As soon as he arrived at the premiere venue, Alex spent a few minutes greeting actors and producers who had already confirmed their participation in his next project. The exchanges were brief and superficial, filled with automatic courtesy typical of events like this-polite smiles, generic compliments, vague promises to "talk properly later." Nothing that required real engagement. Soon after, the theater staff began guiding the audience, and the lights slowly dimmed, plunging the room into semi-darkness. The premiere was about to begin.
"Um… Director Alex."
The moment the screen went completely dark, Rebeca Verne took a deep breath and, after hesitating for a few seconds, called out to him in a low voice. It was unusual to see her so restrained. The reason was simple: her mother was seated right behind them, observing everything with a rigid, watchful posture, as if she wouldn't miss a single detail. Because of that, Rebeca didn't dare use the familiar nicknames she used before-ones that would sound far too intimate in this setting.
"Hm? Is something wrong?" Alex asked, turning his head slightly.
"Do you… not think this movie will do well?" she asked, almost whispering.
The question sounded simple, but the weight behind it was obvious. As soon as Rebeca spoke, several nearby actors-who had been pretending to focus on the screen-clearly tensed up. No one said anything, but it was obvious they all wanted to hear his answer.
Alex fell silent for a few seconds. To be honest, he genuinely couldn't remember how this film had performed in his previous life. As he mentally reviewed Rebeca's career in cinema, an uncomfortable realization kept surfacing: very few of her works had truly left an impression. Worse still, every film she had headlined had failed commercially.
"…I don't think it'll be a complete disaster," he finally said, choosing his words carefully. "But it doesn't look like something that's going to explode at the box office either."
The light from the screen reflected softly on Rebeca's face, and Alex noticed her cheeks puff out slightly. She clearly didn't like that answer. There was a mix of frustration and stubbornness in her expression, as if she wanted to argue back but didn't quite know how.
Alex had no intention of dragging the conversation out. I didn't even say you'd spend years stacking up failures. That's already me being polite, he thought.
Rebeca only had a few years of experience in film. If she didn't find a real way to reinvent herself, there was still a long road of setbacks ahead. That was simply reality, whether she liked it or not.
The other actors, however, weren't naïve. The moment they heard Alex's assessment, their expressions darkened. They knew exactly what it meant. If Alex wasn't confident, then the project had serious issues.
Since the beginning of his career, Alex's instinct for judging success and failure had never been wrong. A flawless track record-something rare even among the biggest names in the industry.
...
...
"Alex… I think Rebeca's upset," Samantha Burnes murmured, leaning slightly toward him.
"Let her be," he replied indifferently. "It's not like that's going to change anything."
"But she's… special," Samantha said, her eyes full of admiration.
Rebeca Verne was exactly that kind of figure: someone who debuted very young, immediately as a lead, quickly won over the public, and was given grand titles by the media. The "nation's first love." The "perfect girl." An untouchable star. To many people, she looked like someone who had stepped straight out of a fantasy story.
"You started just as strong as she did," Alex said with a smile, casually resting a hand on Samantha's head.
Samantha blinked a few times, processing his words. Then, suddenly, something clicked.
Rebeca had been a lead actress at fifteen.
She herself had taken on a leading role even younger.
And while Rebeca, early in her career, worked with actors who were well-known but not exactly legendary, Samantha had been acting alongside absolute heavyweights from the very beginning-including Alex himself.
Seen that way, her starting point didn't seem inferior at all. If anything, it was better.
Samantha's face lit up instantly. She naturally clung to Alex's arm and spoke in a clearly spoiled tone.
"You're really amazing to me, Alex…"
Damn it.
Alex nearly panicked internally.
If any photographer caught that scene, he'd have serious trouble explaining it. Misinterpretations would spread instantly.
Fortunately, the theater was dark, and without flash, no one could capture anything clearly.
Unfortunately, Rebeca, seated a few rows ahead, saw enough. Her body stiffened for a moment, and she took a deep breath, disbelief flashing through her eyes.
It's been years since I last saw you… and this is how you are now? she thought, clenching her teeth.
...
...
Before the premiere, the audience had formed a very clear expectation of what the movie would be like.
Most people believed it would follow the style of Alex's previous works: a refined blend of action, investigation, and suspense, with a solid narrative and well-developed characters.
Reality was a shock.
The film didn't seem to know what it wanted to be. Over-the-top action, disjointed references, supernatural concepts thrown in without restraint. Everything was mixed together chaotically, as if multiple incompatible ideas had been stuffed into the same script with no filter at all.
In earlier interviews, the director had even mentioned drawing inspiration from other great works of the genre.
Watching it unfold, Alex could only think of one question: inspired by what, exactly?
"Alex… I'm sleepy," Samantha murmured after yawning repeatedly.
He glanced sideways and saw that she was already struggling to keep her eyes open. His first impulse was to leave with her, but he quickly dismissed the idea. Standing up in the middle of the screening would draw too much attention.
With a quiet sigh, he gave in. He let Samantha rest her head on his shoulder and fall asleep right there, completely ignoring any possible outside interpretations.
...
...
When the film finally ended, the lights came back on and the interview segment began.
This time, the reporters gave Alex no chance to escape. The moment he tried to step away, he was surrounded by microphones and cameras, as if the rest of the cast no longer existed.
"Director Alex, what is your opinion on Rebeca Verne's performance in this film?"
Hearing the question, Alex tried to control himself. He tried to keep a neutral expression. He tried to respond diplomatically.
But he failed.
"Pff… hahaha!"
The laughter escaped before he could stop it.
For a few seconds, the atmosphere turned awkward. The journalists exchanged glances, unsure how to react.
He hadn't said a single concrete word.
And yet, somehow, everyone understood exactly what it meant.