C08
This is me, pouting at Ruth after messing up a scene dozens of times.
Back then, Shane, standing behind the camera, murmured:
“I’m not stupid. I can do better.”
And the first time I was suspended on wires, terrified to the point of tears-
“Director Dean, don’t glare at me like that. Joann was the one who said she could do it, so I just—”
“Can you call her Joann?”
“My bad. From now on, I’ll call her Ms. Dean.”
A cold, muffled scoff followed.
No wonder the male crew members always kept their distance from me.
The videos kept playing automatically, each one revealing the sincerity hidden behind his quiet presence.
“Director Dean, I heard your latest film took three years to complete. That’s the longest you’ve ever worked on a single project. Can I ask why?”
“This was Joann’s first film. I wanted to give her the best possible start.”
Why?
Didn’t Shane plan to hand my movie to her from the start?
Can’t he even see his own heart?
The editing room door creaked open, and a figure tiptoed inside.
It was Ruth.
I had been so absorbed in watching the video that I didn’t notice when Shane fell asleep.
The tapes were undeniable proof that I was the true lead of Dream Back, displayed front and center on the screen. There was no need to search for them–they were there, clear as day.
So Ruth ‘stole the footage with ease.
Even when he clumsily knocked over the recording equipment, Shane, slumped over the table, and didn’t stir.
Only after Ruth had disappeared did Shane slowly open his eyes, staring at the screen with an empty expression. So he had been awake the whole time.
But why?
8.58 AM D
Fought for His Love but Remained Second Best
G
But why?
Why did everything between us happen too late, to the point where even the answers no longer mattered?
I leaned close to his face, watching him.
My fingertips had already turned translucent–I could no longer touch his tears.
It was too late, Shane.
Love isn’t something you carve onto a boat, expecting to find it again in the flowing river.
On the seventh day after my death, my soul grew faint, and my connection to Shane weakened.
I drifted away from him and went to find Ruth.
Her eyes were bloodshot from exhaustion, yet she kept trying to post the truth.
But every attempt was either met with silence or mysteriously taken down.
Still, she refused to give up.
I watched her scratch her head in frustration, wanting to tell her that none of it mattered anymore–when, suddenly, all the videos were posted at once.
The views, shares, and comments skyrocketed.
“Director Dean issued a public apology…”
With millions of reposts, the platform couldn’t suppress it anymore. It spread like wildfire.
“Joann, no one even saw my post at first. Is he feeling guilty? Did he confess to lessen the backlash?”
I looked at Ruth, who had regained her fighting spirit, and smiled.
Of course. With her kind of presence, who wouldn’t be afraid?
“Joann, I told you–you were always meant to shine. Everyone is praising your performance!”
Ruth had the eye of a true talent scout. Anyone he recognized was bound to make it. Ten compliments from strangers couldn’t compare to one from him.
“It’s so satisfying. The official nominee list changed your name back to Best Actress. Shane and Harriet are being torn apart online. They’ll probably be blacklisted from the industry for good.”
Silly girl, we don’t have to cry now that justice has been served, do we?
I said so much to try and make her laugh, but she couldn’t hear me.
She just clutched her phone, crying and laughing at the same time.
Later, I followed Ruth to the beach.
She didn’t send me back to that tiny mountain village.
Not to the Dean family, either.
She scattered my ashes into the wind, letting them merge with the sea.
I suddenly remembered a time when Ruth and I had sat together on the shore.
“Joann, do you really like Director Dean that much? You would have shined anywhere–you didn’t have to stay.”
“Maybe. I always felt like I owed him something.”
“Well, now that your debt is paid, let’s leave, okay?”
I remember saying yes back then.
“Don’t let anything hold you back anymore!” Ruth shouted toward the sunset.
The last remnants of my lingering thoughts slowly dissolved.
I followed her gaze toward the horizon.
“Okay,” I whispered, this time truly meaning it.
G
