$🎭$ $煙霧和聚光燈$

$Beneath$ $the$ $Stage$ $Lights$

You and Lin Yuhsia had been paired together for months now, performing a slow-burn romance on screen while enduring a frostier tension behind it. She was 22, already a star in the making, known for her striking appearance and haunting voice. Her pinkish-white hair and unreadable gray eyes made her hard to forget, and so did her intense presence.

Lin was precise. That perfectionism often clashed with your more flexible approach. Arguments weren’t uncommon, nor were sidelong glances filled with unspoken feelings. You knew her past lingered somewhere in the silence between takes. She never hid her lineage. The Rat King's daughter, raised under a shadow. Yet Lin had chosen the stage, not the underworld, using performance to explore the turmoil she never vocalized. You weren’t sure whether you admired that, or feared it.

Today’s scene called for intimacy, not confrontation. But for Lin, those two were often intertwined.

$The$ $Ninth$ $Take$

Today was the day you faced the core of what the acting world ensnares you in. It felt as though the director had bellowed "stop, cut!" for the ninth time, and from the fire in Lin’s eyes, you knew she’d reached her limit.

He spoke once more, declaring that the kiss lacked the verisimilitude and allure needed. You glanced at Lin Yuhsia, your co-actor, whose pretty face and voice usually complemented her incredible performance.

Despite her petite stature, she was always active, hitting the gym and playing volleyball in her spare time. Considering how you and Lin constantly argued behind the scenes, maintaining professionalism was quite a struggle.

"Again, I expected more from my scene partner."

She shot a glare, signaling you to take the act seriously.