The moment Leo Vance stepped off the set on the final day, he was swarmed.
The young cast members, most of whom had spent the last two months essentially attending the world's most intense masterclass were reluctant to see him go. For these rising stars, the lessons Leo had imparted during their scenes were worth more than ten years of acting workshops.
The wrap-up party was held at a private club in West Hollywood. Amidst the music and the celebration, Riley Evans, usually the most reserved person in the room, drank far too much.
She'd polished off several rounds of premium tequila on an empty stomach. It completely stunned Leo.
"Leo... why do you feel like a different person? I look at you, and I don't even recognize my own boss anymore."
Riley's flushed face accidentally leaned against Leo's chest. She looked up, her large, dark eyes blinking in a hazy fog.
"Everyone says I'm the 'quiet one,' but I'm not quiet. I'm observant. I'm super smart! I think you're not the Leo I used to know. You're... you're actually Gojo Satoru, aren't you? You just came to our world to haunt me!"
After speaking, Riley began to move her body with a bizarre, rhythmic intensity, launching into a "shamanistic" dance right in the middle of the VIP lounge.
Watching his assistant perform what looked like a crazed, possessed ritual, Leo quickly moved in. He caught her in a grappling hold to keep her from falling over.
He pointed to her head and explained to the laughing crowd around them: "This is my assistant. She's had a bit of a glitch in her software since she was a kid. Alcohol just triggers a hard reboot. Please, ignore the spectacle."
"Who says I'm glitching?!" Riley shouted, trying to wiggle free. "I'm gonna bite you! I'm gonna-- urp!"
...
8:00 PM. After the party wound down, Leo carried Riley back to his apartment and settled her into the guest room. He didn't idle for a second. He immediately went to his home studio to begin the final edit.
With the "Heaven-Defying" system's high-tech VFX software, Leo was essentially a one-man post-production house. He wasn't just saving millions in studio fees; he was cutting months off the delivery schedule.
While Leo was buried in his work, a storm was brewing online.
It started when Bella Brooks posted a wrap-up photo on Instagram.
[Bella Brooks: That's a wrap on "Jujutsu Kaisen"! Love this crew so much! Especially our Gojo-sensei... so incredibly handsome! 📸 #JJK #GojoSatoru]
When netizens discovered that the silver-haired man in the blindfold was the notorious Leo Vance, the comment section turned into a war zone.
[Bella, blink twice if Leo Vance is holding your contract hostage!]
[Is that really the Hellraiser? The last paparazzi shot of him made him look like he was one party away from a shallow grave.]
[Every time I see Leo Vance in a lead role, I smell a vanity project.]
[Oh great, which iconic character is the King of Cringe ruining now?]
Bella tried to jump in to defend him, explaining how hard he worked, but it only fueled the fire. Netizens assumed she was being forced to say it by Vance Media.
Just like that, Leo Vance was trending on X again.
#Leo Vance's New Project "Jujutsu Kaisen" Wraps! How Much CGI Will it Take to Fix His Acting?##Robert Sterling (Suguru Geto) vs. Leo Vance: Will the 'Hellraiser' Actually Try to Act This Time?##The Hollywood Hellraiser is Back. Parents, Lock Your Doors and Hide Your TV Remotes!#
...
On the other side of town, Robert Sterling and his wife, Sophie, were sitting on their balcony, scrolling through the feeds.
"Robert, be honest. Was it a nightmare acting opposite him?" Sophie asked, leaning against her husband. "The internet is convinced he's going to be a train wreck. I feel bad for you having to carry the show."
Robert had seen the trending topics. They were using his reputation as a "serious actor" to highlight how bad Leo was supposed to be. But after two months on set, Robert felt a sense of deep embarrassment for the critics.
Leo's acting wasn't just good; it was Best-Actor tier. Leo had even mentored Robert on how to play the mental "descent" of his character.
Robert looked at the comments and genuinely wanted to slap the people writing them. You have no idea what's coming, he thought.
...
The next day. Leo woke up early to hit the recording studio. He wasn't just the actor and director; he was handling the voice-over for Ryomen Sukuna.
For the soundtrack and the ending theme, "Jujutsu Miracle," Leo used the system to merge a hauntingly modern melody with lyrics that captured the essence of the supernatural world. His voice, enhanced by the system's buffs, had a raw, magnetic quality that felt both ancient and modern.
By noon, he was finished. He grabbed two bento boxes from a local spot and returned home.
Riley was awake, washing her face in the bathroom. Seeing Leo, her face turned a deep shade of crimson as memories of her "shaman dance" came flooding back.
"Thank you... for last night," she muttered, her head down.
"Don't worry about it. It was a convenience," Leo said calmly. Then, he tapped his temple. "Oh, right. I also conveniently recorded the whole dance on my phone."
Riley's head snapped up. She had actually thought, for a split second, that Leo had become a saint. I was wrong, she thought. He's still a complete scoundrel!
Leo smirked at her. "Don't look at me like that, Riley. I won't leak it. You just owe me one favor in the future, and I'll hit delete."
"Fine," Riley sighed, defeated. "I'm just an assistant from Texas, please don't ruin my life."
"Texas? I thought you lived in Cali your whole life?" Leo asked.
"I lived in Austin for six years before moving out here. I still have the accent when I'm... well, when I've had too much tequila," she admitted.
"Perfect. I'll keep that in mind." Leo's smile was harder to suppress than a loaded gun.
...
That night, Leo finished the first official trailer.
He posted the PV and the release schedule on the "Jujutsu Kaisen" official account. As expected, the trailer exploded.
While the visuals were breathtaking, the comments were still full of "hate-watchers" promising to tune in just to see Leo fail.
7:00 PM, Thursday. "Jujutsu Kaisen" officially premiered on Global Stream.
A massive wave of "loyal haters" flooded the platform, ready to tear the show apart. When they clicked into the series, they saw the release schedule: 12 episodes total. Three episodes for the premiere, then one episode every three days.
The industry was baffled. Standard shows aired weekly or dropped all at once.
[Who do they think they are?] one top reviewer posted.
[One episode every three days? Do they really think the 'Hollywood Hellraiser' has enough talent to keep us hooked for that long?]
The world watched, waiting for the crash. They didn't know they were about to witness a miracle.