossing defiantly. It cringed him to act like a smug, bratty youth when he was pushing thirty with a kid, but...a desperate time called for a desperate measure! He steeled his resolve while sporting a half smirk. "It's not like you have more authority than the sound director."
"Hah!" Arthur swept his hand along his light brown hair. His expression was one of mocking astonishment. "That guy? You're going to consult that--are you crazy? Do you want this movie to be ruined?"
Eugene arched his brow. "How can you say that? It hasn't even started filming yet."
"You--"
Arthur opened his mouth, but the alpha seemed to lose his vocabulary--or perhaps his willingness to challenge a dimwit--when Eugene merely put on a disinterested face; one that screamed 'I don't care what might happen to this movie since I already received the contract money.'
The alpha closed his mouth and, after observing Eugene silently for a few seconds, said with a harsh scoff. "You know what? Have it whatever you want."
As the alpha walked away, Eugene strolled to the adjacent building with a triumphant smile.
Mm, a perfect alpha hater.
Eugene gave himself a figurative pat on the back, forgetting the fact that he had to see Arthur again during the production meeting after the audition had ended.
Somehow, Arthur was still in a bad mood. Eugene heard the alpha was in another verbal fight with some employees, but for all he knew, the exchange with Eugene also played a huge role. Because of that, the meeting was shrouded in a palpable tension right from the start. Eugene even wondered if the alpha let out a pheromone or something, since the other omegas were looking rather pale.
At any rate, the meeting had to commence, no matter the mood of the boss's proxy. Even though the final candidates had been narrowed down to three, it only got harder as those three had a similar level of acting skill. In the end, it came down to minor discrepancies and who was visually better to pull out the main character's charm.
"Shouldn't we go with Bennet? Objectively speaking, his smile is the most charming, and he's the most well-known among the three," one of the marketing staff said.
"What does a charming smile have to do with our protagonist?" the writing team argued. "Illian's charm lies in how uncharming he is at the start, so when he eventually steals the audience's hearts in the latter half, it'll have a bigger impact."
"That's right, that's right!" Diana supported her team with all her heart. "Illian should look foxy and arrogant in the first half, so we can't have someone who already cemented themselves to have a 'charming smile'."
"But from a commercial perspective--"
"What use is a commercial perspective if the story loses impact from that? There's no monetary value if the character becomes stale!"
"Isn't that the director's role? It's a matter of polishing the final product, isn't it?"
"This money-hungry folk--"
"Excuse me?!"
Eugene was wrong. Perhaps the tense atmosphere wasn't just made by Arthur's constipated face. Perhaps it was just the way a production meeting usually was when a crucial decision had to be made. From the low grumble Eugene managed to catch from Diana, it seemed like some people already received 'incentive' from some of the actors to push themselves into the project.
Hmm...it wasn't exactly new. Even in publishing, such practice was common. As someone whose knowledge of acting was comprised of becoming his theatre friend's practice partner, Eugene didn't think he knew enough to have any opinion. In fact, he didn't think he was particularly needed there.
Of course, that was only Eugene's opinion.
"What do you think, Eugene?"
"Pardon?" Eugene could only blink when everyone suddenly looked at him.
"Which one do you think is the more suitable?" the director asked with a smile.
Crap. Was this director trying to shift the responsibility to him?
Eugene felt cold sweat rolling down his back. But he couldn't just stay silent like a dumbass, could he? Especially when a certain alpha was practically glaring at him.
"Honestly, I don't know much about those three's acting history," Eugene replied with a calm voice that that completely hid his three seconds of internal panic. "Is there anyone among them who looks cheeky and arrogant at a glance, but has a history of acting as a respectable young master?"
It was the most standard answer Eugene could think of, although it did give a nod to the writer team's strong opinion. Diana gave her a sparkling smile that made Eugene's lips start to stretch in courtesy.
At least, until Mr. Alpha proxy opened his mouth.
"Like Mr. Author, then?"
There was an inaudible gasp all around the meeting room; it couldn't be heard, but it could be seen in everyone's shocked expression. After all, Arthur Crowley rarely talked during the meeting, and if he did, it wasn't to voice any opinion.
Or, in this case, to sneer.
As all eyes turned to him, Arthur curled one corner of his lips. "He looks plenty foxy and arrogant."
People held their breath. Literally. Although they didn't move their head, their eyes darted toward Eugene, who was once again conveniently seated on the other side of the table.
The author's originally calm gaze hardened, and then deepened like a carefully sharpened dagger. "Can you act, Mr. Crowley?"
The alpha tilted his head. "...no?"
"Oh, too bad," a charming smile that the staff would agree was better than that of actor Bennet bloomed in the omega's face. "I thought you'd be good as the MC's cousin."
The spectating eyes of the meeting team rolled around in silent scream. Isn't that basically telling him he's the villain?!