Hell's Actor-Chapter 109: Auspicious Meetings

"Who is he talking to?" Hyerin muttered.

She and Min-Ha were sitting in the back of the audience seats.

"I don’t know. He looks bald."

Their attention was entirely on Averie. They weren’t even aware of what play they were watching.

"That mask suits him, doesn’t it?" Min-Ha said.

"Yeah."

"We should take a few photos and upload them to his Delfa account."

"Uh-huh."

"He looks good in everything, so that’s nice."

"Yes."

The stylist sighed. "Why are you so on edge?"

"How can I not be? Averie, talking to a bald man?" She bit her nail. "He loves his hair too much. He looks down on bald people. Something is suspicious about this."

"You know, I worry about you. You are acting and saying things just like him."

Hyerin was offended.

"Don’t put me in the same tier of lunacy as him."

She gasped. "He is taking off his mask! I knew he was up to something!"

Min-Ha had to hold her back from rushing towards their employer.

***

Averie slid his mask to the side.

The face underneath was a smiling one.

Looking at him, the director thought that he was an extremely attractive man.

"I am Averie Quinn Auclair, Director Groux."

The good director was stunned.

’It’s the man from the magazine.’

Just a few days ago, he was pitying himself in front of his cover photo, and now, he was talking with him face to face.

’Is this fate?’

"Ms. Monet sent you, you said?"

"Yes."

"Could it be?" he whispered to himself.

With a trained eye, he observed Aveire’s face.

’His face suits the role, but can he...’

"I am not that familiar with your name; are you working on any projects right now?"

"Cameos and such stuff. Good scripts are hard to come by."

"Indeed."

The director could tell that the man in front of him was uninterested in the scale of his projects. The role was all that mattered to him.

"Are you perhaps accepting work from across the globe?"

"Yes," Averie smiled. "Would you like my agent’s number?"

"I would appreciate it."

And so, the two exchanged numbers. Averie even threw in his number.

At this point, he could not hold back his curiosity about the film this soft-spoken director was preparing.

’Let us see if these visions aren’t jests of Lucifer’s.’

"Are you working on something, Director?" fгeewebnovёl.com

"Yes. I am preparing for a film festival."

"Which one?"

"Serenes."

Serenes was a film festival that took place every four years. It was considered the biggest event for artistic films.

’Since 2012, every four years, the ’big five’ of film festivals have gone on hiatus for a year.’

Venice, Cannes, and Berlin made up the original ’big three.’ Along with Toronto and Sundance, they were considered the ’big five.’

Every four years, they came together to hold the Serenes Film Festival.

’Only the big five have the honor of hosting these events.’

"The next year, in 2028, it will be held in Berlin. I am planning to participate."

Unlike the year-end film awards, film festivals were different. They mostly did not care how big a film was or how well it did in theaters when evaluating the work.

The only things that mattered were brilliant performances, artistic sense, director’s vision, and intricate dialogue.

’The previous films that won it weren’t big productions either.’

Averie remembered the challenge Lucifer had created for him.

’Win an award I am not eligible for... But how?’

"I might send you a script. It is still not complete, but it shows promise." The director turned his gaze towards the stage. "If the preproduction doesn’t end my aspirations, we should talk."

"What is it about?"

"If other artistic works focus on transience, then this one focuses on permanence."

At that moment, the play came to an end.

That night, Director Groux relaxed in his hotel with a glass of wine and looked up Averie.

"He is famous..." he muttered. "Only one main role and one guest appearance? And no films?"

He was having a hard time guessing where Averie’s confidence and attitude towards art came from.

’Binsfeld’s Seven Princes of Hell.’

He was surprised to find the name of a director he knew.

’So, he does dramas too now?’

So, he watched it.

He watched it with wide eyes.

He watched it with an enthralled heart.

He binge-watched the entire show without sleeping.

And as the night turned to day, he understood why Averie was so confident.

"Skilled doesn’t begin to describe him."

The diabolical actor did not care as much about money or fame.

He was so far ahead when it came to acting that the director thought most senior actors could not touch him.

After taking care of his appointments in Tokyo, Averie returned to Seoul a week later.

And so the days passed.

***

In the headquarters of CBC, a meeting with the executives present was soon to take place in the largest conference hall.

The management and the senior staff had all gathered. It was an important occasion, and all parties concerned had to be present.

Neatly arranged files were placed in front of each of the seats. An old yet reliable projector was on.

To Mock the Commentary (working title)

While the people were gathering in the room, waiting for the executives to arrive, a man approached his coworker and took a seat beside her.

"How was your weekend?" he asked, looking through the papers in front of him.

"Fine."

"How’s the family?"

"Good."

That was far less enthusiastic a response than he was used to.

"What are you doing?"

Her forehead was pushing against the edge of the table; her gaze was fixated on the phone in her lap; and in her ears were wired earphones.

She looked up. "What?"

"What are you doing? The meeting will start soon."

He looked around the room. Not many people were in yet.

"Don’t let them see you like this. What are you watching?"

The girl slightly tilted her phone screen.

The sixth episode of Binsfeld’s Seven Princes of Hell was playing on it.

The drama had been released in the West.

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