| Fan Fiction |
by W99
“This is your idea of a big, important meeting?” Ella wrinkled up her nose. “To talk about Calvin?”
“What’s with him?” Hebe’s face was a mask of suspicion.
The three of them were curled up in Selina’s and Hebe’s living room. Ella used to live with the two of them, until a couple of years back where she decided she wanted to be closer to her own family, so she moved out to her sister’s.
Selina and Hebe had been sorry to see her go, but they understood the reasons behind Ella’s decision. In their world, every second they could take out to spend with their loved-ones counted, and Ella’s choice hadn’t been at all selfish. Still, they were thankful that Ella moving out hadn’t weakened their bond with each other, but instead it seemed to have strengthened with the distance.
Selina shrugged. “You remember the movie I’d be doing?”
Both girls nodded their heads in unison.
“Well apparently, Calvin’s going to be the male lead.”
There was a startled pause before Hebe broke it. “Calvin? Why, that’s great!” her face shone with excitement. “I can’t wait to see what kind of chemistry the both of you will make on-screen!”
“We’re not going to be the next Chun and Ella, that’s for sure,” Selina stated dryly.
Ella stilled, before pulling a face. “Maybe you’ll be even bigger.” Her voice dropped to a softer tone.
There was a strained silence, in which Selina looked guiltily at Hebe before replying “Highly unlikely,” with an airy flick of her wrist, attempting to sound nonchalant.
“Why not?” Hebe shot Selina a knowing look before steering the topic back to calmer waters. “You and Cal look pretty good together.”
“That’s right!” Ella nodded, relieved that they had changed the subject. “Your regal, ladylike appearance complements his educated, princely aura perfectly!”
“The Princess and The Playboy,” Hebe added teasingly.
It was a tiny joke that both SHE and Fahrenheit shared. They had all been very impressed with Calvin’s role in the movie ‘Romantic Princess’. Ella had nicknamed him ‘The Playboy’ just for laughs. The moniker had caught on quickly and they used it whenever they wanted to poke gentle fun at him.
“Stop it guys,” Selina protested. “You’re both evading my earlier question. We were talking about Calvin remember?”
“What about Calvin?”
“Well what can you tell me about him, for starters?” Selina said. “I’m not very close with him, I don’t really know how he is like.”
Although SHE and Fahrenheit had collaborated in a number of projects together, and they looked to be inseparable to the outside world, the truth was that they weren’t really as close as many would perceive them to be.
Selina, for one, had never had any opportunity to really interact with them. Oh sure, SHE and Fahrenheit had co-sang quite a number of songs together, but they had always recorded the tracks separately. And when the occasion called for them to be present on the same filming set, or on the same stage…both groups’ encounters with each other were kept brief and simple. They simply didn’t have the time or opportunity to sit down together and exchange dirty, dark secrets.
To the fans, they looked like they were all one big happy family, but really this was all just for show. They were professionals at their work. They could pretend to really like each other, they could behave like they were on very intimate terms, but at the end of the day…the whole thing was just an act. And when the curtain call came for them to step away from recording cameras and prying eyes, they honestly couldn’t say that they really knew each other.
Such was their lives. Hypocritical, but inevitable. And they had come to accept the whole thing to be a necessary part of their careers.
Selina gave a small, wistful sigh, turning her attention back to her best friends. Ella had worked with Jiro and Chun on numerous occasions, and Hebe had had the chance of recording a track together with the boys. Surely, between the both of them they could tell her a little bit more about her co-star?
“He’s nice…” Hebe began slowly.
“Yes. I like him,” Ella promptly added. “He always had something pleasant to say to me whenever he dropped by to take a peek at the guys when we were filming Hana Kimi.”
Hebe nodded her agreement. “He’s very friendly and polite. Surely you’d noticed that he ranks the highest in the group in terms of EQ? From what I can recall, he never showed any signs of anger or impatience, not even when filming had hit the 20th hour,” she said, referring to the time when they were doing their’ Zhi dui ni you gan jue’ MV. “And I assure you, that was some major feat. The other three boys were already getting slightly irritable and snappy. He was the only one still going around with this big smile on his face.”
Ella butted in enthusiastically. “He’s got really great PR. And he can connect with just about anybody. He’s always full of pleases and thank yous. The workers all dote on him. Jiro told me that himself.”
“That’s nice,” Selina said with a smile. It spoke volumes for a person’s character when the workers around him seemed so obviously devoted to him. She knew Calvin was a total professional with his work, and she could see on him all that Hebe and Ella were saying. But she just wanted to double check. She wasn’t the best people-reader out there, she knew.
“You’ll love him once you really get to know him,” Hebe continued. “He’s so dedicated to what he does, and he’s awfully sweet.”
“Now Hebe, why do you sound like you’re head over heels in lurrrrrrrve with him?” Ella laughed, purposely dragging out the ‘love’ word just to annoy her friend.
Hebe whacked her on the head with the pillow she was holding. Hard. “Stop it. Everything I say is true, not based on some schoolgirl-crush’s illusion. And you know it!”
“El, stop it,” Selina said sternly and quickly changed the subject before the two could start on one of their usual squabbles. “I’m relieved you both like him so much. To be honest, I was a little worried that I wouldn’t be able to get along with him.”
“That’s a moot point if I’d ever heard of one,” Ella said. “He’s a perfect sweetie.”
“Now who’s the one who sound like they’re head over heels in lurrrrrrrve with him now?” Hebe took the opportunity to nudge teasingly at Ella.
Selina rolled her eyes as the two began arguing and aiming at each other with their pillows. “Oh shut it. You two are so immature!” she was rewarded for that statement with two whacks to her head, one each from both Hebe and Ella.
Growling, she snatched up her own bolster and proceeded to join in the war.
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“I heard you’re doing a movie with Selina?”
Calvin glanced up from his position on the floor. He had been slumped against the wall, taking a much-needed break from dance practice. “Yeah.”
“And you didn’t tell any of us?” Chun flopped down beside him, towel in one hand, water bottle in the other.
“Didn’t think it was too much of a big deal,” Calvin shrugged, stifling a yawn. He was dead beat.
Chun looked exasperated. “Calvin, just in case you’ve forgotten, we belong in the same band? Don’t we at least deserve to know anything related to you before the media does?”
Calvin smiled at that. “Alright alright, I’m sorry. I just hadn’t had the opportunity to tell you guys about it yet.”
Chun rolled his eyes. “So how does it feel like, knowing you’re going to work with her?”
“I don’t know,” Calvin frowned down at the floor. “I’m excited yet terrified at the idea. She’s way more experienced in terms of acting compared to me.”
“Don’t go downplaying your own abilities!” Chun nudged his friend encouragingly. “You’re a damn good actor, don’t deny it.”
Calvin remained unconvinced. “Well I just hope I don’t slow down the whole project, that’s all.”
“You won’t,” Chun told him with a reassuring smile.
The two fell into a comfortable silence before Calvin spoke up again. “So, how are things with you?” his tone sounded casual, but there was a telltale glint in his eyes.
Chun ignored his pointed look, but his whole being had stiffened considerably. “Ok. Just so-so.”
Calvin gauged Chun’s mood carefully, before deciding to take the plunge. “How about with Ella?”
Just as he had expected, Chun’s face darkened. “You know that subject is off-limits,” he said tightly.
“My apologies,” Calvin said quietly, backing off at once. “I was just hoping that things had improved or something…”
Chun and Ella had finally gotten together a couple of months back, after weeks of playing hard-to-get with each other. Calvin had never seen his friend happier or more contented. Chun looked like he was practically floating around in his own lala-land every day.
But one day, Ella suddenly dropped the bombshell that she wanted out, for reasons that still remained unclear to them. Their relationship had only lasted for slightly under four months.
Chun had been devastated. He couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep, couldn’t function. They had all been extremely worried about him, but it was only when Arron confronted him one night, amidst a dozen beer bottles and called him “a useless pansy” to his face that Chun began getting a grip on himself.
There were still times when he would sink into fits of depression, but all in all it was a far cry from the Chun that staggered around all day in a daze, not knowing what day it was or where exactly he was.
“I’ve stopped trying to call her,” Chun said softly after a long pause. “Obviously, she doesn’t want to have anything to do with me anymore.”
Calvin heaved a sympathetic sigh.
“But I’m ok,” Chun glanced up, a flicker of pain flashing across his eyes.
Calvin nodded.
“I’m perfectly fine,” he repeated, though they both knew it wasn’t Calvin he was trying to convince, but himself.
Calvin nodded once more. At times like these, there was nothing anyone could do but stayed beside Chun and showed him that he wasn’t alone.
Sometimes, just that was enough to keep a person going...
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Hello! Thank you loads for the comments.
Oh and I've requester for poster, hopefully it gets done soon. In the mean time, here's Chapter 2, hope you all liked it.
-W99