Hours later...
Knock knock.
Director Sarian paused and looked toward the door of his small office. The second he saw Lola leaning against the jamb, a deep exhale escaped him.
"I told Ida not to bother you," he said, throwing up his hands as Lola chuckled. "Even my assistant doesn’t listen to me now. What have I done with my life?"
Lola sat on the small, worn couch in his office. "Director, Ida will only act against your orders if she thinks it’s necessary."
"Tsk." Director Sarian continued cleaning his desk, tossing old scripts and trash into the box next to him.
Meanwhile, Lola kept her eyes on him, shaking her head. This man was one of the best in his craft—not only for bringing stories to life, but also for his ethics. Yet the director often found himself in controversy because of his attitude.
"What now?" he grumbled without looking at her. "Aren’t you going to tell me to ignore the executives and just continue?"
"I agreed to talk to you," she said, "but the more I think about it, the less I know what to say. You’re my mentor, and I don’t think it’s proper for me to tell my mentor how to feel when some people are undermining his authority."
"Hah!" Director Sarian looked back at her, only to meet her smile.
The two stared at each other before he finally set down what he was doing. Reaching for the telecoms, he said, "Bring us some tea here," then joined Lola.
As he sat, another deep sigh escaped him.
"I agreed to do this series on the condition that I would have full control of everything," he began. "The reason I specifically said that is because of the rampant influence of people with money in projects. It’s not new—or rather, it’s always been like this—but nowadays, it feels different."
"I’m starting to get scared of the entertainment industry myself," he continued dejectedly. "I’m worried talent and art will disappear because of money."
Lola smiled wearily, sensing his disappointment. Unlike many others, Director Sarian came from humble beginnings. He didn’t reach this position easily—he had to climb his way up, relying solely on his talent, fighting those with connections, and succeeding against the odds.
That was why he focused on talent above all in casting and production, creating an environment far different from most of the industry. His projects drew not only established artists but also rookies or those attempting comebacks, because they only needed to worry about talent and delivering lines.
"I’m sorry, Director," Lola said with a forced smile.
"Haha. Why apologize? You barely have your foot in the door of this industry. If anyone should apologize, it’s the higher-ups!"
"But they weren’t the ones doing all those things—the artists were," she countered.
Director Sarian paused, frowning.
"Director, I know that creating a fierce yet safe environment for the artists has always been your goal," Lola said, leaning forward with her arms on her knees. "However, I don’t think that goal should invite controversy. It’s a shame these articles came out before filming, but it would’ve been worse if they came out mid-production."
She had fact-checked the articles—they were true. Manager Kang was not careless enough to fabricate lies simply to start a scandal.
"I see it as a blessing in disguise," she added. "We avoided problematic delays by switching artists before filming began, and you avoided getting dragged into another scandal."
Raising her brows with a faint smile, she continued, "Director, I know you’re not happy the executives are meddling, but they’re just doing their job, just as you’re doing yours."
"They could do their job without undermining mine," he replied.
"I don’t think they have much choice. They aren’t thrilled with you, but they’ve complied with many of your requests nonetheless," she said with a shrug. "Even so, if you’re having second thoughts about the project, you don’t have to continue. I would respect that decision."
Lola looked him directly in the eye. "No hard feelings."
A wave of silence settled over the office. After a long exhale, he nodded.
"I’m not dropping the project," he admitted. "Ida was just worried because I told her there’s a lot of drama around this series even before production starts. So, it felt like a bad omen."
"I figured," Lola said with a smile.
"Anyway, you don’t need to worry about me," he added, pointing a thumb over his shoulder. "I’m just cleaning out the trash here since I’ll be busier once filming begins."
"I’m not worried at all, Director," Lola chuckled. "It would take a lot of studying to start worrying about a man like you."
Director Sarian laughed, lightly slapping the armrest. Just then, an intern knocked and delivered the tea. Once the intern left, he gestured.
"You should enjoy this tea before you go. I got it from my last project when we shot the final scene abroad."
"I would. Thank you."
As Lola lifted the cup to enjoy its aroma, Director Sarian spoke again.
"Taz, your half-sister will be in the project," he said, watching her raise an eyebrow.
"I figured," she replied, placing the cup down. "And I’m fine with it. Melissa will learn a lot in this project."
"I’m saying this because, at the end of the day, no matter how estranged you are, she’s still your sister," he sighed. "I don’t like Melissa Young—not only because of her lack of talent and focus on looks before acting, but mainly because I don’t like how she pulls strings to get what she wants."
His remarks made Lola’s brows rise. Did he know it was Melissa and Manager Kang behind the articles?
"What I’m saying is, I heard Derek Lancaster had dinner with one of the executives," Director Sarian clarified. "And that executive—"
"Was the one who chose the artist," she interjected, and he nodded.
"Not only did they choose the artist, but they convinced the board to approve it," he huffed. "So, I apologize in advance, but I am not going to go easy on Melissa Young."
"You don’t need to apologize, Director," Lola said. "Though I asked you to treat her fairly."
By "fairly," she meant he shouldn’t hold back at all. Director Sarian might hesitate because of her, but Melissa had forced the situation.
Melissa probably thinks she won, she thought. She had no idea what it’s like to work with Director Sarian.