After the first two episodes of Phantom Blood aired, the series quickly settled at an overall rating of 8.2.
Under normal circumstances, that number would have been celebrated to absurd heights. If the lead actor had been any trendy idol with a dedicated fanbase, the score would already be hailed as proof of a "masterpiece," endlessly praised and defended across social media. After all, blind fandom was a force no one ever truly understood.
But this wasn't any actor.
This was Alex.
And in Alex's case, an 8.2 didn't feel like praise - it felt low.
Ever since his debut, none of his works had ever dropped below 8.5. Not once.
Legend of Sword sat confidently at 9.1.
Detective Conas: Chronicles held 9.0.
World's Finest rested at 8.7.
Even his weakest project - the one fans jokingly dragged out every year just to roast it - Snow of King, where the second male lead was heartbreakingly handsome and devoted while the female lead somehow remained oblivious, still managed a reluctant 8.5.
That drama had practically become a meme among Alex's own fans.
"How on earth did Mark choose the male lead?"
"Melissa was right there - good-looking, loyal, tragic. What was she thinking?"
Ironically, Alex hadn't exactly lost in real life. He might not have ended up with the female lead in the story, but off-screen he had very much ended up with the actress who played her.
…Right. Sorry. That was off-topic.
In any case, this week was shaping up to be the happiest one in years for Alex's haters - and for the industry rivals who had never liked him much to begin with.
Every day, new voices popped up online, confidently declaring that "Alex has finally fallen from the altar," as if they'd been waiting years just to say it out loud.
Alex couldn't help feeling a strange sense of déjà vu.
What was this, some kind of recurring curse? He wasn't even that old animation director everyone loved to blame for ruining childhoods…
Bzzzz -
His phone suddenly rang.
It was Emily.
"The… um… are you okay?"
The moment he picked up, her familiar voice came through - soft, cautious, carrying that distinct tone that somehow always sounded a little too gentle. Combined with her natural cadence, it was strangely disarming.
"What could possibly be wrong?" Alex replied with a laugh. "I'm doing great."
He didn't need to guess why she'd called. She was worried the online criticism might be getting to him.
Really… when did everyone start thinking Alex was that fragile?
After all these years in the industry, the thing he'd polished the most - aside from his acting - was his skin. And not in the literal sense.
"Tch. So my concern gets treated like that?" Emily muttered, sounding half-annoyed, half-relieved. "Still… you did kind of stumble this time, didn't you?"
Hearing that his tone sounded normal, she relaxed a bit, lying on her bed and absentmindedly swinging her legs.
"Just wait," Alex replied casually. "Let the bullet fly for a bit."
He said it jokingly, but there was confidence underneath.
It was true that Phantom Blood alone might not fully satisfy an audience whose expectations he himself had sharpened over the years.
But people seemed to forget one thing.
Battle Tendency was airing alongside it.
Alex hung up soon after.
Emily stared blankly at the dimmed phone screen, then glanced at the other pillow on her bed - empty for far longer than she liked to admit.
A strange sense of emptiness crept in.
Moments later, almost without thinking, her hand drifted downward as she softly murmured Alex's name, her voice blurring somewhere between a sigh and a quiet laugh.
"Mimi, about the company - "
The door opened.
Her manager, Sabrina, stepped in holding a stack of documents - and froze.
"…!"
Sabrina recoiled two steps back on instinct.
That intense already?!
And - was she calling Alex's name?
Good lord… this wasn't just attraction. This was dangerous levels of attachment.
For a split second, a completely unprofessional thought crossed Sabrina's mind.
If she recorded this… that'd be eight figures, easy.
She cleared her throat violently.
No. Absolutely not. NDAs existed for a reason, and prison wasn't on her bucket list.
Better to wait outside.
…
The following week, right at eight in the evening, episodes three and four of Phantom Blood went live as scheduled.
"Hey, Teacher Hugo, Teacher Heleno, Violet - wanna watch together? Alex's new show."
At the Back to the Fields filming location, Raymond glanced at the time and eagerly opened the streaming app, inviting the others over.
"You guys go ahead," Teacher Heleno replied. "I've still got some things to finish."
"I'll call my daughter first," Teacher Hugo added.
"Does it have Violet Grant in it?" Violet asked flatly.
"…No," Ray answered, confused. "Why?"
"If she's in it, I'm not watching."
Ray rolled his eyes internally. The hostility between these two had reached inexplicable levels.
Around the same time, many of Alex's acquaintances - Emily, Geórgia, Raymond , Rebeca Verne - were all opening the same episode.
As always, Alex's pacing was ruthless.
By episode three, the story had already plunged headfirst into the main arc.
Jonathan, under Erina's care, continued his recovery while training alongside William Zeppeli, played by Raymond , whose presence brought a grounded intensity to the role.
Meanwhile, Dio grew increasingly adept at wielding his vampiric powers. He fed on human vitality to strengthen himself, while recruiting the worst criminals imaginable - not as allies, but as disposable pieces on his board.
And then, in the latter half of the episode, Jonathan - now tempered by training - finally set out with Zeppeli to hunt Dio down.
…
Under the pale glow of the moon, Zeppeli's eyes burned with righteous fury beneath his top hat.
"To heal your wounds," he demanded, voice sharp with condemnation, "how many people did you drain?"
Dio's lips curled upward.
With casual amusement, he revealed his fangs, his tone almost lighthearted.
"Do you remember how many slices of bread you've eaten?"
The reaction was immediate.
Viewers once again found themselves struck by Alex's mastery over dialogue.
With a single line, Dio's worldview was laid bare - his character, his philosophy, his cruelty distilled into something chillingly simple.
Much like Aizen before him.
"Trying to step over ants without crushing them is surprisingly difficult."
That line had perfectly captured Aizen's refined indifference toward life, his elegant contempt disguised as reason.
Dio was different.
Where Aizen's cruelty was wrapped in intellect and restraint, Dio's evil was raw, almost innocent in its purity.
To him, he stood at the top of the food chain.
Humans weren't people.
They were sustenance.
That was why he compared them to bread.
And in that moment, the audience still didn't realize -
Just like Aizen's "ant" speech, this line would go on to define Dio Brando himself.