Hugo was sick.
It wasn't surprising. After all, someone who had abused drugs for a long time couldn't expect his body to recover easily. Restoring a body once damaged by toxins is always much harder than destroying it. Although Hugo had been exercising regularly for over half a year, his busy schedule and irregular diet had slowed down his recovery process.
The fact that he hadn't fallen ill during that entire time was already remarkable. But once he did, his health collapsed like a landslide. Only then did Joseph realize that Hugo hadn't had any real health issues for months—not even a cold. Perhaps that was why this sudden illness hit him so hard.
What began as a mild cold and low fever quickly worsened. By the next day, his temperature started climbing, and neither rest nor medicine helped. Within two days, it developed into pneumonia. The constant fever drained Hugo's strength little by little. The lively energy that used to radiate from him seemed to fade away completely. His warm smile—once a fixture on his lips—was now cracked and pale from dryness. The dark circles around his eyes deepened his already colorless face, and the once healthy glow of his tan skin had dimmed, like a forest shrouded in dark clouds, stripped of all light.
Hugo stayed in the hospital for four days before the inflammation finally began to subside. He remained bedridden for two more days after that, but soon grew restless. Unable to bear the smell of formalin that lingered in the hospital air, he insisted on being discharged and finally returned home.
When Hugo saw Joseph standing in front of him, he couldn't help but laugh.
"Charlize, Alex, and Kal have all lost weight from staying up late so much—but you... you've gotten fatter?" Hugo said teasingly.
Joseph's face darkened with exasperation as he saw that tired but genuine smile returning to Hugo's face. "What, did Charlize and the others prepare all the good food for me, and you were sneaking too many snacks at home?"
Although Joseph sighed helplessly, the tension in his chest finally eased. The smile was back on Hugo's face again. He hadn't realized until now how much he had missed that sunshine-like energy. These past few days—when Hugo was weak and nearly unconscious—had felt unbearably wrong to him.
"So," Hugo said lightly, "whatever bad news you've been hiding from me, you can tell me now."
Joseph immediately looked up, his eyes filled with uncertainty and worry. Hugo rolled his eyes and said, "With Alex around, there's no way you could keep a secret. And you and Kal aren't any better at it either." Even without trying, Hugo could sense the heaviness in Joseph's expression.
That heaviness wasn't just concern for Hugo's health—it was something deeper, a restless anxiety. Hugo knew that feeling well. After he failed the audition for A River Runs Through It last year, he had gone through a long period where he couldn't even get callbacks. Hugo had seen the same frustration on his face then, though Joseph had tried to hide it. Later, when his audition for Scent of a Woman succeeded, that tension disappeared completely.
Now, seeing it again, Hugo knew something was wrong.
Joseph hesitated, unsure how to speak, but the look was unmistakable. Hugo chuckled softly. "Relax, I'm not about to die." He lowered his gaze and said quietly, "Some things are better left in the heart. If you keep drowning in pessimism, unable to pull yourself out, life just... stops. That doesn't help anyone—it only makes things worse."
That, more than anything, was what Hugo had realized during his illness.
A relationship might end, but life doesn't. Whether you choose to win it back, to seek revenge, or simply to let it go—life still has to move forward. Only when you lift your head and face the world can anything change. Self-pity, silent tears, and endless loneliness were never Hugo's way of living.
Joseph was relieved to see Hugo's optimism return, though a small part of him still worried. Uma hadn't appeared once during the entire week Hugo was sick—unsurprising, perhaps—but the thought lingered in Joseph's mind. Still, he didn't know what to say to comfort Hugo. So, forcing a half-smile, he said, "Yeah, it's just one woman. No reason to torment yourself over that."
Hugo gave a soft laugh. "Yeah... yeah." His half-lowered eyes flickered with unreadable emotion. Only he could taste the bitterness resting on his tongue. Then he lifted his head again, all feelings carefully buried beneath his calm expression. This time, he hid them well. "So, you don't need to worry. What happened?"
Joseph weighed his thoughts. He hadn't originally planned to tell Hugo—after all, it wasn't something that really required Hugo's involvement. The results were already set. But then again, Hugo had every right to know. And besides, he wasn't fragile; he'd endured the agony of withdrawal on sheer willpower alone.
"Actually," Joseph began, "the rumors about you being difficult on set have finally died down."
Hugo smiled faintly and nodded. That was Hollywood for you—no story lasted long. Even the shocking scandal involving Woody Allen had made headlines only for a short while before fading away. New stories appeared every day, shifting the public's focus and feeding their appetite for gossip.
"But," Joseph continued, "the effects of it haven't completely disappeared."
"That's to be expected," Hugo replied calmly. "The real damage from a negative story isn't in the initial headlines—it's in the long-term fallout afterward. Just look at Watergate."
The Watergate Scandal was first exposed by The Washington Post on June 18, 1972. At first, President Richard Nixon responded swiftly and strategically, successfully deceiving the public and even winning re-election. But over the next two years, a series of anonymous letters sent to the courts gradually revealed the truth behind the break-in. By August 8, 1974, Nixon—abandoned by his allies—was forced to resign, closing one of the darkest chapters in American politics.
Joseph looked at Hugo's calm face and felt his own anxiety subside slightly. "Actually," he said, "Warner Records and Universal Music both reached out to me earlier, asking if you were interested in producing an album. But when I called them back this week to explain your condition... their secretaries took the calls instead."
Joseph's point was clear — the album deal had fallen through. But Hugo focused on something else entirely. "Wow, two top record labels wanted to release an album for me? Is that for real? When did that happen?"
"At the Golden Globe after-party," Joseph admitted. "But it wasn't a formal offer. I just happened to run into some of their people… well, forget it. They were just being polite. I didn't pay much attention — you know, that night my mind was entirely on The Fugitive."
Joseph spoke honestly. After all, he was a film agent, not a music manager. He knew little about the music industry and cared even less.
Hugo let out a long sigh. "I see. So they were just testing the waters. Even without all this chaos, it's not something that would've happened easily."
Hugo was well aware of his own situation. So far, the only musical performance he'd given was singing "Sunburn" on The Oprah Winfrey Show. It had earned him some attention, sure but not enough for a label to invest in a full studio album. After all, producing an album meant creating at least ten songs.
Hearing Hugo's calm reasoning helped Joseph settle down again. "Then there's the film situation…" He paused for a moment, debating whether to tell Hugo the rest. In truth, several producers, screenwriters, and agents had either avoided him outright or hung up the phone as soon as they heard he represented Hugo.
Some were evasive, dodging the topic altogether; others were downright rude. One of them — Marshall Herskovitz, the Emmy-winning producer of Thirtysomething — had even mocked Joseph openly before slamming the phone down.
The memory made Joseph clench his fist unconsciously, but he quickly composed himself and said, "Things aren't looking good on the movie front either. It seems Sleepless in Seattle is going with Tom Hanks."
Even though Joseph didn't elaborate, Hugo could easily imagine what he'd gone through. Whether or not the rumors about Hugo were true, the controversy alone was enough to make everyone avoid him. As for Sleepless in Seattle, hearing Tom Hanks's name made Hugo exhale deeply. He suspected this was exactly what Tracy had been hoping for to see him left with nothing. No projects, no auditions, not even a backup plan.
No one could say how things would unfold from here, but it was obvious that Tracy had played her cards well. After all, wasn't this her goal to see Hugo in ruin? This was even worse than when he'd won the Golden Raspberry Award a year ago.
If Brad Pitt and Uma Thurman ended up starring in The Firm, while Tracy and Steven Spielberg teamed up for Schindler's List, then Hugo's hardship was only just beginning.
After the double success of Scent of a Woman and A Few Good Men, Hugo had expected his career to soar to a new height. Instead, he found himself standing on the edge of a cliff or perhaps, right back at the starting line. No wonder Joseph was so anxious. Even Hugo couldn't help but exhale a long breath, releasing the frustration weighing in his chest.
...
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