Chapter Text
The bell jingles softly, and its chime blends in sync with the music that sways lightly from the radio, which somehow, strangely enough, enhances the rich, smooth, earthy coffee aroma that wafts through the café.
Morning rays seep through the window beside the table, giving a subtle light with enough warmth. Wise leans back in his chair, basking in the sunlight that falls onto his table. He inhales the rich aroma of the freshly brewed coffee while playing with the rim of his latte cup, savoring the sound of the coffee machine that matches well with the café’s ambiance.
Wise sips his latte, enjoying the smooth milky taste with a hint of unique bitterness that he is fond of—but is currently banned from.
Wise knows he shouldn’t drink coffee today—or yesterday, or tomorrow—because of his insomnia issues. He looks tired; his prominent eye bags are more noticeable than usual, clearly showing he hasn’t gotten any proper sleep these past few days—especially to his beloved sister who sees his face daily.
That's why Belle bans him from drinking coffee for a while. But alas, here he is, sitting in the most secluded part of his favorite café, drinking a latte.
Wise takes another sip of his drink. To be honest, Wise loves espresso more, but today he decides to give his body a little break from the familiar bitter taste by adding some milk. Who knows, maybe he’ll be sleepy afterward. People always say that warm milk can make you drowsy, right?
That’s not how it works, Wise.
Belle's unamused expression—when he bargained for a latte instead of espresso—flashed in his mind.
Wise's trip down memory lane halts when he hears the store bell jingle softly. “Welcome, what can I help you with?” Tin Master’s friendly voice greets several familiar regulars as they come in.
A wolf Thiren butler, together with a twin-tailed maid, walks in. Wise watches with interest. Judging from the number of takeaway cups they have, it seems they ordered for their other co-workers too. The Thiren speaks to the maid; after that, he takes several coffee cups from her. He always acts like a gentleman. Perhaps it is because of his work as a butler?
Wise is still thinking when the Thiren's gaze meets his. He realizes that he has just been caught staring. Not wanting to seem rude, he gives a small nod of acknowledgement, and the wolf Thiren reciprocates with a polite nod, seeming to recognize him as a fellow regular.
Wise indeed likes to spend his morning break here, enjoying Tin Master’s special brew while watching and analyzing people in silence (hey, there is a reason why he often chooses this nearly secluded table). It feeds his mind with less intensity than his usual work.
Another regular steps closer to the counter, talking with Tin Master about something Wise can’t quite hear. Tin Master nods and turns on the TV and switches the channel. Wise’s eyes drift to the monitor with curiosity. It is an interview show. He squints and sees a familiar person on the screen.
Dark green hair, shades covering his supposedly green eyes. A well-built body with a languid yet confident posture and teasing smiles when answering questions from the interviewer.
Lighter Lorenz.
It's a name that Wise has known for a long time.
Well, maybe not just him, but also almost all the people in New Eridu. Because really, who wouldn’t know the tall, handsome, and charming reigning champion as the most sought-after bachelor in New Eridu?
If Wise remembers correctly, the actor has sat on his throne for more than six years by now. Not once has he been dethrone since taking the position there.
He has many reasons to prevail over the others. One: his fanbase is massive.
He has tons of them—from children and teenagers up to the elderly, who love and are obsessed with him; men and women who are either jealous or falling head over heels for him; humans and Thiren to intelligent constructs with their own fair share of NSFW self-insert fantasies about him.
Two: he has talent. A lot of his movies are box office successes. This is a well-known fact.
Three: he has the brawn. Lighter is mainly cast in action movies, and as far as the public knows, he has never used stunt doubles.
Four: he has a clean track record. He looks and acts sexy, easy-going, and flirty, but despite all of that, he has never gotten involved in any scandal or weird gossip.
And, last but not least, despite his outwardly confident and flirtatious demeanor, Lighter is actually a romantic, shy guy. This information is not well-known.
Wise himself has actually met Lighter and can attest that all four pieces of information are true and fit with the borderline cockiness in his gestures. But he hasn’t interacted with Lighter enough to know about his real personality.
Yet somehow, Wise knows about the older man's true personality, which, of course, is courtesy of his beloved sister—one of Lighter’s fans and current coworkers. So, when he heard that Lighter was actually a gap moe, Wise believed it—because Belle had told him so.
Wise lets out a small, fond chuckle at the memories of Belle gushing about her idol. If he didn't know better, he’d think Belle had a crush on the older man. But nope, she is currently eyeing another person.
Lighter may be her idol, but weirdly, he’s not her type.
Wise stares at the monitor, watching how Lighter smoothly evades the interviewer's questions about something sensitive. He chuckles—some things never changes. Lighter always has this habit of wearing a knowing smirk when he wants to smooth-talk his way through something. A habit Wise has noticed after several of their meetings.
His first meeting with Lighter Lorenz was a few years ago at one of Lighter’s movie sets—a story about an underground fighter who struggles his way out of debt by fighting and becomes an undefeated champion. It was one of Lighter’s best movies.
At that time, both Wise and Belle had been scouted to be extras. They were among the many spectators at the underground arena’s fighting scene. They didn’t do much aside from sitting and watching Lighter act in a daze, but somehow, for Wise and Belle, that movie was also the start of their careers.
Belle’s, to be exact.
When Belle started getting more jobs as an actress, they started running into Lighter more often. This was because somehow, his sister often landed on jobs that got her involved with talents from Lighter’s agency.
While for him… Well… after a few times doing actor things, Wise didn’t find anything that ignited his spark as an actor.
But he does kinda enjoy acting and is interested in people and several aspects in the entertainment industry. That’s why he chooses not to step away entirely, instead retreating to the shadows—silently watching, learning what he can, as much as he can. As time went by, Wise found working in the background more interesting. It had enough challenges while drawing less unwanted attention from people he was uncomfortable with. And, after struggling for years and learning the ropes here and there, the fruit of his labor finally paid off.
Nowadays, Wise is known as an exceptional manager for Belle Arna, the rising actress of New Eridu. And that is what brings him to his current problem.
Wise tears his gaze away from Lighter’s face on the screen, his vibrant green eyes now fixed on the document that lies innocently beside his latte. If only he could ignore it forever—or better yet, burn this damned stack of papers.
He sighs and massages his temple. The TV’s sound starts to become an incoherent rumble in his ears.
Well, you see, even if he wants to lie low, being one of the best managers out there doesn't mean he can stay out of people's sight, at least not in this kind of industry. Wise has a fair share of job offers to manage other actors as well as offers to join larger companies, promising things he can’t access as an independent.
He rejected those offers without batting an eyelash because the only person Wise wants to manage is his little sister.
They also tried to tempt him with money, something that wasn’t a problem for Wise, considering his other expertise in a different area that had already earned him quite a hefty sum. So, money is not the issue here.
The only problem is…
The one who asked him for a favor knows what his weaknesses are. First, it is his sister, and secondly, it is their teacher—slash adoptive mother—Carole Arna.
Heck, Wise doubts that it's a single person's request. He can name a few people whom he suspects have made the request.
There’s always a certain mayor of New Eridu, a doting father of a certain fox Thiren heiress, perhaps a senior member of the White Star Institute, or their long-term shifu from Yunkui Summit—and of course, the final culprit: his beloved sister, Belle, who handed him the document herself with pleading puppy eyes.
Wise huffs.
If he’s being honest, Wise could still reject them, even with Belle’s relentless puppy eyes (like when he decided to stop working as an actor), but the final hurdle was the original owner of the document itself.
He sighs, his finger brushing softly over the words written under the big, bold title in the middle.
A tribute to Carole Arna.
Original writer of the story: Proxy into the Hollow.
May her splendid works continue to spread throughout the world.
Just by reading those words, Wise feels a pang of yearning in his heart towards this manuscript. It was his late mother's last legacy, before she was reported missing after failing to return home from work.
No trace of her was ever found until now.
The original draft is still in his room, but this is another tribute to her. They both agreed to publish the story as a novel, just as they had planned. The novel became wildly popular, and people started looking into Carole’s disappearance again. Unfortunately, no new clues turned up before the attention eventually faded.
A few years later, a company called Mihoverse reached out with a proposal to turn the story into an action game, though with a new title. They agreed, hoping more people would remember Carole’s stories and maybe even find some answers. There were some changes to the story, but nothing major, and the original fans accepted them.
After its initial release, the game, Zenless Zone: Into the Hollow, became a major hit.
When Belle told him the story would become a movie, Wise was thrilled—at least until she explained that they both had to play the main characters, Rin and Akira, the orphaned siblings.
Wise wanted to reject it when Belle first told him the conditions, but when he saw the sad, knowing smile she gave him, he relented. He did understand why Belle asked him to play Akira.
Because Akira is him.
At least, the character was based on him. Both Wise and Belle knew that Carole had based her story on their real-life experiences. The orphaned siblings were Wise and Belle. Their teacher, who was lost in the Hollow, was supposed to be Carole. The destruction of the Helios Academy mirrored the earthquake that destroyed their hometown, and the fall of the old capital reflected the nuclear plant disaster that left their island as a wasteland.
Wise said he'd think about it, and Belle nodded. She believed that he would make the right choice. That kind of trust was what made Wise sit here, drinking a latte (even when Belle forbade him) while brooding over the manuscript in front of him.
It's not that he doesn't want to. It's just… he has always felt that acting wasn’t his forte, which is why he quit. That’s why Wise is afraid that he would ruin Akira's character, or the entire film, or worse, Carole’s entire legacy.
Their ultimate goal was to gain clues about Carole’s whereabouts through the story’s fame. But deep down, Wise actually wants the world to know about Carole’s talent, to remember her amazing works—and to remember her. But… Can he do it? Can he play Akira?
You’re a great actor, Wise, splendid even. But if you want to focus on becoming Phaethon, then it's okay. You should do what you think is the best for you. I’ll be here for you either way.
Those were Belle’s final words after realizing Wise really wanted to step back from being an actor. Since then, Belle hasn’t said anything else—the complete opposite of how she whined at him nonstop in the early days of his decision to quit.
Wise touches the manuscript, flipping through a few pages until it falls open at the character description. His finger hovers over the character's name.
Akira, the second Proxy. Also known as the brain of the siblings.
He sighs. It seems that Belle understands him better than he does. Maybe that’s why she gave him the manuscript. Because Belle knows he wouldn’t agree with anyone else playing Akira.
He won’t say it out loud, of course. But the ugly feeling will gnaw at him every day. He won’t trust other people to recreate his memories—their memories—only to ruin them by not acting the right way.
He inwardly groans, knowing the outcome. This time, it was clearly Belle’s win. Wise should know himself better. Because there’s only one way to do Akira right.
Wise gazes at the people seated at the briefing session. The director chats with his sister while waiting for the rest of the cast to join the early briefing. Which will be held in—Wise glances at his wristwatch—ten more minutes.
Wise decides to read the script to kill time. He’s going to play Akira after all.
To say he was surprised when nobody asked why a retired actor was chosen as one of the main characters is an understatement. He kinda gets it—his screen time as Akira isn’t that much compared to Belle’s or even the rest of the cast. But not even a single soul complained? Not even the crew? For all of the experience Wise has in this industry, this is… weird.
While he's mulling it over, the door opens. Heavy thuds of boots can be heard as a certain man enters. Almost all heads turn toward the person who walks in with a poised stride. Dark green hair, with sunglasses resting on his handsome face.
Lighter Lorenz has arrived.
Behind him trail his co-workers from the same agency—Luciana Auxesis Teodoro de Montefio (or Lucy for short, since even she finds her name a mouthful), Caesar King, Burnice White, and Piper Wheel.
The film crew welcomes them, showing them to their seats. Lighter is seated between Belle and him.
“Hi, Lighter.” Belle waves at the older man.
“Hello,” Lighter answers, peering over his shades with a polite smile. Belle turn to greet the other Sons of Calydon.
“Nice to meet you, Manager.”
“The pleasure is mine, Mr. Lorenz.”
“Please, just call me Lighter,” Lighter replies, his lips curving into his signature smile that makes people swoon.
Wise lets out an amused smile, finding that Lighter Lorenz’s natural flirty aura hasn’t changed at all since the last time they met.
“Oh! Isn’t this your famous brother?” Caesar asks Belle, and the rest of Calydon—most of whom have rarely or never met him—turn their eyes to him.
Wise nods. “Nice to meet all of you. I’m Wise Arna. Belle’s manager and older brother,” Wise says, sweeping his gaze over the members of Sons of Calydon and giving a nod.
“Both of you seem quite familiar with each other, Lighter~” Burnice pipes up from her chair, eyes sparkling. Wise sees Piper facepalm.
“I do work with his little sister, Burnice. We’re bound to meet often, so yeah.”
“Riiiiight. Yeah, work. Of course. I forgot. Sorry.” Burnice lets out a small chuckle, seeming to find something amusing. Lighter coughs, clearing his throat.
“Don’t mind Burnice, Mr. Arna. She’s just bein’ her ol’ weird self,” Piper says to Wise while yawning. Burnice pouts.
“Hello, everyone,” the director greets them. “It seems everyone is already here.” She eyes her guests. A projector fkickers on, displaying the presentation cover on the screen. “I believe all of you have already read the manuscript I gave you?”
They nod in answer, and the director explains the early stages of the story with a very thorough presentation.
Even though it uses Carole Arna’s story, this film is more of an adaptation of the game rather than the novel. Because of the limited time they had, the movie will only focus on a certain chapter of the game's story.
Everyone’s eyes are still glued to the screen, nodding here and there while listening to the explanation. After the storyline, the presentation slide changes to the character introduction page.
Belle’s picture is there, side by side with Rin’s, the female protagonist from the game. Wise blinks. He's surprised that Rin’s blue hair and doe eyes look very similar to a younger Belle.
Did the developer revise Rin’s newest skin design? The last time they approved it, Rin didn’t look very similar to Belle. Sure, there were bits of similarity here and there, but at that time they were subtle. Wise looks at Belle. She ignores his questioning glance by keeping her eyes on the screen while playing with her hair.
Lighter leans toward her and whispers something along the lines of, “You kinda look like her.” Belle just shrugs.
“It's a coincidence,” she whispers back at the man. Wise squints. His gut feeling says otherwise.
The slide changes to the next character. In a millisecond, all eyes shift from the presentation to him.
Akira looks almost identical to him. Even down to the panda eye bags.
This time, Wise blatantly stares at Belle.
Everyone—aside from Belle—stares at Wise.
“Wow, the resemblance is uncanny," Lighter whistles, saying out loud what the others were thinking.
“The hair color is different…” Belle mutters.
Akira’s hair color is a few shades darker than Wise's ash grey, but…
“It's still grey, tho?” Lighter says.
Right. Of course it’s grey.
Brilliant, Mr. Obvious.
Wise stop himself from rubbing his temple. He just lets out a strained smile. “I admit, I’m surprised.”
“Hey, Lucy. I think he should play Akira. He looks just like him. Don't cha think so?” Caesar whispers to Lucy, who pinches her cheek in warning and hushes her.
Wise raises his eyebrow at that. Caesar and Lucy didn’t know?
“Indeed, Ms. King,” the director said with a smile; it seems she heard Caesar’s words. “Mr. Arna here is going to play Akira.”
When Wise feels the gazes return to him again, he concludes that, yes, his future co-workers really didn’t know he was going to play Akira.
No wonder nobody protested.
.
.
.
TBC