No one wants to live anymore. 24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6vbZ47ypiQ
Only the client still thinks this can be finished. 24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfwIchakQXY
Casting hasn’t even started, and we’ve already sold our souls.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSWuo8u8qVR
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ99iFh7nI4g
Dragging their heavy feet into the meeting room, 24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIif5W6NiEL
no one said a word.
Not because they didn’t want to—— 24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzSz2Md8Y6Y
but because they simply couldn’t.
Current time: 5:00 a.m. sharp.
With each person who entered, 24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNtfrs7FqDf
the room grew colder.
Not because the AC was too strong—— 24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnbNZGkvdWb
but because everyone was radiating cold from within, 24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcCSsd99upe
thanks to the full-body trauma of:
writing 8,000 words in three hours, 24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmAjaoTF8n7
dreaming only of wrap scenes and car crashes, 24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgLNNAkhetT
and waking up just in time to prep for the next shoot.
The result? A literal physiological shadow.
The screenwriter came in first, 24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ50jnFGNZEN
his face was grayer than drywall, and the circles under his eyes deep enough to drown in.
“I mean… just because I went to bed late doesn’t mean I’m immune to sleep.”
He slumped into the chair with a sound like a bellows giving up its last breath.
Next came the art lead, carrying an empty egg tart box of unknown origin.
“So… food really can taste like nothing…”
She stared blankly at the box.
“I did add Thai basil…”
No one asked why there was Thai basil in an egg tart.
When the director walked in, 24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDGupT2yEG3
this was the scene he saw:
The manager sitting upright, still looking somewhat operational.
But their tie was off by thirty degrees, one sleeve rolled up, 24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFEgRZmmzvg
and three cups of coffee sat by their side. 24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Dj1wY6a4s
Their schedule had been scribbled into a summoning circle.
The director scanned the room, made sure everyone was still breathing, 24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPnsEWeDDqW
then finally set down his laptop.
“We need to finalize the main character’s name this morning,” 24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzHIFj3SgsL
“and finish casting by this afternoon.”
He tried to speak in a tone that said: 24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNeCwAlv5kc
“I'm staying rational, but just barely holding on.”
“Heh.”24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhCSJhnaUD3
The screenwriter let out a cold laugh.
“So we’re wrapping up a nearly 80,000-word script on the last day? Seriously?”
“And me…”
“I still have to get a bar, a warehouse, props, costumes, blood packs, a flying lighter, and the key to a pair of handcuffs… all in 24 hours.”
The art lead chanted the list like a curse.
“At this point, I’m not even sure if that handcuff belongs to our prop box or the boss’s personal collection…”
The manager didn’t join in the sarcasm. 24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡed5a401NJl
Instead, he calmly opened his notebook.
“We need to cast two male actors this afternoon. The kind who are comfortable with explicit scenes.”
“Requirements: not shy, okay with blood, able to handle brutal filming hours, and with good chemistry…”
He glanced up mid-sentence.
“Because the director says there’s no time for rehearsal.”
The director looked up.
“I never said no rehearsals!”24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqfaoGeFtZI
“I said… maybe we’ll have to act with our eyes.”
The room went quiet for a beat.
Then, the art lead pulled out another egg tart, plucked the Thai basil out, and dropped it into her coffee cup.
“Mmmh…”
“This is straight-up impossible.”
“Everyone knows it—except our beloved client.”
“At this point, I kinda feel like we’re being hunted.”
“We basically exorcised our own damn spirits——only to find out the script is called _Guiltbound_?”
“The next one should be called Deliverance. So we can deliver ourselves.”
The director looked around the table. 24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ20sqDFdNjr
Everyone had dead eyes, cold coffee, and the collective thought of never wanting to wake up again.
“The name?” he asked.
“Main character’s name.”
This time, all three fell silent.
Three seconds later, the art lead bit into her tart and said:
“Just call him ‘Tragic.’ Then we’ll have a couple: Tragic × More Tragic.”
The manager flipped through the notes.
“Or maybe Shen… something Shen… you know, like ‘sink-to-the-bottom’ Shen.”
The director didn’t answer. 24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Dugi9Vu4m
He quietly wrote down a few names, thinking he’d fix them later.
He didn’t want to disturb the fragile balance in the room—— 24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjmwjajYFZ9
because when everyone’s about to explode, 24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEAfhRd7PhA
even one extra sentence could be the trigger.
The sky was starting to brighten. 24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5sZa2kYQa0
Birds chirped faintly outside the meeting room.
The day had barely begun. 24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsx6HZZvFy7
But these people… 24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG3pimi4gCq
were already done with it.
