"Phi... do you know that new guy, Nunew?" Zee asked as he stepped into Aof's office.
Aof glanced up from his laptop. "Yeah. I cast him myself. Why? Any problem?"
"No. Nothing like that." Zee hesitated for a second. "How did you cast him? Has he been on anything before?"
"Nope. The show he was originally signed for got canceled," Aof explained, leaning back in his chair. "But I saw his audition tapes. Raw, but interesting. He has potential, so I brought him in."
"Can I see the tapes?" Zee asked.
Aof paused, eyebrows rising. Zee wasn't usually curious about new recruits especially not lately. But he clicked a few tabs and until the clips popped up, rotated the screen so Zee could watch.
Nunew appeared on screen nervous, bright-eyed, earnest as he read lines. He stumbled here and there, but there was warmth in his delivery and a natural softness that caught attention without trying.
"With a bit more training, he'd be good," Zee said quietly as the clips continued. "He's... clean on camera."
Aof narrowed his eyes. "Why are you asking about him? Are you interested in him?"
"Not really," Zee replied, a little too fast. "I just thought he'd fit Cutie Pie."
"You've read the script already?" Aof asked, surprised.
"No," Zee admitted, lips twitching. "But the title is Cutie Pie. It's not exactly mysterious. Nunew is cute he matches the vibe."
Aof stared at him for a beat longer trying to figure out where the conversation was going
"And how old is he? He looks really young."
"Nineteen," Aof replied, studying Zee's reaction.
"He's very young..." Zee muttered, almost to himself.
Then, more directly Zee said: "Phi, can you arrange a meeting between us? I want to talk to him and see if we'd be compatible."
Aof blinked, genuinely surprised. "Okay, but I'm shocked. A few weeks ago, you were dead set against having any partner. What changed?"
Zee exhaled softly, eyes shifting away for a second. "Nothing changed. I want to get to know him. Maybe spend a bit of time with him. If we don't click, or if he's not someone I can work with, I'll back out."
"Wouldn't working with someone experienced be better for you?" Aof asked carefully.
Zee didn't answer immediately. His jaw tightened. "I've tried that already," he said, voice dropping low. "And look where it got me."
Silence settled between them the kind of silence that acknowledged everything Zee had gone through without naming it.
"Alright," Aof finally sighed. "I'll arrange the meeting."
Zee nodded, satisfied. They moved on to discuss scheduling and company updates, but the whole time Aof watched Zee out of the corner of his eye because for someone claiming this was nothing, Zee looked far too focused for it to be casual.
When the meeting ended and Zee left the office, Aof exhaled and leaned back.
"...NuNew huh?" he muttered, a smirk pulling at his mouth.
He knew something was up even though Zee was denying it.
.....
It had been more than two weeks since NuNew's accidental encounter with Zee, and he still hadn't forgiven himself for fumbling his first impression. It replayed in his head at random: the staring, the stuttering, stepping on his shoe. Every time he remembered, he grimaced and buried his face in his pillow.
Now he was sitting in acting class, trying to focus while the instructor lectured about breath support and emotional projection. NuNew scribbled notes, forcing his handwriting to stay neat.
Just then his phone buzzed.
He slipped it out discreetly, expecting it to be Nat or one of the other rookies complaining about vocal training.
**Management**:
You have a meeting with P'Aof in the conference room at 3 PM.
NuNew froze.
A meeting? With Aof?
For the rest of the lesson, the instructor might as well have been speaking in another language. NuNew nodded along, eyes wide, pen hovering over his notebook while his brain spiraled.
Why would Aof want to meet him? The owner of the company didn't pull rookies into his office for no reason. And this wasn't how roles were assigned. Newcomers were called to a casting room, handed sides, and told to read until someone either liked them or didn't. Nobody got summoned to Aof before that.
This had to be something else.
When class finally ended, Nat was packing his bag and noticed how pale NuNew looked.
"What's wrong with you?" Nat asked.
"I just got a message." NuNew said, showing him the phone. "I have a meeting with P'Aof in an hour," His voice tight and eyes glossy with nerves.
Nat's eyebrows shot up. "Oho. That might be good news... or not."
NuNew stared at him in horror. "What do you mean or not?!"
Nat burst out laughing. "Relax! I'm just teasing. It might actually be good news."
NuNew didn't look convinced. "How could it be good? I'm a nobody. The only public thing about me is my welcome photo. That's not exactly career altering
Nat zipped his bag shut. "When they partnered me with P'Max last year, they called me to the office too. No auditions, just a straight meeting. So maybe P'Aof found a partner for you."
NuNew blinked slowly. "A... partner."
Nat gave him a look. "Why don't you sound excited? Don't you want a ship? Ships are trending now. It's good for marketing and fanbase growth and that's literally how the industry works now."
NuNew hesitated, then blurted out what he actually wanted to ask: "Is there any chance my partner could be P'Zee?"
Nat's expression softened almost pitying. "I don't think so, Nu."
NuNew's face fell.
"Remember what the makeup artist said that day?" Nat continued.
NuNew nodded.
"It's true. I asked P'Max about it. P'Zee told the company he doesn't want a partner right now. He doesn't trust anyone. And the company has been pushing, but he keeps refusing. So the chances of him being your partner are... zero. Sorry."
"Zero is harsh," NuNew muttered. "At least make it 0.00001%. Give me a fighting chance."
Nat snorted. "You're ridiculous. Get your bag. I'm going to the company too we can go together."
They caught a cab. The city passed by in a blur. NuNew stared out the window, biting his lower lip.
Nat finally sighed. "What is it now?"
NuNew dragged his eyes away from the glass. "What if my partner doesn't like me?" NuNew said quietly. "Or what if I don't like them? What if we don't get along at all?"
Nat put his phone down and glared at him.
"We don't even know that's why you're being called in," Nat reminded him. "And stop inventing disasters. You might actually like each other. Look at me and P'Max, we weren't besties at first either but now we are good."
NuNew nodded, but the knot in his stomach didn't loosen.
Fear of the unknown filled inside him. It shook his hands and tightened his throat.
Because somewhere deep down beneath all this NuNew was still hoping it should be who he wanted it to be.
And he also knew the universe rarely listened to him.