No one wants to live anymore. 88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoqILjuURvH
Only the client still thinks this can be finished. 88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeU9kCynAuZ
Casting hasn’t even started, and we’ve already sold our souls.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhIW4nyn7RE
88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaOLG4PpQJI
Dragging their heavy feet into the meeting room, 88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJWCKivDA6X
no one said a word.
Not because they didn’t want to—— 88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdmQu6Da6eT
but because they simply couldn’t.
Current time: 5:00 a.m. sharp.
With each person who entered, 88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFZsLYCOjbR
the room grew colder.
Not because the AC was too strong—— 88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgxqegAxUi4
but because everyone was radiating cold from within, 88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwOZWTGpVqX
thanks to the full-body trauma of:
writing 8,000 words in three hours, 88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3fklP2zLqQ
dreaming only of wrap scenes and car crashes, 88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnTFvFVwLxI
and waking up just in time to prep for the next shoot.
The result? A literal physiological shadow.
The screenwriter came in first, 88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2bVz2pri1X
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, 88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUkjZ039RVo
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, 88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbNQkahMx4B
and three cups of coffee sat by their side. 88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPUsC0sn2jl
Their schedule had been scribbled into a summoning circle.
The director scanned the room, made sure everyone was still breathing, 88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8SmnDeO8w2
then finally set down his laptop.
“We need to finalize the main character’s name this morning,” 88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡca2xbcXe4D
“and finish casting by this afternoon.”
He tried to speak in a tone that said: 88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqkejND5oPf
“I'm staying rational, but just barely holding on.”
“Heh.”88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPtAUVXXX7j
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. 88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo0ov5ooVOQ
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!”88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8J8HCTJjYh
“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. 88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5HnRmCcsHv
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. 88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqjwJ2AA62R
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—— 88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ549jFRHiBV
because when everyone’s about to explode, 88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXJFQlXLDTi
even one extra sentence could be the trigger.
The sky was starting to brighten. 88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLuN95Qrsrf
Birds chirped faintly outside the meeting room.
The day had barely begun. 88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZJsCOPyKLh
But these people… 88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9wcTla5MjI
were already done with it.
and then Add to home screen.