ASTRID smiled helplessly when he saw the reluctant look on both Reas and Lauren’s faces. “Things like this will continue to happen as long as I haven’t made a name for myself in this industry. People will keep doubting my ability. Some will try to put me down. Some will try to besmirch my name before I could even become big. Just because I was able to dodge this one, it doesn’t mean that no other ‘bullet’ will come my way.”
He turned to Lauren. “I’m sure Lauren had experienced things like this since you debuted.”
Lauren scratched the tip of his nose. He really couldn’t deny that. In fact, even now, there were still people trying to push this narrative about him being this playboy prancing about seducing every actor or actress he co-starred with. If his acting was shitty, then, being a playboy was all he would be known for. Thankfully, he was a damn good actor.
Lauren’s reaction didn’t escape Reas. He then remembered the things that he had read about the other. About all those ‘scandals’. He must admit that his judgement about him was affected because of those. That’s why his first impression of Lauren was not that good.
Thinking about it now, he was such a scum towards the other. How was he so different from the people who judged his brother? Such scrutiny and judgments, Lauren had been experiencing since he entered the entertainment industry. And now, Astrid would go through the same thing.
Times like these, he truly wondered if all of these were worth it. But this was Astrid’s dream. Just like how it was his dream to be a soldier. It was not his place to stop him just because he felt uncomfortable. He couldn’t drag him away from his dreams in the name of ‘protection’.
Seeing the silence of the two, Astrid knew that they understood what he was trying to say. “If we get too angry every time an issue like this pops up, we will just stress ourselves up. It’s best to just think of every negative issue as some sort of opportunity. Like some kind of test that once you passed will give you a high reward. That’s better than getting worked up. Don’t you think so as well?”
”Well, if you put it that way…” Lauren said because he really didn’t have any comeback for that.
Reas only sighed. “Just give me a heads up if something like this happen again. I promise I won’t go batshit crazy and immediately go on attack mode. I just want to be informed so I could give any support or help that I could.”
”Me too, me too! If there’s anything I can help with, don’t hesitate to ask,” Lauren added.
Their conversation continued on in a much peaceful note. At the end, they even made an appointment to meet up on Sunday. It just happened that Astrid already promised Kiran that he would visit his workplace that day. So, they could just meet up at the piano lounge. He planned to also invite Snow. It’s a good way to introduce his friends to each other.
Since the day before that would be when the 100th episode of [Blind Justice] would air, Astrid was very excited for this weekend.
***********
It was already nine o’clock in the evening, but a certain part of Astreas Farm was quite lively. An empty space was transformed into an outdoor cinema. The neighbors and tenants of the farm were sitting in front of a huge virtual screen. Everyone had an excited look on their face. That’s not all, there was also a table full of snacks on the side. One look and anyone could see that this was definitely a viewing party.
That’s right, everyone was here to watch the 100th episode of [Blind Justice]. Some knew of the show while some didn’t. But there was one common thing about all of them. The reason why they’re here was to support Astrid.
When they found out that the teenager went to the capital star to pursue his dream of acting, most of them were quite surprised. After all, they knew that Astrid always had high grades in school. So, they assumed that he would go into scientific research or something. They even thought that he would be interested in agriculture since he always put forward interesting ideas about farming.
But when they thought of the idea that the other would be an actor in the future, it seemed to be not so weird. And once they got used to the idea, all they could think of was, ‘as it should’. After all, it’s only natural that someone with such a beauty should be known through the whole Empire.
Yes, these people truly believed that Astrid would be known not just by them but also of all the people living in the Empire. And maybe they were indeed right.
When the Townsend couple told them that Astrid would be appearing in an episode of a web drama, some of them suggested that they should do a viewing party where everyone could watch it together. Many seconded that suggestion. This was the first official appearance of Astrid as an actor. Of course, they should support it in any way possible.
And so, they were here.
”It’s going to start in a few seconds!” Emmy, who was sitting at the very front with her husband, excitedly announced.
A few seconds later, [Blind Justice] finally started.
———-
At the same time, at the capital, in the mansion of the Grimaldi family…
A seven-year-old boy with silver hair was inside the mansion’s home theater. His sapphire blue eyes were staring intently at the virtual screen, waiting for the start of [Blind Justice].
His Uncle Casey said that Brother Aster would appear in this show. So, he had been waiting since an hour ago. It’s been a month since he last saw Brother Aster. He really missed him. If only his dad would allow him to contact the other.
Hmp, bad Father! If not for Uncle Casey, he wouldn’t even know that he could watch Brother Aster in this show.
Really, he couldn’t wait to see him again!